The Banner-Democrat. [volume] (Lake Providence, East Carroll Parish, La.) 1892-current, 1897-07-03
NOTES AND COMMENTS

raise 100, 900 cats next year. The fur
that company probably will be able to
come to the scratch.
A thoughtful New York contempor-
airy announces that "boiled alligator
flesh tastes very much like veal" Those
who are in straitened circumstances
and are unable to obtain veal will do
well to remember this substitute.
The will of c. P. Woodcock, who died
on December II, in Seattle, Wash, was
admitted to probate a few days ago.
After directing the payment of his
debts, the testator bequeathed to his
son and daughter the sum of s cents
each.
Against Greece, which contains a
population of 2,200, 900, there are pitted
seven European powers, containing a
population of not less than $50 900 900.
The Persian hosts that were arrayed
against the Greek twenty-three CEN
turtles ago were far inferior in number
to the European hosts now arrayed
against them.
A Kansas preacher told his flock the
other day that the great trouble with
the Kansas farmer as general thing
Is that he farms too much land too lit
tie. He assured them that a man could
do better with eighty acres we'll titled
than with four hundred acres cultivated
as most of the farms in the Sunf1ower
State now are.
President Mckinley is the only
smoothfaced man in his official family.
Gage and Wilson are full bearded. Nc
Kenna has beard such as Lincoln
wore and Cullom wears now. No mus
tache. Sherman has his face covered
with fierce stubble of gray hair that
is becoming lower and thinner as the
years creep on. Gary has splendid
set of waving Burnsides. Bliss has
mutton-chops. Long has only a mus
tache; Alger mustache and goatee.
The long-talked of project of rail-
road connecting North and South Amer
lea is being revived. The negotiations
between Mexico and Guatemala, which
were interrupted two years ago by the
strained diplomatic relations of the two
countries, have been resumed, and
Mexico has just appointed commits
sion to act with similar commission
to be appointed by Guatemala. 1t will
be the dnty of the joint commission
to select feasible route for the pro-
posed road.
The discussion in the British House
of Commons of the woman suffrage
bill brings out the fact that females are
largely in the majority in Great Britain
and Ireland. The united kingdom holds
100000 more women than men, and
for this reason Sir William Harcourt
supports the bill on the principle that
the majority should rule. 1t is said by
the Saturday Review, that the propo-
sition to enfranchise Queen Victoria's
female subjects is being treated by par
lament with unDecoming levity, Har-
court being ''the only responsible mem
Der of the house who handles the mat
ter in statesmanlike manner"
The average vote cast for each Con-
gresham through the whole country
is almost exactly $4,000. In twenty
four States the average is above this,
and in twenty-one the average is below.
Nineteen of the States in which the
State average is above the general
average are in the North, and five are
in the South. OF the States in which
the State average falls below the gener-
al average ten are in the North and
eleven are in the South. The high
average cast in the seven States of the
Middle West is remarkable. The low
est average is 43,967 in Wisconsin and
the highest is 1906 in Illinois.
During the brief period of Mrs. Nc
Kinley's reign as lady Of the White
House she has received thousands of
callers. Says the Washington Post So
ciety reporter: "The visitors are es-
corted to the library, which is on the
second floor, and the first lady of the
land greets them sitting in her chair
with the light at her back. She is al
ways handsomely but quietly gowned, a
soft blue velvet, with a simple frill of
lace at the neck and wrists, being a
favorite one. At one side of her bodice
is Invariably pinned the handsome
miniature of the President, with it's
frame of silver set in pearls. The call
ers on the President are also numbered
by the thousands"
Frank Ruggles, son of Brigadier-
General Ruggles, Of the Army, who re-
Gently passed his entrance examination
for a cadetship at West Point, has
shown his contempt of superstition in
a striking manner. The colder fellows"
at the Military Academy, in view of the
stringent regulations against hazing,
decided on another way of having a.
little fun with the "youngster" and
made wager with him that he did not
have the nefve to go to the cemetery
at midnight, descend into an open
grave and bring back some evidence
that he had done so. The challengers
went to the cemetery in the afternoon
and dropped white handkerchief in
the grave, and promptly at midnight
Ruggles started on his mission. A few
minutes later he returned, waving the
handkerchief over his head, and after
voting him the pluckiest fellow at the
Academy, his companions presented to
him an order for a silk hat and blan-
ket