The free press. (Poplarville, Miss.) 1890-19??, 1893-01-26
NOTES AND COMMENTS.

Great Britain, with 30, 900, 900 people
spends as much for intoxicating beverages
as the United States, with So, 900, 600.
But her requests for religious, educa-
tional and charitable purposes, exclusive
of Braon Hirsch's benefactions, reached
S15, 900, 900, as against S7,O0O,O 900 In
the United States.
BLIND Chinese have now chance at
literature. 1t is touching to think OF
the work of the one-armed Scotch
missionary, w. H. Murray, who has re-
duced the 1000 symbols representing
svllables of the Chinese language to 40S
characters representing sounds. The
miserable condition of the blind in China
has made Mr.. Murray's long task labor
of love.
Ink stains are so frequent that every
one at times desires something to remove
them. To remove them from linen rub
the spots while wet Gf stains are old wet
with water) with tartaric acid; to remove
them from silk, saturate the spot with
spirits of turpentine; after a few hours
rub the spot, and the ink stain will
crumble away without injuring the
fabric.
ONE of the interesting exhibits of the
Worlds Fair will be that of Col. George
L. Gillespie of the Engineer Corps, L.
S. A., who is in charge of the defenses
of New York harbor. He proposes to
display a collection of models showing
the harbor and river improvements Of
recent years. At this time, when gen
eral interest is being manifested in river
and harbor improvements and inland
transportation facilities, this will be a
very instructive exhibit.
The statistics of electric railways are
expanding at great rate. About five
hundred street railroads in the United
States and Canada are operated by cleo
tricity, gain of nearly two hundred in
two years. and fully equal to one half of
the total railway system of America.
The investments in these roads have
passed the 5000, 900, 900 mark, but give
no indications of falling off to a lower
rate of increase. In February, 1891, the
investments were estimated at $50, 000,-
900, and in 1887 there were only thirteen
electric roads working throughout the
entire country.
FEW people who have not kept house
in Germany or Austria Hungary know
what solving of the transportation
problem it is for the post to deliver
G. o. ID. packages. The Postal Union
does this throughout the countries
mentioned For farmers and the dwellers
in town and village it is a great blessing.
The post takes almost everything; for
instance, one orders poultry, hams,
honey, butter, fruit lin baskets, fresh
fish, etc, from localities as far apart as
the Black Forest, the North Sea and the
middle of Hungary The cost of tran
sportation is usually Is cents, never over
20. One sees the handy yellow wagons
in nearly every street of all the towns
and cities delivering parcels; in the
village it is a yellow hand-cart, and
among the mountains the uniformed
post-man is loaded with bundles.
THE latest news of the cholera in
Europe shows that the danger of an in
vasion from it next summer is by no
means chimerical and that the precau-
tons taken or urged on this side are not
Objectionable on the score of being UNI
necessary. New cases and deaths CON
tinue to be announced in Hamburg in
number great enough to render that port
an object of vigilant scrutiny. The
Russian returns of the epidemic are sur
prising by their magnitude. Statistics
are not we'll kept in Russia nor is the
standard of medical knowledge high
The distinction between European
and "Asiatic' cholera in the reports is
very possibly without foundation. In
any case, the total of 265, 700 deaths is
appalling. 1t behooves us, warns the
New York Times, not only to take every
means OF keeping cholera out, but to
make sure that it shall find no con.
venient breeding places even if it gains
admittance.
CoNvICT labor ON state roads is adj
vocated by Mr.. Charles f. c. Smith,
leading citizen of Leavenworth, Kans
who thus outlines his plan; He proposes
that the labor needed for the permanent
improvement of roads shall be furnished
by the convicts in the penitentiary al
Lansing. His plan provides for a road
engineer, who shall make specifications
| for road system which makes all State
roads uniform in character. When all i.
in readiness for labor, the convicts are tc
be divided into squads of such size as
seems practicable. They will then b,
taken to the section of the State wher,
roads are to be built and housed in TEN
porary barracks erected for the purpose
They will work on the roads in the
spring, summer, and fall, when they will
be returned to Lansing and employed il
manufacturing clothing and the nipple
ments needed in the road work. Mr.
Smith would make all roa d taxes pay
able in money and have them turned
over to the State to be used in defray
ing the expense of guarding and feeding
the convicts.