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About The Oregon scout. (Union, Union County, Or.) 188?-1918 | View Entire Issue (April 17, 1886)
HOW IT STANDS SOW. "What Hip Kiitslit IKmiiuikI nml Whnt the ICailroiul Oflle-Inln Mill Cuit cctlc. St. Lcrti. April a. Tho views of tho Btrikinj knights upon tlio Goulil southwest system and tlicir employers ns to tlio menus by which tlio strike shnll be brouslit to a close, despite tlio apparent agreement arrived nt in New York, seems ns far npnrt nscvcrnml a final adjustment U still in the future. The kni Jits demnnd that all those who struck shall bo taken back in a body, nnd the railroad officials ha o determined to re-employ only those actually needed. No hope is now entertained, even by the most sangnino, thnt a dual settlement will be reached until theseneral executive board shall have arrived from New York and con sidered the situation. It is the opinion of nome that this board will, luiuieiliately upon its arrival, order tho strike off autl the knights to make individual application for work. Others, niter t hey shall become fully acquainted with the condition of nffairs. that some nrran-ioment will be made whereby all the knights shall bo re employed, arbitration committees ap pointed and a linal adjustment of dillicul ties arrived at. The lnn,v freight houses in Kast ?t. Louis haw not yet been thrown open for the kniijhtsare no less determined to-day than they have been for a week not to allow any supplies to behnndlod in that vicinity either by wacon or by train. The crowds nB-'einbled in tho railroad yards hero this morning aro as largo as at any timo since the beginning of the strike and thoy seem determined that the roads shall not resume freight trallic until their griev ances shall bo arbitrated and settled. No attempts have yet been made to run freight trains this morning and no disturbances bnve occurred. Nkw Yoiik, April 2. Tho following dis patch was received at the olllco of tho Mis souri Pacific this morning: St. Louts, April L'. .lay Gould, President: While there may still be some trouble at a few points, 1 think the worst is over, but things may not ran smoothly for some days. I have plenty of force to run trains nnd do repairs and am gradually replacing my forcewitli new men. About thirty men nro nt work to-day. Business is fully re sumed in the KniisnsCityyiirds anil a largo business is being dono there. The total loads moved in the system yesterday was 1,000, un increase of SOt loads over thy day befo.ro. II. M. lloxti:. 110UUS HUTTEK MUST GO. IleproiontiiUvo of tlio Hairy Inlercit Itcibro (lie House Committee. Joseph H. Ilcall, president of the iineri can Agricultural and Dairy association; Senator Sawyer of 'Visconsin; Representa tives Gnllingcr of Now Hampshire; I,ymnn and Conger, Iowa; Groat, Vermont; Hen durson, Iowa; Ilitl, Illinois; Fenton, Call ' fornia: Perkins. Kansas; Springer, Illinois; Scott, Pennsylvania; ex-Gov. Price of New Jeisey; I). Wright, New York; Capt. It. S. Walder, Virginia; the J Ion. George li. Cor ing, G. W. llurchard, of Wisconsin; ami others representing tho dairy interests of tho United States were present at tho hear ing given by the house committee on agri culture to tho daiiytueu of the 1'niled Slates in connection with the Scott bill to tax imitation butter. Joseph II. Heall, president of tho Ameri can Agricultural association, said the Scott bill oMirossed thedomands of the dairymen of the United States as voiced by tho na tional convention recently hold in New York in a resolution ndopted, asking that imitation but tor be placed under the, con trol of the United States internal rovonuo nnd be taxed 10 cents per ton. In urging favorable action by this coinmitteo Mr. Iieall said bo represented in bis ollicial capacity 11,000,000 dairy tanner-1. Thoro wero invested in cows, lands and creameries in tho United States S-', 000,000.000 that was going to ruin by reason of tho sale of fraudulent butler. Exports, of butter which might bo increased under fair conditions wero rapidly declining. In three years, Mr. lteall said, unless the fraudulent sale of bogus butter was regulated, the production of genuine butter would bo stopped and the greatest mid most benelicent industry of the coun try destroyed. The question affected ail tho northern and western states, where dairying "as tho leadinginteresf, while con sumers of butter everywhere wero being btimlmgged and swindled. In conclusion Mr. Peall said: "We want imitation butter under a na tional law, because every roguehas a whole some fear of the police power 'if tho na tional government. Wo want 10 cents a pound, because it costs 20 cents per pound to make good butter." AFFAIKS OF THE UNION PACIFIC. A INikIiIoii ot t'lieqinil llnriKlilp Occu pied liy tliu Company. lioston special to the Omaha Ileo: In bis statement of tho affairs of the Union 1'acitlc, President Adams says that bills and accounts payable to the company, which constitutes its real interest bearing unfunded debt, have been decreased during the year and a half since Juno :10, 1SS 1, by tho sum of So. 140, S77. 2U. During thosamo the interest bearing funded debt has been decreased by tho mini of $1,010,0.11.81. The company now lias in tho hands of the trustee, under the Union Pacific laud grant mortgngo. an uninvested balance of 3'. 11,475. OH. This can ho applied only to the purchase and cancellation of land grant bonds of which S2, 700,000 are now out standing. After their maturity- and pay ment the balance of the fund "ill bo ap plied to the extinguishment of the sinking fund bonds, of which SI 1 -18:1,000 are out standing. Tho trustee has purchased all bonds which havo been offeied, on the ha wis of 3-5 per cent interest to maturity. As those outstanding cannot bo purchas.-d on those terms, the above balance is held on deposit in the trust company, drawing interest at tho rate of 2 percent. Tho company has $."5,823 53 l.-l-l invested it United States bonds in the Thiiraian net sinking fund, upon which it receives, at the present market price of the socuril ies in wlnclf the fund is by law invested, a re turn of 2.2 per cent per annum. Itnccord iuglv appears, tho statement says, that taking the secuiities in the Thurman art O.nking fund at their market value, S!)23,213.2&, and including the uiiiiivort d balance of the aiuking fund. $182, 1!I4.2'J, as well as the funds held by the trustees (land grant mortgage, $U,HH, 175. 03), tho company has now no lens than $l).300.2f3.17, which under the opcr ation of the law or the terms of tho mort gage, is so locked up as to return to it an income only of 2.1 per cent per nimtini. ; "It tuny fairly be questioned," the state nient concludes, "whether any other 'or0 poration in the country occupies a position of equal hardship." Charles Smith, In for ono year for forgery, and Robert Sell, in for threo years for grnnd larceny, were released from the pen itentiary lust week. HOW AI10UT THE DIVIDEND 1 Tlil- It Wlinl Inlero-lx Stockholder ol' Clio liilnii 1'aclllc. Hoston 8pcint to tho Omaha Bee At the annual meeting ot the Union l'acilic stockholders yesterday, President Adams made a short review of tho progress made by tho road during tho year. Tho most in toresting portitfu of his remarks was in an swer to two questions propounded almost simultaneously by Hastings, that if the surplus last year was $2,555,11)0.5.", when would tho stockholders receive any divi dend? To this, several present cried out: "Yes, Hint's tho point." The other was n request for information ns to the existing relationship between tho company nnd the government. Mr, Adams, in reply to tlit first question, said: "Sinco I took charge of tho affairs ot this company, a short tini"ago, my solo object has been to phici it upon a sound linancial nnd Iiiixmicks liasis. and to do tins, it was access, iry n devote the entire surplus to the liquidation of just claims against the company. 'J'hr transcontinental war, which 1 have tried to ptovent, and the growing competition from rival roads liave, you Know, lull, reduced our receipts Trolil through busmen bv taking from us a large share of the tial tic once entirely our own, but the luiiidini tiD of the west and tho necessit ies of Hit day have so increased our local busines Hint if an equitable understanding cn n be made with the government, 1 hope to l able to talk with the stockholder!' in refer enco to tlio subject of dividend- within a comparatively shoit time." Thi remark was greeted with applause. Ii speaking of the relations of the government and thecompaiiv the president said that the present policy of the government was disgraceful, disreputable and emharrass .ng. Ho said that tho Thurman act had not worked ns its trainer intended ; in (act Thurman had acknowledged to him that as long as it remained in effect it would be a continual drawback and an oinliarr.i meat to tho company. The bill now lieinj prepared by the senate, which tho pulihr behoved to be ouo ot the company s prepa ration, neither ho nor any ollkvr or repre sentative of the company had been allowed to see, and if he only knew what its con tents were he would be only too pleased, as ho could then deeideonsoine deliuite policy for fho future, while at present, his igmir unco caused him to bo all at sea. Wh.it the company wanted was to be treated ex actly as any other creditors of the govern meat, ami be penult ted to discharge, its obligations by tho ordinary system of an nual payments, and if they settle upon tin time to bo allowed, tho company could innnago its own affairs, like uny other cor poratiuu. WHAT JAY U0ULD HAS LOST. HI Sun Announce Ono of the Serious ICcmiIIn of the Strike. As to the suspicion that Jay Gould handled the strike in n way to turn it to speculative account, his sou George Gould said to a correspondent: "Tho actual truth is that father has lost more than millions by thin trouble. Not in money, nor in tho depreciation of stock values. That's not what I mean, lie's lost three pounds of flesh. You needn't smile it's so; and that is moro consequence than the same number ot millions to him, because it represents about tho whole gain in health through his long yacht ing cruise. Lot me give you tho whole story. On tho 1st of .1. iniiiiry rather retired lrom Wall street, few believed it, but it was so. His health was impaired by many years of hard work. It was in 18(13 that he came into the st reel, and for the twenty-three years he had been under constant strain. J lie dissolution of the lirm of Connor A' Co., on the lirst of January last, was bona tide. l ather meant to spend the rest of his life in pleasantly prolonging it. Mother ami I insisted on it, and ho at length saw the folly of not taking his ease. Tho south ern trip in the Atlanta was the beginning of what wan meant to bo years of recrea tion ail laziness. Well, ho enjoyed it im mensely, and accumulated fat to tho extent of three pounds. He was delighted. Then the news of tho row in Missouri was tele graphed to him at Key West. We advised him to loao tho settlement eutinly to others, but lie would como right to New York to take command. It was by build ing up the Missoui i Pacific property thnt lie had cleared ten millions, ami he wasn't going to see it seriously hurt through inat tention. Well, in a week ho lost his thre pounds. I've never seen him moro annoyed than when ho got on tho scales and found it out. That was why, in negotiating with Powderly, he insisted on making Mr. Hoxie tho representative of the railroads. 'I o that was due tho liilch of a day or two in tho negotiations a delay on which lie is ac cused of manipulating tho market. Tho truth i3 exfictly as I am giving it to you. Father was determined not to lose any more weight. Ho wants thoso thrco pounds back." THE DAIKY INTEKEST. Its ICeprcsentutl vet Appe'ir Hefore le House Committee on Agriculture. Washington dispatch; A large delega tion of gentlomoii interested in the dairy business appeared before the houso coin mitteo on agriculture to-day on tho subject of butterine and other imitations of butter which nro being manufactured and sold as genuine butter. Jamoa Hughes, president of tho Baltimore produce exchange, ox Com missioner of Agriculture Loring, Hepre sentativo Scott and ex-Hepresentativo Hopkins, of Pennsylvania, .1. V. Seymour, of the mercantile oxchango of Now York, U. F. Van Valkonburg, of tho Now York Dairy association, W. II. Duckworth, of Now York, ltohr, of tlioNew York Itntnil Grocers' association, Commissioner Column and Col. Little, secretary of tho Iowa Dairy men's association, and representatives of the Chicago Produce oxchango and of the National Putter, Egg and Cheese associa tion addressed the committee on tho sub ject. All the gentlemen present favored the bill prepared by tho American Agricultural and Dairymen association and introduced in the house by Kepioseutative Scott to plnco all imitations of butter under the control of the commissioners of internal revenue, nnd to provide that such products shall be taxed 10 cents perpouud and shall be proporly labelled. They said these im itations of butter wero sold fraudulently nnd wero ruining tho dairy industry. Unless somo meusuro of this character was passed they predicted thnt tlio dairy indus try would bo ruined within threo years. Tin Ilciliictlon Works. The new tin concentrating works at the Etta mine, Rapid City. Dakota, started up on the 1st, and worked to the entir satis faction of the engineers in charge. Two feets of tables were run nil day, and the re maining three will be put in operation as soon as a few adjustments of the muchluei y enn bo made. Theso ure the firs, tin re duction works ever built in tlr UiiiUd States, and much interest attaches to their successful operation. AKOYVL COriiTSlIlP. Victoria nnd Prince Albert Itoiv tlio Oticon "T laighiniMVas Wooed. W on nnd Married. London Modern Society. Loss loynl souls than ourselves may haveforgotten that theQueen celebrnt til tho forty-sixth anniversary of hor marriage with tho Prince Consort on Wednesday, February 10. That day is Her Majesty's golden letter day; its annual recurrence is a tearful joy to her, and she is suspected then of ten derly spreading out beforeher sundry fnded mementoes of that happy day mementoes which she has jealously guarded for marly half n century. Present-day lovers may derive comfort from the knowledgothnt the course of true lovo did not at first run altogether smoothly, oven the cat-0 of such august personages as Queen Victoria, nnd Prince Albert. The distract ions of ruling put mar riage out of tlic royal maiden's head for a time, it seems; but tho Queen ha horselt said that she never had any idea that if she married at all it would be any one else than the Prince. It was in l's.'lS that her undo Leo pold a pitiful old profligate, to havo been one of the guardians of a pure voting girl urged her to fix upon a husband. More sensible than most nt her age, she thought herself and Albert too young for marriage. More over, her lover knew England very imperfectly and she wisely reasoned that this would not do fit all. In the autumn of the folio wingycar Prince Albert and his brother Ernest visited the young queen. Poor young men! They arrived nefore their clothes, and had to appear in tho drawing-room after dinner in their travel-stained suits. Throughout October, Windsor castle and its surroundings were tho scene of love passages of ever-increasing tenderness, and two illustrious young peoplo had some difliculty in preserving etiquette atthedancesthat were given threo times a week after dinner, lor inclination led them to danco together oftencr than was expe dient. There is a pretty story extant that nt ono of tho never-to-be-forgotten dances, the queen presented the prince, who dared not venture to ask for her hand, with a flower. Tho significance of tho act was not lost upon him. He wore a close-fitting uniform, buttoned up to tho throat; but wishing to wear tho pre cious gift upon his heart ho cut a slit in his coat with a penknife and placed tho blossom in it. llow to let him know that her heart had gono out to him was a source of genuine distress toller Majesty. He wouldn't pro pose, so she must. And she did in this way. ThoPrinceon one occasion was t hanking her for the gracious re ception she had accorded him and ex pressing the delight his visit was giv ing him, when the Queen replied shyly, "If indeed your highness is so much pleased with this country, perhaps you would not object to remaining in it and making it your home?" Tho hint was unmistakable. What fol lowed concerned only tho happy pair, nnd Her Majesty lias never divulged it; but tho sweetness of it can bo imagined. After the young people had had a month together, Prince Albert returned to Germany, and tho courting had to bo continued through lovo letters. To tell her privy councillors and Parlia ment her love story was tlio Queen's; next trouble; but shogotoverit brave ly, seeking courage on theso trying oc casions from a bracelet containing a portrait of the Prince thnt she wore clasped on her arm. When Her Maj esty tremblingly made tho statement in tho House of Lords every voice rose in congratulation. Hut vexatious incidents followed. A rumor got abroad that tho queen's fiance was a Koman Catholic, and it was not eas ily disposed of. Greater unpleasant ness still arose out of tho question of the annuity to bo settled on tho prince, for ho was portionless, like nearly all tho Germans who havo como after him. In tho end, 30,000 a year was voted him. Various snubs took off the bloom nnd brightness of tho young man's hopes considerably, but ho wrototo his beloved, "All I havo to say is, that while I possess your lovo they cannot make mo unhappy;" and on arriving at Dover ho was pleasantly surprised nt receiving a 'warm welcome. Ho reached Buckingham pnlaco on Sat urday afternoon, February 8, nnd found his bridestnndingwith her moth er nt the door to bo tho first to meet nnd greet him. Thefollowing Mondny wns tho wedding day. Tho morning wns cold, foggy and wet, but its in clemency damped nobody's nrdor, tho crowds in St. James' park being dense indeed. Tho wedding wns celebrnted with all duo magnificence in tho Chapel Hoyal, St. James', tho altar of which was inndo to look something botweon n florist's shop nnd a goldsmith's, so great wns tho profusion of flowers and plate. Four iinposingstntochairs wore set, being one each for tho bride, bride groom, queen dowager and duchess of Kent, who, by tho way, gnvo herself over to copius weeping and refused to be comforted, tier behavior contrast ing strongly with that of her daughter who was quiet and confident, although pnlo nnd anxious-looking. Tho royal bride was robed in heavy white sat in with orango blossoms, h wreath of tho same gracing her head, while a rich Honiton veil fell about her .'nee, hut did not conceal it. The renson for this, it has been said, was that Her Majesty accounted herself as belonging to the people and must be seen by them. Since then tho sover eign has nltered her opinion consid erably upon this subject. Her jewels wero tho collar ol the order of tho Gartor nnd a diamond necklace and earrings, nnd sho hud twelve brides maids, Hor first net nftor tho cere mony wns to trip across to tho other elde of tho altar and kiss the Queen Dowager; then, hand and hand, the Prince and she passed down the nislo, nnd tho Queen confessed that thoy did not unclasp hands until Buckingham Palace was renched. Tho wedding breakfast was of over- whehnin:: grandeur, nnd tho wedding enke wonderful indeed, weighing ns it did i!00 pounds in weight, measuring threo vards in iuvn inference, nnd standing fourteen inches high. It was ornamented with a device in sugar of Dritannia blessing the happv pair. dog reposed at the feet ot tho sugar Ptince, and a pair of turtle doves at tho feet of the sugnr Queen. Numbers of Cupids were placed around, ono of them registering tho marriage in a book; and several bouquets of white flowers, tied with true lovers' knot completed the adornment of tho cake. The short honevinoon was to bo spent at Windsor. Tho Queen's traveling dross, like her bridal robe, was of white satin. It was trimmed with swansdown. Her bonnet was also white. The dav which had been gloomy, grew bright and cheerful in tho afternoon, and Her Majesty had tho line weather, which has since become proverbial, for her tourney. If apology bo needed for thus bring ing back the past, wo will gladly make one. nut iitst ns scanning old pro grammes enables one to enjoy nlivsh the delights of concei t, plav.or ball, ol a quarter or h.tlf a cent ury ago, so will these reminiscence- pleasantly re fresh the memory of at least some of our readers, while others will read for the lirst time some anecdote or inci dent connected with their sovereign's early days. Stories of .John 15. Cough. From tho New York Star. John 15. Gottgh believed that his end was near, and ho had mado every preparation for it. lie had engage ments until somo timo in March, and he said that if ho was spaied to fill them ho woulil then bid farewell to tho lecture field. Onlv a few davs before he was stricken down ho talked for an hour on this subject with a Star He porter. The writer had not seen him for several years, and Mr. dough asked it ho appeared much older than at their last meeting. hen answered in the affirmative, he said in almost pathetic tones: "Yes, my career is nearly run. fear when my engagements, which end in March, tiro finished 1 will havo to give up." "You may live a longtimeyet if you take sullicieiit rest," remarked the re porter. "Rest is what would hasten theend," he said, "lor it is tho love I havo for my work that keeps me alive. I do not (ear death; but I do not want to leave as long as I can hold my hand against that diabolical foe, ruin. If my strength holds out, 1 shall make other engagements, and when I die, I hope it will lie as the French sergeant, at my post of duty, and then 1 could say to my old foe, lhavo suriendercd only to my God." "You havo made a strong fight." "Yes, and my antagonist has been a cruel one. For every blow 1 havo dealt I havo received two. No man has had toenduro more than I. lhavo been slandered from tho very day that I enlisted in tho liglitagainst rum up to tho present time, but I expect ed it and havo nover once been disheartened. Thousands of attempts havo been mado to black mail me, but none of them succeeded. 1 have no doubt but that plenty of good people believe that I drank after beginning my temperance work. Hut I say now, realizing that my work is nearly done, that 1 could not havo led a more correct life than I havo sinco that time. Not long ago whilo conversing with somo friends, I was seized with terrible pains in my left side, and I screamed in my agony. Ono of the persons present was a phy sician, and he advised mo to take a little biandy. I refused and ho said there was certainly no harm in doing so, as it would give mo instant relief. I said I was satisfied that was so, but that I preferred death. While it would havo been no harm to me, perhaps, harm would havo resulted to tho cause of temperance. People would have said that John Ii. (lough drank, and it would havo been added that I did not believe it wrong to take a drink once in a while. "Another thing that T havo never dono is to break tho Sabbath day. I havo nover traveled on Sunday, dud I havo never hesitated in breaking an engagement rather than do so. I nover receive visitors on that day, no matter who they are. If it is possible I go to church twice, and always walk; I would' not think of riding. Now, don't understand that I think it would be a sin to do so, but, as I said before, I havo to bo careful, so as to avoid giving tho champions of rum an opportunity to injure my character. It used to' bo no common thing for a glass of whisky to bo sent to my room at various hotels, and after I left the place it would bo said that I had whisky sent to my room. Not long ago, at a hotel in an Indiana town, two theatrical people ordered a negro to carry a glass of whisky to my room. In a few minutes ho returned to tho bar with tho empty glass and said that Mr. dough was voiy much obliged. Tho actors thought it wns a good joke, and thoy told tho negro to carry mo an other. In the course of a fow min utes ho again returned and said that .Mr. Go nub again was very much oblig ed. Tho third was ordered with tho same result. Whilo tho negro was bo ingdispatched with tho fourth, tho re port was current that I was drinking whisky as fast as it could be sent to me. This attracted quite a crowd to the barroom. When tho negro return ed ho was so drunk that ho could hardly walk. Ho knee well that I would not allow him in my room with whisky, so ho drank it himself. "Once in a Pennsylvania hotel a man ordered the bartender to send a cocktail to my room. When tho wait er arrived at my door with it I indig nantly ordered him away and then followed him to the barroom. 'Did you send that to me?' I asked tho bar tender. He snid lie did, and I said, 'Don't you think you are a contempt ible cuv'!' He turned red in the face nnd pointed to tho man that ordered it. Ho was tho nroprietorof asaloon, and I simply naked him if it was uec- rss.iry to answer my nvginn-iifs against intemperance b i so tingto such contemptible tricks as that. Ho could not answer me. "That story i;oing the rounds of the press about Artcmus Ward, Nnsby and the Fat Contributor coining to my room and ordering four cocktails and Ward drinking two of them, to give the impression that I drank one. is not correct. They innocently came to call on me ono Sunday at t lie Tre inont house in Chicago. I politely re quested them to leave, as I did not re ceive visitors on tho Sabbath. They did so, but the Fat Contributor went and had it published that I did receive them. Not day wo all met at the depot, ami Anna Dickinson, who was present, excoriated tho Fat Contribu tor, as did Art emus Ward. "Not long ago a basket of wine was sent to me C. (.). 1). Fortunately, the express agent was a temperance man and a friend of mine, nml he told me about it. 1 sent for my physician and instructed him to get thowino and send it to the hospital. Suppose 1 had innocently paid the charges and taken the wine out ? It would have been cry difficult for mo to havo ex plnined. "As for tho number of blackmail letters 1 havo received, they aro too numerous to mention. Hut I under stand that every public man receives them. Onco when ox-dov. Clatlin of Massachusetts and tho lato Henry Wilson were at my house I received one. They both told me not to mind it, as they each had stacks of them. "Ono of the latest of tho experiences I had of an unpleasant nature was when I was on my way to Hoston. There were two men sitting in the seat in front of me, find ono of them said: 'John I?, dough was so drunk hecould not lecture last night.' 'I don't be lieve it,' said the other. 'It is a fact, nnd I can prove it.' I jumped to my feet, and, pointing my linger in his face, said: 'You lie!' 'Who aro you?' asked the man. I answered: 'John H.Gough, tho man von slander.' This created great excitement, and tho man left the car. "Hut this is only thedark sidoof tho temperance advocate's career. For that matter, it is sometimes un pleasant to bo a public man. You aro pointed at on tho street, and yon fre quently hear people abusing you. Only to-daya young Scotchmancalled on me. He was a terrible drunkard, nnd a few weeks before ho had como to mo to ask for advice. I gave it to him, and he promised to quit drinking, lie called to-day to say that he did not havo tho strength. As he was going he said: 'Goodbye, Mr. dough; I'm a gono laddie.' It. so alToeted me that I called him back. I told him to try it one week longer; that as he did not have t ho strength, he should ask God for it every time that ho was tempted. IIo promised ho would. Now, here was a well-educated young fellow going to destruction. If I could only save him! llow can 1 give in when I see cases liko this?" New Field Artillery. Washington Special: den. S. V. Henet, chief of ordnance, United States army, is having twenty-fivo new steel breech-loading field guns constructed, to take the place of tho obsolete field artillery with which our light batteries are now equipped. While tho details cannot bo given, it is sullicieiit to say that tho new piece will bo rilled, of .'l.'J caliber, taking a charge of nearly four and one-half pounds of powder and a thirteen-pound solid projectile, tho shell being proportionately lighter. With this gun ho expects to obtain somo unusual results. Tho extreme range will bo about (J, 000 yards, quite as great a distance as modern require ments deem necessary. Tin shooting will bo of unusual accuracy. A six root target, which can scarcely bo seen at a mile and a half, with thisnewgun and its improved system of sighting canbostrtick six times out of ten, and closer ranges produce sharpshooting that is equally astonishing, den. Hen et has not exploited the excellences of his new rifle, but ho expects to show the count ry at tho formal trial tests that his department is not behind that of any other nation inscientifioattain ments backed by tho best mechanical work in iron and steel. In the matter of our const and harbor defenses, Gen. Henet believes that this country will profit by the experience and investi gations of England and Germany, nnd adopt somo system of iron ami steel turret forts, armed with high-power guns of thogreatost serviceablecaliber, having a torpedo battery attached. Ho behevon tho two blended will con stitute the most effectual system of de fense that the country will ever require. Ills Iteconinieiidnt ion. A young teacher, at the close of his first te'rm of school, taught in the backwoods, asked tho chairman of tho school-board for a letter ot rec ommendation, thinking it might bo useful to him in securing another school. Tho chairman cheerfully com plied with tho request, and the teacher left tho district with tlio following very ilnttoring letter in his possession. Wo givo it as it was written: " J hiss is to Notili All Lonsorncd, that tho bearer has tought our skool four niunths tothoSatisfncshun ofall. And that so for as wo no ho is A perfect jentlemau, whitch he has been sence coming into our midst, an1 that no fault lias bin found with his skool kceping whitch has bin orderly and . . . i . r. i . . i i -I .i i t. . i . i wnu vn me cuiKireu uas um luarucu as Much as by any Provous Teechor who has tenched in this Districk. Any skool bord on the hunt of a reliable nn' competent teechcr. will do well to Hire him, ns lie is a good Teechor, nnd a first-class jentlemnn, all of whitch i testify to of my own free will." iACJIAItlAII 1JIK.NB. The opening by Queen Victoria of tho eleventh Parliament ol her roign is a circumstance a parallel to which cannot be found since tho time ol Henry VI. The Dreams of (lie lMlml. From the Philadelphia Uecord. superintendent Hull, of tho Work ing Home for Wind Men in West Phil adelphia, saiel in a conve.sation upon , this subject: "I have no greater pleasure in life, now that I have lost my sight, than in dreaming, for then, atid then only, I catch glimpses of tho world about mo. I am no longer blind. MMio scales fall from my eyes nnd 1 see like other men; see as I did years gone by before tho terrible alllie- ion cfimo on me nnd shut out the light of day. In dreamland I never seem to have been blind. I am nt the homo to be sure, but instead of having only my fingers and my ears to guide me, I can see tho inmates, and what is tit ranger yet, although in reality I havo never seen ono of them, in my dreams they all appear familiar to mo by sight nnd not by their voices." This curious er.petienco of Mr. Hall seems to bo that of all persons who have become blind after the early years of life have passed. MMio blind whe havo been so nlllieted from birth never dream of seeing anything. The im pressionsof theirdreatns are regulated by tho impressions made and ideas obtained by tho sense of touch, of hearing, of taste and smell. One of the most intelligent inmates of tho West Philadelphia "Home," who canto into tho world blind, says that although he has read a great deal ho never dreams of the things ho has rend about, and never dreams of any thing or person with which he h is nob in some way come in personal contact. Ho dreams of music, of the voices of persons he knows, of such incidents ns might happen at the Home, or somo place in which ho has actually been, but nover of incidents in other places or other lands. Of tho landscape, a picture, a tree, or a human being ho never dreams. Even although ho lias read descriptions of localities, of nat ural beauties, of tho appearance of a street or a city no idea of what they look liko is formed in his mind, and none conies to him in tho fancies of his sleep. Curious and full of interest nsare tlio dreams of the blind of every condition there- is a class of blind people whose sleeping impressions aro of especial interest that class of un fortunato people who becomo blind when quiteyoung, at a period when ex ternal objects and the outward world generally had just begun to make- an impression upon them. Sudi blind people sometimes, but not always, dream that they can eo; but in their vision they see things with tltji eyes of childhood, and they never in earn of tiny scene or object except thoso in tho memory from what they actually saw before they became blind. A blind man who wns stricken at tho ago of fi years and nover visited the country, dreams of seeing city streets, city houses, or city parks, hut never of country scenery, ofarailroad, or of a river and so vice versa. As often as not this class of blind persons dream ns if they had never been blind nt all, and at other times as if all memory of blindness had passed from chein. Cliarncteristles of tlio Great American Came Now Fashion able Heyond the Seas. From tho Cleveland Leader, i It is a fascinating game, because fn it one's judgment, coolness and pluck count for even moro than luck, though somo old veterans assert that oven "a fool can bet a good hand." Hut I know that their assertion is tooswecp ing. A fool cannot bet a good hand so as to got all tho money that can bo got out of it. To a veteran pokor plavor any mistake of eye or notion is nn indication to guide him, mid I'll do fy a fool to take, though, a good hard "blull." Hound thepoker-tableamnn of anything like acuto judgment can gauge his opponents admirably, be causo moro opportunities to do so aro offered. It is there that ono sees a man as ho is, and avarice, renerosity, boldness and skill show out lirst or Inst, generally in tho way tho player manages his hand. Oh, yes! thero is no doubt but that if a man mustplay cards for money tho noblest and best way to play them is in a select pokee group. Tho camo is peculiarly an American one. It fits in with the national tem perament and 1 cannot imagine- a model poker player without also thinking of tho frothy methods in use in ninny of our "business nflairs; methods that ninko tho American a "bull" or a "bear," as his inclinations or interests dictate; that watorstocks and bonds and pull up a poor weak ling of a railroad until its rails nro buried in a mass of debt and every body "lets go." It all theso trans actions "blull," pure and simple, is the dictator and tho greater part of thestock In trade, with an elegant as sortment of cheek as a reserve fund and an inclination to call on "aco high." When tho call comes, if it over does come, a man is often un ready in apokergamoor "on 'change." Our great speculators all play poker and liave dono so for many years. If as boys thoy had played the gamo thoy would havo sat on tho ends from wlienco limit bets on a pair ol "deuces" or "trays" would havo como nnd an air of innocence would have spread its inys around when the other fellow "dropped out," tho "deuces" went in to tho deck and the pot was raked in. Tho entertainments given by Mrs. Secretary Whitney are said to rival anything before seen in Washington. It is estimated that her receptions cpst $2,500 n week. Tho story goes thnt Colonel Oliver Pnyno gave Mrs. Whitney his check for naif a million not many months ago, and told his sister that the money was not for her to keop, but to spend for tho enter tainment of her friends. The recep. tions given by tho Whitneys and tho Letters nro a little ahead of almost anything in the line yet seen in tho National Capitol, Ellen Terry, tho actress, gets $375 a week for the fifty-two weeks of hn year, with a vacation whenever ah chooses.