Corvallis Weekly Gazette.
GAZETTE PUBLISHING HOUSE, Puba
CORVALLIS,
OREGON.
The trial of Louis Riel has been ad
journed for a week to allow him to
procure witnesses to the various
points of his defence.
FARM AND GARDEN.
Practical Suggestions on the Time and Man
ner of Pruning Trees Intended for Tim
berMinor Topics.
Signor Romero, the Mexican minis
ter at Washington, says there is not
the slightest foundation for the report
that the Mexican government proposes
to sell a part of its Territory to the
United States. No government could
stand in Mexico which was willing to
entertain any such proposition.
The foreign immigration during the
last fiscal year was 122,000 less than
the year preceding and 401,171 less
than during the year ending June 30,
1882, the year of the greatest immi
gration. Immigration is governed to
ft considerable extent by the condition
of business in foreign countries, but
more largely by the prosperity or dull
ness in this country. When the present
stagnation here shall have given way
to confidence and active business, im
migrants will again flock to our shores.
According to the reports of the tenth
census, the State of Michigan produces
nearly one-half of the total amount of
salt manufactured in the United States
the total being 29,805,298 bushels,
"and the Michigan product being 12,
425, 8S5 bushels,. Michigan has 86
salt-making establishments, with a
vested capital of $2,147,209, and em
ploys nearly 1,500 hands in the busi"
ness. There are 209 wells yielding
brine, their average depth being 880
feet and the total value of the product
was, in 1879, $2,271,913.
The Cleveland iron masters who
have lately been confronted with a
dangerous strike, are not entirely
blameless. They were especially un
wise in bringing over, at the time of
some former troubles, a great many
ignorant and degraded Poles and Bo
hemians, whose only recommendation
was that they were glad to work at
lower wages than workmen already in
the country were willing to accept.
For a time the iron masters profited
by the cheap labor of these immigrants,
but when they had learned the con
ditions of their employment they be
came more unmanageable than the men
they had replaced. They had no sense
of the responsibilities of citizenship,
no capacity or desire for self-control.
In their ignorance they beleived that
the freedom and the government of the
people of which they had heard meant
that they . could do as they pleased
and that their employers must com
ply with their demands. They have
had a practical lesson, and also the
iron masters.
Minister Lowell was often accused
by his own countrymen of tuft-hunting,
or toadyism to the British nobil
ity, but Mr. Phelps, his successor, has
taken a long step in advance of any
performance by Mr. Lowell. Mr.
Phelps' latest achievement was at a
banquet recently given to the eldest son
of the Prince of Wales. When called
tiponto respond to a toast, he indulged
in a flight of eloquence to the effect
that he could "forecast no happier
horoscope" for the royal youth, "than
that he should follow in his father's
footsteps; that he should learn from
his father's experience how much bet
ter even than a nation's admiration
is a nation's affection; that he should
learn from his father's light what is the
truth." In view of recent disclosures
of the character of British nobility,
and the well-known reputation of the
Prince of Wales, it wonld seem that
Mr. Phelps made a great mistake.
The Baltimore Manufacturers' Rec
ord publishes its semi-annual review
of the South's industrial growth, giv
ing the name, location, and character
of business of all enterprises organized
in that section during the first half of
1885, showing that, notwithstanding
the general depression in business,
there has been great activity in the
South in the organization of new in
dustrial enterprises. There is also a
wide diversity of new industries, in
cluding iron furnaces, foundries, and
machine shops, steel works, cotton
seed oil mills, cotton compresses, fruit
canning factories, flour, saw, planing
and grist mils, factories for manufac
turing carriages and wagons, agricul
tural implements, sashes, doors, and
blinds, shuttles, tobacco, ice, fertiliz
ers, furniture, stoves, wire fences, soap,
etc, glass works, gass works, etc., and
marble and slate quarrying compan
ies, and companies to mine coal, iron
ore, gold, silver, mica, natural gas, oil,
etc. The total amount of capital, in
cluding capital stock of incorporated
companies represented by the new en
terprises organized in the South during
the last six months and in the enlarge
ment of old plants, and the rebuilding
of mills destroyed by fire aggregates
36,531,000.
Pro nine Timber Trees.
Pruning, in its legitimate sense in
the culture of forests, wiites a cor
respondent'of The Garden, denotes
only the removal of unsightly excres
cences or superfluous parts of trees
with the view of making the bole grow
straighter, higher, and more regular.
This, I know, is still a disputed sub
ject, some strongly advocating its ne
cessity and utility, while others de
precate it as useless and injurious,
rhe truth probably lies between the
two extremes, for much may no doubt
be done in assisting nature to rectify
defects and to correct deformities, and
in adding to the general health, beauty
and vigor of the tree. On the other
side, it is not less true that many trees
are irreparably injured and whole
plantations rendered useless by un
skillful and indiscriminate pruning
and wholesale mutilation.
Many authorities agree that pruning
is beneficial and essential in promot
ing the profitable growth of most
hardwood trees, but this niay be ren
dered less necessary in certain situa
tions by thick planting and judicious
timely thinning. Pruning should
commence when the trees are three or
four years old, and should be contin
ued if necessary during the after
growth of the tree. No general rules
can, however, be laid down on this
point which shall equally apply to all
circumstances and situations. There
is no doubt that much of the success
of pruning depends on the manner in
which it is performed. Branches
i which are to bo amputated should be
cut oil' clean, smooth, and close, mak-
ing the stroke upward, and with a
j sharp bill, in order that the boue'h
may not splinter and carry away with
it portions of the bark trom the bole,
which is both dangerous and unsight
ly. Although it is generally agreed
that one jgading shoot should be pre
served, it is an erroneous practice to
cut away all the side branches at once,
and the removal of large boughs
should be avoided as far as possible.
Although hardwood trees generally
derive beneiit from pruninsr, coniferous
trees do not admit of being pruned at
all, unless under special circumstances,
and then only with great care and
judgment. The pruning of timber
tree3 has had many warm advocates,
especially in Scotland, and no one
perhaps has explained the real or
imaginary advantages of the system
better than Mr. Creo. He says "To
manage woods in a proper manner,
young trees should be examined well
the third year after they are planted,
and if more than one leading shoot is
found to exist the best should be se
lected and the others shortened to one
half the length of the selected shoot.
"This practice of examining the
trees should be continued every year
until they are about lifteen feet n
height. These shortenings, however,
must not be confined to superfluous
leading shoots, but extend to any
branch which is gaining a dispropor
tionate ascendency over other branches
of the same year's growth. At first,
and for some time previous to this
stage of the growth of the plant, the
shortenings should be more carefully
performed than is necessary after
ward. The process of examining a
tree is a simple one; it is done in a
moment by the primer casting his eye
over the whoie tree and detecting the
branches which require to be short
ened. As a general rule, where it is
found that any branch has a greater
growth upon it than the leading'shoot,
it should be shortened by cutting to
about half the length of the leader.
Writers differ much regarding the best
way of cutting off the branches. By
some it has been recommended to leave
snags that is, to allow a few inches
to remain between the stem and the
place where the branch is cut off. This
is a bad system. Even granting that
trees suffer much by bleeding when
cut close to the stem, that bleeding
will soon be prevented by the wound
becoming healed.- There are two evils
attending the practice of leaving
snags. In the elm and many other
trees of considerable size an effort is
made by the tree to cover the snag
long before its growth is sufficient to
rench the amputated part, and the
consequence is that a larze knot in the
wood is formed, thus defeating one of
the principal objects which it is the
business of the primer to accomplish.
Hut another evil consequent upon this
practice, where no effort is made by
the tree to cover it until the annual
increase of the alburnum circles shall
have done so, is that the snag, in
resinous trees in particular, is always
liable to bleed until it is healed, or
when the snag has lost its vitality it
soon becomes liable to rot. From
this latter circumstance arises the dan
ger of finding lanre trees, apparently
sound wheu cut down, rotten in the
interior. This is frequently the case
with snags, even in middle-sized trees.
When large branches, too, are ampu
tated from old trees before the growth
of the tree can cover the part it has
become rotted, and bv explosure to
the atmosphere moisture is carried
down the pith of the tree, which com
mences the work of decomposition,
spreading to other parts of the wood."
Another writer says: The physiolo
gy of pruning trees requires looking
into. The woodman in pruning cuts
the branch clean off near the trunk,
leaving the concentric rings which
usually form round the base of a
branch. As growth progresses, the
bark gradually grows over the wound
till it is quite covered, and it is then
supposed to be healed. TJie time re
quired for this depends on the size of
the branches, but in good-sized branch
es it takes years. Meanwhile, the ex
posed wound is very apt to collect
moisture, and from that and other
causes the tissue rots back into the
trunk, leaving a hole which may in
the end destroy the tree, and always
injure it more or less. Paint will pre
vent decay, but unless it is applied
frequently it wears off, the face of the
wound cracks, water gets in, and de
cay follows. I have examined many
tree wounds from artificial pruning,
and found this to be the result in nu
merous instances. Nature prunes in
another way and with different results.
Decaying branches break off sooner or
later some distance from the trunk.
When this happens, nature at once
begins to work by closing in the bark
at the base of the branch, which is
finally forced off when the bark meets,
if not before. In vigorous trees decay
in such a case rarely extends farther
than the base of the" branch, because
the projecting pieces afford protection
from moisture until the wound is heal
ed over, as is often very well shown
in the burried kuots of sawn-up trees.
I had a ramble through a broad belt
of woodland the other day, which, I
am assured, the "pruning-hook" has
never entered, and was impressed by
the fact that it had never apparently
been missed. The trees are rather
crowded, having been planted for
sheltering purposes, but, with the ex
ception of those at the margin of the
belt are remarkably straight and
clean although they are all decidu
ousshowing that the shape of timber
trees depend more upon thinning than
prnnning. The wind has little power
to do injury to such a plantation, but
many of the lower branches decay and
fall off naturally before they get
strong, and hence leave no mark on
the trunk, because the knots soon heal
over. If this were not the case, such
a thing as a clean pine or fir-tree
would never be seen in plantations,
for, as a rule, these are subjected to
no other pruning than nature att'ords,
and which consists in the shedding of
so many branches annually. Within
the past few years there have been cut
here large tracts of as fine larch, per
haps, as could be seen, every tree bare
of branches to near the top, from na
ture's pruning. There was not an un
sound trunk among tuem from decayed
branches. The same thing happens
with deciduous trees under similar
conditions. If the trees are judicious
ly thinned, the lower branches decay
and fall off before they grow large,
and the marks of them disappear in a
short time.
Minor Topics.
Plenty of grass should be given
fowls in confinement, in order 10 keep
them in good healthy condition.
The sheep business, comprising both
the wool and mutton produce, is one
of the greatest industries in the United
States.
It is claimed that if milk is brought
just to the boiling point, then poured
immediately into cans and sealed air
tight, it will keep for an indefinite
period.
In hot weather all the unconsumed
food should be frequently swept away
from the chicken coops, as it soon
sours and acts like poison if taken into
the crop.
Potash on grape vines has been tried
with great success, especially on light
soils. It is said to promote the thrift
of the vines and largely increase the
yield of the crop.
Scotch farmers hold that cut straw
is better for the dairy when newly
threshed, and therefore they thresh
each day enough fodder for the next
day's consumption.
At the annual sheep shearing in
Vermont the heaviest ram's fleece was
twenty-eight pounds thirteen ounces,
and the heaviest ewe's fleece twenty
one pounds eight ounces.
It is said that the originator of the
Corcord grape has raised over 20,000
seedlings in the past 35 years without
finding his ideal grape, and only 21
had desirable qualities.
A mistake is frequently made in
over-feeding after lambing and then
reducing the supply, whereas the
lambs need more milk as they grow
larger, and this should be provided
for.
Plants watered with water a few de
grees warmer than the temperature of
the atmosphere will make a far more
vigorous growth, all other conditions
being equal, than those to which cold
water is applied.
Some fruitgrowers claim that alter
nate rows offline and fruit trees pre
vent the moth and other destructive
insects from injuring the fruit. The
strong odor of the pine is obnoxious to
a great many kinds of insects.
Spreading the manure or fertilizer
over the ground broadcast is much
better than placing it in hills or rows,
as the roots of plants spread out in
every direction, and thereby utilize
the manure to greater advantage.
Early lambs are the most profitable.
A cross of the Cotswold and South
down lately produced a lamb that
dressed twenty-four pounds at two
months old. which sold for twenty-two
cents a pounds, a total sum of $5.28.
Lime and salt, mixed with a soft
food, is one of the cholera remedies
for poultry, but the method generally
adopted as the most efficacious is to
give each sick fowl a heaping tea
spoonful of hyposulphite of soda in
enough water to slightly -moisten it.
Plantain, dandelion and other weeds
in a lawn my be destroyed by placing
a little sulphuric acid with a stick in
the crown of each plant. The acid
should be carried in an open-mouthed
bottle with a long handle, so that fin
gers and clothes are protected.
The killing of sheep by dogs is usually
done during the night. To guard
against dogs the sheep should be in
duced to come up every evening to be
fed inside of a high inclosure made of
palings or wire, witli an open shed in
the center for protection to the sheep
against storms.
A gentleman at Germantown, Pa.,
who was greatly annoyed by the flock
ing of sparrows in large numbers to an
ivy which covers one side of his house,
got rid of them by sifting half a pound
of red pepper down through the vine.
The birds at once left in disgust and
have not returned.
Cleanliness is absolutely indispen
sable in the dairy. Wash in tepid
water every dish, implement or uten
sil that comes in contact with milk or
its products, then scald in boiling wa
ter or steam, rinse in cold water and ex
pose to the air and sunshine if possi
bleuntil wanted for use.
All kinds of grain may be fed to
fowls with benefit, as variety seems to
be an advantage. A single kind of
grain, with the necessarv animal and
vegetable accompaniment, will secure
profit, especially if that grain be
wheat, less so if it be corn, put a va
riety of seed is still more profitable.
THE MILITARY AUTHOR.
Grant's Literary Methods and Ambitions.
The New York Commercial Advertiser
of June 9 published some interesting
! gossip about tren. urant and his iiter
j ary methods. It decribes him as com-
pletely dominated by the desire to
; finish hie book, that he may leave it
as a logacy to his family. He some
! times wakes up in the night, calls for
: a light, jots down some remembrance,
i and then goes to sleep again. He
! stops in the midst of conversation to
record a reminiscence.
Once on awakening, after a dose of
morphia, and when his attandants
; thought that he could not stand, he
i walked over to a chair, sat
down, and in his delirium said, as if
! in great surprise: "Well, this is funny.
Here aie my books, papers, pictures,
and furniture, yet I am in Illinois,
i Harrison, how did I get out here?
Someone has brought me here. I
j wonder what for. I am away from
i my book and no time should be lost in
; its completion. I suppose I shall have
; to make the best of "it. But, by the
: way, Washburne and Morton are com
ing to dinner with me, and I have no
j clothes on."
"You are not in Illinois," said one
j of those present.
"That's all right; I know what I am
i doing. Can't I see the old barn? I
j know every inch of this ground."
It was the action of a mind weighted
j with one subject, and to this day the
general does not know what occurred.
Not long ago in the middle of the
night he awoke.
"Harrison, Harrison, light the gas!"
he exclaimed.
The man servant did so.
"Bring me the paper and pencil."
They were brought; he jotted down
an idea, and then ordered the lights
to be extinguished. He was recently
asked:
"What about that story of the sur
render of Gen. Lee's sword?"
"I didn't take his sword," replied
the general, "because I didn't think it
j would be right. Nothing was said or
, thought of it."
"It is usual to take the sword, isn't
; it?"
"Yes: but I wouldn't do it in that
i case."
j To the writer of this article the gen
eral said in the course of conversation:
"I have read a good deal in my life,
but I know of no grander man than
Gen. Robert E. Lee."
His usual habit is to rise earlv,
, breakfast at 8 o'clock, and get to work
oy 9 or 9:30 o'clock. He works steadi
ly until 12 or 1 o'clock, and then takes
luncheon. Until recently he had a
! short ride in the park almost daily.
Later in the afternoon he sometimes
j works for two hours again, and some-
times even at night for a little while.
i He writes in his own room, on the
first floor above the parlor. His writ-
! ing-table an ordinary card-table is
! set about the middle of the room. He
sits with his back to the bay-window
; at East Sixty-sixth street. At his right
i is the bureau, and further on the iire-
glace. On the opposite side is his bed.
e wears slippers, vest, trousers, and
I dressing-gown. On his head he has a
; black sik cap, or a mixed worsted
one, as he is subject to attacts of
' neuralgia. He uses a large, old
fashioned pair of hard rubber spec
tacles. He generally writes with a
lead pencil on common manilla paper.
The general composes with great
; rapidity, and but seldom interlines,
i When trying to express an idea ju3t
; right he often gets up and walks
; around the room, although his locomo
tion is strained and slow, his leg still
being lame. It is thought by some
that the leg which w as injured when
he fell on the slippery pavement was
; broken and wrongly set.
I In an adjoining room there is a steno
grapher, to whom, when the general
wishes to record an idea auicklv. he
dictates, the stenographer taken it
down. When dictating the general
talks very rapidly, but the swelling on
the neck is so large that it interferes
considerably with the clearness and
distinctness of his speech.
The general keeps by his side many
records from the war department at
Washington, and in handling them
Col. Fred is of great service to his
father. The general has a great deal
of confidence in the ability of the colo
nel. He said ' some time ago: "For
an ordinary looking man Fred is the
best informed, particularly on mili
tary subjects, I ever saw. When he
was in Europe he showed a great ac
quaintance with the history of the
countries we visited."
It was particularly unfortunate, says
the writer, that Gen. Badeau, when
Gen. Grant was thought to be dying,
should have allowed the impression to
exist that he, in great part, was the
author of the book. The family was
incensed at the report. Col. " Fred
Grant showed the manuscript to a
friend familiar with Gen. Grant's writ
ing, and asked whose it was. The
gentleman quickly responded: "It is
Gen. Grant's." It is a significant fact
that nothing more is to be heard from
(en. Badeau. He has left the house,
basr and baggage, and has not been in
it for some time.
When the book was completed Gen.
Grant was much delighted. He took
it to Mrs. Grant, and said:
"Here is your book. It's all done.
It's the only legacy I have to leave
you or my family."
He invariably " refers to the book
now as Mrs. Grant's. The first vol
ume of the book will appear in Decem
ber, the second in March. It has al
ready over three hundred thousand
subscribers, which insures a handsome
income to the family.
I Thirty fhaves for twelve cents js the ordinary
; barlxr's rale In lud'a. Time is not money in
that country, evidently. But then, the bar
; tiers there don't have to converse in three or
i four different languages and are apt to wear
i ittle else than exceedingly brief Oscar Wilde
troupers and bugs. Their rates are about as
much too low as ours here aie too high.
J Peek? Sun.
I The first monkey ever born in this country
: firsfsuw the light of day in New Yoik Satar
: day. The only event of a eim lar nature was
' the birth a year or so i'go of tome Manoziques
j in the Cincinnati zoolosrical ca-dens. The
j mother of the new arrival was bro-igut from
Ca:culta by a sailor last fal!.
Pith and Point.
The man who fails for a million dol
lars must command respect.
New York has received as many as
1,000,000 bananas per day. That is as
good as 500,000 slip-ups.
Perry Davis is an inmate of a west
ern county house, but of an eastern
tomb which cost $8,000.
It may do for theologians to call it
"Sheol," but the old term is good
enough for most of us in the usual
daily walks of life.
No sooner did a real Boston girl re
move to Chicago to reside than she
dated her letters from "Chicago-by-the-Lake."
It was a Nashville cook this time
who mistook arsenic for baking pow
der. Of course she kept them side by
side on the shelf.
The consumption of beer has in
creased by 58.000,000 gallons in one
year. Somebody's head must be get
ting used to the motion.
Ten yards of flirtation and a bushel
of gush arc mentioned by the Boston
Globe as a full seaside outfit for the
average young lady.
England's big cannon booms a
charge of almost 600 pounds of powder
at once. Such spendthrift habits
should not be encouraged in a gun.
It has been satisfactorily settled
that a yachtsman need not know how
to sail a yacht. All that is needed is a
uniform and a roll to his gait.
This country imported about 18,000,
000 bottles of" wine last year and con
sumed 29,000,000. Nobody grot hold
of a bottle that wasn't "imported."
New Hampshire could put about
800 militia in the field if occasion de
manded, but tbey would have to carry
pitchforks and wear their every-day
clothes.
They keep finding indictments
agarhst Ferd. Ward, but after a man
has been drowned fifteen or twenty
times it's uo use to pour more water
over him.
The New York Evening Post gives
up the fight at last and says: "rhe
time has arrived for bidding farewell
in theso columns to Keely and his
'motor.'"
Apples are getting large enough to
twist a boy of 10 out of bed and half
way down stairs at every grip, and
the opportunity should not be lost by
a single youth.
If it can on the one hand be called
"cholera infantum," why can't it on
the other hand be referred to as "chol
era adultum?" The infants shouldn't
have all the advantage.
It is believed that if Miss Dudley is
kept in prison much longer she will be
driven to write poetry, and for this
reason many influential people are
moving to ha-e her released.
A St. Louis woman was spit on from
a third-story window by a boy and
she has sued the lad's employer for
S5,000 damages. The defense will be
"contributory negligence."
Eighty-two per cent of all the fires
occurring in New York city are traced
directly to carelessness. It's no won
der an overworked reporter slips his
grammar now and then.
A chap in Arizona has improved on
the idea of an art loan. He has got up
a "money loan" scheme, and only the
other day eight stage coach passengers
lent him nearly 1,000.
The Brooklyn Eagle knows of a pro
fessional roller-skater with a bullet in
his head. We can't see anything odd
about that. That's no place to "shoot
one ot those chaps if you want to lay
him up.
Prof. Proctor says that at least 450,
000 meteoric bodies fall from the heav
ens every hour of the twenty-four for
the entire year, and yet it is hard work
to find a chap who has had his hat
knocked off".
Of the nine great musical composers
of Germany not one of them had a
face an average man would like to
meet on a lonely road at twilight's
solemn hoar. He'd count on either
being dunned or thumped.
A Chicago paper asserts that the
voting man who starts out in life with
the feeling that he doesn't know beans
from broomsticks has at least 95.000
capital over all others. No such man
ever started in Chicago.
Fargo has all along supposed that
she had 17,000 population, but a cen
sus taken by the police fails to show
quite 10,000. How 7,000 people
slipped out of town inside of two days
is what bothers those who didn't go.
More than 100 men and women over
CO years of age have been injured or
killed in skating rinks within the last
six months. Most of 'em were wid
ows and widowers who were trying to
show off like people of 20. Detroit
Free Press.
THE JIM JAMS.
An Eloquent Tramp.
A stupid looking-tramp knocked at
the door of one ot the linest residence
in Austin, and was received by the
ladv of the house, who expressed some
curiosity to know what he wanted.
"Please, mum. give me a dime to
get a glass of bread 'sense me, I
mean a loaf of beer."
"I hain't got no money," the lady
replied.
"Ain't pot no money? Then,
madame. you should move into a
cheaper house, so you will not deceive
the humbie tramp by the gorgeous
ness of you resilience, l'ou are living
beyond " your means. Economy is
wealth."
"Now you clear out of here or I'll
call my husband."
"Cut down your expenses, madame
cut down your expenses, or sooner
or later your husband will be in my
fix. I had just such a wife as you,
and that is what has brought me to
the condition I am now in. Reduce
your expenses, madame, and some of
these days you may have a dime a
whole dime which may bo the means
of preventing some hungry, thirsty
fellow mortal from committing suicide;
or it may be a quarter, a coin of the
value of twenty five cents, that will
upholster the dark clouds of his des
pairing soul with a silver-plated lining
and his stomach with bock beer. Fair
lady, good bye." Ttxns Siftings.
How a Man G ot Cured of Seeing the Mon
keys. .
From the Detroit Post.
"Did you ever have the tremens?"
was the laconic inquiry made recently
by one Detroiter of another.
"The what?"
"The tremens, snakes, shakes, tri
angles, jimjams, side jumps or what
ever you choose to call them."
"Oh, I see: you mean the jerks. No,
I never Had them and never wdl. 1
went through an experience once that
convinced me I had no use for any
nervous disturbance of that character.
I wa3 rooming with a capital young
fellow at a hotel. He was a Southern
er ; came from Texas and had all that
generous, impulsive nature that is at
tributed to the best class of Southern
ers. But that fellow would get on the
most hilarious batters of the most pro
nounced type. He'd get blind, howl
ing drunk and keep it up until nature
would bring in her bill and send him to
bed because he couldn't meet them.
He'd spend all the money he had, all
he could borrow, and then run his credit
to the very limit. He was ready to be
anybody's friend, and the fact was taken
advantage of whde he could work
the bars. He was quick to anger,
and when his money disappeared
he was liable to be treated to a pair
of black eyes or a sore jaw. He
would come out of a spree determined
never to have another one, and while
his resolution prevailed he was gentle
manly, tidy as a fashion plate and the
best of company. He was a Democrat,
and Cleveland's election took the young
man clear off his feet. He was on the
war path for two weeks. He was
drunker than a lord and made Rome
howl for weeks. He finally had to
give up and went to bed at the hotel.
He slept twenty-four hours and then
wanted whiskey. The doctors said to
give a reasonable amount, but the
debilitated politician wanted a quart.
Ho was quieted for a time and I threw
myself on the bed for a nap. A voice
awakened me. I heard the young fellow
praying and saw him kneeling by the
bedside. His petition was that the
Lord, his mother and all other interest
ed parties might forgive him for what
he was about to do. He felt it as his
duty to murder me then and there be
oansft in bin distorted indfrment I was
fit to cumber the earth no longer. I
was almost petrified with mingled as
tonishment and fear. I saw that he
had 'em. He was an athlete, six feet
tall, and out of his head. In the cor
ner of the room were two Indian clubs
and a baseball bat. He rose from
prayer, started for the corner, and I
saw that I must do something or be
beat into a jelly. I made a spring be
fore he knew I was awake, pinioned his
arms behind him and let out two or three
terrific yells. In a few seconds the
porter with a half dozen other men were
helping put the Cleveland man to bed.
He got around all right and vows he's
done drinking, but I wouldn't sleep
with him after another Democratic vic
tory for half of the state of Michigan.
I'm cured and I'll never have the rattles."
A Genius for Friendship.
This genius for friendship, for en
tering into relationship with another, is
the rarest of gifts. For the most part
we go each our own way and make a
virtue of it. The keenly critical nature
is seldom the sympathetic or the help
ful. It brings to bear the disintegrat
ing, the analytical, rather than the
constructive and the synthetic forces,
and is far more apt to commend the
unfortunate to the aid of Heaven than
it is to endeavor to mike itself an agen
cy in heavenly work. A man has in
volved himself in some unfortunate and
exacting eirjumstauces; he has some
how dropped the clue of success and is
groping blindly in the labyrynt'a ; and
we remark cn his unwisdom, and won
, t. ,1 i i i
aer now lie couiu navo uoue su, auu
with the comforting reflection that it is
none of our affairs, we leave him to
grope his way blindly as best he may.
It is no affair of ours. But is it not ?
Does not the man or woman who fails
to speak the needed word at the right
moment to give the inspiration of sym
pathy or of counsel, become morally ac
countble for the failure ? "No one ever
came so near as Margaret Fuller," said
one who knew her well. "And I have
no doubt," adds Mr. Emerson, "that she
saw expressions, heard tones, and re
ceived thoughts from her companions
which no one else draw from tliem."
In this sympathetic capacity she made
of life her art. She saw the secret, in
terior capability. She brought this
vital educative power to act on all to
whom she applied herself to counsel or
aid. Boston Traveler.
Uase ball is a came iu which diamonls are
always trumps.
Muscles and Brains.
From tho Frincetonian.
One of the strongest arguments that
;an be brought to bear against the pres
3nt ascendancy of athletics in our col
leges is their damaging effect upon the
studies of the men making np the teams.
In the college offices the other day the
register kindly showed me the records
of the university base-ball nines of 1881
to 1884 inclusive. The nine of '81 had
an average rank of seventy-six in a class
of 100. The nine of '82 averaged fifty
three. The nine of '83 averaged fifty
two, while the nine of '84 averaged fifty-four.
With the exception of '81,
each nine contained two or three men
of high standing, whose record showed
that a man can study and play ball as
well. Each nine showed also two or
three men standing in tho middle of
the class. Finally, each nine con
tained several professional ball players
with whom every examination must
have teen in the nature of a lottery.
Upon the whole, however, the figures
were higher than we expected, and
were encouraging to one who believes
that running bases does not unfit a man
for intellectual work. One of the first
duties of a captain is to look after the
college standing of the men under his
charge. A few teams in good standing
will silence the critics of college athletics.