The Opelousas courier., 1903-07-25

HNNoIN1 40 ONr1N7SRT


The recent Chinese census gave the
population of the empire at ABOUT
426, 600, 600.
According 10 vital statistics, the
baby born in 1903 has three times as
good a chanca of living as 1t would
have had If r.orn fifty years ago.
| However, the baby born fifty years
ago, If still alive, will probably be
| satisfied with the chance that came
his way.
William E. Curtis contributes to
| the race suicide" question some real
| figures. Consulting the census sta
| tfstics, Mr.. Curtis finds that the aver
age numebr of persons in a family has
| fallen from 5.6 in 1850 to At in 1900.
The decline has been gradual but
steady. In 1850 the average number
in q family was Sc; in 1866, SD; in
1870, 81; in 1880, 5; IN 1890, ~; III
1900, At.
l. The United States annually appro-
pirates more than $4,000 for foreign
prisons for American offenders. ouch
institutions are maintained in CHINA,
Korea. Siam, and Turkey. The neces'
| sity for these jails arises out OF the
Wretched penal institutions OF the
countries named.
The Improvement society Of Helena,
Mont, has inaugurated the plan OF
selling seeds of common garden now
ers to the school children OF thai city
for one cent a package. Many OF the
children nave bought the seeds, and
saw that they are going to really raise
lowers. If any of them do a flower
show will be held this summer, SO that
they can show how they have prog
ressed as gardeners, as well as stu
dents.
Chicago is going in strongly for cul'
ture. One of the leading railroads OF
the city has offered to crease the
pants of each of its employees
twelve times a month for nothing in
the hope that there will be presented
to their patrons such a pleasing aspect
that the sight will be worth paying
for and will attract more than the
normal number of travellers. The
idea is very popular among the travel
ing public of Chicago. The only com
plant heard is from employees who
possess only one pair Of garments.
The photographic Branch of the
Geological Survey now has a Division
Of NEUROLOGY, a special feature OF
which will be the study of wells and
of water-bearing strata in every part
Of the United States. All questions
relating to underground water will
come within the scope of the new d.
vision, not only in the West, where
irrigation is needed, but in every
State of the Union. -.
The Madrid impartial takes the
Spanish government severely to task
for announcing a reduction Of $40,0Oe
in the budget of 1904 for public edu-
cation. This reduces the total appro-
priation for this purpose to 100000.
The impartial asserts that the coun-
try is already so backward in educa-
ton and means Of culture that ali
hope Of progress has almost disap-
peared. For this reason the paper
says that the appropriation for schools
should be greater than that for any
other purpose. The percentage of IL
literacy in Spain Is 70 while the aver
age for Europe ranges from IA to rs.
Brooklyn IL getting on in the world.
In 1902 more than forty miles OF mod
ern pavements were put under con-
tract, while the total of the previous
four years was less than thirty-eight,
and the average price a square yard
for asphalt paving was reduced from
$2.S3, in 1901 to $1.70 in the year fol-
lowing. Brooklyn now has 453 miles
of paved streets, a larger number than
the Borough Of Manhattan includes,
and forty-seven miles of cobblestone
roadways in Kings County were relaid
Ii 19Os.
In Russia a nobleman's title de-
scends to all his sons instead of to the
eldest only, with the result that there
are many villages inhabited exclusive.
ly by princes, counts and barons. The
village of Nadaschka, for instance,
says the London Express, is Inhabited
solely by counts and countesses, all OF
whom belong to the same family OF
the Nadaschkovski. The majority of
these peasant noblemen are extremely
moor and cannot be distinguiShed