Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1902-10-03
POLITICAL AND NEWS ITEMS

Additions made IN July swelled
the number of names on the pension
rolls beyond the 100000 mark.
In the coming campaign the empty
coal scuttle is going to make the full
dinner pail look like thirty cents
Portsmouth Star.
President Roosevelt's attitude to-
ward the trusts is much like the at
titude of prize-fghter posing for a
photograph. He never moves for
fear of spelling the picture.-M.
dian0polis Sentinel.
With several girls and no son the
Gar of Russia and his people are
becoming uneasy about an heir to
the throne. The poor Czarina's
position is growing extremely pre-
carious, as the leaders of the HOLY
Synod are scheming to have her
divorced.
Things certainly have changed
when the negroes, who were thought
good enough by the Republicans after
the war to be placed over southern
whites, are now not thought good
enough to be permitted to belong to
the same party with white Republi-
cans.-LouiSville Courier-Journal.
There is said to be movement
among certain colored men in Char
lesion, S. g., to get into the Demo
cratic party. 1t is said that the
movement is inaugurated by the
colored men of Intelligence and
property who are anxious to rebuke
the Republicans for abandoning
them WASHINGTON Post.
That people superior in intelli-
gence to those of the earth inhabit
the planet Mars is a conclusion that
will be set forth by Prof. G.. Hough,
head of the department Of Astronomy
of Northwestern University, in re-
rort which he is compiling of his
summers researches from the Dear
born observatory. lie asserts this as
a probability based on recent dis
coveries, and adds that of course it
can never be established positively.
DR.. Nagel, an eminent German
oculist, has been investigating the
effects of wearing wells, and has ex-
amined the cases of lightweight
women whose eye-sight has been in
jured by the practice. he finds that
the size of the mesh, the distance of
the veil from the eyes and the color of
the veil make difference, and that
70 per cent. of the women who habit
ually wear wells impair their sight,
this result usually being brought
about by the average veil in four
years.
France is all shaken up by the dis
covery of a big comet which is travel
ing with lightning velocity towards
the earth. The president of Lyon
University made the announcement
before his class the other day that he
would not lecture any more, but
would devote his time to preparing
for death, as he was satisfied that the
coming of the comet presaged the
end of the world. The French
asylums are being crowded with cases
that are raving about the comet, and
several villages in the mountains
have been abandoned by the inbabi-
tants, who have retired to the wild
gorges in order to fast aud pray.
Gen. Eli Torrance, commander-in-
chief of the Grand Army of the Re-
public, has issued an appeal, ad-
dressed to the Grand Army veterans,
asking that they contribute funds to
aid in the erection of home for ex.
Confederate veterans now being built
at Mission Greek, Ala. The appeal
is lengthy one, and in it the Chief
pays high tribute to the bravery of
the men who wore the gray. He
cites the fact that it has been impos-
sible to secure the aid of Congress in
this matter, and that the only way
in which the home can be built is by
veterans of the North and South and
of other patriotic citizens of the
republic.