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JAPS CAPTURE IMPORTANTâ€" ! POSITION ON PIGEON BAY., "Port Arthur army reports our troâ€" ;'hios at the battle of the north fort of unkeekwanshan were four quickâ€"firers, whereof two are unable, four machine guns, all usable, and five ficld guns, which are under examination, . besides rifles, _ shells, â€" ammunition, _ grenades, e'l.'..’ 5 samk Washington despatch: The following eablegram, dated Tokio, Dec. 21, has been received at the Japanese Legaâ€" tion : The value of Kikwanshan fort _ at jpresent is less than 2083â€"Metre Hill, beâ€" eause it is more or less commanded from the neighboring hills, especially one 130 yards to the westward, which nust tbe sapped. _ It is estimated that the ‘g:p"m losses in taking Kikwanshar rt were only 400. Daily Telegraph fr the steanrer Lady British flag and | erew, reached Port tao last Saturday eargo of ammuwnitic took advantage cf the Japanese block: Japanese Trophies in the Kecokwanshan M Fort Battle. Steamer Runs Blockade at Port Arthur. The unnamed height that was capâ€" tured by the Japanese at the same +ime ias they captured the Kikwanshan fort is called Taotishan. It is crowned by a newly constructed Russian fort. After the Japanese had captured it the Rusâ€" pians bombarded the position, but the Japanese guns on 203â€"Metre Hill proâ€" tected it, and the Russian fire slackened. BSince then there has been desultory fire. Entire Port Arthur Squad:on Not Yet T Sunk, , ‘Togo‘s Fleet Again Torpedo the Sevastopol With Disastrous Results. _ elining to give details, the Admira‘«y admits that Rusian advices from Port Arthur sent by Cien. Stoessel substanâ€" tially confirmed the Japanese advices of the partial wrecking of the Russian ships in the harbor and the censor has been inâ€" structed to permit the publication of the despatches. _ It is claimed that sevoral of the larger ships and a respectable number of torpedoâ€"boat destroyers are still seaworthy, but that they are nodt being considered as a factor in the comâ€" ing fight between Admiral Toga‘s ships and the Russian second Pacific squadron. If the fortress is relieved it is belioved that most of the ships will be raised and saved. The®reports that a Ja(ranoso squadron of 40 vessels had already sailed to meet . A London cable: According to the Chefoo correspondent of the Daily Teleâ€" graph it is reported there that the flankâ€" ing fire from other forts and <the exâ€" <plosion of Russian mines have foreed the Japanese to evacuate Itseshan fort, to the northward of 203â€"Metre Hill, with serious losses,. _ It is stated that General Nogi, the Japanese commander at Port Arthur, has asked for 60,000 reinforeeâ€" ments. Many have already arrived from the north. Concurrently with the blowing up of Kikwanshan fort a Russian shell struck the fort on 203%â€"Metre Hill, exploding a store of shells and grenades the Japanâ€" ese had gathered there. Great damage was done and there were many casualâ€" ties. With the Exception of the Siberians. the Russian Troops Have No Hatred of the Japs. the second at the Adi reet and cir Japanese Soldiers Commit Suicide Rather Than Surrender to the Russians. Vessel Listed to the Rigkt and Now Fa eal the has much of (2C priiosop Tommy Atkins, "What‘s ithose you are paid to kil Biberians it is differont eloser to their native sc gard the Japanese as th amies. For this reason th that has beou displayed anese wounded has been als where theer were a Berians. The Sisters of met shore a 'l'he ves less for 27?.â€"1Iwo are patrc m @nese amons Russian ros :,; because es little eons involv« The J sian gu harbor Mukden little pers A 8t THIRTEEN GUNS CAPTURED T P« on the Sha BOATS STILL SEAWORTHY London SEVASTOPOL TORPZDOED CARRIED DYNAMITE TY Po bur ort Art iv nigcht le: A despatch to the from Chefoo says that Ivy Mitchell, flving the irg cable: _ While *@¢ letails, the Admira‘iy itn advices from Port (ien. Stoessel substanâ€" he Japanese advices of {1 n s 10r€ h a Jarnoso squadron lready sailed to meet onadron is regarded litchell, flying the ving a Norwegian Arthur from Tsingâ€" n ship N ns‘ve of l U Art] ruggle. Also, he phy attributed to : the use of ‘ating il1?" but with the it. _ The war is oil. and they reâ€" heir natural eneâ€" he only animosity toward the Japâ€" 1 in ngapore. e MWM opcrations. 1ent of the Busâ€" lo crafs in the She cart Ivnamite on!y ammosity | to. mard the J‘\p-l A‘letter carrier in Kansas City was 1 those hospitâ€" * handing a woman servant a letter at the majority of Siâ€" basement door, when a bolt of lightning Merev, on the struck between them. They were both Ds bein m nort Useloss of vnLs ct an« it oy m y there to Dr n a Y in ill M U nnâ€" the id m ec 19 ~| striking and ki U| had taken refu *A closets. In mo lslm\vn that the mained in the r« [ eseaped unbarm The State of 1 , | palm for the fi *I storms, with a Missouri ard M , | ing close behind from Leavenwo Take Advantage of Russia‘s Excitement ard Capture Two Positions. ... © A Tokio cable: A despatch received by telegraph toâ€"day from the Japanese army before Port Arthur, says: "The right column of the army at 5 o‘clock this morning taking advantage. of the enomy‘s excitement drove the enemy off an eminence north of Housanyentao on Pizcon Bay, and occupied the position, and at 7 o‘clock dislodged the enemy from a height on the Peninsula, west of Housanyentao, which we occupied, capâ€" turing one small gun. After the Japanâ€" c=â€"e ocenupation of the positions the enâ€" cmy made a counter attack, but was imâ€" self across his gun. Another drew his sword and fenced at the empty air until he was shot. During the same fight two villages occupied by the Japanese were surrounded and burned. Numbers of the Japanese remained quietly in the huts and were burned to death. A Russian officer hauled two Japanese prisoners out of a blazing hut. but one slipped back and perished in the flames. Japanese ofâ€" ficers were found in the huts after the fight bukked to death or suffocated sitâ€" ting in chairs. as though they had been quietly awaiting their doom. n "I consider the action of the Prosiâ€" dent to be presumptuous and tactless. Questions of state administration are of no concern to the Zemstvos, whose funcâ€" tions and rights are clearly defined by Man Kissing His Wife Goodâ€"Bye Killed, But She Escaped. An official attache to the weather bureau has kept during the last fourteen years all of the best authenticated acâ€" 4 CC counts coming under his eyes of the pranks of lightning throughout the world. One of the facts to be deducted from the great mass of stories about the electricity of the heavens is that lishtning cannot be dodged or avoided. Thore â€" are many accounts of lightning striking and killing timid women who had takon refuge under beds and in closots. In most of these cases it is shown that the persons who have reâ€" mained in the rooms seeking safety have eseaped unbarmed. The State of Kansas seems to have the palm for the fiereeness of its electrical storms. with all of the States of the Missouri and Mississippi valleys followâ€" ing close behind. An army officer riding from Leavenworth to Fort Lavenworth, Kan.. in August, 1899, was shocked three times by bolts striking near him. He saw nine huge trees riven by separate bolts. His horse died later from the tok-ct:'iml shocks, while the officer himâ€" self suffered no injury of any importâ€" it. re ain of a the Zems One of the most inexplicable things to the Russian soldier is the habit of the Japanese to commit suicide when conâ€" fronted with defeat. There are so many eyewitnesses‘ reports of this nature that it is impossible to discredit them all. Japâ€" anese officers especially seem to make a practice of saving their last cartridge for themselves. A Russian under the cireumâ€" stances would either go down fighting, leaving his enemies to do the killing, or else surrender if he thought there was nothing to be gained by holding out. In the capture of Poutilieff (Lone Tree) Hill, especially there were a number of such cases. When the Japanese batteâ€" ries were captured one officer shot himâ€" other hand, have shown a decided parâ€" tiality for Japanese patients, and there has been some jealousy aroused among the Siberians, who thoufbt the Japanese were ‘getting the best of it" at the hands of the nurses. _ Most of the Japanese wounded have, therefore, been placed in the hospitals with Russian soldiers. The Finlanders, almost alone of the Euroâ€" peans, take interest in the politics of the fight, but they make none the worse solâ€" diers for that. ank There are stories of three women, one in Kansas. one in Arkansas and the other in Missouri. having been struck dead by lightning while carrying infants in their arms, the young ones escaping unhurt in each case. A young man in Central IIliâ€" nois was fooling with a mastiff dog durâ€" ing the progress of an electrical storm. The dog was struck dead by a bolt, nearâ€" Iy all of the hair being burned from its bedy, while the young man was only mildly shocked. A farmer was kissing his wife goodâ€"by before starting for the county fair, when A farmer was kissing his wife goodâ€"by before starting for the county fair, when h> was struck dead by a bolt of lightâ€" ning. The woman‘s hair was consumed by the szme, but she was otherwise unâ€" injurred. ‘Throe druaken farm hards reâ€" turning from a dance, all arm in arm, in eastern Negraska, were overtaken by an electrical storm on the road. The man in the middle was killed by a boit. His two companiors were knocked senseless, but quickly secovered. They found themâ€" selves completeivy sober when they came LICiiTNING HAS ODD WAYS. itely repulsed t\ shocked. _ > irmer was kissing hi starting for the cou s struck dead by a The woman‘s hair > szme, but she was d. ‘Throe druaken i a& from a dance, all ; n Negraska, were ov nal atovor an the ra JAPS MAKE GAINS. tersburg cable: On the marâ€" telegram from the President of tvo of the Government of Cherâ€" The Czar‘s Reply. ling reforms in state w Nicholas, according on published in the or, toâ€"day, appended a pulsed. At present our ocâ€" the positions is practically e trees riven by separate rse died later from the ks, while the officer himâ€" no injury of any importâ€" matâ€" to a O{fiâ€" note rendered unconscious. by the shock, . but both wére brought around all right. The Jletter=was »consumed.*Two farm hands engaged in plowing a 160 acre plot in South Dakota were killed by lightning withirtithreé minutes. . Three <young kitâ€" i tens, plaving in a back vard in Indeâ€" The wreck, which occurred at 3.45 a. m., was a bad one, both locomotives beâ€" ing almostâ€"entirely demolished. A numâ€" ber of coaches and cars were smashed. Fire added korror to, the seene, consumâ€" ing two passenger cars, and in the deâ€" bris the body of Sheridan was found. The engine of the freight had "died" on the train owing to a defective throttle, and Conductor Bell walked to Bonheur for assistance. _ A flagman was sent ahead to warn the approaching passenâ€" ger train, but Engineer Sheridan for some unknown reason failed to see him and crashed into the standing freight at full speed. . An investigation will be held to fix the blame. _ The crew of the freight saw the impending danger in time to escape. Because She. Would Not Accept His Attentions. Newfane, N. Y., Dec. 26.â€"Fred Jones, a clerk in Pettit‘s grocery store at Charâ€" lotteville, this afternoon shot and killed Constable \Wm. Gray and Mrs. Abbic Goodrich, a widow, he then turnod the revolver vpon himself and fired a bullet into his brain. He is still alive, but surgons say he cannot recover. Jones was a suitor for Mrs. Goodâ€" rich‘s hand, and the shooting was the result of her refusal to accept his attenâ€" tions. Jones is twentyâ€"eight years old, and Mrs. Goodrich was fiftyâ€"four, and the mother of several children. So persistent had Jones become that Mrs. Goodrich went before a Justice of the Peace at noon and made a complaint, claiming that he had threatened to kill her and set her buildings on fire. A warrant was issved ard given to Conâ€" stabel Gray to serve. Gray woent to the store were Jones was working. Fort William, Dec .26.â€"A train of empty passenger coaches westbound colâ€" lided with a freight near Tamarac 100 miles west of here. Conductor Patrick Savage, in charge of the passenger train, was killed; and ‘his engineer, Sheridan, Fireman Reid and Mr. Southwick, of Sudâ€" bury Union Bank, a clerk, en route to Winnipeg, were injured. Bad Railway Wreck West of Fort Wilâ€" liam. STREET RAILWAY ASSOCIATION. Managers of the Roads Organize for Mutual Improvement. Montreal, Dec. 2%.â€"The Canadian Street Railway Association was formed at a meetâ€" ing held in the Windsor Hotel this morning when a constitution was adopted. According to the constitution, "‘the object of this assoâ€" ciation shall be the acquisition of experiâ€" mental, statistical and scientific knowledge, relating to the construction, equipment and operation of street railways, and the diffuâ€" sion of this knowledge among the members of this association, with the view of increasâ€" ing the accommodation of passengers, imâ€" proving the service and reducing its cost, and the encouragement of cordial and friendâ€" ly relations between the roads and the pubâ€" lie." A locomotive engineer was struck dead while seated in his cab making a short freight run in Colorado, his fireman not even being shocked.. A dozen girls in an Ohio seminary were shocked by a bolt of lightning while seated in the parlor. The same bolt killed one of the teachers at the other end of the building. A Tenâ€" nessee farmer was feeding his hogs, standing in the middle of the pen, when he was hit by a bolt of lightning and instantly killed. The hogs were not inâ€" jured at all. An Indian fiddler. was playing at a country "dance, having a seat on the porch for the sake of the coolness thereâ€" of. His violin was knocked into kindling wood by a bolt of lightring,while he himâ€" self was only mildly shocked. A chickenâ€" hawk was struck dead while just:in the act of swooping upon a flock of hens on an lowa farm. None of the hens was being only slightly singed. The skbp. of a bird‘ fayncie§ i? this: city 'w'u"%d: by a bolt. Of two parrots in one cage one was killed and the other petmanâ€" ently blinded, besides being rendered ‘deaf and dumb. & A gang of cireus hands was trying to round up an escaped tiget in a Missouri town, when the tiger. was struckâ€" dead by lightning. During a running race at an Illinois county fair, in which eleven horses were competing ‘for the purse, the winning horse was struck dead inâ€" stantly after having won the race by a head at the wire.. None of the other horses, most of which werevclose up at the finish,â€"was hurt at all. ~â€"‘~ â€" engaged in plowing a 160 acre plot in South Dakota were killed by lightning tens, playing in a back yard in Indeâ€" pendence, Mo., were struck.by. lighthing. One of them was killed, the other two Mr. Gullen‘s Appointmentâ€"Duties of Trainmasters Increased. Montreal, Dec. 26.â€"Mr. U. E. Gullen of the G. T. It. has been appointed asâ€" sistant superintendent at London in sueâ€" cesion to Mr. J. W. Wiggins, who retired to accept service with another company. Mr. H. F. Coyle, train master at Belleâ€" ville, will hereafter have charge of all matters pertaining to transportation in the sixth and seventh districts. The jurisdiction of Mr. L. G. Coleman, train master in the fourth district, is extendâ€" ed over the fifth district, with office in this city, As a consequence of these changes the office of assistant superinâ€" tendent of the fifth, sixth and seventh districts is abolished. Mr. Fred W. White has been appointed assistant purchasing agent for the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway, and will assume his new duties next week. New York, Dec. 26.â€"After a tempesâ€" tuous voyage, in which she was struck by a tidal wave, the . Red Star Line steamship Kroonland arrived here toâ€" day from Antwerp. When the tidal wave struck the ship, one of her pasâ€" sengers was thrown across the _ deck and had a leg broken, and a sailor fell from the crow‘s nest, but suffered no serious injury. On the second day out a stewurue«ss went insane and was placâ€" ed uncer restraint. _ GRAND TRUNK CHANGES. KILLED IN COLLISION. Swept by Tidal Wave. SHOT THE WIDOW TORONTO The appearance of the. court room when Justice Davis took his seat on the bench toâ€"day was in marked contrast to that of yesterday ard the day before. Not more than half the seats were occuâ€" pied toâ€"day, Mr. Unger, of counsel for for the defence, renewed his motion for Justice Davis to order the acquittal of Miss Patterson without further proâ€" ceedings, but the court denied the motion and directed counsel to proceed with the arguments. Mr. Levy then began the closing address to the jury for the deâ€" fence. New York desp@tch: Bgfore_'auothter day Nan Patterson probably will know whether her long cherished desire _ to spend the Christmas holidays with her invalid mother in Washington, â€" will be realized, or whether she wili be doomed to ‘return to her cell a convicted murâ€" deress. After more than six months of waiting she has seen the whole story of her life with Caeser Young, with its tragie ending, laid bare before a jury and to-(hy she waited for the word from them which will mean life or death to her. That she :\\'ns supremely confidâ€" ent of the outscome there seemed no doubt, as was apparent from her own words: "I feel sure that the jury beâ€" lieves my story," she said, "and _ no matter what Mr. Rand says in regard to it, it will still be convinced of my innocence. 1 know, of course, that such things are awfully unvertain, but I feel that I will be acquited within a brief time after the jury adjourns to deliberate." Toâ€"day there remained only the closing scenes in the trial. The last word of testimony was heard at yesâ€" terday‘s short afternoon session, and when the court adjourned it was agreed that the closing arguments of counsel would be made toâ€"day. Justice Davis had expressed a wish to give the case finally into the hands of the jury beâ€" fore adjournament toâ€"night, and to that end agreement was made to conâ€" fine the closing arguments to six hours. Half of that _ time was assigned to Abraham Levy, leading counsel for Missâ€" Patterson, to sum up the case for the defendant. The remaining three hours was to be used by assistant district atâ€" torney Rand in marshaling the chain of cireumstances forged by the prosecuâ€" tion. With the charge of Justice Davis instructing the jurors upon the various points of law, which have arisen during the long trial, the case will be complete. It will then be for the jurors â€" themâ€" selves to determine when the end shall be known. Mr. Levy impressed upon the jury the fact that Miss Patterson was not being tried for immorality. If a man takes his }]ife because of love for her why punish er? Mr. Levy declared that every effort of the prosecution had failed to sustain the charge that Miss Patterson pursued and threatened to separate Young from his wife. All the evidence offered to prove that just the eontrary was true, showing@ at all times Young‘s persistent and unfailing admiration. He aroued that the whole case of the prosecution was constructed of the most flimsy material and that this, if nothing more, should raise a doubt in the minds of the furors. Closing Arguments of Counsel Toâ€"day the Case Goes to the Jury. ANew York desvateh; Indgo Vernon M. Davis did not deliver his charge to the inry in the trial of Nan Patterson, the former actress, last night. but sent the ijurymen home to rest after a day spe"t listeninga to the arguments of counâ€" Abraham Levy. chief counsel for the defendant,. ceevpied the time of the morning â€" session â€" with his argument. 5 jrc set while Assistant District Attorney Rand took nup the afternoon with his speech. Both addresses were impassioned and eloquent,. Mr. Leyy swayed his listenâ€" ers to tears at times by his reference to his client and the home coming in Washington _ which _ he _ anticipated. Placing a Bible on the railing in front of the jurors, Mr. Levy read the eighth chapter of the Gospel of St. John. He laid particular emphasis on the sentence, "he that is without sin among you let him cast the first stone," and then he said to the jurors: "Will you say to her who sits before you here, in the words of Him who spoke at that time, manunnunmumemmnnumnimmamnmmmemnnmneete e ie uie annmmmeneenamamememm 990C d( .b &* C m nipiey 104 "Baige estocinriobs ie AN ~PAAIA4EEK e + n.â€" ; Caoy P B Nok ie ns f t e e se t oe foaer wl F 'wn?u‘lf seem t.lutm- our W“yn d:,u | P iess 2 Povapt editonal on the subject * ~"@MU & ons nou ie bor ofu e aingle Sotises were ; $ Ts 0 ] :rec{ed in that city, 5’.2&--».& to cost less F € i than $3,000,000."* _ This indicates that the averâ€" tPAD WD°¢" _\ 5 name in that city is ~over said to the jurors: "Will you say to her who sits before you here, in the words of Him who spoke at that time, ‘Woman, go and sin no more? "With the happincss of your own home before you and with joy of Christâ€" was festival in anticipation are you goâ€" ing to cordomn this vounz woman? "Do not send her to her doom now when the entire world is rejoicing. See she sits there abandoned by all except that old man, her aged father. I leave her in your kands, confident that you will acquit her and restore her to her devoted old father at a time when evâ€" erything proclaims, ‘peace on earth, good will to men.‘ I ask that you allow her to take him home to the aged wife and wmother who awaits them and give her a chance to live a new life with them in their home." Mr. Rand‘s argument was a severe arâ€" raignment of Miss Patterson and when the prosecutor pitilessly condemned the woman as the murderess of "Caesar" Young, she quailed under his invective. "Actress, stonyâ€"hearted, cruelâ€"mouthâ€" ed avenger that she is, the story she told, the manner of her telling it, ought not to be convincing to a child," said Mr. Rand. "Every action proclaims her guilt. I have never seen a real murderer who has not been distinguished _ by coolâ€" ness, calmness and unruffled demeanor and conceit. Never yet was there a murderer, who was not anxious to tesâ€" tify, believing _ that his story would prove convincing to the jury," thunâ€" dered the prosecutor. In detail he held wp her character to the jury and asked if a woman like her was able to have any love other, than that of the beast. "The beast in the woman called to the man and the beast in the man answered," he said. _ Miss Patterson‘s counsel was not spared by Nir. Rand. who. after saying that the defendant‘s testimony had been typewritten and memorized, addâ€" ed: â€""There are those among her deâ€" m :x c hole case of the cted of the most â€" this, if nothing tht in the minds mt oo 2 5 ‘)fl;lfl" Fav One of the Saddest Phenomena of Modâ€" ern City Life. A home is a tract of groumd, big or little, partly nccupied by some kind of a dwelling and cthervise filled with flowers, trees, vegeâ€" table gardens, «he bricâ€"aâ€"brac, of a back yard, or anything else, so only that some space oi *mother earth may remain whereon the chilâ€" dren of the family may disport themselves, where the illusions of childhood may transâ€" form woodpiles into great ships, clotheslines into telegraphks, beanpoles into armies, old sticks into horses, and washtubs into charâ€" iots, and in which, as the twilight comes on and the shadows deepen, livinzg forms,. io Toronto despatch: Organic union beâ€" tween the Presbyterian, Methodist and Congregational _ Churches in _ Canada, seems to be nearer as the result of the day‘s work at the joint meeting in Knox Church yesterday of the special comâ€" mittees appointed by the three churches, and at the evening sessions of the sepâ€" arate committees. The ground was clearâ€" ed, and the attitude of the _ churches made known in a prolonged discussion by some of the ablest men in the conâ€" ference. The sessions continue toâ€"day, when, it is expected, some definite reâ€" sults will follow and be made known. At the afternoon session the general discvssion was continued, and a good number of representatives of the differâ€" ent churches took: part. The consideraâ€" tion was, for the most part, devoted to questions of polity, doctrine, the office and training of the ministry and the administration of the various funds and Problem Squarely Faced at the Joint Conference. enterprises of the church. At the close of the discussion it was decided that the several committees should meet separâ€" ately in the evening and that the joint committee should meet again this mornâ€" ing at 9.30. U ropte fenders who care ‘CApa®nM® V PTELLOT testimony which they know to . be Halse. I naime no names and I stand ready. to prove‘ what | say, if there is any quesâ€" tion raised on that statement." s J. Morgan Smith and his wife were denounced by the lawyer. ) 608 M Most impressive was Mr. Rand‘s atâ€" tempt to show the jury that Young could not have shot himself. The skelâ€" eton which already ‘had appeared durâ€" ing the trial was brought forward and the attorney went over the details of the entrance of the bullet and the dirâ€" ection it took in Young‘s body. During this recital, Miss Patterson covered her face with her gloved hands. Mr. Rand At the evening meetings the different committes conferred as to the advisabilâ€" ity of procceding in the direction of furâ€" ther investigation. They will report to a joint meeting toâ€"day, after which it is probable that joint subâ€"committees will be appointed to consider still further the possibility of overcoming such obâ€" stacles in the way of organic union as may be found in the doctrinal views, the ecclesiastical polity and general senâ€" timent of the churches. It is not improbable that, having done this, the conference will adjourn to meet again at a later date before reporting back to the church courts through the separate committees, sticks into horses, and washtubs into charâ€" iots, and in which, as the twilight comes on and the shadows deepen, living forms, io the childish imagination, seem to hover and flit in the gloom from one dark corner to another. Above all, for all purposes of enâ€" joyment or occupation it is one‘s very own, the one spot where none else may come unâ€" invited, but which to him stands ever open, the scenes of his happiest hours, his refuge in time of trouble. Within the memory of men still young no family in America, outâ€" side of a few congested districts in large cities, was without a home of that kind. The dweiling upon itm ight be a cabin, a cotâ€" tage or a mansion, but such as it was it was the owned or rented possession of one family, held sacred to the use of its members from the centre of the earth to the clouds above. It was the home. The passing of the home is the saddest phenomena of modern city life. The ten» ment houseâ€"which we seek to disguise under the name of ‘‘flat‘"â€"is a most wretched subâ€" stitute for the bumblest of homes. That our people endure them is an indication of deâ€" generacy, as it will unquestionably be the cause of a more rapid descent. tI is morallly certain that the vigor of the race can be maintzined only by personal contact with th» mother earth from which we sprang, which nourishes and sustains us while we live, and which receives us in her bosom when we die. Why this is, perhaps, no one ‘knows, but it is within the knowledge of all that the vigor of the city is constantly recruited from counâ€" try life. To Geprive children of daily conâ€" tact with the soil is a sin. The evil of the tenement house was not realiezd until it passed from the slums, beâ€" cause few of us know how the other hah lives. It is perbaps not so desperate a misâ€" fortune to those who live by manual labor, for they get their contact with earth in other ways, and their children, less vexed by the comventions of society, find access to the soil by some means and pass, while still young, to the eccupations of their parents. Theâ€"most terrible effect of the tenement house is in the families of the ‘"salaried" class as distinâ€" guished from the ‘"‘wage earners," and who THE PASSING OF THE HOME. who are capable of preparing CHURCH UNION. and. Then Formal Inauguration Was a Great Success. Toronto, Dec. 26.â€"The formal om ing of the new Labor Temple took p last evening in the presence of about 1,500 trade unionists, among whom were representatives who have been the backâ€" bone of organized labor in Toronto for many years. The speaker of the evenâ€" ing was Prof. Goldwin Smith, who was introduced by Mr. D. A. Carey, president of the Toronto Labor Temple Company.. A Paris cable says: The International Commission appointed to inquire into the North Sea incident met in the forâ€" eign office at 10 o‘clock this morning. The commission completed the prelimâ€" inary organization and adjourned until January 9. The opening session was held in a suite of sumptuous salons of the D‘Orsay palace (foreign office). Adâ€" miral Fournier, the French member of the commission, in behalf of Forsign Minister Deleasse, who was absent from the city, received Admiral Davis, U. 8. M., and extended him a cordial greetâ€" ing. _ Admiral Fournicr then presented Admiral Davis to Admiral Kaznakoff, the Russian member of the commission, and Rear Admiral Sir Lewis A. Beauâ€" mont, Great Britain‘s representative, the group of admirals joining in an informal chat, partly‘ in English and partly in French. â€" The admirals and their aides did not wear uniforms, thus detracting somewhat from the expected brilliancy of the opening session. 1 the rich. A recent ®"/ in the New York Timeé the year 1903 but fiftyâ€"£ erected in that city, * than $3,000,000."‘ This in age cost of a real, home $50,000, and, of course,_ erected in LDBT ©7P» _TMALLLZAS that thi than $3,000,000."" This indicates that the averâ€" age cost of a real, home, in mtue.lg is ~over $50,000, and, of course, out. of of any but the really wellâ€"toâ€"do. Land has become too ‘‘valuable‘" to be devoted to such rr- f”’" To secure n noo:c from the land ts rental must be div{ among such & number of families as can carry the load oy united effort ,and «they=â€"are xu in, ~over and‘ under each other and side by side until the requisite force is assembled. In this city until récently the ‘‘threeâ€"flat‘‘ abomination has been the usual limit for “ml" peoâ€" 28 IPCC _ U AAX kanamants nre erected UHUl PSRRMHE CCC ETEOET has been the usual limit for ‘‘genteel" peoâ€" flo. Now regular tenements are flu erected n the pleasanter parts of the city, in which childlesss . couples hudddle in fourâ€"room "n-lpnrtments." It is not ‘good. his is not yet necessary in San Francisco. ‘There are wide expanses of territory within an hour‘s ride from the businesss sections, where real homes may be established at modâ€" erate cost by those willing &6 liveâ€"â€"in unâ€" fashionable and primitive ways for the sake of a real bome, and (w' is no question whatever that any family, rich or poor, is better off in a fourâ€"room cotnfi in the sand~ hills than in a tenement flat on Pacific Heights, If they are not happier in such & location it is because their normal buman instincts have been warped and impaired by the artificial life of the city, and they have lost th‘ art of Grawing comfort from the zoil and the living th|nԤ:'wh|ch can be made to grow upon it.â€"San ancisco Chronicle. Admiral Kazaknoff, as senior in rank and age, invited his colleagues to a priâ€" vate salon where he proposed that Adâ€" miral Fournier should preside pending the arrival of the fifth member of the commission. _ Admiral Fournier was unâ€" animously chosen, accepting the preaiâ€" dency in a felicitious speech in which he spoke of the friendly presence of the reâ€" presentatives of many navies, M. Andre Soulangeâ€"Bodine, a Minister plenipotentiary of France, was selected as secretary, and William Martin and the Vicomte De Greguil were appointed assistants with a large corps of atâ€" taches. Admiral Baron von Spaun was then unanimously clected the fifth member of the commission and the commissionâ€" ers were asked to inform their respectâ€" ive governments of the fact. A Chicago despatch: Fred John son, 32 years old, is dead of hydrophobia, alâ€" though it is declared, he never had been bitten by a mad dog. He became ill last Runday and sometime bofore his death attacked his wife and two small children. Then he was fastened to save the famâ€" ily from injury during his attacks of frenzy. Johnson owned a dog which last July was bitten by a rabid dog and the man constantly worried over the matter. Finally a policcman killed the pet. A physician diagnosed Johnson‘s case and declared the man contracted rabies because he constantly was fearâ€" ing hydrophobia. New York, Dec. 26.â€"â€"Breaking five great cables as if they had been threads the 100â€"ton floating derrick Hercules, moored to the side of the new battleâ€" ship Connecticut, broke adrift in the navy yard basin in Wallabout Bay toâ€" day and crashed into the stern of the battleship Texas, smashing _ several plates and so injuring the war vessel tlhat she will have to go into the dry dock. Not the Time for Reform. St. Petersburg, Dec. 26.â€"Prince Svaiâ€" topolkâ€"Mirsky lead before the Council the addresses and resolutions adopted by the Congress of Zemstvos, which was held here last month. _ Prince Svaitopolkâ€" Mirsky, M. Witte and Count Zoleaky fa vored a policy of concession, but the others opposed such a policy on the ground that the demntfio ofy the Zemâ€" stvoists were subversive of the essential principles of autocracy. TO CARRY DEMANDS TO KING. t‘ LABOR TEMPLE OPENED. The North Sea Tragedy. Derrick Ruzss Amuck. Worried to Death. w l# ME ired a convey ong the beac of him. _ They mad uBsult ; and woen : &'Iudl'd the p weares, Mr. Car: and thoroughly hard day‘s work Nevertholess, | Wigk toroughout sed with 1 5?31](‘.!. J a mi€ ly devoured golost his lit rext morn , buat t as it wuas embered tiat dirsgted the boy of Pocks to fin Cured the servics boatmnd made di "']. weekin the same w His sear LM now, t&gmning to ®ent now, as 1 Jamle had be~: alome out of s the gentlioman Â¥illage and ma the various pla the habit of fr« He weat oa and proceedo had spent so fore ; but the show that t and, after : while, he r: find him the â€"But he w But wie lad was st But even meal time « easiness ; 1 sorved tha:i and drink t ing in Usually, howe« l!;\e;!le vicinity of * generally t "dip" togethor ; (:md to put in Carrol took his hb turned to the hou his toilet just as rang. Stilil Jamie was E:!!d C various y if they ha one had ohservoed morning, and !is undisturbed, in t the house, althou nmasinpgp His compani the path over come, a s nisto 3fl. althou zh ong the way tions of the p): going. "CHMIMIK yo food !" cried eet with al eager to aco "Well, then, will show you By the time y« apound the tid ne saw you bangâ€"up plac all around it I could get is he did not k ones that 1‘ the tiie is g eerved, porâ€" from hereâ€"j this ; up yon "Is that y tioned _ Jaim "Uncle Carr longs to a Page, who h: ter than naively : Finally e den thought "Are you ! "Yes, sir : drew from | tle, the who} as Tar as ie k: eue from an u; loved benefact grow fiend iz ]y listened Then h« to talk c out 1 possibl they "Well 1N k « The D CH A 0