answered him Jan. 13 in a brilliant speech, so full of fire and heat as to scorch the rebel brigadiers. Cox came in for & share of Mr. Blaine's attention, and he held both him and Hill before the country as the defenders of the horrors of the prison pens of the South and their relentless rebel keepers. Now, let the reader remember Colonel Ingersoll's speech made in 1876 at Cincinnati when he nominated Mr. Blaine: "Like an armed

warrior, like a plumed knight, James G. Blaine marched down the halls of the American Congress and threw his shining lance full and fair against the brazen forehead of every defamer of this country and maligner of its honor." IOWA STATE HOUSE.

CHICAGO. What are the dimensions and cost of the Iowa State Capital Building? A. K. Answer.-The following are the facts, for which we are indebted to the Hon. J. L. Brown, Auditor of State, Des Moines, in reference to the State Capital Building of Iowa. It will probably take two or three years to complete the State Capitol, and when completed it will cost in the neighborhood of $3,000,000, perhaps a little more. The dimensions are as follows:

On the ceiling of the House of Representatives

are the following portraits:

Rush Clark, Speaker of the House of Representatives in 1862, in northwest corner.

James P. Carleton, Speaker of the House of Representatives in 1843-4, in northeast corner. Charles Mason, Chief Justice of United States Territorial Court, in southwest corner.

Caleb Baldwin, Chief Justice of State Supreme Court in 1862, in southwest corner.

Robert Lucas, Governor of Territory in 1838, north of center panel.

James W. Grimes, first Republican Governor of Iowa, in 1856, northeast of center panel.

General M. M. Crocker, west of center panel. General S. R. Curtis, east of center panel.

A TRAGEDY OF THE WAR.

MILLEDGEVILLÉ, III. What was the cause of the shooting of General Nelson by General Jeff C. Davis? GEORGE W. VALE. Answer.-The shooting of General Nelson by General Davis was one of the tragedies of the slavery war which created great excitement even at a time when battles were lost and won, when, carnage filled the border States, and when men "daily by the hundred. From "Harper's His

tory of the Great Rebellion" the following narrative is taken: "The affair (which occurred Sept. 29, 1862) grew out of the insolence of General Nelson toward General Davis, who immediately borrowed a pistol and shot him as he was ascending the stairs of the Galt House. General Nelson was a native of Kentucky. He had been, at the beginning of the war, over twenty years in the naval service when he was suddenly transferred to a military department, relieving General Anderson of his command in Kentucky. When General Buell's army advanced to Nashville, Nelson had an important command. At the time of his death he had not yet recovered from the wound which he had received at the recent battle of Richmond. He was rough in his manner, but a good disciplinarian, and an excellent officer on the field. The difficulty between Generals Davis and Nelson appears to have sprung from some domestic dissension, and to have been aggravated by an exhibition of insolence on the part of Nelson, who had given Davis an insignificant command over the home guard defending the city. On the morning of Sept. 29 Nelson met Davis at the Galt House, and asked him respecting the number of men in his command. Davis answered that he had about so many, giving the number approximately. Nelson replied angrily, mingling expressions of rage with those of insult, and upon Davis demanding an apology, struck the latter in the face. Davis then borrowed a pistol from a lawyer in the vicinity, followed Nelson up the stairs, and shot him, inflicting a mortal wound. For this act he was subsequently tried by court martial and acquitted." Another history of the affair states that when General Davis shot General Nelson he believed he was acting in self-defense, as, it is asserted, he feared by a motion of the hand which Nelson made at the moment that Nelson was about to draw a pistol and shoot him.

A CALEDONIAN METAPHYSICIAN.

WASHINGTON, Kan. Will Our Curiosity Shop give a shetch of John Veatch. the Scottish metaphysician? S W. VEATCH. Answer.-The name of the distinguished Scotis written Veitch by all the authorities at hand making mention of him or his works, and as several of these are British publications, we are constrained to follow their lead in this regard. John Veitch was a native of Peebles, having been born there Oct. 24, 1829, and like many of the Scotch lads who have risen to eminence, was indebted for his early education to the grammar school of that goodly town. At the age of 16 years he entered the University of Edinburgh, where he passed through the regular curriculum, and graduated in 1851, gaining honors especially in logic and moral philosophy. He published in 1850 a translation of the "Discourse on Method" of Descartes, with an introductory essay on the nature of the Cartesian philosophy, and in 1853 a translation of the "Meditations," and other works. From 1855 to 1860 he acted as assistant to Sir William Hamilton and Professor Fraser in the chair of logic and metaphysics in the University of Edinburgh, when he was chosen to the professorship of logic,metaphysics, and rhetoric in

the University of St. Andrews, which he held for four years. Professor Veitch, who was in 1857 presented with the honorary degree of M. A. by the University of Edinburgh, acted as joint editor with Professor Mansel, of Oxford, in superintending the publication of the lectures on metaphysics and logic of Sir William Hamilton, issued in 1859-60. He wrote a memoir of Dugald Stewart, the great philosopher, in connection with the new edition of his collected works, upon which Sir William Hamilton was employed at the time of his death, after which that publication was superintended by Professor Veitch, at the request of the Stewart trustees. In the year 1864 he was appointed to the professorship of logic and mathematics in the University of Glasgow, and in 1869 wrote a memoir of Sir William Hamilton. His work made him the friend of Victor Cousin, Count de Remusat, and many of the distinguished thinkers of the day, by whom at various times it has been most heartily commended.

Answer.-Much as has been said of the civil service of Great Britain, it is not generally known that the civil service list of that nation contains

the names of about 15,000 persons. With equal truth it may be added that much as has been written and spoken in the United States respecting this reform, it does not appear to be generally understood that the movement first took form during General Grant's first term as President. To give the reader a correct idea of what the "Old Commander" recommended fourteen years ago, we quote a single paragraph from his message to Congress under date of Dec. 5, 1870: "Always favoring practical reform, I respectfully call your attention to one abuse of long standing which I would like to see remedied by this Congress. It is a reform in the civil service of the country. I would have it go beyond the mere fixing of the tenure of office of clerks and employes who do not require 'the advice and consent of the Senate' to make their appointments complete. I would have it govern, not the tenure, but

the manner of making all appointments. There is no duty which 80 much embarrasses the Executive and Heads of Departments as that of appointments; nor is there any such arduous and thankless labor on Senators and Representatives as that of finding places for constituents. The present system does not secure the best men, and often not even fit men for public place. The elevation and purification of the civil service of the government will be hailed with approval by the whole people of the United States." Following this was a bill called the civil service bill, which carried out the spirit of President Grant's urgent recommendation. The first Civil Service Commission consisted of G. W. Curtis, of New York; Joseph Medill, of Chicago; A. J. Cattell, of New Jersey: D. A. Walken, of Pennsylvania; S. B. Elliott and J. H. Blackfair. It has emphatically been a Republican measure. President Hayes gave the subject his earnest at

tention and sincere countenance. President Garfield was in sympathy with the movement, and was impressed with its necessity. President Arthur has followed in their footsteps, and has done much to further this great reform. It is only necessary to remind the reader that it was during President Arthur's administration that the present Civil Service Commission was appointed, the date of their selection being March 1, 1883. Although at work but little over a year, and with such an extensive field to cover, the members of the commission have done much to raise the standard and improve the quality of those entering the civil service. The Commissioners are: Dorman B. Eaton, of New York; Leroy D. Thoman, of Ohio, and Dr. John M. Gregory, of Illinois. The Republican party has from President Grant's recommendation in 1870 held advanced views respecting reform in the civil service; and it goes without saying that the prime movers along this line of reformation have been all the while in close fellowship and sympathy with the Republican party. If anything further need be said respecting the attitude of the Republican party with reference to civil service reform, it may be found in that plank of the platform adopted June 5, 1884, by the National Republican Convention in this city, which is as follows: "Reform of the civil service, auspiciously begun under Republican administration, should be completed by the further extension of the reformed system already established by law to all the grades of the service to which it is applicable. The spirit and purpose of reform should be observed in all Executive appointments, and all laws at variance with the objects of existing reformed legislation should be repealed, to the end that the dangers to free institutions which lurk in the power of official patronage may be wisely and effectively avoided."

THE SEVEN SAGES OF GREECE. BLAIR, Neb. Will Our Ouriosity shop give a brief sketch of the Seven Wise Men, and their teachings? A. G. WARD.

Answer.-Solon, Chilo, Pittacus, Bias, Periander, Cleobulus, and Thales are those most generally named as the seven wise men of Greece, and they were the authors of the celebrated mottoes inscribed in more recent times in the Delphian Temple. Solon, through the imprudent course of his father, was compelled to engage in commercial adventures, and the celebrated law-giver sought foreign shores, the fruits of his travels being a varied experience of men, manners and institutions. His work, on returning to Athens, was that of a wise, unselfish patriot, who sought earnestly, and with measurable success, to compose the distractions, social and political, which then rent the city. His motto was, "Know thyself." Chilo, one of the ephori, was a Spartan, who early directed his attention to public affairs, and many of whose maxims are quoted by the ancient writers; one of the most famous of these was, "Consider the end." Pittacus was a native of Mytilene, in Lesbos, became a soldier, rose to supreme power in the state, acted with great patriotism, placed severe restrictions upon drunken-ness, and having done much for the peace and

prosperity of the people, he voluntarily resigned his power. "Know thy opportunity," or, as it is + sometimes rendered, "Be watchful of opportunities," is attributed to him. Bias, a native of Ionia, was a poetical philosopher, and studied the laws of his country, and employed his knowledge in the service of his friends, defending them in the courts of justice, settling their disputes, and be made a noble use of his wealth. Said Bias: "Most men are bad." Periander, though a tyrant of Corinth, was distinguished for his love of science and literature, which entitled him to be ranked among the seven wise men of Greece. Of Cleobulus, of the island of Rhodes, who was not less remarkable for strength than for beauty of person, but little is known. His favorite maxim was, "Moderation is best," or "Avoid excesses." philosopher, born at Miletus, and founder of the Ionic seot, traveled like Solon in quest of knowledge, and it is said learned, while at Memphis, geometry, philosophy, and astronomy. He is said also to have invented several fundamental propositions, which were afterward incorporated into the elements of Euclid. He taught the Greeks the division of the heavens into five zones, and the solstitial and equinoctial points, and approached so near to the knowledge of the true length of the solar revolutions that he corrected their calendar, and made their year contain 365 days.

"

could be done as well as others,' set up a ladder 100 feet high, from which he leaped into the water below." Patch then went to Genesee Falls, N. Y., and made a leap Nov. 6, 1829, and then made his fatal plunge Nov. 13, less than a week after his first attempt. The last time he jumped 120 feet, when, it is said, "he was so drunk he could stand upright only with difficulty." As one writer grimly says: "It was for him a leap-year that never returned."

CHICAGO'S PUBLIC PARKS. CRESCO, Iowa. Will Our Curiosity Shop give the acreage of the Chicago public parks? G.A. VANT. Answer.-From "Chicago and Suburbs" take the following figures of the area of the different parks, according to their location in the city:

No. acres. 225

SAM PATCH'S GREAT LEAPS. MILBANK, D. T. Will Our Curiosity Shop inform us about the great leaps of Sam Patch at Niagara Falls and Genesee Falls? A. M.

Answer.-Sam Patch made his first leap at Niagara Falls, Oct. 6, 1829, from a rock seventy feet above the water. The second leap was in the same year, Oct. 17, from a scaffold at the foot of the Biddle staircase. This was erected that year and was named after a Philadelphian, Nicholas Biddle, who contributed a sum of money toward its construction. The shaft is eighty feet high, and the stairs are spiral, winding around it from top to bottom. Near the foot of these stairs, at the water's edge, "the distinguished Beotian, Mr. Samuel Patch, who wished to demonstrate to the world that 'some things

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WAKARUSA, Ind.

THE WITCH OF ENDOR.

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Will Our Curiosity Shop explain the Scripture story found in II.Samuel, xxviii chapter, and the first fifteen verses. JOHN A. WALTERS. Answer.-The Scripture history seems to be tolerably clearly related, but for the purpose of assisting inquirers we give a paraphrase of it. King Saul's reign over the Hebrews opened very favorably, but as his character developed it revealed several somewhat unlovely traits which caused him considerable trouble later in life. presumed to exercise offices which, under the old dispensation, were to be performed only by prophets and priests. It is believed by some commentators that his insisting that Jonathan should die, though the army interfered in time, was the result of madness. It seems, also, that the decree as to the building of the temple by one of Saul's successors crushed one of his ambitious designs, and from the time when the will of Jehovah was revealed to him in that mat

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ter, his mind appears to have changed. He be came suspicious of those around him; though naturally a brave man, he showed cowardice before Israel's inveterate enemies, the Philistines; he patronized David, forgot him, remembered him, and then sought his life-these things bear evidence of unsoundness. On the eve of a battle, which he feels in his mentally unsettled condition will be an important one to him and his line, he seeks out a witch-the Witch of Endor-and demands of her an interview with the prophet Samuel, who had been dead some time. The woman performs her incantations, and is apparently horrified at the result of her work, for she herself sees an apparition and hears the voice of the dead. The verses which are referred to contain the remainder of the story. Saul, although crushed by the intelligence imparted to him by the shade of the prophet, gave battle to the Philistines, but was defeated with great slaughter, the killed including Saul's three sons, and to save himself he fell upon his own sword. Thus terminated the career of a man whose beginning was promising in the extreme, and whose decline and fall afford ample lessons to rulers of modern times.

OUTLINES OF RECENT HISTORY.

No. 249 DEARBORN AVENUE, CHICAGO. Will THE INTER OCEAN give a brief sketch of the history of Germany, France, England, and the United States for the last fifteen years, with a list of the present rulers of the principal countries of the world? It would be of interest to all young students in history, especially as at this time, in the schools, they are finishing their text-books, which do not give recent history. M. A. MINEAH.

Answer.-The outlines of history herewith given cover the period from the year 1870 to 1882, inclusive. During that time many important events have occupied a large share of the public attention, and the public mind has been filled with this later-day history to so great an extent that often the questions and movements lying back of and beyond them have faded away in the distance. However, as has been intimated in the communication which heads this article, a considerable number of intelligent readers find that the avenues of information coming to within a dozen years of them are cut off, except as they find their way through the daily papers, and yet, strange to say, the student, however bright and progressive, seldom has his attention called to the history of the day which the daily journals furnish. We have endeavored to bring down these subjoined outlines to within a year, and so fill the space between the time the text-books discontinued their records and the present.

UNITED STATES.

1870-Jan. 15, Virginia, and Mississippi readmitted to Congress. Jan. 20, H. R. Revels, first colored United States Senator, elected from Mississippi. Feb. 9, Signal Service Weather Bureau, U. S., established by Congress. Feb. 23, Anson Burlingame died. March 28, General George H. Thomas died. March 30, adoption of the fifteenth amendment announced. April 20, Texas and Georgia readmitted to Congress, May 24, Fenian invasion of Canada suppressed. June 22, the Department of Justice established. July 12, Admiral J. A. Dahlgren died July 24, first

through car from the Pacific coast arrived in New York. Aug. 14, Admiral David G. Farragut died. Aug. 22, striot neutrality in the Franco-Prussian war proclaimed, Oct. 12, General Robert E. Lee died. Oct. 19, earthquake throughout the United States. Deo. 17, Rear Admiral Samuel L. Breese died. Dec. 24, the Rev. Albert Barnes died. This year the great Brooklyn bridge was begun.

1871-Jan. 11, San Domingo Commission appointed. Jan. 25, statue of Abraham Lincoln in the Capitol at Washington unveiled. Jan. 26, George Ticknor, historian, died. President signs bill giving District of Columbia a territorial government. Feb. 9, United States Fish Commission established. Feb. 12, Alice Cary died. March 8, civil-service-reform act passed. May 26, treaty ratified agreeing to arbitration of Geneva regarding the Alabama claims. June, American fleet visit Corea to conclude treaty for protection of mariners, attacked, and the Corean forts destroved. June 17, C. L. Vallandigham died. July 12, great riot in New York between Orangemen and Catholics. July 31, Phoebe Cary died. Sept. 4, great excitement in New York over the Tweed ring frauds. Oct. 28, Tweed arrested. Oct. 8-11, great Chicago fire. November, dispute between Secretary of State Hamilton Fish and Russian Minister Catacazy, for interference, and Catacazy dismissed. Nov. 8, Captain C. F. Hall, arctic explorer, died. Nov. 18, Grand Duke Alexis arrived in New York. In 1871 first patent issued for oleomargarine.

1872-Jan. 7, James Fisk, Jr., killed. Jan. 9, General Henry W. Halleck died. Jan. 16, general passed. amnesty bill Jan. 1-15, serious political disturbances in New Orleans. March, formation of Yellowstone National Park authorized by Congress. April 2, S. F. B Morse died. May 1, Horace Greeley nominated at Cincinnati, Ohio, by Liberals. June 6, General Grant nominated by Republicans at Philadelphia. June, general labor strike in New York, 100,000 workmen cease work. June 17% to July 4, great international musical peace jubilee at Boston. July 10, Greeley nominated at Baltimore by Democrats. Aug. 11, Lowell Mason, musical composer, died. Aug. 19, Judge Barnard, at New York, convicted of corruption, and removed. nomiSept. 3, Charles O'Conor, nated by "Straight-out Democrats." Sept. 14. announcement of the Geneva award in the Alabama claims. Sept. 25, Peter Cartwright died. Oct. 10, "Fanny Fern" died. Oct. 10, William H. Seward died. Oct. 23, Emperor of Germany, arbitrator in the San Juan difficulty, awards the island to the United States. Nov. 5, General Grant re-elected President. Nov. 6, General G. G. Meade died. Nov. 9-10, great fire at Boston. Nov. 29, Horace Greeley died. Dec. 12, Edwin Forrest died. Dec. 19, beginning of the Credit Mobilier exposures. Dec. 23, George Catlin died.

1873-September (1872) and February, Professor Tyndall visits United States. February, serious political disturbances in Louisiana.. March 3, the "salary grab” passed by Congress. May 7, Chief Justice Salmon P. Chase died. April 11, massacre of General Canby and the Rev. Dr. Thomas by Indians. June 1, Captain Jack cap--

tured. June 27, Hiram Powers, sculptor of "The Greek Slave," died at Florence. Sept. 19, great financial panic, spreads over all the country. Nov. 19, John P. Hale died. Nov. 27, the Hoosao Tunnel completed. Deo. 14. Louis Agassiz died This year the telephone was invented.

1874-Jan. 21, Morrison R. Waite confirmed Chief Justice of the United States. Feb. 10, woman's crusade against the liquor traffic begins in Ohio. March 8, Millard Fillmore, ex-President, died. March 11, Senator Charles Sumner died. April 13, James Bogardus, inventor, died. June 30, Henry Grinnell, philanthropist, died. July 1, Charley Ross kidnaped. Aug. 27, Mr. Beecher tried and acquitted by his church of charges preferred against him by Theodore Tilton. Sept. 19, great fire at Fall River (Mass.) cotton-mills, sixty lives lost. Oct. 15. Lincoln monument at Springfield, Ill., dedicated. Dec. 28, Gerrit Smith died. December, Senator John Sherman's resumption bill passed the Senate. Close of the Freedmen's Bank.

1875-Jan. 4, political troubles in Louisiana quelled by General Sheridan. Jan. 11, beginning of the Beecher civil trial. Feb. 11, shipment of American beef to England begun. March, New York Canal ring exposure. April 19, centenary of battles of Lexington and Concord celebrated. May 17, J. C. Breckenridge died. May 17, the whisky ring exposures and prosecutions began. June 17, centenary of battle of Bunker Hill celebrated. June 17, gold discovered in the Black Hills. June, the red-ribbon temperance movement began at Bangor, Me. July 2, trial of Tilton against Beecher, jury disagreeing. July 31, Andrew Johnson. ex-President, died. Aug. 16, President C. G. Finney, of Oberlin College, died. Aug. 26, closing of Bank of California. In August the "tramp" nuisance began to attract attention. Sept. 30, Archbishop McCloskey, of New York, made first American Cardinal. Sept. 30, President Grant, in addressing the soldiers in Iowa, protests against Roman Catholic aggression. Oct. 24, Moody and Sankey's gospel work began at Brooklyn. Nov. 22, Vice President Henry Wilson died; Dec. 4, Boss Tweed escaped.

1876-Jan. 1, celebrations at Philadelphia and elsewhere on the opening of the centennial year. Jan. 8, Dr. S. Gridley Howe died. Feb. 17, Horace Bushnell died. Feb. 18, Charlotte Cushman died. March 2, impeachment of Secretary of War W. W. Belknap. March, increased opposition to Chinese immigration. April 10, A. T. Stewart died. April 14, Lincoln monument at Washington erected by the colored people unveiled. April 19, the President vetoes the bill for the reduction of the President's salary. May 10. Centennial Exposition opened at Philadelphia. June 16, Governor R. B. Hayes nominated for President by Republican convention at Cincinnati. June 17, battle between General Crook's forces and Sioux Indians on the Rosebud. June 25, slaughter of General Custer and his command by Sioux Indians on the Little Big Horn. June 29, Governor Samuel J. Tilden nominated for President by Democrats at St.

Louis. July 4, centenary celebration of the founding of the Republic. August, Hamburg (8. 0.) massacre of oolored men by whites. Aug. 1, Belknap's case tried by the Senate, and he is acquitted. September, General Braxton Bragg died. Sept. 25, reefs at Hell Gate blown up. Nov. 7, Rutherford B. Hayes elected President. Nov. 10, Centennial Exposition closed. Dec. 5, burning of the Brook. lyn Theater, 300 lives lost. Dec. 6, first cremation furnace at Washington, Pa.. Dec. 29, Ashtabula railroad disaster, P. P. Bliss killed.

1877-Jan. 4, Cornelius Vanderbilt died; the "blue-glass" mania prevailed. Jan. 30, electoral commission chosen. March 2, President-elect R. B. Hayes' election confirmed. March 4. inaugurated. March 23, John D Lee executed for the Mountain Meadows massacre. April 29, "Parson" Brownlow died. May 28, General Grant visits Great Britain. May 29, John Lothrop Motley, historian, died. June, Molly Maguires create a reign of terror in parts of Pennsylvania. June 17, John S. C. Abbott died. June 24, Robert Dale Owen died. July 16-22, railroad strikes, beginning on the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, extended over all the country. Aug. 29, Brigham Young died. September, heartv reception of President Hayes in the South. Oct. 15, Samuel J. Randall, Democrat, elected Speaker of Congress; Nov. 1. Oliver P. Morton died. Nov. 29, John M. Harlan, of Kentucky, confirmed Justice of Supreme Court.

1878-Jan 16, Samuel Bowles died. Feb. 11, Gideon Welles died. Feb. 16, Bland's silver bill, making silver a legal tender, passed by Congress, vetoed by the President. March 2, B. F. Wade died; April 12, "Boss" Tweed died. June 12, Wm. Cullen Bryant died, July, intense heat in the United States. August, General Ben F. Butler left the Republican party, and identified himself with Denis Kearney, et al. August, September, and October, heavy mortality by yellow fever. Dec. 18, under Republican rule, gold is at par for the first time since 1862. Dec. 19, Bavard Taylor died. December, Archbishop Purcell's failure. The phonograph invented.

1879-Jan 1, resumption of specie payments. general good feeling throughout the country. Jan. 2, Caleb Cushing died. March and April, immense exodus of colored people from the Southern States, and their settlement in Kansas and other Western States. March 7, Elihu Burritt died. April 21, John A. Dix died. May 24, Wm. Lloyd Garrison died. July 8, the Jeannette expedition left for polar seas; Aug. 31, General J. B. Hood died. Sept. 20. General Grant's return from tour around the world. Sept. 28, the Ute Indian outbreak. Oct. 31, General Joseph Hooker died. Nov. 1, Zachariah Chandler died. Dec. 6, E. B. Bigelow, inventor, died. Dea 16, General William Mahone elected United States Senator from Virginia. Dec. 28, great fire at Boston.

1880-Jan. 17, the Maine Legislature elected D. F. Davis Governor, there having been no choice by the people. Jan. 26, James Russell Lowell confirmed Minister to Great Britain. Feb. 12, President Haves guaranteed Indian Territory