The free lance. (Fredericksburg, Va.) 1885-1926, 1900-04-24
FACTS IN A FEW LINES.


a heavy demand for iron pipe, drcdg-
ing, eXcayating and pumping machin-
cry.
Forgery can usually be detected be
cause the imitator has certain charac-
terlstics of his own of which he is not
aware
Womcn's rights have made such
progress in Chile that already two
thirds Of the public school teachers are
women.
Spiral armlcts Of copper form good
protection for the arm in battle, and
the King of Dahomey uses his rs defen-
siye weapons.
The largest real estate owner of all
American institutions is the University
Of Texas. which holds over 100000
acres of land.
The annual consumption Of cotton by
mills In Russia has been about 100000
tons for several years. and the indus
try is growing steadily in Importance
there.
Holland has a national wOman's suf-
frage association. with II branches. At
present the franchise Is limited to male
citizens who own property ana have
paid their taxes.
Ex-ProSidcnt Cleveland sends to n
Cleveland shoemaker for every pair of
shoes he wears This shoemaker has
been furnishing the eX president with
footwear for II years
Near Cotui, in Santo Domingo a
small town inland about 30 miles from
the head of SANTANA bay, there is said
TO be valuable and extensive iron ore
deposit. The land belongs to the gov
eminent.
A drill which VIII bore through solid
rock at the rate Of 3la inches per min
ute and through mixture of rock and
scist at the rate Of 4}s inches per min
ute has been at work in the Olpa Ars-
berg mine district, Austria.
In England. according to the London
Graphic, the latest fashionable stimu-
liant Is camphor. Taken in small and
regular doses II is said TO make the
complexion creamy. but tho ultimate
effect Is harmful 10 the system.
A group of literary folk in Boston
have started plans to observe the one
hundredth anniversary of the birth Of
Longfellow in Boston In 1901 The
people Of Portland. Ne. where he was
born. Will also celebrate the date.
1t is a well known fact that Ameri-
can footwear IS not only the cheapest
and best, but also the most stylish in
the world. Its lasts and shapes are
readily copied by English firms, who
sell their goods as American shapes
In the United Kingdom the term
"shoe" IS applied only to footwear the
sides of which reach just under the
ankle "Boot" Is the term used for
footwear reaching above the ankle, and
this is the form Of footwear most wide
ly used in this country.
Uruguay has always been a great
cattle country. Its cattle-"crlollo'-
were similar to our Texas cattle and
even smaller in size, wilder In nature
and very light in weight In the past
IL or 20 years these small "crlOllO'
cattle have been graded up and greatly
improved.
Apart from its more serious work In
promoting the efficiency Of Sunday
schools, the London Sunday School In
stitute directly encourages and re-
wards proficiency In musical drill, gym
nastics and other healthy exercises and
has O big field day every year at tho
Crystal palace.
A new instance Of electric street
railways being used for freight pur-
poses is found In Cleveland, where
stone is being hauled from a quarry
eight miles distant Fifteen thousand
pound capacity freight cars are used
and the work done after the close Of
the passenger traffic.
A folding hat has been patented by
q Scotch woman, a single sheet Of stiif
paper or other material being folded
into transverse plaits, with a crease
through the center at right angles with
the plalts, which allows one portion to
bend out and form the brim after the
sheet is bent into a tube.
TurQuoises of remarkable beauty are
becoming more and more rare. The
character of this gem adds to its inter
est, for 1t is believed to have some sort
Of sympathy for its wearer. 1t Is said
to grow paler If its owner becomes i'll
and to lose its beauty entirely If worn
by a person Of muddy complexion.
1t Is said that there are over 2,OO0,-
900 golf balls used each year in the
United States, American players being
particularly prodigal IN their use. The
majority of the golf balls come from
England. They are difficult to manu-
facture, slight differences In the com
position interfering with their useful
ness.
Walters In the most exclusive of the
restaurants have come to look upon the
| tip as so certainly their right that they
have come to assume an air that Is Of
fenslve In the extreme. There is no
acknowledgment from them for this
courtesy on the part of the diner now.
The waiter merely grabs it as a thing
that belongs to him.
Sheikh Mohammed Behaedin, di-
rector Of the Convent Of Dancing Der
wishes at Cairo, has petitioned the gov
eminent against the engagement OF
bogus dancing dervishes for the Paris
exposition, who Will insult Islam by
their shameless parody of the religious
exercises. 1t is said that the governor
Of Cairo will prevent their going.
There is an average Of four employ
ees to each senator. The salary list of
the senate amounts to nearly 100000
a year, and as most Of the employees
are engaged less than six months on
an annual salary the positions are de-
sirable. Even while the senate IS In
session the clerks and messengers are