The daily morning journal and courier., 1897-07-31

excuses and white and black lies, but Philadelphia woman derives $2o,Oo0 year from an invention of her own-a machine that hoops barrels.
 A priest in New Jersey has forbidden the young women of his parish to go on picnic with the young men of the To- tai Abstinence society. His reason is that they would let the young men kiss them in the moonlight if they went'' Not necessarily in the moon- light, reverend sir.
 No trustee may legally invest money in bonds of the City of London, as the act of 1893, by a blunder of the draughtsman, while permitting trus- tees to invest in the debt of any bor- ough having 5O,O00 inhabitants, does not specifically mention London, and as the census takes into account only the night population, the city has less than the 5o,O0o inhabitants required.
 A postmistress in Middlefield, Massa- chusetts, has been arrested for opening letters passing through her office. She explains that she did open few letters but holds that she had a perfect right to do so because they were written by 8 young man who formerly was her sweetheart and were addressed to a rival girl. The postmistress adds that she "merely wanted to find out if they were engaged" Pretty good defense.
 A farmer out in Kansas rode into Ot- tawa recently on a load of wheat, ac- companied by his wife. He told a re- porter of the Ottawa Republican that fs'for the first time in twenty-five years Mrs. Garst had ridden into Ottawa with me on load of wheat, though along back in the eos it used to be the regu- lar thing. We used to get s2.5O a bush- el for wheat then, and to-day we get but fifty cents. I want to say, though, that can buy as much stuff now with
 
 fifty cents as I did then for s25o"
 Those who think the president of the United States doesn't have to work are informed by the Washington corre- spondent of the New York World that he has been in office 121 working days. spent 102 days in his office, held fifty public receptions, at which the aver age attendance was 9S4, has seen an average of fifty congressman day. shaken hands with 49,2OO visitors and handshakes has made 965 nominations and disappointed 1859 personal office seekers.
 The Anglo Canadian scheme of lay 1n a cable from Vancouver to Austra- lia has collapsed for the present, it seems, owing to the indisposition of the various governments concerned to offer the necessary subsidies. At present England can communicate with but few of her colonies over lines that are British or that touch British territory exclusively. The acquisition of Pal nyra Island, in the Pacific, in 1889, by the British, had reference to the scheme of Pacific cable. The island is about 1000 miles from the Hawaiian Islands, and will prove useful when the cable proposal is revived, as 1t no doubt will be, sooner or later.
 Of the fourteen reputed centenarians who died during the past year no few CT than eleven were women, says the Illustrated London News. Out of the 1SS persons who were declared over 90 years of age at death 108 were women. The superior longevity of the female sex is we'll established fact. To some ex- tent it depends, of course, on their more sheltered way of living, but by no means exclusively, as the women of the laboring classes show great vital te- nacity as well as those who have an easy time of it in the world. The vital power of girls is shown in babyhood. for though 104 boys are born to every 100 girls, the females have more than overtaken the deficiency before the end of the first year. In other words the belief of old nurses that boys are hard er to rear than girls is a true one.
 It appears that regular shipments of California fruits, including Bartlett pears, plums, prunes and peaches, are now made to the London market. The first of them started from Sacramento on June 29, filling several cars. It made fast time across the continent was transferred at New York on July to the American line steamer St. Paul. and reached London on July 15 In excellent condition. The fruit was sold next day. For the Bartlett pears B per half box was paid. the plums brought s1.5O per crate, and the peaches