The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1899-07-28
ABOUT PEOPLE AND THINGS.

Upon President McKinley's desk in the
White House lies the old-fashloned Bible
given him by his father when he first went
away from his home.
The late Congressman s. A. Cobb, of Kan
sas, was once introduced TO political meet
ing in Lawrence. of that State as our gal
liant standard bearer, Colonel s. A. Cobb"
Cobb had been only captain of commits
sary, and he said: Il am unduly given rank.
You see before you the cob without the
kernel"
A volume of clippings valued at $500 is
to be presented to Admiral Dewey upon his
arrival. The book contains between its
solid silver covers a wealth Of printed mat
ter, from profound editorials on the admiral
to humorous poetry regarding him, and
from the comments of the President and
Cabinet down to the jokes of street gamins.
During the recent congress of journalists
at Christiana an invitation to a dinner was
sent to Bjornson. He replied by telegram
II am not in the habit of going 200 klo-.
metres to dine. least of all with a class of
men who will make IL point TO abuse me
systematically all the year round" Ibsen is
said to have been greatly amused when he
heard of this dispatch.
Gen. Benjamin F. Tracy has a wonderful
memory, which will probably come into play
in the Venezuela dispute in Paris. In a
trial in 1874 he made an address to the jury
covering forty hours, delivering over 10000
WOIuS, a ledt ullpdTdlleltu III the NEW lOrh
bar. In preparing the present case he has
consulted 1900 books, maps, papers and
pamphlets, and it has taken his undivided
time for nearly year.
Belvidere, ILL.,, has a child prodigy in
Lawrence Church. the four-year-old son of
c. NJ Church. The boy is like other chill
dren except that he has passion for litera-
ture and music. He is now reading Evan
geline," having selected II of his own Volt
ton. He can spell any ordinary word and
many difficult ones, and could read before
he could talk. He reads the columns of a
newspaper as readily and intelligently as a
grown person and also reads music.
The Postoffce Department employs a
great army of women. Among these 1900
are postmistresses, and there are about SO.
coo women to whom the oath of office has
been administered to qualify them as as
sistants In conducting the business of the
poStOff1ceS. Women are employed in all
branches of the postal service, excepting as
letter carriers, railway mail clerks and in
spectors. The same salaries are paid to
them as to men for the same kind of work
These salaries run from $40 to $1,000 year
Some women postmaSters receive several
81, 500.
1t has been discovered that the much dis
cussed smoke nuisance is by no means a
modern annoyance. About six hundred
years ago, when the population of London
did not exceed $4,000 its citizens petitioned
King Edward / to prohibit the use of 'sea
COAL and he responded by making its con-
sumption a capital offense. This decree was
subsequently revoked, but in the reign OF
Queen Elizabeth there were loud complaints
against the nuisance. In 1861 John Evelyn
in his "Fumifugium lamented that. low.
ing to the increase of coal smoke, the gar
dens no longer are fruitful.