outlived its usefulness," the bishops of San Luis, | Los Angeles, and San Juan Bautista, came in solemn state to remove the sacred remains to a place not so dilapidated as the Mission church had become. To their consternation, they found nothing to remove; and, though the story was hushed up as much as possible, all sorts of rumors went flying among the superstitious Catholics of Spanish and Indian blood, as to what had become of the good father's bones. ing some curiosity on the subject myself, I once more sought my oracle, Don Rosario Duarte, and asked what he thought had become of this pious man's ashes.

Hav

"That," he said, "I can tell you. My mother-in-law, who died ten years since, at an advanced age, has told me a hundred times of the

deputation of high officials and humble monks who came all the way out from Spain to carry back with them the bones and ashes of Father Junipero Serra. There are still three of the old Mission Indians living here in town. One of them, a woman named Yumesa, will corroborate my statement, for she claims that she can recollect how every one of the caballeros and monjes comprising this deputation looked.

I tried my best to find Yumesa, not because I doubted Don Rosario's word, but because I wanted to see what a real, live Mission Indian looked like. I failed to discover her; but of the thousands who will flock to Monterey in the course of this summer, I hope that some one may make it a special task to find and interview Yumesa. JOSEPHINE CLifford.

TO THE NEED OF A HISTORICAL SOCIETY upon this coast, we had occasion to refer last month in reviewing Governor Burnett's Recollections. A correspondent takes us to task for the following language used in that connection:

"There is material in the history of the Pacific Coast which is rapidly being lost for want of some organization to systematically collect and preserve it, but which, in the future, if so collected, some historian would gather into a story as dramatic and fascinating as that of Prescott or Macaulay. Perhaps, however, we should be thankful that, in the absence of any organized effort to rescue this fast perishing tradition, there are occasional disconnected publications which may in some manner preserve it."

Our correspondent points, with just enthusiasm, to the collection made by Mr. H. H. Bancroft, of San Francisco, who has expended large sums of money, and much valuable time, in securing every book, pamphlet, or relic which would throw light upon the history of the Pacific States, and who, by means of an extensive correspondence, has reduced to an available form the personal experiences of hundreds of individuals.

"In no State," says our correspondent, "has so much private enterprise, capital, and ability been expended in the pursuit of the very object to which you allude."

This letter comes very opportunely, to give point to our suggestion. We were aware of the collections made by Mr. Bancroft, and by at least one other gentleman, and the success which had attended their efforts seemed to us to show the necessity of an organization. Individual effort, even where it is as public-spirited and as munificent as in the case cited, is always limited by the will, by the other engagements, and, finally, by the life of the person making it. Private collections also are liable to disintegration, and the vast labors of a single lifetime may come to naught simply because at the moment there is no one to keep the results intact. Furthermore, such collections should be public, should be accessible to all persons. A historical society alone can

accomplish this. There are thousands of persons who came here in early days whose lives were eventful. Their deeds, taken collectively, constitute our history. Many of them are aged, and in a short time the hand that now can write will forever lose its cunning. The death of every such man, with his life-story untold, is a public calamity. An organization, with a bureau of correspondence, might yet preserve much of that which otherwise will soon be forever beyond our reach. It is not only selfish, it is extremely impolitic, to leave to individual effort that which is public concern. That there are organizations which were generally expected to display an interest in this matter we know; but that any interest has been shown outside of the individual instances cited we have yet to learn.

CADET WHITTAKER does not appear to advantage in the light of the investigation into the West Point "outrage." It is clearly established that Cadet Whittaker has attempted a colossal fraud on the good people of the country. From the first it was a source of wonder that a person within calling distance of aid should passively submit to the treatment to which he claimed to have been subjected. Possibly the worst feature of the whole affair is the damage which it will do to the Military Academy. The fact that Whittaker was a colored cadet was enough to awaken in the minds of many well-meaning persons a belief in the most extraordinary stories which he might choose to invent, and this credulity was heightened by the prejudice which the graduates of the Academy have fostered by their pretentions at caste and superiority. The supercilious bearing of many officers has done incalculable injury to the system which produced them. This is very natural, and, to an extent, not illogical. Cadet Whittaker's case came at an inopportune time to inflame this prejudice. This is much to be regretted, as the history of our late war, as indeed of every war, shows the superi

ority of the professional soldier. While there were deeds of gallantry and no little military talent found in individual civilian soldiers, it must be confessed that the great generals were graduates of the Military Academy. If this be so, a country with such vast possessions to defend as are held by the United States cannot afford to neglect any precaution, at least so long as men continue to think that cutting each other's throats and shooting off each other's heads are the best means for the settlement of disputed questions. We do not expect a man to be a good doctor who has not been graduated at a medical school, nor a successful minister who has not attended a theological seminary. We train our business men from boyhood. In every branch of life we advocate special training as a prerequisite to excellence. It is equally necessary with the profession of

arms.

If we would win in the supreme moment of conflict, we must train some men through long years for that moment. Cleverness, aptitude, will not at the time supply the place of this experience. It is probable that the efficiency of the West Point Academy in many ways may be increased. It is certain that the graduates may assist the institution, as well as their profession, by abating somewhat their arrogance. But the inefficiency, if any, may be remedied, and the arrogance is merely a silly pretense, while the fact still remains that war may come, as war has come, and that in such event the country will need the bravery, experience, and genius of these men who seem so useless in time of peace. After a war the nation rewards its soldiers with unstinted honors. Before the war, while peace remains, it is grudging and parsimonious.

THE COMMENCEMENT EXERCISES at the University of California were largely attended. It is a pity that the entire population of the State cannot be brought together at Berkeley once a year to see the work which is done there. One notable event connected with the graduation of the class of this year, is the fact that the highest honors are borne off by two young ladies. The class is a large one, and the advocates of the idea of feminine intellectual inferiority will have difficulty in explaining this preeminence. One of the young ladies has already acquired an enviable reputation upon this coast as a writer. The President of the University called attention to the necessity for endowments to assist needy students, and for other purposes. It is worthy the consideration of our rich men that a sum which they would hardly miss, would yield a sufficient interest to be a perpetual benefaction in assisting poor young men and women to complete their studies; and it is certain that no investment would yield a greater return of real pleasure and satisfaction.

SECRET SOCIETIES have grown with remarkable rapidity during the last few years, especially in America. The time when there was but one of these societies is within the memory of many persons now living. Today they are numerous, and comprise such an extensive membership that we are surprised that no writer on social science has mentioned them as curious phenomena of the times. We live in an age of coöperation, in a gregarious century. Every undertaking of magnitude is accomplished by an aggregation of force and capital. We believe these societies are accomplishing a vast deal of good. It may be admitted, for the sake of argu

Vol. II.-6.

Men are too apt to get into

ment, that the secrets they profess to teach are unimportant, that their mysticism is an innocent device for retaining the interest of their members. We may safely assume that their mysteries are merely ritualistic, and form no argument either for or against the societies, any more than the ritualism of organizations which do not sit with closed doors. But, looking at the practical working of these orders, we find two phases prominent, the pecuniary and the social. The proportions which either assumes are different in the several societies. In some the pecuniary aspect is omitted, except in the form of charity. In others it is the most prominent feature, and takes the form of life insurance, benefits, and so forth, according to the constitution of the order. Certainly there can be no objection either to charity or to that wise prevision which seeks to anticipate and avert the evils of the future. But it is the social aspect which we most commend. ruts. We should welcome anything that will bring them together. The scholar may always learn from the laborer, and the laborer may get an insight into newer and higher things from a few moments' conversation with the scholar. It is at once a reciprocal duty and privilege with men to break down clannishness. An intellectual man who holds himself aloof from his less learned fellow-men, loses something of the fullness of true education and culture. He becomes a mental snob. With him it is all head development. He cannot perceive the grandeur in the character of this unlettered man, who would not do a mean action for the universe. Neither can he appreciate the marvelous practical information of this other, who is a close observer of Nature and her laws. We have no patience with unvarying standards to which all men must conform. Our modern education tends too much that way, and we must get out of our little manner of thinking that our talents are the only talents, and that our learning is the only knowledge. A man should be able to appreciate the true nobility of a dog. We need more catholicity; and anything which will bring men together, which will break down arrogance, pretense, and sham, which will build up courtesy, appreciation, and tolerance, and, above all, which will teach that there is no imperialism in excellence, no one virtue that may dominate the rest in purple, we should be prepared to welcome.

CORRUPTION IN AMERICA is a favorite theme for English sneers. We are frequently assured that our system of popular enfranchisement is a failure, because votes are bought and sold by the wholesale. In view of the air of placid virtue with which these charges against us are made, it may be well to inquire what becomes of the vast sums of money which were openly acknowledged to have been expended during the last election in England. It is no secret that a seat in Parliament costs a man a handsome amount. Figures are given which seem marvelous to our American ears. We were told the exact amount that one wealthy lady was about to expend for one young aspirant. What is most singular is that this seems to be taken as a matter of course. It would go hard with a candidate here who was accused of buying his way into place; but it seems to create no prejudice against an aspirant with our English cousins.

THE MONROE DOCTRINE may become a source of serious entanglement before we are through with it. It

is hard to see how the United States can permit a canal to be built between the two oceans, unless it is subject to American control. In case of war, it would prove disastrous to our shipping to have the canal in the possession of enemies. But have we the right to insist that no one else shall build the canal, unless we propose to do it immediately ourselves? Have we the right to stand in the way of the world's development, except by virtue of some superior claim to forward that development? A "dog in the manger" policy is unworthy of a great nation. If we are not rich enough, or enterprising enough, to complete this great undertaking, we have no moral or legal right to prevent others from doing it. We believe the Monroe doctrine should be enforced; but we believe, as a corollary to this, that America herself is bound to construct the canal without delay.

SUMMERING HAS COMMENCED. The hills were never more beautiful, the valleys never more inviting, and they are so near, so accessible, that no one who stays at home, and has dyspepsia all next winter, can claim the right to grumble at his fate. We are apt to forget

about a vacation in California. Nature does not remind us of it, and we go on from year to year in work until we stop, suddenly. Men must learn this lesson of rest. They must be made to see the economy of occasional idleness, the wasteful prodigality of overwork. And it is not merely rest we need. We must have change of air, water, scenery, inspiration. If we cannot go to the watering places-and it is a mistaken idea that we must huddle together in the country just as we do in the city -we can pitch our tent in the aromatic forest, beside the restful stream. There will not be a night for three months in which we cannot sleep in the open air with impunity, if we go over the first ranges of hills from the coast. We need no books; what we want is a fishing

pole and a gun. We can study Nature's picture in a

book when we are at home and cannot see Nature herself. One month of this out-door life is worth all that a man can earn in the other eleven months, for it gives him the impetus to earn it. And the hearty man who comes back at the month's end will do better work in his eleven months than the unnerved man who went out under the trees would have done in the round year by remaining at home.

THE MICROSCOPE IN BOTANY.

The microscope is constantly enlarging its field of usefulness, and is adding, day by day, new triumphs in the direction of original research. It has recently given to the world a new and more certain mode for determining the geological structure of rocks; and the fact is now announced of a discovery of equal importance in connection with the life and growth of plants. As, in the first case, many of the universally accepted theories of geologists were brushed aside, so, in the present instance, theories which botanists had supposed to be well established are completely overthrown. It appears that Professor Prinzheim, of Berlin, has recently been studying the green coloring matter in the leaves of plants, known as chlorophyl, and the cells in which it is contained. Botanists have heretofore assigned to this substance the work of absorbing from the atmosphere, during the night, carbonic acid gas, retaining the carbon for the sustenance and growth of the plant, and returning the free oxygen to the air to make good the deterioration of that element through the respiration of the animal creation. Now Professor Prinzheim has demonstrated, by the aid of the microscope, that chlorophyl does not perform that work, but that the carbon in the atmosphere is appropriated and assimilated through the medium of a balsam-like substance in the plant, heretofore unknown, to which he gives the name hypochlorine. This newly discovered substance, when under the influence of sunlight, has a strong affinity for carbonic acid; and it further appears that the heretofore supposed active chlorophyl is merely a passive agent—a sort of curtain, screening the hypochlorine from the direct or too powerful influence of the sun's rays, so that it may do its work with regularity and

moderation. The Professor has shown, by experiments, that if the intensity of the sun's rays is materially increased by any optical apparatus, the chlorophyl screen, or regulator, is found too feeble to protect the hypochlorine in its proper work, and oxidation sets in so rapidly that both chlorophyl and hypochlorine are rendered inert, and the plant dies. This discovery opens an entirely new field for botanical research, and furnishes additional evidence that plants have a regulator of vital forces, corresponding more nearly than the simple chlorophyl to the heart and lungs of animals, and further proof is gained in the direction of a unity of life between the animal and vegetable kingdoms.

SCIENCE NOT ATHEISTIC.

The Lord Bishop of Carlysle, in discussing the theories of matter, in regard to their possible atheistical tendencies, holds that all physical science is compelled, by its very nature, to take no account of the being of a God; for, as soon as it does so, it trenches upon theology, and ceases to be physical science. Such investigations are, by agreement, conversant simply with observed facts, and conclusions drawn from such facts. But because investigators proceed in that manner, they do not, either in fact or by implication, deny the existence of God. "Take," he says, "the case of physical astronomy: To the mathematician, the mechanics of the heavens are in no ways different from the mechanics of a clock. It is true that the clock must have had a a maker; but the mathematician who investigates any problem in connection with its mechanism has nothing to do with him as such. But he does not deny his existence; he has no hostile feelings toward

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Precisely in the same way, the man who investigates the mechanics of the heavens finds a complicated system of motion, a number of bodies mutually attracting each other, and moving according to certain assumed laws. In working out the results of his assumed laws, the mathematician has no reason to consider how the bodies came to be as they are; that they are as they are is not only enough for him, but it would be utterly beyond his province to inquire how they came to be so. Therefore, so far as his investigations are concerned, there is no God. Still, they are not atheistic; and he may carry on his work not merely without fearing the Psalmist's condemnation of the fool, but with the full persuasion that the results of his labors will tend to the honor and glory of God."

THE CIRCULATION OF HUMAN BLOOD MADE VISIBLE.

Dr. C. Huter, a German microscopist, has constructed a simple device by which the circulation of the blood is made visible in a human subject. His method is as follows: The head of the subject is placed in a frame, with which is also connected a microscope. The head and instrument are so placed that the lower lip may be slightly drawn out, and its inner portion fixed uppermost upon the stage of the microscope. A strong light is then thrown upon the surface of the lip, the light being intensified by use of a condenser. Thus arranged, the instrument is properly focused upon a small superficial blood-vessel, when the observer may plainly see the endless procession of blood corpuscles passing through the minute capillaries, the colorless ones being distinctly identified as little white specs, more or less thickly dotting the main body of the red stream of blood. This device may often prove of considerable importance to the medical practitioner, by enabling him to carefully note the variations in the blood flow, and the relative proportions of the white corpuscles in that fluid. This is the first instance where the flow of the vital fluid of one human being has been made visible to another. Observations as to the character of the blood have heretofore been made upon that fluid after it has been drawn from the subject, and, of course, under circumstances very unfavorable for accurate determination.

HOUSE FLIES.

The common house fly belongs to the order of diptera, from the Greek dis, "twice," or "two," having reference to the distinguishing characteristic of two wings only. They are also specially marked as having the mouth in the form of a proboscis, with a sucker. Flies, though often seriously annoying, are extremely useful as scavengers, and thereby preventers of disease. There are several distinct species of what are known as house flies, two of which are more numerous than all others combined. One of them, the most common and numerous, is known to scientists as the musca domestica, and fortunately this is the least annoying, except for its great numbers. The other is known as stomaxys, or the piercing fly. It makes its presence known, and may be distinguished from the more common one, by its somewhat stinging bite, for it is able, by its peculiar proboscis, to pierce the skin, which the more common fly cannot do. Dr. Livingstone has made known the exist

ence, in Central Africa, of one of the most extraordinary insects of this kind yet discovered. It is called by the natives tsetse, a word the pronunciation of which probably sounds much like the noise produced by the insect in its flight. Though not larger than our common household pests, it is described as a really terrible insect, whose sting is absolutely fatal to several of the domestic animals, but comparatively harmless to man. So deadly is its poison that when a very small number of these flies attack an ox, or a horse, or a dog, the animal soon begins to stagger, becomes blind, swells up, and finally dies in convulsions. And yet it is said that this deadly poison is simply annoying, but not fatal, to either man, the pig, the goat, or to wild animals generally. The discovery of some antidote to the sting of this venomous fly would bring wealth and glory to the discoverer. Dr. George Macloskie, of Princeton College, has recently been making the stomaxys a matter of special study. He has discovered that it has one very bad habit, for which the common house fly has sometimes been unjustly blamed. This habit is described as follows: The piercing fly was often observed to have her head and proboscis covered with eggs. That they were not her own was evident from their different shape, and from the fact that they were attached to the wrong end of the insect. Further observations showed that these eggs developed into anguillula worms, resembling paste eels. Here, then, we have one of the ways in which this fly defiles articles of diet, etc. The house fly alone has a retractile proboscis, that folds up and is drawn into the head. The lower end of the proboscis consists of a knob, and contains the lips and a series of forked halfrings, by means of which that fly rasps the surface from which it gathers food. The teeth of the house fly form a single row of five or six on each side of the mouth, while the blow fly has as many as thirty teeth, arranged in three rows on each side. The Doctor remarks that the structural resemblances of the crayfish, the cockroach, and the fly are very similar.

SPONGE UNDERCLOTHING.

An inventor has patented a new kind of cloth, which consists simply of sponge. The sponges are first thoroughly beaten, in order to so crush all the mineral and vegetable impurities that they may be readily removed by washing. The sponges are then dried and carefully cut with a sharp knife into thin sections, which are subsequently sewed together. The fabric thus prepared is free from the danger which sometimes arises from the absorption into the system of poisonous dyes. A garment made of such a fabric absorbs without checking the perspiration, and thus diminishes the danger of taking cold. It is a bad conductor, and therefore helps to maintain a uniform surface temperature, and it can be more readily cleansed than ordinary woolen garments. Its flexibility also greatly diminishes the liability to chafing.

A GROWING TASTE FOR ART. The progress made in the direction of improving the quality and finish of the various products of skill and industry, in this country, gives unmistakable evidence of a growing taste for art among our people. There are now but few dwellings, among even the poorest, where there is not some evidence of a love for the beautiful in the way of decoration. To satisfy this demand, the

chromo has been advanced to a near approach to a fine art, and is now largely employed for the adornment of walls where circumstances will not admit of more elaborate and costly productions. Articles of virtu, more or less expensive, are found in almost every dwelling in the land. The decorative artist is in large demand in nearly every line of mechanical product. The furniture and fixtures in our houses and in our public buildings, the railroad car, the steamers upon our bays and rivers, all bear, more or less, the impress of the taste and genius of the decorator. Even advertising, and especially railway advertising, in response to this universal demand, seems to be laying claim to recognition as a fine art. The passenger departments of some of our leading roads lavish the highest skill of writers, artists, engravers, and printers upon productions setting forth in the most attractive manner the advantages and attractions of their several routes. But perhaps the most noticeable of all is the rapidly increasing demand for decorative table wares. During the past two years the advance made in meeting the wants of the public for artistic form and beauty in table service has been far greater than during any previous similar term. Twelve years ago one man was able to perform all the decorative work for the numerous establishments for the manufacture of fine wares in Trenton, New Jersey. Since that time the number of decorators has annually increased, until there are now not less than three hundred in that city, fully employed. Some of the work turned out is very superior, vases being produced worth from $100 to $500. Catering to the increased demand for home decorations, artistic and original designs, in both shape and ornament, have been produced, equal or ranking near to the most beautiful of similar productions in Europe. Our industrial expositions, our museums of art, and our schools of design have accomplished the most of what has already been done to create a taste for the beautiful in this direction; but we need more art schools to educate our people to a still higher appreciation of the beautiful in

The carpet, stove or range, and the plate-glass mirror are about the only novelties-save Yankee notionswhich have been introduced into modern dwellings. Of late, there has been a growing taste for the antique, and old attics, lumber-rooms, and even second-hand furniture stores, have been ransacked over and over again for antique designs, or real articles for house furnishing or decoration said articles consisting mostly of old desks, ancient chairs, antique sofas, tables, cabinets, etc. Old crockery, cracked and nicked though it may be, has been made to do duty again, and even modern wares, new from the store, have been submitted to long baths in dirty, mineralized waters, to give them an appearance of antiquity. Such is the inexorable rule of fashion. Articles of furniture made previous to the advent of the present century, promising any kind of artistic value, are now difficult of procurement, while many old designs have been imitated by clever amateurs and introduced as antiques. The furor in this direction, however, is now fast giving way, and new designs are sought for, but varying largely from anything heretofore met with. The traditional parlor set, bearing marks of uniformity, is now rarely seen, especially in our Eastern dwellings. Variety is the order. Fancy tables, with standards of gilt or ebony, and tops upholstered with plush or raw silk, and sofas and chairs upholstered mostly as odd pieces, are the style. The new designs in upholstering are mostly of Persian patterns, Japanese figures, or floral designs; the last two are especially liked for chamber sets. There is a marked difference between American and English furniture. We follow more nearly the French. English articles of manufacture, of all kinds, are designed with a view to durability and strength. American productions are made attractive as well as durable, and in variety, design, uniqueness, and practicability, far exceed the English. Americans display superior taste in the gracefulness and beauty of their work in nearly every line. This fact is accounted for partly from superior inventive genius, as displayed in the patent office records of the two countries, and in part from the superior education of our workmen, and their freedom from the conventional rules which are so arbitrary in English workshops. There appears, just now, a strong aversion to casters on furniture, at least as these motive facilities are usually made to appear. Chair-legs especially, and indeed all kinds of furniture legs, with casters affixed in the usual way, are very awkward and unpleasant to look upon. A six or seven-inch leg, turned or carved into all sorts of beautiful shapes, with a sudden taper down to where the caster begins, is a horror to any one possessed of good taste. When casters are absolutely needed, they should be inserted into hollow feet, where their unsightly forms will be hidden from the eye.

ARTISTIC PORTRAITURE,

Not long since there appeared in one of the issues of the Art Amateur a reproduction of a photograph taken on the Isle of Wight, by Mrs. Cameron, a lady whose success in photography has elicited the praise of all who have seen her work. But few specimens have reached

this country. The one referred to, however, is a sufficient guaranty of the lady's artistic ability, and justifies the reputation she has earned for herself among art lovers. In choice of subject she seems particularly happy, while for grace of composition and breadth and simplicity, in the management of draperies and light and shade, her work rivals many of the masters. It is