The Banner-Democrat. [volume] (Lake Providence, East Carroll Parish, La.) 1892-current, 1898-11-26
NOTES AND COMMENTS

A gun with an American behind II Is
q peacemaker and mapmaker.
Australia welcomes our nearer
neightorhood in the acquisition OF
Hawaii.
General Miles personally conducted
excursion to Porto Rico was one OF
the greatest successes In Its line ever
undertaken.
The Mayor of Atlanta, Ca, has con-
tracted for twenty-five Star-Spangled
Banners, which are to be raised over
the public schoolhouses Of the city.
Thirty-five duels have taken place
over various phases of the Dreyfus
case. But France has lost little else
than a few drops Of blood from the
encounters.
The Hawaiian alphabet has but
twelve letters, and now we've got TO
90 to work and teach them fourteen
more. That's one Of the drawbacks
we encounter by taking them In.
There seems to be q surplus OF
Smiths in Michigan; at least the Con-
gressional nominations of that state
would Indicate such to be the case.
Four-fifths Of the nominees are named
Smith.
When It is considered that the Unit
ed States furnished Great Britain last
year with 61S,0O0 head of live cattle
and e12,OOO sheep, 1t is not surprising
that England should be warmly In Ia
yor of the Anglo-American alliance.
The list of those who volunteered to
drive Spain out of Cuba is long one,
but it won't be circumstance to the
number of those who will apply for
reinstatement in the army Of COM
merce under the new bankruptcy act.
Investigation into the condition of
the poor In Aachen, Germany, showed
that Of 900 families with three or more
persons, 402 had only one room per
family, though two families consisted
of II persons, 8 of 10, 6 of o. 80 of S,
80 of z, SO Of G. 72 Of 5.
Admiral Cervera is most certainly
not without a keen sense of humor.
At a recent dinner party a naval Off
GERS wife asked him: "What were you
most struck with in the handling OF
the American shipsY Without hesita-
ton the Admiral replied in good Eng
fish: I'VE were all most struck by the
eight-inch Shells"
The opal production Of Queensland,
Australia, is becoming very important.
More than 100000 worth of rough
stones were exported last year. In
the western districts of the colony the
opal deposits are very considerable.
The Queensland opal is Of brilliant
quality, and experts pronounce it to
be equal to the best Hungarian vari-
cites.
The hospitality shown to the boys in
blue in Charleston, S. O., while they
were temporarily in camp there, has
brought to its Mayor and its people a
shower of grateful letters from faith
ers and mothers, wifes, brothers, and
sisters, in the North and the West
since the troops sailed for Porto Rico.
The boys had written home enthusiasts
tic accounts of the warm welcome that
had been given to them in the South
ern city.
Ten thousand "old settlers" of Chi.
cago attended picnic few days ago
A Chicago old settler is one who set
tied in the Lake City prior to 1875
Gold medals value $50 were given to
the oldest German settler. the Oldest
German woman settler, the oldest set.
tier not German, the oldest German
settler who has been longest in the
United StaAes Army or Navy, the old.
est settler not German who has been
longest in the United States Army OF
Navy, the oldest German married
couple, and the oldest married couple
not German.
The last issue of the "Foglio dor
dine" the official journal of the Italian
Navy, CONTAINS the following order:
ION battlcAhips, as general rule, the
use of wood will be abolished. The
authorities will endeavor to carry out
this principle at once on warships now
In course of construction, and the
same will be done gradually on the
others whenever the opportunity pre-
sents itself, attention being paid to the
detailed instructions which will be is
sued by circular" Thissis said to be
the first effect of the report of the
America0 naval experts after the de-
struction of Admiral Cervera's squad
ron by the American fleet.
Some interesting statistics are gath
cred from the records Of the recruit
ing-statsou at Baltimore, Md. The
most startling showing was in relation
to the height of the recruits. The
volunteers as rule were members OF
State military organizations, and, ex.
cept in the matter of height, were us.
ually above the average. The record
shows that fully nine per cent. of the
applicants were less than the average
height, five feet and eight inches, and
six per cent. were below the minimum
height, five feet and four inches. Al
this station about thirty-four per cent
of the applicants were mustered into
the service. The reflections were IL
most cases due to causes other thar
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