The Irish standard., 1895-02-09
PASSED N & QI I 4

PASSED in II 3 II y n
Have We decided on . Nationsl flower
yet? Athens has the violet; Canals, tho
suRar-msple; Egypt, the lotos; England
the rose; France. the lily; Germany, the
corn flower; Ireland, the shamrock;5
Prussia, the linden; Saxony, the migno-
nette; Scotlan !, the thistle; Spain, the
pomegranate, and Wales the leek leaf,
but where is the United States?
-.
Mr.. William O'Brien, NJ p, has writ
ten letter to the Freeman's Journal,
saying that a famine is threatened In
the West of Ireland. He declares that
the situation there is already more seri-
GUS than it was IN 1891, when Chief
Secretary Balfour expended 9l,O00,D 900
from the British Treasury to relieve the
sufferings OF the people of that region.
80.
There is always great deal of com.
plant about the ventilation, or rather,
the lack of it, in railway cars. During
six months of the year they are excess
lively warm or else a draft of cold air
subjects every passenger to the dangers
of pneumonia. The Railway Rsview,
speaking Of the matter. says that scarcely
anything else has been made the subject
OF more experiments with less success.
General managers are anxious to remedy
the defect, and anyone who can suggest
an economical and at the same time prac-
teal way of doing it can make himself
rich.
Xxx
The origin of running the gauntlet"
dates back to- medieval times. The
word "gantlet," from the French CANT,
"glove," may imply the iron glove Of the
coat of amor, and is thus directly ASSOC
ciated with military punishment where
the delinquent had to run between the
lines, and the soldiers were only per-
mitted to strike with the gloved hand
that is, the hand with the gantlet on.
But other etymologists derive gauntlet in
this phrase from gantlope dutch gang,
"a PASSAGE" and loopen, to "run'D), mean
ing military punishment which con-,
sisted in making the culprit, naked to the
waist, pass repeatedly through two rows,
of soldiers facing each other, arm I'D With
short sticks or other weapons, with which
they hit him as he passed.
~
More than one operator is considering
the fitting of his mines with electric mip-
ing machinery which will displace all
men except common laborers to load the
coal and mon to work the machines.
There is not much doubt but that in
few years. hand mining will b. done
away with in all except very thin-vein
mines, where machinery constructed as
at present could not be used to advantage.
The electrical manufacturers SEQ the good
thing and want to push it along. A coal
man said that operators who have thick
vein mines have received propositions
from the manufacturers offering to put
in the machinery and take their pay in
the shape Of the saving between hand
electrically mined coal, which is various.
ly estimated at from 10 to 80 per cent.
A very few mines are fitted with electrical
machinery, but there is a story about to-
the effect that new mine to be opened
at Salineville, O., is to have plant to
cost from $4,000 to $4,000. It is claim
ed that electrical mining will be much
cheaper than that done by steam, which
in turn Is cheaper than chat done by
hand. The plant that furnishes power
for the drills can also furnish the power
for the mule carts.
An interesting letter recently appeared
in the London Westminster Gazette
from the pen Of correspondent signing
himself OK on the subject of tho fnan-
cial relations between England and Ire
land. After expressing his satisfaction
that the London Radical Press are at last
awaking to the true facts of Anglo Irish
finance, tx goes on to say: "In round
numbers the debt OF Ireland, in 1852, was
91 100000; in 1901 it had risen TO &28,-
600; and in 1917 when the Exchequers
were amalgamated, it was over e1O0,0O0,-
600. The rapid increase between 1882
1901 was due. Of course, to several causes.
Grattan's Parliament INDUCED in costly
but needed buildings in Dublin. A good
deal Of money was spent in 'bountles' to
stimulate tillage and the raising of grain.
at time when, unfortunately, the Irish
farmers, outside Of Ulster, did not know
how to raise such crops without exhaust
ing the fertility Of the soil. But the two
great causes Of the increase were the re-
bellion OF 1893 and the wars with France.
About el0.O00,OO0 was generally assigned
as the cost of the suppression Of the re-