Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1889-09-12
FOREIGN GOSSIP.

FOREIGN GOSSIP.
The Emperor Of Russia initiates
Mr.. Gladstone. His Majesty is an
amateur wood-ckopper and spends an
hour day at the exercise
When a passenger boards or leaves
| a horse-car in Germany the conductor
| touches his hat and says Good -day."
| And if the passenger gives him a Tip"
| of one cent he looks happy for the rest
of the trip.
"A Hindoo lecturer in England says
that the British have degraded India
and her people to the level of beasts.
and that tens of thousands die yearly
of starvation, and all reports are sup
pressed.
-Pricking with a bunch of fresh
nettles as a cure for an8sthesia. neu-
ralgia and numerous other diseases,
has long been practiced by the Rus
sian peasantry, and native doctor
speaks highly of its efficacy.
The population of Norway exhib-
its higher percentage (97.25) of light
eyes than any other country in Eu-
rope. Flaxen hair occurs in 57.5 per
cent. while absolutely black hair is
only found in the ratio of 2 per cent.
Both the Russians and the British,
as they push farther and farther into
Asia. pay great attention to arbori-
culture, planting trees. shrubs and
flowers wherever they form settle
ment. The result is that Central Asia
is being reforested.
The remarkable FLOATING island
of Derwentwater, England. the peri
odical appearance of which has given
| rise to SO much speculation. has been
declared to be the highest part of a
great blister-like upheaval of peat
| which here forms the bottom of the
lake.
In Sweden, during some hundred
years, military training has been in
troduced in all public schools as part
of the daily curriculum. When twenty
years old every Swede must serve as
soldier for a short period during two
years in succession.
The annual report of the Indian
Department of Canada says there are
encouraging indications that the Indian
element will eventually become ANAL
gamated with the general population
of the country. The Indian population
of the Dominion is 124, $50.
"A Japan paper states that since the
United States prohibited Chinese inn.
migration there has been a very per-
ceptible increase in the number of Chi
nese immigrants to Japan. Recently
1876 arrived at Yokohama, and ''most
of them are now employed in tea-iring
godOwns at the rate of remuneration
which none but Chinese would accept"
According to the Oakland Echoes
one can scarcely be half an hour in
Honolulu. keeping ones eyes and ears
tolerably wide open. without arriving
at full knowledge of the fact that the
Hawaiian kingdom is commercially
and socially ''bossed'' by the United
States of America, and by the State of
California in particular.
1t is said that the Emperor of China
is anxious to encourage the building of
railroads in his kingdom. but he is sur
rounded by many obstacles. His
priests, astrologers, and advisers of
various kinds are afraid of Western
civilization. and they employ all man
ner of devices to keep the young potent
ate from acting in a progressive way.
The astrologers never find the stars
favorable to the granting of railroad
franchise.
"A farm-laborer in China is hired
by the year. at from IS to $14, with
food, clothing. head-shaving and to-
bacco. From 8 to 10 cents per day,
and the MONDAY meal. for ordinary
days work; but 10 to 20 cents per
diem, with five meals, or 80 cents per
day without food, for planting and
harvesting rice. Food averages little
more than 81 month for each member
of a farmers family.
-Pigeon-fying is growing to be an
absorbing amusement in England, par
ticularly among the Birmingham la
borers. The spread of the sport has
developed quite new branch of rail-
way traffic. 1t is the practice of flyers
to send their birds in baskets, ad-
dressed to the station-master at par
ticular station, with the request that
he release them. mark on a label the
time that they were released, and re-
turn the basket. This request is reg
ularly granted. The officials rather
like the work. In cloudy weather
porters have been known to feed birds
for three days before setting them free.
PRIVILEGES OF PEERS