for a union man to put it on." The young man admitted he had been taught a lesson in union ideas. In another article the warning is sounded that great danger is at hand. All over our land organizations of the master class have said individual contracts shall be made. Whoever saw a picture illustrating the large, overgrown bully striking his more weak brother down. Mr. Parry says his organization represents billions of dollars. Think of those gentlemen, with their billions, pitting themselves against the poor fellow who gets but $9.00 per week. If they would only look upon themselves as others see them, their faces should blush with shame. What will cause a gentleman of today to be more indignant than to see a great lubber of a schoolboy pummeling a smaller and weaker schoolmate? And yet it represents the same thingthe organization, with its millions, on top of the poor unfortunate fellow, pummeling him because he wants $9.50 per week and is getting only $9.00. MEMBER 265. The Merit System in Hell According to custom, Satan sat And an eloquent Walking Delegate. "Sit down," said the Chief to the Trust Magnate, "And the sum of your virtues briefly state. Make haste," he added, "the night grows old And I've customers waiting outside in the cold." Said the Trust Magnate, with an unctuous air, As he took his seat in a spike-bottomed chair, "Dear sir, don't rake me over the coals, I've given work to a million souls. "Men have grown haggard and old in my pay, Mothers have toiled both night and day, Children have wrought at each shuttle and spool When they might have been wasting their time at school. Miscellany The War in the Far East. The war between Russia and Japan still rages. Rumor to the effect that an intervention in behalf of peace on the part of a third power would be acceptable to Russia, gave the world to hope that a cessation of hostilities was one of the possibilities of the near future. This hope has been shattered by the grim declaration on the part of that power that the fight must continue to the bitter end. When the immense resources of Russia are taken into consideration, in comparison with those of her antagonist, it is not to be wondered at that she would persevere in the hope of final victory. When comparisons are drawn between the two nations, it would seem that Russia could overwhelm Japan by her superior forces, but developments have demonstrated that generalship, strategy and a complete state of preparedness count for more in modern warfare than a superiority of numbers when these conditions do not prevail. When war was declared it seemed as though the principal fighting would be confined to Korea. It was expected that Russia would reënforce her already established position in that country, and with her million or more soldiers "drive the Japs into the sea." Instead, she practically withdrew her troops without a struggle, garrison after garrison throughout Korea yielding with little or no resistance to the victorious Japs. It was then supposed that Russian reën forcements could not be pushed to Korea in sufficient numbers to successfully resist the Japanese's attack, but that a stand would be made on the Manchurian side of the Yalu river, which would render the Japanese advance into that province impossible until reënforcements sufficient to overwhelm them would arrive. The world expected the land forces of Russia to redeem the prestige she lost through her crushing naval reverses, but results thus far would indicate on the part of Japan the possession of land fighting capabilities as superior to those of Russia as have been her naval operations. The Liao Yang peninsula in Manchuria is at present the scene of hostilities. Russia, through successful diplomatic negotiations with China, has been long since established on this territory, and the Japs propose to dispossess her. Port Arthur, the great Russian sea base, is invested by the Japanese from land and sea, all communications being cut off. What remains of the Russian navy is bottled up in Port Arthur harbor, inevitable destruction or capture awaiting it. The beautiful city and harbor of Dalney, which Russia at a cost of many millions built and equipped with all modern improvements and facilities, has been abandoned and partially destroyed by her own forces in anticipation of Japanese occupancy. The ports of Yen Kow and New Chwang have been taken by the Japs, the former being the most important port on the left of the peninsula. The Japanese are already threatening Liao Yang, at which point the Russians are reported to have collected a vast quantity of ammunition and other supplies and where it was expected they would make a stand under the command of General Kuropatkin, but which they must now abandon and retire on Mukden or even Harbin, the latter being their main base of supplies, where they will await the arrival of one hundred thousand troops, one-half of which are on the way from Moscow, and the other half from Kharkoff, in Southern Russia. So threatening and strategically dangerous are the positions which the Japs have assumed around Liao Yang that General Kuropatkin may be compelled to retreat without his stores, or run the risk of isolation and the ultimate destruction of his army. It is not yet four months since this war started. The work accomplished by the indefatigable Japs during that period is almost inconceivable. Since February 7th, when the Japs seized Masanpho in Korea as a base of operations and commenced landing troops, their advance has been one succession of victories, regardless of obstacles, which can be little realized by those unacquainted with the country through which they have toiled and the rigorous winter weather which they have had to face. The Japanese, however, have been over this same territory before, they having traversed the same ground in their successful war with China. All this, taken into consideration with their thorough preparedness for the pres ent conflict and their many superior fighting qualities, justifies the conclusion that Russia, if she wants to stay in Manchuria at all, must greatly increase her energy and armies beyond what they have been since the war began. Should the Japs drive the Russians across the border into Mongolia, there is every reason to believe that the Chinese army now stationed there would attack the latter, and thus make a general world war not only possible but probable. The following chronology will be of interest: Feb. 6. Diplomatic relations with Russia were broken off by Japan. Feb. 7. Japan adopted Korea as a base of operations, seized Masanpho and commenced landing troops. Feb. 8, 9. Japanese bombarded Port Arthur, torpedoed Russian vessels, sinking four and disabling three others, during a general engagement between the naval forces. Feb. 9. Japanese fleet engaged the Russians off Chemulpo, Korea, and succeeded in sinking the gunboat Karietz and the cruiser Variag. Feb. 10. Russia accuses Japan of acting in bad faith. Declarations of war issued by both the Mikado and the Czar. Feb. 11. Proclamation of neutrality issued by President Roosevelt of the United States. Feb. 12. Russian transport Yenisei destroyed in the harbor of Port Arthur by coming in contact with Russian mine. Feb. 13. Russian cruiser Boyarin destroyed in the harbor of Port Arthur by submarine mines. Feb. 14. Port Arthur attacked by Japanese torpedo fleet and six Russian colliers captured. Feb. 15. Occupation of New Chwang by Russians. Japanese land 19,000 troops at Chemulpo. Feb. 19. Russia refused to issue recognition papers to E. V. Morgan, appointed by the United States as Consul at Dalney. Russian squadron stationed at Jibutil ordered to return to Cronstadt. Feb. 20. Japanese scouting party in Northern Korea engaged by Cossacks and put to flight. Feb. 21. Gen. Kuropatkin appointed in command of Russian forces in Far East. Feb. 24. Japanese endeavored to obstruct the entrance to the harbor at Port Arthur by sinking five vessels laden with stone in the channel. Feb. 26. Port Arthur again attacked by the Japanese naval forces. One Russian torpedo boat sunk. March 4. Additional Japanese troops to the number of 20,000 landed at Chinampo. March 5. Japanese fleet attacked Vladivostok. March 7. Japanese squadron seized the Island of Laiyuntan in the Sea of Korea. March 9. Russian fleet under Admiral Mekaroff made night attack off Port Arthur upon Japanese torpedo boat flotilla. Russians lost one torpedo boat destroyer and Japanese suffered the loss of one torpedo boat. March 10. Port Arthur again attacked by the Japanese. March 22. Japanese renewed the attack upon Port Arthur and sunk seven merchant vessels in an endeavor to block the harbor. March 28. Martial law declared in New-Chwang by Admiral Alexieff, and also ordered removal of all foreign flags and discontinued consular jurisdiction at that place. April 13. The Russian battleship Petropavlovsk was destroyed in the outer harbor of Port Arthur by a Japanese mine, causing the loss of Admiral Makaroff and 674 officers and men. The Japanese mine had been placed early the same day, according to Japanese authority. April 14. Japanese scouts succeeded in destroying Russian torpedo boat destroyer Istrashni, off the coast near Port Arthur. Battleship Pobieda badly damaged by mine off Port Arthur. April 19. Admiral Alexieff requested to be relieved as viceroy in the Far East. April 21. Japanese force Russians to retreat across the Yalu, causing the loss of large numbers of troops from drowning; 7,000 Japanese soldiers reported killed. April 22. Russian launch blown up, with a loss of 21 men, while laying mines in the harbor at Port Arthur. April 24. The Czar officially announced that Russia would decline any proposals for mediation. April 25. Harbor of Wonsan, Korea, entered by Russian Vladivostok fleet and a Japanese merchant vessel sunk. April 26. The Japanese succeeded in crossing the Yalu after a hard fought battle of four hours. Japanese transport Kinshiu Maru went down with 173 men on board during engagement in Japan Sea with the Russian Vladivostok squadron. Japanese refused to be rescued by Russians, but fought desperately until their ship sank from view. April 27. Russian Vladivostok squad- observation mines, which are fired from ron reached port in safety. the shore when a ship is known to be in range; second, automatic mines, which are exploded on being struck by a ship, which is the kind with which the Russians claim that the Petropavlovsk was sunk; third, electric contact mines, which on being struck by a passing vessel give notification to an operator on shore, who fires the mine by the throw of a switch. May 1. Japanese attacked Russians along the Yalu. Russian forces consisting of 30,000 men were forced to retreat toward Feng Wang Cheng. Japanese followed their retreat very closely and inflicted severe loss upon the Russians. Loss on both sides reported to be about 3,000 soldiers. Japanese occupied all the positions vacated by the Russians on the Manchurian side of the river. May 5. Japanese succeeded in penetrating to the interior of the Liaotung peninsula and cutting off Port Arthur by taking possession of the railroad. May 6. Japanese succeeded in effectually sealing the port of Port Arthur by sinking five merchant ships in the entrance to the inner harbor. May 7-12. Russians evacuate NewChwang and Dalney. Port Arthur cut off by the Japanese land forces. May 16. Japanese cruiser Miyako destroyed by Russian mine in the harbor near the port of Dalney. Most of the crew rescued, but two men were killed and 22 were wounded. Loss of vessel occurred after fleet had succeeded in destroying five sunken mines. The Submarine Mine. In the many attacks that the Japanese fleet has made on Port Arthur, it may have been observed that the larger vessels have never ventured very close to the harbor entrance. Several causes may be assigned for this, such as the danger of plunging fire from the lofty fortifications, the difficulty of maneuvering in the narrow waterway, and the risk of being sunk by torpedo boat attack. But outside of these dangers there is one which, above all others, will prevent any attempted forcing of the channel by the combined Japanese fleet, and that is the presence of the deadly submarine mine. The moral and material effect of submarine mine attack can scarcely be overestimated. The moral effect is so great that the mere supposition that a harbor entrance may be mined is usually sufficient to deter the enemy from forcing an entrance; and the material effect of a ship coming in contact with a mine would be either its certain destruction or its disablement to such an extent that it would have to be beached at once to save it from sinking. Broadly speaking, there are three different kinds of submarine mines. First, Although submarine mines are built in a variety of forms and with different details of their contact and firing mechanisms, the two illustrations which we herewith present will serve to illustrate the principles upon which they are built and operated. The mine proper consists generally of a large and heavy hemispherical metal case, which is filled with a charge of high explosive, and contains a fuse which may be fired either automatically or at the will of an observer on shore. They are of two types. Where the water is comparatively shallow, and not too great to interfere with the destructive effect of the explosive, the mine is placed on the bottom and is known as a ground mine. In deeper water it is carried in a buoyant vessel, which is anchored to the bottom, and floats at a pre-determined depth below the surface of the water. The observation mine may be fired by one or two observers; if by one, the mines are laid in lines, which converge to the observation station, and all the mines in each row are connected, so that the operator can fire them simultaneously as the ship passes the range line. When two observers work together it is possible by a system of cross-observation to fire any particular mine when the ship is passing over it, or sufficiently near to come within the radius of explosive effect. The type most commonly used is the electric contact mine. The accompanying illustrations show a system of electric contact ground mines, laid across a channel, with a battery of rapid-fire guns on shore so placed that they command the whole of the mine field and render it impossible for the small boats of the enemy to attempt to explode the mines before the big battleships and armored cruisers pass over them. The battery is placed rather low down near the water, and above it is a battery of heavy 8 and 10-inch breech-loading rifles, mounted either en barbette or on disappearing mounts, while above these, carefully masked by shrubbery, is a firing station, which is connected by cables with the mines in the channel. Sometimes, by |