Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1903-01-25
ODDS AND ENDS

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st. Petersburg is nghting rat plague
of trem endous proportions. For three
river to drink have stopped early MORN
ing trains on the suburban Newski rail-
way. The police are distributing rat
and soldiers ARMED with sticks watch
the road to the river where rats procure
their morning drink.
One Of the most ill founded Of all popu-
lar decisions is that blushins is the spe-
cial characteristic of the female sex, says
the New York Commercial AS matter
girls, men blush far more readily than
women. The well-bred woman never
bushes at ALL while it is a matter. of
ment OF business or political disc..-.sns
mems checks redden with very nItle
provoca ton. Whatever may have been
ern, woman shows her emotion. not by
blushing, but by turning pale.
An interesting experiment has been
ssteinfed. Austria hs It IS t commoniy "
known that a balloon was anchored at
the height Of $500 yards, the gunners
being kept ir. ignorance of the range. It
proximate range but 1t was not till the
sixty-fourth round that the balloon was
hit, and then only slightly. However,
slowly to the ground.
Money has more synonyms than any
word in the English language. believe,
writer in the Cincinnati Commercial
Tribune. will give a few, only adding
that. thelist might be Guadrupled in
plasters, soap. rocks, dust, dough, ding
bats, ducats, pewter, needfu. stuff
collat. rags, shekels, wad. roll, tin, long
green. grease. bones, balssm, chicken
for a hundred additional.
\ curious old n'arrlags custom, called
eeanty ns Teand ana IN the
Scottish districts of kintyre and Cowal
After the marriage has been publicly
announced, the friends Of the couple
meet at the house of the brides parents
to fix q suitable date for the ceremony
A bottle of whiskey is opened. and az
zach guest drinks to their happiness.
and settling is complete Neither the!
bride nor the bridegroom ever thinks Of
protesting against the date SO curiously
| chosen. It would be considered bad luck
even to speak Of alteration.
There has been so much complaint of
late on the part of the dear girls that the
men were not anxious for matrimony,
and that the prospect of single Blessed
ness was becoming more and more ter
| rib!e. that 1t is comforting to them to
learn that statistics are against m.n
adelphia Inquirer. There isza sort of
/ idea current that there are constantly
! more women than men, and that In con-
sequence the latter have their choice
| while the women must face dubious
/ prospects with what fortitude they can
! muster.
/ The census figures have been analysed
and it appears that whatever may be the
situation In some localities, as whole.
| The women Of marriag eable age are 2,500.-
| 800 less than marriage yea BILE men,. so that
band are much better than man get
ting a wife. This is accounted for in
many ways, since in this country the
sexes are very nearly equal. A woman
a man, though perhaps her years. Of ex-
pectation are less. Itappears that there
were In this country in 1900 the grand
44s153 unmarried en-, an d f oor
unmarried women. After deductions
are made for those who in either sex
can hardly be supposed to contemplate
/ marriage, there remains the excess Of
men above referred to-. Nor Is this all.
] There are 100000 widows and only
1900 900 widowers. showing that 1.5OOs 900
4 Of the latter have married again. thus
able girls. The widows are evidently so
by preference. for it4i is well known ina,
4 a widow has much better chance at q
Eta&SCOUQ v eli I1Idu d A1dIu
Z has at a first. but 1t seems that widows
are not so anxious to try second mar
riage. Also divorced men seem to rush
into matrirnony again. while women sim
ilarly situa ted are more chary.
/ Thus statistics show that there is hope
for all the girls and mighty little for a
'arge portion of the male sex It would
marry is because they do not get the op-
q sportunity If every man should deter
a rnire to found family there would need
4 20 be a Sabine raid to satisfy the de-
nand. In the cities the men marry much
fater in life because they find il, SO ex-
{. oensive to maintain a family in the
style which they wish, and. moreover.
4 which their wives wish There are many
I teading men in this city to-day who mar
ried long ago and went to housekeeping
IN the most primitive fashion. their
4 wives doing the homework and doing It
we'll Nowadays. there are few young
q women who wantEto DO that. and they
i prefer to earn their own living and get
luxuries rather than to be the Slave
of a poor man However: 1t i appears
4 much iov may they get out Of their