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In one sense it should not be alivlng room, because it should be the one place in all the house where work is not an obtrusive suggestion. It should be a re- fuge from all business associations and from all toil that is wearisome or dis- tasteful. In this room there should be only the most restful and peaceful asso- clations. A place free from the worries of life is really necessary for the healthy development, and in its appointments must be comfortable to the per- son, tranquilizlng to the mind and gratifying to the eye. 'l o produce this result care should be exercised not to make the parlor s “ family refrigerator" or give it a. stiff and forbidding air. There is nothing sacred about the room ; there is no reason why one should feel so con- strained that breathing is made painful by the fear of being obtrusive. At the close of 1883 the United States was a long way ahead of all other coun- tries in railway mileage, possessing 191, 366 kilometres, Germany had 35,800, while France and Great Britain ran a pretty (qual race with 29,688 and 29,890 respectively. The smallest railway owner was Greece, which possessed but 22 kilo- metres ; but this proportion is now raised by the opening last year of 100 kilometres between V010 and Larissa. If we con- sider the railway milewge of each country in proportion to every square kilometre of land, we shall find that Belgium comes first with 145 kilometres of railway. Great Britain with 9'5, France with 5 6 Germany with 6 6, the smallest European states being Russia and Norway with 05. The United States, with all its enormous network. now only figures for 2'1, and Canada for 0'2, while Brazil, the Argen- tine Republie, Paraguay, J apan, and Queensland are only 0'1 each But if we view the subject from another stand- point, viz , that of the proportion of mile- age to every 10,000 inhabitants, the posi- tion of afi'airs is singularly reversed. Queensland, which was at the bottom of the world’s list in the former instance, now stands at the top with 70 8 kilo- metres of rail to every 10,000 persons, South Australia 56 '1,West Australia 49‘6, New Zealand 47 7, New South Wales, 31'1. The United States only shows for 36 8 and Canada 294. Naturally the European states are very low in the scale under this aspect, Great Britain being only 8'5, France and Germany 7'9 each, Belgium 7‘7, Holland, 6'0, and Russia 3'0. The lowest of all is India with 0'7. -â€"Chicago Journal of Commerce. | Some statistics are brought forward by the Minister of Public Works in Ger- many, in a report entitled “Archiv fur Eisenenhahnen," from which it appears that at the end of 1879 there were in the whole world 350,031 kilometres of rail- ways, which by the end of 1883 had in- creased to 442,199. Of the 92,168 kim- metres constructed in that interval. the United States is responsible for 56,327, while of the more backward railway- making countries 3727 kilometers were made in Mexico, 2160 in British North America. 2050 in Brazil. 2785 in India, 3603 in Australi a and 1166 in Algeria and Tunis. Of the European states, the i most active countries in constructing rail- ways during the four years were France, with 4500 kilometres, Germany with 2716. Austra-Hnngary with 2263 ; while, on the other hand, the countries with the oldest railway systems and the den- sest population .made comparitively few extensions, Great Britain being only at the rate of 1399 kilometers, Belgium of 257, Holland of 282, and Switzerland of 302. The proportion of the new lines to the existing ones during the period was 5 per cent. for Great Britain. 6% per cent. for Belgium, 12% for Holland, 12 for Switzerland, 18 for France, 42 for the United States, 67 for Brazil, and 335 per cent. for Mexico. TLewis Perkins, a negro, died suddenly. He was apparently a stout, healthy ne- gro. Saturday evening he quit work at the usual hour, and after drawing his pay Went home. He ate a hearty supper and passed the evening talking to the family. When bed-time came he retired. He slept on a pallet on the floor in the same room witha colored mannamed Sutton. He slept soundly until about 3 o clock, when he awoke the other occupants of the room by giving utterance to the most piteous groans and calling loudly for help. Sut- ton sprang from hlsbed and hastened to the pallet while his wife madealight. Thelight showed that Perkins was lying flat upon his back with his eyes and mouth wide open. His features were greatly distort- ed. His eye-balls were nearly out of sockets, and his general appearance indi- cated that he was terribly frightened. Sutton placed his hand under Perkins’ head and raising him up asked : “What's the matter, Lewis 'l" Perkins made several attempts to speak. His jaws would move but his tongue failed to do its bidding. Finally, however, he appeared to concentrate his powers of speech, and with a terrible efl'ort uttered the words : “Cat, c-a-t, c-aâ€"" Before finishing the last word his eyes rolled about in his head. His body gave one immense shake and he fell back dead. Early in life Perkins was severely bitten by a cat. His arms still shows the marks made by the vicious cat’s ugly teeth. The bite made him averse to cats. He was actually afraid of them, and the several witnesses before the jury of in~ quest yesterday stated that they had seen Perkins run from a cat frequently. A cat wasfound in the room where Perkins died, and one witness asserted most posi- tively that Perkins had been scared Lto death by a cat. "Fore God I beleeve: de cat scared data man to death.” said 9. witness before a. goroner's jury in Atlanta. the other morn- mg_. The Railways offlm World Scared to Death by a. Ca Using the Pal-lot ‘at. A Baptist minister was once as it was that he consented to the x of his daughter to aPresbyterian. my dear friend,” he replied, “as have been able to discover, Cupic' studied theology." Tne notice published in a Boston paper of an orange within an orange elicts from a correspondent this companion picture of the lemon species : “ In 1834 or 1835, at the time ‘Honest John Davis,’ of Worâ€" cester, was Governor of Massachusetts, he boarded at a. boarding-house in Cam~ bridge street, facing Bowdoin street, kept by Mme. Wilson. At a ball given in honor of the Governor by Madame Wilson, in making lemonade for the occasion one lemon inside of an other was found, and. as in the case of the orange, the inner lemon was perfect, and about one~third the size of the outer one." The boy brought the cattle to Boston, shipped them from here to Liverpool, going on the same steamer with them, reached that port in nine days, struck a. good market. sold out in one day at a big profit, cabled a cheque to his father for the amount of his loan, and in less than a. week. with the profits of the tranaction in his pocket, was in Paris studying, where he was able to Iemain two years. His pluck and his present success has so pleased his father that the latter now says : “ Go back and continue your studies whenever you get ready, and call on me for what funds you want." uuhlur m cubue, mm soxu ma son on cred- it. but at a pretty stiff market price, a small herd of choice cattle, with the stip- ulation that the boy should take them to Liverpool to sell. The profits on the transaction, if any, he could have to pay his expenses while studying abroad, but if he lost‘money he should return home and go into business. One of the most promising of the young- er artists in Boston has a. Wealthy father who opposed his son's art aspirations, and wmted him to devote himself to business instead. The boy. however, was deter- mined to study art abroad, and finally compromised. He was a. large western dealer in cattle, and sold his son on cred- men from the Tipperary, Armagh, Kil- kenny, and other Irish militia. regi- ments volunteered for active service, and were sent to the Crimea. The English navy contains 283 ships. But while the Russian navy contains more vessels than the English navy, it must be remembered that England sprnds three times as much on her navy as Russia. spends on hers. sia. Russia has more soldiers and more ships of war than any other country in the world. In her standing army there are 780,000 men, and she has 358 ships in her navy. In costs $125,000,000 a. year to lieep her military establishments on cheir peace footing, and her military authori- ties say they can place 2,300,000 trained men under arms in war time. The Eng- lish standing army is 182 000 men. This includes the English regular troops serv- ing in India. The English war oflice au~ thorities profess to be able to put 642,000 well-drilled and effective British troops in the field if emled on to do so. This does not include the Indian auxiliary forces, which would swell the total British forces at home and abroad to over 1,000,000 men. It costs gEnglsnd $90,000,000 a year to keep up its regular army. In 1853 there were 52,000 Irish soldiers in l the English army ; now there are only 31 000. In 1853 a great number of Irish- . Those who say lightly that cats care only for places, and not for persons, should go to the Cat Show at the Crystal Palace, where they may see recognitions between cat and owner that will cure them of so shallow an opinion. When we were last there, one striking instance fell in our way. Cats greatly dislike these exhibitions ; a cat, asarule, is like Queen Vashti, unwilling to be shown, evon to the nobles, at the pleasure of an Ahaus- erus. Shy, sensitive, wayward, and in- dependent, a cat ‘resents being placed upon a cushion in a wire cage, and ex posed to the unintelligent criticism, to say nothing of the fingers, of a mob of sightseers. One very eminent cat, be- longing to the Master’s Common Room at Christ Church, Oxfa rd, whose size and beauty have on several (ccasions entailed on him the hard necessity of attending a cat show, takes, it is ssid, three days to ‘ recover from the sense of humiliation and disgust which he feels, whether he gets a prize or not. On the occasion to which we refer, a row of distinguished cats were sitting, each on his cushion, with their backs to the slghtseers, while their faces, when from time to time visible, were ex- pressive of the deepest gloom and dis- gust. Presently two little girls pushed through the crowd to the cage of one of the largest of these cats, crying “There’s Dick l" Instantly the great cat turned around, his face trausfigured with joy, purred loudly, and endeavored to scratch open the front of the cage, that he might rejoin his little friends, who were with difficulty persuaded to leave him at tho show.~[London Spectatt r. The Force of England and Rus- We ourselves have known 3 cat whw would recognize his master's footsteps after a three months’ absence, and come out to meet him in the hall, with tail erect, and purring all over as if to the very edge of bursting. And another out we know, who comes up every morning between six and seven o'clock to wake his master. sits on the bed, and very gently feels first one eyelid and then the other with his paw. When an eye opens. but not till then, the cat sets up a loud purr, like the prayer of a fire~worshipper to the rising sun. A Lemon Within :1 Lemon An Enterprising Boy. The Wise Cat. aPresbyterian. “Wen. LB replied, “as far as I discover, Cupid never by Maaame made for ,side of an. asked how a marriage Bubchér : “All'riEh-é: 's'ir. Iwill sent: you a roast of lamb that’s very sheep. When you think the world cannot get along without you, pull a hair from your head and see if it makes you baldheaded. When your pail of milk is spilled, don’t; sit down and cry, but go for a. fresh cow and refill your pail. When you decide that the world owes you a. living, pull off your coat and take it out of the world’s hide. My boy, when you desire to commit any wrong in your basement, have some one attract attention by proclaiming your virtues from the houaetop. When you make up your mind to cal 23. man a liar, always pick out some fellow you can lick. Are Women Handsomer than Men? I never felt so thoroughly convinced, writes Clara Belle, that women are really handsomer than men as by the sight of several of our favorite actors bereft of musteches. We have to go smooth-faced all the while, and yet most of us manage to do it prettily; but there isn’t one man in a hundred whose countenance can stand on its naked meritso There is a popular young actor named John Drew at Daly’s theater, and an actress on the same stage named Ada Rehan. They have been mimic sweethearts for several years in modern comedies. This week Dsly is reviving an old play belonging to a. period when mustaches were unfashion- able, and the actors concerned in the re- presentation were ordered to get clean shaven. They obeyed, though it is said that they postponed the sacrifice until the last hour before the initial performance. Well, Drew is truly a frightful object. His revealed mouth is simply dreadful. Perhaps it misses the weight of the mus- tache, and wlil gradually come under symmetrical control, but on the occasion of its debut it was a. sad wreck. I am told that Miss Rehan, on first encounter- ing him in the wings, ejaculated : “Good heavens l is that the mouth I have been kissing all along 2" Au absent-minded professor, in going out: of the gateway of his college, ran againsba cow. In the confusion of the moment he raised his hat. and exclaimed : “I beg your pardon, Madam 1” Soon after he stumbled against a. lady in the street. In a sudden recollection of his former mishap, he called out, with a look‘ of rage on hiscounteuance : “Is that you again, you brute '1 ' ' must be left. “Here's a musical salesman advertised for. Why don't you apply, Ned l" “I? Why. I'm not musical.” “Perhaps not, but I know you can blow your own horn, you’re familiar with bars,, your remarks ‘ are iu'l of slurs, you're always giving notes, and all the rest." One of our scxtons, in making his report of burials. is explicit to a commendable degree. For instance. such entries as this occur : “ Died, John Smith ; male; aged three days ; unmarried." Trees have some characteristics in com- mon with people. In the spring thcy begin to leave lot the summer, although some will be unable to do so. because their trunks will be seized for board. A few months ago a famous Prussian general was inspecting some military stables. “What do you see there 7” he said, in bones of thunder, to 2. Sergeant. “Cobwebs ’1" “Yes, sir,” was the re~ spectful reply. “We keep them there to catch the flies and prevent their teas- ing the_horses. A Chicago critic revives the 01d slander that “Henry Irving’s legs are poems.” They may say what they please about Henry’s legs, but, unliks moat poems, they are all right â€"[Ncw York Graphic. This is another mistake. One of them A Chicng clergyman sta iah not long ago with the 5 lat announcement. "F communion service next noon. The Lord will be w the morning services and the evening. “You have lived a life of good deeds. Why should you fear death!" “Because,” Bald the dying Alderman, “the morning papers publish such villainous wood‘cut portraits of public men.” A girl visited a. music store and asked for “The Heart Boiled Down With Grease and Care,” and “When I Swallow- ed Home-Made Pies." The clerk recog- nized what she desired, howaver. Ardent Loverâ€"“I have called, air, to ask your permission to pay my addresses to your daughter.” Old Gent (somewhat deaf)â€""Pa.y for hex- dresses. Why, cer- tainly, my dear sir. Here are the bills " He game one glance at them and flu] Probably the Rev better, who left. the ( to join the Buddhists, prcfiaion that; the f( faith lead better lives. A hungry tramp at a back door explain- ed his position to the world of food by saying : “ Nature abbora a vacuum.” Ofl‘eubach's “DI. Ox ” ought to draw -â€"in opera boeuf. Th dentist’s epitaph ; “ He is filling his last cavity.” Can a large corral of cattle be called span-city of stock I The first thing in a. boot is the last Sermon to my Boy. non service next Sunday fc The Lordrwill be with us dur ably the Rev. Dr. Juhn Lead- who left. the Church of England the Buddhists, was under the im- services and the bishop in? glance at them andrfledf- clergyman stgqled‘h‘a 7 par- LAIYGHLETS. the followers L. t0 pfly my addrésses Old Gent (somewhat dresses. Why! Ger. ’nllowing sine!!- {emember our 01'6 ‘_ The digestive system, along with the ‘ entire organism, is exalted in proportion to the degree of active exercise in‘ the open air ; in fact, work, cold weather, and pure air increase the digestive powers and all the forces of the organism. There is a limit, of course. as with all rules, to the application of this principle ; but the principle holds good under all circum- stances. Blanketing a. horse lessens his digestive capacity, and anything which tends in that direction reduces all the vital powers ; the fact being that the more he can digest, the more he can en- dure, whether of work or exposure. This is simply because the more his vital pOWers are taxed, providing always they be not overtaxed, the more he can digest ; since. as remarked elsewhere. the diges- tive fluids are secreted from the blood in proportion to the body’s needs for nutri- ment, and not in proportion to the amount of food swallowed. Extra work and exposure to cold, by a corresponding consumption of the tissues, cause de- is, therefore, an abuse which should not be perpetrated. It is unnatural, and no amount of care can fully atone for the loss of his natural coat. The fact is that both horse and owner are by nature de- signed for service and to become lnured to exposure, and not for “molly-cod- dlere"; and, under use, both become proof against harm from what is often considered rough treatment, but which in face increases their vigor and efl‘ectual- 1y guards them from disease. But to rob a horse of his hair is to put upon him an unnatural kind of exposure. with no com- pensating advantage. a wet blanket (or wet; garments about ourselves), and the fear of it, as a general rule, is a blind sort of instinct; on our part. ‘ weather ; Blanketng in stables is often fwured solely on account of the better appear- ance of the coat ; the hair does not grow so long, and it keeps smooth and glrsay with less grooming. In the absence of the blanket the hair grows long and affords complete protection from cold, and is as much better as it is more natur- al. Other things equal, the horse that receives the most coddling in the way of blankets, warm stables (especially if warmth be secured by non-Ventilation), guarding from wet, cold, etc., will be the least fitted for real service and the most subject to disease. If blanketed and kept in a close stable the horse will shiver in the cold in spite of blankets and extra robes ; while unblsnketed and accustomed to an airy, i. e., a well-venti- lated stableâ€"for size alone does not eu- sure pure airâ€"he will stand, even in the most exposed situations on a severe winter's day, without any trembling. There are times, of course, when standing for any great length of time in a bleak location, especially after sweating freely, that some extra protection for the tough- est horse even is useful ; but the practice of immediately enveloping a. sweaty horse with blanket or robe, and especially when the halt is to be a brick one, is anything but sound. A few minutes’ exposure after but work is an intense relief, even on the coldest day, and the added cover- ing occasions positive discomfort to the heated animal, and is of no advantage, whatever. After a few minutes have been allowed for the relief mentioned, and if used to blanketing if he has to stand long in the cold, the blanket may be ad- justed. But there is much urcmscious cruelty practiced in the inappropriate use of the blanket at all seasons of the year. My own practice has been to dispense with blanketing entirely, in stable and out ; raron throwing any cover over my horses, whether they are sweaty or not, and regardless of the season or the never, in short, except in cases where one may be not only very hot, but also extremely tiredoin such a case some extraordinary care is necessary. By pursuing this course I have never had a horse “catch cold,” nor made sick from any cause, when under my care or cared for under my direction. Nor is this ex- perience peculiar to my own horses, but tallies with that of many persons who are simply careless as to the treatment their horses receive, as wall as others who have adopted the rule after mature consideration as a preventive of sickness The fact is that few persons appreciate how perfectly the hairy coat of the horse is adapted to his varying needs, and how effectually it protects him from wet, mid, heat, or sudden changes. There is no analogy between his Wet coat of hair and ._..â€"...._. and more effectual it may not prove fatal; often followed by a comple‘ animal dying from bl )od-pc after. The same may be gard to purgative medicine of 1101: water and free In Trainer: understand the importance of hand~rubbing in fitting horses for the track ; but its value as a curative men.~ sure in fever, or in cases suchas I have just cited, is not generally recognized. As in training for the track, the rubbing preanes out the fatty globules and leaves the flesh clean and freeâ€"making a firm, pliant, spring; muscle ; so in the condi~ tion of disease rtf rred to, the filthy humora which constitute the disease and have rendered the fever necessary are pressed into the circulation, from which they are secreted by the appropriate glands, and find an outlet through the various excretories. In cases where mtre. tiigitalia, etc., have been given “for the kidneys,” many nob'e animals have been sacrificed who Would have been saved by cauingthem to swallow hot water freely, withholding all food. manipulating their limbs and muscles as before remark~ ed, and keeping the poison-drugs out of them entirely. The diuretic may “afiamt l the water," and this manner of starting l 'OKCKRNING THIS HAND~BEBBING ’DS. DRUGS‘ ;prove fatal; but it, is too red by a. complete relapseâ€"the |g from bl )od-poiaoniugahortly I same may be sand with re- gative medicines, Injections er and free kneading of the percussion, are always safe: N CLIPPING ” HORSES. OF THE BLANKET The Last Resort. Convicted murderer (to his lawyer)â€" “ Can nothing be done to set aside the verdict? ” 5,? mg La wyetâ€"“ I am in possession of certain facts that will prove two of the jurors to have been bribed.” Convicted murderer (anxiously)â€"â€"“ In time to save me 'I " Lawyerâ€"“ No, I am afraid not.” Convicted murdererâ€"“ Well, what’s to be done ’1 " Lawyerâ€"“ I’ll tell you what's to be done. You just keep quiet and let them hang you and I’ll make everybody con- nected with the prosecution sweet (‘0 r1.‘ I The title of “El Mahdi” was originally borne by the very csliph who destroyed ‘ the most famous of the present Mahdi’e predecessor, viz , the Turcoman imposter, uakim Ben Hashim, aux-named “Mohan- ush” (the veiled) from the covering of silver gauze which always hid his face. This worthy’s career was a. pretty exact counterpart of that of the Sondan pro- phet. uf mean birth and By trade a fuller, he quitted his native city of Merv at 40 years of age for a desert hermitage, whence he emerged with a proclamation of his divine mission which drew crowds ol enthusiasts to his standard. Fixing his capital at Merv, he repulsed several attacks, but was (“length defeated in 790 by the caliph Mahdi in person, who drove him across the Circle, and finally blockaded him in Neksheb. the modern Ksrshi, ninety miles southeast of Bok- hers. Here the imposter, finding his cause hopeless, poisoned his remaining followers and then plunged into a tank filled with corrosive acid,that the appear- ance of his body might give rise (as it actually did) to the belief that he had ascended to heaven. His life has been written by the French historian, d’Her- belot, but he is chiefly known to western readers through Moore’s famous poem in “Lalla Rookh," “The Veiled Prophet of Khoraasnn." u ' ' t"“ ‘V"l 1“"‘9 except that the bed in which Pius IX. died we) removed, while a number of books in the library have been replnced by others. The sleeping chamber of the Pope is very small and the walls are en- tirely covered with red hangings. 5A had, two armchairs, two chairs and a priedien are about all that it contains, and the only ornaments on the walls are a few prints representing religions sub- jects. There is nothing to say about the library, which does duty as a dining-room as well as a. library. f‘ the ‘Divina Comedia,’ the ‘zEneid’ and. the ‘Georgx'cs’ from beginning to end,” and to prove it made me cite a. line here. and there in each of these authors, and' at once took up the quotation and went to the end of the passage. Unlike his predecessor, who took great pleasure in public audiences, he avoid: them as much as possible ; nor does he “he those whom he consents to receive to ask him, as they too often do, for Home tn fle as a. re- membranes. .__ ...-., a»: vulual as a. Latinist. and he knows most of his favuribe classicsâ€"Pliny, Cicero, Horace, and Caesarâ€"by heart. His favorite of all is Virgil. for whose poems be has un- boundcd admiration. The only Italian author he cares about is Dante, and he has himself said to me : “I can repeat the ‘Divina Comedla,’ the ‘rEtleid’ and late tax has a but there aside for z pence aolan Very 1 EiVa t The Cost of the Papal Courtâ€"Where he Livesâ€"Ills Learning. The total expenses of the Holy See are abmb 5,000,000 a years, of which 500,- 000 frames is nxpended for the permmal service of the Pope. The court is not an expensive one ; she Palafine Guards, re- cruited among the Raman bonrgecine, receive no pay ; the Noble Guard, fifty in number, receiva 120 francs a month apiece; the Swiss Guards, ninety-eight in number, reccive forty-eight francs per month and feed thamaelvea, and the fifty; gendarums Who complete the military force of the Vatican are paid at the same we. The numerous chamberlains, bus,- aolanti and geatiari? of Leo XIII., are The Original False Prophet The (‘ost of the PH u..- ‘ nvwv more than he needs, an! any excess above such needs in not only so much for diges- tion, but tends strongly to the imperfect digestion of all the food swallowed and to a condition of general disorder. mand for an increased amount of food to make good the waste, and the Vizestive fluids are increased in like ' zaaure. Blanke‘ing a horse does not dim ile the- size of his stomach, and hence he will. at least for a time if permitted, eat as much as if unblankebad, and would continue to eat more than he needed, and would stuff himself whenever opportunity offered. So, too. he will for a time (and always until affected irjurious‘w/ by the means) eat as much when at leisure as when working. Buh eating and digesting are far from synonymous terms. ? can not digest more than he needs, an any excess above E08 mnderately p‘sld. The reaerve fund :he Holy See a revenue of 3,000,000 a, and it has to depend on Peter's : for the rest. So far this voluntary an sufficed to supply the deficiency, here is no longer any surplus to set for a rainy day. POPE LEO'S LEARNING‘ to his learning‘nhel‘e are few pter of the church who are his mm! as WHERE THE POPE LIVES learning‘nhere are few pter church who are his equal as apd h3_knows most of his THE POPE.