‘(a
‘ 11 GREAT NA VIGATOR.
HDW DE GAMA, OF PORTUGAL DIS-
COVERED INDIA. ! ..
me Ranks Next to Columbus Among the
' fireat Discoverers of History— More .
\Vorthy of Commemoration Than the
Heroes of Great and Decisive Battles.
The world would be poor without.
the records-of its great soldiers, scien-
lists and navigators. And the latter";
though they are seldom emblazoned-
with those national glories which are,
the rewards of war are frequently
more Worthy of commemoration than
the heroes of great and decisive bat-
tles. Among navigators the name of:
Vasco De Gama holds a. prominent:
place. He ranks next to Columbus
among the great discoverers of history.
To sail forth now-a-days aided by
chart and compass is not considered
a feat of enduring renown because the
extension of knowledge has made us
Rmiliar with nearly all parts of the
universe save perhaps those immedi-.
ately around both poles. But in thel
days when the Mediterranean sea was
believed to be the center of the world,
and when the science of navigation
was. less understood than at present, a
men seized by the inspiration that
there existed such placesxas India or
America was a more su' lime being
13’ an he who to- day discovers the
ITorth Pole.
Such a pioneer was De Gama. It
was he who first sailed from Europe
to the East Indies and thus opened the
way for that lucrative commerce which,
has; followed in the wake of his dis-
coveries. Such a feat required more
intelligence, resolution and courage
than any man had ever previously
manifested, and certainly more than
Eolumbus could fairly lay claim to. In
short Vasco De Gama deserves to be
regarded among the first of great navi-
gators. He was not a Spaniard; he
was a Portuguese and came to be cele-
brated in this wzay
'- Manual, King of Portugal, was sit-
ting one day in the window of his
palace, overlooking the courtyard and
1thinking who among all his subjects
was best equipped to lead an expedi-
tions, to explore distant 'lands. The
kingnhad. built four strong vessels for
this purpose, the largest of which,
honeyed. W»° manly the size of a modern
fishing smack, being only about 120
tons. But such a vessel was in that
early .age considered a triumph of neu-
tical science, and King Manuel was
and was sorely pe1plexed in an en-
rdeafvtor to discover the best man in his
veryzpptmd of his exploring flotilla;
.kinw‘m to take charge of the expedi-
tion. While the King was thus turn-
ing over events in his mind it chanced
that; Vasco De Gama passed across the
courtyard in the presence of King
Magus]. .
. "Than is. the man who will stop at
nothing; who sailed with the last ex-
willgentrnst' this one. Call De Gama,"
said“ the'Ki'ng to one of the courtiers,
“and let him be conducted before me
without delay."
The King of Portugal knew his char-
acter well enough to entrust to De
Gama the expedition upon which he
had, set his heart, and having conveyed
his. instructions to the great naviga-
tor, De Gama set sail from Lisbon,
July 8, 1497. After three months and
twenty—six days they sailed into the;
any of St. Helena, near the Cape of
Good Hope. There they went on
shore and found a race of men very
Ignorant and savage and who wel—
corned them at first, but later hurled
upon them a shower of stones and
javel‘ins. The quarrel was precipitated,
it is said, through one of De Gama‘s
sailors evincing a disposition to go
away fith the newly-found savages,
ihe Portuguese sailor being particular-
ily._-,attracted to one of the colored
'ilenuses who was in the party. De
Gama insisted upon the'amorous sail—
3r rejoicing his expedition, and so a
battle began in which De Gama and
foul? of his crew were wounded before
they succeeded in rescuing the impu-
dent sailors. Nine days later they
landed in the Bay of St. Braz after
rounding the Cape and suppressing a
mutiny on board which latter incident
tried the patience of Vasco De Gama
and the disclipline of' the crew. Here
they first learned of the existence of
the elephant. Later they went ashore
onthe island of Natal. ,Here again
the sailors who were always bent on
exploring the shore fell in with two
richly dressed merchants of India
and who turned out later to be Ma—
mmedan merchants who traded the
rich fabrics of India to the Kaf-
firs, and with their assistance he reach-
ed. the Island of Madagascar. India,
these merchants told him, lay beyond
the islands of Madagascar some two
thousand miles, thus giving to the
dumping heart of the navigator the
first real assurance that the object of
the expedition would be‘ accomplished.
Continuing his journey for fourteen
days of pleasant sailing De Gama and
" his crew approached Mozambique.
When they saw on shore the tall
spires and minarets of a city they at
once concluded that they had reached
-, _ accountry of as high a. civilization as
that which they had left. And the Ma-
homedans of Mozambique also regard-
ed .the light-complexioned Portuguese
in an equally friendly and appreciative
fight. They offered De Gama a pilot
who knew the local seas and who
There was great rejoicing between the
representatives of both civilizations,
but ah! there was one awful barrier
to their permanent friendly inter-
course. The Portuguese were Catho-
itics, who were infused with a spirit of
hostility to all religions but their own.
The Mahomedans upon their part were
as less fanatical, believing that
through unbelievers’
wt My to Heaven. Thus at the
M
W
*_m_-ug,~"
I
‘ 0
would point out the way to India. ‘
blood lay the '
1
very start these two parties each
friendly disposed towards ..the other,
"were made mutually distrustful and
antagonistic; and as soon as this petty
religious rivalry was discovered the
Mahomedaus lay, in ambush for De
Game’s sailors or sent false pilots to
steer their ships into, dangerous
places.
Accordingly they sailed away, and
on May 17, 1498, Vasco De Gama pur-
suing the course that had been indi-
cated to him and whith for ever two
centuries all subsequent navigators
have followed, cast his anchors in view
of the south coast of India of the city
of Calicut. The rajahs of India were,
however, so rich and powerful and so
highly civilized at that time that they
regarded De Gama and his Portuguese
caravels in much the same light as
the Chief of Police of a’Western city
would now regard an invasion of East»
ern ‘tramps. They would not allow
any one to approach their courts who
could not bring presents proportioned
in value to the rank and importance
of the personage to whom they were
offered. De Gama possessed nothing;
was unable to speak the language, to
enter into the religious spirit or to
understand the customs of India.
So after for endeavoriug for five
months in vain to gain a footing in
India he set sail for Portugal and in-
formed the King that he had solemnly
taken possession of India in the name
of the King of Portugal.
Titles, money, power, the homage of
the Portuguese and the admiration of
Europe and of the world have reward-
ed Vasco De Gama for the fatigues and
the adventures of his historic voyage,
the quadri-centennial of which will be
celebrated on May 17. Thus a world
was won first for the Portuguese, who
later were driven out by the French
and who in turn gave way to the Eng-
lish, and who since Clive’s time have
held a tight grip upon India and con-
fined to a single nation the immense
wealth and advantages which mankind
would otherwise derive from the en-
terprise and adventures of De Gama.
One Way of Catching Them.
An enterprising photographer has
lately completed a system by which his
pictures of babies have become famous.
He has discarded all the familiar ex-
pedients of his-profession to persuade
very young children to submit tothe
camera, and his scheme has been com-
pletely successful. One part of his gal-
lery has been fitted up like a nursery.
Around the room at convenient points
are situated cameras, and these are in
charge of his assistants.
The photographer devotes his atten-
tion to the'baby. He tries all the toys
in turn, gets on as intimate terms as
possible with the baby after such short
acquaintance, and gradually lures the
unsuspecting infant into looking his
best. When pose and expression are
satisfactory he gives a signal to one
of his assistants at the cameras, and
the trick is done. Mothers bring their
babies from all quarters to this tact-
ful photographer. It would be a dim-
cult matter to find any child who
would not, after ten minutes' session
with toys, exhibit some expression that
his parents would be proud of._ The
artist catches that expression, ani as
many other agreeable ones as possible.
The final delight comes to the mother
when she receives the proofs, not sent
as proofs usually are, but mounted on
a large piece of cardboard, which
makes it possible for her to compare
them simultaneously. This wise man
has left nothing undone which could
strengthen his hold on the babies and
their photographs.
Ayn-1 rican Arms.
The success or the Colt experiments.
:1nd which John Quincy Adams de-
scribed as “impracticable and even if
practicable no fair or honest warfare,"
was now complete. The idea upon
which they were based was later de-
veloped by the Austrians in the war
with Venice and has since become one
of general application with other na-
:icns.
But to America and particularly to
Colonel Colt. are due the credit of first
conceiving and carrying out through
State appropriation the project of ig-
niting deposits of powder placed in
harbors for submarine defence. The
cable used by Colt for this purpose
was the first submarine cable ever in--
vented for conducting the electric fluid,
and also accurately determining the po-
sition of a vessel upon water so as to
be able to touch of! the apparatus at
the precise time when the moving boat
entered within the destructive orbit of
the submerged torpedo. With certain
trifling alterations it is Colonel Colt’s
system and inventions that are still
used in American Coast and Harbor
defenses.
A TombstOne Problem.
A man who went away from home
some time ago to attend a convention
of church people was struck with the
beauty of the little town in which the
gathering was held. He had plenty of
time,
walked into the village cemetery. It
was a beautiful place, and, the delegate
walked around among the graves. He
saw a monument, one of the largest
in the cemetery, and read with sur-
prise the inscription on it:
“A Lawyer and an Honest Man."
The delegate scratched his head and
looked at the monument again. He
read the inscription over and over.
' Then he walked all around the monu-
ment and examined the grave closely.
Another man in 'the cemetery ap-
proached and asked him:
“Have you found the grave of an
old friend?"
“No," said the delegate, “but I was
wondering how they came to bury
those two fellows in one grave."
Father. "You must live within your
1 income, sir.” g
Son: “That’s all right, governor. I
was afraid you were going to ask m.
to live without it.”
and while wandering about:
Ruined Sofa Cnshionl. .
It is noticeable that the berufded
sofa cushions again in favor. There
long-popular double and single ruffles
from these ubiquitous comforts, but
is fluffy with fiounces. Cushions cov-
ered with China. silk are edged with
a ‘double- rufile of the same material,
the design, whether it be a woven de—
sign or an embroidered one;
ites embroidered on‘ some cafe-au-lait
silk has the under ruffle of the same
vellow tint as the heart of ’the daisies.
Pink wild roses in a design upon a. pale
blue ground has the second ruffle of
pale pink. A pretty but very delicate
sofa pillow was covered with green
China silk in the bright shade popular
this spring, and over— this is fitted a
dotted muslin cover, the frill of the
white showing prettily through the
green silk ruffle. - ,
"Ir-uh».
Milk Toast.
Milk toast, as it is served on nine
tables out of ten, is uneatable. Prop-
erly prepared, it is not only a good
dish for the light menu allowed a con-
valescent, but is welcomed eagerly by
the children of the family, certainly if
grated maple sugar is sent around with
it. To two cups of scalded milk—and
the milk should be merely scalded, not
boiled, and if there is a scum, which
there should not be, it must be remov-
ed—to this amount of milk, stir in a
paste made of a scant {able-spoonful
and a. half of flour, wet in a little cold
water. To the flour, while it is dry,
adda good salt-spoonful of salt. When
should be cooked in a double boiler,
- stirring constantly. When it is about
as thick as cream, a piece o-f'butter
the size of a walnut is added. The
bread toasted dry is dipped into the
sauce, each slice remaining until even-
ly tender, when it is piled lightly on
a. small platter, and what sauce is left
poured over and around it. It should
be eaten while very hot. '
11' She Should me.
She was in the first blush of the
honeymoon’s happiness. He was there
with her, but he was a man. and it
didn’t stick out all over him so. Haj
was heartless, too, and she was senti-:
mental- They were dining out, and the
conversation turned , on untimely
deaths. , :
“Ferdinand," said she, lovingly,
across the golden chrysanthemums,
‘Ferdinand, dear, if I were to die,
what would you do?"
He was just putting a. piece of roast
beef into his mouth, and he chewed on
".n silence. Then, with the brutality of
a. man bent on his dinner, he said:
“I'd send for an undertaker."
And he doesn't know yet Why she
wouldn't kiss him good-night. l
A Remarkable Calculator. l
Diamandi, a native of Pylaros, one of
the Greek islands, seems to be a re-
markable calculator. After a. mere
glance at a black-board, on which thir-
:y groups of figures are written, he can,
it is said, repeat them in any order
md deal with them by any arithmeti-
:al process. it is said that he never
makes an error in calculations involv-
1.ng billions, and he can extract square
or cube roots with marvellous rapid-
ity and accuracy. An eminent Ger-
man specialist declared the other day
:hat all these ready-reckoners were
idiots. This is not'the case with Dia-
mandi, who writes poetry and novels
in the intervals of business, and shown
considerable intellectual capacity.
He Needfid Something to Do.
When Darwin in his old age was
bringing out his boolf on the habits of
plants, his health was poor, and an
old family servant—a woman—over-
bearing his daughter express some
anxiety about her father’s condition,
sought to reassure her by saying: “Hi
oelieve master’d he hall right, madam,
Naif ’e only ’ad somethin' to occupy ’is
3mind. Sometimes ’e stands hin the
:onservatory from mornin’ till night——
iiust a lookin' hat the flowers. Hif ’e
' July a’d somethin’ to do, ’ed be hevver
1 so much better, hi' im sure ” No one, it
is declared, enjoyed the joke more than
"the great naturalist himself.
_______—_—_——
Calling Gown in Bayuuere Silk.
A stylish calling gown of golden
brown beyadere silk has the
fashioned after a five gored model, and
is entirely without ornamentation.
The bodice of silk fastens at the side
and opens at the top with one large
brown 'satin rever over a guimp of
batiste embroidery. The corsage is
made blouse fashion and is belted in at
the waist with a ceinture of brown
satin. Brown satin also forms the col-
lar. The sleeves are close fitting with
a small puff at the shoulder. Hat of
golden brown satin straw, trimmed
with pink roses and velvet.
Styli-h Leghorn Hats.
The most stylish Leghorn hats are
trimmed with many short, very full os-
trich plumes, all white, all black, or
else in black and white mixtures, black
velvet ribbon ties, the clusters of feath.
ers near the brim and over the crown,
and on shepherdess shapes. This trim-
ming is also carried to the back of the
hat. Pretty Leghorn hats worn re-
cently by the bridesmaids at an out-of-
town wedding were laden with rose
vines, thorny stems, and velvety maid-
en-hair fern mass about thecrown and
down .1 the very edge of the brim.
The Papular Skirt.
Notwithstanding the appearance of
many other models, five and seven-
gored skirts remain in great favor.
The fullness at the back of some of
these skirts is disposedin fan'fpleats;
closely massed.
.9 , .' ‘6'
«.411». ~--
the paste is mixed with the milk, it -
skirt ‘
on others it is adjusted by gath’eu.
,-
'1l~
1'31“: One with a. Drink of Water and Yo‘
was a decided attempt to banish the '
cords and ru’chings seem to fail in the .
desired effect, and the spring output . _ _
- the sxghts 1n the National ,
l
l
l
i
l
”for submerged mines
. completely
SQUARE MEAL. IN A CAPSULE.
Are Full of Soup.
The samples of various things "de-
vised for the comfort of soldiers and
the models of implements to be used in
warfare received by the President
would, if placed on exhibition, eclipse
museum.
The Secretary of the Navy is also de-
luged with all sorts’of contrivanoes
. . . and d i . ' ..
the under ruffle be1ng of a delicate : ev ces, as well as samples or im
shade to correspond with the tone of 1 inc
. B-
as, for ; Department are shown some of these'
example, a bunch or yellow marguer- 3 ing to see than the famous Hotel Clu
proved methods of cooking and cloth-
In one of the rooms of the Navy
“supplies,” and they are more interest-
ny in Paris. One man has actually
“bouillon capsules" that you swallow
at one bolt, then drink some water,
and lo and behold! your stomach is full
of soup. Another genius has sent to
the department specimen bottles of
prepared castor'oil, to be used in con-
nection with the edibles. A benevolent
old gentleman of Pennsylvania sent a
recipe, truere are sixteen pages of it,
for preparing all kinds of food for sol-
diers sans teeth, why have only their
gums to depend upon and who must
either swallow soup or starve.
In the War Department‘ the same
story is told. One bright genius has
put. up specially prepared packages of
par1s green and wants Secretary Alger
to require every soldier sto.carry one in
his knapsack. The idea is that all the
; bugs of Cuba will thus be kept at bay,
as if the troops were tomato plants.
Some of the patent medicine men have
evolved “yellow pills, ” which are war-
ranted to cure yellow fever. Then there
are patent splints for setting broken
limbs, which almost dispense with a
doctor, and litters on wheels. This last
invention is the work of a well known
artist, Mr. Remington. It is nothing
more nor less than the "ordinary bicy-
cle wheel, carrying the framework for
a. cot, upon which the wounded are
placed and pushed to the hospital. An-
other curious invention offered to the
government is an apparatus for peer-
ing into the depths of the ocean to hunt .
for cables, and'keep a. sharp lookout
and torpedoes.
The invention is call-ed an aquascope.--
Army and Navy Journal. ,
How 3 Panic was Averted.
The tales of the panic on board the
Burgogne, which was sunk recently,
brings to mind a story the Hon. Ben.
Cable of Illinois, tells of an eXperience
of his in midooean. The day was fog-
gy, and most of the passengers were
below listening to two evangelists Who
were holding a particularly fer'vid gos—
pel meeting in the saloon. Suddenly
and without the slightest warning
there was a terrific crash‘ and the en-
gines stopped. Every one rushed on
deck. The steamer had run into an
iceberg. Nobody knew what damag
had been done, and everybody was
ready to fly intoa panic. The boats
Were lowered, and then for the first
time the two evangelists who had been
forgotten in the saloon, appeared on
deck. They wore their ,overcoats and
their hats and they carried rugs and
handbags. =.- They eibowed their way
rudely :to the rail, with the evident in- ‘-
tent of scouting for themselves first
places in the boat. It was just at a. time
when a breath would have sent the
passengers panic-stricken into the
boats. The sight of the two evangel-
ists was about to undo the work of
cool-headed ofiieers when a pert little
cockney stepped up to the gentlemen
with the rugs and handbags.
“Beg pardon,” said he, tipping his
cap, “’ave a cab, sir?"
And in the general laugh the danger
of panic was averted—Washington
Post.
A Material Amendment.
A brace of Mormon elders have re-
cently been carrying on a mission in
Los Angeles‘ county, says the San
Francisco News Letter. In a locality
where the residents are very ortho-
dox, according to the New England
standard, these Utah missionaries ob-
tained the use of a. school house ,for
their meeting by calling themselves
“Latter Day Saints," which sounded
very evangelical in the ears of the good
Protestants of the section.
At the meeting one of the elders de-
claimed very fervently on the unity
of faith, maintaining that there is only ,
one right religious way--of course,
Brigham Young’s way--and nailing his
argument by quoting very frequently
the biblical text, “On-e Lord, one faith,
one baptism.”,:
Then the speaker invited remarks or
questions from anyone present, with a.
view of clinching his proselyting ex-
- pedition.
A sweet faced old lady arose, but
spoiled the effect of the
Mormon’s oration by remarking, de-
murely:
“There are, no doubt, three New Tes-
tament units--one Lor-d, one faith, one
baptism. But there is also a fourth--
one wife."
A Bull Fight for the s. P. C. A.
It has never occurred‘to the average
Spaniard, who in all ranks of life is a,
courteous and obligin'g gentleman, that
his barbarous bull fight is anything but
a form of dramatic entertainment, as
legitimate as those of the Lyceum or
Comedic Francaise. They tell a. story
which may probably be true, that
when the Society for the Prevention of
Cruelty to Animals proposed to estab-
lish a. branch in a leading city of Spain
the municipal body courteously ac-
cepted the proposal and offered to hold
a grand bull fight at once to furnish
the funds—London Review.
“I wish that I could acquire a repu-
tation for being bright," said Willie
Wishington.
“There is nothing easier,” said Miss
Cayenne. “All you need do is to sav
you have heard it before whenever
any one says anything ciever.”-Wasb~
' lngton Star.
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