Sir Robert Baden-Powell-better known as General Baden-Powell, the hero of Mafeking-is visiting America in the interest of the Boy Scouts. Happy must be the ex-soldier who can thus devote his time and energy to making soldiers for humanity out of undisciplined recruits in the shape of growing boys.

The Girl Pioneers of America is the name of a new society that proposes to enlist the activity of young girls on lines analogous to those of the Boy Scout movement.

Americans desirous of escaping from the rigors of a northern winter to sunny southern climes can now have hotel comforts on the voyage. A new cruiser built for this traffic has bunkless staterooms-bedsteads taking the place of the familiar shelf; a window in every stateroom; a thirty-foot swimming-pool, with artificially warmed water, and a two-story dining-room with artificially cooled air when that is desired. Another steamer provides a ball-room and a gymnasium for the amusement of passengers.

The old Congress Hall in Philadelphia, in which George Washington took the oath of office as President at the beginning of his second term, in 1793, is being restored to the appearance it presented on that historic occasion.

A correspondent of the "Literary Digest "avers that the famous crack in the Liberty Bell is not a crack, but only the facsimile of a crack. His assertion is that the original bell was indeed cracked, but that the present bell is a recast from a model of the old one, with the crack filled up, though still showing the lines of the defect. Philadelphia papers please copy.

The Salvation Army recently stated that its property holdings in the United States exceed $5,000,000 in value. This is a pertinent illustration of the fact that the larger religious organizations, Catholic and Protestant, Quaker, Jewish, and Mormon, generally find it easy to accumulate property. If they could only pass on the secret to struggling local churchés !

A writer in the "Electrical Review" thinks that electrical companies should attach to business letters a "sticker" defining electrical terms, such as watt, ampere, volt, kilowatt, load-factor, etc. This brings to mind a paragraph in another journal about a telephone subscriber who called up 66 Information" to ask how many inches there are in a meter. To Information's inquiry, "Haven't you got a dictionary that you could consult ?" came the answer, "Yes, but it's less trouble to ask you."

A vacation home for poor and needy persons and for convalescents or persons in delicate health has been provided for in the will of Mrs. Caroline Neustadter, of New York City, who left $1,000,000 for the purpose. This is a most commendable bequest, but let us hope that, for the sake of the feelings of the beneficiaries, the words ". poor and needy" will be carefully eliminated from the name of the home and its announcements. For real benefit, a vacation must upbuild the spirit as well as the body.

The United States leads the nations in growth of population for the last forty years. Within that period its increase has been 52,500,000; Germany comes next, with 24,000,000; then Great Britain, with 13,500,000; while France's increase has been only 3,500,000.

Amulets and charms are still widely believed in, judg. ing from the letters of recommendation in circulars sent through the mails by a Boston jeweler who sells "lucky stones." "The very day I received the lucky stone," says one of the gullible ones, "I met a man who had owed me several dollars for years, and he paid me all that was coming to me." ." Rheumatism and other bodily ills as well as bad debts are, so the letters say, cured by the lucky stone. Now if the Post-Office authorities could only get one of these marvelous stones, perhaps they would be lucky enough to terminate their sale.

There are unlucky stones too, it seems. The famous Hope diamond, which week before last was bought by a

gem-loving American, has a reputation for bringing misfortune to its owner. As its most recent buyer, however, gave $180,000 for it (a record price for a diamond in America), while a few years ago it sold for only $80,000, the Hope diamond appears to be living down its bad repute and living up to the significance of its name.

Vital statistics ascribe short lives to printers, on the average, but the recent report of the Public Printer states that there are employed at present in the Government Printing Office at Washington 250 persons over sixty-five years of age. The saying that among Government employees "few die and none resign" seems the only explanation.

Sixty-six shops of the Pennsylvania Railroad, employ ing 50,000 men, have been equipped with safety appliances, and the result has been a decrease of accidents from an average of 300 a month to about 100. Bulletins have also been issued to the employees showing how to avoid accident, and these have had a helpful influence.

A painting by Corot, "Souvenir des Environs du Lac de Nemi," was recently sold at auction in New York City for $85,000-the largest price ever paid in America for a picture by this artist. It is said that Corot originally sold the painting for $1,000.

Among recent patents which attract attention by reason of their novelty are one for making sausages without casings (a searing process), and one for an illuminated flat iron. The latter contrivance is described as containing incandescent light bulbs which serve at the same time to heat the iron and to illuminate the work which is being ironed.

"In America," says a contemporary, we need more old things. Be it ever so homely, Smith's Pond, if the origi nal name, is better than Fairy Glen Lake, or any other fanciful appellation." The difficulty is, there may be a dozen Smith's Ponds or Smithvilles in the same State. Even a good name may be used too often. For instance, there are said to be ten Lincoln streets and avenues in the newly amalgamated city of Pittsburgh. It is the confusing repetition of names, quite as much as the lack of invention shown in bestowing them, that often causes dissatisfaction with familiar names.

The palindrome, or sentence which reads alike forward or backward, has exercised the ingenuity of many minds since Adam said to Eve, "Madam, I'm Adam." One, which an exchange attributes to Boïto, the composer, is a characterization of two of Shakespeare's heroes, in Italian: "Ebro è Otel, ma Amleto è orbe" (Drunken is Othello, but Hamlet is mad).

A proposed new game law in New York State will make the open season for deer-hunting later in the year, with the purpose, in part, of preventing the accidental shooting of human beings. It is thought that when the trees are denuded of leaves the man affected with "buck fever" will be less likely to shoot his guide or companion.

That musicians, like every one else, should be careful in writing humorous letters is illustrated by the break in the friendship between Wagner and Liszt. Following a would-be humorous appeal for money from Wagner to his friend, the correspondence between the two, we are informed by the London "Musical Times," ceased for eleven years. An appeal for a loan is apt to strain any friendship; and when it is couched in humorous terms

Uncle Sam's corn club for boys last year had 55,000 members. Each of these boys planted and harvested an acre of corn. Bennie Beeson, of Monticello, Mississippi, raised 227 bushels on his acre. The average yield per acre by men farmers, the country over, is about 28 bushels. A little girl of eleven, Lois Edmonds, is said to be the champion bread-maker of Iowa, she having won the honor in competition with 1,400 other contestants. She is to visit Washington together with ten boys who are champion corn-raisers in their respective districts in Iowa, the party being sent by the Congressmen of the State.

LYMAN ABBOTT, Editor-in-Chief

THE END OF THE MANCHU DYNASTY

HAMILTON W. MABIE, Associate Editor

The Manchu dynasty has abdicated, after holding the Chinese Imperial The de

throne for nearly three centuries. cree of abdication will be of historic moment. It reads as follows:

The whole country is tending toward a republican form of government. It is the will of Heaven, and it is certain that we could not reject the people's desire for the sake of one family's honor and glory.

We, the Dowager Empress and the Emperor, hand over the sovereignty to the people. We decide the form of government to be a constitutional republic.

In this time of transition, in order to unite the South and the North, we appoint Yuan Shi-kai to organize a provisional government, consulting the people's army regarding the union of the five peoples, Manchus, Chinese, Mongolians, Mohammedans, and Tibetans. These peoples jointly constitute the great state of Chung Hwa Ming-kus [a republic of China].

We retire to a peaceful life and will enjoy the respectful treatment of the nation.

This was signed by the Empress Dowager for herself and the little Emperor, by Yuan Shi-kai as Prime Minister, and also by the other Ministers. On the day following the publication of the decree, there appeared the first of Yuan Shi-kai's messages as "President Plenipotentiary of the Republic "-the title which he now requests the Powers to recognize. A part of this message is also worth quoting:

Yuan Shi-kai, by virtue of the power vested in him to establish a republican form of government in China, declares that, whereas the Emperor of the Ta Ching ["Great Pure"] dynasty has abdicated, China shall henceforth be known as the Ching Hwa [Chinese] Republic and will adopt a republican form of government.

While a provisional government is being established, all Ministers who are credited to foreign governments shall act for the time being as diplomatic representatives, and shall continue to perform their duties as heretofore. While Yuan Shi-kai was doubtless sincere in believing a constitutional monarchy to be the best government for China, he must have

become impressed, as has every one, by the unexpectedly widespread demand for a republic. Whether under one or the other governmental form, however, this "strong man of China" would doubtless be the real wielder of power.

RECOGNITION OF

THE REPUBLIC

In behalf of the republican

government at Nanking, President Sun informed Yuan Shi-kai of the rejoicing at the Ernperor's abdication and at the Premier's declaration, but added, "the republic is unable to recognize the appointment of an organizer by the Ching Emperor." Dr. Sun requested Yuan's immediate presence in Nanking, in order that the Republicans be allowed to work out their own salvation. But though Yuan did not go to Nanking, the Republicans elected him President in place of Sun, who had patriotically resigned so as to make way for a man who, it is hoped, can, more than any other, unite all China. It is now expected that, as proposed by President Yuan, a duly elected national convention will be called and a permanent government organized. Until that is done the Powers, it is supposed, will not recognize the republic. Our own Government has naturally welcomed the formation of other republics, but our policy of recognition is grounded on more than a century of precedents. Despite popular demand for immediate action, we did not recognize the recently formed Portuguese republic until the first Parliament, elected under the changed rule, had recorded itself as supporting a new government. Such a record in China would be demonstrated by the election of a National Assembly which would support a republican form of government and declare itself for such a government. Before recognition is granted to any new government, the sovereign power of the State in which that government has been established should be asserted in its favor.

On another page The Outlook prints arguments for and against the probable success of a republic. At present one can be sure of but one thing, and that is that the old order has passed away. Whether the new form of government be ultimately a constitutional monarchy or a republic, all who desire the triumph of civilization will feel sure that henceforth the Chinese will be assured of a far greater measure both of liberty and justice than they have heretofore enjoyed.

THE OPENING OF THE BRITISH PARLIAMENT

The new session of the British Parliament opened last week calmly and uneventfully, but with ample possibilities for future excitement. The politi cal situation is tense with interest in two directions, domestic legislation and foreign affairs. The legislative programme of the Cabinet was dismissed in the King's speech in three short sentences. But the curtness of the dismissal was no measure of the importance of the programme. The Ministry is committed to bring forward at this session three great topics-Home Rule for Ireland, the disestablishment of the Welsh Church, and manhood suffrage. Any one of these subjects contains enough matter for controversy to occupy the attention of the Cabinet, the Parliament, and the people to the full. Probably no one of them would find an easy course through the House of Lords; but with the enactment of the Parliament Bill last year, the Government has it in its power to pass, without reference to the upper chamber, any measure on which it can keep the House of Commons united for two years. The problem before Prime Minister Asquith is to keep his coalition of Liberals, Laborites, and Irish Nationalists united as he has done so successfully for the past three years. Among the serious obstacles which he may find in the way of his success are the possible lukewarmness of the English people on the question of Home Rule when it actually becomes a question of passing the bill; the demand of the Suffragists that manhood suffrage shall not be granted unless it carries woman suffrage with it; the dissatisfaction which has been loudly expressed with the Government's foreign policy, especially in relation to Persia; and the natural swing of the pendulum and the almost inevitable exhaustion of a party which has carried out successfully three such great measures as the

Lloyd George Budget, the Parliament Bill, and the Insurance Act. In the realm of foreign affairs the two most significant events just preceding the opening of Parliament were the visit of Lord Haldane, the Minister of War, to Berlin, and the honoring of Sir Edward Grey, the Foreign Minister, with the Order of the Garter. This is the first time since the days of Horace Walpole that the Garter has been conferred upon a commoner; and the honor to Sir Edward Grey is more marked from the fact that there was no vacancy in the membership of the Order, so that a special place had to be created for him. The conferring of this honor upon the Foreign Minister is variously interpreted as an expression of approval, on the part of the Crown, of his foreign policy, which the British people, with their usual aptitude for making phrases, have come to call the "glad hand" policy, and as a prophecy of his advancement to the Premiership when the rumored retirement of Mr. Asquith takes place. The purpose of Lord Haldane's visit to Berlin was an informal conference with the German Government looking toward a better understanding between the two nations. In the House of Commons on the first day of the session the Premier declared that there was unmistakable evidence of a sincere desire on both sides for the establishment of such a better understanding. A statement by the German Chancellor in the Reichstag the next day contained a similar expression. Both speeches were warmly received in England and in Germany. The successful establishment of more cordial relations between Great Britain and Germany would be a triumph for the Asquith Government, and especially for its Foreign Minister, which ought to do a great deal to strengthen it in the country.

THE PRESIDENT AGGRESSIVE

President Taft has burned his bridges behind him. He has, as definitely as he well could, put himself on record as belonging to that faction in his party which is opposed to the Progressive movement. In a speech on Lincoln's Birthday before the Republican Club of the city of New York he made no criticism of any element in his party that is reactionary, no criticism that could apply to those who have come to be known as stand-patters "— the Cannons, the Aldriches, the Penroses of the party. On the other hand, he made in