Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1898-02-10


England is not so engrossed In hold
Ing on to her present possessions but
that she can find the time to take an
interest In the ACKNOWLEDGMENT OF
China.
An expert In the matter of inks and
papers says that the books of the pres
ent period are printed with such poor
ink on such perishable paper that fu-
ture generations will not have an OPP
portunity of reading them.
Somebody in Boston has been max
ing fifteen s. bills by cutting fourteen
ments together. They are very wise
In Boston, but there are better ways
than that to make money.
Contracts have been signed by which
10000 acres of land near Chico,
Marysville, and Red Bluff, CAL, have
been secured for beet-sugar culture,
and the work of erecting three i'm
mense sugar manufactures will be
started at once. The syndicate has a
capital of $15.0O0.0OO.
/
| ger business is languishing. They have
! come to the conclusion that the long
distance telephone is responsible. Bust
ness men are using 1t more and more,
and the railroad officials say that the
way it is cutting passenger business is
very serious matter.
Mrs. Glitch, of Denver, is said to be
| the only woman in the world who owns
| a geological garden. She has an ostrich
| trained to drive in harness, and she
occasionally astonishes the natives by
| driving about the city with the big
| bird hitched to light wagon. At least,
that is the story told by local pa
| per.
Two thousand Christian Indians re-
| Gently held camp meeting in South
| Dakota. They discussed many topics
| of interest, among them were these:
How to increase the interest of believ-
ers in the study of the Bible; What
can be done to increase the mortality
| of the Indian race; Inc education of
| children; The self-support of Indian
churches. These Indians have organic
ed two missionary societies to carry on
| the work among the more heather of
their own people in Montana and North
Dakota.
The authorities in the government Of
| Samara, Russia, have recently been
actively engaged in the criminal pur
suit of kidnapping children. In the
Busulykski district all parents known
| to belong to heterodox sects have had
their children taken from them. The
police usually make their visits in the
middle of the night, take the children
| out of bed and carry them off in the
cold night air in spite of the frantic
entreaties of the parents. Many peas
ants have lost their whole family in
this way. This practice of kidnapping
children is increasing in all parts of
Russia.
Teaching cooking to young men has
been added to the activities of Young
Mems Christian Association in Chica-
go. This was undertaken for broad
er reason than to inculcate patience,
perseverance, and other Christian vir-
tues in the carving of fowl The mo-
tives are to make young men of meagre
means Independent of boarding-houses,
and to fit them for the time, in matri-
mony, when their helpmates might be
indisposed. During the lecture course
of ten weeks the bachelors will be
taught how to care for their rooms,
how to buy choice parts of good meats,
how to cook, and how to carve. Prob
ably the most popular part OF the
course will be that devoted to camp
cooking, whether the pupils contem-
plate trip to the Klondike or mere
ly an economical and healthful outing
next summer.
In view of the figures for recent years
of births and deaths in France, show
ing that deaths have exceeded births
in numbers, and that the population
has been diminishing, the statistics for
1896, which have just been made pub
lie, have been awaited with great in
terest. The births in that year ex-
ceeded the deaths by the respectable
figure of $4,000. The gain is account
ed for not only in the decrease of
deaths-that is, prolongation of life
but principally by a considerable in
crease in the number of births. Never
theless, the birth rate, 22.7 per 1000,
is the smallest in any civilized nation
of the earth. The average birth rate
of Europe is So per 1000. The situation
in France is SO alarming that the pub
licists are fain to accept as satisfac-
tory the same figures, about, that trou-
bled them so much in 1S91-that is,
total number of births of $50, $780, COM
pared with S66,377 in that year.
Steps are being taken at the National
Museum in Washington to carry out an
idea long contemplated of developing
hall of American history. Prof
Goode had long cherished the idea, and
Prof. Holmes, who is in charge of the
department of anthropology, is equally
enthusiastic. 1t is the purpose to have
the institution as nearly national in
character as possible, and every effort
will be made to have as many things
in it relating to early American his
tory, that of the United States in par
ticular, as can be obtained. The OBJ
jects and relics will be presented
chronologically, beginning with the
period when Left Ericsson, in his vi
king ship, visited America. Then will
follow in order Columbus tha piI