St. Landry democrat., 1893-06-10
NOTES AND COMMENTS.

SNS'tNAASes @AN>| 49,
Interesting paper on marriage and divorce
statistics to the Political Science Quar-
terly. His Investigations have been
thorough, and, from figures covering a
period of twenty years, from 1866 to
1856, he has been able to sift out aver
ages which Indicate the rather startling
circumstance that marriage in the United
States is becoming failure. That is, it
is steadily falling off. especially in the
cities. And not only this, but divorce is
gaining as rapidly in popular favor as
marriage is decreasing, Professor Will
cox points out that, with the exception
of Japan, which has more divorces per
year than any other nationality, the
United States is far ahead of other
countries in this respect, and that OF the
Christian countries we are in the lead by
a considerable majority. 1t is also shown
that the age when young men and women
marry is gradually but surely advancing.
The average young man of to-day, who
lives in a community where there is no
especial pressure to become married lin
some sections of the far West a man will
get married at almost any age If he can
find a wife,, waits until he is twenty
seven wears and about two months old
before he ventures into the field of matrl-
| mony. This is an advance of just one
year over the average of 1871, and to him
who can appreciate the value of statistics
this will appear as remarkable differ
ence, and one for which some distinct
cause may be found.
The experiment of a telephone news
paper so to speak, is being tried in the
city of Buda- Pesth in Hungary. A CEN
trail exchange for the collection of news
on all topics usually treated by an ordln-
airy journal has been established, and
from this point items of news, together
with editorial comments, are hourl y sent
to regular subscribers over telephone
wire connecting with houses, stores,
offices, factories and hotels, as may be
desired. Stationary receiving tubes are
mounted so as to be on a level with the
ear and each telephone instrument is
supplied with wooden tablet upon
which subscribers may jot down such
notes as they wish to make. The news
exchange is divided into two depart
mcnts. In the editorial rooms the matter
for transmission over the wires is col
lected by corps of reporters and writer's
much as in an ordinary newspaper office.
Then the copy is sent to the distributing
office, where men with distinct and re-
sonant voices send it to the various sub
scribers over the telephone wire. The
news is given in either German or Hun
garian tongue. The charge for the ser
vice is seventy-tive cents per mouth.
From receiving news over the telephone
to listening at home to an inaugural adj
dress or Congressional debate or sermon,
operas and lectures in distant cities
would seem only a short step.
The process of retaining the Arizona
deserts goes on apace. During resent
years many irrigation projects have been
put on working basis, and districts
varying from a few thousands to hundreds
of thusands of acres are being rapidly
brought into agricultural and horti-
cultural use. The greatest project of
this character yet undertaken was practl-
cally begun few days ago, and plans
for one still greater are announced. For
the first, contracts have been placed in
volving an expenditure of more than
$4,000, 600, for the construction of rescr-
voirs and canals to utilize water from the
ella River in retaining 500, 0OJ acres OF
land which will be trst-class fruit and
vine land The dam will be one of the
largest in the country, and seventy-two
miles of canals are to be constructed.
The second project contemplates the
reclamation of 400, 900 acres of now arid
land with water taken from the Rio
Verde, stored in three immense reser
voirs, and distributed in $50 miles of
canals. The land and the canal routes
have been surveyed, and the $4,000 900
necessary to undertake the work sub
scribed. Much of the land will make
good orange growing land.
JOSIAH QUINCY, the new Assistant
Secretary of State, is the fifth member of
his family to bear the honorable name of
Josiah. So great is the filial respect in
which this baptismal name is held that
it used to be ayerred by the people of
Quincy, Mass, where reverence for the
towns namesake family has become a
cult. that the present Mr.. Quincy was
originally christened Josiah-Josiah. The
old historic home of the family at Quincy
has long been one of the finest estates in
New England, embracing as it does q
beautiful piece of woodland lying on the
margin of the sea. That particular part
of the New England coast is most at
tractive to the eye, for while sufficiently
stern and rock-bou in winter, in sum-
mer it smiles like an isle of Greece. AL
most adjoining the Quincy estate, and
perched on an elevation at the very
brink of the ocean, is the modern house
of John Quincy Adams who also is one
of the tutelar divinities of the town.
A NUMBER of years ago horse thieves
were so troublesome in western New
jersey that an association of farmers and
citizens was formed to run them down,
and several arrests were made. The
organization proved to be so effective
that it is maintained to this day, al
though so quietly that even the thieves
seldom know of it until they are nabbed.
An active committee of men called
"seckers" goes out on the trail when
ever robbery has been committed, and
information relative to the crime is spread
with surprising quickness. Occasionally
the thief, finding himself in danger, will
abandon the horse, and sometimes-for
q thief is usually contemptible-will
drive it into 6 quagmire to become hope
1essly begged, or tie it to q tree in the
woods to starve.
VEGErARIANIsM in the United States
does not discard the use of a meat diet
merely because it is unnecessary or harm
full, but also because of the cruelty in
La fhnir hnlaca ln