w,.
P0IUEHED KVf RT FB1D1T BY
COLL CLEVK,
ALBANY,
OREGON.
THRO VVW JAPAN.
A correspondent of the Boston Tran
script, writing of a tour through Japan,
says : " We passed through little vil
lages with thatch-roofed cottages, cot
tages guiltless of such an innovation as
chimneysv Looking in through the
open-paneled doors, I could see them
cooking their rice on little, round stone
boxes, called ' hibachi.' The smoke,
growing thinner and thinner as it hid
in the corners of the airy kitchen, came
out imperceptibly through the broad,
open doors. Now and then I saw a
woman at an old-fashioned spinning
wheel, and one or two weaving Japanese
cloth. Darkness shut in over the pretty
landscape, and our stopping place for
the night was yet in the distance. Our
jinrikisha men lighted their Japanese
lanterns and merrily started off at a
rapid rate. A half-hour's travel, by
faith rather than sight, and we stopped
at a Japanese hotel in Fugisiwa. The
hostess met us with many salaams of
welcome, and we climbed a steep pair
of stairs to our room. It was matted
nothing else in it. The sliding doors
opened into a little court-yard, where,
in the morning, we discovered one or
two dwarf trees and a pond with fish in
it ; but at night it seemed only an ave
nue through which came up to us all
inconceivable odors of Japanese cook
ing. The next morning the rain was
ponring in torrents, a genuine supple
ment to the rainy season. After break
fast ,we again started on our journey.
The rain stopped for a while, but
fell in showers through the day. As
we rode the country became more pic
turesque. "We saw huge trees and
trunks of trees with ivy and wild grape
vines clambering over them The coun
try, if possible, reached off into greener
bills and greener valleys than before,
a beautiful country, a goodly heritage,
no barren spot, everything green and
fresh ; but on the acres and acres of
pasture land no cattle were feeding, no
flocks or herds of any kind. Rice was
growing in the valleys, but the hill turf
land seemed unused. Everywhere
there were fresh mountain springs, and
all around us tokens of a rich country
but a poor people. Eggs, rice, and fish
are the only food for the people. There
were half -clothed children making mud
pies in the streets of the villages, every
where men standing idle. Asking them
why, the answer would, doubtless, have
been that of the good book of old, ' Be
cause no man hath hired us.' "
THE ALEXANDRIAN LIARARY.
The celebrated library at Alexandria,
Egypt the largest in the ancient world
was founded by Ptolemy Soter, about
283 B. C. It increased so rapidly that,
in the time of its first manager, Deme
trius Phalerus, it included 50,000 vol
umes or rolls. Under his successors,
.Zenodotus, Aristarchus of Byzanteum,
-and Appolonius Rhodius, its contents
swelled to 700,000 volumes, ac
cording toAulus Gallius; to 500,
000, according to Josephus ; and
to 400,000 according to Seneca.
The library was divided in two parts,
situated in different quarters of the
city. The larger portion, embracing
the collected literature of Borne,
Greece, India, and Egypt, was con
tained in the Museum, located in the
quarter called Brucheium. During the
seige of Alexandria by Julius Caesar,
about 30 B. C, this part of the hbrary
was destroyed by a fire which spread
from the snipping to the city. It was
afterward replaced by the collection of
200,000 volumes belonging to the King
of Pergamos, which Marc Antony gave
to Cleopatra, greatly to the disgust of
the educated Romans. The other part
of the library was kept in the temple
of Jupiter Serapis until the time of
Theodosius the Great, when all the
heathen temples in the Roman Empire
were destroyed, and this among the
rest. The edifice was demolished in
391 by a moo of Christian fanatics, led
by the Archbishop Theophilus, and it is
supposed that the books contained in it
were, for the most part, involved in the
destruction. In 640, Alexandria was
taken by the Arabs, under the Caliph
Omar, and tne entire library was burned
or scattered. As the story goes, when
deciding the destiny of the volumes,
the Caliph declared : " It these wri
ings of the Greeks argues with the
Rook of God, they are useless, and
need not be preserved ; if they disagree,
they are pernicious, and ought to be
destroyed."
RAPID CURE FOR TAPEWORM.
Mjention is made in the Druggist's
Circular of the mode of treatment
adopted by A. J. Schafish, of Washing
ton, in expelling the tapeworm. He
employed no preliminary provisions be
yond forbidding the patient to take any
breakfast the day on which it was in
tended to remove the worm and giving
Mm a large dose of Rochelle salts the
preceding night. At 10 o'clock in the
morning he had the following at one
dose : Recipe bark of pomegranate
root, one -half ounce ; pumpkin seed,
one-half drachm ; ethereal extract of
male fern, one drachm ; powdered er-
j. o liolf r)nuhm : nowdered cnim
jUb KJXiu n ' ' jr o
Arabic, two drachms ; ccoton oil, two
drops. The pomegranate bark and
- a 3 1 3
pumpkin seed were tnorouguiy oruisea,
and, with the ergot boiled eight ounces
fvr fiftAAn minutes, thenstrain-
Ul WOWi '
. rvmrse cloth. The croton
cu
oil was first well rubbed up with the
acacia and extract of male fern and then
formed into an emulsion with tne ae
.17, t o0l.h nnaA the worm was
VUUWUJU. M - -
expelled alive and entire within two
hours. No unpleasant effects followed.
In each case the worm was passed with
the head firmly fastened to the side of
its body at about the widest part, from
which it -was -with difficulty removed ;
and the worm was twisted and doubled
into various knots.
THE ADVENT OF HORSES.
In Cassell'sBookof the Racesof Man
kind, the following account is given of the
introduction of horses among the In
dians of North America : ' The horses
possessed by the prairie tribes are de
scended from those originally intro
duced by the Spaniards into America.
The tribes on the Pacific slope of the
Rocky Mountains obtained horses at a
still later period. The old Cyuse chief,
who had a few years ago upward of
3,000 horses (it is said), told me he re
members an old man who recollected
the first horse which was brought to his
tribe. An Indian of an inquiring turn j
of mind had gone far to the south, and j
after a long absence returned with an
extraordinary animal, which he was I
afraid to mount, and had accordingly j
led all the way. It was a horse. He
had obtained it from some of the south-
ern tribes probably the Shoshones, or
some of the New Mexican tribes, and ;
for a long time it was led out at high
feasts and festivals, no one venturing to '
get on its back. At last a daring youth
essayed the task, and, after having
himself carefully bound on its back,
trotted off, to the consternation of the
female members of his family and the
admiration of the rest of the village.
No mishap came to him, and soon his
feat was no nine days' wonder. Other
youths mounted, and by-and-by they
also went south and got horses until
they became quite common, and the
Cyuse are now some of the best horse
men among the Indians, and until they
went to war with the United States, and
lost the greater portion of their stock,
were exceedingly rich in horseflesh ;
yet they did not care to sell any,
though in times of scarcity they would
live upon them. "
ORIGIN OF SURNAMES.
For a long time persons had but one
name each, but as mankind multi
plied it was found convenient to add
another name, for the sake of more
readily and certainly distinguishing one
person from another of the same name.
For some time the general family name
was added to the first name. Thus
David was called David the son of Jesse.
In Greece and Rome the father's name
was often subjoined. In England also,
our forefathers often added the family
name, but in so doing they added the
word son at the end, and not at the be
ginning of the father's name. Thus,
John Williamson meant John, the son
of William ; Thomas Jackson meant
Thomas, the son of Jack ; and James
Harrison meant James, the son of Har
ry. The Welsh people very often add
a second name by the repetition of the
first ; thus, Thomas Thomas, William
Williams ; and sometimes they use an
other Christian name, which originally
was probably the paternal name of the
family. Thus, Charles Williams was
probably at its first use Charles, the
son of William. Sometimes a second
name was given to a man from his trade,
as John Baker, William Butcher. Some
times names were taken from places,
towns and countries, as John France,
William England, Thomas Carlyle,
Ralph Bolton. Sometimes names were
wickedly and contemptuously applied
to persons, and were fastened upon
them and their children forever ; thus,
Crookshanks and Sheepshanks, liut
the sources of surnames are almost end
less. .Nature, arts, trades, colors,
bodily peculiarities, remarkable facts,
places and circumstances have all fur
nished them.
THE
" WHAT-HO-YE-C ALL-IT
IN
FEMININE TO G GEM Y.
The gentler sex is just now in an
agony of distress about a new garment j
which hrs come into use. Exactly
what the garment is we will let Mrs.
Swisshekn tell. She says in a note to
the Woman's Journal:
Your correspondents are having
trouble about a name for a new gar
ment. For two years, except in hot
weather, when I wanted as little cover
ing as possible on the shoulders or
arms, I have worn the article they wish
to designate. Like old King George
with the apple in the dumpling, every
one who has seen it has asked : " How
do you get in ?" The frequency of the
question named it for me, and I call it
a "getin.". I do not get into it without
difficulty, and once in am covered from
the wrists to the neck and ankles, and
have no useless drapery. Then, with a
drilling waist, cut somewhat like cor
sets and furnished with broad straps
resting just where a man's suspenders
rest, and divided in front as they are, a
bit of tape on each side at the lower
edge, to which I attach rubber stocking
suspenders, which tie with tapes to
loops on the stockings, I am ready for
skirts, which I pin to the waist, prefer
ring pins to buttons.
The trouble with this "what-is-it " is
that the gentler sex do not know what
to call it. Some are in favor of
" chemiloon," some of plain "chem,"
some of " chemlin," and, as will be seen
above, Mrs. S. calls it the "getin."
Why not call it the "Swisshelm?"
Chicago Tribune.
Spiced Plums.--Take eight pounds
of plums, three pounds of nice sugar,
one pint of vinegar, one ounce of cloves,
one ounce of cinnamon. The spices
should be ground fine. Prick the plums
with a large needle and put in a jar.
Sprinkle over the spice. Heat the
sugar and vinegar and p jur over the
plums. Repeat this three mornings.
On the fourth day pour all into a porcelain-lined
kettle and boil about twenty
minutes
SHALL AND WILL.
Richard Grant White, writing in the
Galaxy, says : "As to shall and will,
something may doubtless be done by
study and by taking thought to check
bad habits and correct the result of un
fortunate associations. The mistake
most commonly made in the use of
these words, and the one therefore
most carefully to be avoided, is the use
of will for shall, and of the correspond
ing would for should. Shall is much
less often used for will. And yet in the
word shilly-shally, which is upon every
body's lip, is petrified the rule and the
example in regard to shall and will.
Shilly-shally is merely a colloquial cor
ruption of Shall-I ?' and thus expresses
the condition of a man who is vacillat
ing between two courses of conduct.
It has been made into participle, per
haps even into a verb. ' A man who
stands shilly-shallying about a woman,'
as the ladies say, doesn't know his own
mind about her a mental condition for
which the sex has not the highest re
spect. Now, no one would say that a
man stood asking himself, 'Will I?
Will I ?' and yet such is essentially the
mistake most frequently made in regard
to the use of these words in conversa
tion. We hear people say, ' What will
I do ?' and even Will I do thus or so ?'
Among people of the Anglo-Saxon race
and of average education the mistake,
when made, most commonly takes the
indicative form, thus : ' I will go to bed
elegantly, retire) at ten o'clock to
night,' or ' We will breakfast at eight
to-morrow ;' instead of I shall go to
bed,' etc., 'We shall breakfast,' etc."
GEN VINE HEROISM.
The true heroism of Jim Bludsoe, en
gineer of that historical wreck, the
" Prairie Belle," in " holding her nozzle
agin the bank till the last galoot's
ashore," was nobly imitated a day or
two since by an engineer and fireman
on the Marietta and Cincinnati railroad.
Their train, bound eastward, had to
cross a bridge, one span of which
crossed a creek and the other a road
way. The train was moving slowly as
it neared the bridge, its speed not ex
ceeding twelve miles an hour. When too
near to be of service, the engineer ob
served that a switch had been displaced,
and that the engine must of necessity
run into the bridge. Both he and the
fireman might have saved their lives by
jumping from the locomotive, but the
result would have been fatal to the pas
sengers. They bravely refrained, re
versed the engine, and applied the pat
ent air-brake. It was too late for them.
The engine dashed through the wood
work and landed in the roadway below.
The tender followed, crushing the two
brave fellows against the boiler ; a postal-car
behind fell upon the tender,
resting one end upon the abutment of
the bridge, and checked the motion of
the train. The sleeping-passengers in
the palace-cars were not even awakened
by the catastrophe. Only the train
hands discovered the heroic sacrifice
which Perdew and Parent, of Chilli
cothe, had made. Two charred and
shattered corpses were found in the
wreck of the engine, all that remained
of these two " men who died for men."
Chicago Tribune.
THE BRITISH ROYAL FAMILY.
The royal family of Great Britain is
a flourishing colony. The birth of a
son to the Duke and Duchess of Edin
burgh increases the number of Queen
Victoria's grandchildren to twenty-six,
and of this large family twenty-three
are still living. The Queen's eldest
child, the Princess Royal Victoria, wife
of the Crown Prince of Germany, has
had four sons and four daughters, of
which number one son has died. The
Queen's second child, the Prince of
Wales, married to the Princess Alex
andra of Denmark, has had three sons
and three daughters, one son being
dead. The Queen's third child, the
Princess Alice, wife of the Prince Louis
of Hesse-Darmstadt, has had two sons
and five daughters, one son being dead.
Next comes the Queen's fourth child,
the Duke of Edinburgh, married to the
Grand Duchess Maria of Russia, with
one soh, born a few days ago. Finally,
the Queen's fifth child, the Princess
Helena, wife of Prince Christian of
Schleswig-Holstein, has had two sons
and two daughters, all of whom are liv
ing. The Princess Louise, the Queen's
sixth child, wife of the Marquis of
Lome, is not yet the head of a family.
The other three children of the Queen,
the Duke of Connaught, Prince Leo
pold, and the Princess Beatrice, are
unmarried. Altogether, Queen Victoria
has thirty-two children and grand
children living, which constitutes a very
respectable family, even for a Queen.
PRESENCE OF MIND.
Prof. Wilder, of Cornell University,
gives these short rules for action in
esse of accident: "For dust in the
eyes, avoid rubbing, dash water into
them ; remove cinders, etc., witn the
round point of a lead pencil. Remove
insects from the ear by tepid water ;
never put a hard instrument into the
ear. If an artery is cut, compress
above the wound ; if a vein is cut, com
press below. If choked, get upon all
fours, and cough. For light burns, dip
the part in cold water ; if the tkin is de
stroyed, cover with varnish. Smother
a fire with carpets, etc. ; water will of
ten spread burning oil, and increase
the danger. Before passing through
smoke, take a full breath, and then
stoop low, but if carbon is suspected,
walk erect. Suck poison wounds, un
less your mouth is sore. Enlarge the
wound, or, better, cut out the part
without delay. Hold the wounded part
as long as can be borne to a hot coal or
end of a cigar. In case of poisoning,
excite vomiting by tickling the throat,
or by water and mustard. For acid
poisons, give acids ; in case of opium
poisoning, give strong coffee and keep
moving. If in water, float on the back,
with the nose and mouth projecting.
For apoplexy, raise the head and body ;
for fainting, lay the person flat."
DOES PROHIBITION ENCOURAGE
DRUNKENNESS ?
According to the Chicago Tribune,
which cites figures to sustain its opin
ion, it 'does. Says the Tribune: Figures
won't lie, and, as they won't, figures
make a very startling exhibit with ref
erence to the irorking of temperance
legislation. Maine, for instance, has a
law forbidding the sale and manufac
ture of liquor. This law has been in
force twenty-three years. In that time
Portland has increased in population
less than fifty per cent., while the num
ber of places where drunkards are made
has increased over two hundred per
cent. Bangor, with 15,000 inhabitants,
has 300 saloons, so that every fifty of
the inhabitants have a saloon to them
selves. Massachusets has a prohibitory
liquor law. In 1856 the namber of per
sons arrested in Boston for drunken
ness was 6,780, and in 1870 the number
was 18,670.. In his official report for
1871 the Chief of Police shows the num
ber of men made drunk during the year
as follows :
Number of hotels, 76 ; drunken men 57
Number of grocerieB, 1,425; d. uuken men.. 1,425
Number of bar-rooms, 1.125 : drunken men . . 6,425
Number of jug-rooms, 327 ; drunktn men. . . 3,511
Total 11,418
As compared with other cities, the
New York &un says of Boston, that
while it has an average of one arrest
for drunkenness in every sixteen of her
inhabitants, Providence has one in
twenty-two ; New York has one in
twenty-seven ; San Francisco has one
in twenty-nine ; Rochester has one in
thirty -one ; Washington has one in
thirty-two ; Detroit has one in thirty
four ; St. Louis has one in forty-two ;
Brooklyn has one in sixty-four ; Cin
cinnati has one in eighty-three. If it
were the habit of temperance reformers
to stop and think at all, such facts and
figures as these ought to convince them
of the folly of any prohibitory legisla
tion in the matter of what a man shall
drink ; and that, instead of advancing
the cause of temperance, they are really
advancing the cause of intemperance.
FAITHFULNESS OF A DO G.
By no animal has the sentiment of
affection been so remarkably evinced as
as by the dog. A poor boy was fatally
injured, and carried to a hospital. His
little dog followed him thither, and be
ing prevented from entering it, lay
down at the gate, watching with wistful
eyes every one that went in, as if im
ploring admittance. Though constantly
repulsed by the attendants, he never
left the spot by day or night, and died
at his post even before his master.
The dog of the French soldier follows
himto the camp, often accompanies
him into action, and has been found at
his side when wounded or dying on the
field of battle. A private was con
demned to be shot, and his execution
ers were ready to fire upon him. Just
as the bandage was about being placed
over his eyes his dog flew into his arms
and began to lick his face. This touch
ing incident for a few moments arrested
the proceedings ; but after a short delay
his comrades, with tears in their eyes,
gave the fatal volley, and the two
friends expired together.
A youthful conscript, desperately
wounded in battle, was conveyed indis
criminately, with hundreds of others, to
a hospital. In the course of a few days
a little dog made his appearance, and,
searching amidst the dying and the
dead, discovered at length his expiring
master, and was found licking his
hands. After his death a comrade took
charge of the faithful animal, but no
kindness could console him. He re
fused all food, pined away, and died.
Many examples are on record of a
similar devoted attachment, ending
only with life ; and although they af
ford no evidence of special intelligence,
they do of a sentiment of the same na
ture as that which may exist in our
selves, and which is rarely exibited of
greater intensity. Philosophy of Nat
ural History.
AN EXPENSIVE FAIR OF VASES.
A gentleman well known in Boston,
accompanied by a clerical friend, visited
Niagara once upon a time, and was
moved to cross the bridge and enter
Canada. While returning, attention
was called by a peddler to a pair of
vases costing $12, and the gentleman,
against the advice of the clergyman,
made the purchase. Soon the two
friends were stopped by one of Uncle
Sam's Custom-House officers, and a
duty was demanded. Greenbacks were
proffered but refused, and the gold was
only procured by the payment of $7 in
bills. The cost of the vases thus f arwas
$19, and the chagrin of the purchaser
on reaching Niagara may be imagined
on his finding that precisely similar
ones could be purchased there for $6 a
pair. But, having been bought, the
next thing was to express the expensive
articles to Boston, at the owner's risk
and at a cost of $2. To cap the climax,
the gentleman, on reaching borne,
opened the package only to find the
vases were broken in pieces, and his
time, trouble, and $21 wasted in the
using. He does not propose to purchase
any more Candian vases. JiostonTrav-
eller.
The progress of Catholicity in Great
Britain during the last hundred years
has been marvelous. In 1765 there
were but 60,006 Catholics in the island
of England and Scotland. In 1845 they
numbered 3,380,000, and the increase
since has been rapid and surprising.
There are in England to-day, according
to authentic statistics, 1,453 Catholic
churches, and 1,893 priests. Thirty
three members of the House of Lords
are Catholics ; and thirty-seven Bit in
the Commons, while six are in the
Queen's PrivyCounciL
PARIS TRADE WITH THE UNITED
STATES.
The Consul-General of the United
States at Paris will shortly publish a
statistical abstract of the export trade
of Paris with the United States for the
year ending 30th September 1874.
Pending the appearance of this docu
ment, it may be useful to recall to our
recollection some of the leading feat
ures of the report for the year com
mencing September, 1872, and finishing
September, 1873. During that year the
exports from Paris, compiled on the
basis of the customary declarations
made by exports, amounted to $36,000-,
000. The exports from Germany to the
United States during the same period
did not exceed $37,000,000. It will be
observed that the trade of Paris is
therefore on a par with that of the en
tire German Empire, with the United
States. If we analyze the Consul-General's
statement, we find that $19,000-,
000 out of the $36,000,000, or more
than half, consisted in nouveautcs, or
ladies' dresses. Silks figured in the
statistical reports for about $2,000,000 ;
and fancy goods, jewelry, hats, but
tons, cloth, etc., made up the balance.
What have been the exploits of the
American fair sex in 1874 is not easy to
divine ; but we think we may safely as
sume that the contributions they have
levied on the sterner sex, and expended
in Paris, will bear favorable compari
son, as regards amount, with preced
ing years. The average value of the
trade between Paris and the United
States, inclusive of sums expended by
American visitors to Paris, may be
roughly estimated at $75,000,000 per
annum.
TRAVELING ON FOOT.
Nothing to me is more pleasant than
traveling on foot. We are free and
joyous. No breaking down of wheels,
no contingencies attendant on carriages.
We set out ; stop when it suits us ;
breakfast at a farm or under a tree ;
walk on, and dream while walking for
traveling cradles reverie, reverie veils
fatigue, and the beauty of the country
hides the length of the road. We are
not traveling we wander. Then we
stop under the shade of a tree, by the
side of a little rivulet, whose rippling
waters harmonize with the songs of the
birds that load the branches over our
heads. I saw with compassion a dili
gence pass before me, enveloped in
dust, and containing tired, screwed-up
and fatigued passengers. Strange, that
those poor creatures, who are often per
sons of mind, should willingly consent
to be shut up in a place where the har
mony of the country Bounds only in
noise, the sun appears to them in
clouds, and the roads in whirlwinds of
dust. They are not aware of the flow
ers that are found in thickets, of the
pearls that are picked up among peb
bles, of the houris that the fertile im
agination discovers in landscape musa
pedestris. Everything comes to the
foot passenger. Adventures are every
day passing before his eyes. Victor
Hugo.
WOULDNT MARRY TWO.
A Utah teamster s ays : "I neve
tried to get married but once, and tha
was a Mormon gal up here to Logan.
She was just about the slickest little
critter ever you saw. Fust time I
came across her was where her folks
and I camped out right about here. I
followed on her trail pretty close six
months, and thought Iwas going to trap
her sure. She wanted me to be a Mor
mon. I wasn't per tickler about that.
for I didn't like to jine any church. I
never did belong to any church nor an
engine company in the States. Howev
er, I told her finally, as she crowded
me, that I'd swallow Brigham, taberna
cle and all, for the love of her. Se we
got things about fixed, and if she hadn't
gone too far I might have been bishop
by this time. But she had an old maid
sister, and she wanted me to marry that
Susan Jane, too that darned, dried-up
old Susan Jane! 'Emmy,' says I, I
can't and I won't.' So I sot my foot
down, and there's where we split. You
see, the old man was kind of sickly, and
just as sure as I'd agree to take Susan
Jane, when he died, I would have had
to marry the old woman, too. I haven't
hunted after a wife since."
WHERE FIGS ARE RAISED IN THIS
COUNTRY.
There are some twenty-five varieties
of the fig known to the Southern States,
of different sizes, and in color white,
green, purple, brown and black ; all of
which doubtless originated from the
seeds and cuttings of foreign varieties
imported from France, Spam or Italy.
They have gradually becomeacclimated
in the State of Tennessee, and Northern
Alabama, and the hardier kinds have
been grown successfully as far north as
St. Louis, Mo., and Chillicothe, Ohio
a Mr. Worthington, of the latter town,
having been successful in growing and
marketing them in that place.
Indeed, in that northern latitude it is
necessary to provide a winter protection
for them, which is generally done by
cutting the roots entirely off on one side
and bending the tree over and covering
with earth. When all danger of freez
ing is past, the tree is righted to its
original position, and firmly secured to
a stout state.
In Louisiana and the neighboring
States all the hardier varieties will suc
ceed without any protection.
WATERPROOF DRESSING FOR
LEATHER.
The Boston Laboratory gives as a
waterproof dressing for boots, shoes
and leather the following : Lard oil, 100
parts ; paraffine, 50 parts ; beeswax, 5
parts. Gently warm the oil and in it
dissolve the paraffine and wax. If too
hard add a little less wax. Any dis
agreeable smell may be removed by a
few drops of the oil of sassafras. The
wax prevents the crystalization of the
paraffine, and the oil causes the whole
to become a paste of the consistency of
tallow. The dressing fills the pores of
the leather, does not dry, and keeps the
leather soft and pliable. Boots and
shoes to which the dressing is applied
may be polished, using ordinary black
ing, which is not the case with most
dressing containing oil or grease.
THOUGHTS FROM THE
m i i -i .i
TALMUD.
xne oiaer tne wise
man srets the
wiser he grows ; the fool, when he ages,
becomes but an old fool. He who
studies for a good purpose, to him his
study becomes a blessing ; to him who
does not, it grows into a poison. A bad
wife is like a hail-storm. Do not dwell
too long on your friend's praises ; you
will end in saying things against him.
Do much or little, so that you do it for
a good purpose. Refined music is liked
by refined people ; weavers do not
much care for it. Three cry out, but
get no pity, viz. : He who lends out his
money without witnesses, the henpecked
husband, and he who cannot get into
one place and does not try another
One goose generally follows another.
Bad servants first ask only when they
have committed a blunder. The load is
laid upon the camel according to its
strength. If a word is wor'h a pound
silence is worth two. A pig is the rich,
est animal ; everything is a piece of
goods to him. Whoever does too much
does too little. The greater a man, the
greater his passions. He who presses
the hour, the hour will press him. May
our future reward be like that of him
who remains silent under a false impu
tation. One pepper-corn is better than
a hundred gourds. A learned man
whose deeds are evil is like a man who
has a door and no house. He who
prays for his neighbor will be heard
first for himself. He who marries his
daughter to an uneducated man throws
her before a wild beast. He who
throws out suspicions should at once be
suspected himself. Three keep good
fellowship strangers, slaves, and
ravens. A fool always rushes to the
fore. Do not cry out before the calam
ity has really happened. If a man
says something strange, beware to mock
at it wantonly. Passion is at first like a
thin reed ; by and by it becomes like
a cable. Jewish Messenger.
COMPULSORY EDUCATION.
The State of New York is about to
try a new and important experiment,
that of compulsory education. The
law, which goes into effect on the 1st of
January next, requires every person
having the control or charge of any
child between the ages of 8 and 14
years to see that such child has four
teen weeks' schooling each year, eight
weeks of which must be consecutive.
The penalty for not doing this is one
dollar for the first oflense and five dol
lars for each week of neglect afterward,
up to thirteen weeks in any one year ;
making a total of penalties per year, in
each case, $66. The money thus col
lected is to be added to the school fund
of the school district in which the
offenses occurred. If a child does not
attend school as the law prescribes,' he
is to be deemed an habitual truant,
taken charge of by the school authori
ties, and sent to a truant school. It is
also provided that no person or com
pany is allowed to employ any child
tween the ages of eight and fourteen
years in any business whatever during
the school hours of any school day in
the public school in the city or district
where such child is, unless such child
has had in the year immediately pre
ceding Buch employment fourteen
weeks' schooling ; and
at the time of
employing such child the employer
must receive from the child a certificate
of the teacher1 or school trustee certify
ing to such schooling. The duty of en
forcing this law is imposed upon the
trustees of school districts and public
schools, and Presidents of union school
districts ; or, in case there are no such
officers, upon such officers as the
Board of Education of the city or town
may designate. The Revised Statutes
make the neglect of this duty a misde
meanor, punishable by a line of not
more than $250 for each offense.
ICELAND TO BE ABANDONED.
A new emigration to the United
States is in a fair way to be accom
plished, which will tend to develop
the resources of Alaska as well as fur
nish a considerable increase of hardy
toilers to our national population. A
committee of three persons, chosen by
the people of Iceland, is now in this
country looking for a habitation for the
entire population of that ancient island.
A war vessel has been promised these
avant coureurs for the purpose of in
specting the coast of Alaska. They
claim that by reason of climatic changes
their native home is no longer suitable
for a residence ; that it has become too
barren to offer the usual opportunities
of deriving a comfortable living, and
that starvation is prevented only by se
curing from other lands the bare nec
essaries of life. Alaska, they feel as
sured, is sufficiently cool. It is prefer
red to Canada, where a strong influence
is now endeavoring to attract them.
They promise to work the fisheries,
supply the Pacific States with lumber,
build ships as in former times at home
raise cattle and other commodities, and
lastly, furnish through their children, a
body of sailors for the Pacific coast
trade. They are poor, but determined,
and wish, if the government will give
the necessary assistance, to inaugurate
the emigration at once.
During a recent freshet in Connecti
cut, one editor telegraphed to another at
the scene of action : " Send me full par
ticulars of the flood." The answer
came, " You'll find them in Genesis."
As every thread of gold ia valuable,
so is every minute of time.
NATURES BAROMETERS.
Certain movements on the part of the
animal creation, before a change of
weather, appeared to indicate a reason
ing faculty. Such seems to be the case
with the common garden spider, which,
on the approach of rainy or windy
weather, will be found to shorten and
strengthen the supporting guys of his
web, lengthening the same when the
storm is over. There is a popular su
perstition in England that it is unlucky
j for an angler to meet a single magpie ;
but two of the birds together are a good
i omen. The reason is that the birds
I foretell the coming of cold or stormy
weather ; and then, instead of their
j searching for food for their young in
i pairs, one will always remain on the
j nest. Sea gulls predict storms by as
sembling on the land, as they know that
the rain will bring earth-worms and
j larvae to the surface. This, however,
! is merely a search for food, and is due
to the same instinct which teaches the
! swallow to fly high in fine weather, and
skim along the ground when foul is
coming. They simply follow the Hies and
gnats which remain in the warm strata
of the air. The different tribes of wad
ing birds always migrate before rain,
likewise to hunt for food. Many birds
foretell rain by warning cries and un
easy actions ; and swine will carry hay
and straw to hiding places, oxen will
lick themselves the wrong tray of the
hair, sheep will bleat and skip about,
hogs turned out in the woods will come
home grunting and squealing, colts will
rub their backs against the ground,
crows will gather in crowds, crickets
will sing more loudly, flies come into
the house, frogs croak and change color
to a dingier hue, dogs eat grass, and
rooks soar like hawks. It is probable
that many of these actions, are due to
actual uneasiness, similar to that which
all who are troubled with coins or
rheumatism experience before a storm,
and are caused both by the variation in
barometric pressure and the changes in
the electrical condition of the atmos
phere. HUMAN GROWTH.
It haB been ascertained that m man
the most rapid growth takes place im
mediately after birth, the growth of an
infant during the first year of its ex
istence being about eight inches. This
ratio of increase gradually decreases
until the age of three years is reached,
at which time the size attained is half
that which it is to become when full
grown. After five years the succeeding
increase is very regular until the six
teenth year, being at the rate for the
average man of two inches a year. Be
yond sixteen the growth is feeble, being
for the following two years about six
tenths of an inch a year ; while from
eighteen to twenty the increase in
height is seldom over one inch. At the
age of twenty-five the growth ceases,
save in a few exceptional cases. It has
furthermore been observed that, in the
same race, the mean size is a little
larger in cities than in the country, a
fact that will be received with doubt by
many who have come to regard the
rustic as the true model man.
A DISCOMFITED DEAD-HEAD.
An editor, being importuned for the
ater tickets by a well known dead-head,
at last gave him the following letter to
the business manager of one of the
principal theaters : " My Dear Friend :
I send to you a lunatic who has tor
mented me two hours for tickets ; but
beware of him, for he is very dangerous.
His family usually keep him in charge
of a faithful attendant, but to-day he
j has managed to escape. I think he is
j armed. Yours, etc." The unsuspecting
D. H. presented this note at the thea
ter, and was astonished to find
the manager brandish a chair, order
him to be off, and roar for the firemen
to bring the hose and give him a duck
ing. The victim went down stairs four
steps at a time, and has ever since been
profoundly amazed at the reception he
met with.
. INDIANA MAJORITIES.
The following are the majorities in
Indiana from 18G0 to 1874, inclusive :
liev.
I860 6,053
1K62
1864 0,883
1866 14,202
1868 961
1868 9,72PrH.
1870
1872
1872 21.092 Pres.
Dim.
2,.fiK
1.337
1874 15.000
The following is the way the delega
tions stand in the Congresses, from the
Thirty-sixth to the Forty-fourth, in
clusive :
Thirty-sixth 8
Thirty-seventh 7
Thirty-eighth 4
1 hirty-uinth 8
Fortieth 8
Forty-flrst 7
Forty-second 6
i Forty-third 9
Forty-fourth 5
Prof. Webster told, at the late meet
ing of the American Association, the
story of a party that divided in the Great
Dismal Swamp ; one portion of the party
was lost, and, after long wandering,
found their way out by a singular ex
pedient. They made use of the insect
for which fine-tooth combs were invent
ed. Putting the insect on a flat piece
of wood, and leaving it to its own de
vices, it invariably began to move in a
certain direction. This direction was
followed out by the party, and they were
thus led out to the northward. It ia
supposed that this instinctive movement
of the insect is due to its seeking the
way toward the greatest light.
Do you want an infallible protector
against burglars, thieves and other noc
turnal marauders ? If so, send ten sub
scribers to The Chicago Ijedgeb, ac
companied by the cash ($i&), and you
will receive in return an elegant nickel
plated Remington revolver and 100
cartridges. This weapon is warranted
to kill at 100 yards.
I