Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1896-09-26

to be remedied, for other reasons be-
sides those stated How can great
country maiutain its prestige among
foreign nation, when ii is possible for
such a paragraph AS the following to
appear (as it did this summer) in the
society column OF IA paper published
irrEnglish on the continent of Europe:
"The American minister and his fam
ily have decided to live in n boarding
house. Only one room will he re-
served for an office at the legation
the rest of the building is to let
Work preliminary to the casting of
the largest gun in the United States
has Just been begun at the Watervliet
arsenel. The mammoth weapon is to be
of l6.inch bore. Two guns of larger
caliber have been made by the govern
ment for coast Licences, but they were
old fashioned, smooth bores, and not
to be compared SO the new gun in size,
weight or anything except callber'
They are two 20.inch guns, one
of which is mounted at fort Ham
ilton, and the other is mount
ed on the ordinance dock mt Govern
or's island. The new gun will be
nearly so feet long Ito be accurate,
40. 65 feet), will have range of 16
miles and be able to penetrate 81 -
inches OF the best steel armor at dis.
lance of two miles. The gun will
weigh 1875 tons, and it will throw II
solid armor piercing projectile weigh
ing 1910 pounds.
When the prof actile leaves the muz.
zle of the gun it will be travelling ut
the rate of 1900 feet n second, and If
a plate of Harveyized Steel 33 inches
in thickness were placed near tho
muzzle of the gun it would be pene.
trated by the flying mass OF the pro-
jectie This gun, mounted at fort
Wadsworth, would be able to hurl a
1870 pound projectile upon hostile
man.of-wnr before she got within
seven miles of Sandy Hook. The
vessel would be exposed to American
shot before she got in American WIZ
tiers, for the range of the gun would be
far beyond the "three- mile limit the
distance off its coast for which nation
claims jurisdiction.
Mrs. Ballngton Booth is devoting
the best of her energies to establish
ing home for eX-convicts. She has
started house in New York under
the name of "Hope Hall, and there
she intends to begin one of the most
needed and far-reaching of humanita-
rian works. There is Il side of human
nature which impels most people to
shun one who has done penal service.
When such person comes out of
prison he comes with brand that
generally proves fatal to the pursuit
of virtuous life subsequently,, and
largely through inability to find EN-.
ployment he sinks back into confirmed
criminality.
1t is in the dark hour at the cross
roads between virtue and vice that
Mrs. Booth desires to have the beacon
light of hope in sight. erected over
Hope Hall. This kind of reform is
not only rational but Christian in the
best sense of the word. Why it has
made so slow progress calls up re-
Fiction not altogether hattering.
One of the most highly priced
treasures which the great Chinese
statesman and warrior, Lii Hung Chang,
took back to the Celestial empire as
memento of his visit to this country
was small sized ivory bust Of Gen.
Grant, which was made by +. r.
Kaldenberg, German sculptor, who
has studio in New York. 1t is said
that this bust was made from photo
graph of general Grant which Lii Hung
Chang received from Mrs. Grant
during his stay here, and which the
viceroy thought was perfect likeness
of the general rs he had looked when
he was in China. 1t is said by those
who are very near to Lii Hung Chang
that he would never have visited Amer
lea but for his desire to pay in person
tribute Of respect to general Grants
memory.
1t was midnight at Wolfer's Roost.
The moon was pouring flood OF free
silver into the bedroom of David b.
Below, in the distance the deep.
breasted Hudson went gliding by with
the silence which seizes hold upon
the boy orator when he is asked what
he thinks of the plank in his platform
which calls for federal interference.
Where was David b? The hasty gener.
alizer would say that he was doubtless
sleeping the sweet dreamless sleep of
innocence in the aforesaid bedroom.
But no, he wasn't to be found there,
nor yet in his library. The fact of the
matter is that these days, early and
late, to all who come inquiring for
him Mt the Roost the intelligent SER
want who answers the doorbell returns
the same answer, "No, sir, the sena-
tor isn't about the house, you'll find
him on the fence"
kNICKERBOCKER.