The united opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1881-1970, 1888-09-28

with the half-spans built out ON either hand.
No fool of a Job thati
Here is pointer about iron bridge building
which got from recognized leader In the
profession: The tendency In such work to-
day, particularly in railroad bridge building,
is to put up structures that are barely heavy
enough for present use and will not bear an
extraordinary strain. This is poor economy.
The Canadian Pacific has erected thousands
OF iron bridges which will have to be re-
placed in decade or two because they will
not prove heavy enough for the increased
freighting naturally to be expected. The
same thing is true Of the railroads all over
the continent They are building for the
present, and therefore wasting large sums.
| ~.
Something odd in the way Of mining has been
discovered to young Bostonian who con-
fidently expects to make fortune through
the mysterious clairvoyance Of girl
This is he asserts no ordinary case Of i'm
posture by dishonest female, for the girl In
question has never shown an avaricious dis
position and her extraordinary power is
known only to few. She lives in st. Louis,
but her name and exact residence are not
known to the youth who has staked his
money on her skill.
His partner has for some years conducted
mining operations successfully on the girls
advice, and has such implicit faith in her,
that he voluntarily pays her and her family
a liberal sum to keep her power secret from
| all others.
The miner is a believer in what he calls
psychometric power. The girl, who is young
and ignorant, can, on being allowed to handle
an object, describe the objects which sur
rounded it in the place from which 1t was
taken.
This is explained by the theory that every
thing in nature has character Of it's own,
and impresses its influence upon all the bodies
in it's immediate vicinity.
So the girl on being given fragment of
rock fresh from a mine is able by her peculiar
sensitiveness to such influences to comprehend
what was the original environment Of that
rock. which way the vein ran, it's thickness,
etc. Her power was originally discovered
through her readiness in describing the furni-
ture of strange apartment on being given
some article which had lain in the room.
The girls skill was recently given test in
Colorado mine In following up a vein of
silver and gold the miners came to "horse,"
a big boulder planted across their path. In
such case it is question with miners
whether to try to go through or around
the horse. In either case the chances are
that they will waste great deal of time and
effort before finding the vein again.
The proprietor in this dilemma got chip
Of the rock which no one had handled and
expressed it to his adviser in st. Louis. Back
came the advice to blast away straight
through the horse. In ten feet, wrote the
girl, the miners would come upon a cavity
containing rich deposit, and the vein would
enlarge from there on. Her advice was fol-
lowed and the cavity was found just as de-
scribed.
The prOprietOrs Of the mine see vast posi-
bilities of wealth through the girls discern
ment. One of them expresses the belief that
thousands of people have this same psyche
metric power in some degree, but it requires
childlike innocence and a hermit-like free
dom from ordinary cares for its free play.
go
The people who have led in the public
school agitation here appear to have made
su&rage to their aid In the forthcoming s|ec-
ton for members Of TIE school committee.
They hove ga1nad y y it already 1000 votes
and will probably gain as many more, but
where the public schools can summon to their
defense 1000 such votes the parochial schools
can call out 5000 OF 10000, and are likely to
do it.
If this question had been left to
the men to settle the issue would not
have been doubtful. The present school
board would have been buried under an
avalanche of votes, and the new board would
have been one likely to readopt Swinton's
history and put back teacher Travis in his
position. The on-Catholic vote alone would
have been enough to do this, and it would
have had the support of large share Of the
Roman Catholic men, who, as a rule do not
appear to be enthusiastic afor the parochial
schools.
But the zealousness of women has
spoiled this prospect. They have over
done their part, and the answer
to them comes from every quarter
of the city, where Roman Catholic women
are being invited to secret meetings and
quietly preparing to register in numbers
which render the cause of the other side al
most hopeless at the present outlook. The
leading Roman Catholic newspaper OF the
city discourages this movement, but several
priests are active in encouraging the women
TO vote, ana unless Cne cnurcn auCnOrlCleS
take some decisive action against the plan the
women will fairly swarm around the polls on
election day.
The women who are deeply interested in
preserving the public school system could
turn out in as large numbers as their oppo-
nents, but no politician expects such a change
in their nature.
~.
The passing away of that kind and schol
arly old gentleman, William Warren, has
drawn out food of laudation, as is natural
enough 1t is doubtful if he left an enemy,
for he was modest and genial in retirement,
and when in the active exercise of his talents
on the stage appears to have been devoid of
petty jea lousies and steadily true in main
tanning the dignity of his art. The public
never demanded buffoonery or horse play
when they had chance to enjoy Warren's
clever humor, and perhaps they would be
content with such artistic comedy now, if
they could.get it.
The whole public doesn't banker after vic
ious melodrama or cheap burlesque. Here is
Little Lord Fauntleroy" drawing crowded
houses at the Museum. The people smile
with delight at the pretty childish graces of
the hero and enjoy the touching transforma-
tionof the cold, selfsh.e earl into the indulgent
grandfather. They don't demand large