The Washington Post from Washington, District of Columbia • Page 38

FOURTH PART: PAGES 1 TO 12. A FAILURE UP TO DATE Fifteen Months of Splutter in the Canal Zone. SEONTS IS GIVEN A SHOCK Finds Nothing Done and Nothing Doing. New Projects of Housing Administration Employes and Establishing Sanitation Undertaken as a Belated Attempt to Restore Lost Confidence. Special Correspondence of The Washington Port.

Culebra, Isthmian Canal Zone, Aug. The personal movements and official action of Chairman Shonts and the new chief engineer, Mr. Stevens, have been fullowed with singular Intentness since their arrival in the Zone. It is now fully recognized that here men are nothing, man everything. We are eagerly watchIng to see if thou man has at last been found.

There adequate reason for this burning anxiety. Work, so-called, has now been progressing at Culebra Cut one wyn year and three months since the American occupation. Culebra wos pronounced by former Chief Engineer Wallace, in his capacity of speclalist, to be "the key of the entire canal problem." All else is held to 1 be subsidfary to success here. Now, it is notorious that no substantia) advance has been made in excavating this great cut since May 1, 1904. A pretense at operations has, of course, been kept up.

Nothing unforeseen or extraordinary has intervened to obstruct their within reasonable limitations. An Impression has been officially fostered from here that everything was going on satisfactorily. The employes, high and low, have known better. It has been a rocord of failure from the beginning. The staring, pictorial shortcoming at the outset was the total lack of intelligent, courageous leadership.

There has been no organization, no forethought, no preparation, Do co-operation or co-ordination, no morale on top or underneath. Without exaggeration, it has been utter disorganization, even demoralization; reckless or ignorant disregard of certain precautions, of fundamental an to undertaking the of success- this magnitude in this latitude. "Innocuous Splutter." Therefore, the meager results of fifteen months' innocuous splutter with its dismal background of wear and tear are a scoff and derision. Not unseldom one hears American experts at this sort of work seriously assert that it will take fifty 3 ears to complete the canal, and they proceed to make good with unanswerable reasons. Even the indolent Jamaica negroes ridicule the progress made by its new prometers.

One of them facetiously remarked the other day that the Spaniards had talked about a canal, the French had undertaken the job and failed, the Yankees were now taking their turn and would fail, and that ultimately the negroes would have to step in and complete the canal. Such is the dubious tone prevailing at the "key of the entire canal a a a problem." It is all but universal in the Zone. This condition of affairs, which really compelled Wallace to throw up his hands, made the men morbidly anxious to note what effect ocular demonstration of the truth would have on Chairman Shonts and Mr. Wallace's successor. Messrs Shonts and Stevens left the States predisposed to hold cheap the stories from here of chaos and discontent, believing them to be the exaggerated expression of stampeded, prejudiced witnesses But they are disillusioned.

Mr. Shonts, the head of the Washington bureau, has seen a great light One tour of inspection has changed his smile of superior confidence into the worried scowl of the official who finds himself up against a tough proposition. Shonts Is Disappointed. In short, Chairman Shonts is surprised and displeased at what sees in the Canal Zone. He is distinctly disappointed at the small amount of excavation work accomplished.

He was unable to discern much advance In the work since the French turned over the job, upon a critical examination of photographs showing conditions at that date in comparison with its present Hocussed confidential ed reports received from Panama, he was under the 'impression that reasonable progress had been made. Shonts was the victim of the old game of gullery, juggle, and shuffle, reduced to a fine art as applied to canal affairs by the late de Lesseps That wily Frenchman spent two years' time before his excavators some $90 000,000 of the peopie's money eye and lifted a pound of dirt. These extraordinary and costly initiatory delays were juggled out of sight by "installation" and excuses. All that Has Been Done. What has been the cost of our experimental, installation, and preparatory evolutions of the past year and a quarter the Treasury alone knows.

Meanwhile, one canal commission has been dissolved and a new one installed. One chief engineer has resigned for reasons "personal himself" and another has succeeded with Johnny-on-the-spot prerogatives. One overnor general of the Zone has gone ut and another come in. A few test bor0gs for bed rock have been made at amboa and Bohlo to settle the great dam uestion These are about all the mateal things accomplished. Theoretically, under the head of "time," the former chief engineer officially ventured the opinion, based on his "expertmental" work to February 1, 1905, that' it "would be possible" to complete a sealevel canal In ten years, certainly in twelve, "allowing two years for preparation" and two more for "contingencies and unforeseen delays." By working night and day, Sundays and legal holldays, the Mmit could be correspondingly shortened On the thirty- lock level plan, also allowing two years for "organization and installation of machinery," the time limit is reduced to a minimum and maximum of eight and ten years, and on sixtyfoot level to seven and eight years, respectively.

All this sounds very much like the "bulletin du canal" jargon of de Lesseps when he was out after another loan from the poor peasants of France No machinery has been installed, except perhaps a dozen modern American steam shovels. One hundred of these machines now have been on the ground, because their worth and capacity are known the world over. No Provision for Labor. No adequate provision has been made for labor, and where the thousands required are from 1s apparently yet in doubt. coming, proper accommodations were provided tor the large supervisory fore sent down by Wallace himself.

It was this neglect that caused and continues the stampede back to the States. Arriving by score, they were practically left to shift for themselves. Colon the other day I saw two or three dozen resigned and disoharged employes eat Cor New York on the steamship Advanco, the cold dating 4454000 The Washington AF post. 1 PAGES FOURTH 1 PART: TO 12. WASHINGTON: SUNDAY, 'AUGUST 13, 1905.

ANTI-CIGARETTE LAW FAILS. Indiana 'Authorities Powerless to Prevent Bringing in of Paper. Special Correspondence of The Washington Port. Indianapolis, Aug. Indiana authorities are thoroughly disgusted with the anti-cigarette law, and if the legislature were in sesston the measure would be repealed.

The law is practically a dead letter, and the old law, which prohibited sale of cigarettes to children, a and which was being enforced with reasonable diligence, has fallen into disrespect with it. There is no statute to prevent the sale of tobacco in any form in which one may choose to purchase, and it is not an offense to sell it to a person of any age. A boy may buy a package of smoking tobacco, and the dealer who sells it to him violates law. Give the child the cigarette paper--the "makings," as it has come to be he is prepared to make his own cigarettes. The courts have held that it is not an offense to smoke, but it is a violation of the law either to sell cigarettes or "makings," or to give elther away if you have them in your possession.

The tobacco trust, so-called, steps in at this juncture and provides paper without cost. The company is not liable because it is a foreign corporation and it utilizes the mails for sending the paper. When the tobacco company first began to send cigarette paper into the State it was evident that they had secured the names of people in cities from directories and in smaller towns from poll books, for many of the packages reached a who never smoked, while others were sent to addresses at which persons did not live. All such packages were destroyed by the postmaster, and these aggregated several bushels in a week. But system has taken the place of this haphazard distribution.

Persons who reo ceived them and who wanted them, together with friends to whom communicated the good news, have sent their names to trust and are receiving packages regularly. The post-office authorities at Washington have been appealed to, but have replied that they are powerless to act; that the American Tobacco Company cannot be deprived of the use of the mails, for it is doing a legitimate business; and, in any event, a fraud order would not work 8. cure, for that only prevents a person from receiving mail, and not from sending it out. Under these circumstances the State is powerless to enforce the statute. But even the law's supporters admit that the worst feature of the situation arises from the fact that, while under former conditions very few boys were able to buy cigarettes or cigarette paper, thousands are now supplied without cost Of course, the tobacco company has no means of knowing that many children writing to it for cigarette paper, but thousands are.

Some idea of the amount of paper that is being thus freely distributed can be country can now found some estimate of the probable duration of this undertaking and its approximate cost. Chairman Shonts and Chief Engineer Stevens are now pondering them. It is to be habed 1 that the realization of the true conditiong here will not have the ultimate effect on them it did on Mr. Wallace. The upshot of their observations is something of sensation to the Zone.

The Canal Commission, that 1s, the executive committee, Messrs. Shonts, Magoon, and Stevens, announce the practical suspension of excavating operations in Culebra. The force is to be diverted to ald in the work of sanitation, in fact, large numbers are already engaged in clearing away the brush and Alling in swampy holes to kill off the fever-bearing mosquitoes. New Projects Under Way. It has just been discovered that Ancon 1s the healthiest and only spot in the Zone for the government buildings and quarters for the administration employes.

These are to be Immediately erected. The force not required in the sanitary work newly laid out is to be turned upon the repair of old buildings and the construction of new ones throughout the Zone. There is an affected assumption that the work of building the canal has not yet begun, and will not be "installed" until the sanitation and other preliminary works are fully completed Then excavation will begin. This agrees pretty well with the fact, but there has been pretense at least of something else for fifteen months. Like the pretended excavation, now abandoned, the new projects of building and sanitation are "progressing rapidly." All this is proper, and meets the approval of the force.

It is, in fact, a belated attempt to restore confidence and morale, lost through past mismanagement. These things should have been done in 1904. new-born energy in a good cause is cover to the humiliating confession of failure here--a "'Bulletin du Canal" trick which will satisfy the country for the time being. It obscures the loss of time. The period of "Installation," notwithstanding all the preliminary work of the French, is likely to continue two or three years.

Meanwhile, time is the item that will make this canal a costly undertaking, not the estimated intrinsic cost of excavation per cubic yard. That and the cube to be excavated are measurably fixed quantities. Time is the great unknown in this job. LESLIE J. PERRY.

IN THE GOOD OLD SUMMER TIME. WENT AWAY FOR THE SUMMER THESE GIRLS a THIS ONE REMAiNED IN TOWN. egregious an error as to speak of a ringer as being a shoe or quoit so thrown as to hang on the peg. ringer is nothing of the kind. I speak thus positively because this is a.

game I know as well as my letters. I played it in boyhood, a fact that has a great deal to do with my present ability as the best horseshoe thrower at the State House. "What is described as a ringer is, under all rules, nothing but a leaner. A ringer counts three and a leaner but two. Anybody can throw a leaner, but it requires the highest skill to throw ringers.

"What is a ringer? A A A ringer is a shoe thrown in guch a way that after it settled to go down over the peg it completely encircles it, no part of the shoe leaning upon or touching the peg. "Under tho rules, when it is disputed whether the throw is a ringer the laying gained from the fact that every envelope contains seven packages or books of cigarette paper, and each book contains twenty-five sheets, a total of 175. bushels of these envelopes were destroyed by the local post-office officials in one day, owing to faulty addresses. GOV. MICKEY ON RINGERS.

He Tells About Rules of Quoits and Asks a Question. Special Correspondence of The Washington Post. Lincoln, Aug. am surprised," said Gov. Mickey, of Nebraska, as his eye wandered over a recent story in which his skill as thrower of horseshoes was extolled, "that after displaying such apparently thorough knowledge of what I insist ought really to be our national game, there should appear sO of a straw, plece of string, or corncob across the heel of the shoe will furnish conclusive evidence if any portion of It touches.

has been pointed out in some of the papers, this measurement often gives rise to violent disputes, but I maintain this only develops the sturdy type of countrymen of which the nation stands in need. "Some people seem surprised that I should make ringers in the method described. I see nothing unusual about my playing. I am informed that billiard players make their best shots by caroming off a selected spot, and that is simply the secret of my skill in this matter. "There 1g one point left in doubt, and that is, 1s it good horseshoe throwing form to allow the right suspender to droop from the waist while the trousers remains imbedded in the boot top, or should both be shucked?" ELIHU ROOT'S BEAUTIFUL SUMMER HOME Special Correspondence of The Washington Post, Utica, N.

Aug. 11. EN miles' out of Utica, lying peacefully in the' valley 'of the Oriskany is the little village of Clinton, the home of Hamilton College, with which Secretary of State Root's family has been associated. It is here that Mr. Root has his summer home.

One of the most beautiful summer homes in this part of the is the one occupied by Secretary Root. It is situated almost at the top of College Hill and next to the residence of his brother, Prof. Oren The house 18 not a new one, but during the five or six years that Mr. Root has owned it extensive improvements have been made. Of late Mr.

Root has bought up much property on the hill, and largely out sentiment, for the price he pays is of proportion to the value. The Harding farm, a late acquisition, was much admired by his parents. Especially admired by his father, Prof. Oren Root, was a splendid elm tree, and often he expressed hope that its life might be spared. Only time and the elements can disturb it now that Secretary Root 18 its Her The house adjoining the homestead Mr.

Root secured because of the pleasant associations centered there, He has gatherroom the portraits of its former residents, including Simon North and Prof. Upson, his former teachers. This dwelling now constitutes the Secretary's summer home. Mr. Root's home overlooks the campus of Hamilton college, ELIHU ROOT'S: SUMMER.

RESIDENCE, CLINTON NY. and what quality it has. The comes to one house in Front York, and there, if the wholethat it is not exactly what he for, it is refused, and if the was grown coffee all street, New saler finds bargained shipper wants it he must pay the freight back. "The government broker has the right to refuse every sack that is not up to the standard. That will be a guarantee to the American buyer that he is getting just what expects and pays for.

"My job is seeing that the trade is protected. I don't get a cent more if the trade increases a million dollars a minute, but I'm here to see that it does Mr. Truxtun pays little attention to the other products of Porto Rico, sugar and tobacco; they can take care of themselves. "We want a greater coffee trade," he said, "because the island must have greater crops to rely on. Porto Rico 1s not any bigger than Rhode Island, and if one of the three crops faily there is not enough cultivable land to give work to the people.

"Coffee has had a rather unfortunate experience on the island. In 1896 Its good qualities were exploited In France and Italy, certain brands were sold at extraordinary prices, and there was a boom. Planters bought new lands and gave mortgages at rates of interest as high as 18 per cent. "Fifty-eight million pounde were exported that year, but exporters were not careful as to the quality, competition from Brazil was strong. The market began to fall.

The Spanish can war came along, deteriorated the exchange value of the peso, and the bottom of the boom fell out. "The coffee business might have recovered but for the hurricane of 1899. The planters had to raise money, for it takes a plantation five years to mature, but Gen. Henry prorogued the right of foreclosure, cutting off credit." Mr. Truxtun is a son of Commander William T.

Truxtun, of the navy. He went to Porto Rico four years ago and was assistant to the superintendent of publio works- until he was sent to New Yorks BURBANK'S BIGGEST PLUM. California Horticultural Wizard Places His Latest Triumph on View. Special Correspondence of The Washington Post. Portland, Aug.

Burbank, the California horticultural wizard, has just sent to the Lewis and Clark Exposition his latest triumph in the production of a phim. A dozen specimens this fruit, re plum, nearly as large as average apple, and full and round in shape, are to be seen in the California State building. Mr. Burbank, in a letter to the California commissioners, DrOr nounces this the finest plum that he has produced. It is the result of about 25,000 experiments in the crossing and cultivation of various species.

Those who have seen the wonderful fruit never tire of praising it, and they speak in awe of the genius of its producer. Visitors from the East, as e. rule, are almost as much amazed by the size of some of the Oregon and Washington fruit as the general public is by Burbank's big plums. Cherries In Oregon grow as large as crab apples elsewhere. They are rich and meaty, with a flavor that leaves a most pleasant memory.

"When you eat a dozen of these Oregon said a visitor, recently, "you feel as if you had had a beefsteak or something else equally filing." From time tor time the, cherry displays in the horticulture section are and in a short time the exhibits of this years' apples will begin to come in from Washington and Oregon. It should be remempered that the biggest apple last year, and it came from line State of ever seen was on display St. Louis Washington, while the apple that took the grand prize at Chicago, 1893, was from Oregon, HOUSEBOATS AS HOBBIES. Society Folks Take More to Floating Summer Homes. From the New York Press.

More and more is society taking to the woods to rest after the exhausting routine of the season. Houseboats have become extremely popular as a pleasurable means for using up time. Lake Placid, which is distinguished for the beauty of its rocky cliffs and bold woody slopes that run abruptly from the shores, presents a somewhat difficult problem to those who have succumbed to its charms and wish to build structures on Its edge which will be more substantial than houses of cards. However, it has been met more ingeniously, and buildings have been placed upon floats a little way from the shore. These dwellings vie with bungalows for favor, and generally are preferred by those persons who enjoy the feeling of being cut off from communication with the world.

Mrs. Whitelaw Reid was the first to be attracted by the spot, and occupied the first house of this kind that was built there. CHILDREN'S TANGLED MINDS. Odd Mistakes They Make in Scripture Texts and Songs They're Taught. The kindergarten teacher and the Sunday-school teacher were comparing notes.

"It's perfectly amazing how children can get things wrong when you are sure that there is no possibility mistake," said the kindergarten teacher. mint told some of the older children to buy certafn primary reader. I emphasized the word and repeated It again and agalp slowly, Yet the next day one little boy brought note from his mother asking a Cranberry reader' a was, an) way. "I told the children one day that I wanted them to use black carbon pencils, and one tot asked her father to buy her 'a conductor's He came to me and we finally discovered that the chlid, child thought I said car-barn pencil, and she reasoned that it must be a conductor's pencil." "But listen to this," said the Sundayschool teacher. "One of my little amazed me the other day by repeating as her Scripture verse, 'With God there is no respectable persons nor taking of Of course she meant, 'respect of persons, nor taking of Another child recited well-known verse, 'I think when read that sweet story of old, of when Jen sus was here among in this way, think when I read that sweet story old when Jesus was here a young man." "They way they mix up the hymns 1s the most wonderful thing," continued the Sunday-school teacher." I happened to be near on earnest singer when we were rendering 'Pull for the and he was singing, 'Leave the poor old strangied wretch, and pull for the And a dear little girl, who was one of my best singers electrifled me the other day by singing in a sweet treble, 'Come to the happy land, come, come away.

Why will ye dumplings "Well, talking about songs," sald the kindergarten teacher, "one of my boys had the strangest, weirdest rendering for a simple little song. This is what he went home and howled at the top of his lungs his mother, and she came into school to ask me why I taught such nonsense: Some a fine day you sly old shingle, Where our hearts may be You will find yourself a ninner, Where you cannot tee. "And what was the song really? Why, the one everybody knows: Some fine day, you sly old sinner, When huntsmen meet, You will And yourself at dinner, Where you cannot eat! STUDY OF ESPERANTO SPREADING From the Philadelphia Public Ledger. THE new universal language, known ag "Esperanto," intended to become an international medium of communication, has spread widely in Europe, especially in France, and also in and Japan. It will be taught next year in the Philadelphia School of Industrial Art.

Esperanto was invented by Dr. Zamenhof, of Wasovie, Poland, three years It is a simple language, constructed half of Latin stock and partly of English, German, Russian roots. Various vowel terminations are characteristic of parts of speech. If we take the root am, by adding we have the noun amo, love; with 1, the verb to love; as, the three persons, singular and plural, of the present tense, is will represent all the past forms; os, the future forms, Half the adjectives only are used. Their contrary is made up by mal: bona, malbona (good, bad); granda, malgranda (large, small).

Nouns designating females are obtalned from the name of the male, with fix in: patro, patrino, father, mother; knabo, knabino, boy, girl, No vowel has more than one sound, while the pronounciation of words entirely phonetic. There are many Esperanto societies in Europe, and magazines are published in the new language. Among these publications are "Lingvo Internacia," French Esperanto journal, and published in Probably the first man in this city who spoke of Esperanto 1s Prof. A. M.

Grillon, professor of French and Spanish Central Manual Training School and the Philadelphia School of Industrial Art. Prof. Grillon says: asserts that Esperanto will take the place of any living language. That de not its purpose. Its object is almost entirely commercial and scientific.

It tor find put something. about DAN LAMONT'S START Went to Help Cleveland with His Correspondence. BEGAN HIS WORK RIGHT OFF New York's New Governor Who Afterward Became President Twice, Cooked a Meal for His Clerk-Worked Till Half Past One and Were at It Again Four o'Clock in the Morning. "The late Col. Daniel S.

Lamont used to relate most amusingly to his intimate friends," said Col. J. D. Jones, "how it came about that he first met Grover Cleveland after Cleveland had been elected governor of New York. "Lamont was then a reporter on the Albany Argus, which was controlled by Daniel Manning, and he had little idea of being anything else for a long time to come.

Grover Cleveland had only a limited acquaintance with the leaders of his party throughout the State at that time, though he had not yet been inaugurated, he was being deluged with letters from all over the State, filled with all sorts of suggestions, making all sorts of demands and calculated to make days and nights unpleasant for one with little experience in politics that Cleveland then had. "But those letters had to be answered, and as they piled up before him day by day, Cleveland saw the necessity of having some one who knew State politics and politicians to help him out of the muddle. He wrote to Dan Manning and told him of the dilemma he was in. 'For heaven's he wrote, 'send some one to help Called on By Chance. "Dan Lamont entered the Argus office as Manning was reading Cleveland's letter, and when he finished reading he looked and saw Lamont.

He pondered a moment and then said: "Dan, I shouldn't wonder if you might be able to help Cleveland out in this. Suppose you run up to Buffalo and try "Manning handed Lamont the letter, Lamont read It and said: "'All right. When shall I go right said Manning. "So Lamont packed his grip-'And it didn't take much of a grip to carry all I had in those Lamont used to say, in telling about it--and took the Arst train for Buffalo It was late in the evening when he arrived there, but he thought he had better report to the governor fore going hotel, so he had himseif guided to where Cleveland was keeping bachelor quarters, over a store or something. Lamont knocked at the door.

Come said a vigorous voice. "Col. his handbag went in. The elect was sitting at table governor and scattered about the floor and littered Letters opened and unopened a were pi'ed the table, while their recipient was plainly working hard get them In shape for answering, his coat off and his, sleeves rolled up. "He glanced inquiringly up as Lamont entered the room.

'Mr. Manning sent me from Albany, in response to your letter, to see whether I could be of any service to said Lamont, by way of introduction. Lamont used to say that Cleveland's face brightened, and he rose and shook hands heartily with his visitor. 'Sit said he. 'I'm mighty glad you've "Lamont sat down, and they chatted awhile.

Then Lamont said: Governor Prepares His Luncheon. 'Well, governor, I guess I'll be going now hunt up a place to stay. What time shall I come around in the morning to. 'In begin the the exclaimed Cleveland, looking surprised. 'You're not going to begin work at all in the morning.

You're going to begin right "Now, Lamont WAS tired and hungry and sleepy. He kept the tired and sleepy part to himself, however, but admitted to the governor that he was hungry, and said he would go out and get a bite of something before starting in with the business in hand. 'Entirely replied Cleveland. 'I can feed you right "And Dan said the governor bustled around and soon had a good enough spread of cold victuals and a nice cup of hot coffee, the latter made on the stove in the room, ready for Dan to pitch in and eat and drink, Cleveland taking a snack himself, to keep company. The meal finished, the governor hastily cleared the table said he, 'let's get to "They went to work, and from Lamont's knowledge and experience and training In the matters to be attended to he was able by half-past 1 in the morning to get such a good showing of order out of the mass and had outlined such practical plans for facilitating the work that the governor said he guessed they could spare the reat of the night for sleeping.

He had a bed tor Lamont, and when Lamont turned in he asked what time he should get up in the morning. mind said Cleveland; 'I will call "As the late Secretary used to say, he went to bed so tired that his head had hardly touched the pillow before he was asleep. He knew nothing further until he was awakened by noise in the adjoining room. He rose in bed and listened. Up Again at 4.

"He heard the stove being shaken down vigorously and the rattle of coal being put on, and recognized the voice of the governor, who it was that was doing the shaking down and coaling up, humming the then new and popular song, "When Robins Nest "Lamont looked at his watch. It was just 4 o'clock! The governor was up get. ting breakfast ready, preparatory to the beginning of work for the day. "Lamont didn't wait to called, but got up right then and dressed himself and reported to the governor, who WAS plainly pleased with the staying and recuperating qualities of his young lieutenant. "The system that Lamont put into the work of straightening out that tangled mass of correspondence and in a remarkably short time getting it moving in easy and proper channels favorably impressed Grover Cleveland.

At any rate, that is the way, do Lamont used to say, that ho and Grover Cleveland first met. How much that meeting meant to the future of each is history now." BOOMING PORTO RICAN COFEEE HEN Scott Truxtun, commercial late agent ernment, in of June the arrived he Porto in carried Rican New a knowl- large gov- York sack of coffee and the edge that there was a prejudice in America against the berry that is produced in Porto Rico The sack had been sealed at the custom house before he sailed and he did not break the seal until he was in the presence of witness in his hotel. Then he took two trays, filled each from the sack and had the witness carry them, himself accompanying, to the office of a coffee roaster, whom he had been told was not only expert, but also honest. Mr. Truxtun did not tell the roaster who he was, but he did tell him enough to assure him that they had common friends.

"Now," said Mr. Truxtun, "the gentleman with me has two trays of coffee. One of them, I assure you-and I can present proofs of the best grade of Porto Rican coffee. The other tray contains berries that to me look exactly like the other. I wish you would tell me what this coffee 1s." "The samples do look alike," said the roaster, "and I cannot give you an answer offhand.

Come in to To-morrow came, and the commercial agent was on the spot. "I'll admit," said the roaster, "that I have been prejudiced against Porto Rican coffee, for it has a twang that I don't like. But the sample you have left with me is very good coffee. Your second tray contains a coffee that has puzzled me bit, but it more resembles Guatemala coffee than anything else that I have ever tasted, and I am of the opinion that it is Guatemala." The blank space represents the trademark of the best contee in Deptral: Aperien said Mr. Truxtun, "both trays of coffee came out of the same sack." "You've been trying to make a fool of said the roaster, hotly.

"No," said Mr. Truxtun, "I came to you to show you how one's prejudice unconsciously gets the best of him. It has been getting best of nearly all the coffee importers in the United States, and I've been sent by Porto Rico to try to overcome the prejudice. Now, if you'll send for the best Guatemala coffee you can And and test it against Porto Rican fee; perhaps you'll discover something more." The roaster, mollified by a knowledge of Mr. Truxtun's errand, complied with his request.

On a 250 point basis, Mr. Truxtun says, allowing so much each for strength, flavor and color, his Porto R1- can coffee won by' 130 points against 120 points for the Guatemalan berry. That Incident is an example of the way Mr. Truxtun is going about his mission of turning the eyes of coffee importers toward the island that employs him. "I'll admit that Americans had an excuse for being prejudiced against Porto Rican said the commercial agent.

"The Porto Rican planters formerly had the idea that Americans did not adoreciate good coffee. Defective beans were sent here and the Americans would not buy them. all changed since the government has taken the supervision the coffee exportation into its own hands. The gOVernment will guarantee the quality of the coffee. It has sent me to act as an Intermediary for the planter and the American trade, to see that both have a fair deal.

"Now, when a sack of coffee shipped from Porto Rico the United States custom house will require a certificate from the exporter showing -where the the schools of Japan, It does not pay me to learn Japanese for this, but, looking over the liste of Esperantiste. I And soand-so in Tokyo. I write to him in Esperanto and he replies in the same lanness with foreign countries will do well guage. Commercial houses who do busieven now to use it. Travelers will need it.

'Of course, it will be used only by the educated and upper commercial classes. "Several attempts have been made to establish international language. The last was Volapuk. This failed because it had not the requirements without exception. Esperanto is such that it cannot change.

Other living languages change." Esperanto was named from the nom de plume used by Dr. Zamenhof. The Ianguage has not made much progress In this country. MORE HATPINS THAN EVER. From the New York Preas.

Although there has been a rumor of a crusade against hatpins, Jewelers are turning out even many more than usual. One reason for this increase is that according to fashion's decree it 1s no longer correct to secure one's headgear with odd pins, but it must be fastened in place by four pins of the same design. Most women--although they may not admit realize that the hatpin in the process of adjustment is one of the very best means of attracting attention to wall shaped head and beautifully coiffured hair--to say nothing of the hat. And hats are well worth looking at just lOw. The tiny up-tilted affairs have at last made their exit into oblivion, and women of faghion have decided to return to the wide-brimmed, flower-laden picture styles.

The perky effect is no more and all the trimming is as low and flat as possible, of which is decidedly soothing to the vanity The Old John Bull. South China Morning Post, Hongkong. "John de as dead as the dodo-John Bull, who read "'the who spent his week days in his "counting-house;" who never missed going to church on Sunday mornings, and compensated for the length and dullness of the service by sleeping in his family pew during the sermon; who enjoyed his very heavy midday Sunday dinner and his glass or two of port afterward! Does he exist to-day? Not a bit of it. Even the Policemen. From the Panama Journal.

Even policemen on the isthmus are. learning.