Chicago eagle. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1889-19??, 1893-08-05
Won. for the unemployed on road


building has been tried with success in
some cities of Germany. At Mannheim
work was given at stone breaking and
repairing the roadways and parks The
workmen were not placed under the di-
rect charge of the public officials, but
under the direction of fine trades unions
Better work and more of it was done
than was expected, and the self respect
of the men was preserved. At Cologne
1t was found that as soon as the city
provided even very low wages several
employers dismissed workmen whom
they would otherwise have kept. In
Magdeburg it was found that any rate
higher than "a cents II day would attract
laborers from Other work. Our States,
says the Voice, need Improvement of
their roads, 1t would be cheaper for
the public to give to the unemployed
work at repairing the roads than to sup
port them as now in reproductive and
involuntary idleness.
People reared in an environment of
Anglo-Saxon custom and tradition have
always found Chinese the most difficult
of all languages to acquire. 1t is not
very surprising, therefore, to learn that
the British Army authorities have found
it almost impossible, even by the most
persuasive inducements, to get their
officers to undertake the study of the
mandarin tongue. Ten years ago the
Government offered handsome prizes to
any officer who could how satisfactory
progress in learning Chiucse, and now a
reward of 1000 rupees is promised to all
officers passing even an elementary eX-
animation in this difficult language of
monosyllablcs. In the United States Chin
csc is but little studied About ten
years ago Harvard College offered a
/ course of instruction in it, and imported
a most imposing mandarin to teach it,
but hardly half dozen students out OF
the I, 500 there made use of the oppor-
tunitv. Yet number of Harvard stu
dents during the last twenty years have
gone to China after graduation and
''picked up the language very handily.
A WASHINGTON, Cd. Co. jury has
awarded damages against the Baltimore
and Potomac Railroad Company on Il
very novel plea If the decision stands,
it will give world Of trouble to the
railroads. The plaintiff alleges that his
health was damaged by the noise made
by the defendants trains, which passed
his house, and that he had not had 6
good nights sleep for months. He also
said that the noXious smells caused by
the company were intolerablc to him.
The defendants attorney thought that q
young man ought 10 get used to these
things in time. but the plaintiffs lawyer
said that his client certainly had right
to his comforts of home, even if he were
young. The jury thought so, too, anC
gave a verdict of $500 for the plaintiff
If one can recover damages from a rail
road for making a noise, there are thou
sands of people who have good cast
against them.
A NEW rain wizard named G. B. Jewell
has risen in Kansas. He claims that he
can establish direct electrical communi
cation with the clouds by means Of Ger
tain gases, and that he can produc
clouds by sending the gases into clea
sky. When this is done small cloud
begin to gath er in all directions, an'
within a short time the sky is shut GU
by solid mass of clouds from whicl
rainfall is certain. He says that he cal
also send captive balloon into clouC
and produce rainfall instantly. Whel
this method is used he charges thu
balloon with certain gases which explode
when they come in contact with mois
turc.
ONE exhibit at the WORKS Fair of es
pccial interest to the wives of working
, men is the model cottage. This is unde
the direction of Miss Katharine Davi
: and furnished to an ideal of comfort
convenience and economy. Miss Davi
t prepares and explains three meals a da
| supposed to feed the average family;
| man, his wife and four children, one
baby. The cost, per day, of these meal
; is not expected to exceed tifty-seve
cents.