Morning journal and courier., 1894-02-15

pie hear sermons Sunday morning and get I drunk in the afternoon. Why do the Eng | fish spend twics as much for drink as for | breadr
 A work of tremendous size is about to be installed in the library of the British Museum. It comprises 1000 big books wherein are bound up the 5.020 native vol tunes of the wonderful Chinese encyoiope- dia. This is the only perfect copy in Eu- rope, and even in China there are not more than five copies of this edition.
 A singular soheme of electric lighting is about to be carried out in Antwerp. Water is to be distributed from steam pumping stations, at a pre ssure of 775 pounds per square inch, and used to drive dynamos in small district stations by means of tur- pines. These are to supply the local con- sumers through low pressure, two wire circuit system. It Is figured out that tts cost of coal per 16.candle power per hour will be only .025 cent.
 The peasantry in the northern region of European Russia are ir e pitifully impov- erished condition, which is daily becoming more acute. The region most affected covers an area of not less than S15, ,000, 900 acres. While the imperial government is formulating plans for the commercial and industrial development of this region by the building of railroad systems, the local governors are appealing for assistance to keep the people from actual starvation. The people have not enough for bread to last them through the winter. They are four years in arresrs with their taxes, and are hopelesely indebted to the Crown for advances made during and since the late famine.
 An intelligent writer on Japaness social life says that to the young Japanese mar risgs appears a simple, natural duty, for the performance of which his parents 1ill make all necessary arrangements at the proper time. That foreigners should have so much trouble about getting married Is puzkltpg enough to him; but that dlstin- guished authors should write novels and poems about such matters, and that those novels and pssms should be vastly sd- mired, puzzles him infinitely more-seems to him "very, very strange" Moreover, to the Japanese our novels seem indecent for somewhat the same reason that the Scripture text, "For this cause shall man leave his father and mother, and shall cleavs unto his wife," appears to them one of the most immoral sentences ever writ ten. Kisses and embraces are unknown in Japan as tokeus of affection after in- fancy.
 Newspaper files are valusbls at any time, but they are especially valuable when they are old. At a recent auction sale In New York sn irregular lot of num- bers of the New York Weekly Journal, printed and cold by Peter John Zsnger, of va rious dates, between l73s and 1741 brought $50. A volume of the New York Weekly Post Boy and New York GsEstte, 1746-5a, printed by James Parker, also an irregular lot, sold for $340. Another volume of the same papers Nos. 63l.s37, with l3 num- bers missing, dated 1755 9, brought $ssO. Three volumes of the New York Gszstts, no volume complete, and dated between February, 1759, and December, ITO, sold for $140, s7o and $310 respectively. Three volumes of the New York Mercury and New York Gszstte, of irregular dates bstween 1765 and ITO went for s2l0, SlOO and s200 respectively. A volume which included Nos. 1409 1511 of the New York Journal dated ITO 1771, and the first numbers of the Constitutional Cour. ant and the Watchmsn sold for $100.
 It is said that the German military su- thorities have decided upon a new emoke- less powder, which will be furniste cd to the troops as quickly as possible. The ex- istipg brand will be discarded and the cartridges already in store will either be used in msr euyres or sold to less psrticu- lar nations. The same authority declares that machinery for the manufacture of the new powder is nov In prctess of construc- ton at Spsndau and that sufficient sup- ply cannot te made in less than two 6 ATE The story is important, If true. ss such a condition of affairs would be conducive to peace. It Is also reported that su excel lent type of smokeless powder, spirite. has been perfected s. Stockholm; itevolves but little heat and DO flame, and can be transported without rick, and is not sue ceptible of damp or heat. Comparative trials between ten rounds of e Ditre pow der and fifteen each of ordinary Swedish powder and spirise, fired from c small calibre msgs zine rife, shoHs1 that spiri,e heated inc barrel less than either of the others; 500 rounds of spirite were fired from rife left unolesned for a week, after which tie boic-so 1t Is sa.d-wss found to te as clean aud ft for use as If just prepared for firing.