Morning journal and courier., 1885-10-13
EDITORIAL NOTES.


 The United States Supreme court yesterday opened its session of 1S95-6 with calendar of more than thousand cases. It will prob ably close the session next May with docket about as long. The court is at least three years behind with it's business. It is about time something was done to relieve it, and Congress should attend to the matter this winter.
 correspondent writing from Holland says that Mormonism is gaining ground there meeting was held recently at Zwolle, which consisted of Mormons from Amsterdam, Groningue, Leenwarden, De- venter, Olst and Zwolle. Women and chil- dren were present.. The exercises, consisting of speeches and religious services, lasted from 10 o'clock in the morning until late at night. A number of new converts were ad- mitted. The Dutch government does not in terfere with the sect.
 And now the pleasant polecat is found to be very wise. Five young bobcats are said to have been recently found in England com fortably imbedded in dry and withered grass, and in a side hole of proper dimen- sions for such larder were forty frogs and two toads, all alive, but merely capable of moving little. On examination the whole number proved to have been purposely and dexterously bitten through the brain. Xvi dently the parent poleeat had thus provided the young with food which could be kept perfectly fresh because alive, and yet was rendered quite unable to escape.
 The Japanese are very polite people, but they do not understand the kind of polite ness that is fashioable in this country. A Japanese gentleman in Washington made | what was supposed to be merely ceremo- l nial call on a lady, and fingered till lunch time. Of course he was asked to stay and expected to refuse, but he didn't. And still
 he stayed, till necessity compelled his invi- 1 tation to dinner. And yet he fingered till, at midnight, with elaborate, almost abject apologies for leaving, the Japanese gentle | man took his departure Next day, while | the hostess was telling her friends how hor 1 ribly she was bored, her visitor was deplor' l ing her cruelty in not earlier in the day inti
 mating to him that he might depart, Japan. ese etiquette requiring such signal of permis sion before he could go.
 An agent of the Pall Mall Gazette, with view of testing the true inwardness of pris-
 on life, caused himself to be committed to g London prison. He relates follows the ! benefcent offices of the prison chaplain: l I had visit from the chaplain after hao
 been in prison day or two, and the inter | inta to5 oi l these questions, as nearly as I can remem
 Der: "What is your names What are you | What are you here fors Can you read and write? Brilliant question to ask man who
 had said he was journalist.) What church have you been in the habit of attending | What was your fathers In how many day. I did God make the worlds What did he d. on the seventh days How many command
 ments are therea On what mount were they given to Mosess What did our Saviour come into the world fors" After receiving my answer to the last the reverend gentleman | remarked: f:Then how careful we ought tt l be to avoid sin,'' took up his hat said ''goot
 morning." and the interview was at an end Milwaukee is already noted for it's beer ! SAAoo0AoAA o l civil service reform. The rules which wen into force on the 18th of July for appoint ments and promotions in the police and frt | departments embrace the salient features oi the New York system-competion Towering physical as well as educational tests), proba tion and the exclusion of politics. Appli f cations for appointment are made to the 1 chief in each department, and "must not be made to the board or any member of the | board.' and ttno such application must be considered" 'tEvery application must be
 accompanied by the certificate of three re- ! putable citizens not holding any city ol l county office" as to habits, character, etc. l these certificates may be published, and the l sgners held to give detailed information l where desired. The system has work ed smoothly and well up to the present time
 and is gaining steadily in popular conf dence.
 | A chemical examination of water brought | up from great depths in the Mediterranean proves, as suspected, that the deep sea water I is more salt than that at the surface, thougf
 nothing can be found to show the existence | of a bed of salt at the bottom to produce | such extra saturation; in fact, strata of water I of less density are met with below those O greater density. Thus it appears that thu
 outer current in large part carries with it thu
 excess of salt produced by the surface evapo
 ration, the cause of the circulation being
 due, it is believed, to hydrostatic action
 purely. That is, the water of the Mediter
 ranean is continually losing by evaporation larger amount than is returned to it b,