davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923, 1905-05-26
STOPS LOSS OF PENNIES.
The Post Office Department Saves
Millions by Stamp Rule Lately
introduced,

Uncle Sam is busy rounding up the
odd pennies, His post office representa-
lives have just discovered a leak,
through which, in the course of the last
80 years. a great many hundred thou
sand dollars have run away. The loss.
says ths Chicago Tribune, might figure
up into the millions since the invention
Of stamped envelopes by the fractional
profits which the stamp clerks In Co.
goo post Offices have retained for their
own use.
Third Assistant Postmaster General
Madden, who invented the stamp books,
stirred the department from Maine 10
California by his recent order instruct
ing stamp clerks to hereafter account for
the fractional amounts received when
stamped envelopes and wrappers arc
sold in uneven quantities. Before the
order came out the clerk accounted only
for the face value of the stamped paper
in his possession, and the odd pennies
which he picked up from uneveu sales
he retained for his own use.
When you buy a single one~ceni wrap
per or a single two.cent stamped euyol-
ope the clerk charges you two or three
cents, as the case may be. The wrap
pers costs him possibly / 7-100 of n cent
and the envelope about 2 1900 OF a
cent. 50 that his profit In the first case
is 93~i00 Of Il cent and IN the second
$500 Of a cent. or course, the profits
are not proportionate in larger sales.
aud all the clerk gains on each sale
is the difference between the fractional
amount.
Some one with a turn for calculations
figures that in Chicago alone the profit
from fractional sales Ia about $4,000 a
month, and that on this basis the gov
ernment ought to get about. $4,000 n
year additional income from the whole
country, or enough money to pay the
salary Of the president
While the order bears heavily on tho
regular stamp clerks who lose their
time honored perquisites they have TO
submit because the stamped paper ls
not theirs, and belongs to the govern
ment from the time It h received until
1t Is sold. But the men who keep sub
stations are in a different category, and
are In Ill humor over the recent deci.
sion made on a request from the New
York postmaster that even substation
clerks who buy their supplies outright
must turn in the fractional profits at the
end Of each quarter.
The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923, 1905-05-26
HEALTH OF SOLDIERS
TRUSTED TOO MUCH TO CHANCE
OR POLITICS IN WAR TIME.
Medical Department of the United
States Is Not Up TO the Re-
ouirements, But Is
Improving,

In olden times il vas thought cheaper
to obtain a new soldier than to cure a
sick or wounded one, The whole idea Of
~life-saying in conjunction with such y
prominently Understanding thing as
warts modern, and, indeed, almost anom-
alous, writes Anita Newcomb MCGEE, In
How the japanese Save Lives" in Cen
fury. But a progressing world demands
that reckless and useless sacrifices OF lie
shall stop, and at last military command
ers, and eve appropriation voters, are
beginning to appreciate the Importance
of keeping soldiers in fit condition to
fight At least, the japanese appreciated
this. Whether Americans do is exceed
ingly doubtful. The former provide a
large sanitartum corps; make each man
in it, from chief surgeon to stretcher
bearer. an expert in his line; and then
supplement this with o mass of equally
trained reserves, The Uaited States has
the nucleus of a medical department. IL
Is true, hut from the beginning ot the
spanish wal ~ lht present UNIV ~ Ib7
been lamentably deficient in numbers,
We trust TO chance or politics for the
health of our soldiers IN war. but in
1898 the civilian doctors suddenly trans
formed by official appointmentinto mill
tary experts failed to recognize camp
typhoid until it had spread Ike wiidire
In the Japanese army there is no place
for either chance or politics, its experts
are not made by fiat, and they can recoS-
nize camp diseases.
In 1901 our army was re0rEanized ana
differed on a basis Of 100000 men, yet
the medical department was made only
large enough to care for $4,000. Conse-
quently, it has been necessary In peace
toemploy hundreds of civilian doctors to
meet the army's needs. If the United
States congress has not appreciated the
potential horrors Of such a situation,
how can 1t be expected to 20 further
and provide a reserve personnel Of
trained military sanitarians and admin.
is%trators?
In one respect we have this year taken
a step forward. Heretofore we have
been without any official permanent aid
society, Now an effective and cOmpre.
hensiye Red Cross society is being or
ganized, and a large and active member
ship is hoped for.
The guiding opinion that money il
worth more than lives is unfortunately
found also in naval matters In
navy the nursing Is done by enlisted
men, and the surgeon general has repeat
eddy appealed for authority to employ a
corps Of trained women nurses to take
charge Of the work in shore hospitals
and help prepare the men for their duties
as nurses on s%hipboard. But all In vain.
Congress will not even consider the mat
ter. In this respect the army IL fortu-
nately better off than the navy, for It's
nurse corps Of trained women Is now
firmly and permanently established.
The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923, 1905-05-26
Tnnncenca Of the Heron.

"The heron is becoming scarcer eacf,
summer season about the marshes anG
lake shores," said an old time hunter.
Il remember drawing a bead on one
while it was displaying its delicacy and
elegance of attitude, together with its
majesty and graceful playfulness In all
its movements, that I refrained from
firing at it. The innocence Of this water
fowl respecting danger is exceptionally
noticeable, and when it skips in the
shallow water, striking at fish with its
long, sharp pointed bill it is directed by
q keen watchfulness. The heron is the
most beautiful of all the waders, and is
said to be held sacred by the African
tribes; should n happen to be killed,
even by accident, a calf or young COW
must be slaughtered as an atonement.-
N. O. Times-D Democrat.
The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923, 1905-05-26
GO TO THE DANGER SIGN.
Instead of Avoiding 1t Perverse Hu-
man Nature Leads Some
People Up to 1t.

"Oh, the p%erversity Of human natuIe!''
work in The Bronx, says the New
York Sun, do you see that sign over
there, with its glaring, red-lettered
warning DANGER? Apparently
that sign should serve its purpose of
warning passers-by, inasmuch as 1t is
conspicuously placed and nearly every
one can read.
But its effect is quite the opposite, |
assure you. for it's almost impossible to
protect fools from their folly. Perhaps
New Workers are used to third-rall
flashes, auto accidents, holdaups and 9th
er accessories of the rapid life, and are
not happy until they get within the scope
of danger.
"At any rate, half the pedestrians who
come scurrying along the street as If
their lives depended IN haste will stop
at the sign of that danger sign, look
around to see If the Waterman is look
ing, and then deliberately go on the for.
hidden ground. No man is apparently
too busy TO hop over a fence in order to
get in the thrilling vicinity Of that dan
ger sign.
at cannot be curiosity alone, for 9th
er portions of this building are quite
as attractive and more accessible, but
the absence of the warning sign leaves
them neglected.
81 witnessed the limit early this morn
ing, and Immediately told off a workman
to stand by as Waterman. A young
mother had her little boy on the spot,
and was slowly spelling the word
DANGER again and again to him,
in order to test his acquaintance with
the alphabet"
The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923, 1905-05-26
PASSING or THE BEDSTEAD
Space in New York Apartme nts Too
Valuable for the Old Fash
toned Article.

This day IL witnessing the passing
of the bed, said q folding bed mauufac-
turer to the New York Tribune.
Ground space IS getting too val
liable In New York to use an old.fash-
Toned bed or to devote solely to sleep-
ing purposes, People have got to hayo
something to sleep IN that they can fold
UP aud get out Of the way in the day.
time. We have the most curious calls
for beds made to order. People bring
diagrams Of fats ana apartments ia
here and order us to make beds that viii
fit certain spaces. Some people have
new beds made to order every time they
move, SO as to utilize every inch of
space.
Lots Of people in New York sacrifice
space and comfort for a fashionable
address, | had a call from a woman the
other day to 90 up to a fashionable hotel.
She lives at a country home most Of
the year, but when she comes to town
for a few months In the winter she and
her two daughters crowd into one room
al this hotel. They had one double
folding bed, and they wanted me 10 rom
struct a special bed that could be rested
on two trunks at night, That was the
only way they could get another bed
into the room,
II know d woman who started in
keeping bOarders In an old New York
house, the old family home which ahe
had inherited. In every room was a
fine, biz roomy, old~fashioned bed, one
after another of her boarder8 demanded
to have this bed removed and a couch
bed substituted or a table bed, or a
bookcase, o. any other Kind that they
could fold away out Of sight in the day
time, and make their room look like q
sitting-room. The woman found she
couldn't sell her old fashioned beds. No
one would have them, and rather than
give them away-whAch she couldn't
bring herself to do-slG IL actually pay
ing storage on them"
The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923, 1905-05-26
Cross-Eyed Wax Figure.

There is a s~toreReeper in Kansas City
who, although be doesn't know It, is
losing trade through the presence OF q
wax figure Of a woman in bis show win
dow. The woman IL eomely and she
displays dresses very well, but she Is
csoss-eyed. IN bet I've heard 20 wo-
men talking about thai eross-eyed fg
ire" said a policeman, who walks a
bsat near the store, yesterday. Some
Of them are superstitioug and actually
retGsc to buy at the store, They think
the cross-eyed woman will give them
bad luck. - Kansas City Times
The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923, 1905-05-26
Train Telegraph Signals.

A new train telegraph system. which
includes automatic signals in the en-
gins cab 10 show when another train
is In the block, provides for commune
cation between the engineers and sta
ton agents. Two metallic conductors
are laid, insulated SO as to form
block sections, and the engines are fit
ted with the necessary electrical ap-
paratus. When the train enters a
clear block the signal In the cab dis
plays & white light, but In case another
train is in the block, or a rail Is broken,
a switch open, a red light is shown
and a bell Is sounded In the cab. The
station agent or telegraph operator is
also able to operate the signals on the
engine.
The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923, 1905-05-26
WAS A VERSATILE WOMAN.
Some Of the Things for Which Phoebe
Brown, an English Woman,
Was Famed.

Phoebe Brown died something over
nary woman, who lived with her mother
in a cottage nearly opposite the High
Tor, at MatlOck Bath, England, could
walk nearly 40 miles a day v hen young,
could lift a hundredweight In each hand
and carry II stone, says an exchange.
She understood any kind Of manual la
Dor, as holding the pl0w driving the
team, threshinE wheat with the fail and
matching the stacks. Her chief ayoCa,
ton was breaking horses at a guinea a
week. She always rode without saddles
and was considered the best judge OF
horses and cows in the peak.
But Phoebe had a liking for sport and
for art, She wa a good shot and car
ried her gun on her shoulder. She was
fond Of Milton, Pope and Shakespeare,
and performed on several Instruments,
including the flute. violin, harpischord,
and played the bass viol in MatlOck
church, She was a carpenter, mason
and smith, and mainly by her own hand
labor built another room to the cottage
for The reception Of a harpischord which
lady presented 10 her. At her own re-
quest, a local clergyman wrote her cpl
taph, ana here II Is:
Here Hes romantic PhoAbe.
Half GaHy mede. haif Iicbr,
4 maid Of mutable condition
A jockey, cowhffd and musician.
The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923, 1905-05-26
AntinuItv Of CHEATING.

False weights were found In the rnlns
Of the oldest city that has yet been eye
humed. And false weights will proba-
bly, be consumed when the earth drDps
into the sun and the heavens are rolled
together like a scroll Ancient records
and ancient statute books are full Of ey-
idence that every new practical device
from capitalistic and labor moDopolies,
secret rebates and majority owners
%swindling minority owners, down to
authorizations and crooked scales-was
familiar TO our ancestors Of the plateau
Of Iran before the migrations. Vice Is
the old inhabitant; virtue Is the rev.
conner. the immigrant, received with re-
luctance and compelled TO fight for
every inch Of ground he gains. David
Graham Phillips, In The Reader Maya
zine.
The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923, 1905-05-26
OUR LOCOMOTIVES ABROAD
NOW Take the Lead Over Those Of
Any Other Country on
the Globe.

A Philadelphia concern has won the
contract for supplying 20 locomotives
lor the government railway system of
New South Wales. Many countries
were In the competition. All the great
locomotive works of the world were
notified of the affair. All were asked
to make bids, states the st. Louis
Globe-Democrat. 1t is to be presumed
that most of them did so. But the
American company carried off the
prize. The locomotives are to be diff
ferent from those employed on most of
the American roads, but the contract
will be filled to the satisfaction of the
purchaser.
Yet this American success will not
cause any great amount of surprise.
So many victories in the mechanical
arts have been won by Americans in
competition with the world recently
that these triumphs have lost heir
novelty. American locomotives are
folsld in Asia, Africa, South America
and Australia. They have carried off
prizes in many countries of Europe in
competition with locomotives of home
make, which were designed especially
to meet local conditions. Steel bridges
Of American manufacture are found In
Egypt, Japan, China and many other
countries of the old world. Cars Of
American make run on many railways
Of Europe and Asia.
And yet in the beginning the United
States was compelled to get its loco
motives, its rails and its cars from
England. Nobody in 1880 thought, at
the time that Peter Cooper was build
ing his one-ton Tom Thumb for the
Baltimore & Ohio, that the United
States would ever be able to compete
successfully with Europe in locomotive
construction, or in the construction OF
anything else pertaining to the rail-
ways. To-day we have 212,000 miles
Of railway main track, as compared
with $4,000 for England, $4,000 for all
of Europe put together and 5000
miles for the entire world outside of
this country. We are frightening our
lead over all the rest of the great
countries constantly, and are beating
them in the character of our work as
well as in its quantity. This is n Of
the eason why the victory which has
just been won by the Philadelphia on
Germ in competition with the rest of
the world will not create a great deal
Of surprise in this country.
The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923, 1905-05-26
comnulsorv Bangles in Sind.

Much stress is laid by those DESTROYS
of reforming marriage expenses in Sind
upon the abolition of the ivory bangles.
A set of these bangles, which is the first
of the articles of jewelry which must be
provided by the father of the bride, costs
from five to ten pounds, according to
whether the bangles are ivory only or
inlaid with gold. The bangles are fragile
and easily broken, and moreover be-
come quickly discolored when they have
to be discarded and new ones provided.
Sind Gazette.
The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923, 1905-05-26
Whale Meat.

Newfoundland Observation-Disclosures
new industry, which is stated to be a
successful one-namely, that Of placing
on the market whale flesh in place of
beef. Whale meat tastes more like ven
ison than beef. and is quite a tempting
article of diet. A firm intends shortly
10 try a shipment 10 the English mar
ket, where 1t Is expected they will be
able TO retail whale meat at from one
and one-half pence to three pence per
pound. The meat has already been
shipped In large quantities TO the West
Indies, where 1t is much appreciated by
The natives.
The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923, 1905-05-26
Wireless Test on Trains.

Train d~ispatchers may soon be re-
Iieved in part Of the responsibility now
attaching to their post when once a
train has passed their station without
receiving forgotten orders, If the e%-
periments about to be undertaken at
Purdue university result In determin-
Ing a practical method Of adapting
wireless telegraphy instruments so they
may be successfully used on moving
trains. The intention Of the professors
is to conduct a series Of tests, to the
end that a receiver may be placed IN the
cab in reach Of the engineer, from which
he may take his running orders from
the dispatcher without stopping his
train. Prof, Kelsey, of Purdue, has al
ready conducted a series Of experiments
which lead him to b~elievethe difficulties
hitherto encountered In working with
trains have been overcome, and the
university at Lafayette, Ind, is excep-
~tionally well situated to put to a prac-
teal test his theories, since the cleo
trical engineering building Of the in
stitution commands a view Of long
stretches of four railroads, and instru-
ments will be placed on various trains
Tor testing purposes, Chicago Trib-
une. -
The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923, 1905-05-26

For come reason--or BOne-moSt pao-
pie have hitherto looked upon the Ger
mans as the most inveterate smokers
liz the world, although few will be sur
prised to learn that the Dutch are a lit
tie ahead Of them as consumers Of to-
bacco, since pictorially q Dutchman ia
always associated with a pipe. But rome
viii be prepared to hear that the swiss
smoke 30 per cent. more than either.
still less that the Belgian burns
than double as much as the Dutehman
The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923, 1905-05-26
No Bachelors Among savages.

In these days of bachelor men and
bachelor girls we often imagine that
celibacy is a custom recognized In all
countries. This is largely because it is
a condition made possible by western
civilization. AS regards savage and
barbarous races, bachelors and bachelor
girls are unknown, writes Della Aus
trian in the Chicago Tribune, and nearly
every one strives to get married as soon
as he or she is able. This is especially
true with people of small culture.
The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923, 1905-05-26
IMPORTANT ktTTLE THINGS
Statistics Which Show How TrifiBg
Articles Count Up ON a
ECCRailroad.

Some interesting statistics haYeYbeen
compiled showing how trifing articles
count ubf III a year on the Santa Fe
system Efn the 400 stations between
Chicagd..an the Pacific coast are slot
machines containing gum. Into these
machines last year were dropped l,150.-
900 pennies for gum, the sum amount
ing to $11,500, says the Albuquerque
Journal, The pins used by the officials
and employees Of the Santa Fe last year
weighed 5000 pounds. To keep the
depots and Offices clean &c, 900 brooms
were used. The lead pencils used, if
placed end to end, would make a line
1876 miles long. Fifty barrels Of ink and
400, 900 pens were used. From what is
known as the scrap heap" the company
realized last year 81, 100000. This in
cludes almost everything, from a shin
gle nail to a worn-out locomotive. over
$1,000 wa realized from the sale Of
waste pipe alone. 1t Is also shown that
the company used 1900 pounds Of rubber
bands and Is carloads of printed blanks
The engines burned 3,250,000 barrels Of
oil and 1000, 900 tons of coal.
The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923, 1905-05-26
The Pennsylvania Tunnel.

Among the interesting facts about the
new Pennsylvania railroad tunnel and
terminal In New York are these: Total
cost, SEQ, GOO, 900, in addition to the
$40, 000. 900 for the station site, on which
we're about 300 dwellings; daily train
capacity. 900; passenger accommoda-
ton daily. zoe, 600; men at work, about
5000; time required for trip under the
Hudson, two minutes, - Philadelphia
ledger.
The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923, 1905-05-26
Needed Season.

Tommy Twaddles-Ma. why is 1t that
they amt no parties an dances an
things durin' Lent?
Ma Twaddles--Because Ii winter
clothes are all worn out and it isn't
warm enough for our spring clothes yet.
Cleveland Leader.
The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923, 1905-05-26
we All See Them.

"You don't agree then that seeing is
believing?''
Not much ] zee some people every
day that | never could believe. Phil.
adelphia Ledger
The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923, 1905-05-26
IncompeteA.

Employer ito ~presamptaous clerk)--
Are you the boss here, I'd like to
know?
Clerk-No, sir. but
Well, don't talk like a fool, then
--Boston Commercial Bulletin.
The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923, 1905-05-26
Longest Drawbridee.

The new Missouri river bridge u
the Illinois Central. at Omaha, is now
In use II is the longest drawbridge
In the world, and cost 81, 600, 600.
The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923, 1905-05-26
snscial Ticket Paner.

In order to prevent railway ticket
scalifng q special manufacture Of paper
and ink has been proposed for nee by
the railway companies only.
East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1905-11-17
WORK FOR THE LEAGUE.

Every day is bringing added reasons
Tor a meeting of the Oregon Develop
nent league in this city, for the pur-
pose OF sending further delegations of
sitizens to congress to plead for river
improvements and irrigation.
Resolutions will fall upon deaf ears
q not backed up by personal delega-
lions, armed with authority and ability
20 act for the people. The meeting
held here last evening to urge the
subject of national irrigation in this
county before the secretary of the in
terror is but puny protest and will
be looked upon by the secretary of the
interior and congress as but the voice
Of those having personal interests.
While this is not the case, yet 1t is
inevitable that It will be received in
zhis light at Washington.
What is needle is a united and un-
nistakable cooperation of the, entire
commercial forces of Oregon on this
great subject, as well as upon the
river appropriations, and nothing short
Of a monster mass meeting of citizens
Of the state and delegation to Wash
ngton, will bring these subjects prop
erly before congress.