The Washington times., 1901-09-21
FOREIGN TOPICS.


In Grunewald, the fashionable little SUBJ
| urb OF Berlin. the authorities have intro
ouced very handy fire extinguisher. The
entire apparatus weighs only about 200
| pounds and contains all the appliances
necessary to put out blaze in its incipi-
| ent stage II
Manned by three firemen it can be pro-
PEELED at the rate of a mile in five minutes.
The idea is to be on the spot before the
| regular engine and hook and ladder and
hosecart arrive.
1t contains a benzine motor and is pro-
| vided with large hose, collapsible hook
| and ladder, smoke masks. medical and
| surgical supplies and all things necessary
| for the first emergency of a fire. The
Berlin press is loud in its praises Of the
| innovation.
| For over ten years the Pool of Sloan
| has been only a name. Visitors to Pales-
tine, who have visited this famous spot
| of late years, have found that it's healing
waters have vanished This was a great
blow to the inhabitants, but just recent
| ly the waters of Sloan have been made
to flow once again, and there has been
great rejoicing in the Holy Land. 1t ap-
pears that Jerusalem has been especially
short of water Of late. and 1t occurred to
some OF the Inhabitants of Sloan to try
and find out whether the spring which
| used to supply the pool was really dry.
Tons of accumulated rubbish was clear
ed away, and after about months work
| the spring was found The excavatOrs dis
| covered behind some fallen rocks an old
aqueduet running away into the valley
beautiful, cool. clear water had run and
| been wasting for years.
Ask any educated Frenchman to name
n tyr nd he will wit h
out hesitation, 1.-The late President
Grevy.' His avarice seemed as clear as
the light of day. NJ. Grevy gave few re-
ceptions, and a contribution on his part
to a charity was thing almost unheard
OF. He must, indeed, be hardened old
miser," so everybody argued. Ito prefer
loss of popularity to loss Of few thou
sand a year in charities" 1t appears we
have all been unjust to NJ. Grevy. The
former steward of the Elysee Palace: M.
de Gourlet, in his memoirs. which will be
published shortly, says that no more
openhanded man ever lived than M.
Grevy. Only he never gave anything him
and he never allowed his charities to be
mentioned. His right hand knew not
what his left hand gave. Il speak with
knowledge" says NJ de Gourlet; Il was
often his left hand
The Golden Club of England is putting
up a powerful fight on the duty sugar
as tax on one of the prime necessaries
of life, and as an unjustifiable means Of
raising revenue. The organization has
just issued a leaflet from an article in the
English Medical Journal" entitled
Sugar as Food" which shows that 1t
is most admirable for producing heat and
energy. and for the fact that It can be
stored in very small space and kept for
n.
found by experiments that less muscular
deterioration occurs under a sugar diet
and that when men are fatigued and over
worked sugar ciet quickly brings them
TO a working coi,,sstiot, German army
experiments on the effect Of sugar on men
of both weak and strong muscle 1t was
found that in a half or three-quarters of
the power of work to muscles so tired
that they had previously given hardly ap-
preciable results. In the army maneu-
vres of 1898. at Metz. twenty men were
selected from each company. ten of whom
received an extra ration of a little less
than four ounces of sugar. Compared
with the ten men that did not have this
sugar ration, these men increased in
weight, enjoyed better health, and were
able to support the hard work with less
distress. None of them was overtaken
breathing were less affected by exertion.
In the active physical work they were
engaged in they reIfshed the sugar, not
being surfeited By IT.. The men who did
not gain and were deficient in the other
particulars mentioned. The result of the
experiment was the decision of the army
authorities that the sugar rations of the
German soldiers should be raised to two
ounces day. The experience was con-
firmed by the practice adopted in Holland
of having young men when in training
for athletic contests eat a considerable
quantity of sugar. 1t has been found that
they bear the training better than those
who do not eat it and are much less liable
to become stale or overtrained.
A touching story of the heroism Of a
Jewish soldier comes from Warsaw. At
the recent annual artillery practice at
Rembertovo a young Jewish artillerist
noticed that one of the guns had been
trained on the place where the staff was
assembled. He hardly had time to give
warning when he saw the spark of the
gun. and in order to save the life Of
the general standing close to him threw
himself against him and knocked him
over The generals life was saved. but
the Jewish hero was pierced by the can
non ball.
The funeral was one of the most i'm
posing ever seen In Warsaw. All the Of
ficers and several regiments followed the
body to the grave, where the general
whose life had been saved delivered
tOuchtnR OfatlOn. ne 6Heu ttdTs
the delivery.
His Majesty King Chulalong-korn of
Siam has of late proven himself the most
progressive ruler In the history of the
strange little kingdom. Siam is divesting
itself of its ancient dress, and the changes
are noticeable IN all parts of the realm
and in all grades Of society.
The King has caused magic transfor-
nation in his army. The wfld-loking
guerrilias are now dressed In a peculiar
military mixture. The military suit is
strikingly English, while the helmet is
German, and the arms are French. Per-
haps the wise King manages in this way
to keep on good terms with the Powers
Of Europe.
Another remarkable change is being eff
fected in passenger and freight transpor-
tation. The trains of oxen teams seen in
former days in every part of the country
have given way to steam and electric
railways. most of which have been built
by enterprising Americans. In fact, 1t
may be said that much of the change In
the culture of Siam is due to Americans
The better class of Siamese are being
gradually liberated from the power of the
priesthood, which for centuries has en-
shaved the people with superstitious faith
in the most hideous idolatry. Christian
ity, mostly In Protestant form, is grad
ually being adopted by the people of
Bangkok and other large cities.