The Washington times., 1901-11-15
FOREIGN TOPICS.

| A London publisher arranged some s'me
ago to publish an illustrated edition of
| the now familiar poem, "Hoch der
Kaiser" Since 1t was written in Canada
by young Scotsman, fully three years
| ago, many things have changed. They
have so changed within recent days that
| the publisher in question has now aban-
| doned the idea of his illustrated edition
| Some copies of it were already printed
| and thus, it is to be supposed, bonhre
| will have to be made of them.
| So far. England has seen only eight
| verses of the clever. satiricai "Hoch der
| Kaiser" AS scribbled off one evening
by it's author in a Montreal newspaper
office, IL contained thirteen. Give us a
! poem, Gordon, on the EmpeDr," said the
| editor to his Scottish contributor Within
| an hour Gordon sent thirteen verses to
| the printer. but in the makeup" five
| were somehow left out. Before the error
| could be corrected. the first copies of the
paper had been printed, and it was these
| that came to England.
| The story of the author of HHoch der
| Kaiser is the story of wandering Scot:
| He went from Scotland to America, and
| pursued journalism in various parts 81
| that country. He worked in New York.
| in San Francisco, and eventually in Mon
| treal. There his health began to fail. and
| few of his friends took him to Notre
Dame Hospital. For weeks he lay Ill, and
"
| his society buried him. He had a great
| gift for verse, and great heart
| Russia will spend next year only q
! kopeks about 10 cents) per capita for ed
ucational purposes. Yet in addition to the
enormous drain caused by the Siberian
Railway $56, 600. 900 is to be spent on new
strate gic railways to the Prussian and
Austrian frontiers, railways that have
| cnly military purpose and aim. On or
| dinary land roads, on the good quality of
| which the success of the Russian farmer
| largely depends. only s5O0.00O will be spent
and an equal sum on repairs and mainten-
ance of land roads.
| The imperial overseers in the mines of
| trial mountains have discovered a large
| territory in which diamonds and rubies,
the latter of very fine quality, are to
be found in abundance. The Car, to whom
| the mines belong, has decided not to work
them for the present. Some fine gems
| have been already sent to st. Petersburg
for the CZarina.
The Czar, though not usually credited
with literary proclvities, is arranging
the immense mass of private papers left
| by his grandfather. A<>Sander II. relating
to the emancipation Of serfs. An official
series of volumes this subject Will
be issued as sort of monument to the
'iiberator." Some of Alexander's de-
/
tion are models of literary skill and al
most all are couched in eloquent lam
guage-
The proposal is made and warmly taken
up in Scotland that Andrew Carnegie's
munificent benefactions should be recog-
nized by Scotsmen by instituting "Carne-
gle day when in Glasgow. Edinburgh,
| Aberdeen, and ST. Andrews, the four uni
Versity towns combined civil and aca-
demic celebrations should be annually
held on the lines of ColstOn day, now es-
tablished for a century at Bristol.
The idea of establishing restaurants for
working girls in the west end of London,
advocated by Miss OKell, sanitary in
spector of Marylebone, is a matter of So
cial and physiological science which one
may hope Will net be allowed to remain
in the stage of mere suggestion. That
the majority of these girls employed III
big emporiums make their midday meal
of tea and bread is only too well known,
The working power and health Of any girl
are certain to be lessened and undermined
by what is inadequate dietary. Phil
anthropic enterprise which would start
restaurants for these girls would pay
extremely well, and yield a rich return.
The fare would require to be plain, but
tastefully cooked and appetiZing=condi-
in hieh-class Establishments. Lately there
was opened in Glasgow. at Springburn,
the white House.. where for thirteen
and sixpence a week a man is lodged and
boarded sumptuously. This establishment
has about 200 rooms. II is the outcome
OF private enterprise entirely, and it will
Pay.
The reading committee, which for near
ly century decided the fate of plays
submitted TO the Coincide Franchise in
Paris. has been abolished by the Minis
ter Of Public Instruction Hepceforth. the
sole arbiter of dramas for the house of
Moliere will be the director, who at pres
ent is Jules CIarette. The committee was
composed of Clarette and six members
of the company, selected by the Minister
of Public Instruction. 1t has not been in
good odor with playwrights for some
time.
Recently two notable cases of maltreat-
ing plays aroused torrent of public
censure. The plays were Croisset's Cher
ubim,' the representation OF which had
been postponed for one reason or another
for months, and Schiefer's lie Roi."
The case of the latter was the straw
that broke the camel's back. The com
mittee accepted the piece and agreed to
present it If NJ Schiefer would revise
some parts. He did so. Then one of the
committee. NJ. lie Rargy, to whom the
dramatist had confidsd the mese en- scene,
NJ Schiefer, who up to this point had
been most compliant and had thanked
lie Bargy for his suggestions, declared
that his piece would be spoiled II further
changed.
NJ Clarette thereupon decided that lie
Roi'' should be produced as II was, the
Paris public justified the decision, and
the time-honored committee is no more.
Among the sheaves of letters which Sir
Thomas Upton has received since his
turn from his Intellectual expedition to
lift the Americas Cup is the following
from the noted novelist, "Ouida" Louise
De La Rame). postmarked Lucia. Italy:
II do not know you, but ] watch your
races with interest because l used to be
very fond of yachting and know some
thing about sailing yacht. Now. l want
80 ask you why you stand the American
conduct. When the Shamrock II was
clearly winning they decided the race off.
and they are mean enough to call it beat
Ing you to claim victory by time al
lowance and a precedence of forty-five
seconds. What can difference Of forty
i've seconds show of superiority or infe-
riority? Under ten minutes it should be
declared dead heat. To be fair II ought
to be sailed in neutral waters. The ocean
voyage must take it out of a yacht.
If you like show this to anyone. You
can do SO with my compliments
'Postscrpt-I dare say you are not
great reader, but my name will be prob
ably known to you
Municipal government as a science has
reached a higher degree of development
in Germany than in any other country.
Its growth has been slow and the adop-
ton of many modern improvements has
been tardy in most Of the cities, for the
Germans are simple in their habits and
conservative in their disposition but