Morning journal and courier., 1884-01-09

an absolutely unproftable level, thus eom-
 polling the Independent ship owner to sail
 his vessel at a loss. Then, when the coast is
 clear, freight rates are pushed up again, and 1 only a sufficient number of vessels are sn- gagged to make it possible to maintain these high prices.
 A committee of the Philadelphia Councils,
 which has been wrestling with the subject of street cleaning, has reported in favor of leg islation ssby which the municipality may as- sume the work of street cleaning and street repairs, or if this is not deemed advisable, then to let the contracts for period longer than ons year. The present plan of short contracts invites bids from contractors, however honest their intentions, who are not willing to take the pecunigry risk necessary to perform the work in proper and economical manner. Machinery is sel- dom used, and in it's place, often, men are employed who are inexperienced and inef- ficisnt, and do the work in an indifferent and superficial manner"
 The president of the United States Crens- ton society says that there are five thousand persons in this scountry pledged to .have their bodies burned. There is as yet only ons crematory-thaE at Washington. Pa; but the plans are drawn for another, and the society is raising the money to build il. Fifteen thousand dollars have been subscribed. The building will, besides the furnace, contain a room for the reconciliation of persons who would otherwise bs burned or buried alive another for the keeping of bodies by refriger- ation until the arrival of distant mourners. who might wish to take part in funeral csre- monies; and 8 third in wh ich any desired rites may be held. He also says that the principal opposition is by Christians. and that their dislike of cremation arises from belief In the doctrine of resurrection.
 The idea of utilizing for the benefit Of charity such worthless objects as the cutoff ends of cigars, old postage stamps, tinfoil from the nscks of bottles, etc., originated with German publisher, who was anxious to raise sum of money for the erection of an orphan asylum. The German Imperial Aims guild, founded upon this idea about three years ago, has now eighteen thousand branches with between four hundred thou sand and i've hundred thousand members, and it's income, which last year amounted to more than twenty i've thousand dollars. sup ports an orphan asylum in SouthGsrmsny con taining one hundred boys. There iE scarcely a more familiar sight in Germany than the collection boxes of this guild, whose member ship and support gre growing so rapidly that it is likely to become one of the most i'm portans, as 1t is now one of ths most inter- esting, charitable institutions in the world.
 There is 8 high old school book scan- dal raging in the province of Ontario. The Liberal minister of the province is charged with privately assuring Nelson, the Edinburg publisher, that if he made 8 reader it would bss introduced into the schools. Nelson is credited with preparing for rainy day by buying large block of the stock of the most influential liberal paper in the province. The school reader, when published, was not cheap enough, and he was compelled to try again. The minister of education ''author- ized" two sets of readers, and that of homo firm. When it was found that a large majority of the school inspectors favor cd the home made reader, the minister Gllegslly, it is said, took the matter out of their hands and forced ths NelsoEa books en many of the schools. the protest of tha mas- ters to the contrary notwithstanding The minister was appealed to, and the sale of sll the rival books was stopped by.ofcial notice. Several suits in equity against the govern nsnt were threatened by this procedure, and finally the complications becoming serious ''composite series of books was arranged on a plan, it Is claimed, that gives Nelson the lions share of the profits.