The Washington times., 1901-11-03
FOREIGN TOPICS.

7
the starting point of the strong movement
against the existing regime in Spain, and
more especially against the Jesuits. has
/ been definitely prohibited for the Vienna
! stage II has been under consideration
| of the theatrical censor since April last
anu mas neen ihe occasion of lively contro-
Nersy between the Catholic and Liberal
| press. The Catholics represent it as
work of inferior merit and declare that
! the sole object OF its production there
would De to excite the populace against
joiced at its prohibition
a great financial depression now pre-
| walls throughout France and extends to
the greater part OF Europe. There has
| been a great collapse in Russia mining
stocks, the Rio Tinto, Sosnowice, the
Brlansk. kertsch. The latter dropped
| from zoe to 300 francs per share. Sosno-
| vice dropped nearly a thousand francs.
| from 200 to 100. Gold is scarce and
hard to obtain. The whole stock list is
| on the decline, except De Beers and the
| Italian rentes 1t is believed that the
| French financial institutions export their
gold TO sustain the English war loan.
Ihe German newspapers announce that
| the Kaiser has ordered monument to
be erected to the memory of his mother
in the most conspicuous place in Berlin,
| at the end of the famous street Inter
den Linden. 1t is to stand just outside
| the Brandenburg Gate. He has himself
| made the design, which includes fOun-
| tafns and flowers and a figure of his
| mother in bronze. The cost will be $780,,
| 000-
The Brandenburg Gate is = sort Of Arc
| de Triomphe which has stood for two CEN
| turies at the entrance Of the Thiergar
ten. Upon the top is a chariot of Victory
| in bronze. Napoleon carried It off to
Paris in 1907, but the Germans afterward
Drought IT back in 1914 The gate has five
| portals-four of them being open to the
public Before the fifth is always mill
tary guard, and no one is allowed to pass
through 1t e&Nept the Emperor and brides,
ana tne latter must be clad in their-wed-
dihg garments. 1t is one of the orthodox
pleasures for German bride Immediate
| ~ after her marriage to drive through
| the BrandenbGrg Gate
As an example of the exceeding sharpness
with which the German customs officials
are now scrutinizing imports of manu-
factured merchandise, the following ruling
and reclassification of recent date will
serve to illustrate what may happen
| whenever any manufactured article is
made of two or more component ma
terials.
There is certain snap hook known to
the trade as the covert snap" in Ger
man as Gardiner haken.' which is
made of malleable steel or iron, coated
with tin.
These have been imported for years un-
der duty rate of 10 shilings per 220
pounds. The snap hook has latch in the
form of a sliding bolt, which is thrown by
a small spiral spring of brass or bronZed
wire. wholly concealed within the shank
of the hook
Recently Snpna lane hos die
sected one of these snaps. removed the
bolt and discovered the hidden brass
spring, which forms perhaps one-fortieth
of the whole weight of the article, where
upon the covert snap has been reclassi-
fled as brass goods, dutiable at "a shillings
per 220 pounds. which is said to be prac-
tically prohibitory. in face of domestic
competition.
Both the Car and the Czarina are par
ticularly fond of keeping by them pic
lures of the places which they have visit
ed. Their Najesties have returned to
Russia with complete sets of views of
Dunkirk, Compiegne Reims, and Betheny
Plain. But there is great difference
between the pictures taken by the Czarina
and those which the Czar has-or rather
will have-by him. The Emperor always
likes to have panorama painted of the
scenes wherein he has figured on import
A
Reims. and at the Betheny review
special artist took scores of sketches
These will be worked up into panoramas
of the places in question, which will be
arranged for the Cars inspection at st.
Petersburg. The Czarina. on the other
hand, collected sets OF snapshots taken
by herself in Compiegne house and
grounds. where she photographed bash
full young lieutenant in command of a
guard of honor and covered him with de-
lighted confusion by promising TO send
him the portrait.
When her Majesty fipaIly left Com
piegne her camera. which is of quite an
ordinary pattern, and cost it Is said, but
so was placed on the empty front seat
of the carriage in which the Czarina
drove from the palace to the station with
Nine. Narishkin. Her Majesty took sew
eral pictures at the review.
During the Hungarian elections Le-
grady, chief editor of a well-known paper.
was defeated few days ago by sim
pie peasant named Natal, who appeared
upon the hustings in leather breeches and
thick worsted stockings. Legrady is en-
trusted by the Government with the
printing of the tax notice books. and his
name consequently appears in small let
ters upon the cover Natal was put for
ward by Hungarian count who had lost
the previous election through Legrady
Mattai's electioneerirg agents said TO the
foolish as to elect a man who imposes
fresh n taxes upon you. Here Is his name
upon the covert By this trick Legrady
lost the seat, but the election will be dis
puted.
The students OF the Latin Quarter in
Paris have opened their cooperative res
taurant in the Ruedu Sommerard. close to
the Sorbonne. Thrift and economy are
about the last qualities one would expect
in this direction. Neither Murger nor
Du Maurier ever dreamed of such moral
developments. However, not all the
credit should be given TO the students
Learned professors and doctors have
taken an equal share in the enterprise
and all take their meals together as a
happy family. The hors d'oeuvre is
sous; rCast NUT on and potatoes, 10 sous;
outlets or beefsIeak 10 sous and beer,
sous. There are no spirits on the prem
ises, no absinthe, eau de vie, or noCtuous
''aperitif" Temperance is writ large on
the banner of the new movement. Profess
sors and pupils get per cent on the cap
ital invested In the restaurant. TIPS are
forbidden. The garcons get 30 francs u
month and their keep. aud they know
they have nothing more to expect. No
middlemen are employed for the purchase
OF stores. A clever woman has been en-
gagged as mana geress and cashier The
restaurant is very spacious.
1t used to be said of some of the smaller
South African Republics that they derived
their chief revenue by the issue of postage
stamps. not for postoffice purposes. but
for the encouragement of stamp collectors.
To which end the, designs Were frequently
changed. This IS not very surprising in
the case of little bankrupt States. but it
is rather startling to hear that the Vic
torian Government has entered into the
philateiic business. Not only does 1t