The Opelousas courier., 1898-09-03
movements. It is rather sdd that in

"OFclucuUS. II Is i6tASt Suu luaI III
Austria there should be but a single
society, and no ~attentio1 paid to the
utilities of the bird in its relation to
army movements. The routes of flight
followed In Germany by the Military
Carrier-pigeon Society are laid down
War. Flights take place from Linz,
st. Polten, Vienna and Budapest for
training the birds, which are sent
In truckloads from Cologne. Over one
hundred and seventy societies take
part. German officers are specializing
as to what use, If any, will be made OF
pigeons by American military author
tiles in the coming Cuban campaign.
When the Dolphin bombarded and
wrecked a Spanish railroad train in
Cuba she revealed new possibilities OF
naval warfare. To students OF history
she recalled another historical incl
dent of a precisely opposite sort. In
January, 1895, a body Of French cavai-
ry and artillery galloped over the ice
of the Zuyder Zee and captured a fleet
of English naval vessels that were
locked up there by the frost. This is
the only instance in history in which
a cavalry force has aNsailed and cap
tured a naval sQuadro On the other
hand the Dolphin's- pc Torrance is the
only instance in history in which a
warship has attacked and destroyed
a railroad train. The legend of the
~ ---- - ,f+@~ oil not r0 n h
surd as it might seem.
Imagine a peoI,e taxed at the rate
of co cents on tie dollar of their in
comes. It is not that the income tax
Is put at that figure, but it is so large
that the enormous indirect taxation
makes up the difference. According
to the "Statesman's Year Book" the
Italian income tax varies greatly in
its incidence. Income from personal
property pays 20 per cent, while in
the case of industrial and commercial
incomes, the tax is 80 per cent. That
is to say, a merchant or a manufacture
er is expected to give up half his in
come to the Government. Italy is not
a rich country. Its principal industry
is agriculture, and yet in 1896 it's 2S,-
100000 of population were taxed to
make up the Government revenue of,
in round figures, $500. 100000. as COM
pared with 1926, 976,2 200 raised for the
same year in the United States with
10000, 900 population and the richest
territory In the world.
The Dry Goods Economist says: II
our Uncle Samuel has got to pick out
a best girl among the sister nations
of Europe, we cannot help approving
his choice of Britannia She is a lady
of great strength of mind and body,
of honesty and good reputation, and
seems to have tastes more ii to
those Of Uncle Sam in regard to COM
mercial, social, religious and other i'm
portant matters than any other; but
ever with Britannia we urge that he
should have only a platonic friendship
no marrying none OF the with
all my ships and men | thee endow."
There might come up quarrels IN
which it would be our uncle's duty to
take off his coat and make common
cause with his close friend, but, on
the other hand, Britannia is liable to
have a lot of troubles of her own with
her sisters in which our beloved uncle
should carefully guard his right to
stand aloof. If some. such contract as
this can be drawn we are heartily in
favor of it.
1t has been popularity supposed that
the gypsies of Europe, like the Indians
of North America, were becoming an
extinct race, and the conditions OF
their existence are not such as would
seem to assure longevity. But a re-
Gently published official report OF the
English Government shows that the
number of gypsies in England, so far
from declining, is actually on the in
crease, and the same is r of some
other European countries from which
figures are at hand. BY an authentic
computation made recently, there are
So 600 gypsies in Great Britain, 1000
more than at the time of the last pre-
vious enumeration, though, perhaps,
that may have been somewhat imper-
feet. There are in the whole OF Europe
nearly threequarters of a million OF
gypsies, the figures being; Great
Britain, $4,000; Spain, 10000; Russia,
$4,000; Germany, $4,000; and Austria,
Turkey and the Balkan countries 200
600 each. In the United States there
are few gypsies, for the reason, per-
haps, that they meet with great COM
petition in the pursuits which in Euro
pean countries furnish them with
their revenue-fortune-telling, divina-
tion and ~SoOth-saying.