In some parts of Western Virginia, such excellent wages have been
offered to the men, that they have weakened and gone back to work in
spite of the fact that the labor agitators have been constantly urging
them to remain firm.

They have been telling the men that they will secure great benefits if
they will only hold together.

At one time there was some hope that the men might submit the whole
matter to arbitration, but this seems doubtful.

* * * * *

Another report about the use of the X rays in the French Custom-House
has reached us.

This time the rays were applied to thirty packages which had arrived by
parcels-post. It took but fifteen minutes to examine the whole of these
packets, and their contents were discovered without the necessity of
breaking a seal or untying a string.

The amusing part of the story is that the thirty persons to whom the
parcels were addressed had been asked by the officers if there was
anything dutiable in them, and all had replied in the negative.

The confusion and trouble were therefore great when forbidden articles
were found in twenty-seven out of the thirty packets.

The French officials are very strict about such matters, and enforce
heavy fines for attempting to bring things into their country without