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| Li Hung Chang. |
Cortland Evening Standard, Monday, March 11, 1901.
TUAN DEFIES CAPTURE.
He and Tung Fu Hsiang Have 30,000 Men to Protect Them.
LI HUNG CHANG SERIOUSLY ILL.
His Physician Says His Life Hangs by a Thread—Imperial Personages In Close Quarters at Sian Fu—Said That China Is Ready to Give Up Manchuria.
SHANGHAI, March 11, Dispatches from Lanchau assert that General Tung Fu Hsiang with 10,000 men, and Prince Tuan with 10,000 men, are at Ning Hsu prepared to resist arrest.
The China Gazette announces that Steng, the taotai, has memorialized the throne in favor of the abolition of the Likin duties, and that all the viceroys and governors support him.
PEKIN, March 11.—Li Hung Chang is again seriously ill and his physician says his life hangs by a thread. Prince Ching and Earl Li seem to think that by spreading rumors of the court's unwillingness' to return to Pekin unless this or that thing is done, they can influence the deliberations of the ministers of the powers. As a matter of fact, according to reliable reports from Sian Fu, the imperial personages are extremely uncomfortable at Sian Fu, where they live in the house of the governor, which is only a small structure. French missionaries who have just returned here from Sian Fu believe the empress dowager would bring the court back to Pekin on the first offer of the allies, having as a basis the removal of the troops, except the legation guards.
The foreign envoys will not hold a general meeting until Tuesday owing to the absence of M. Pichon, French ambassador at Pao Ting Fu. The United States signal corps will be ready to leave in a week, according to instructions. No transport has been announced however.
SITUATION IS GLOOMY.
Pekin Correspondent Says It Is Not Likely That Powers Will Oppose Russia.
LONDON, March 41.—"It Is not likely that the powers will oppose the schemes Of Russia," says the Pekin correspondent of The Morning Post, wiring Saturday. "The situation is regarded as very gloomy. Even the Chinese plenipotentiaries declare openly that intervention by the powers is not desirable unless they are prepared to back up their protests.
"There are reports from the province of Shan Si that the Chinese are constructing extensive fortifications and mobilizing large bodies of troops to resist an advance of the allies.
"General Chaffee refuses to allow the decapitation of several notorious Boxer chiefs, guilty of murder, whom a Chinese judge has condemned. The Americans are the only foreigners who have carried out no executions in Pekin."
JAPAN LOOKS TO KOREA.
If Russia's Bluff Works She Will Endeavor to Seek Compensation There.
LONDON, March 11.—"The Japanese battleship Hatsuse, just completed in England, has been ordered to proceed hither with all possible speed,'' says the Yokohama correspondent of The Daily Mail. "Other orders given to the Japanese navy indicate the seriousness with which the Japanese government views the situation in the Far East.
''Well informed Japanese regard Russia's action in Manchuria as a gigantic bluff, inspired by the notion that England's hands are tied in South Africa; but, as Germany is only half-hearted in the maintenance of Chinese integrity, a coalition with Japan is improbable, and Japan is too much embarrassed in her finances to do more than to protest and to endeavor to secure compensating advantages in Korea."
Chinese Will Sign Away Manchuria.
LONDON, March 11.—"Chinese signature of the Manchurian convention is practically assured," says the St. Petersburg correspondent of The Daily Mail, "because Russia last August sent to the Empress dowager 7,500 pounds of bar silver."
BRITISH FREE SPEECH.
The Sunday Afternoon Meetings in Hyde Park in London.
(Special Correspondence.)
LONDON, Feb, 28.—To me the strangest of all the passing shows of London outdoor life are the Sunday afternoon open air meetings in Hyde park. In not a city of the United States could any stranger who wished to do so mount upon a small wooden box in a public park of a Sunday afternoon and orate as he pleased to the winds or to an audience, as the case might be.
The English do not mind weather. If they did, they would stay indoors most of the time. The free speech Hyde park meetings continue winter and summer. I attended one when the ground was dotted with patches of snow, and a thin skim of ice was upon the face of the eternal British puddles. The atmosphere was dank, dismal and weeping, a cold rainish mist coming up out of the earth to join the cold rainish mist descending from the skies. Yet even on such a day there must have been ten or a dozen different speakers and audiences in the park.
To be a speaker a man has only to carry under his arm into the gates a small packing box. He puts it upon the ground and stands upon it. Next he starts a hymn or song or folds his hands, closes his eyes and begins to pray, or else he simply waves his arms around windmill fashion and commences to orate without any preliminaries at all; this according to his taste and convictions. On every topic not positively offensive to morality he may say what he likes.
The only precaution taken to preserve order is that policemen are sprinkled plentifully among the crowds, ready to collar any one who makes disturbance. But the policemen themselves are good natured and tolerant.
A favorite topic for speechifying is "The Lost Tribes of Israel." Two or three speakers usually choose this, vying with one another to prove that the British nation is the lost tribes of Israel, the lot of them. These particular speakers have a large placard announcing their subject. But whether he is or is not one of the sons of a lost tribe the average Briton cares not a jot. Close beside the lost tribe exploiter, just far enough away so that their speech will not clash, is a fervid orator pouring out a lively fusillade against the church of Rome.
Two smooth faced, extremely self confident looking young men, one of them wearing glasses, are engaged in what common folk call "picking the Bible to pieces," showing up to them blind chapters in Revelation and elsewhere, the absurdities and mistakes. They are glib of tongue and keen witted and draw as large audiences as any, being frequently applauded. The next speaker to one of these, actually so near to the heretic, that they could hear each other talk if each were not so intent on the exploitation of his own ideas, is a gospel revivalist. He belongs evidently to one of the dissenting sects and is storming with might and thundering sound the strongholds of satan, calling men and women to repentance.
Meantime the orator next in line to the revivalist is denouncing spiritualism. He rails out on spiritualism as being everything that is bad, false and devilish and rails vociferously. There is the gleam of fanaticism in his eye, there is foam upon his lips as he turns over the leaves of his Bible and shouts out text after text of denunciatory prophecy, declaring that these refer to spiritualism and to nothing else. And as with the anti-Romish orator, this tearing down of spiritualism does not hurt in the least. Occasionally, not often, a woman mounts a box and speaks her mind, but a woman must have tremendous conviction, likewise nerve power, to do it. Feminine orators are heard oftener in Trafalgar square than in Hyde park. Strong, blunt workingmen here and there speak, and speak eloquently, on temperance, and to the social student these are perhaps most interesting of all. Some of them have been themselves rescued from the drink habit. There is no toning down of the colors in which these paint the red hell of the drunkard's life.
Yonder is one who looks like a young prince. He wears the uniform of the Church army, an organization formed by the Church of England to work along the lines of the Salvation Army. Young men of excellent family and education sometimes enroll themselves under its white banner. This worker is evidently one of these. He is perhaps 24 years old. A throng of plain men and women of the people gather around him where he stands, straight and slim, a radiance in his pale, clear-cut face, his voice singing or speaking, manly, musical and tender—a beautiful, eloquent young evangelist giving his message of the gospel of love and peace. BEN JOYCE.
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| Christiaan de Wet. |
PAGE FOUR—EDITORIALS.
◘ According to a late dispatch from Cape Town, General De Wet's forces in Cape Colony have been hopelessly defeated and the Free State leader himself narrowly escaped capture. The probabilities are that De Wet was never as near capture as was Lord Kitchener when, a few days before, his baggage train was seized by the Boers and the car on which he rode escaped by the merest good luck. It appears that General De Wet has divided his forces and that while he is moving westward to form a junction with Commandant Hertzog, Commandant Froneman has gone north with 1,000 men. Hertzog is said to have a fresh supply of horses, and with these at the disposal of De Wet the chances of catching the Boer general are not encouraging for the British. Meanwhile England's war bill is being piled up at the enormous rate of $5,000,000 a week and the chancellor of the exchequer is at his wits' end to determine where the money is coming from. The war is becoming decidedly unpopular in England, and this enhances the difficulty of raising money for men and munitions.
◘ Princeton university has lately expelled a student who had been awarded a prize on a plagiarized oration. Expulsion is none too severe punishment for such an offense, which is downright theft of a peculiarly odious description.
◘ One of the doctors who attended Senator Cushman K. Davis wants $2,000 for his services. It will be recalled that Senator Davis died.
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FOR THE NEW SCHOOL.
REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE TO EXAMINE BUILDINGS.
Pleased with the New High School at Hamilton—A Splendid Building at Utica—Obtained Many Ideas from Both Places—Plans for the New Building in Cortland—Would Meet Requirements for Ten Years.
The committee of the Cortland board of education to inspect some other school buildings with the idea of gaining suggestions for a proposed new building for this city has returned, having made a very satisfactory trip and having gained many new ideas that will be of value to them in case a new building should be decided upon, both as to arrangement and as to prices.
The Cortland board of education has come to the conclusion that with the present crowded condition of the schools no more kindergarten departments can be started. There is one in the Schermerhorn-st. school, and there is a call for one in the Pomeroy and Owego-st. schools, but there is no room. The preliminary high school work has been started in the Central school, but it cannot be carried on for lack of room, as the increasing number of pupils for the grades is crowding out the upper classes. There has only been space for one hundred students in the preliminary high school studies and none for advanced work, and even this one hundred is getting crowded out.
Though the census statistics show that the city is not growing very rapidly, the number of school children is rapidly increasing. This is accounted for by the compulsory education law which went into effect in 1894 and which provides that all children must stay in school till they are 16 years of age. The result has been a great increase in attendance. In the way the schools are now graded the pupil naturally passes out of the grades at 14 years and into the high school, where he must remain for two years. At present two small rooms have been fitted up in the third floor of the Central school where about 120 students are practically herded and all doing the first year's work in the high school. No possible place can be found to put them for the second year's work. As the work runs the students are turned out of school at 15 years because there is no place provided for carrying on the work for another year, and yet the law provides that they must stay in school till they are 16 years of age. And if a student should desire to stay in school beyond the age of 16 years and should desire to pursue high school work further than in the preliminaries there is no place to accommodate him. The Normal is full and they can't go there.
The board of education feels that Cortland should be an educational center; that it should be prepared to receive and educate pupils from the surrounding county, receiving tuition fees for the same to help pay expenses. McLean has forty-two non-resident pupils, Homer has a good many. Cortland cannot take any because it cannot accommodate them. Three adjacent school districts tried last fall to contract with Cortland to receive their children here and have them come regularly. It was impossible. The contract was made with McGrawville and the children go there each day on the cars. Where the children go to school, there the parents will be drawn more or less. There they will do their trading. That place will be benefitted. Cortland loses all of this outside benefit because it cannot furnish accommodations. But all of that is of course secondary to the fact that it cannot take care of its own children.
It was by reason of these and other similar facts that the board of education came to the conclusion that more school facilities were absolutely necessary and as a result they have been studying plans and cost for some months. It was an a result of this that the committee made its trip last week to inspect other school buildings to get new ideas.
The committee consisting of Superintendent F. E. Smith and Trustees F. D Smith, A. W. Edgcomb and A. F. Stilson left Cortland Thursday morning and spent that day at Hamilton, and Friday at Utica. The board of education had been informed by the state inspector of school buildings that the two new buildings just erected at Hamilton and at Utica were unsurpassed in the state in their respective classes. The building at Hamilton is suited to a school of 250 pupils, including high school and grades, and cost complete in every respect about $30,000. The one at Utica is wholly devoted to high school purposes and is of course intended for a large city with many students. It cost about $200,000, but the committee found some things here that could be adapted to good advantage to a smaller school. At both places the committee was very cordially received and principal and school trustees vied with each other in the cordiality of welcome and in desire to be of service to the visitors.
The committee found at Hamilton a two-story building of pressed brick 95 by 110 feet in size, with first floor devoted entirely to graded work and the second floor devoted to high school work. The village of Hamilton is by the recent census about seven hundred fifty smaller than Homer. The assembly room will seat 182 pupils, and off it are library, recitation and laboratory rooms. It is heated by hot water and indirect radiation. The committee concluded that hot water heating was satisfactory so far as results were concerned, but financially quite an expensive method. The building is ventilated by a fan in the basement operated by a six-horse power water motor. The grade rooms on the first floor were much like those of the Central school in Cortland. The building is finished with Georgia pine with steel ceilings. All black boards are of slate. The committee learned where they could buy slate black boards at only a little more than half what had been charged them heretofore when they had considered the use of this material. There is a large room for the storage of bicycles in the basement, and the closets are also in the basement. The committee took the floor plans of this school with the dimensions of all rooms.
The Utica building is larger in every respect. It is heated with hot air and has forced ventilation. There is no assembly room in the Utica school for study, but the class rooms have single desks for each student. Two or three adjacent recitations rooms are so arranged that they can be thrown together by opening doors in the partition that slide like the cover of a roll top desk. There is also a large assembly hall having an opera floor and stage and with a seating capacity of a thousand. It is lighted wholly by a skylight in the day time.
While there is no thought of such a building for Cortland at present still there were noticed some features that could be adapted to this city to good advantage.
The board of education has had an architect look over the Central school to see what can be done in the way of an addition, and the plan at present seems to be something as follows: To build an addition at the rear of the present building 67 feet deep and 74 feet wide. There will be no outside entrances to this addition. The student entrances are now at the rear of the present building. These entrances will continue to be used for the same purpose. Another stairway near the rear of the hall in the present building will be needed to furnish additional facilities for getting to and from the second floor. On the second floor there would be an assembly hall capable of seating 250 students, and on the first floor recitation rooms similar to those in the present building. There will also be a library in the new building. One of the rooms in the third floor now used for a recitation room would be admirably adapted for a laboratory. By this plan pupils could be accommodated in the ward schools till they reach the fourth or fifth grades, but all grades above these would be at the Central school. And complete high school work could be done in this building. In general, these are the plans for the proposed building, and this is the substance of the report that will be given by the committee to the full board at its next meeting. The committee finds reason from facts learned upon its trip to modify the proposed plans somewhat and will suggest some changes to the architect.
If this report is favorably received and if the board continues to think it best to provide additional school facilities, as is altogether probable, it will continue with its plans till it knows just what it wants to do and what the building will cost. If then the board by a two-thirds vote decides to build, it must put into the hands of the mayor a certified copy of the resolution with estimates and within thirty days from that time he must call a special election of the city to vote upon the necessary appropriation. If this election is carried, the board is authorized to go ahead and build.
The board of education believes that with the additions suggested for high school purposes sufficient faculties for school purposes will be gained to last this city for the next ten years, and at the end of that time perhaps it will be needful and wise to turn the Central school with its high school annex entirely over to grade purposes and build a new high school upon a new site. If that should be done the changes needed in the proposed addition to the Central school would be very slight and would consist only of putting partitions through the assembly room to make grade rooms out of it.
Fine Lincoln Pictures.
Mr. J. G. Bingham of Solon who has acquired no little reputation as an amateur collector of relics and curios, has favored us with two fine photographs of the home of Abraham Lincoln and the Lincoln monument both at Springfield, Ill. They are remarkably clear and perfect prints. Mr. Bingham has probably with one exception—Mr. Gunther of Chicago—collected more Lincoln material than any other man in the country, and he has supplied some of the best institution's in the land with matter concerning Lincoln which they had found it impossible to secure elsewhere.
SILVER WEDDING
At the Home of Mr. and Mrs. C. A. Henry in Homer Last Friday.
Last Friday night about sixty relatives and friends assembled at the home of Mr. and Mrs. C. A. Henry, a mile north of Homer on the Murray farm, of which Mr. Henry is superintendent, the occasion being the silver wedding anniversary of Mr. and Mrs. Henry.
During the progress of the evening, which was most delightfully spent, refreshments were served. A short musical program followed this, and then Mr. Henry Hovey of Homer, in behalf of the guests and in a few well chosen words, presented the couple with a beautiful silver tea set and tray. At a seasonable hour the anniversary party broke up, voting their amiable host and hostess many thanks for the very pleasant evening afforded.
GLACIAL FORMATION.
PAPER BEFORE THE SCIENCE CLUB BY J. W. ORR.
Discussion of Origin of Glaciers—How This Region of Country Was Affected by Them—The Rock Formation—The Surface Soil—The Lakes of This Vicinity—Peculiar Terraces—Marl Ponds.
One of the most interesting and profitable among the many of such evenings spent by the Science club was that of last Saturday night when Mr. John W. Orr presented the subject of "Evidences of Glacial Action in Our Own Immediate Neighborhood." The meeting was well attended and the attention of all was closely held. It was a model subject to present, as it brought before the gentlemen of the club many things of local interest, and in handling the subject Mr. Orr showed a remarkable familiarity with the geological condition of this section.
At the outset the speaker refreshed his hearers' minds regarding the nature of the glacier and its work. He defined the glacier as being a mass of ice so situated, and of such a size as to have motion of itself, but in order to have motion, there must be a reservoir or place of storage whence this river of ice may flow. This field of ice is formed where the annual snowfall is in excess of the melting power of the sun's rays, and so the snow accumulates. The lower stratum of this field is soon formed into ice by the enormous pressure upon it, and it is this pressure, added to year by year, that eventually gives motion and continues the flow of this mighty river of ice. This moving ice is a powerful agent in transporting rocks and debris. It can roll or shovel along beneath its vast bulk boulders and such masses as could not be moved by perfect torrents of water.
Mr. Orr then described the different kinds of ground formation arising from the deposits of the debris by the glaciers.
A good example of the billowy aspect of the country, formed by terminal moraine, is found in the vicinity of the hamlet of Chicago, Gracie postoffice, and the eastern end of Gracie swamp [Lime Hollow Nature Preserve—CC ed.] The speaker said of the pre-glacial period that many, perhaps most of the larger features of land form, were much as they now are. Central New York was then cut into hills and valleys very much as it is at present, but details have been greatly altered. Streams have been changed in their courses, hills have been rounded by the ice, while valleys have been clogged up and in some instances entirely filled with glacial drift. The most marked difference between New York state of to-day and the same site in pre-glacial times is in the introduction of numerous lakes where dams have been thrown across the opening of valleys. East and west lying valleys, being transverse to the general direction of the ice movement, were crowded less than were north and south valleys, which furnished free passage to the ice. Prospect hill, lying as it does across the end of a north and south valley, was probably greatly modified by the motion of the ice, but that the hill is not of glacial origin is proven by the fact that it is composed almost entirely of native rock and hard pan.
The finger lakes, lying to the west of Cortland, were said to be of glacial origin. The bed of these are along pre-glacial streams that plowed toward the St. Lawrence. Many of the streams about here are flowing in channels that lie in glacial materials far above their original pre-glacial beds. As for the smaller lakes, Labrador, Tully, Preble, Como, Little York and others, they probably lie in depressions or kettle holes left in the terminal moraines.
The valleys that radiate in so many ways from Cortland as a center, the speaker said, are all floored by glacial drift. Field stone of many kinds are found. On the hillsides, usually those facing the north, are found numerous large boulders from Canadian parent ledges. An interesting terminal moraine extends from Cortland through McLean to Ithaca. A terrace on the R. Bruce Smith farm is as regular as though thrown up by the hand of man. Mr. Orr here displayed photographs of terraces which showed glacial formation very plainly.
The marl ponds were fully discussed by the speaker. The origin of marl is certainly due, the speaker said, to conditions developed during the glacial period. The ponds occupy basins provided for them during the glacial period, and lie in kettle holes that are so prominent a feature in terminal moraines.
A discussion followed the very able article.
Prof. F. E. Smith also gave a review of Dr. F. D. Reese's article of two weeks ago on commercial carbon.
BREVITIES.
—Contracts have been closed for the appearance of Mildred Holland in "The Power Behind the Throne" at the Opera House on Tuesday evening, April 30.
—The annual meeting and election of officers of the Woman's Auxiliary of the Y. M. C. A. will be held on Tuesday afternoon at 3 o'clock at the association parlor.
—The regular monthly meeting of tie directors of the Y. M. C. A. will be held at the association parlor this evening, March 11, at 8 o'clock.
—Mr. and Mrs. N. H. Gillette on Saturday night entertained sixty-five of the employees of the corset factory at their home on West Court-st. A very pleasant evening was spent.
—Three Binghamton banks have decided to consolidate—the First National, the Susquehanna Valley and the Strong State banks. The capital stock of the new bank will be $400,000.
—The Ithaca common council has raised the license fee for milkmen delivering milk in the city from $1 to $3 per year and the milkmen declare they shall contest the validity of the imposing of a license fee at all.
—The will of the late Mrs. Thomas C. Platt has just been admitted to probate in Owego, Tioga county. The estate amounts to about $20,000 and is to be divided equally between the husband and three sons of the deceased.
—New display advertisements to-day are—Bingham & Miller, Clothing, page 8; M. A. Case, Muslin underwear, page 6; City Laundry, Laundry, page 6; E. E. Bates, Eyeglasses, page 7; M. A. Hudson, Japanese bowls, page 6.
—The appearance of the north end of Main-st. has been materially helped by taking down the old poles that carried the wires of the Western Union Telegraph Co. These wires are now placed on the poles of the Home Telephone Co.
—The work of fixing the engine house, preparatory to keeping the fire team in the building, will begin to-morrow morning under the supervision of Frank Jones. The team will be trained by Driver D. F. Waters and drop harnesses will be used.
—An Ithaca livery horse upset two ladies Saturday morning on the hill near the Cascadilla gorge and ran twenty-five feet across the street car bridge over the gorge when his fore feet went through between the ties and he fell turning a complete somersault and breaking his neck and killing him instantly. It was a long job to get him out and off the bridge and traffic was delayed for some time.
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