The record-union., 1899-09-07

tdhe UP the morning newspaper Will
the inquiry, What have those excita-
bic Frenchmen done now?' The latest
is the slaughter in the French Soudan
of the officers who were sent to relieve
Captain Voulet of the command of an
expedition and who, instead of being
welcomed, were promptly killed. Even
Parisians can find no explanation of
this except that Voulet had gone in
sane.
ARCHITECTURAL LEAGUE.
Stockton Record: The recently formed
Architectural League of America is an
organization for which there is a field
of usefulness. 1t is not a rival of any
OF the existing associations of architects
and decorators, but aims to draw to-
gether all of these organizations for
the promotion of their better interests
and the advancement of their art. It's
objects are stated, among other things.
to be "the promotion Of American ar
chitecture and the allied fine arts, to
encourage an Indigenous and inventive
architecture and to lead architectural
thought to modern sources of insplra-
tion.' This is a platform deserving of
high commentator. In brief it means
the development of an artistic and dis
tinctively American architecture as op-
posed to the borrowing and adaptation
of foreign ideas, which have heretofore
almost exclusively prevailed.
ANOTHER VICTIM OF A FAD.
Los Angeles Express: While strict
ly vegetable diet may suit some people,
actual results would seem to indicate
that it is not good thing as a general
1sI11p CT hot ha no
case in the vegetarian colony at Pla-
centia, this county, headed by man
named Hindes It is claimed that
since he started his colony his wife, two
daughters and two sons have died, and
one of the sons is reported to have died
of starvation. And now his last sur
viving child, daughter aged Is years,
has drowned herself, leaving note to
her father stating that she had been
suffering from weak stomach, and
| life had no pleasure for her, and she
hoped that he would forgive her.
The Coroner is investigating the case,
but it is difficult to figure out what he
can do about it. The courts have gen
| orally held that grown person can
follow out any sort Of an insane freak,
even if it costs life itself. But the
principle as to children is not SO well
defined, and some sort of punishment
| should be provided for parents guard
/ ians, or others responsible for minors
who aid or abet, or even permit any
such thing when serious results ensue
The question is of special interest to
! Southern California, where there are
more faith cure and self healing
cranks to the square inch than perhaps
in any other section Of the Union. Sew
eral deaths of helpless children have
been caused directly by the misguided
followers of these frauds carrying out
! their teachings and something should
be done to at least stop this slaughter
Of the innocentsA In the case of the
| adults of which there are also several
instances, they are. perhaps, better out
of the way, and there is no necessity of
trying to keep them on earth if they
don't want to stay.
THE ATROCITIES OF MONTJUICH.
hos Angeles Times: If the Govern
ment of Spain fails to punish with the
! utmost severity, all persons found
guilty of participating in the torture
| of prisoners in Montjuich, the bastile of
| Barcelona, the Spanish nation will be
| forever disgraced in the eyes of the
| civilized world. The facts brought to
light by the parliamentary commits
| sion of inquirendo" are of a most as
| founding character. If we may credit
| the statements of DR.. Julio Bronta of
| Madrid, member of the commission,
! the unspeakable atrocities of the an
cient Spanish Inquisition were in many
cases duplicated at Montjuich, and in
other cases new horrors were invented
the mere recital of which is sufficient
to fill the soul of every humane man
with inexpressible Indignation These
atrocities, it should be remembered
We're committed only three years ago
mot in the Middle ages, when the
blood of innocent men flowed like wa
criterion of right.
KEEPING DOWN DUST.
Stockton Independent: The railroads
have begun experimenting with oil to
prevent dust. The Burlington road has
undertaken quite extensive experiments
in this direction and finds not only that
the track is kept free from dust about
a year by one sprinkling, but that the
number of hot boxes is materially les.
sened Water does not penetrate the
crust formed by the crude oil and thus
the roadbed and it's timbers are pre-
served. The use of crude petroleum
for this purpose promises to become
general on trunk lines through semi
arid sections of the country, but a still
greater demand for crude oil is likely tc
arise for street and highway sprink-
ling. Some cities have tried this and
found it a great advantage, not only in
preventing dust, but in preserving the
roadway The attempt to cover the
use of oil by patent will not work
AGRICULTURAL OUTLOOK.
Fresno Republican,: Agriculture is
uproariously prosperous in every sec
tion of the United States but two-the
South, where it is greatly depressed
and California, where it is still timid
and will scarcely realize the good times
that are on it. Significantly enough
these two sections are the ones which
have departed furthest from patriarch
fal self-sufficience. In the depressed
cotton sections of the South the one
crop system reigns absolute They
raise but one thing, and that just now
the cheapest product in the world, ant
they buy everything else, though mos
} OF the things they need are Just now
the dearest products in the world
Therefore they are poor while all the
rest of the world is prospering Cali
fornia is better off. We have man,
! crops, and We can not be utterly pros
} trated by the total failure of even tn,
) best of them. But we are like tn,
South in this, that our crops are raised
for a distant market and that the ve1,