Belding banner. (Belding, Mich.) 1889-1918, 1898-08-18


Is being defrauded, and on a big scale,
too, OF its proper proportion OF babies.
There is deficiency OF no fewer thah
5000 infants. &c. at least, says the
Rev. Robert Howie, OF Govan, one Oh
the statisticians in the church. SPEAK
Ing at one of the meetings OF the tree
Church general assembly, he mention
ed that the church had In connection
with 1t total adherence-young ana
old-including babies" Of 7s5.0o0. He
had, he went on to say, been curious
to see how many births there ought 10
be in such a population, and SO ne
made calculation. Even supposing
that they had only 900 adhering 10
the Free Church. there ought or there
had been the same proportion or births
in the Free Church as in other parts
of the country, to have been about
10000 births In the Free Church. Even
after making due allowance for those
who died in infancy before baptism
and those who remained baptised. was
It a satisfactory state OF things that
there were 5000 babies unaccounted
for.
A lady cyclist, who has taken TO
highway robbery, is carrying on
wholesale robbery of bicycles in Eng
land. According to writer In con-
temporary, her plan is to dress up In
quiet bloomer costume, and frequent
roads where cyclists abound--and there
are not many good country roads to
which the description Is not applicable.
In the dusk of evening time she set
ties herself under a hedge, and pre-
tends to be greatly distressed at being
unable to repair puncture OF her tire
especially distressed when solitary
cyclist is coming down the road. The
sight of a distressed female is gener-
ally too much for tho sentimental cy-
clist, who promptly offers to mend the
puncture for her. He sets about doing
so, and while he Is thus engaged, and
the light Is waning, she springs on the
machine, and romps away, leaving him
to gaze after her In solid, stupid 81
lence, for of course, she Is q crack
rider, and he cannot possibly follow
her on the punctured one she has left
him, which is probably worth los or
EOS, while his may be worth as many
pounds.
Judge Curran, on completing the
business of the Kings county quarter
session at Birr, Ireland, disposed Of
large number OF ejectment processes
for non-payment OF rent. Heavy
claims were made in respect Of arrears,
his honor repeating his previously ex-
pressed view that such arrears should
not have been allowed to accumulate.
In most OF the cases the Judge gave
the tenants a long time to pay. In one
OF these on the estate of Lord Ash
brook, the tenant, Mrs. Anne Deve-
reux, was sued on ejectment for f132
arrears. She was directed by the court
to lodge EGO, which she did. whereupon
his honor made an order spreading the
payment Of the balance. f112, over %
years by quarterly instalments Of IL.
Germany's court Of appeal has just
drawn a fine distinction in a case OF
false Imprisonment. A Doctors board
ing house keeper took away his only
pair of boots to prevent his leaving
the house, and the doctor recovered
damages in the lower court on the
ground that he was thereby impri-
soned, as his social position forbade
his appearing In the streets barefoot
The court of appeal has ordered a new
trial on the ground that the doctors
freedom of action was merely limited
and impeded by his landlady's act but
that 1t was not impossible for him to
move out If he had wished to.
Japan has the latest fad in suicides
A man of Eishigo, named Tkemoto, 69
years of age, being DESTROYS OF passing
to the other shore and despising the
hackneyed forms-departur by poison,
drowning or cutting ones throat
struck q new, brilliant idea. He put
about a quarter Of a pound OF gun
powder into his throat and applied a
match. Denouement: His teeth and
tongue were blown down into his
stomach and the top OF his head went
elsewhere. The paper making report
OF the affair naively adds that the man
died.
One Of the most distinguished medi-
| cal men anu SClelllSIS IN the huSSlhl
empire is about to visit Great Britain
upon an important mission. The ex-
tension OF the Russian empire in Asia
has increased the necessity Of taking
measures for combating infectious dis
eases. DR.. Dembo has been instructed,
therefore by the imperial authorities to
visit western Europe, and consult with
the British authorities as to the means
adopted in the far-off possessions for
checking diseases.
A curious bit of news, says the Daily
Chronicle, comes from Ceylon. An
English correspondent to one OF the
journals there says that English gold
leaf for decorative purposes is supplied
by Birmingham and London firms upon
strips OF unbound pages OF Holy Scrip
ture and the prayer book. The expla-
nation is that on such wastepaper the
printing is Ghe and even, and the use
OF little strips Ia also regarded In the
trade as a guarantees OF the best pos
sible quality.
Queen Margherita has recently given