The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-11-23

Uncle Sans We see that most familiar
and commonplace thing. the onion But
from? From Egypt, the land OF obelisks
and pyramids and buried Pharaohs. We
call on many other lands for onions, too.
England sends US the most Then comes
beautiful Bermuda, the land OF the lilies.
Then come Spain. Cuba. the British islands
in the West Indies, Italy, Canada, Mexico
and France. A few years ago we imported
many thousands OF bushels from switzer-
land. Now and then few come from
China.
Uncle Sans children really do need lots
OF food. Such a thing as cheese, for IN
stance, comes 10 them from twenty-one
different countries, and some OF them are
the very last ones that you would think
OF as shipping cheese 10 America. VINO
would suppose that Uncle Sam got some or
his cheese from Turkey? Almost ton Of IL
was sent to US from that country last year.
The year before we even got some from
Egypt.
Eggs make a curious story, too. The
Chinese empire shipped more 10 US last
year than did any other foreign country.
The Chinese hens had TO lay fast TO supply
our demand, for $1,000 dozens were sent 10
Yankeeand. Hens in Canada, Mexico
Japan, England and France had 10 help:
Then there is the pepper window In the
book. Pepper takes one into distant for
eign climes, indeed. In Germany, when
big folk want TO frighten children, they
the pepper grows" That is most alarming
to the German children, and often they be-
come quite good, almost at once. Men
have always wanted pepper, so much that
long ago when they still knew so little
about the world that they imagined IL was
fat they made daring voyages 10 look Tor
ii. The old Arabian sailors, much as they
feared the Djinns and the great bird Roc
and other terrors of the unknown world.
managed TO make their way TO the East
Indies and carry back great cargoes Of IL.
The Portuguese ventured clear around the
Cape OF Good Hope TO get IL; Uncle Sam
needs an immense amount of It He i'm
ported more than eight tons OF II last year.
All of Uncle Sans pepper did not come
from the East Indies One-half ton came
from the West Indies. Egypt and China
sent some, too.
Egypt is sending as many more products
than one would guess. We get tobacco.
tea, sugar, opium, olive oil, raisins. iigs,
dates, cotton, hides and skins and butter
from that ancient land
Uncle Sam buys something everywhere.
even in the most unlikely places. His book
shows that he bought horses in Sweden and
Norway; bones. hoofs and horns in all sorts
of places from Venezuela, In South Amer
ica, TO Japan; milk in Denmark and Mex
leo; feathers in Alden. on the Red sea. and
China. Austria and Guatemala; grease as
far away as Australia, and cider In Cuba
to Servia, to Spanish Africa. to the Canary
islands and to the mouth OF the Amazon
river for goatskins. He bought sausages
in Hong-Kong. Painted Fiji islanders sold
his traders sausage castings.
The free men OF Liberia. the African re-
public. sold him coffee. did the yellow
Samoans, negroes from the Congo and the
Central Americans.
pudding on Thanksgiving day, you might
remember that the plums prunes. raisIns,
lemons and other nice things that go into
the pleasing eomPSunds pounds. are imported from
the West Indies and dozens Of other distant
places