The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1899-01-26
NEWS HND COMMENT

Free schools and free text books have
been followed in the borough of Queens,
New York city, by free rides to school.
The Sun explains that this innovation be-
came necessary owing to the manner of
laying out he boundary line on the east
side of the borough. The line runs
straight from the southeast corner of the
old town of Flushing to the ocean. In
passing through Elmont, Lawrence and
Floral Park the line includes nearly all
the territory of the old school districts,
but in such a manner that, although
fully 80 per cent. of the children in the
districts Were brought into the city of
New York, the school houses were left
In the district which is now Nassau
county. In the Lawrence school district
2s2 children We're thus cut off from their
old school houses and left to walk from
one to three miles in order to attend sch ool
at Far ROckawav, and the same condi-
tons exist in the Eimont and Floral
Park districts. The Lawrence children
on their long way to school pass within
It few feet Of big new school mousse al
Lawrence which stands Just over the
city line. The board of education found
that it would have to either build moro
school houses or devise means of getting
the children to the nearest city schools.
Children who had to take the long walks
We're usually absent on stormy or very
cold days. Parents began to make com
plants and the matter was so stirred
Up that some one suggested the employ
ment of stages to carry the children back
and forth free Of charge. The idea was
no sooner suggested than 1t was carried
into effect. Thirteen stages are now en-
ploYed m the districts named and one
stage was sent to Rockaway Beach, where
some children had to walk four miles
along the ocean front to get to school.
Every morning the stages start from
stated points on routes laid out for them.
Each stage holds % about children,
and several trips have to be made ny each
stage before the territory assigned to it
is covered. The use Of the stages has re-
suited in increasing the attendance at all
OF the schools in the four districts About
800 children use the stages.
The few travellers who have taken the
time and trouble TO look into Menelek's
queer kingdom of Abyssinlu tell strange
tales of it. Besides the Maria Theresa.
1880 dollars, the people of Abyssnia for
small change, use bar of hard, CRYSTAL
ized salt, about 10 inches long and
inches and half broad and thick, slight
ly tapering toward the end five or which
go to the dollar at the capital. People
are very particular about the standard
OF tineness of the currency. IL it does not
ring like metal, or if it is all Clipped,
nothing will induce them to take It.
Then IL is a token of affection among the
natives when friends meet to give each
other lick of their respective amolis
ana in this way the material value of the
par is also decreased. For still smalle-
chahGe cartridges are used of whicn
three go TO one salt, says tho Philadel-
phia Press. 1t does not matter what sort
they are. Some sharpers use their cart
ridges in the ordinary way, and then put
IN some dust and a dummy bullet 10
make up the diherenCe, or else they take
out the powder and put the bullet I'm
again. so that possibly in the next action
lhe unhappy seller will find that he has
only miss-fires in his belt; but this IS sucb
common fraud that no opa toI5es en,,
houce or 1t, and a bad cartridge seems
To serve as readily as a good one,
III MS very interesting article I'm the
FEBRUARY number of Scribner's magazine
giving political "reminiscences OF four
national conventions Senator Hoar, who
was member of the house judiciary
committee which investigated the credit
Mobilier charges against James c. Blaine
ana who frankly admits that he was
not In the first instance consciously pre-
disposed toward Mr.. Blaine, thus bears
testimony to the latter's innocence: II
had occasion to possess myself thorough
ly Of the evidence against Mr.. Blaine
when II was produced. / reviewed IL
carefully during the campaign which pre-
ceded the election of 1884. nave recon
sldered II again more lately. ] did not
think at the time and have never thought
since that Mr.. Blaine was guilty either
of actual corruption or of willingness
to be corrkpted. do not think he ever
sold his official Influence, or was willing
to sell his official influence, or ever re-
celved or desired to receive any compen-
sation for any exercise of his official in
fiuence, or his official power. think the