Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1899-08-10
FOREIGN GOSSIP.

| 1t is of interest to learn that the
Dreyfus court-martial Is to sit in a
chamber about eighty-four feet long,
thirty-seven feet broad and very lit
tie more than eight feet high. AS it
is thought that 600 persons will be ad-
mitted during the trial the sufferings
which those present are likely to en-
dure can easily be imagined. 1t is
stated that out of the 600 victims 800
are to be representatives of the press.
A French writer recently fell upon
the fact that a countryman of his in
the long ago first suggested the use
of stamps for the prepayment of post
age. The credit of this suggestion Is
given in England to Sir Rowland Hill
and his daughter, Mrs. Eleanor Eel
lows, writes to say that IN 1884
Charles Knight first proposed stamped
wrappers for newspaper postage in
the event of the abolition of the news
paper stamp duty" Three years later
Sir Rowland adopted this idea for
letters, but the adhesive stamp was his
own invention. 1t was not until after
thS lllll ouuIllOl vi penny pOSJdS6 III
this country that Sir Rowland was
told by Mr.. Piron, the subdirector of
| posts in Paris, of the fact that in
1868 Mr.. De Valazer had proposed the
same thing.
The greatest lockout ever known is
immediate weakening, in Denmark
| 1t began over month ago over a dis
pute about joners' wages in Jutland,
but developed into desperate attack
on trade unionism. There are 10000
men locked out, or half the entire
trade union body, and the federated
employers are threatening to shut out
the other half unless their terms,
which amount to the virtual extinc-
ton of trade unionism, are accepted.
AS there are only 100000 industrial
workers in the whole of Denmark
what this means may be imagined.
The workmen are making a deter
mined fight and help is coming in from
other countries, including England,
while the peasantry are doing their
best to help by taking the children
of the town workmen into their cot
tages until the struggle is over.
Any of Chicago's women who in
imagination follow the one-time Chi
cago girl, now Lady Curzon, on her
brilliant career, will be interested to
learn that the London Chronicle hears
! from Simla Lnat some harsh comment
has been excited there by the severe
| form of etiquette favored by Lady
Curzon. 1t appears that at an ordi-
nary society function all the ladies
rise from their seats directly the vice
roy's wife rises from hers and remain
standing until she either resumes her
seat or takes her departure. Even
Lady Curzon's own sisters observe
this form of homage In the private
apartments of the vicereine.
Until two weeks ago, when she died,
there was a Lady Shelley in England
and she had great prestige of the ac-
quired sort besides being a woman of
fine original qualities. She married
in 1871 Charles f. st. John, son Of
Viscount Bolingbroke, but three years
later became a widow. In 1S4S she
was married to Sir Percy Florence
Shelley, only sor Of the great poet,
who died in 1889. Her ladyship has
since resided at Boscombe. Lady
Shelley recently gave to the public a
stretch of the top cliff for the purpose
of a pleasure ground, but this has not
yet been formally opened. R. l..
Stevenson dedicated "The Master of
Ballantrae" to Sir Percy Florence and
Lady Shelley.