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st. helens; Columbia county, Oregon, .may 29, 1885.
VOL. V.
NO. A3.
Tfar months. OU
0
A PARADOX.
I recollect how irrleved I was
When Cousin Amy married.
1 thought her very cruel bouue
For me she h:t't not tarried.
She gave to my uiTeetion screen
KneouriliiCiiient in plenty,
For I was under seventeen
And she wa rive-and-twenty.
Fair-Amy Is a widow now.
Her Horrnw fust otitTowin.
Tis verv sisii;ul:r, I vow,
: The way the ye:irs nru going,
V it h me, at tilit r rate;
With her, a uraeeful U-nte . .
Xow. am nekrln:; thirty-eight
And she la sis and-twenty.
I should be fn'atWU'd to know
How others, like my cousin,
A twelvemonth only older grow,
One y'ar In half a dozen.
Oh. t'lironos! tell the secret me,
The power superhuman
That causes time with man to llee,
lint bids it wait with woman.
Life.
HAWTHORNE'S COURTSHIP.
How Ho and Sophia Peabody Fell
in Love With Each Othor.
It Wst a, Fatal Altai k at Kir.t Sijjht and
They i-ew Tired of Waitin.tf f-tr For
tune, uit;I Were .Married Inci
dent g of Their Cour:h5i.
The interesting tiling in the life of
Nathaniel Hawthorn. -(:i-oM m two
volume-? bv his son .Julian) is his court
ship. The mother was a widow ami
a recluse. The Hawthorne children,
Elizabeth and Nathaniel, played timid
ly with the Peabody , ih'ldren, and. as
they prow older, it became, apparent
that Nathaniel was gett ng his heart
entangled in lhe charms of Soplra
K- Knt the road of their hanoi-
A V V " V. T - - - 4
hess was full of thorns ami stones.
' Elizabeth Peabody, who was older
than the rest, tells how she read in the
Sevp England Magazine, between ISM)
and loG, some stories that attracted
her attention. She thought they were
... . ..xt T:.l. .M
wr.iicn uy a -c uiia uunri,
who had outgrown some of the peculi
ar! tes of the sect, and she went so far
as to write a letter to the supposed
"old man asking h m how he knew
that sensitive natures are espec
ially apt to be malicious. lhe
Wt. vsar she discovered that the
"Hawthorne boy" was the author
of the stories. Another year passed
Anr.Mo;non r cL'ifK ont rkffior. (
ovpninc- TCnt.hiiniel flrul MSter Lliza-
-iajth p 111 ed o n n e Peabody s. Soph i a
Peabody was ill, and Elizabeth went
op to her room and legged her to tome
down to see the callers. '-You never
saw anything so splendid as he is lie
is handsomer than Lord Byron." The
sick girl was not to bo so easily won.
She declined to make the effort to see
the rising novelist. Miss Peabody re
calls the "beauty of the outline of hTs
features, the pure complexion, the
wonderful eyes, like mountain lakes
reflecting, the sky."
Of course he called' again and then
Sophia saw him. It was a fatal attack
on both sides. As we went . on talk
ing she would frequently interpose a
remark iu her lowr, sweet vo'.ce. Evr?ry
time she did so he would look at -her
again with the same piercing, indraw
inc ff-aze. I was struck with it am
thousrht what if he should fall in love
with ner. and the thought troubled me
for she had often told me that nothing
would ever tempt her to marry and in
flict on a husband the care of an in
valid " Years afterward Mrs. Haw
thorne used to tell her children how tin
presence of the young writer exercise
unon her from the beginning so
strong a magnetic attraction that in
stinctivelv and in self-defense she drew
back and repelled him. Both foum
' the courage to confess that they ha.
been in love from their first meetin
The determined retirement of Mme
Hawthorne made it verv diflicult for
the son to introduce his friends to her.
and the Peabodys called with sonn
hesitat;on long before it was supecte
by any one that the families were to be
go closely united.
ine wiuoweti mother was a woman
of strong will and fine individuality
She wore antique costumes and always
looked as if she had stepped out of an
old picture. Her face "had a lovelv
sensibility and great brightness'
There was no sentimental confidence
between her and her son, - although
they held each other in mutual esteem
and athct on. Nathaniel confided to
nobody that he had asked Sophia Pea
i i . , .
uouy to oe nis wne as soon as lie was
able to provide for her, ami the secret
of their engagement was kept for
three years. He had a petty position
m the tfoston Lustoni-house that of
weigher but he could not marrvon it,
and when he was dismissed from it bv
ine cnange oi aumimstrat on in 1841 he
entered upon t ie Brook Farm experi
ment to see wnat prom se it enfolded
1.: . i t ...
ior mm una ms promised wile. Jl:s
rather more prosaic son says that the
chief advantage it brought him was
that it taught him how to plant corn
and s plashes ami to buy and sell at the
produce market: and that it provided
him with an invaluable background for
his -Llithedale Romance,' written about
ten years afterward."'
He had no money, but the lovers grew
t red waiting for fortune. "Rents were
low in New England then," and thev
married. His mother's attitude toward
his wife proved an agreeable surprise.
She told him that she had known of his
engagement almost as long as he had
known it himself, and that Sophia Pea
body was just the wife she would have
chosen for him. And how did he make
love for himself, this teller of the love
making of imaginary men and . maids?
He rejoices because a pettish cousin has
an am-ry political dispute with him
which will separate them for a time and
leave Nathaniel more hours to think of
her. For "peace overflows from vour
heart to mine." He cautions her against
Wallr?n tirWlt l.t.. ... I.. . . .a t.i?
walking with his robust sister Eliza
beth because "she is indefatigable and
wants to walk half round the world
when once out doors." He assures her
that although he loves her deeply he is
in awe of her. "I suppose I should
have pretty much the same feeling if
an angel were to come from Heaven
and be my dearest friend only the an-g.-l
could not have the tenderest of hu
man natures, too, the sense of which is
mingled with this sentiment." He can
not understand the mystery of his awe
and love; "methink9 it converts my
love into religion." And he never read
a letter from her without first washing
his hands.
As time passesand their personal in
terests became more intermingled he
assumes that right to guide, moderate
and restrain her feelings which it wras
inevitable he should assume even to
the angel. If, however, he becomes
mandatory in the sweetest of loving
waj s, he also becomes more caressing.
Ho is sure he might have written poetry
since he was in love if he had only tire
gift of makiug rhymes. He is sure she
is a poem. Ep'c? No. A sonnet?
No, "for that is too labored and artifi
cial." She was a "sort of sweet, sim
ple, gay. pathetic ballad, which nature
is singing sometimes with tears;some
tinies with smiles." and sometimes
with both. After ths frenzy of the
gods had existed between them for a
year, she defined beauty with all the
gravity of Burke "My definition of
beauty is that it is love, and. therefore,
includes both truth and good." Sus
picious of the logic of her philosophy,
she adds: "But those only who love as
we do can feel the significance and
force of this. The last day of the year
she sends him a delicious message :
"tiotl bless you this night- of the old
year. It has proved the year of our
nativity. Has not the old earth passed
away from us? Are not all. thenars
She has hurt a finger; he warns her
that if it is not well soon he will send
her the best surgeon in Boston. She
paints; the pictures will be more pre
cious to him "than all the productions
of all the painters since Apelles!" She
painted him and her in a little land
scape, and lie goes into raptures over
tmv figures doubtless looking as mucli
like Sancho Panza and duienevere as
like that of Nathaniel and '"his own
Sophie." He would not hang the pre
c'ou.s things on the wall for fear of dust
and U e lingers of the chambermaid.
Indeed, he was the maddest of lovers,
if ever one were madder than another.
He closes one letter with "Belovedest,
I love thee very especially much to-day.
But now it is breakfast time, and"
alas! even Love must eat "and I have
an appetite." That makes her break
fast of the tenderest importance.
"What did you eat for breakfast? But
I know very well that you never eat
anything but bread and m lk and chick
ens." A good enough diet for Love.
' Still he would know something more:
Do you love pigeons in a pie?"
.... From Brook Farm Hawthorne wrote
his "dearest unutterably" verv plain
matters about plowing and planting
and manuring and milking; while the
"thin frock yon made for me' is con
sidered "a most excellent article." . It
might even attain the dignity of becom
ing the summer uniform of the com
munity. He assured her that he had
also a warm frock, though rather de
lieicnt iu grace, and that he wore a
tremendous pair of cow-hide boots with
soles two inches thick. These realities
are charmingly sprinkled with the
daintiest and sweetest of tid-b ts of de
votion, all spooned out as it were with
the grace of a cavalier and the softness
of a nurse coaxing a frail chili to try to
eat and be good and get well, for
Sophia Peabody was an invalid all this
time. No proof of her lover's affection
could be more explicit than his assur
ance that he would rather she should
never paint or sculpture, if her health
was to be in the least injured by the
effort. "It would be no trouble to me
11 you snouiu never toucn clay or can
vas again."
The sad sarcasm we have had of late
on such love the Bulwer Lytton let
ters, ot similar intensity and surpass
ing ardor, but lacking the dignity and
nobleness ot these happily linds no
corresponding sequel in the wedded life
of Nathaniel Hawthorne and Sophia
1 eauouv. lhere was no disenchantment.
Faithful and fond to the end, they made
life blissful for each other, and the per
fume of the roses of their courtship was
scattered over their graves. "Year by
year we shall grow closer to each other.
and a thousand ages hence we shall be
onlv in the houevmoon of our mar
riage." Twenty-two years of domestic
life never surprised a shadow on the
heart of either to the other, and when
death claimed the widow she anticipat
ed Ins summons as if she saw the hand
of her husband beckoning, in the vista
of the thousand ages of happiness of
which the lover had written.
Turn-About Heels.
When a New York up-town shoe
dealer was asked to repair a pair of
boots that needed new soles and new
heels, he said:
"Will you have patent heels?"
"What is the peculiarity?"
"Thev are reversible.- Both ends of
the heel are trimmed alike. The heel is
secured with screws, and can be re
moved by any one with a screw-driver.
By turning the heel end for end after it
begins to wear ofl'on one side, the wear
is thrown equally on both sides, and
the heel is kept square. Eventually the
wearer learns to stand up squarely on
his heels. They will cost 3011 fifty
cents extra. N. I. Tunes.
The d ameter of trees varies not
only from summer to winter, but from
day to day. They are larger from noon
lo twilight the next morning than from
twilight until noon: they are smaller in
the winter than in summer. Water and
the tap of trees expand not only in pro
portion as they rise above, but also as
thev go below, the freezing point. Low
temperature as well as high promotes
evaporation, and the trees evaporate
from their branches in winter, and so
the colder the weather the more they
shrink. Prairie Farmer.
The superiority of American
dredging machines, which has been
shown in the work on the Panama
Canal, has led to orders for them by
fourteen governments.' The last of
these is from Spain. A drag-boat, with
a 1 crew propelloi? of 100-horse power,
five iron barges and two tow-boats
have been called for to be used at the
port of San Juan, Porto Rico.
WOMEN.
From an
Unsentimental
and Practloal
Point of View.
What is love? is a question which has
been asked a thousand times, and which
in spite of monotony Grenvillo Murray
repeats with a certain freshness and
emphasis in his new book, "Under the
Lens." He treats the subject with a
deckled dash of cynicism, like most
fashionable writers of the present day.
Love, he says, on the part of women is
an inclination felt for a man who has
made himself more agreeable than
other men. He may not be a pleasant
fellowlat all, butsonu physical or social
superiority he posse ;ses lifts him tem
porarily on a pedestal, where he lords it
t il his very arrogance helps to com
plete the fascination of the simple crea
ture groveling at his feet. I have seen
girls fall in love with the veriest cubs
for lack of other male society. Don't
tell me there was any deep sentiment in
these attachments. " The girls wanted
husbands; that is all. They were
obeying the natural law which attracts
sex"t sex, and the social law which
bids a girl get married as fast as she can,
lest she glide into old spinster hood.
It a girl, after deciding to accept a
genteel pauper, chances to allure a
man who has it in his power to make
her a bed of rose-leaves, see how quickly
her eyes get opened to the beauties of
indolence and luxury. Self-esteem
tells her that she was not made merely
for the study of that parsimonous arith
metic whiclt consists in paring down
baker's bills. Slie wants to walk in
silk att re, and feols grateful to the
tor, try- ins courtship, acknowl
edges her right to do so. Who can
deny the magic of fine linen, jewels,
soft-cushioned broughams, champagne,
and obedient menials upon a woman's
mind? And who can not impute the
still greater magic afforded by the
prospect of eclipsing sisters and school
friends who have married poorly ?
Sometimes if a girl ha.s got hopelessly
engaged to a fellow with a shrunken
purse if she be so near her wedding
day that it is impossible to break off the
match without making a scandal
pride and vanity will induce her to keep
her pledge, and this will be simply
because the plutocrat came too late into
the field. If the two had started at the
post together, or if the pauper had had
but a half-distant start, the plutocrat
would have run him down and come in
first with flying . colors. Moreover, a
woman feels sore all her life at having
missed the chance of a rich marriage.
The thought of it turns her sour and
her wretched husband has uxorial
peevish ueis and contempt poured upon
him by the bucketful.
J hat may he, but we have also in
stances of rich men's wives who de
plored not having married their firs
loves, poor though they were.
'Which all comes of the contrariness
of human nature in never being satis
tied - with th p rodent lot," responded
themisogynist emphaticallv. I he man
who wrote the "Pra:ses of Poverty"
Seneca wasn t itr indited his remarks
upon a golden table, and had a couple
of slaves to fan the flies awav. A
woman who sits by her boudoir fire.
with her feet well warmed, a novel on
her lap, and a five o'clock tea, and
cream and crumpets at her elbow, is
very apt to dream that she was cut out
for the part of a heroine. She gilds
poverty with her imaginative touches
till it looks all rosy. Her husband bores
her, and she thinks of the other man
who used to make her laugh and whose
muscles were like whipcord. She at
tributes to him talents which he never
had, charms which she never discovered
in him while she had the opportunity
of observing him every dav, and she
dreams of herself as fighting life's
battles by his side and winning.
It never occurs to her to reflect that
the lot she renounced was that living
upon mutton hash, and growing up
into a dowdy slattern, worried, and
perhaps bullied, by a man rendered
cantankerous by failure in his profes-
s:on. It is easy to be happy in fancy
with a man whose ideal perfections one
may depict at one's leisure. A woman
is often found whimpering over a novel
which porfftivs the life of a heroine
such as she thinks herself to be; but just
let her rich husband die, leaving her
penniless, and you 11 see whether she
doesn t at once set her widow s cap at
another rich man sooner than partake
herself to that like of struggling which
she deemed so exciting when viewed
from a distance. Chicago Tribune.
URBAN GROWTH.
The Eoormoua Aggregation of Population
and Wealth In Cities.
The enormous aggregations of popu
lation and wealth are not confined to
our coast-line cities, but are true of all
centers of trade in the interior of the
country. Recent statistics show that
while our agricultural population has
increased tour per cent., our urban or
city population has increased nineteen
per cent. The recent discussion in
England as to the basis of representa
tion in Parliament under the new Dis
tribution Bill have revealed som
curious facts. The vast majority of
members of Parliament will be from
the cities, for the reason that theBrit'sh
Islands are now dominated by groups
of populated centers. It has been found
that the rural districts proper have de
creased in number, that the villages and
small towns contain fewer inhabitants,
but there has been an enormous increase'
in cities of 100,000 population and over.
But the heaviest percentage of growth
has been in the very largest cities like
London, but more particularly in the
suburbs the ring of towns immediately
1 a. J. - j T , . ... m
adjacent to ine large cities, ine su
perior attractiveness of great cities over
rural districts to human beings is be
cause man is naturally gregarious he
longs to be with his fellows. The mul
tiplication and diversity of Modern
industries permit men and women to
follow their natural bent, which is,
to make their way to the most at
tractive of the human hives. This ten
dency to aggregate in large centers
of population is as marked on the
continent 'of Europs as it is in the
British Isles and the United States. ?
Demotes? s Monthly.
Vice Chancellor Sir Jame3 Bacon,
who celebrated hia eighty-sefenth birth
day recently, is the oldest Judge on the
English bench. 1
LOVE AND
SUN SPOTS.
lSIll Xv. After an Kihauttive Discussion
Saya He. Can't Explain .Them.
This luminou? body! 02,000,000
miles from the earth, though there have
been mornings this winter when
seemed to me' that it was further than
that. A railway train going at the rate
of 40 miles per hour would be 263 years
going there, to say nothing of stopping
for fuel or water, or stopping on side
tracks to wait for freight trains to pass.
Several years ago it was discovered that
a slio-ht error had been made in the cal
culation of the sun's distance from the
earth, and owing to a misplaced loga
rithm, or something of that kind, a mis
take of 3,000,000 miles was made in the
result People can not be too carefu
iu such matters. Supposing that on the
strength of the information contained
in the old time-table a man should start
out with only provisions, sufficient to
take him 89,000,000 miles, and shouh
then find that 3,000,000 miles stil
stretched out ahead of him. He wouh:
then have to buy fresh figs of the train
boy in order to sustain lite. Xhmk o
buying nice fresh figs on a tr In that
had been en route 250 years!
Imagine a tram boy starting out a
ten years of ago, and perishing at the
age of sixty years with only one-fifth of
his journey accomplished. Think of
live train boys, one after fhe other, dy
ing of old age on the way, and the
train at last pulling slowly into the de
pot with not a living thing on board ex
cept the worms in the "nice eating ap
pies!"
The sun an not be examined through
an ordinary telescope with impunity
Only one man ever tried that, and he is
now wearing a glass eye that cost him
nine dollars.
If 3-0U examine the sun through an
ordinary solar microscope, you discover
that it has a curdled or mottled appear
ance, as though suffering from bilious
ness. It is also marked here and there
by long streaks of light called facula?,
which look like foam flecks below a
cataract. The spots on the sun vary
from minute pores the size of an ordi
nary school district to spots 100,000
miles in diameter, visible to . th nude
eye. The center of these spots is a3
black as a brunette cat, and is called
the umbra, so called because it resem
bles an umbrella. The next circle is
less dark, and called the penumbra, be
cause it so closely resembles the penum
bra. .
There are many theories regarding
these spots, but to be perfectly candid
with the gentle reader, neither Prof.
Proctor nor myself can tell exactly
what they are. If we couldget a little
closer, we flatter ourselves that we
could speak more definitely. : My own
theory is they are either, hrs, open air
caucuses held by the colored people of
the sun;, or second, they nay be the
dark horses In the campaign; or third.
they may be the spots knocked off the
defeated candidate by the opposition.
Frankly, however, I do not believe
either of these theories to be tenable.
Prof. Proctor sneers at the theories also
on the ground that these spoti do not
appear to revolve so last as tne sun.
This, however, I am prepared to ex
plain upon the theory that this might
ba the result of delay's in the returns.
However, I am free to confess that
speculative science is filled with . the in
tangible. ' '
The sun revolves upon his or her axle
tree, as the case may be, ones in twen
tv-live to twenty-eight of our days, so
that a man would have almost two
years to pay a thirty-day note. We
should so live that when 'we come to
die we may go at once to the sun.
Regarding the sun s temperature.
bir John Ilerschel says that it is sum
cient to melt a shell of ice covering its
entire surface to a depth of forty feet.
I do not know whether he made this ex
periment personally or hired a man to
do it for him.
The sun is like the star snanled
banner as it is "?till there" You get
up to-morrow morning just before sun
jise and look away toward the east,
and keep on looking in that direction,
and at last you will see a fine sight, if
what I have been told is true. If the
sunrise is as grand as the sunset it
must, indeed, be one of nature s most
sublime phenomena.
The sun is the great source of light
and heat for our earth. If the sim
were to go somewhere for a few weeks
for relaxation and rest it would be a
cold day for us. The moon, too, would
be useless, for' she is largely de
pendent on the sun. Animal life would
soon cease and real estate would be
come depressed in price. We owe very
much 01 our enjoyment to the sun, and
not many years ago there were a large
number of people who worshiped the
sun. When a man showed signs of
emotional insanity, they took him up
on the observatory of the temple and
sacrinced mm to tne sun. xhey were
a very prosperous and happy people.
If the conqueror had not come among
them with civilization and guns and
grand juries they would have been
very happy, indeed. Bill Nye, in Bur
lington Iiawkeye.
General Gordon.
WThile Gordon was
in
command of
the fort at Gravesend,
previous to his
representing England at the Confer
ence hell at Constantinople in 1871, he
had occasion to read up his French
with a professor, who relates the fol
lowing incident, of which he was a
witness: Toward the end of 1871 an
ex-oflicer of the Chinese Legion pre
sented himself at the Fort House and
asked to see the General. On his card
being given to Gordon, he threw , it
from him with disgust, and his anger
was so great that for a few seconds he
was speechless. When he was some
what calmer, he expressed his feelings
in the following words: " leu that
man to enter if he wishes me to blow
out his brains." This would seem
violent, but when it is known that the
officer in question had deserted his
colors and joined the rebels against
whom Gordon was fighting in China,
the righteous indignation of the Gen
eral can ba understood. The servant,
who knew his master, repeated the
message, word for word, and the offi
cer took his leave as quickly as possi
We. N. Y. Evening Tost.
LATE FASHIONS.
Fashionable Fabrics and Methods of Wear
ingr Them.
Tricotrine is a fashionable dre
fabric very popular abroad.
It is now the fashion to braid the
Langtry knot of hair worn low in the
nape of the neck. '
A-new violet blue, shading to purple,
is a new shade called Yenx Dagmar,
after the deep peculiar color of the eyes
of the Empress of Austria, formerly
Princess Dagmar.
The short Russian and the rounding
zouave jackets, of the style worn by the
Greek rahkares, are two natty and
picturesque overgarments which are to
De in n;gn vogae tne coming season
both for home wear and for full-dress
occasions. For the latter use the ma
terial is of the richest velvet plush, or
satin, richly adorned with applique
bands, lace or embroidery; and for the
former the jackets are made of fine
French cashmere, tricot or
cloth, or plain vigogne,
trimmed witn rows of 6ra'd or
velvet ribbon.
basket
simply
narrow
A very stylish evening dress made
for a young debutante of this year
Shows a skirt of cream-colored India
cashmere, surrounded by three deep
flounces of the goods shirred on at the
top. Each flounce is tucked m rows o:
three with a deep hem below, and edg
ing the hem is an exceedingly pretty
design in cream-colored Irish point lace
four inches wide. The short cutaway
jacket is edged to mateh, and opens
over a pleated blouse vest of pale blue
surah. Ribbons of the same delicate
shade hold the loopings of the full cash
mere tunic at each s de.
Removable trains are sent home with
most evening toilets. They are very
useful, and if well-cut and arrangecf,
should never betray their adjustable
nature. velvet trains are much In
vogue, ana, as colored bodices are
worn above the skirts, black or white
the add'tion of a train matching the
bodice ettects an agreeable transforma
tion when required.
Gold and silver laces, used with dis
cretion, are in high favor for ball toil
ets. The purple shades, becoming so
fashionable; harmonize beautifully with
the pale gold trimmings, and silver
lace, in its filmy exquisite devices,
tones perfectly with the pale blues.
mauves and pinks that are now so gen
erally worn.
Foreign manufacturers and modistes
have made special note of the fact that
Queen Victoria has ordered a number
of pieces of Irish poplin to be included
in the materials for Princess Beatrice's
trousseau, . nd it is supposed by this
that royr patronage wdl give a stim
ulus to the sale of this . fabric. The
newest makes are very attractive, both
in their beautiful shades of color and
also in their qualities, the surfaces be.-s.
ing mot soft and glossy to the touch.
Formerly, in spite of their excellent
wearing'qualities, Irish poplins did not
look worth the high price - asked for
them. Now. beauty of appearance is
associated with durability, and no bet
ter combination can be wished for.
White poplin is a handsome and econ
omical fabric for an evening dress, as
it will bear much making over, and
also ta-res a splendid dye. The Queen,
it is said has ordered a pale s lver-blue
poplin, one of pearl white flowered
with forget-me-nots, and a heavy, lus
trous one of pure white.
A pretty cutaway basque for slender
figures is open from the throat down.
with tiny buttons at either side. The
full blouse vest of nierveilleux is held
down bv a Swiss girdle of velvet or
plush. The sleeves have a puff of mer
veilleux below the elbow, with a bias
band of velvet above and below. Quite
frequently the edge of the cutaway
basque is velvet-trimmed to corre
spond.
A pretty little house apron suitable
for ordinary home wear is made of
one width of goods in a rounding shape,
sloping a little at the top and gathered
in a belt. the apron and the small
round pocket are edged with fine linen
lace, four inches wide, and a hand
some belt ribbon with bows and ends is
tied at the left side. The novel part of
the apron consists of a rcdora bib,
which is shirred at the throat, brought
down narrowly to the belt, and shirred
again.
A great deal of velvet an.d velvet rib
bon will be used for trimming even the
lightest fabrics both as to texture and
color. Silk gauze, broche with velvet
figures, embroidered net, dotted silks.
merveilleuxs, foulards, both plain and
figured, will also be much employed.
Very elegant yet not expensive toilets
are formed of a silk skirt which has
done duty before, veiled by a very deep
flounce of ecru lace. lhe bodice may
be either of new silk, lace-trimmed, or
of the same silk, cut low and veiled
with a high bodice of ecru net
A very stylish Parisian bonnet lately
exhibited had a medium-sized brim of
darkest red velvet with acrown covered
with Angora lace wrought with pale
gold threads. I he strings were of vel
vet, and the trimming upon the bonnet
consisted of a clu.-ter of deep red and
jTellow tulips in shaded velvet on one
side, and a graceful fall of the gold-run
lace on the other, the airy waves
caught here and there on the left of
the crown with small jeweled orna
ments of real gold. 1
Large clasps for handsome wraps of
velvet satin or plush, of the new Japa
nese brown, are made of real bronze,
with antique and mythological heads,
n raised enamel. A head of Bacchus
is one new design, tlrs surrounded -by
a solid wreath of vine leaves of silver,
with tiny clusters of grapes made of
rubies. Some of these devices are ex
ceedingly expensive, clasps for sash
buckles, tall mantle, and the like, be-
ng made of real gold, or silver in lace
work patterns, and handsomely carved
slides in gold or silver set with dia
mond, pearls and other precious
stones. N. Y. Evening Post.
Firm mother to boy Didn't I tell
you that I'd whip you if you played in
that water again, sayr cov xessum.
'inn mother Then why did you do it?
Boy- Because I didn't believe you.
Firm mother Never mind. You shan't
go down town with me when I go, see
if you do. Shortly afterward the firm
mother and the boy go down town to
gether. Arkamaw Traveler.
PERSIAN MARRIAGES.
T .0 .tir'hoil of Conlr.ictinsr Matrimonial
A!.l.t-.iee In the Lund of the Shah.
Love at first sight is 'Unusual in a
country where the women are hub t-
na Tv veiled, and a glimpse even oi a
Ldy's l&a is seldom to be got t-aw by
st atagem or by what is considered . ni
iiio'bst the raV.ng of the corner of
her vail by the lady herself. Shrot.dv d
as thi is jfrom head to. foot in an im
mense sheet of blue, two yards square,
a yet further precaution must betaken.
Over all this is placed the ruh-band or
veil no transparent or flimsy di-vii e
as in our own lace "fall,"! or the thin
and gauzy yashmak of the Turkish
belle, serviceable alike to triumphant
and to fad'ng beauty. The ruh-ba:id
is a piece of white calico or cambr'c, a
yartf long, which hangs down 1 ke a
long mask in front of the1 P.rs'an
woman's face, when clad in her h"d..ou.
and purposely unbecoming out-dour
costume; which costume, sad to say, is
also an impenetrable disguise. In it
all women are alike. An aperture four
incheslong, running transversely across
the eyes, enables the Persian lady to
see the way, and little more. .For even
this aperture is covered by an elaborate
and curious embroidery, between the
threads of which she can only peep.
But the Pers'an belle will j'et'lind a
way of rewarding an admirer with a
glance; and thus the marriage so care
fully brought about by parents and
relatives are not infrequently thw resuli
of predilections slyly manifested. The
out-door dress, being a d'sgu'se. cuts
both ways, and the intrigante amu e
herself with impuh'ty. j
Certain marriages take place because
in the eyes of the Orientals they are
natural ones, such as the union of first
cousins. The children have been 1 ke
brother and sister from the cradle, and
they are married as a matter of course;
it is. their fate, and they subm't t' it.
But outside these marriages of custom,
and far more numerous than the mar
riages of predilection to wh'ch we have
referred, are the marriages usually ar
ranged by "brokers." These brokers
are old women who always kep them
selves in a position to quote lhe stute
of the market, which fluctuates. In
hard times even g rls of good appear
ance are comparatively a drag. In
time of plenty they "rule firm." The
marriage broker is eyer a welcome guest
where there are daughters to marry,
and also in houses where thy so'is
wish to find a suitable (bride. The
young people are not consulted by the
broker. She deals with j the parent s,
and generally with the mothers. Crafty
as a horse-dealer, she runs glibly over
the various advantages, meatal. phys
ical and pecuniary, ot her clientele of
both sexes. So-and-so is a steady, qu'et
man. Such an one has brilliant pros
pects has (important cons'dej at on)
no other wife. As for Yusuf. how
good-looking he Is! And Ilassnn, no
man was ever so good-tempered. Of
the other sex she sings the praises 110
less. The skill of Bebi as a house
keeper; the wealth of the ugly daugh
ter of the banker; the dangerous charms
of the portionless Zulikha, i-hc can
never say too much about Her ma'n
business is to bargain for the sum to be
paid to the father for his daughter's
hand; a sum which Is usually expended
by that father in pots and pans (all rf
copper) and other utensils, wh"ch he
presents to his child as her separate
property, lhe dtta is being settled
after much haggling, the 3-oung people
are engaged, and the marriage-broker
gets her permission, both from th
parents of the bridegroom and those
of the bride-elect Among the poor
and the laboring classes the barga n 1
arranged on other grounds. The peas
ant takes a wife for her thews and
sinews, or her sk'll at weaving carpet
or making cneese: wniio tne ur.ue-
groom is or is not eligible accord'ng a
he may be capable of hard work, o
may hold some small office, or have a
bit of land or a shop. Here the "mar
riage-broker" is generally an amateur
who conducts the negotiators puren
from that love of match-making which
13 suexi a messing- w mo uunu.
The akd, or marriage contract, i.
simply a legal form; but it is marr.'ag
and not betrothal. A few friends ar.
invited. The bride perhaps a ch Id o
ten is seated in a room with hr par
ents and relations; over the doorhang-
the usual curtain. Or, if , the ceremon
takes place in one rooiii or Iho ope:
air. the women are veiled. At tin-
other side of the curtainj in ,an outei
room or in the open air, are the .male
guests; and hero squats the nioollah o
priest of the quarter, who now drone
put in a monotonous voic the niarr age
contract, which has befcn previo:i.s!
drawn out by him. "It )s agreed be
tween Hassan the draper, who is vakce
(agent) for Houssein, the son of tin
baker, that he Houssein, hereby ac
knowledges the receipt f the port on
of Nissa, the daughter of Achmet
the grocer." . Here follows a list
of the property of the bride ii.
lands, niomys, houses, catlle, dres e
furniture, carpets, pots, jpans and so
on. Always a copy of the Koran and
certain weight of sewing silk are
mentioned. This detailed account o'
her property, constituting the woman's
separate estate, her husband merely
holds in trust during their cohabita
tion. At death or divorce it goes back
again to herself or her heirs. And it is
this mehr, or separate estate, that ren
ders secure the otherwise precarious
ositionof the Eastern wifo in a po
ygamous county; for the various
things enumerated, though acknowl
edged by the husband as received, may
only exist on paper. Still he has ac
knowledged them, and if he wish to
put away his wife, or if they separate
by consent, ho is bound to refund the
mehr 01 which ho has legally acKnowi-
oHcrod (kn roroit. or in ihta;-i her
gaf discharge for the same. "And,"
continues the nioollah, "he acknowl
edges the receipt of the aforesa d
mehr." Then follows a I hum of de-
ight at the extent of the lady's prop
er t3r. "xou, Hassan, how do you sav
as vakeel lor Houssein is this sor
Yes. yei, I agree," mumbles Hasai
"And you, Achmet. do you give vour
daughter, Ladj- Nissa, toj be the w.;f
of Lord Housse'n?" . "Yes, ye-, i
igrce," replies Achmet, j the grocer.
'And you, Lady Nissa, are you there?"
Yes, yes, she is here, moollah," re-
rlei a chorus 01 women
th ? curta'n. "And 3 0a
from behinri
agree, Lad
N ssa?" Here tlipre is a giggle from
the child-bride. . "Yes, yes, she
agrees," comes in a triumphant chorus
from the women. "Then," says
the moollah, folemnly, "In the
name of God the compassionate, the
merciful, and of Mohammed the proph
et of God, I declare you. Lord Hous--e
u. and you. Lady N'issa, to be man
an I wife." Hero the moollah puts his
s'nmp or seal to the document; the
various parties seal it too, it is care
:u 1 witnessed, and formally com
pleted. The moollah receive3 his fee
of a few r hillings, and then, and not
r -1 1 thi n, he hands over the document
her settlement and marring! lines" in
o.ie to the agent of the bride or lo her
father.
The legal ceremony is over; the
young people are married fast fast as
the Mohanimc dan law can bind. And,
theoretically, ps yet they have never
seen each other's faces. But really
Hoinse n has had many a glimpse of
tln'fa'r Nissa. Her mother lias often
allowed iiim to see her child from bo
hind a curtain or a cupboard door.
All th's is understood. And thc3-oung
people are now legally married. The
we lding, as dist'net from the espous
als, may take place the same evening.
1 week, a month, or not for years, ac
cording to the age, rank, or circum-s.'a.-iees
of the bride and bridegroom.
M n and women feast separately; and
after many water-pipes have been
smoked, many pounds of sweetmeats
consumed, and a plentiful banquet has
I ecu disposed of, the guests separate.
All prornisa to be present at the actual
wedling. Iso mus.c, no rejoicings
nothdig but what we have described
seen at the ceremony we have de-
ta h-d. St. James'' Gazette.
AMERICAN TOWNS.
A C'liancs
Fur Improvement In Their
Nomenclature.
Li avid Dudley Field has been showing
h in self to be a man of good taste and
judgment by remarks be made in a re
cent lecture on the names of American
towns. Mr. Field objected to the man
ner in which many places in the United
States have been christened. The
natural supposition, he thinks, would
b j that the names were selected by a
ha'.f civil'zed people. He pities the un
happy lot of the inhabitants of villages
ail!ited with such names as You Bet,
Pop Corn. WTild Cat, Cut Shin, Big
Coon. Toad Vine, Black Jack, Skunk
Lake, Buzzard Roost, Cat Creek, Dirt
Town. Doctor Town, Jug Tavern, Cow
Skin, and Cut Off, all 0f.wh.1ch he found
in the list of names in a railway guide.
ucn names are certainly bad
enough. They are striking instances
cf absurd nomenclature because of their
grotesque singularity. But they are
not such violations of good taste as can
be found among the pretentious towns
of New York. 'When one goes among
tl'.o Homes, Troys, Ut'cas, Syracuse.-.
Ilhacas ami the many other classical
ncm s that renders the map of that
State ridiculous, he feels that he could
go a considerable distance out of his
road to kick the pedants who nained
them.
Of all names givm to towns, that of
Rome, an imitation of the eternal cit)
is the most inappropriate and absurd.
There can be but one Rome. Its name
appl e i to any other town or city is a
rid culous affectation and conceit The
New York' Rome through the pedantry
of its founders missed an appropriate
name, and one of which its citizens
could be proud, in not being called
Fort Stanwix. a designation sim'lar to
that of Fort Wayne, which would have
ass'jc:ate I it with an interesting revo
lutionary event that happened in that
locality. Utica, which as a matter of
ta;te is almost as shocking a name to bo
imitated as that of Rome, would not to
day be a blcnrsh to the map of New
York if its founder would have had
good taste and sense enough to have
adopte I the term Oneida, which is ap
pro'T ate to the neighborhood. There
is only one other name as applied to a
modern town, and particularly nn
insignificant town, that is pedantically
as bad as Rome, and that is Athens.
The nomenclature of places in this
country is generally bad, but nowhere
else equal in that respect to New York,
where the idea seems to have prevailed
that st'lted title 1 taken from a classical
d'et'onary were just the thing.
Mr. Fields recommends Indian
names. They certainly have the ad
vantage in point of originality, put
muny of them are barbarouT in sound
and almost unpronounceable, which is
e'early object'onablo in tho name of a
town. This is especially the case with
the New England Indian names.
Father Wells made a nice mess of It
when he christened the ships of tho
navy aft?r them during the war, mak
ing the 1st of the National vessels such
a barbarous jargon that it was enough,
in connection with Republican manage
ment, to ruin that branch of the Na
tional defense.
Mr. Fields very properly obiects to
"vMle'
at the end of the name of a
town.
. There is an unreasonable preju
dice against the word "town," and a
mistaken notion that the substitution of
"yille" for it is an improvement. This
is an error of taste as well as of judg
ment "Town" is an expressive.
euphonious and very suitable term.
"Jonestown sounds better thai
"Jonesville." There is more r ng in
it, ami it is divested ot the absurdity of
attempt. ng to ornament a very com
mon name with a French termination.
A new horror that Is springing up in
town nomenclature is tho usu of the
term "city"' as a'pl ed to ins'gn'ti -ant
places. It is the oll'spr njrof ignorance.
codoj t and bad taie. The 1'ost-oMiee
Depirtment when asked to ue it iu
naming post-oilices should tternty put
its foot down on the monstrosity.
What coiild bs more absurd than Smith
Cily?
It is about t me that a movement
should be mud j for reform in the ap-
plicat'oa of name to the towns of fhi.s
country. lhe Post o iicj Department
could do mii. li good iu this nutter.
As tin town nomenclature now st-tml-i
t is a diso.-deriv o'lection of incon
gruous nam -s rang ng from Red Do r
to Lome, m ik ng a map of the countrv
as lud crous as a c.unic almanac. A
t.r .1 . fw.'.I Is... Ir, t.AK.i ...... !.. 4 1.
spect is opened, which sh mid be no '
longer neglected. ilurrtsbitr-j .('a.)
air. 01.