The Power of Imagination.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XXIII, Issue 7663, 25 June 1896, Page 4

The Power of Imagination.

Alexandra Dumas, the elder, was writing a semi novel for a Paris daily journal, and one day the Marquis de P called on him. "Dumas" said he, " have you composed the end of the story now boing published in the ?•" "Of course." " Does the heroine die at the end ?" "Of course— dies of consumption. After such symptoms as I have described, how could she live ?" " You must change the catastrophe." "I cannot." "Yea you must ; for on your heroine's life depends my daughter's." "Your daughter's!" " Yes ; she has all the various symptoms of consumption you have described, and watches mournfully every number of your novel, reading her own fate in that ot your heroine. Now if you make your heroine live, my daughter, whose imagination has been very deeply impressed, will live too. Come : A life to save is a temptation—" "Net to be resisted." Dumas changed his last chapter. His heroine recovered and was linpny. About five years afterwards Dumas mot the Marquis at a party. "Ah, Dumas," he exclaimed " let me introduce you to my 1 daughter ; she owes her life to you. | There she is." "That fine, handsome | woman, who looks like Joanne d'Arc ?" "Yes she is married and has four children." " And my novel has just four ' editions," said Dumas, "so we are quits. " Six mammoth ocean flyers are at present i in course of construction for the North , German Lloyd line, as additions to their | already extensive fleet. Two of them are for the New York passenger trade ; they are to be twin screw, and to have a speed of 21 ' knots. They will exceed in size the Atlantic liners Campunia and Lucania. The other 1 four are for the Australian and Asiatic trade and will each be 525 ft long, and have a gioss capacity of 10,000 tonß. At the Industrial Exhibition of the German Empire, now held l at Berlin, the North German Lloyd showa j a novel exhibit, being a complete full-aizod copy of a part of these new steamers from 1 the stern to the second funnel, 266 ft long, reaching 183 ft into the river Spree, and 47ft | high from the surface of the water. This half of a steamer is fitted up full size in ! exactly the same way the new steamers will be built. Saloons, staterooms, decks, galley, and pantry, doctor's rooms, hospital, etc., 1 ect. , are all shown as they will bo when they are completed. In one of the saloons models s of nearly all tho steamers belonging to the Lloyd can be inspected, from the small boats J started in 1857 to the largest passenger ' steamers now afloat ; also models of the extensive dock and harbor works now being built by the Lloyd at Bremen, and, further, of the principal German shipbuilding yards, which constructed some of the best of the Lloyd steamers. Dr Austin Flint believes that tho treatment of crime and criminals under the existing laws and their methods of excution is a serious failure, inasmuch as they are based upon tho ancient idea of vengeance and retaliation in the form of punishment. He holds that tho medical profession should at least endeavor to induce the judges, lawyers, and lawmakers to study law in tho light of modern scientific knowledge. As an abstract proposition, this is undoubtedly excellent, but experience has often shown that tho legal mind is very difficult to fnfluenco in tho direction indicated. Criminals mny be divided into two classes — the curable, and tho incurable, and in the scientific .study of crime the medical man has to do mainly with the occasional, tho habitual, and tho born criminal. Each obviously demands a different mode of treatment, if any satisfactory progress is to bo m.ulo towards reformation. This matter is one which is well worthy of closo attention, nnd might bo made the subject of a useful and interesting inquiry by somo competont prison medical officer. — Modical Press. Mr Ira P. Wetmoro, a prominent rea estate agent of San Angelo, Texns, has used Chamberlain's Colic, Cholera, and Diarrhoea Remedy in his family for several years as occasion required, and always with perfect success. He says : " I find it a perfect cure for our baby when troubled with colic or ■ dysentery. I now feel that my outfit is not complete without a bottle of this Remedy at home or on a trip away from home " For sale j by E. D. Smith, wholesale and retail agent, I -Advt.