National.

The Borton Herald, in a timely editorial conserning President Roosevelt and his appeal to the warring nations, and touching incidentally upon the cry for a larger navy, says,—

"Another matter to which it is timely to call attention now, is that the President of the United States has accomplished the delicate task he undertook, of giving calm counsel to two mighty nations, one flushed by great victories in war and the other sore on account of great misfortunes, without any show of controlling naval power to support his reasonable suggestions. The only authority seeming necessary and effective was their conformity to the world's sense of justice and humanity. If his interference (if the action may be called an interference) had been backed by twice as many battleships as are now afloat displaying the flag of the Union, does any one presume that the famous identical letter sent to the Czar and to the Mikado would have been received with greater courtesy or commanded more immediate attention? Is it not made apparent that in order to conserve the peace of the world by good counsel, clear of selfish motive, there is no need to possess great military power? The refusal of Congress to comply fully with the President's request for four new battleships did not at all weaken his influence for peace in this exigency.

"The case would have been different, no doubt, if he had attempted to 'butt in' with an aggressive, commanding temper to dictate what Russia and Japan must do. That sort of thing requires the backing of a threatening military force to compel submission. It was Japan's physical weakness, in comparison with the combined European Powers, that forced her to forego the legitimate fruit of her victory over China in her last war. Such compulsion did not make for peace because it did not make for justice. It is not unreasonable to say that the terms, then enforced were one influential cause of the war now being waged. That experiment will not be repeated this time. There was no profit in it. The wisdom of respecting nationality has received a powerful re-enforcement. The consequences of the aggressive disposition of Russia may well be received as a lesson for ourselves in respect of any ambition cherished in the direction of worldpower."

Professor George T. Ladd, who recently resigned the chair of Moral Philosophy and Metaphysics at Yale, will, at the close of the war between Russia and Japan, go to Japan for one or two years and under the auspices of the Imperial Education Society of Japan, aid in the development of the system of education of the country.

Although the United States Attorney General has decided that Japanese cannot become naturalized citizens, the preparations for Japanese colonies in Texas continue. The experiments already made have been successful. Their skill as expert growers of rice is expected to add much to the wealth of the State.

Mr. Paul Morton, who retires from the Cabinet July 1, as Secretary of the Navy Department, has accepted the position of chairman of the Board of Directors of the Equitable Assurance Company.

Foreign.

Great Britain has categorically declined to accept the Sultan's invitation for an international conference on the Moroccan situation, which has been brought about by a speech of the Kaiser in Tangier on his recent visit to that country. Germany, it is said, is contending only for the "open door" policy for herself in Morocco.

The French Government has authorized the construction in Indo-China of an extension of the Saigon Railway to Khan-Hod, to cost $5,840,000. Also a line from Phanrang to Danhim at a cost of $2,300,000; and of another from Hue to Kwangtri at an expense of $1,460,000.

The driving of piles for the foundation of the new campanile of St. Mark's has been finished. The work of surrounding the foundation by a stone wall ten feet thick is now progressing and next spring the building of the campanile itself will be begun.

The Spanish Premier has presented the budget figures for 1906, which call for an expenditure of $202,147,000 from an indicated revenue of $206,340,000. The final accounts for the past year leave a surplus of $9,060,000.

Industrial and Commercial.

Paper made from corn stalks at one-third the cost of making it from wood fibre and rags is the latest announcement in paper-making a company organized to utilize the waste products of the corn fields. Samples of the new paper, it is said, show it to be the equal of the fine goods made from linen. One sample resembles Japanese vellum very closely. In producing this fine paper common, ordinary corn stalks, of which 35,000,000 tons rot yearly in the corn fields of the western States, was used. The cost of manufacturing a ton of this paper ranges from $22 to $25. The manufacturing cost of a ton of rags or pulp runs from $60 to $75. When received at the paper-mill the stalks are depithed. The pith is rolled into a fine paper. The hard outer covering is macerated and digested and used to make coarse wrapping paper and box board. The company will utilize every vestige of the corn stalk, as certain portions are used in the manufacture of cellulose, gun-cotton, powder, varnish, lubricants, papier-mache, etc.

Officers of the Lithographic Artists, Engravers and Designers' league of America, recently in convention at New York, have made an agreement with the employing lithographers to raise the standard of the trade in this country by forming an apprenticeship board. The highest class of lithograph work is now done in Europe. It is hoped that under the new scheme this country can produce men capable of doing any grade of work. The board will be composed of employers and employees. Boys who desire to become apprentices will be tested as to their ability, will be put on probation for six months and will then be examined again. If then they show real ability they will become full apprentices.

The Hungarian chemist Brunn, of the University of the same name, has described his alleged discovery of a liquid chemical compound which renders certain kinds of matter proof against the effects of time. He asserts that it doubles the density of nearly every kind of stone and renders it waterproof. It imparts to all metals qualities which prevent oxidation. The professor says that while traveling in Greece some twenty-five years ago he noticed that the mortar in stones of ruins which were known to be over two thousand years old was as hard, fresh, and tenacious as if it had been made only a year. He claims he has discovered its secret.

It is announced that the details are being worked out for consolidating the Kanawah and Hocking Coal and Coke Company, the Continental Coal Company, and the Sunday Creek Coal Company. The new company will control 90,000 acres of coal lands, wharves, and docks, and its own railroad cars. The capital stock will be $40,000,000. This company will rank next to the Pittsburg Coal Company in its producing capacity.

More than $1,000,000 and 100,000 acres of coal land were involved in a deal which has been closed at Louisville recently, whereby J. Pierpont Morgan, John W. Gates, P. A. B. Widener, and other capitalists interested in the North American Company, came into possession of the best coal properties in Union County, Kentucky, extending into Webster and Crittenden counties.

The United States Geological Survey has compiled statistics of the clay-working industry of the United States in 1904. from which it appears that the value of the clay products was $131,023,248, made up as follows: Brick and tile and the coarser products, $105,864,978; pottery and the finer products, $25,158,270.

The Lake Shore established a new record between Chicago and Buffalo last week, covering the 526 miles in exactly 453 minutes. The train was made up of four Pullmans and was drawn by one of the usual large prairietype locomotives. The average speed, deducting stops, was 70.9 miles an hour.

Crawford, Washington, and Benton counties of Arkansas shipped this season 650 cars of strawberries totaling $350,000 in value.

General.

During a recent trip of a fruit steamer northward, while about fifty miles from Havana, a waterspout of immense size was passed. "It is no unusual thing to pass waterspouts in these waters," the captain is reported to have said, "but this one was so extraordinary that it attracted my particular attention and created quite a stir among the passengers. We sighted it early Sunday morning, about a mile off our course on the port bow and about fifteen miles ahead. At that distance it looked like an immense snow peak topping the clouds, white and shimmering in the morning sun, but as we drew nearer it changed in color to a dull gray as it rose from a foam-lashed bed and fell like a gigantic geyser, with a thundering noise. Knowing from experience the strange and dangerous antics these waterspouts sometimes cut, I kept my vessel on her course and passed the monster about a mile to windward. It was an awe-inspiring spectacle. I should judge this one must have risen to a height of five hundred feet, and was fully seventy-five feet in diameter. I have seen waterspouts before rise to a great height, but nothing approaching this one in diameter. Passengers and crew watched the strange sight for several hours, and it was still dancing and boiling and frothing and howling in its fury, and presenting to the view a marvel of glittering beauty as we left it behind the horizon."