Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Willamette farmer. (Salem, Or.) 1869-1887 | View Entire Issue (April 30, 1875)
1 t'f! l H : fi Hi El i I 2 TH HlE ClIpLIE. Intra, Mintra, Cutra, Corn. (Br in Ekt. J. K. Ntr-isa. Ten null band upon the spread. Fire lormi kneeling beside the bed, Bine-eyes, Black-eyes, Curly-besdj Blonde, Brnnett in a gtee and a glow. Waiting the magic word. Bach a row I Seven years; six yeara, Are, four, two I Fifty nngcre all In a line (Youra are thirty, and twenty are nine) , Ten aweet eyee that eparkl and ahlne. Motherly Mary: age of ten, Evens the finger tips again, OUnces along the line and then "Intra, mintra, cutra, corn, Apple-seed and apple-thorn. Wire, briar, limber lock, Three geeiie In a flock, Rubble, robble. rabble and rout; Y.O.U.T, Out 1" Sentence falls on Ourly.head : One wee digit is "gone and dead," Nine and forty left on the spread. "Intra, mintra," the flat goes. Who'll be taken, nobody knows, Only Ood may the lot dispose. Is it more than a childish play ? Still yon sluh and turn away, Why? what pain in the sight I pray? Ah, too true, "As the flngera fall, One by one at the magic call, Till at last chance reaches all. "80 lu tho falelul days to come The lot shall fall In many a home That broaka a heart and flnda a tomb; "Shall fall, and fall, and fall agtln. Like a Law that counts our love but vain, Like a Fate, unheeding our woo and pain. One by one and who shall ssy Whether tho lot may fall this day, That cailoth these deir babes away?" "True, too true. Yet bold, hear friend; Ever doth tie lot depend On 111 in who loved, and loves to the end; "Blind to our eyea the flat goes, Who'll be taken no mortal knows. But only Love will the lot dispose. "Only love, with his wiser sight; Luve stone. In Ills Inflnlto might; Love, who dwells In eternal light." Now are the fifty fingers gone To play some new play under the sun The childish fancy is past and gone. Bo let nnr boding prnpheslea go As childMi, lor do we not surely know The dear Ood holdeth onr lot below? A Distracted Mother. One rf I ho BtrangeHt and most honible of Bengali- mil ii cidentB took pine the other d ty at Futeimx, Franco. A parly of obildren wb' were playing in the environs di-eovend flout ing in iho air and partly entangled nmid the branches ol nlreo.a wnllo parcel upuoino uy meariH of sonio twouty or thirty little red toy balloons, which wore attached to it. 'lhe at tention of llio police bolng calbd to this singn lar oljeit, it whs brought down and the pack age opoued, which (.roved to conUin the corpso of n new-born infant. Investigation into the multf r brought to light the fo lowing facts: Tho child wan thnt of a poor toy maker and his wif ; just after tho confinement of the lalior llio uusuami uhu rwuueuiy uieu, tiuu uu his household goods and chatels had bieu seized for rout. The unhappy woman wa driven mad by this accumula ion of misfor tunes; sho killed her iifiiut, and then went out and threw h rolf into the nvor, leaving be hind a written state mwiit in which she declared intention of committing suicide, and said that sho "hud gottou her baby all roidy to go up to Heaven." A sadder talo with a stranger ter mination it would bo hard to And. Tho toy balloons evidently hud formed part of tho dead husband's Block in trade. Doll's FoiiNiTUiiK. Writes n Paris corre spondent: "Furniture and ntonmh for do 1 houses are in great request thin winter, and a largo wholosalti bouse that is exolusiiely de voted to this branch ot production bus dono a larger business ibis year Hum ever tcforo. This home ouiplojs six y bunds, undo and fe niiilo, nil the yenr ruiiud. and turns out this class of toys to the amount of CNO.OOO per an num. Tho clioapoat sit of furniture turned out bv this firm consists of a box of deal, a plnHH decanter, two dlshos, and four plates of china, two gia-sos, a pewier iii"ii cover, two kulvts, forks and spoons; llio whole for throe sous. From this point tho sets mount up by regular gradation until they niuh the absurd tincool X '2 10; no fewer than six setsot dolls' louee flit ngs have been sold this winter b) this firm at this price, Tbesonil'mturo articles, carefully nrriiugod in caoa of morocco leather, cont-lt of every mrletyof object in Ml tor, tilver gilt, Hue porcelain, sparkiii g cry.tal, do'.ieute leather, costly wood', ivory, hiouze, silk, vel vet, etc tho whole boing 1 1 tho most oxqiibi 0 workiuauMilp. Tho same houso bells the high est clisses of dolls, with their trousseaux, at tho moduM pricoof 120 each. iMfoiiTANCK or Education. Chancellor Koutsitys: "Without some provi-ion made in youth for the seuuol ol life, children of all con dition would prou illy boootue idle and vicious whou they glow up, either from want of good instruction and the means of subsistence, or from want of ratioual an I useful occupations, A parent who sends his son into tho world uu educated, and without skill in any art or sci ouce, dots great injury to mankind as well as to his owulutuily, tor ho defrauds tho commu nity of a useful citizen and bctjueaihea to it a nuisance. This parental duty 1 strongly iucul oattd by writer on natural luw. B. Ion asso deeply impressed with tho foioo of the obliga tion that he even excused tho children of Athens from maintaining their parents if they had ueglottid to train them up 10 some art or profeBaiom" How to Get Out or Uku How to Get on in Lirit. Qtttiug up in a cold room to nuke a tre is like getting up in life. If you crawl titnidlv out of bid, go on lip-too to the stove, and allow shivers to get c n.trol of you before the kiiulling starts, your tiro will probably be failure, and you will half fieezo to d.ath in the cpeiution. Hut if you jump out bravely, bustle arouud, pull ou jour clotbes, knock over a chair or two, and pitch inthestovewood, you will piobably to loo warm by the time the tiro gets to bumiug and h tve to open a wiu dow. 80 in life. Attack it timidly and you will fill. Grapple with it, hurry up thing-", stir around, oouquer fortune, and you will be a aucoes. GotAixIIk Wamtku, Au old farmer pur chased tome kweet oil in a drug a'ore recently, and, b lug aked if there waa "uoiblng else." lie laid several package on tbe oouuter, held up a baud with several string tied on the flnarr. and aitld: "Let's see! 1 hat rtd string la lor the bar soap; that rag U for a broom; that blue cord i for aosllco drew; that diera braid mraue four pound of eusar, and this other aUiug mean aweet oil. No notblug BtotV iMroH JVm Prxt. A Chapter From that Kansas Campaign. From Pacific Itaral Press. MxDeab Mountain? With all my heart! The soldier who has marched and counter marched, may-bap bled for his country or his king, is proverbially happy in "fightiog his battles o'er again." And why should not a woman, who has led an apparently forlorn hope in behalf of bread and babies, homes and culture, and without depleting the State of blood or treasure, achieved success be glad to give a chapter alike suggestive of what Kan sas enjoys and California needs? But where shall I begin, where end the de tails of a campaign rich in genial and racy in cidents, and in its far-reaching results, paral lel with the revolutionary declaration of our fathers of which it was an outcropping? LcBt I should not have space for the acts be hind the scenes I will begin with the results of the Kansas woman's campaign for constitu tional rights. And first its success, as comprising what Mary Mountain terms, "a vantage ground of privilege in advance of what had been ob tained in older communities" was as follows: 1st. An educational range commensurate with tin educational provisions of the Stale. The schools, colleges or other institutions of learning, established or fostered by the State, are prohibited from making any distinctions on account of Bex. Under this provision of the Constitution of Kansas, her daughters and sons are alike eligible to the desk of tbe pal pit or the chair of the President; and compet ing in tbe same classes for honors and awards, ihey imbibe broader views of culture and justor estimates of each other. Students and teachers are alike pleased with the arrangement, and a cordial people are mak ing the co education of the sexes u glorious suc cess. 2d. The right to vote in all District School maters. Womn twenty one yeirs of age, have on equal voioe with men, lu the organization and Conduct of tho common schools of the State. In the building and furnishing of school house, and in all matters nf appropriation and expenditure and govtrnment, the women of a ilstricl nave an equal voice wnu 111 men Tiiey may bo eteott a to any office for which they aro quid. fled, f.om State Superintendent of Instruction to Director, Sicretary, or T eas uter of the D. strict B tard. It is not uncom mon for the Board to be composed entirely of women. Amllv nluro to say tnat not in an Kitui-ascAn there be f mud an intelligent man who would advocate a return of tbe schools to their farmer motheiless statu'. And while woinn legally equipped for their natural re pousibiliiies as tducators if ycuth have gained immeasmubly in prrper self-respect, and culture, and rngo of mental discipline, ly tbe possession and exroiee of tbo-e rights, thev hive alo gained in the reBpectand conn- donee of meu of all classes. Legislatures elo't them to clerkships, and the cbtmhts ol all denominations, send ihem as delegates to 1 hurch aesoclatious and other r Ilglous convo O.ltioLB. 3 1. Recognition of the creat humsno truth, that mother and child stand to each otiT in the rihtlon of Qodjuined, and therefore should not be put asunder by man. By constitut on d provision, tho mothers of Kansas have au equal right with the fathers to the cu-tody and oontrol of their children. No KsushS lejjisla uro cau give pre-emiueno of rights to the fathers as against the moihers. Kiusas widows cannot be tieielt of their chil dren by a law giving the father a right to "de tenuino by will tho guardian-drip of children living at his donth or b rn afterward, "us is done in moro than one-half the States of the Union. Und r this provision sympathizing frifnd can assist a mother in redlining po-session if her thildien without making thotni-olvea linble 10 liuiiiiig'H or a term in th penitentiary, as is tho cast-m other Stiites Ca lfuiuia, I think, included at the suit of nu irascible f ither, or of guard! ms nppointed by him. And a Kn mis mother, in bucIi case, im-tead of being obliged to appeal to Courts made up of men as under laws that give the Bole custody of (be child to the lather can nurse her babios in the quit t of Home frieudly home ami let the father "show oause," if he can, why it 'is more his right ih in hers to caie personally for the chil drtn. who, by common assent are "the peculiur rttons'billty of the mother." The propri ty ol this armtiheinent is more apparent in view of tho legal fact, tho fathers "hod the purse strings" that is, tbe earnings and stvings constituting the "os'ate in common," while few mothers hold in their own right wherewith to fee attorney s and court otlloiuls. Not a week pa Bes that we do not Bee here, in California, the no rL'ht of the wifo and mother revealed in petiiious of woman to tbe courts for custody of children aud "alimony" iu cases of desir tlou or divorce; or iu the advertisement of some "AlW'rns," whose wife after years of faithful service, as hom-ekeeper, nurse, seam Htroxs, "aud niild of all work" hits "left his lied and b.iard," so destitute, that he deoms it ueoessary to cut her oil' from u-ing his credit iu proourlig tho notssaries of lite elsewhere. In addition to the constitutional provisions enumerated, and which were adopted by Kan sas in adv.no of older States a provi-iou was inserted eeenring to tho wifd posse-slou aud control of bor owu property and cau ngs geueral in it terms and broad enough to cover qu4 r ghta of posaesMou and ui-e, of iho estate in rouiuioti, or community pr.ipetty," as leruieii tn tin Dtaie Having ended the chapter of prlMleges won, I leave for auolhor obapter brief meutiou ot members of tho Conventions, whose names have become historical, with inteieMiug inci dents and suggestive material gathered from t. forum or field. Mrs. 0. 1. 11. Jfiehols. IUthkii Mixkd. This is the way a French man reported the Brooklyn scaudal: "One Grand KooleMsstleal Sosudal-Great Eicile tuent iu New York and Brookh n Three Cl,r uynieu iu Moosh Trouoell Mou. Moulting, Tiltong aud Beecharo han One Grand Con troveraee; Motis. Moult'jn is zepae-orrot se Pie. mor church, of N.w Yoik, Discovered by Columbus, Ohio, lu HTi. Moua. Moultoug is acoiito of taking ze libertee wis ze wife of Theodore Boecha're, who ia Mr. Hariott lieechsie Btowe. ze uiozara of Oukle Tom, ze blind plauist. Moua, Beechare also ia accuse ot ae iuipropue libsrlee wii Mr. Ttltuug, dmgUUreof SuaanB. Anthony, ze aiatare of Mara Anthony, who made love wlz Cleopatra. Moua. Tiltou have caused s aeparashuug of Mou. Be chare and bit wife. She reside in z city of Brooklyn, while he ha moved into Elisabeth, New Jeraee. Ze cougregiahoag of ze Pieemoz Hock church will not permit Mont. Moultoug to prvrah never from zat pool peel. Ze greatMi exoitement pieveil." Onr Fiench friend appears to undent and thU matter a clearly m any on oan. WILLAMKTTE FARMER Friendship and Old Age. As years steal upon us, and we come to tresd the downward way towards the narrow house, our ideas of friends and friendships undergo a change, which change we may not recoguize veiy readily, but still in moments of refl-ctinn, we are conscious that it has occurred. As we look baok upon the long route we have Irav elled, we can but think of the "troops of friends' who at one time or other were the companions of the journey, and we ask, "Where are they? What has become of them all?" Some are away in foreign lands, and severed from us forever; some we have es tranged from us, it may be by our own faults and shortcomings; some have cat us off, hav ing themselves stepped higher up in the social scale; and some we have ourselves designedly relinquished, not we trust, becau-e they nave not kept pace with ns in the woildly race, but either because they were such lits as we ought never to have firmed, or because through vice or the force of temptation they have fallen too low. Then tnere are one or two. pernups, wno were in times past tbe treasure and glory of our lite, whom one Mtai mis aKo wrencnea from us in an evil hour, and ever sinca we have stood aloof, 'like cliffs which had been rent'asunder,' both of us, perchance, retaining the scars which 'neither frost, nor heat, nor thunder,' Bhall wholly do away. It is such re membrances as these which, in the autumn or winter of our days, make us wary and watchful over the too Beauty remainder of our life s friendships. Gladly, if we tould, would we bridge over that drejry sea which flows be tween us and the nlienattd friends of past years; but that cannot be done never was done yet in human experience and so, accept ing wisdom from the past, we guard the love that is left to us all the more jealously. We come to hate all qnsrrels and resentments, as the folly and absurdity, and dreary results of hem tome home to us in those lone hours when, ngiet fully confronting the psst. we can review the game of life and recall with bitter ness tbe many false moves we made and the sorrows ihey entuil upon us. Well for us that 11 is not loss that friendly hands yet aid us in doing and suff ring what has yet to ba done and Buffered, and friendly hearts vet flow with the sympathv we have learned to prize at its jut value. Leisure Hour, A Pbofkssob's Opinion. There is an art never tangLt in onr schools, and too little ti.d ed or practiced in tbe family, which in woman's band would b- a scepler of sovereign power a wand of tidixmanio influence. I re s' r to the art of conversation. It is a fine art, yets'condto none in usefulness. Like other aesthetic arts, it was carried to a great perfec tion by the G eeks a very good nason, by the way, for woman's stud) log the language of Socrates and Plato. Iu modern timis it has been cnltivnted by the Fiench bejond any other nation, and it is one of the chief charms. If I were president of a worn in's c dlegp, I think I should make it n department with au accomplished pre fe-sor at its head, and usMgn it a place in the senior class, although to be ntndied and culthated m re or less by the othr classes aud through the entire collegiate course. The Sobb ws op Othkh.s. Ther is no ques ilon but habi ual cheirfulness is a gieat bless ing, but whn cheerful people are luuded let it 1 e remembered, as a (.otiornl thing, tbey are no more to be commended for than a person for tbe possession of a pair f beautiful eyes. Cheerfulness is usually a mutter of health and constitution. When it is not the per-on de ierves credit; for an invalid or nervous person, a v ry seuBitive peiBon, easi'y affected by at mosphere and other influences cannot, with out gn at effort, be uniformly obceiful. Many people are cheerful bi cause they ate apathetic. The sorrows of others, not being their own, are easy to bear. Wn do not wi-.h to depreciate f-oiiiil sunBhine; but let us n t forget that there are ery sweet flowers thtflouri-h and live out peifume only in the shade, and at intervals. A Phettv Ornament. Mis. J. J. Kidd soys, in the Western Farm Journal: "Take a gobltt with the foot r stem broken or cut off so that the bowl will be pert, c; take course red nan uel, tha redder tbe belter, stitch it nea'ly round tbe bowl or gblet, bo as tJ cover it completely on the outside; dip it in water, so ns 10 wet ft thoroughly, and then ro'l it in flax seed; the seed will stick in and on the flannel; be sure that the seed is distributed evenly; then t-tund it on its mouth, or Urge end, in a s.iuctr or Hoji.U 1 late; put Wut r in the small plate or saucer, aud reuew or add to it as it absorbs Never let tho vessel get dry, nor suffer it to chill or fieeze. It can and will grow in any part of tbe room, aud wid be a deep green with red ground. Heb First Dinneb. A story is told of a new ly-married couple who commenced house' koei ing with a turkey diumer. The wife took great pride in having it all roidy when John came homo. John came, ana shortly after the jotu g husband, with a very pale expression of ooununauce, w.ia seen to stride across the bsck yard aud throw a whole turkey over the fence. The inexperienced housewife bad roasted it without removing the interior works, aud it was alt igetber too much turkey for him. How Malt is Made. The grain is first taken up by an elevator run by steam, and is poured into a we'ghiug bin, from whbh it pas-es through an automatic arrangoment, where the chaff, light heads, du-t, eto , are carried off by the air, after which lhe good grain passes over it sieve, whioh sepirates any other foreign mat ter which aay remain. It is then carried to the stoiagx room by a couveyancer. The grain is now reudy for the steeping or soaking tubs iu the b.isement, where it remains from 21 to 48 hours, according to the grain and tuupenture. After being sufficiently bteeped, the grain is removed to tbe different floors by au elevator and spread out so as to give it time to sprout before beiug p'aued iu ihe kilns. It is necesary in the manufacture of malt to hate tho (.rain sprout in order that tbe sugar msy be extracted, from which the alcoholic properties is derived Afer the sprouting process the grain is placed iu the kilos, which have to be kept at a certain temperature aud the U'alt stirred up or turned over several times to prevent its being overheated. It re quires nlteen to sixteeu days to convert the bailey into malt ictdy for the manufacture of oeej. Rcstio Work. Mrs. Jennie G. writes: "My little boy are ju.t 1 a fond as their sisters of hat they call rustio work. Iu tbe summer, when out iu tbe fields and woods, tbey are sure lo find treasure. Scarlet borriee, pretty bit of rock or pebbles, deserted birds' ne.U, fanciful growth of lung! and knot of decayed wood, which often when varnished make the prettiest bracket ornament Imaginable. Tbey make miniature rock work, and little Swit chaltU of (uniach wood, and sometimes of paste board covertd with moss. I think that in "iudoor" we' her they rther out-do tbe girl in this department ot industry ; bat when coast ing and ekating Urn cornea, tbey are no longer to be counUd upon; which I auppoM ia juat aa it ahouU bo. Only I do not like them to tempt the Kill to (hare thir ruler and more danger ou aport. " iVolri Farm. YoUflQ f oi.8' ColUhH- Whistle and Hoe. There's boy lust over the garden fence, Who la whistling all tbro' the live-long dsyi And bis woik Is not Jnst a mere pretence, For you aee the weeda he has cnt away. Whistle and hoe, Sing as you go. Shorten the row By the songs you know. Not a word of bemoaning hie task I hear. He haa acarcely time for a growl, I know, For bis whistle sounds so merry and clear, Ue must And some pleasure In every row. Whittle and hoe, 81ng as you go, Shorten the row By the songs you know. But then while yon whistle be sure that yo hoe, ror ir you are Idle the briars will apread j And whistle slone to the end of the row May do for the weeds bat is bad lor the brcaa. Whistle and hoe, SlDg aa yon ro, Shorten the row By the songs you know. Bab Boys Make Bad Men. An aged sea captain, who had spent a long life upon tbe ocean, said to a lady: "On ship board I can tell in a very snort lime wnai any uur w u his boyhood." It was because " the boy was father to the man." He added, "I find in variably that a bad boy makes a bad man. When he sw a reckless, profane, vicious "son of the deep" he at once concluded that he was little better when a lad. Now this is just what might be expected. It is just what is seen in other things. Poor wool or cotton makes poor cloth. Poor cloth makes a poor coat. Poor farms produce poor crops. Poor timber makes a poor h-use. And so wicked children make wicked men and women. It is said that the Emperor Nero, of Home, when a little boy, delight' d to torture and kill flies, and would pursue the little creatures hour after hour to pierce them and Bee them flutter and die in agony. As he grew older he exhib ited tbe same cruel disposition towards men. When made Emperor be advanced in cruelty at n fearful ate; killed ma own wire, audoraerea his mother to be assaMnated. Nor was this all. He fiLallv ordered the citv to bo Bet on fire, just to see how it would look, and when it was burning, ho seated himself upon a high t iwer and played upon his lyro. Was this strange? Is not a cruel boy likely to make a cruel man? Killing men in manhood is only a further development of killing flies in child hood. Be CABErci, What you Fill up With. A boy returned from school, one day, with a re port that bis Fcbolarsbip had fallen below the uual average. "Well," said tbe father, "you've fallen bthind this month, have you ?" "Yes, Mr." "How did that happen ?" "Don't know, sir." The fa'her knew, if the son did tot. He bad observtd a number of cheap nov els scattered ab mt lhe. house, but he had not thought it worth while to say anything uutil a titling oppoitunity Bhould offeriUelf. A basket of apples stood upon tbe floor, and he said: "Empty those apples and take tbe basket and bring it to me half full of chips. And now," he continued, "put those apples back into the basket." When half the apples we replac d lhe son paid: "Father, they roll off; I oan't put iu any more." "Put them in, I tell you." "But father, I can't put them in, I tell you." "Put ihem in I No: of couisa von oan't put them in. Do you expect to fill a basket half full of chips and then fill it with apples ? You said you di In't know why you fell behind at school, and I will tell yon. Your mind is like that basket ; it wil.1 not hold more than so much, aud bere you nave net n, the past montn, mi ino it hd with rubbish worthless, cheap nov els." The boy turned on bis heel and whistled, and said, "Whew 1 1 see tne point. Better than Gold, We often hrar little boys telling of the wonders Ihey will do when tbey grow to be men. They are looking and loLcincr for the time when they will be large enough to carry a caoe and wear a tall hat; and not one of them will say he expects to be a poor man; but every one expects to be rich. Now, money is very good in its place; but let me tell you little bovB what is a great deal bet ter thau money, and what you may bo earning all the time you are waiting to grow large enough to earn a fortune. The Bible Bays " a good name is rather to be chosen than great liohen, and loving favor rather than Bilver or gold." A good name does not mem a name for being the richest man in town, or for owning the largest houso. A good name is a name for doiug good deeds; a name for weaiiog a pleasant face and carrying a iheerful heart; for always doing right, no matter where we may be. A Good Custom. Mechanical employments of various kiuds ure gradually coming more and more into fashion us a source of amuse ment amongst tbe )ouug of both sexes. Small printing-presses, tool chests, turning lathes, Mr-mil suus. etc.. are now manufactured in large quantities; and are eagerly purchased by tuose wno desire pleasure ana instructive eiu llnyment for their leisure hours. Theintro rluc.ion of these mechanical occupations, serves a more important end than tbe mere production of a few pretty toys and ornaments, and tne Keeping 01 joungpeopie out 01 mis chief. Thev educate the eye, and tbe hand, aud impart a general dexterity, which is of tbe utmost value in every department of life. Moreover, tbey give a Belf confidence in regard to mechanical matters which will often prove of great service. A School Girl's Mistake. A teacher in the Utica Advanced School recently wrote up on the black-board one of the les-ons of the day, to be written out by the young lady put lis, as follows: "Give the names of five bays, and describe one of them." One of the young ladies evidently misunderstood the lea son, for she named five boys. 'And tbe descrip tion of one of them was given, be being spoken of as short in stature, with red curly hair, large head, plump hands, goodly-sized feet, etc. A 999 tears' lease has just ran out in Eng land, and tbe estate has reverted to the repre sentatives of the original owners. The laud is at Woolwich, and was church property 1.000 year ago, hut waa leased to the Crown for mili tary purposes. An excellent way of cleansing soiled Brussels carpet, in the spring when stoves are removed, is to take a bucketful of soft water, with a pint of ammonia added. With this give the carpet a good rubbing, but do not moisten it too much. Immediately afterwards wipe up with a clean dry cloth, and the carpet will be thoroughly clean and free from dust without shaking. A Sikoclab Will. Mr. Joshua Bailey, who died recently at Cohoes, New York, left au es tate worth $3,000,000, which he disposed of in a most original way. Having no children he bequeathed two-third of hi properly to that one of hi three nephew who should bare the largest number of children at the time of hia the uncle' death. The fortunate man waa W. W. Bailey, of Waverley, Iowa, poor painter with Ire boy. Sewing Machines. It is the general impression that through the refusal of Congress to extend certain ae wing machine patents, we will have cheaper sewing machines hereafter. Many persons think also that the largo companies, like the Wheeler & Wilson, Grover & Baker, Weed, Florence, eto , will have to reduce their prices trom ntty to seventy-five per cent., on account of competi tion. Now this is a mistake, for first-class sewing machines will probably be no cheaper for tome time to come. The reasons for this are simple, though not generally understood. In the first place the patent which Congress refused to extend was for the four-motion feed, which is only one of a large number of patents under which the various machines are manu factured. Still, this feed is used by all of them. The rtfusal to extend this patent will permit other machines to use the four-feed motion without having fo pay royalty, but all the first class macLines are protected by a large number of other patents; while the ordinary low ..;,.. ,i mnrtMtiAR have been compelled hereto fore to u.e the common feed or py the royalty to the owners of tho patent, iney can now use t,o imnnwcit food free, but we do not Bee now it is going to break the price of first-class sew ing machines, ine cueajj u.iiu.uc-..D uu suld at a price as low as the makers oan afford to sell them, and the first-class maobines are Dot Roing to reduce their pr'io- s on account of therefutalof Congress to extend the patent mentioned. The flrst-clas machines are manufactured by companies which have lare establishments, fitted up at immense expense, with all the nec essary machinery to turn ont machines at the lowest possible price. To successfully compete with these companies, it would be neces-ary to expend very heavy sums for purchasing ma chinery; and even then the wea thy companies own the larger number of patents lor improve ments, and can make them cheaper than those who have to pay for the use of these. This, of cour-e, would in a great measure prevent others from competing with the richer oom It is a combination of patented improvements which make the first-class machine, not one patent. The wealthy companies have made it a point to buy up all the good patents them selves, and Ihey keep patenting every improve ment of any importance. Tats enabl s them to keep tbe b?st macntnes in tneir nanus, ah these machines are improved from time to time, in several cases the whole m ichiue has been changed for the better as new patents were added Any one can now maae Heiug machine of o'd-fasbioned character, using pat ents which have tun out, but tbey do not manufac ure a first-class machine such as mo-t people want when they buy. Any agent will ssy that a simple chango will have the eff ct of selling thouands of machines, fo the iuferior machines have little chance against those which have all the latest patented improvements. Beep Steak Electricity. 'lhe six Christ mas lectures for juvenile listeners at the Biyal Institution, London, were delivered by Dr. J. H. Gladst me, F. R. S. He chose for his sub ject, " The Voltaio Battery." Most of tbe ex periments and teachings were of course too ele mentary to interest tbe readers of these piges, but one of the experiments revealed a fact not generally knowo. He said that in dilly life weak electrical currents are at work where their presence is often little suspected; for instance, supposing a peison at dinner to have a silver fork in one band and a fioger upon the Bteel psrt of a knife he'd imt'ie other, it follows that, wnn ue piueges me nuiio uuu jure, iuiu u ueoi steak, two dissimilar metals are thereby placed in a moist conducting substance, consequently a voltaio citcuit is formed and an electrio cur rent flows tbroush the body of the individual between the knife and fork. To provetbat this was really the case, he connected a reflecting galvano meter with the knife and fork by means of wires; he then proceeded to cut a beef steak, and the currpt thus generated deflected the needle of tbe galvanometer, so that ihe spot of light which it reflected was seen traveling along the Bcrten by all the observers. Meat and Wine. Meat does not oxidize or putrily iu compressed air, though it undergoes changes of color, texture and flavor. Certain fermeutations mav be arrested by oxygen at a high pressure. Wiues may be prevented from undergoing acetous fermentation by the action of compressed air. Wine (even new wine) may also be prevented from undergoing any deteriorating change by rapid agitation for 21 or 48 hours uuder a pressure of two or three atmospheres in fict wine may be "aged" in a few hours by that proof ss. To do Away with Matches. A recent French invention, which, it is claimed, will sweep away the match trade, is an electrical tinder box, small enough to be carried in a cigar case. On opening the box a platinum wire is seen, which, by touching a spring, is made at once red-hot, so that it will ignite a cigar. A mesh of cotton steeped in spirits msy also be intrcduoed into a liny sconce, and a little lamp is the result. The hidden agency which heats the wire is a mma lure electrioil battery, set in action by touch ing the spring. Blackknino Sheet Zinc. The following iaa new process lately discovered for obtaining zinc sheets ot a solid duck color. 1 he Hx et ot zino is cleansed by hydrocblorio acid and sand, and then plunged into a solution of equal parts of chlorate of potash and sulphuric acid. A slight velvtty-bUck deposit is immediately formed. The plate is carefully washed with water, al lowed to dry, and then plung-d into a Bolution of asphalt in benzine, left to drain, and rubbed with a piece of cotton rag. How to Pbevent Benzink Stains on Cloth ing. Tbe brown marginal stain generally left after removing a grease spot with Denzine, may be prevented by strewing gypsum or lycopo dium upon the o'oth immediately after remov ing tbe spot, as far as tbe msterial is moist, and allowing it to remain on until perfectly dry, when the gypsum can be brushed off, leaving the cloth without the usual unsightly rim. Bia Guns. Seventy years ago the heaviest naval gun was a thirty-two pouodtr, weighing two tons and a half, and ten pounds of powder was a charge. A gun now in process of con eiruction at Woolwich, England, twenty six feet and nine inches in length, will weigh eighty-one tons, throw a projectile of 1,250 pounds weight, and requires 210 pounds of powder to load it. Alvan Clabx, the Cambridge telescope aaker, who worked tea yeare to establish a reputation, ia getting ready to manufacture an immenae telescope for the Auttrian Government, and ia alto negotiating with the trustees appointed by Mr. James Lick for the erection of an instru ment in a California university. Da. An' laboratory, that has don aach wedara for lb aick. now laaaa potest restorer lor the boaaty of maaaiod tor la romellas which dvaadaa n 1 00 pcob to dlmlnlah and destroy. Hia Vtror aaoaata luulact lock oa Um bald tad gray p-4 aaaoaf aa, and tho lay a sad obligation u ala f 0 U good look aa wU aa aealta of U 1-lty - ..J,VwM l4. 1 t, 4.-; 'Sk. A3rfif-