davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1902-04-29
ANCIENT TREES.
The Old Films which Have blade
Boston Common Historic.

A recent meeting in Boston brought
out some interesting facts regarding
the ancient eIms OF Boston's historic
Common. II appears that none of the
trees now standing dates back further
than 1870, and there are only q small
number planted before the last century.
The variols malls. or walks, have prob
ably much the same appearance today.
however, that they had fifty Or even q
hundred years ago. An agitation nov
going on 10 see that they are kept III
better condition than they have been
during the last few years is paralleieti
by many earlier efforts to the same
end. Thus on May II, 1T01, a bylaw
was passed ordering that mo persoI
shall lop, peel. girdle or deface any Of
the trees now standing or that shall
hereafter be planted or set by order q
the selectmen or by their appreciation
upon any part of or place in the com
mo- ground Of this town." under pen.
atty OF 20 shillings for every such Of
Tense.
Similar votes were passed by the
town all through the eighteenth cen
fury, and as a result the Common has
always been a delightful place of recre-
alton. Thus a traveller visiting Boston
in 1140 was able to give the following
pleasant description of the use to which
the Common was put by the citizens in
general:
For their domestic amuSementS ev-
cry afternoon after drinking tea the
gentlemen and ladies walk the mall and
from thence adjourn to one another's
house TO spend the evening-those that
are not disposed to attend the evening
lecture, which they may do if they
please six nights in seven the year
round.
what they call the mall is a walk
on a fine green Common adjoining to
the southwest side of the town. 1t is
near half a mile over, with two rows
of young trees planted opposite to each
other, with a fine footway between, in
imitation OF st. James park, and part
of the bay of the sea which encircles
the town, taking it's course along the
northwest side of the ~Common-by
which it is bounded on the n side
and by the country on he other-forms
q beautiful canal in view Of the walk"
OF the trees now standing in the
Common the one which has had the
most singular history and probably the
only one that has passed into litera-
ture is not an elm, but a ginkgo tree.
1t will be remembered that just before
the close of his talks the Autocrat of
the Breakfast Table becomes enam-
ored of the schoolmistress. Walking
along the Beacon street mall, the Au-
tocrat pointed 10 a seat close by the
ginkgo tree and said, pray, sit down."
No. no." replied the schoolmistress;
81 will walk the long path with you"
The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1902-04-29
ON JORDAN'S BANKS.
curious Ceremony by Russian Pill
grims In the Holy Land.


The traveller in the Holy Land will
witness few sights which will interest
him more than that OF the Russian pill
grims at the annual Epiphany ceremo-
mics on the banks of the river Jordan.
A week before the festival itselt
crowds OF these Slav peasants are
e e trudging along the Jericho road.
with every imaginable kind Of haver-
sack and carryall on their backs. Some
Of the pilgrims are old and weather
worn, others young and cheerful. while
a few. overcome by sleep and fatigue.
are lying prone along the roadside.
But somehow the whole lot. young
and old, manage to reach the banks Q:
the river in good time for the cere-
mony, says the London Traveller.
They spend the night, perhaps, in the
Russian hospice at Jericho like a flock
of sheep. Before dawn the rooms are
empty, and the whole crowd has gath
cred on the bank, where Greek priests.
who will presently drive a most lucra-
tive trade. await them.
The principal articles sold are branch
es Of trees from various sacred spots,
stones from the Mountain of Tempta-
ton hard by. plants from the wilder
ness and rosaries with olive stones for
beads. To whatever religious value is
claimed by these articles the Russian
peasants implicitly give credence. and
they willingly pay their money TO OBJ
tain them.
During the hours Immediately pre-
ceding the ceremony the motley crowd
is occupied in prayer and silent devo-
ton. To many pilgrims this occasion
is one of the greatest life can bring
namely. to be permitted o only to
visit the Jordan, but actually to battle
in its sacred waters. Suddenly chant
ing is heard. and the crowd quickly
opens to let a procession of purple clad
eccleSiastics pass to the waters. then
the pilgrims close in again and station
themselves along the banks. eager and
watchful.
And now, quite reverently, a jeweled
cross is laid by the patriarch on the
surface of the stream to bless it. and
no sooner does the sacred symbol touch
the water than a dive is made into it by
the enthusiastic crowd, which splashes
and prays and wallows and dips-alto-
gether a strange scene.
Such is the baptism, and the longer it
lasts the greater the merit the pilgrim
will enjoy. All dripping with water,
each shroud is now wrung out and
slowed away to serve as the cerecloth
when the pilgrimage of life is ove and
the body is ready for the grave.
AS the traveller rides away the next
day to Jerusalem he will see these
childlike peasants. bedraggled with
mud and fatigued by constant Sleep
lessness, plodding along toward the
Holy City. chanting and singing as
they SO and leaning on their sticks Of
reed. But there is now a smile on their
faces and joy in their hearts, for have
they not bathed in the waters Of the
Jordan?
The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1902-04-29
The .sEace Bookv Idea.

Quite the latest idea is to have q
'face book" Instead Of the now old
fashioned album. in which ones friends
were worried to "do something" a well
bound ~sketchbOok is chosen. In it you
get your friends each to draw a head
of some Sort-girl. man, child or ami
nal. 1t does not matter if they cannot
draw at all. They must do their best.
and the attempts of the nonartistic of
ten prove the most amusing. They
should. of course. sign their names to
the pictures. although some will prob
ably refuse to do so. The collection
when finished is usually most interest
ing, exceedingly comic attempts being
interspersed with the charming sketch
es Of ones artistic friends.
The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1902-04-29
"KinE Dick's' Singing.

Mr.. Seldom. the premier of New Zea-
land, popularity known as King Dick"
thinks he a sing. and once when he
was travelling in a steamer on the Ia
ranaka coast he treated the saloon pas
Sengers to a few songs n evening.
The captain. a political enemy. stucl
to the deck and would not so down to
share in the entertainment.
Seldom saw him afterward and said
upbraidingly. Why didn't you come
down to hear the singing?"
"Singing?' replied the skipper. u
didn't know that there was any going
ON. heard a deuce Of a noise. but /
thought it was the lowing OF the cattle
we have aboard"
The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1902-04-29

Government SOrely Pressed on
n Constitutional Question.

London. April 24-The forcible deten-
ton in South Africa of Albert Cart
!. wright. who. while editor OF the South
African News charged Lord Kitchener,
prior to the engagement with General
dewet. kith ordering his officers 20
shoot all prisoners, formed the subject
of a heated debate in the house of COM
mons this evening.
John Morley, liberal, moved the adj
5ournment of the house, the success OF
which proposition would practically
government in general and on Lord
Kitchener and Lord Miner in particu-
Iar. Mr.. Morley pointed out hat Nr.
Cartwright. who had served a years
Imprisonment Cor libel now desired to
some to England, and that his
was illegal, unconstitutional and tyraE-
nical. He added that the explanation
Of Lord Stanley, the secretary
of the war office. who served In the
South African was as chief press CEN
sor, that the government did not think
1t desirable to increase the number OF
anti-British propagandists IN TINS
country, was the most outrageous thlng
heard in the house since Simon de-
Montfort invented parliament.
The secretary of state for war, Mr..
Brodrick. in the course of a reply, raIS-
ed a stir by saying that although FIR.
Cartwright had served his legal SEN
tence. the question of his liberation was
still sub-judice. This brought forth 4
vehement protest by Sir WilliamfVer
non-Harcourt, liberal. who declared
that such a proposition was scandal
Gus and contrary to the elementary
principles OF freedom.
Winston Spencer Churchill, conserYa-
tive. also delivered a few caustic SEN
fences, saying he hoped the house would
force the government to withdraw with
in the limits OF the law and observe the
constitution.
Mr.. Balfour, the government leader,
came to the support of the sorely har-
assed war secretary, and commended that
the government was justified in detail-
ing even a British subject if it thought
his wandering was calculated to injure
the interests of South Africa
The spirit of revolt spread to the gov
eminent benches and several conservA-
tives protested against the govern
ment's attitude. The house then divid-
ed the motion for adjournment was de-
feated by 259 to lS2 votes.
The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1902-04-29
SiYt--tkree Years n Minister.

The Rev. DR.. John Duncan Of Abide,
Fifeshire. Scotland, who died recently,
had served sixty-three years in the
ministry. Speaking of him. the Glas-
gov correspondent Of the Montreal
Star writes: CDR. Duncan was the fai-
Their o the aud kirk-that is, the man
wha had been a minister for the Ian
gest time. 1t is only a FORTNIGHT sin
he was preachin' in Creich, an no lang
syne he was helpin' at a curtin match.
He was in Abide a his life after his
ordination an vas a fayourite wi a
body in the parish"
The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1902-04-29
Crime as a Disease.

Jailer John L. Whitman of Chicago
said the other day in a lecture before q
woman's club on THE Cook County
Jail as a Moral HospitaI' that, in his
opinion, if the family history of a bank
defaulter were examined it is probable
that some n Of his ancestors would
be found to have been a short weight
grocer or a petty criminal against So
ciety. Crime" he added, lis a disease.
and its only cure is kind treatment, not
punishment, which has the appearance
pf revenge"
The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1902-04-29
AND TRUTH.
Exception Taken to q Stanza In .
Popular Hymn.

The congregation has perhaps won
dered why in singing Onward, Chris
tan Soldiers In our church we omit
the third stanZa. 1t is because his
stanZa says things that are not true.
l do not think hat we ought to utter
untruths in church, especially when it
Is not necessary. Here is the stanza:
Like a mighty army
Moves the church Of God
Brethren, we are reading
Where the saints have trod-
We are not divided.
All one body we,
One I'm hope and doctrine.
One in charity.
Are the various statements here
wherewith we exhort one another 10
march on true? The statements are:
First, Gods church is moving on like a
great army; second, we are going over
the ground once traversed by the
saints; third, we are not divided;
fourth, we are all n body: fifth. we
are n in hope; sixth, and in doctrine;
seventh, and in charity. Now, is ell
this true? No. 1 is not true. 1t is pal
pably false. Many portions Of the
church of God are not moving at all.
The Eastern church has not moved for
a thousand years. The South Ameri-
can and the Cuban and the Porto Ri
can and the Philippine and the French
and Italian and Spanish and Coptic
and Armenian churches are either not
moving or are moving in the wrong di-
r~ection, and If the parts are not
ing the whole can hardly be said TO be
doing so. The only parts where mo-
ton is apparent are the German, Scan
dinavian and English speaking por-
tions, and whether they are moving
like a mighty army" may well be
questioned. Even If we hold that the
| church of God is extending it's con.
quest over the world it requires a good
deal more assurance than is becoming
To say that the church of God is NOV
ing like a mighty army.
As to No. ., it is either a truism or a
piece OF fashy rhetoric.
No. 3, we are not divided" This
will be news to DR.. Carroll. Christians
ere not divided. Church union at last!
And so easily reached. This is delight
FIJI. This line cannot be regarded as
the diverse of the next line, for it is
rot said here that the body" is not
divided, which may he true, but that
we" are not divided. Well, If I'VE"
are not divided. what does division
mean?
No. 4. "All one body" That is true
il a mystical sense. the of the
creed.
No. G, Zone in hope" True. we all
Eope to get 10 heaven.
No. 4, Zone in doctrine!" The poets
eve must have rolled in a fine frenzy
when he wrote that. One in doctrine
Eaptists and Roman Catholics and
Cuakers and Seventh Day Adventists.
Why. wen low church and high church
| EpiscopaIians are not one in doctrine.
No. s, lone in charity" Since when?
Neither as individuals nor as particular
churches have we any charity-to boast
of. as this poesy does.
No, it cannot be said that this series
OF statements displays a rigorous re-
card for facts.-CrOwn, St Stephens
| Church, Newark.
The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1902-04-29
At THE EXPOSITION.
Missouri and Louisiana Purchase
Exposition Day at Charleston.

Charleston. s. c., April 24.-Missouri
and the Louisiana Purchase exposition
had the freedom OF h exposition to-
day. The M~issourians sent a large del
egation headed by the lieutenant gov
ernor, John A..Lee.
The Louisiana exposition directors,
with President francis at their head,
came on the same train with the Mis-
s~ourians n the two delegations held
a joint celebration. The delegations
proceeded to the Louisiana Purchase
building where speeches were made by
President Francis, former senator
Thurston and the lieutenant governor,
Mr.. Lee.
At 2 o'clock a luncheon was served in
the building, at which Mrs. cha Z.
Bland was hostess. This evening the
delegations were received by President
McGahan. of the Charleston chamber
of commerce. at his residence on King
street. ..
The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1902-04-29
TeunyxOn's Hair.

One of Tennyson's last letters was TO
Mr.. William Watson, who had written
in The Spectator some lines on Lord
Tennyson's "Foresters," which ran:
Far b the hour when lesser brows shall
The azure glorious from that wintry hair.
eff" wrote the laureate to Mr.. Wat
son, "by 'wintry hair you allude to a
tree whose leaves are half gone. you
are right; but if you mean white you
are wrong, for I never had a gray hair
on my head"
The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1902-04-29
Historic Sword

There is a sword on exhibition at Bel
fast. Ireland, Of more than local inter
est. 1t was formerly carried by Viii.
liam of Orange and was given by him
to the first Earl of Portland, who after
ward was governor of Jamaica. The
weapon passed through many hands
and about a hundred years ago came
into the possession OF the Balfour fam
Ily. where it now is. The hilt of the
sword is of ivory. carved TO represent
:he Flemish lion trampling on the dogs
II France.
The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1902-04-29
interchangeable Mileage Books.

savannah, Ga, April 24-The Plant
system of railways that,
commencing April 26th. its new inter-
ehangable mileage books will be recog-
nlzed by the Seaboard Air Line; Louis
vile n Nashville; Atlantic Coast
Line; Nashville, Chattanooga and St.
LOUIS western and Atlantic, and sew
eral other lines in the south. covering
over $4,000 miles. The Plant system has
n interchanged passenger business
before with the Seaboard Air Line for
eight years. This announcement is re-
sGrded here as significant of a closer
working arrangement among southern
railways.
The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1902-04-29
waIthour's Victories.

Atlanta, Ga, April 24.-Four thous-
and people at the coliseum tonight saw
Bobby Walthour, of this city, defeat
Howard Freeman, of Portland, Ore, in
two successive five-mile heats of a
mOtor-paced race. Walthour gained
two laps over Freeman in each of the
two heats, winning the first heat in
SOC SIS and riding the second in sos 3-5.
Lake of Statan Island, won the me
mile professional: Turville, of Phila-
delphia second.
The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1902-04-29
Unquestfonable Proof.

Mrs. Youngwife (tearfully) What
have you done to show that you love
me?
Mr.. Youngwife-Darling. I've con-
tracted a lovely case Of chronic dys-
pepsia.-New York Journal.
The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1902-04-29
A RIVER Or LAND.


-
Astonishing Amount Of Earth naa
Flows Down h Mississippf.
"The capacity OF the Mississippi for
filling up canals and old channels is
something awful" say John Swain In
Ainslee's. Government engineers have
found that the amount Of solid matter
annually carried past yicksburg In sus.
pension is enough TO make a block of
earth 300 feet high and a mile square:
Fifty feet OF the top Of this Is spread
around on the valley between here and
the sea. and the rest goes out into the
gulf Of Mexico to build up mor cont,
nent. =
Think what that means Instead OF
a river Of water this Is a river OF land.
1t would make a solid stream Of earth
five feet deep and nine feet wide, dow
Ing night and day as fast as a man can
wall, four miles an hour, all sliding
down of the northern half OF the couns
try toward b sea. lear in, year out
that endless line OF earth goes on. 1t
would take a force Of more than 10000
men working in eight hour shifts to
throw the dirt into the stream. suppos-
ing the river bed were rigid and an in.
exhaustible supply Of dirt on the bank.
1t would make 100000 wagon loads
every year.
But here-what are the use of such
figures? Below Vicksburg-and above
ii. too, to an extent-we have the earth
itself TO speak for it. Except for the
occasional fragments OF the line Of
bluffs along the eastern edge below
here which bob up at Fort Adams, at
Natchez, at Grand Gulf. at Baton
Rouge, at Port Hudson, there is moth
ing about the level Of the high water
river except the artificial levees. These
are in places miles back, great earthen
banks, sometimes thirty feet high or
more, sodded and free from trees
which protect the wonderfully fertile
region behind them.
And ali this level country which
the river overflows and fertilizes is
constantly increased by this river OF
dirt which the Mississippi brings down
from the inner region, gathered all the
way from the Rockies to the Allegha-
mes. sometimes the river starts to eat
away this land that it has made. In a
single summer, if it will, it eats away
half a mile of it out of some bend. 1t
cuts it out sometimes an acre at a
bite and takes with it forests, houses.
levees and all else.
"The river is not a uniformly moving
stream. One side or the middle moves
or-iftr- fh@ a.
sluggish. Sometimes even these run
up stream. The swift part is the chan
mel current and runs in the deepest sec
lions. 1t makes crossings whenever
driven off shore by a promontory.
These crossings are dumping places
for the surplus earth the river has
picked up in the bend it is eating"
Putting Him to the Test.
Marie-John, before we were married
The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1902-04-29
A Lame ArRument.

May-I don't believe pingpong will
be fashionable much longer.
Hattie-Why not?
May-It gives the young men lame
JAMESTOWN Topics.
The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1902-04-29
A Boy.

The first six months that q boy earns
his W money you can always find
peanuts in his pockets. - Atchison
Globe.
The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1902-04-29

Master OF the
House.
Mrs. Bacon
Why do you
suppose they
call the en-
ployment agen-
cies bureaus?
Mr.. Bacon
Because a fell
low can never
find what he
wants In one, !
uppose.-Yo n-
kers States
man.
The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1902-04-29
Justfdab1e.

J~ustfAable
Biggs u see
% u friend
Cutting has en-
gagged In a new
b usiness he
a~dvertises him
self as a man
milliner.
Diggs-Wel,
whatof It! You
ertainlywou
not expect him
to pose as wo-
mar milliner,
would your
Chicago News
The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1902-04-29
Putting Him to the Test.

M~arie-John, before we were married
you said you would die for me If need
be. didn't you?
John Chesitatingly)-Yes, I believe so.
Marie-Well, ! wish you would go
down stairs and discharge the cook
Chelsea (Mass.) Gazette.
The daily morning Alaskan., 1902-03-16
GOOD WORK
Robertson Stage Line is
 Winning Laurels.

W. O. Robertson who Is running relay stages between White Horse and Dawson this winter, the same as last. arrived on yesterdays train to receive the big loads from the Amur and Seattle.
 Mr. Robertson is giving service this veal equally as good as the other big stage line. the White Pass, By relavs he has been making the trip in seven days and giving entire satisfaction to his passengers.
 Friday he received word from bis driver Bennle Williams, who left White Horse March : at ID. m. that the stage with nine passengers arrived at Dawson March I4 at {, p. m. This telegram re- ceipt WIS witnessed by all of the hotel keel CTS of White Horse.
 Mr Robertson has several stages now at White Il rse awaiting loads from the Amur and Seattle. Three other stages are bound for Dawson, ves,erdav they b.' ing at Stewart, Selkirk and Lower Ll- Barge.
The daily morning Alaskan., 1902-03-16
HAS PASSED
Private Rigs 10 Dawson In
 Bad Repute.

Private stages and eonvevances en route to Dawson, on the trail, are meeting with many obstscles-the ehet cause Is over loading.
 The people of White Horse each day witness a private rig leave that eltv and the next they hear Of lt Is either stranded or having bad time.
 On one of the last steamers, a man named j. F. Kennedy, with eight larse horses, bound for Dlws0n, arrived at White Horse. Mr. Mutchr, who Is oper- a,lng a private stage, filled Kennedy up with passengers and pushed him of for Dawson.
 A White P.ss stage left the same day and when il reached DlwS)n, Kennedy had made only Ioo miles. Rober,son's stage left the next day and reached Daw- son in seven days, while the private con yevanee had made only I45 miles. The last heard of the Kennedy stage lt was eight days out and had mlde only I55 miles.
 In the opinion of the experienced trayeIer the day of single line stages are over, They are twl;e as long on the trail and perhaps three times and expenses are core sponongly greater.
 Ire two big companies, the White Pass and Robertson X Co are now recognized as the only money saving routes by which to travel.
The daily morning Alaskan., 1902-03-16
SURVEYED
The Haincs Cannery Site
 Has been Laid Out.

The site for the Leonard eannery 10 be constructed near Haines has been surveyed. Mr. Williams, of the engineering depart meht of the railroad, went south on the Cottage Citv and returned on the last Far allon after accomplishing his work.
 The next steamer from the south will undoub,et bring up a small force of men to commence foundation work. Lumber Is now being cut and the eannerv will be rushed 10 an early completion.
The daily morning Alaskan., 1902-03-16
lVEY AND EVANS
win Give Pertinent Speeches Hero
 Monday Night.

Al the Y. N. C, A. hall tomorrow even- Ing, Cal. Evans will speak before the De- batting Club on the blunilry question.
 Mr lvey will make an extempOraneous talk on some subject which suggests itself.
 The speeches will be in lieu of the regular debate.
 It has been suggested that all can at- tend as those who eontsmplate attending the St. Patrlck's ball will have plenty Of time as the speeches will be over by Q o'clock.