Southwest Oregon recorder., September 30, 1884, Image 2

Frond Cobblers.
Tearg ago, there "was in New York
city an old shoemaker who had become
wealthy through his trade and invest
ments in real estate. His daughters,
ambitious to move in fashionable life
persuaded him, after much teasing and
coaxing, to set up a carriage. They
then asked that a coat-of-arms should
be painted upon the carriage-door.
"Yes," said the old man, with that
grim humor characteristic of the craft,
"you may have a coat-of-arms, but it
must be one of my own designing.
You may paint a lapstone supported
by an awl and a hammer."
The shoemaker's daughters continued
to ride in a carriage not decorated with
a coat-of-arms. But what they would
not allow their father to do to tell the
story of his business upon his carriage
a London shoemaker did do. IIi3
name wa3 James Lackington, and he
added to the profits of his cobbler's
stall by selling a few second-hand
books. Abandoning shoe-making for
bookselling, his success was such that
in a few years he was owner of what
he called "the cheapest book-shop in
the world," in which half a million of
volumes were offered for sale. His
method of doing business was peculiar
to himself. "I found the whole of
what I am possessed of," he said,
speaking of his fortune, "in small
profits, bound by industry, and clasped
by economy." When he set up a
"chariot," as the phrase went in those
days, he put this motto on its doors:
"Small profits do great things." To
the remonstrances of his friends, he
said: ,
"The first king of Bohemia kept his
country shoes by him to remind him
whence he was taken. I have put a
motto on my carriage-doors to remind
me to what I am indebted for my
prosperity."
"When a man who has risen into
fame or wealth feels ashamed of hav
ing risen from a lower strata in so
ciety, and is anxious to kick into
oblivion the ladder on which he has
mounted, he shows a weakness that de
tracts from the respect which his suc
cess and talents would otherwise com
mand. A "Pool" on Milk and Butter.
"Some folks is just too smart to
live," said the old man to a Toronto
Globe reporter, as he puffed hard at
his old clay pipe, and wiped a tear
from the end of his nose.
"Anybody been trying to swindle
you?"
"WaaL it looked that way. A New
Yorker came down and bought a farm
next to me, and he hadn't been there a
week before he proposed a pooL"
"On what?"
"On milk and butter. He proposed
to put in fifteen head of cattle again
fifteen of mine, hire the milking done
and divide even on the sales of butter."
"That looks fair."
"So it does, and I was ready to go
into it, when my old woman hinted
that I'd better go over and see his
stock. I went.
"Well?"
"Waal, there were fifteen head, jist
as he said, but, " bless my stars, if he
hadn't counted in a bull, two old stags,
and a steer to offset four of my cows,
which average fourteen quarts of milk
a piece a day. I've read a heap about
pools, but this is the nighest I ever
come to having one bite me."
To Speak By tke Card."
To 'speak by the card" means to "be
as precise as a map or book." The
"card" was a document in writing con
- taining the agreement made between a
merchant and the captain of a vessel.
Sometimes the owner pledged himself,
ship-tackle and .furniture for due per
formance, and the captain was bound
to deliver the cargo committed to him
in good condition. Hence, "to speak
by the card" is to speak according to
the indentures or written instructions.
This old saying is often improperly
used in the sense of speaking with
authority or in possession of reliable
information.
A Question in Grammar.
In one of our city schools the other
day the class in English grammar was
discussing the difference between the
words "like" and "love."
"Now," said the teacher, "we can
like a tomato, but is it proper to say
we can love a tomato?"
"No, it is not," said a fresh miss.
"One cannot love a tomato."
"Why not?" inquired the teacher.
"Because, you know, you cannot
you can't well, you can't hug a tomato."
SCIENTIFIC SCRAPS.
. During his late journey In Central
Asia, Dr. Venukoff discovered the.
horse, the camel and the goose in their
wild state. They showed no fear of
man even after some of their number
had been shot.
Recently some valuable experiments
in photographing the larynx and soft
palate at the instant of singing have
been made. A powerful electric light
wa3 thrown into the throat, the sub
ject than sang a note, and the actual
position of the vocal ligaments, uvula,
etc.,was photographed instantaneously.
The finding of a small piece of
gold-bearing quartz, in the gizzard of
a lyre-bird which he was preparing to
stuff, ha3 led an Australian taxider
mist to infer that the precious metal
exists near the spot, in the Blue
Mountains, where the bird was killed.
The region will probably be explored
for gold.
The Duke of Argyll considers that
the fact that some Scotch hills have
gravel and no earth on their summits
shows that Scotland during the deluge
was 2000 feet under water. Darwin
considered the same fact to be due to
earthworms. Between these two opin
ions there is plenty of room for
discussion.
Preserving fresh meat by means of
a mixture of carbonic oxide and car
bonic acid is a recent English patent.
The former gas alone is highly inflam
mable and very explosive when mixed
with air, while the carbonic acid itself
discolors fresh meat and gives it an
acid . taste. When used together, in
proportions of not less than fifty
five per cent, nor more than seventy
five per cent, of carbonic acid to not
more than forty-five per cent nor less
than twenty-five per cent, of carbonic
oxide, the mixture preserves meat un
changed, and cannot be set on fire.
Signor Baldacci, who was detailed
by the Royal Corps of Engineers to
investigate the causes that may have
led to the late catastrophe on the island
of Ischia, finds, contrary to the views
expressed by Professor Palmieri, that
the destruction was the result, not of
a subsidence of the crust as induced
by aqueous solution, but of true vol
canic activity which is still resident in
the island, and which at intervals
manifests itself in the form of seismic
movements and otherwise. The town
of Casamiciola stood over the intersec
tion of the two principal lines of
seismic activity, and consequently at
its focus.
From the latest reports regarding
the cholera in Egypt, which became
epidemic last Summer, it appears that
the germs of the disease are always
present in the Nile delta, and only
wait the circumstances which go to
their development to make a pestilence
at any time. The disease does not
seem to be imported. It has an abiding-place
in the country. Now that
Egypt i3 so closely connected with the
great distributing centres of commerce
of the world, the final report of the
Scientific Commissioners will be looked
for with interest and given an atention
worthy of the subject
Cured bj Laughter.
In a treatise on laughter, Jouberf
gives a curious instance. A patient,
being low with fever, and the physi
cian in attendance at a loss as to how
he should produce reaction, had order
ed a dose of rhubarb, but after the
medicine had been prepared, fearing
its debilitating effects, the order was
countermanded. Not long after, a pet
monkey belonging to the patient, that
had been in the room all the while,
seeing the goblet, slipped slily up and
touched it to his lips. The first taste
was probably novel, and he made a
comical grimace. Another sip, and he
got the sweet of the syrup. Aha! His
vision brightened. He cast a glance
around, and then drank it to the
bottom, where he got the full strength
of the rhubarb. Mercy! What a face
he madel The visage of the disgusted
monkey spoke volumes as he tried to
spit put the horrible taste, but finding
that impossible, he seized the goblet
and hurled it to the floor, smashing it
into a hundred pieces. The scene was
so ludicrous that the sick man burst
into a fit of laughter that lasted until
his nurse came in. And when he tried
to tell her he laughed again, until he
sank back exhausted in a profuse per
spiration, which lasted until he fell
asleep. When he awoke the fever was
broken and he recovered.
8nenU Sherman in the Field.
Ia a biographical sketch of General
Sherman, published in the Century,
& V 8malley says: "Sherman's habits
daring his campaigns were of the
simplest He rose early in the morn"
ing, and was up late at night In the
face of the enemy, five hours' sleep suf
ficed him. Before the reveille sound
ed, he was often in the saddle and out
on the most exposed parts of his line.
The orders were always to arouse him
at any hour of the night if reports
came in. During the Atlanta cam
paign he set the example to his troops
of discarding tents and reducing bag
gage to a minimum. ; There was but
one tent attached to his head-quarters,
and that was used by his adjutant
general and his clerks. With his staff
he slept on the ground under a tent
fly, which was stretched at night over
a pole resting in the crotches of some
convenient saplings. It used to be
said that his headquarters were in a
candle-box, because one or two small
boxes, emptied of the candles they
originally had contained, served to
transport his papers. The soldiers
called him 'Uncle Tecums' and 'Uncle
Billy,' the latter nickname coming into
general use in the army during the
March to the Sea.' At his head
quarters a single sentry stood guard;
but nobody, whether officer or private
soldier, who wanted to speak to the
General, was stopped. He always had
a cordial and encouraging word for
the soldiers when he rode along the
lines in front of the enemy or passed a
marching column. For the details of
military etiquette and ceremony he
cared nothing; but for steadiness in
action and endurance in hard marching
he had a quick eye and a ready word of
praise. He was usually communicative
and outspoken, unless his plans de
manded secrecy. Sometimes his frank
ness deceived the enemy more than
concealment would have done. After
he captured Savannah, he sent a flag-of-truce
boat to Charleston and gave
permission to go upon it to the families
of Confederate officers who wished to
get inside the Confederate lines.
Among the applicants for passes was
the wife of a Confederate surgeon, who
told the General she wanted to go to
Columbia South Carolina, to join her
husband. 'Don't go to Columbia,
madam,' exclaimed Sherman. 'I shall
be there myself in a few days with my
whole army. You are at liberty to
tell that to your rebel friends in
Charleston.' Ube lady made haste to
communicate this to the Confederate
commanders in Charleston as soon as
she arrived; but all agreed that if
Sherman actually meant to march to
Columbia, he would never have said so.
His advance reached Columbia a day
after the surgeon's wife arrived."
A Colorado Mining Town.
It does not take many days to build
the kind of town miners are willing to
live in, and they don't care what sort
of a place they put it in, either, if it is
only near the mines. It may be in the
very midst of a pine forest t out on
the steep, bare side of a mountain, aJl
stones and rocks. They cut down a
few trees, and leave all the stumps
standing; or they clear away the big
gest of the stones, enough to make a
sort of street; and then every man
falls to and builds the cheapest house
he can, in the quickest way; sometimes
of logs, sometimes out of rough boards;
often only with one room, very rarely
with more than three. When they
wish to make them very fine they make
the end, fronting the street what is
called a "battlement front" ; that is, a
straight square wall, higher than the
house, so as to convey the impression
hat the house is much bigger than it
is. It is a miserable make-believe, and
goes farther- than any ther one thing
to give to the new towns in the
West a hideous and contemptible look.
These log cabins,' board shanties, and
battlement fronts are all crowded as
near together as they can be, and are
set close to the street; no front yards,
no back yards, no yards at the side,
but around the whole settlement a
stony wilderness. It isn't worth while
to put anything in order, because there
is- no knowing how long the people
will stay. Perhaps the mines will not
turn out to be good ones; and then
everybody will move away, and in very
little more time than it took to build
up the town it will be deserted. There
are a great many such deserted towns in
Colorado and California. They always
seem to me to look like a kind of grave
yard, St. Nicliolas.
PEARLS OF THOUGHT.
Industry.is the companion of honor.
Life hath no blessings like a prudent
friend.
Good works will never save you;
but you cannot be saved without them
Evil habits are webs which are too
light to be noticed until they are too
strong to be broken.
The truly grateful heart may not be
able to tell of gratitude, but it can
feel, and love, and act
Every man's work, pursued steadily,
tends to become an end in itself, and
so bridges over the loveless chasms of
his life.
Affectation is certain deformity; by
forming themselves on fantastic
models the young begin with being
ridiculous, and often end in being
vicious.
There cannot live a more unhappy
creature than an ill-natured old man,
who is neither capable of receiving
pleasures, nor sensible of doing them
toothers.
Any man may do a casual act of
good nature, but a continuation of
them shows it is a part of their tem
perament Nothing so narrows the playground
of wit as when individual opinions
and love of truth stand therein as
fixed, solid pillars.
We should do by our cunning as we
do by our courage we should always
have it ready to defend ourselves
never to offend others.
Be not penny-wise; riches have
wings, and sometimes fly away of
themselves; sometimes they must be
set flying to bring in more. .
When a man has forfeited the repu
tation of his integrity he is set fast
and nothing will then serve his turn
neither truth nor falsehood.
It may serve as a comfort to us in
all our calamities and afflictions that
he that loses anything and gets wis
dom by it is a gainer by the loss.
THE FAMILY PHYSICIAN.
Hot soda biscuits is one of the most
injurious kinds of food.
Never prick a blister with a pin. A
needle is the only suitable thing.
Lime juice and milk is one of the
best remedies for dyspepsia or indi
gestion.
A good gargle for sore throat is
made of vinegar and a little red pepper
mixed with water. .
Do not drink strong coffee just be
fore retiring, or in the evening at all.
It is apt to cause sleeplessness.
Oatmeal porridge is one of the best
things to begin the day with. Those
who dislike it should take it as a medi
cine. Coffee or tea should never be given
to children at night They disturb the
nerve system and make children cross
and peevish.
Baking soda is one of the best
known remedies for burns and scalds.
It should be immediately applied
either wet or dry. It almost instantly
relieves the burning sensation, and
helps to heaL
Rollinir Stones.
Many of our readers have doubtld
heard of the famous travelling storj
of Australia. Similar curiosities h
recently been found in Nevada, wha
are described as almost perfectly roul
the majority of them as large as a to
nut and of an irony nature. WhJ
distributed about upon the floor, ta
or other level surface, within two
three feet of each other, they imme
ately began travelling toward a co
mon center and there huddled up in
bunch like a lot of eggs in a nest
single stone, removed to the distai
of three-and-a-half feet, upon be
released, at once started off with w
derf ul and somewhat comical celei
to join its fellows; taken away foui
five feet it remained motionless. Tl
are found in a region that is comp;
tively level, and is nothing but a tf
rock. Scattered over this barren
gion are little basins, from a few
to a rod or two in diameter, and it 1
the bottom of thess that the rolfjag
stones are found. They are from the
size of a pea to five or six inches in di
ameter. The cause of these stones
rolling together is doubtless to be found
in the material of which they are com
posed, which appears to be loadstone or
magnetic iron ore.
Chloroform as a Stimulant.
Dr. Stephen W. Koof said to a New
York Sun reporter: "Unquestionably,
the use of chloroform as a stimulant
has declined of late years, but there is
still a great deal of the drug consum
ed in that way. It is by no means
easy to determine who are the chloro
form drunkards, for they are almost
all women, and women are very secre
tive and cunning yrhen it comes to do
ing what they know is wrong. .They
will buy small quantities of the fluid
from different drug stores, where they
are not known, and under various
pretexts. Often they will get it in the
form of a very strong chloroform lini
ment, when they simply purpose in
haling it, but wish to conceal the fact
There are almost as many women
who use sulphuric ether in that way as
there are who take chloroform, but the
latter is most likely to be preferred, as
it is sweeter and pleasanter. When
the evil effects of hydrate of chloral
were exposed a number of years ago,
at a time when it wa3 a popular drug
"for those who sought intoxication oth
er than alcoholic, a good many women
were badly scared, but unable to drop
everything of the sort turned from it
to chloroform and ether. The habit
of getting drunk on such things be
comes fixed, just as the habit of liquor
drinking does, but it is less likely to
spread and make new permanent vic
tims, because there is no sociaoility
about these drug drinks. People who
resort to them do so positively and
solely for the sensual and selfish grati
fication of inebriation. And they do
not afford the satisfaction that drink
ing men want and find in liquor. If
you saturate a cloth with chloroform
or ether, throw it over your face and
breathe the fumes, you will have a
very brief exhilaration, say for a min
ute or two, and then all will be gone,
except perhaps, a little feeling of nau
sea. To get drunk as a drinking man
can with liquor, it is necessary to keep
on saturating the cloth at short inter
vals. "Women who have a tendency to
hysteria are those most likely to resort
to the use of chloroform and ether. Of
course, temporary relief is obtained
but the ultimate cousequence is an ag
gravation of the complaint, and those
drugs will induce a mental and physi
cal condition like mania a potu, just
a3 certainly as liquor wilL I knew of
a woman a few years ago, the wife ot
an occellent gentleman, a down-town
merchant who was a slave to ether.
She was one of a family of six child
ren, who all had an inherited predis
position to drunkenness. Every little
while the craving would come upon
her for an ether spree. She would
have a violent fit of hysteria, and to
quiet her the. husband was obliged to
Bupply her with ether. He used to buy
it in quantity from a wholesale house
and she would empty pound bottles by
the dozen. Each of her ether sprees
would last about two weeks. During
that time she would shut herself up in
her room, and so much of the drug did
she use that the smell of it would en
ter the adjoining houses, and even
reach the street although she was on
the third floor. It killed her eventual
ly." '
Gladstone and the Boston Girl.
11 ally insrenuous
one a very long one and this short one;
he remembered only the Boston girl
and her artlessness, aiid nothing that
he or his wife or his household could
offer was too good or too distinctive to
lay at her feet