, 1890-10-29

At the meeting of the American Associa-
ton for the Advancement of Science at
Indianapolis, Mr.. Dodge read a paper on the
standard of living in the United States. of
which a summary is given in Mondays
Times. That standard is, he declares, the
highest known, and is progressive. oThe
average consumption of meat in Great Bri.
tain per head is only two-thirds that of the
United States, whilet that of France is scarce
ly halt the latter. The consumption of CO.
reals, by man and beast, is three times as
much IN proportion to the population as in
Europe. The American people are no less
protuse IN clothing The country ..producps
more than half the material for the cotton
factories of the world, and a third Of that is
manufactured and mostly consumed at home.
Similarly q fourth of the wool product of the
world is consumed there This method of
estimating the national well-being by the
bigness of the butchers bill is thoroughly
American and, 1t must be added, also tho
roughly English, Those who rely upon it
forget, however, the case of Scotland. where
not only the MISE, an Sydney Smith said,
but a great many other things have been
cultivated on a little oatmeal. Good feeding
is, Of course, Of importance but plenty of
elbow room, and the feeling that every man
I41Ny - GA4C pLCI1AGCNG Va III OWp 4O1LuAIG, are,
we expect, the chief causes of American
progress and prosperity,
We wonder if Europe will ever hear the
true story Of the reported German proclama-
ton in East Africa in favour of slavery.
The story came originally from the cores
pondent Of the Times in Zanzibar but it is
pretty evident that, in some Way or other,
he was egregiously deceived. The Imperial
Government at once ~repudiated any such
policy, the German Commissioner denied
that he had either issued or heard of any
such proclamation, and now (25th inst.) the
Times agent telegraphs that the Germans
are anxiously endeavouring to efaee any
such illusion from the Arab mind. 1t looks
very much as if it were somebody's interest
in Zanzibar to stir up strife between the
two nations, and we cannot say that the
English come altogether creditably out of the
affair. They were far too ready to be sus-
picious, and to believe that there was an
intention either to insult them, or to make
profit out Of a trade condemned by all ciVihsed
opinion. Journalists often condemn Govern
ments as pedantic because they wait for
official information but Governments have
been taught by long experience to rely on
their agents as the only men who are tolera-
bly, disintereSted. Those who are paid to col
lect exciting news are often, even in England,
too ready to believe it and everywhere else
they avoid inquiry, lest a good story should
be spoiled. The telegraph is becoming one
of the difficulties of modern diplomacy, for
populations are fred by stories told for the
sake of brevity without qualifications, and
for the sake of priority without investigation,
A curious account of Japanese topsy tur.
veydom is given ia Saturda US Times, drawn
from q work entitled Things Japanese
published in Japan by Mr.. Basil Hall Cham
berlain, q well-known scholar. The number
of Things which, according TO our notions,
the japanese do upside down, are immune
rable. Japanese books begin at the end,
the word fnis coming where we put the
title-page. The footnotes are printed aC
the top of the page, and the reader puts in
his marker at the bottom. Men make them
selves merry with wine, not after, but before
dinner, and sweets come before the principal
dishes. A Japanese mounts his horse on
the right side, and when the animal is
brought home, his head is pat where his
tail ought to be. They address a letter the
reverse way to US, putting the name last,
the country and city first, going from the
general to the particular. Japanese keys
turn in instead of out Japanese carpenters
saw and plane towards, not away from them
selves. In keeping accounts they write the
figures first, the item corresponding to them