The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-03-27
ITEMS OF INTEREST.

pSIu IN year sum more than $780,
100000 in excess of the total expenditure
OF the United States government. and this
computation does not include nearly $780,
WoOVo paid in the form of interest upon
ranroad bonds or guaranteed stock and
from $SO,OO00OO to 100000 paid in the
form OF dividends to stockholders. The
railroads, indeed, are the great disbursing
agencies of the country, handling never
less IMAM Sl,OO0,oO0,O00 in a year and dis
Durslng 1t all, or practically all, for rail-
ROADS, as a rule, do not keep large bank
accounts and do practically a cash bust
ness, turning money rapidly
According to hansen, the polar ice is
about ten feet thick, and Vice Admiral
Makaroff holds that the icebreaking steam
ers which have been proposed for clear
ing the harbors of the Baltic and a pas
sage through the Kara sea in winter
might also be used for blowing a way
to the North Pole. That the principle Is
possible Is seen in the fact that on Lake
Mlchlgan steamers of the kind break up
ice over Twelve feet thick. 1t is suggest
ed that a vessel or two, built on the lines
of the Fran, to withstand pressure and
lifted as ice-breakers. should be used and
mat they should force their way to the
pole or as near 1T as possible. The rest
VI the journey might be made with
siedSes. 1t is calculated that at a speed
OF two miles an hour which the ordinary
breaker can accomplish in thick ice the
pore might be reached from Spitzbergen
III something over fortnight or at tba
outside, in a month.
"A curious mental confusion is some.
unes caused by the difference between
reai and apparent time, saws an excbange
Inc question often arises in conpaotio,,
WIN the sending of Geographic dispatches.
neal time is the same all over the earth
Inc difference between real and ano.ro,t
ume is caused by the revolution Of the
edlth on ITS axis, whereby the same mo-
ilielt may be called midday at one point
iiluilishC at another and designated bv
almost any figure on the clock at differ
eht distances between the two Sunnose
LOT instance there is an electric wire
sTetchlng completely round the earth and
connecting on the table of an operator
WIN one instrument at his right hand md
another at his left He touches the rigbt
hand key and instantly the kew on the
lett hand responds, the movement of elec
tIlclty pelng so rapid that no appreciable
time Is required for its passage round The
edrth. Such being the celebrity of the cleo
tlic current a message is sent and re-
ceiVed at the same moment of real time
though. by reason of the different posi
tons occupied by the two points on he
earth surface, the day may be further
advanced at one than at the other. and
consequently the local hour or local time
be quite different.
According to the best estimates made
by the leading English and German sta
tsticians, Christianity Is the leading re-
ligion of the world, having more adher
ents than any other one form of faith
although greatly overbalanced, of course.
by combining the numbers of the others
Inc latest available statistics on the sub
Ject give the figures as follows: Chris
uanity, 477,OS0 15S; worship of ancestors
ana Confucianism, 256, O00, 900: HindooIsm
l9O0O'OOO; Mohammedanism, 176, 834 372;
Buddhism, 147,900,000; Taoism 43. 100000;
Smnotlsm 14OOO,000; Judaism, 7,1S6, 900, and
Polytheism, 1861, $50. The believers in
the Christian religion are divided into
many denominations and sects, but the cs-
innate by M. Fourier de Flax assigns
the numbers of the leading branches, es
follows: Catholics, go, S66, 533; Protestants
1927 25; Orthodox Greek Church, 9S.06.-
co., Church of Abyssinia, 100000: CoDtic
Church, 10000; Armenian, 100000; Mes
torians, SO,CO0 and Jacobites, 10000. in
the United States, according to the CEN
sus of 1880, the denomina tons are CLASH
fled with the following membership: Cath
olics, 7,5O1, 4S9; Methodists. SIN !6S8; Ban
fists, 3,7S5, 40; Presbyterians, 1,416.204;
Lutherans, l327194; Disciples of Christ,
Sn.Ol7; Episcopalians, 600 764; Congrega-
tionalists, $4,000, and United Brethren, 245,-
71S.
During the civil war the officers ana
soldiers from the different states were
permitted to vote In the general elections.
and, as during active service they could
not be spared from the field in several
cases polling booths were opened that the
soldiers of the regiments from different
states might cast their votes, to be sent
home and counted, says the st. Louis
Globe Democrat The civil war however
exhibited an unprecedented situation
such as is not likely to occur in this coun-
try again, and as the conditions prevail
ing during a war are materially different
from those IN times of peace, most of the
states nave met this question by exclud
ing the soldiers and sailors of the United
States army from participation in cleo
ions, and even in the few states that
nave not enacted a directly prohibitorv
statute on the subject, common custom
mas forbidden both soldiers and sailors
from voting. These prohibitions bv the
states were brought about by the fact that
at Brooklyn, Philadelphia and San Fran
cisco much feeling was caused on more
IMAM one occasion by the manipulation of
the navy yard votes by one party or an
other, and SO strong was the impression
that the army and navy should have no
whatever in any election
that it led to the direct prohibitions al
ready mentioned.
The government of Spain at present Is
lominally constitutional monarchy save
me 81 Louis Globe-Democrat. THE pres-
ent constitution of Spain, drawn nm ~,
me government, and laid before a ror+a, |
: constituencies, elected for its rstifcstio,,
March a. 1876, was proclaimed Tmno %
$50. 1t consists of eighty-nine article ~
causes. The first of them enacts ~
spain shall be a constitutional rnonarct,,,
ne executive resting in the King. ana ~ |
lower 10 make laws in the Cortes with tba |
Ahg. 'The Cortes are composed of a Sen- |
lie and Congress, equal in authority rhero |
ire three classes of senators-6ret CO.
ttors by their own right, or senadoras =.
ierecho propio; secondly, 100 life senator US
dominated by the crown-these two COT
,orles not to exceed $50: ana |
-. 80 senators, elected |