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About The Eugene City guard. (Eugene City, Or.) 1870-1899 | View Entire Issue (April 14, 1883)
W0T1IER." t. ! Tli wniiim wat old ind rn'iwd and gray, And bent with the chill of the winter't day; And tho tUtrt wu wot with the wlnter'iinow, And tho woman't fu-t wor tgeu ana now. fihs ttood t the eroxinj nd waited long, Alone, uuoarcd (or amid t throng Of human bainga, who psastd berliy, Nor hradrd the iinmv or her aniiout ej, ' Down tlie ttrt with laiitfliUr nd ihoul, Wad in the freedom of tchoul let oat, Camo the Imvt liko a flx-k of thorp, Hailing theinow piled white and dorp. IW the woman o old and (tray, If aliened the chililre u on their way, Nor ofrfd a helping hand to her, Ho meek, to tiujttJ, afraid to tlir, 1,cit the earrii.ire wheel or horW foct Should crowd her down iu tho ilippry atrcct. At liut came one of the morry troop, . The gayett luddic of all the group. - Ite nauard beide her, and whiired low; Til helj) you arrow If you wih to go." Her aecJ hand on hit tronj young arm Bhe placed, and without hurl or haru), Ho euidrd Iho trrrnliling feet along, . . Proud that Lia own wcru firm and alroiig. Then baci again t' bit friend be went, . lln young heart huppy and well content. 'Rhe'i Minrby i mother, boyt. you know, For ihe'i old, and poor, and alow; And I hope toinn fellow will lend a hand To lie lp my mother, you understand, If ever ihe'i old, and pnor.and gray, When her own dear Icy il fur away." Anl "aornobodya mothor" bowed low hor hoad u her home tl'mt night, and the prayer tho Nlid Was'Tlixl be kind lo the noble boy Who it aomebody'i ton and pride and joy." I'UITIXH 'J HE qi ESTIOX. "Thou thai! know him when he come, (Welcome youth!) Not by nny din of d num. Not by tlm viuliire of bit kf, Neither by hit crown, Nor hit gown, Nr by ant thing ho wean, lie ahull only well-known be, , Ity the holy harmony That hit coming makot in Ihoel" The prosposal o( marriage ia a modern Eletisinian mvstcry, but with no organ izod society to givo it a uniform ritual or to communicate its modo. Thore ii no unirooipe for it, nor can one bo pre scribed which shrill bo infalliblo, whilo another ia uncertain. No one aces Low it ia consummated exoept the parties im mediately interested, and if itisorownod with auccoHR they do not, I am told, ro membcr a year later tho exact manner and phraseology of it. But he who trios it and fails is supposed to hove a moro retentive memory of tho occasion, and robably always concludes that his failure has been mostly owing to somo lack of timeliness or substance of graco in its address. It is clearly, whatover olso may bo truo, not amonablo to tho rcady-mudo letter-writer treatment. Per haps it comes into existence in sometime like tho way Tonsy did, by growing, the timo iu which it bogau and ended not being strictly dollanblo or known. A ilush of the eye, pressure of the hand, a tone of tho voico, sn exalted soneo . of admiration and weloomo, theso may do even moro than any words to usher iu and conclude tho situation. "It would bo an interesting study," says a writer iu Dornorost's Magaziuo, "to turn over a buudred or moro of tho best novels and romances and witness tho way this happy or as often unhappy oveut is described and sot forth iu them. But I do not propose to do this. In Mr. Howell's story, "Dr. Bruco's Practice," tho real proposal eomos at lo.Ht from tho heroiuo herself, in which she was justilied, I mako freo to say, not porhaps by Mrs. Grundy, but by tho soundest canons of oommon sense. If sho had not been undergoing a lung tutclago iu a profession, whioh is still mainly outside of the fomiiiino field, she might not have been equal to this effort, At least, a good many others who should be aro not. To all tho various kinds of proposals suggestive, iioint blank, or other one maxim, I think, of tho wisdom of the world applies, namely, that you must not, unless you are away from tho object of your love, make tho first declaration of regard ami affection through pen and ink. Except in rare eases, nothing but failure comes of it, though when tho subject bus been properly begun, in proper way, tho employment of station ery may prove, iu wiso hands, a valuable auxilliary process. But it is the contentional endo rather which has solidified itself round thissub ect which calls for most remark. Doubt less if somo genius of a tendoncy like Herbert Spencer should give ns in a thorough, radical way its history, with all the whys and wherefores, ho would find himself tho author of a most unique aud wonderful treaties. Tho etiquette, as it now stands, seems to be not the pro duct of the feminino mind, but its ideal of virtuous essence, and to fl.id its mot sturdy support on the side of humanity. And yet it places woman on sn euormous inequality. I have been woudenng all my life why it is that, in the matter of initiative, a course, uuattractivo young man should have the privilege to ask auy uumarriod woman in tho whole world to marry him, whilo his refined and much more accomplished sister must make no luotiuu toward any choice of her own, except to sit still and wait for somo other girl's indifferent brother to make a pro posal to her. If it be true as I am as sured, that the most attractive young lady eannot hope lo have more than from six to twelve offers at the most in a life time, and practically must depend on much loss than this number of eligible ones, then, while her field of secondary choice is pitifully small; her brothers ars auioiutmy uiiuuiiUxi, amounting, in fact, to hundreds of millions. I believe I Lave asked nearly every prominent lady lecturer on behalf of woman's rights if this is not a state of things that needs as mush reforming as anything else, and in every instance I got an affirmative answer. But ask almost all other women, and you will get the opposite answer. I Lave long suspect.! if tho gentle feminine reader will pardon the heresy that the present custom of masculine CjdriYcnets in the nutter, o( marri J . '-80MED0DYU proposals W littl.s less than a survival from Asiatic barbarism. It is a signal of a small remnant of .Hint tremendous scionce of feminino disabilities of which something more is left iu Asia, which gives the European and Western man a partial kinship to the high pretensions of tho Hhah and Sultan. It pleases him, no doubt, and why should it not? Tho so-called leap-year prerogolive has evidently grown out of the suspicion that Iho existing order of thing Las somewhere a defect, or a weok side, and LasLoen offered as a make-woight against the injustice. But every one knows that all talk olwnt it in society is only a part of that universal habit of joking and lev ity which surrounds marriago and tho marriage proposal. It is true a joke tnav break the ice sometimes over deeper wafers, and may prove the avenue to seriousness. Except in some way, it ia not a matter that Las ever essentially modillcd tho system that we aro consid ering. Wo road sometime of instances ia which a lady tias avancu ucrseu 01 mo matrimonial privilogo. Ono such caao, cited by a writer in a late English maga zine, is worm quoting nere; "As tho controversy has oflcn been waged," says the writer, "as to whether it is competent for a lady lo pop the nncstion. even so far as the leap-year is ia .. ...a! nvi,iidi in a f linnimml. tlin Iioroine neiDR uo inner . . . i 1 1 than the wife of M. de Lesseps. This distinguished lady was at La Chesnave, when all Europe was astir about the achievements of the Suez enterprise, Onn ,lnv in the warden, she saw Do Los seps walking on thotorraco. Sbopluckod a roso, and going np to tho widower, bejfgodof him, for nor saito, to wear uui diuner. Ho eskod Ler whotuor she did not moan it for his son. No; it waa for hlmsulf. Do Lessens explniuod to hor thst he was on the wrong side of sixty, whilo she was not yet nineteen, luat did not matter; what his age was Had novor occurred to Ler. Sho had only thought of Lis grandness and goodness, f n abort, ho was her beau idoal. How was it possiblo for a man reared on tho snnnv sido of a Pyrencan mountain to reason down the feelings this oonfession arousod? Time was given to Mllo. de Prarni to rellcct. and she was made to un- dorstaud that no friendship would bo lost were she to cliango her mind aitor tho banns Lad been published. Tho inarriaeo. however, was eolcbrated con temporaneously with the Buez fetos. As tho young lady referred lo was reared under the Fro n oh codo of ruaunors, which is one of almost oriontal strictness, the reader can judge whether this protty piece of romanoo is likely to bo foundod on fact." Tho writer having seen tho samo ac count, told in tho samo way at tho time of tho ovont, hopes it may bo. Oue of tho worst features of this unmitigated silouoe which is imposed upon the ono sex alono is tho insincerity and bypoo- risy which it not only inculcates, but places a premium upon. Nothing irri tates a woman so muoti as to have any ground given for u suggestion that sho has gono a step off her way to secure a goutleruan's intorest or attention. Who would rather bo wou by a peasaut than movo tho least bit aggressively to win a princo. Her natural feelings aro amoth orcd and surprcssed, und she accepts the artiflco which sho must put on, as if it wero both rrasonablo and natural. It Is not very likely that any such rev olution as I havo hinted at will occur in our generation, however grievous the disabilities of women may be; but, when we ooiiBidor Unit somo of tho civilizations which aro not Puritan and Auglo Haxon, have mediatorial methods of bringing about marriage iu which third parties play tho oSief part it is not lunacy to suggests that modifications may bo pro duced in time, iu our habits, when we become moro in unisou with tho rost of tho world. It is certain that, oven now, the marriago proposal as it exists here, is as shocking to French ideas, as any other modo thau ours is to us so tyran nically do convictions rule us. If we can outlive this conviction, it will doubt less bo by exceptions aud by degrees. Ijot us hopo that somo day, by tho quiot and delicate iiitcrmodiacy of somo wiso tribuual if not otherwise a young lady or a woman may secure a 4rivilego of choice in matters of tho highest conso quenee that can only now happen by a luaky aocidont. Kx Empress Kiigcnlo Hopeless. During the short visit of Prinoe Nspolcou to cx Empress Eugenic at Farnborough, moro than ono enterpris ing press correspondent tried hard to dis cover exactly what was going on, and Low long the rrinoe would remain there. But strict orders had been given to the servants, and not only was not oue ad mitted within tho house, but no ques tions of any kind wero answered. Noth ing cau be moro quiet and unostentatious than the manner in which Her Majesty lives. Sho only leaves her apartments to hear mass in her private chapel every morning, and to join in tho meals which sho hikes twice a day with tho members of her household. She intends to build a new chapel close to her house, and wheu it is Uuislied tho remains of the late Empercr anil of the Priuee Imperial will bo removed thcro from Chisclhurst. To seveial of thoo who have visited her tho ex-Empress has expressed her conviction that the cause of imperialism In Franco cannot uo revived wan any uopo 01 sue cess for a long timo to oomo. The 1'raxo for Wagner's Hair. Wagner's Lair ia highly prised by his admirers, aud when lie is about to have it out, enthusiasts aro always on the look out to get a lock of it. Bccenily. at Na pies, this led to an amusing mculent. The hairdresser, who was to perform the operation, was solieitexl by somo Wag nnrites at the hotel to sell tbcm the shorn looks, aod the barber profited by the trausactiou to a considerate extent. Unluckily, Mudamo Wagnor Lad prom ised a frieud some of her hualwud's hair to enclose in a locket, an 1 the barber was robbed of his pcrtiuisites; but. re membering that tho butcher who sup plied meat to the hotel had hair exactly similar to that of the com noser, he. per suaded him to Lave Lis hair cut gratis, ana was thus enabled to souu the euthu siaats sway rejoicing. More hearts pine away in secret anguish, for the want of kindness from those who should be their comforters. thAa tit wj Qtaei culiuit; ia life, Wati-hei and Magnetism. "Sir, you should wear an open-facod watch if you dosire to bo accurate in yon r time," uaid a watchmaker on Chostnnt street to the stout man; "you aro too magnetic" "Why, what the deuce bos the case got to do with it?" was tho interrogative reply. Evorything. Your watch has a hunting case, necessitating steel springs for opening and shutting. By constant as sociation with your body thoso springs become magnetized, and thoy generate thoir condition to othor necessarily steel portions of the watch works, and thus ronder thoir movements imperfect." iThen, if I were not fat, any wntch would not lose two minutes, more or less, a dov," said the puzzled stout mau, "Exactly," roturnod the watchmaker. "I have worn your watch for over a week, and it has noithor gained nor lost a dozen seconds; but then I am, from a corporal point of viow, your antitbesis. 1 am exceptionally thin and alondor." The stout man mused. "Accordingly," said he, "open-faced tickors for fat men, closed cases for thin, eh?" "Not at all," replied the othor. "Thin men Lavo at times moro magnetism in thoir system than fat men. Everybody is more or less magnetic; you happen to bo particularly so; I Lappen to be quite the roverse; hence my remarks and ad vice. For tho rest, open-faced watobes are always more aconrate than hunters. As for tho stool springs iu hunting cases, mechanical science lias notyot discov ered anything else to replace tliem. The public like double cases, and thero the matter remains for tho present. Thoro are, Lowover, many ill ooutrivod ports in watches; and, whilo tho dmand contin ues for watches of a certain price, it is impossible, from a commercial point of view, to think of improvements. Long nsed methods and ingenious engines have been specially providod to fashion and cut out every ono of the minute parts wnich go to compose the existing instrument. Every watch consists of over 200 pieces, employing over 200 per sons, distributed among 40 trades; to say nothing of tho tool-makers for the artisans. If tho construction oi me watch were materially altered, oil the trades would havo to bo relearned, new tools and whoel-cntting engines would have to be dovised, and the majority of working watchmakers would bocomo nanlnHS. The consenuenco would be that the watch would become enormous ly onhancod in valuo, and its possession a token of wealth. You boo, in your complicated state of society, even ma chines in tho process of timo come to surround themselves with a circle of vested interests which embarrass at tempts at improvement." "You aro interesting me," romarkod tho stout customer, as he replacod his watch in his pookct. "You have been many yoars in the business, I suppose. Of course thero must have been some improvement in your timo?" "Of courBO. Watches during tho last ten yoars havo grown much in thickness. Old-fashionod watches aro thin and Hat. I have had a wotch in my charge as thin as a trado dollar. Jt is lmpossioio 10 properly adjust tho works for Lent, cold and position uudor such circumstances. I should have to give you a loug explan ation of tho packing mechanism to ex plain t3 you why. "Well, has tho increased thickness raised tbo value?" - "No. on the contrary. Watches nro now worth 25 por cent less than thoy were twelve years ago. '1 bat fact, you will say, boars ogaiust my previous re marks. I am reforring to tho ohoapor grades of watches worn by tho majority of people. Thore nro wutclics whicu bring $1500 and watches which can bo purohased for $18 a dozen. If you aro willing to par ifor costly work, almost anything can be accomplished. " "I made a watch for a physician whioh fitted into a signet ring not much larger than a pea. It had only second hands. It was porfcotly nccurato, nud was used by tho doctor to timo the pulso of Lis pa tients. That cost $100. Watches aro mado from tho size of a ten cent pieoe to half a dollar, and worn as triukets by ladios. Thoy aro also fitted in bracelets, brooches, tons of watohes, eye glasses, and ovon umbrella handles; but they aro very luxurious toys." Tho Btout man paid his bill and went homo. The Dyspeptic's Struggle. Dyspeptics, with morbid appetite, if intelligent, conscientious, and deter mined not to abuso themselves, are con stantly engaged iu a hard struggle, in a hsud-to-hand light. Tho dyspeptic sits at tho tab'o at each mool with a de termined will, nnd gives his whole mind to it. He says, now I will eat one dish of soup, a small picoo of the beef, one spoonful of tho potato, ono of Bquash, a small piece of pie, ami just a spoonful of ice cream; but his appetite is ravenous; the conversation pleasant; ho forgets a little; his good resolution lets up; he takes just oue more mouthful of pie, which turns out. of course, to be another piece; just the least bit of pudding, which thoy all declaro to bo delicious; then another spoonful of ice cream well, in short, ho repeats for the thousandth time an excuse, suffers, and so goes on for months and years. This struggle of tho dyspeptic always seemed to mo the most pitiful. Eating was designed by tho Good Creator to afford a real, unmixed pleasure. It is sad to see it changed into a bitter fight between appetite and conscience. Be sides, this earnest effort of the will breaks in upon tho pleasant flow and harmony of nature, aud disturbs diges tion. Tho whole trouble grows out of a lack oi common sense in Uie manage ment of our meals. What senso, I should like to ask, is there in this: Suppose a drunkard finds himself too weak to resist temptation.and he persists in keeping right before him the most delicious liquors, in placing right nnder his nose, several times a day, just that brandy which he never found himself UroUg enough to resist. What an idiot! we all should exclaim. Not ouly Miss Opholia, but every one with fire grains of common sense, would cry out. "Why don t the fool keep away from it?" Tor one man who is spoiled with drink, a hundred are spoiled with pie, cake and such similar trash. I join this common sense party, and aak why they don't keep away? Take, for exampktbe ordinary American family, consisting, ssy, of half a dozen persons. ten hs of the dyspeptics of this country live in such families. Of these persons, constituting a large part of the popuU tion, not one in ten has a porfoot stem neb Now, I ask, can't theio people shun the sweetmeat ond pastry tempta tion? Nothing is simpler and easier; and I will add that few duties are more sacred and imperative. Tho time will soon come when intent eont mothers will no more think of pro viding such stuff for their children than they would prepare whisky slings, for them. , ... Jost now we fool about those things as peoplo usod to feel about whisky. Nothing mortified a good doaoon moro than to bo caught with no whisky in the house. What, no whisky? If.whon the minister called, our good deacon could not set out a decanter beforo hiin.be was poor indoed! , . . And now, when entertaining fnonds at your table, if you can't closo the dinner with pudding and pie, or if you can't prosont thorn at the supper table with preserves, cake, strong tea and half a dozen other indigestible things, you fool it la "rani mean. " What, nothing but roast beef.potutoes and breud for dinner; ,i nntiiino- inir. a rdain sandwich for supper? Golden Rulo. A Kat on the Wellington Monument "Are there any fine views in Washing ton?" asked a stranger yesterday. "Yes; one of the finest views in the civilized world is to look down from tho ton of Wasbineton Monument upon a sea of upturned faces of the solid men of the city of magnincent instances, uisap- pointed hopes, boarding bouses and hacks, rnd the majestic proportions of the grand buildings off to tho north west." "Can I got up there to-day?" "Oh. ves: all you havo got to do is to watch your chance." Tho strancer started for the monu ment, and in a few minutes ho reached the spot. He gazod with astonishment for a few moments npon the huge and maiestio pilo of marble and granito tow ering for 3U0 feet towards the heavens, thon walked inside tho structure. Find ing a stairway winding up towards the top, tho stranger proceeded to meander, when, in the course oi an hour, moro or loss, he reached tho top. After resting for a few moments, he began to look about to see what was to be soon. Look ing down the Potomoo be could boo Mount Vernon, the home of him in whose honor and to whose memory tho lofty pile of granito and marble upon which ho stood is boing erected. In fact, looking in whatsoever diroction he might, his eyes failed for want of power to see all that was beneath and around him. Tirod ond weary of gazing upou the mysteries of nature, he sat down to rest. Whilo sitting ond wondering ho fell asleep, but was soon awakened by something nibbling at his fingors, which provod to be nothing more or less than a regular full grown, old fashioned wharf rat. This settlod it. He de scended, ond when he reached his hotel he said he had supposed thore was some pluco where rats could uotgetuntil now, but ho firmly believes that thero aro rats in heaven, and that that rat came down from there, beoanso ho nevor could get up tnat stairway in tho world. Wash ington Critic Wealthy Newsboys. "That big, tall newsboy over thero at the postoffico steps is worth $20,000 ia his own right." It was another newsboy who gavo this rather startling bit of information to the writer. "Yes, sir," continued the talking news boy, "that's Alf-Alf Shattler, ond he does the biggest trade of any boy iu this city. Why, mayba you don't belieyo it, but it s true, ho makes more money a day thou any of tho Fourth-street clerks do. Alf averages SO and $7 a day." "But he has to work for it?" "Well, I should say so. How long do you suppose he has sold papers on that corner Nineteen years, sir. Alf began businoss about war times, and he has never given it up. Now ho has the boss businoss of any of the boys. A regular trade "That's it, sir. You'll see gentlemen come across the street at all hours, get a paper from him without a word and walk away not offering to pay. Thoso aro Ins regular customers, and he has hundrods of them." Further inquiry dovolopod the fact that Shattler is nearly 30 years old. He is married and lives in his own property on Spring Grovo avenue. Out at Mil- ford ho owns a farm for which he bos re fusod 10,000. Besides this farm ho Las other property, real and personal, of equal yalue. Down at tho corner of lourthnnd Walnut is another newsboy, whose ia miliar face bus been a landmark at that point for ten years past. Fourth and Walnut is his particular field, and no othor newsboy ever attempts to invade it. Though not as wealthy as Shattler, Johnny can draw his chock for $5000 and have n honored, lie has had bis home at Union Bethol for years, where ho reg ularly pays a fixed sum (or board and lodging. Wtgglnslana. Uneasy is tho head that dips into the future. Tis better to predict and miss than never to predict at all. Wiggins' storm will not be seen by the rveoiy-moier. The weather prophet frightens fools, entortams the ctedulous and sells his almanac. In anticipation of Wiggins' storm, the Indians on the Onondaga reservation have tied their houses to trees and fences with rones. It i time that people with brains ia their head should regard Wiggins in his true light, simply as a man who has almanacs to sell. A lady was visiting one 'of her mar ried friends who had recently presented Ler Lusband with pledge of affection No. I. "What are yon going to name the baby?" inquired the Tisitor. "We are going to call her Mary Penelope Thana topsis Ellen not ftoici? to leave, art you?" "Yes, I most get home in time for tea; 1 11 call in again early to-morrow morning ana bear ins rest o( it." Climatic Variations. Dr. Croll attributes the great fluctua tions of terrestrial climate, as displayed by the formor extension of the glaciers on one Land, and the existence of coal seams and corals in the now ice bound shore of Greenland on the othor, to vari ations of the earth's orbit, snd calculates the periods of three of theso cycles, ex tending respectively over 170,000, 200 -000, and 100,000 years. I am unable eithor to oonflrm or refute thoso oscula tions, whioh may or may not be correct, but quite outside, or rather within, theso thero Lave boon curious fluctuations of terrestrial climate hitherto unexplained. The name "Gronland," which wo lit erally translate "Greonland," is itself a record of this. It was given to that coun try when colonized by the Scandana viuna, aboo one thousand years ago. It wbb then fairly described by its name, ond tho remains of human settlements discovered by our arctic explorers in regions now uninhabitablo confirm the old Norse sages, which describe these colonies. When Ingolf with his rotainers and followers settled in Iceland, A. D. 874, that island must have enjoyed a vnrv rliffernnt climate from what it DOW endures, or it could not have become so popular a colony os to alarm King Harold the Fair-hairod so greatly as to induco him in nhnck the emigration bv imposing a fine of four ounces of silver on all in tending emigrants. Tho growth of iis population until it tlm eleventh aod twelfth cen turies the focus of European poetio liter ature, wnon its great poet, pnorro oiur- lounn llpntnil flin meet in ITS of tho Tliinovftlla or Txlund Parliament, "with a splendid retinue of eight hundred armed men; wuen uousos anu smps wore built with native timber, of which remains aro now to be found, all indi- nntrt a piirinnn nlmnoM nf climate. I could quoto many other vidences of tins il space permuted. Edscwood The Home of Mrs. Kato Chase fcprnguc: Abont two and a half miles northeast of the Capitol is "Edgowood,"o substan tial brick villa, erected early in the pres ent century by Colonel Berry, who had an only daughter, who was the possessor of great personal beauty and rare accom plishments. Among hor admirers was a young law student in tho office of William Wirt, then Attornoy General, Salmon P. Chaso, of Ohio, aud, although be never became a suitor for her hand, he always cherished pleasant memories of her and her homo. When tho estate was offered for sale in 18GS, the young law student had become the Chief Jus tice of tho United States, and ho pur chased it for a homestead. Additions were made to the house, and his mauy art treasures were removed there from the house which he had occupied at tho corner of Sixth and D streets, and were arranged with great taste. Mrs. Kato Chase aprague is now resid ing at Edgewood with her three daugh ters Ethel, Portia and Katheriuo whoso respective ages are fourteen.oloven and nine years. Assisted by private tu tors, Mrs. Sprajue has nkon uie cuarga of their education, and they are well versod in the preliminary studies in tho English, French and German tongues. She retains Ler rare beauty, tempered by ago and trouble, especialty the poiso of her intellectual head, her charming throat and chin, and tho classical out lines of her countenance. There aro but fow, if any, silver threads in her dark auburn hair, and hor movements havo the ottraotivo grace that characterized her when young. Her lifo has been one of disappointment! Her "groat expecta tions" havo not boon realized I Her pe tition for divorce set forth her great wrongs, but now her faithless husband has married another wifo, and those wrongs will be avenged. Washington Ccrr. Boston Journal. It was reported recently that tho Pan ama Canal Company had expended $30.- 000,000 and bad not, moved a shovelful of dirt yet. Out of this sum it must be remembered it bought and paid or the Panama Railroad, and the cash for that went to citizens of the United States. Contracts have also been made with Americans to construct the machinery to do the excavating with, and it is very likely that a largo part of tho cost of the whole work will be paid out in this oonn- try. Perhaps it is quite as well to let this Panama scheme get well started bo fore we undertake that of the Nicaragua route. If the latter is built by the United States and begun forthwith, we should have doubts if the Panama canal wouldn't fall through yet. Experienco gained at Panama will be available at Nicaragua. Judging by the business done on the Suez canal, both of these isthmus cuts would soon be doing a pay ing business, nor would thoy seriously interfere with the business of our rail roads. Tho art critic of the Hawera Star thus desoribes a portrait of Tawhiao. the Maori king: "The first glance at his head forcibly reminds one of an Ameri can ax or Maori tomahawk, it being broad at the cbin and narrow at the crown. If h8 head were iron it would be a valuable acquisition to the bush faller for splitting shingles. The tattoo marks with which the face is covered destroy all facial expression, and a sim ple-minded person could easily be per suadod that for a minnte at ono period of his life his pate had been in a sausage macmne in lull operation, ihe picture also represents mm as icariullr swivel eyed, and it would be a hard thing to tell whether His Highness is represented to be looking at his subjects or sadly con templating the shadowy prospect of banquet from the Wanganuiites. Thb Vice Pbesiden-t'b PKRonsrrm A custom Las long prevailed at the senate end oi tue (japitol Dy wnicb a re tiring presiding offioer of the Senate whether a Vice President or a Senator elected President pro tempore of that oouy, is privileged to carry off wben hit term expires the andirons and fire set o the Vice President's chamber at the Cap noi. air. v never too: away with h a pair of brass andirons finished w m ith dragons' heads. Mr. Bavin apt worn modern revival of an antinna rItIa anl included andiron, ton .lor nnttav atnnvol and tongs, all of the handsomest brass. He promptly removed all of them on his retirement. Washington Corr. Of the Philadelphia Times. . FACTS AND JtEVYS. The crinoinal tier at Vi i . April 81. Loss $1,000,000. m There are 40,000 women in K v.l city who support themselves. Illinois, it is said, has a greater ber of judges than Great Britain. A Jieniucicy iarmor uas a duck which ays oggs that Lave shells nearly black. Americans run me norse cars anl manage the telephones in Mazatlan Mexico. ' Twenty-eight mining explosion. curred lust year, of which fifteen were' fatal. . Darwiu says that hornets were r.nt i. vented until tho world was lion mm years old. ' Pennsylvania will build more railm..i. this year than in any recent twoWe. month. . More than 100 vessels pbsu,1 n- through the Narrows at New York in ons day recently. A' leaf transforms into useful n.i forty por cent of tho enorgy absorbed beating an ongino. , ' In Asia Minor thore are olive tr. still in fnll bearing known to be twelve hundred years old. Four barrols of water from the O rati Salt lake, after evaporation, will ent uarrei oi boii. Col. Tom Patterson, of Greene count Ark., has a coat composed of eieht ooon skins. Tho nun tier farm of Clnrtr Mnni. re turned 723 clear profit into tlm iu.t'l troaBury last year. English gold coin has been so worn that it will cost $4,000,000 to restore tLi no,vw,wv in circulation. Baldnoss. somo experiments rnemvUi by the Edinburgh Medical Journal Show, is probably contagious. Ttarnn Werhnim tha wmlthioif m... " . T , vu.uw. UitUJIQ. facturer of Austria, and tho celebrated lubricant of iron safes, is dead. Botwoon 45,000 and CO.OOO elevators ore now in oporaiion in tiie L'n twl States. of which 15,000 are in Ket York. A Hall county, Ga., man has a hat which he claims was captured from a British soldior by his grandfather during tue revolutionary war. In the course of ton years seventy-oina murders have been committed in Cincin nati, but during that time thore has only been one execution. There is more nutriment in straw than is commonly supposed, and if rich food like corn or cotton-seed meal is fed,mon will be eaten by stock. In tho average New York house one- fourth of tho time of ono servant is em ployed in responding to the ringings ot ragmen and small peddlors. Over 200 prominent Knights Templui of the stole or Iowa liave announced their intention to visit San Francisco to attend the conclave this summer. The first piano was made at Podus, in Italy, in 1711, by Christofori. The first one seen in England was made by Father Wood, a monk, and very fow wore made thore until ofter 17C8. The only coin in the United State! that strictly conforms to the law is the $20 gold piece. Othor coins eithor lack Eomething proscribed, or bear somo device nnauthorzed by law. One of the curiosities shown in the Smithsonian, at Washington, is a section of a tree nearly twolve inches in diam eter, which was cut down by minnie balls during the battlo of Chancellor villo. A petition sicned bv o largo number of Buffalo capitalists has boen presented bj counsol asking for a grant to build a tunnel under Niagara river, and to re ceive 25 per cect of the profits "lien completed. ' Governor Pattison, of Pennsylvania, has issued a proclamation deolarlng for feited charters for corporations snd companies failing to make returns to the auditor goneral within three years. is said tho list will include 175 corpora tions of such character as to causo gen eral surprise. , The Missouri legislature passed a bill that no railroad oompan? in that state shall advance freights without first giv ing 20 days' notice of the proposed change by posting a now Bcheduloin three conspicuous ploces on eacn freight ond passenger depots. 1" penalty for violation is rjouu. Tho trustees of Columbia college, e York, discussed the project of appealing to citizens of New York ond tue cuuuuj at largo for aiding them to construct college, or metropolitan universitj. where students who ore now compel! to go to Europoan universities can oD tain thorough instruction in tho hif-ner branches of learning. An improved cart spring has been p ented by Mr. Guatar Walter, of ban wicu, in. i.ne invention - improvement in vehiole springs ot tue proved springs have their forward eno extending downward ond connected tot trmsversfl sorintr secured to a crossw of the shafts, which proviues ' ridinar seat of ornamental appearance. - . - "... n ,UT mi qoaa 1 a .1 aiilnODS 1 Chicago, and it is estimated that, wow ing the unlicensed ones, the groceries , w o.fin v;,i on.i tha Ami stores.tMf mere are oouu iiuouku , . are as many as 5000 places where liqn is sold at retail in the city-being drinking place ta every 120 pi-V the population. There are several oioc wnere nearly every nouse saloon. o An improved button has been patent by Mr. Julius Weis, of Chioago, ( invention rnnaiata of a button baVW wire ring formed on its shank P10" witn two overiapying ioubu" - a, wWch Las the end turned upward, other downward, pressing upon lower tongue. The button is cuatc a garment by passing one tDSu the buttonhole and then turning button. f A boot and shoe stretcher. P08fffi several improved features ov dinary stretcher has recently bfB i ented by Mr. Horace Glines, ol Stratford. Conn. The atreteher t only adapted for stretching a" r ot a boot and sboe wnicn m stretching implement is intended but it is especially adapted fo;8"? ing the instep part of the boot in " effective manner.