Omaha daily bee., 1906-10-13
OTHER LANDS THAN ours.

turns new light on historic events of
great Importance. Besides relating the
causes leading up to the break In the re-
lations OF Prince Bismarck and the young
kaiser they reveal the kindly sentiments
OF the latter toward some OF the political
divisions OF the empire opposed to inn
perial policies. According to the "recol-
lections" Of the chancellor. Bismarck was
bitterly opposed TO the socialists and urged
! the kaiser to take extreme represslve
measures to check the growth OF the party.
On this point the chancellor notes under
date Of April d. 1890: Bismarck wanted
new socialist law. and when the ma
jority parties refused to pass IT, to dis
solve the Reichstag and take energetic
measures in the event of strikes and dis
orders. The emperor would not agree TO
such a course. He said he would not begin
his reign by shooting his subjects. He
would be willing to proceed against strikers.
but not until he had heard their COM
plants and had tried to satisfy their Just
demands. The emperor ordered n decree,
calling the workingmen's conference Chat
OF 1890 to be drawn up and laid before
the council of ministers. (which Bismarck
vigorously opposed. He refused TO have
anything to do with It, Nevertheless, the
emperor submitted the question 20 the
council. which approved of the decree not
wlthstanding Bismarck's opposition" The
relations of the iron chancellor and the
kaiser were thus strained to the breaking
point and Bismarcks retirement followed
shortly. The publication of the "Recol-
lections," though pronounced "tactless' in
imperial quarters, is expected to have a
very favorable effect on worklngmen who
largely compose the socialist party.
1t is not often that one hears of the de-
struction of a modern fertilization by light
ming. High explosives naturally beget cau-
ton against every possibility of accidental
Ignition. But a disaster of this sort was
caused recently by the electric fluid near
Besancon, France, where there was an i'm
portant fort, with a magazine full of gun
powder and melinIte. Foundations torn and
distorted as though by an earthquake, n
bent and dented steel turrot and n torn and
pierced tr-colored flag were all that was
left of what was one of the strongest
works on the eastern frontier. The roads
and fields for three-quarters Of a mile
round were strewn with the debris. All
windows of houses within several miles
were shattered. Some men from Bensan-
con, competing in a bicycle race, though
not hit by any fragments, were blown over
by the rush of wind. During the ma
nenlvers an infantry battalion was sta
toned at the fort, but left the day before
the explosion. The place is usually garri-
soned by forty-five men, but many, fortu-
nately, were on leave. The noncommis-
stoned officer in command, the resident SER
geant and his wife and daughter, three SOL
diers, sister of one OF the soldiers on a
visit and a peasant working in the fields
near by were killed. The fort was almost
new. The old one which it replaced was
accidentally destroyed by dynamite in 1874.
The Germans are nothing II not thorough.
There has recently been established in
Kottbus, near Berlin, a school for police
men which ought to attract particular at
tention in this country. The Kottbus
school is a voluntary one for the theoreu-
cal and practical instruction OF policemen
from any part OF the country. the price of
course being only about $40 for a period
of three months. The school Is in control
of the city government of Kottbus, the
faculty comprising a police inspector, q
police captain, a city architect. a physician,
veterinary surgeon, chemist of expert
ence with foods, and a general teacher for
high school grade. The hours are from
to ~ o'clock in the morning and from
to 6 in the afternoon. The following
are some of the courses offered: Lectures
on the Prussian and imperial constitution,
the duties of the minister of the interior,
the whole field Of police work. rights and
duties of police officers, the law in regard
to personal freedom, the policing of streets,
the question of passes and relations with
foreign police, the policing of the poor. beg
gars, tramps, gypsies and the control OF
morals; sanitary police, the treatment of
epidemics, the control of the sale OF medi-
cines and poisons, inspection of slaughter
houses. supervision of the trafnc in lead
and zinc, in dangerous colors. in butter,
oleomargarine and wine; the policing OF
a market, etc. Other subjects discussed are
the political police and the press laws,
the policing of fields and forests, the fish
cries, and of hunters, with full instructions
az to the methods of criminal detectives,
the measuring of footsteps. the photograph
ing OF evidence.
According TO Modern Mexico the progress
of the English language in Mexico City Is
marked from year to year. Even six years
ago a stranger found it difficult to do much
shopping without a knowledge of Spanish.
Now there is not a house of any impor-
NdilSO III liC city lIdl uOcb IlOl ndNc Ut
least one English-speaking clerk. and some
Of them have several, and the manager or
proprietor IDEALS with the American trav-
cling man In the latter's own language.
The prominent lawyers and doctors or
Mexico are highly educated men. They
speak English huently and several other
languages as well. They read the newspa-
pers and magazines in English The Mex
leans are fine linguists, but are very mod
est regarding their sttainments. You will
meet Mexican gentleman In the car on
his way to business. and. although he may
have read his morning newspaper in Eng
lish thoroughly before leaving home, IL he
has not had opportunity for conversational
practice he will be reluctant to acknowl-
edge any acquaintance with the language
whatever.
In the Berlin Nation a writer who signs
himself "Ignotus" maintains that the ques-
ton to the cars personal future is OF
paramount Importance in Russia. The po-