o
THE OREGON SCOUT.
JON KS A: CIIANCHV, liillllicr.
UNION, - - - OREGON.
Dirty Old Pipes.
l'ca, it istruo. as you remark, that Mr.
Carlylo has been a diligent smoker of
envy pqies lor sixty years, and has done,
uuLwuiiBuuming, a vast amount of ex
diem worK. it wouia ill becomo uk
to speak of him or his writings, except
wiui proiounu respect. sut, my deaf
editor, is ho a cheerful man ? Has he
been generally a happy man? Do his
later works show a better hope, n mot
buoyant spirit, neater faith in man nnc
in lua destiny, than thoso of his enrlv
manhood ? His Inends toll us that lie
has been a prey to indigestion all hi
dnys, and that ho is tho farthest possible
from being gay or jocund. His fast not
able utterance, entitled " Niagara and
Aft .r," sounded to mo like tho cry of do
spair, and as to his comments upon tho
into war oi secession, was tliero anything
ever wmicn uy a great man nioro per
VUSO?
Iam glad you approve of Rood dinners,
I havo tho honor myself of eating !105
of them per annum, and leap years DGfl.
I believe in a generously nourished and
totally unstimulated life. At tho samo
tune 1 have never been (unto a teototal-
or, not being ablo to livo up to my best
conception. It is tho coming man wlux
win not oriiiK wmo. I am not Jie, as you
know.
Gootho drank freely of tho light wines
01 ins country, as an mo uermans do,
but lie was free from tho taint of tobac
co. JIo had a particular dislike of it.
Voltaire, temperate in all else (except
work), was a snuff taker, and had one of
ino prettiest snull boxes in Europe.
Both of them, I think, would have been
bettor and happier if they had managed
their bodily all'uirs a little bettor. Allow
mo, then, still to adviso students, jour
nalists, and all who labor with tho bruin,
to throw away their dirty old pipes, put
men cigars into tno stove, never buy
any more, becomo absolute teetotalers
(or as near as they can), take a good
dinner in tho middle of tho day, and
rest as many eiays in seven as tiioy win
uilord, but always one. Janicn J'ai
ton'v letter to the Motion Herald.
Munition In ItiiHulu.
Educated men and women in Russh
do not always find it easy to gain i
livelihood. Trade is looked upon in
altogether distinct from education. Ai
educated man is obliged to ho a teach
er, clerk or government ollieer, and il
he cannot be one of these he is disap
pointed and his mind is ripo to receive
Nihilistic ideas, if he lias not oharuetoi
enough to light the battle of life. The
position of woman is still worse. A
girl whose parents nro able to give hei
n good education is in many eases left
without any menus of support, unless
sho makes a good marriage. It Is with
in a short time that women have been
admitted as clerks of railway and tele
graph companies. Hut in consequence
of the common prejudice a girl of re
spectable parentage, who is without
means, is thrown on tho charity of
hitions, who in no ease would
knowledge u girl who worked
ro
ue-
foi
her
n living, and would rather see
dependent on alms. The only mount
of livelihood considered by society
ns honest and respectable for a girl,
is teaching in pnvuto families. The
teachers in schools aro mostly male.
In any Russian newspaper there are
numberless advertisements for situa
tions wanted by well educated youn
ladies, leaching four, languages and
music, for their board simply. '1 he
only trades existing for women are
millinery and dressmaking. Position;
ns saleswomen in stores aro mostly oe!
cupied by French or German girls, whe
are independent in their ideas, or by
uneducated Russian girls, who do not
euro for tho opinions of society. Edu
cated women aro thus placed in o
really pitiable position.
According to tho Jowish and Mohiimmo
dau tradition, King Solomon, who was
wiso beyond all othermen, knew tho hiu
gungo of animals, and could talk with
tho beasts of tho field and tho birds of
tho air. A Itahhinicnl story is (old of
him which runs in this wiso : One day
the King rtxlo out of Jerusalem with n
great rolinuo. An ant-hill lay directly
hi his path, and Solomon heard its little
people talking.
" Hero comes tho grent King I " 9
heard one of them say. " His llattcreiM
cull him wiso and just and merciful ; but
Jto is about to rido over us, and crush
us without heeding our sufferings."
And Solomon told tho Queen of Sheba,
who rodo with him, what tho ant said.
And tho Queen made answer :
" Ho is an insolent creature, O King I
It is u better fate than ho deserves to be
trodden under our feet,"
Hut Solomon said :
"It is tho part of wisdom to learn of
the lowest unci weakest,"
And ho commanded his train to turn
aside and sjinro tho ant-hill. Then id?
tho courtiers marveled greatly, and tho
Queen of Shoba she bowed her head and
niado obeisance to Solomon, saying:
"Now know I tho Hoerot of thy wis
dom. Thou listeuest as patiently to tho
roproaehoH of tho humble as to tho lint-terio-s
of tho great,"
Cripples lu (icriiinnr.
Tho number of deformed, lame, hump
backed people is very great. An En
glish doctor told us ho had nover seen
so many rickety, ill-kept children as in
Germany. How can it bo othorwiso?
The mothers aro in the Holds, and can
not bo looking after thoir babies, mend
ing and making at homo, where surely
there is always enough to do for one
pair of hands. As wo drove along, tho
cripples sat by tlio roadside tending
cows and goats, which must uovor bo
allowed to go alone, lest thoy should
stray boyoud Uieii" owners' uarrow fron.
tiers. Carts, with smull wheels very
far apart, most rudely puttogothor,
passe I us driven by women. Content
porary Jlevlew.
Takk Ikt up Uuitrrljr,
VmMoumI ao kleuilorljr,
Young Mill M ttltt
lluiJl lir rrvuUjr,
Talk (o Ur (iriytrf ullr
UUt'l MUM M ltm
Famous Amazons of Dahomey.
From tho Pall Mall Oazctto.
Tho Gormaua, to whom Africa as n
field of colonization is a mino of inox-
haustiblo novelty, have just rediscov
ered tho nmazons of Dahomey. Thcso
famous warriors, of whom so little has
been hoard for so many years, have boon
inspoctod by Dr. Zollcr, who gives an
account of his reception at the court of
tho Portugueso half breed, Julia.no do
Souza, who, in his semi-royal state at
Whydah, rejoices in tho possession of a
fully equipped battalion of women who
fight Alas 1 however, for our precon
ceived notions, tho nmazons of Do
Souzn Jiavo moro resemblance to a corps
do ballet than to a corps d nrmcc, and
tno deepest impression winch tliey left
on tlio minil of their visitors was that
thoy would mako tho fortuno of nny en
terpnsing impresario who would intro
duco them to European audiences.
Uf ,)uliano do bouza himself, who
has had his son educated in an Eng
lish boarding school, and married bv a
Fresh priest, Dr. Zoller speaks in high
terms :
The tall, broad-chested man, with n
dark yellow, almost brown, complexion,
received us with thomninblo politeness
of a pompous aristocrat. Ho woro a
long, shirt-liko garment reaching down
to his feet, high European boots, an
nnbroidered smoking cap, and al
though ho is a Fetish worshipper a big
black metal cross on his chest. After
apologizing for tho reinarkablo rostumo
which ho had been obliged to don be
cause of indisposition, Juliano gavo tho
sign for tho beginning of tho festivities
in front of Juliano's houso, a rather
rickety building of two stories in tho
middlo of tho village, which was filled
with tho upper ten of Whydah, a mul
titude of black spectators all of whom
protend to bo of European descent. Rut
woo to him who, without being a 'whito
man,' dares to wear .European boots, or
allow himself to bo carried m a ham
mock, tho European moans of convoy
nnco. JNot even tho Jving would over
dream of committing bo unpardonabloa
breach of African atinuctto.
'Whon it was dusk tho arinv of ama-
zons niado thoir antranco into tho yard
lantastieaiiy attired, and looking moro
fantastical still bv tho glaro of tho
torches which weroborno beforo them
Shortly before tlieir dunco commenced
tho Chaeha distributed German beer
and Rania rum among tho audience.
which consisted of b6")jio 500 spectators,
many of whom were accompanied by
tlieir tamo shoon, which follow their
masters liko dogs. Rum is tho ordin
ary bnveruira ollored to visitors in IJnho
wHoy.ffro Amazons of Abomo, of whom
there aro at tho most some (5,000, aro
noininallytho wives ot tho Jung, and
as such form a body guard, which said
to bo superior to tho nuilo soldiors in
courago , disciplino, and loyalty. But
although thcso aniazons accompany tho
King on all his wars, I think thoy aro
moro for show than for sorvico. Among
all tho savago and Bcnn-savago tribes
singing and. dancing nro considered as
essential as drilling and drumming
among ourselves. Jt. is natural that
the aniazons, having from their earliest
childhood boon educated ns warriors,
dancers, and singers, should bo as supo
rior to malo soldiers in theso accom
plishments as our Guards aro to tho re-
serves.
'i'ii..
aniazons of
tho Chacha, all of
whom havo served in tho army of Abo
mo, nro women between tho ages of
eighteen nnd twouty-llvo; and ns tho
Chaeha doe3 not go to war, thoy aro
naturally only kept for show.
Thoy havo separate barraoks, but
livo, liko tho thirty nuilo soldiors, in
different quarters of tho town, whonco
thoy nro called togothor whenover thoy
aro wanted. At their first entraneo,
whon, marching up m a long proces
sion, they saluted their lord and mas-
tor, I was astonished at tho military ox-
netiludo of their niovoments. Imag
ine sixty young women strong nnd
slender, who, without losing anything
of thoir womanliness, present a decided
ly warliko appoaraneo. Among Euro-
poans this combination of tho woman
and tho warrior could not bo imagined;
hero it is exphunod by tho peculiar for
mation of tho negro skeleton. Tho
skeletons of neirro women fin striking
contrast to theso of tho mulattoes) aro
strikingly liko tho skeletons of male
negroes.
"Tho assertion isnntruo that tho fo-
mnlo warriors of Dahonoy havo thoir
breasts cut off, liko the mythological
nmazons of tho ancient Greeks. Their
picturesque uniform might furnish our
masters of tho ballot with fresh ideas.
Tho frosh young faces look voguishly
from under tho white, brimloss yokoy
cap, ornamented with black pictures of
animals, such as lizards, birds, and
others. Tho foot uro bare; short
kniekorbockors of greon, rod, or
yellow material oomo down nearly
to tho kuoes, and a brighl-colorod
tunio of striped silk or volvot,
which leavos only tho nock and tho
arms froe, covers tho upper part of tho
body, which is supported by corsets of
native manufacture. A broad belt of
many colors heightens the slim appear
ance of tho female warrior. At tho
loft sidoof tho belt n sword is fastoned,
and a small cartridge pocket in front.
A scarf of white or light groon silk is
worn liko a Scotch plaid, Tho ariua
mont consists of swords, battle axes, nnd
guns, which latter aro put aside during
tho dance. Quito apart from tho effect
pf combined dancing and singing, tho
performances, which went for several
hours uninterruptedly beforo our oyes,
woro quito in tho stylo of our corps do
ballot, with tho only difference that
perhaps no other corps do ballot would
dance with oqual exactitude
First camo u tall mid somow lint el
derly woman. Sho was tho captain,
and ai she outercd tho son of tho Cha
cha whispered to mo, "Just look how
well my mother danco.s. Then follow
ed, with battlo axes uplifted, tho Young
er officers, und in their rear tho sttll
youngor troops, now dashing to
ward us in tlieir sham fight,
now wheeling round, dispersing, ami
again uniting. And nil this with
rhythmical movements, half warlike,
half coiiuottish, but never clumsy, tho
ciegant play oi tno uaro round arms
recalling to tho mind tho limbs of an'
cient classical statues. All dances
which I havo scon performed among
savago and demi-savago peoples havo
been grotesque, and to a certain degrco
voluptuous. Jtcro for tho first timo
performauco wan given which would
navo hold its own before a serious
rcsthcte. "
Contemplating this remarkable feat.
and listening to tho strange, rhythm
of tho songs of tho nmazons, who, oven
after a performance of Boveral hours,
showed no sign of fatigue, tho delight
cd Germans spent the ovening, and
next morning wero invited to a similar
danco performed by twelve young ladies
ofthoagoof 10 and 17, all of whom the
Ohncha introduced as his wives. Their
performance, however, wns inferior to
that witnessed tho night before. Tho
threo days' fostivities, all moro or less
of tho samo kind, wero concluded by
Chacha presenting a bull to Dr. Zol
ler. Tho Increase of Celibacy.
Mr. Dana has indulged in some re
flections on the incrcaso of celibacvjn
Now England and tho Middlo States.
His reflections aro not without interest:
Formerly in Now England a bache
lor of thirty or moro was a marked in
dividual, nnd ospeeinlly in tho smaller
towns was subjected to both ridicule
nnd censure. Public opinion was of
fotidcd when a man went much boyond
tho marriageable ago without taking n
wife, and ho was pretty sure to becoino
a butt or an object of sus2)icion among
his neighbors. Hut now all that is
changed wherever thoro aro not many
foreigners in a community. There is
an actual and a proportionate doereaso
in tho number of marriages, and lid?
falling off was greater last year than over
beforo. Tho Connecticut town clerks
say that at least one-half of tho young
men bctwoon twenty-one and thirty are
unmarried, wnoreas lormeriv nino in
ton married beforo thoy wero twenty-
six. Uf courso, tho reason for jthis
disposition to put off marriago is tho
conviction of tho young men that thoy
can accumulatnomorlc money, or get
moro personal comfort, by no delaying.
Thoy do not want to bo hainpored by a
wife and family whilo thoy arc laying
tho foundations of a fortune, but aro
wniting until they get an incoino lame
enough to enable them to livo nicely.
Tho longer thoy wait, tho less aro thov
disposed to nssumo matrimonial respon
sibilities, for few of them got tho amount
of money thoy think they need to sup
port ii family, and their porsonal wants
nro likely to go on increasing with thoir
incomes. This stato of things is not nt
all peculiar to Connecticut, Ihrough-
outNow England tho ago at which men
marry is growing greater, if thoforoign
population bo excepted, and tho numbor
of thoso who remain xinglo through lifo
is largo, and continually increasing.
Tho towns aro full not only of old maids,
but of bacholors too; and instead ot
being tlio butt of ridieulo, a young mau
who refrains from niarriugG until hois
well sottled in lifo is looked upon as a
sonsiblo and prudent fellow. Tho same
disposition to delay marriage, or to
keei) out of it altogether, is strikingly
displayed in Now York, whorocilfo
numbor of clubs and of club members
has greatly increasod of lato vcars bo-
causo of it. Theso young men are ablo
to got luxurios and oleganees at thoir
clubs which thoy could not ospect to
provido at their own homes if thoy wero
married, and thoy will rather forego
marringo than givo thoni up. It would
be till very well if thoy could got wivos
with portions which permitted tho con
tinuuneo of such self indulgouco, but fow
of them nro ablo to do that. As bach
elors they can livo off tho fat of tho land,
dress with elegance, and enjoy social
gayoties, to which they know that thoy
aro woieomcd with tho moro eagerness
becauso thoy aro single. Ab married
mou their income would force them to
livo with tho elosost economy, or what
they would regard as such.
What Produces Old Ago.
Tho Medical and Surgical Hoportor
of April 11 contains n curious nr'ticlo on
tho "Suspension of Old Age," the lend
ing idea of which is "that tho real
ohango which produces old ago is moro
nor les3 than n slow but stendy accumu
lation of calccrous matter throughout
tho system; and it is owing to thoso de
posits that tho structuro of ovory organ
is altered, elasticity thus giving way to
sonilo rigidity. Rlockago of various
organs thus commenced, and sooner or
later n vital part becomes involved, and
death of necessity follows." Todolny
this process tho writer advises tho
avoidauco of food containing this calcer
ous matter, among which broad is prom
inent. Moderation in eating is enjoined;
and nmong tho articles recommended
nro "fruit, tish, poultry, flesh of voting
mutton and beef, bee'auno, as lieforo
stated, of thoir boing less nitrogenous.
All well and spring water contains con
siderable of tho earthy salts, and
should therefore bo avoided, and cis
tern water used in its stead, becauso
wator is tho most universal solvent
known. Therefore, if taken into tho
system clear of foreign mntter, it is to
that extent tho hotter prepared to dis
solve and tako up thoso earthy salts nnd
convey them out of tho system. Tho
addition of fiftoon oP twenty drops of
dilute phosphoric neid to the glass of
water, and drank threo times a dnv,
will add to tho solubility of those
earthy salts.
In England after August 1, telegraph
messages are to Do charged for at tho
rate of a cent a word, nddressos but not
signatures to bo iueluded in tho count.
England is happily exempt from tho
monopolies that oppress tho poople of
the United htates.
Of tho 35,051) recruits unlisted for tho
Rritish army during IBS I, 28,203 woro
rained in England, !l,tGS in Scotland
mid 3.8S3 in Ireland.
How Lord Wolsoloy Lo3t the Vic
toria McdaL
A building called tho Khoorsheyd
Muzil, at Luoknov,(Happy Palaco,) but
better known ns tho "Mess House," had
to bo taken. After a heavy fire of threo
hours from Peel's guns Sir Colin deter
mined to carry it by storm. It was a
formidable placo; mnssivo in its struct
ure, surrounded by a ditch 12 feet
broad and scarped with masonry, nnd bo
yond that n loop-holed mud wall.
Tliero wero draw-bridges, but it wa
not known whether they wero down or
not. Sir Colin gavo the command of
the storming column to Capt. Garnet
Wolscley, of the Ninetieth, with instruc
tions that in tho event of tho draw
bridges being up, and his not being ablo
to effect an entraneo, ho was to icavo
his men under cover nnd return nnd re
port to him. It. wns not tho first storm
ing column which "Wblseley had led.
Years beforo ho had had that hotgf in
carrying tho atroughold of the Rurmoso
Chief, Myat-toon, and had been severe
ly wounded. Ho was moro fortunato in
his attack on tho Moss House. Tho
stormers had to run tho gantlet gf a
very heavy lire from tho neighboring
buildings, but thoy entered tho plnco
with littlo opposition, nstho enemy had
retired, lo ving tho draw-bridgo down.
Calling upon his bugler to sound the
"Advance" to intimato to Sir Colin his
success, ho ran up tho steps of tho
building and planted tho Rritish flag
upon tho roof, lint no sooner was tho
ensign displayed than tho enemy opened
hro iroin every gun which thov could
brine to bear, and twice was tho flag
struck down, but only to bo replaced by
"SVolsoley, assisted slrangecoincidencel
by a young oflicor of tho Hengal Ar
tillery, Jjieut. 1-rodenck lloberts, now
SirF. Roberts, Hurt., V. O., G. O. R.
Uut thero was another building in tho
hands of the ijnemy, tho Motce-Mahal,
(Pearl of PalfWos,) tho last post which
separated tho besieged from their de
liverers. Wolsolev's task, as intrusted
to him by Sir Colin Campbell, was ac
complished by tho taking of tho Mess
House, lio had no instructions to do
more, .uut tneroaro moments in battlo
when opportunities aro to bo seized in
spito of "instructions" and when what
seems rashness in a commander is really j
the genius which justifies daring. Gar-
net Wolseloy was not a man to bid his
Btormers retiro under cover and "stand
at ease" whilo ho saw beforo him a prizo
which might bo won by bold hearts withO,
dash. Ho mndn a rush nt, tlin Mntrn
Mahal, follPwed with joyful alacrity by
his gallant fellows. Tho way from tho
garden , of tho Mess Houso to
the gratcway of tho Motee-Mahal
was swept by tho enemy's lire, but
the gateway was reached. It was, how
ever, built up and loopholed, and
through theso looplgdes n murderous
iiro was poured upon tho attacking par
ty. . Ready in resourco and cool, Wolso
loy sent back an officer with somo men
to bring up crowbars and piekQsos to
Bniash through tho brickwork. This
was done, but it was n hard fight to got
the onomy's iiro under, and tho stormers
lost many bravo follows. At length,
however, an aperture was mndo in tho
wall, and through this Wolsoloy nnd
his mon scramblod into tho courtyard
Of the palaco. Fighting hand to0hand
thoy drovo tho enemy from room to
room and from yard to yard toward tho
river, on tho banks of which tho Motee
Mahal was built. Hero tho fugitives
throw themselves into tho water nnd
sought escapo in swimming across. It
wns whon tho men wero returning with
tho tools which ho had sent for to batter
down tho gateway that "Wolsoloy fairly
earned tho cross by a gallant act of dar
ing. Privato Andrews, whojiad been his
servant in tho Crimearau from under
shelter to show his comrades tho way
across. Ho was immediately shot
through the body from ono of tho loop
holes and fell. Wolsoloy saw this and
rushed to his assistance. Hntsing him up
ho boro him back in his arms to a placo of
safety, undor a nhowor of bullets, by ono
of which Androws was again wounded.
Now Woolseloy had- gained tho Motee
Mahal, but he had not gained Sir Col
in's good-will. Tho old chiof was furi
ous at an officer excelling his instruc
tions, nnd "Wolsoloy wns advised to keep
out of his way until his iro cooled. But
tho erst lender of tho stormers of
Ciudad-Rodrigo was not likely to bo
long angry with a kindred spirit whoso
disobodiout daring must havo recalled
to him tho memory of his own fiery
courago, when youth and hopowere his
only fortuno. Ho gavo dipt. Garnot
"Wolsoloy n "wigging" for presuming to
tako tho Moteo-Maltnl without orders,
and mentioned him in his dispatches for
tho courago and ability ho had display
ed, but ho was not named for tho V.
C. Tho United Servico Magazine.
Hclic3 of War. j
Tho wounds of fcgr yoars of war will
leave their soars on fifty years of
poaoe.C Not only tho mained bodies o
tho last survivors of tho old conflict,
tho bunion of its military debt, nnd the ,
lingering sorrow of its victim widow
and orphans, continuo to bear witness
to tho calamity of war; but tho dumb '
objects of uaturo on tho hard-fought (
baltlo-fiolds presorvo its history, and i
testify to the violenco of its strife.
A striking illustration of tho hard ,
legacy which a war bequeaths is hero i
presented in the wrestling of tho pence- J
fill lumber-mill with the old trees thnt
stood whoro hostilo men fired iron and ,
lead at each other. Cornelius Smith
has tho contract for snwing into lumber
a largo number of logs cut from trees
standing on the field of Antictaui at the
timo of tho battlo.
Ho says that all sorts of missiles, from
cannon balls to buckshot, nro almost
daily met with in tho timber, and that
it is really dangerous to stand near tho
saws Having boeii snapped into frag-
boeii snapped into frag
monts, by striking iron shot imbeddsd i
m tho logs.
A large, angular fragment of n shod
was struck by n saw n few days ngo, and
a perfect shower of spaihs mined nbout
the mill from tho contact of tho motal.i,
tlio saw boing finally snapped in several
pieces.
In another instnnco a crepe shot was
cut through by n saw, leaving a bright,
polished surface on each hemisphere
of tho missile.
mia.muiHin.muimij.jyiujiimaijui
BEItHIUDA'C PSCUZ.AP-ITIE3.
Kcltlier Soil nor Water, Animnla nor
BlrJa, Only Coral.
Cincinnati Commercial Gazette.
In no other part of tho world, I think,
did nature show such supremo niggard
liness as here. Sho gavo tho Rermudos
neither sod nor water.ncithcr animal nor
bird, ncithor fruit, vegetables nor
(lower. Sho simply conferred the most
(letightiui weather under tho canopy,
and then stood off and said: "Such
weather a3 that is a bountiful outfit, if
you don't get another thing." So it has
proved, lo tho prizo weather all other
things havo been added by visitors.
ihe only wild animals known hero
aro tho rat and the mouse, brought by
vessels ; tho casual and oleaginous whale.
and the bat, that hus blown across the
tUlantio by accident. Tliero is no
garao whatever, and never has been.
Of birds, thVsplendid cardinal of tho
fropie3 is hero. Tho bluo robin of Now
bnglaud is horo, piping as bravely as
ever. Iho catbird has nut in an nn-
pearance, nnd so has that even greater
nuisance, tho English snarrow. tho
pirato of the winged world. Two Span
ish birds, tho "chick of tho villngo" and
tho 7retty ground dove, movo quietly
about. And that is all. Not a nativo
bird among them.
I hnvo said that nature gave Rormnda
no soil. Ignatius Donnelly thinks that
mcseisianus ami ttio Azores aro tho re
mains of Plato's fabled continent tho
last jot remaining above tho sea after
tho great cataclysm of ono hundred
thousand years ago buried tho rest of
tho continent with its splendid civiliza
tions forever. In that case, I should
suppose thero would bo somo real soil,
some rocks, somo drift, some sand, somo
clay, somo alluvium, somo vegetablo
mold. Thoro is very littlo of tho last
and not a bit of any of tho others on
thcso islands. TJiGto is not clay enough
tor a pipe, or sand enough for a sand
glass, or a stono big or littlo nearer than
the coast of Georgia. Thero is noth
ing hero but ground coral roofs, car
bonnato of lime, digested and deposited
by that mucilaginous nnd shnpeless
crUuro called tho coral "insect."
This island is as white as so much chalk,
and about as barren. "Water soaks
into it liko a spongo, and livo minutes
after n sharp shower ono can go out
walking and find noithor mud nor mois-
turo anywhere. On somo lowlands
this comminuted coral, ith tho mixturo
- P ..1 i !l i i , i
in eiumems n mis laKeil up, is not. as
hard as olsowhore; nnd horo it is oc
casionally cultivated by the admix
ture with tho soil of n largo quantity
of fertilizers from America. It can
nl3orb unlimited cargoes of thoso stim
ulants without hnvfiig its lifo much
stirred by them. Tieklo this coral reef
with a boo over so vigorously, it
nover laughs with a haftest; and after
you havo poured into it oceans of pou
drotte. and dosed it with loam and
bound poultices of warm ground ivpon
its stomach, it only smiles a faint and
gastly smilo. Rut under thoso circum-
stances, potatoes, onions, tomatoes
and
lily bulbs nro plnnted, and if
they can
clasp rootlets around anything softer
than a cast iron stove lid, thoy grow.
Somo things grow in n warm climate
without much encouragement. I saw
this week a tamnrind treo as largo as a
good sized Now England elm,that had
j boon torn up by a humcano long ago,
and stood on its very top, its roots point
ing toward tho sky. Tho branches that
stuck into tho ground put forth roots
nnd gavo tho wreck a now anchorage,
whilo tho upthrown roots reverted nnd
set forth now limbs, and tho denso mass
. of foliage now shades tho groujid and
invites tho still fruitful giant lo forgot
its disaster.
j There is no fresh water on tho island
1 except what comes direct from tho
clouds. Tho sky is tho cistern of Ber
muda. The houses nro all built of tho
coral that is quarried in beautiful whito
cubes from tho ground anywhero,
scorning lit for tho sculptor's chisel ;
tho overy houso is roofed with slant
j roof of tho samo and iurnisheel with
abundant tanks. In theso tho rain is
gathered; and the tanks aro so very
clean, and tho roof is so very whito and
, tho air is so very freo from dust that
tho water is tho purest in tho world
cold and pollncld as if drawn from tho
choicest mountain spring. I nover saw
such delicious water anywhero. Na
tura know what sho wns about when
she omitted tho Bermudian springs.
Marriage and Genius.
Tie author of "John Halifax" has
positivo opinions on marriago as con
nected with genius. "Two peojilo,"
sho says, "man and wife, of whom ono
was supposed to hn, and both really
woro, wonderfully gifted, succeed iu
making ono another thoroughly miser
able. Why? Because the woman mar
ried out of wounded feiuenino prido or
(sho owned) for 'ambition,' a self-absorbed,
egotistical, bad-tempered man,
who had ruined his constitution by his
persistent broaking of every law of
health. Disappointed, neglected, sho
does her wifely duty in a literal sense,
but sho seasons it with incessant
complaints and tho cruel nsoof that
weapon which is a gentlowoman's
instinctivo defonco against a boor
sarcasm, no, too, lives a lifo unim
poachablo externally, but within full of
raucor, malice and a selfishness which
approaches absolute cruelty; his poas
atit nature perpotually binding him to
tho sufferings of his wifo, moro gently
born and gently bred ; whilo her mor
bid sonsitivoness exaggerates trivial vox
ations into great misfortunes, and mero
follies into actual crimes. All this
wretchednoss sprung, not from tho
man's gonitis, but his other bad quali
ties, which, had he been a brainless
u, uum mvo wi uu whb g mt mm
llia 0i J08 M miserable. Yet society
moans out the moral, "Nover marry a
'..n.iillet" sir Mia U'nran tt. lf vml ilrt
marry a gouim you must condono all
, his short comings, lay yourself down as
' u mat for him to rub his shoes on, givo
him overy thing, and oxpoet from him
I nothing, not even tho commonest rules
of domestic courtesy and social morali
ty." Connecticut imporU $75,000 worth of
honey every year,
Ploa3ing not Himself:
BY MAIU A. P. STAN'SUURT.
"I don't think you ought to talk as if T
was tloing wrong, Helen 1 You know
father has consented.
Nod Litton spoke in an injured tone,
looking down upon his sister from his
perch on the old stile.
Tho sunlight flickered througlrvtho
loaves nnd the cool, salt breeze from tho
sea played with Helen's long, golden
hair, but her sweet face boro a very
sober and thoughtful look.
"1 didn't say just that, Ned."
"No; but you might aa well have said
it. "What you did say means tho samo
thing. Now, just look nt it. Hero I
havo longed to go to sea ever since I
can remember. And I hate school I
couldn't tell anybody how much 1 And
now, when thero is such a chance for
mo a channe in a thousand, Helen
with this Captain Lctchgrwho is nn
old friend of father's, and father him
self has at last given mo leave, you
must all the time bo trying to mako mo
feel that I ought got to go. I think it
unkind of you, Helen I really do. Ono
would nlmost think yau begrudged mo
tho pleasure."
"Oh, Nod I" said Helen, and her bluo
oyes filled with tears.
"Don't Nell dearl" said Ned. tinlinnf.-
ly. "I did not mean that 1 But I don't
believe you ever guess what this thing
is to mo. "Why, I can't oven look at
that schooner out yonder without feel
ing as if I could fly. It's the freedom of
it, Nell, nnd tho seeing strnngo countries
and peoplo! Oh 1 it must bo glorious I'
"Dear Ned," said Helen gently, "do
not think it hard of 1110. But I can't
help thinking of father. Ho lias con
sented, but I am sii ro you can't know
what it has cost him. You remember
he has had such different plans for you
his only spn, Ned! And I can't help
feeling, either, that ho needs you moro
than ever before. Father don't com
plain of anything, but ho isn't so strong
as usual. Haven't you noticed how pnlo
and tired ho comes homo nlmost overy
evening? Oh, Ned! if anything should
happen to father! I don't think it
would bo a small thing for you to givo
up going, " her voico sank low
" 'even Christ pleased not hiinsolf.' "
Sho turned away, walking slowly up
tno path. Ned did not follow her.
Her last words rankled liko an arrow
in his unwilling heart. IIo felt that a
battlo was beforo him which ho could
best fight out alone. How hard was
tho struggle, only God and his own
heart know, but whon it was ended
such a peace decendod upon tho boy as
ho had nover known before.
"Father," ho said very quiotly next
morning, "I havo written to Capt.
Letcher that I havo changed my mind
nbout going away. Plcnso tako mo into
tho oflice, and let mo help you this
winter, and, next year, I will go to
school, or do anything you wish."
"My own boy !" 6aid Mr. Litton, when
ho could speak.
That was all, but whon Ned saw tho
look upon his father's faco ho folt half
repaid already for his bitter self-sacrifice.
ThoCwinter proved that Helen had
judged lightly iuoher anxiety for her
father's health, for ho was attacked by
a lingering sickness, in which, moro
than once, his lifo was despaired of.
Ned seemed all at onco to havo be
como a man under tho now cares and
responsibilities which fell upon him.
Ono could hardly havo believed that tho
often headstrong and impetuous boy
could havo grown so industrious and
p-iinstakiiig. His young vigor nnd
hopefulness woro liko a tower of
strength to tho watching mother and
sister in thoso dark days whon death
seemed waiting at tho very door. Over
and over thoy asked each other
"Oh? what would wo do if Nod were
away?" 0
And when nt last, Qho father, still
very palo and weak, but steadily and
surely recovering, called him to his
sido ono day, saying: "My dear boy, if
you had not reboved me of so much
care and nnxicty, 1" am sure I could not
havo lived !" Nod could only answer
with a burst of thankful tears.
Only a few mornings later, ns Ned
entered tho breakfast-room, ho saw
Helen with a newspaper in her hand.
Sho looked up, but he missed hor smil
ing "Good mcrning."
"What is tho matter, Nell?" ho asked,
frightened nPher gravo face.
For answer sho reached to him tho
nowspapor, with hor fingor on a para
graph in tho column of "Shipping
News. "
Tho coles' fndenl on his cheoks as ho
read. Capt. Letcher's ship hud gon
down, and all 011 board had perished.
Tho brother and sister looked into
each other's eyes.
"Holon," saulNcd, inn low nnd sol
emn voico, "it was God who gavo you
tho words to aponk to mo that day on
tho stile. Ho has not only saved my
lifo, but Ho has tnught mo that a selfish
lifo is not worth saving. Sabbath
School Paper.
A 'Loving Daughter. q
Tho following iucident, from tho
Philadelphia Call, may bo of tho "niado
up" kind, but wo doubt not that thero
aro many fond and foolish Mrs. Bluch
ers in tho world; and aro thoro not
among our readers girls who rocognizo
in Mary counterparts of themselves?
"Hard at it. I seo. Mrs. Blutcher?"
"Yes, Mrs. Brown ; this is my wash
day, and looking after a family of ton
don't leavo much timo on my hands.
"Is that Mary's voico
I hear at tho
tiinnn in tho narlor?"
"Yes, that's hor. I don't seo how I'd
got nlong without that gal, nohow.
Al'nys on theso days, whon I hov tho
tiringest work, sho picks out hor nicest
pieces, liko 'Sweet Rest By-and-by,'
'Mother's Growing Old,' 'Love will
Roll tho ClottdB Away,' nnd sings Vra
for mo whilo I'm runnin' tlio duds
through tho Crst wator. 'Taint ovory
gal ns 'd bf, t thoughtful, 1 can tell
you."
o
o
o
9