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FARM NOTES.
English dairymen say that high grade
shorthorn eows when dried off fatten
more rapidly with less food according to
their size than rny other dairy breed,
and their beef is of superior quality,
bringing a top price in the market.
Tirana is no better soil in the world for
potatoes than solid sward laud. Wo find
from our experience that the best seed is
cut down to two eyes, thus producing
few vines, but large vegetables. Our po
tatoes, Rose and Hebron, from such cut
tings, were very large this year. They
were, however, very crooked. This, per
haps, was caused by the uneven distribu
tion of the manure.
When corn is planted in drills, the
drills should run north and south, it is
reasonably said. In this case the east
ern part of the corn receives the morn
ing sun, the western the afternoon sun.
Were the rows to run east and west, the
north side of the rows would receive sun
shine only at midday. To what extent
the crop is affected by the direction of
the rows is a fit subject for experiment.
We have been looking over a great
number of experiments with different
kinds of concentrated fertilized upon
corn. The conclusion that must be
drawn is, that while bone has shown the
best effects in a majority of instances, in
many others it does not appear to have
produced any appreciable effect Wo
can only repeat what we have alreirtly
said many times, that this is a question
which each farmer, by careful observa
tion and experiment, must determine for
himself.— Rural Mew Yorker.
Ducks hatch their own eggs rather
better than hens. The hen, says a good
authority, is not calculated for a longer
period than the usual three weeks (ex
cept that most inveterate of sitters, the
Brahma). For the first day or two the
young of any birds should be kept quiet,
and quietude encouraged throughout.
If observed closely the hen that steals
her nest and rears all her chicks will be
found to possess quiet and regular habits
and will not fatigue her young unneces
sarily.
Treatment of Stray Cattle. —The
lawful method of treating stray, tres
passing animals is to take them into cus
tody and hold them for twenty-four
hours, notifying the owners, if they are
known, of the detention. If the animals
are not claimed at the end of this time,
they are to be driven to the public pound
and placed in charge of the pound-keeper,
who holds them fora reasonable time,
and then advertises them for sale. The
times of detention are fixed by statue or
by by-laws of the townships or counties,
and the pound-keepers are usually pro
vided with copies of these laws for their
guidance.
The best time, says a writer in the
Prairie Farmer, to remove evergreens
is undoubtedly in the spring, just as the
terminal buds are opening. They may
be removed safely until they have grown
three inches. The next best time is in
the latter part of the summer, or just
before the fall rains set in. It is true,
however, theoretically, that they may be
safely removed at any time of the year
when the ground is not frozen, and practi
cally true if extreme care is taken. Our
opinion is that they are removed with
least loss in the spring, as we have stated.
As to mulch, it makes really little differ
ence what the material is, so it will not
blow away or scatter noxious weeds.
How to Keep Butter.— A correspon
dent says: “I learned one or two things
about butter last spring. One of them
is, that butter of all kinds should either
be stiff and set away in a cool place, or,
if not made so stiff, should be put in gal
lon or half-gallon jai's, and either sealed
up or thick paper (old letter paper will
do) brushed over with the white of an
egg fastened securely over the top. Be
fore sealing them up, however, it is well
to put about half a teacup of sugar over
the top of each, but if made thick enough
they will not need it. Ir canning fruit
this should ulways be done, as it pre
vents them from moulding, provided
they are not moved and jolted around. ”
Farmers’ Gardens. —Asa general
rule farmers do not provide themselves
with good gardens, at least not as good
as they should. The excuse for this
neglect is generally the same with all of
them—they have not the time to bestow
on them, and yet it may safely be assert
ed that an acre of ground appropriated
to a garden, will be more profitable to
the farmer than any other ten acres on
the farm. The interests of the farmer,
the comforts of his family, the good con
dition and health of his whole household,
require such a garden on every farm in
the country, and it should be a garden,
not a mere excuse for one, a mere weed
patch. It should be one so managed and
arranged that every vegetable of a whole
some quality for human food, should be
raised in it in plentifulness and at the
earliest season. After a winter’s diet on
generally solid food, the human consti
tution requires the deterging operations
of free vegetable diet.
Crib Biting.— Crib biting, says the
Western Rural, is a habit resulting
from many causes, restraint put on the
horse, by way of strapping the neck,
etc., are more or less apt to produce
other permanent injury: when the re
straint is removed he will crib again. It
has been suggested to cover the manger
and woodwork within his reach with
sheet-iron, or with fresh sheepskin,
which may be smeared with aloes, but
these means are of avail only while the
horse stands in the stall. The process
of rasping tlieteeth, as suggested to you,
is simply preposterous. If the horse’s
front teeth really were too long, how
could he then get the teeth or molars
together to chew the food ? All the teeth
of the mouth, when not deviating from
their normal condition, are worn equally
and by rasping the surface of the front
teeth, the consequence will be that the
lower teeth will not meet with the upper
teeth, which will interfere with his
ability to properly grasp his food from
the manger, and will make it impossible
for him to bite off the grass, and withal
he will continue his habit of cribbing.
Corn Trial bx Farmers. —In a series
of seventeen corn crops raised in Saline
County, Missouri, by farmers competing
for a Grange premium of S2OO for the
largest yield, it appears that twelve crops
out of the seventeen gave an average
vield of over 100 bushels per acre, and
this not for one acre only bnt for an area
of ten acres in each case. Nothing could
more clearly show the progress of good
farming than this fact. When one man
gets a yield of 100 bushels or over from
a single acre it is not very remarkable,
because it is getting to be of frequent
occurrence. But when a dozen men,
each cultivating a field of ten acres, get
a product of over 100 bushels per acre
for the whole area -it may well attract
attention. If twelve fields, aggregating
120 acres, are made to produce 12,000
bushels of grain per annum, together
with its 500 tons of clover, what would
the yield of the country amount to at the
same rate of production, and how much
longer shall we remain satisfied with
thirty bushels per acre as an average
yield for the whole country? If the
above competition is a fair sample of
granger enterprise and success, then we
say lot the patrons of husbandry go
ahead, and let the farmers’ clubs show
the same spirit of progress. Then, in
deed, the now decode and the croakers
and doubters will pass away to join the
bale and the owls of the buried epoch.—
Experiment Record.
HOUSEKEEPERV HELPS.
Devilled Biscuits. —Take some water
biscuits, steep them in milk for ten
minutes, take them out, dust them over
with a little cayenne, Halt and black pep
per and bake them in a slow oven for
about twenty minutes.
Puffs. —Beat very light the yolks of
six eggs, add a pint of milk, a pinch of
salt, the whites of t ie eggs beaten ton
froth, and flour enough to make the hat
ter like tkiek cream. Buko in cups,in a
quick oven.
Fried Mush. —The addition of flour—
a teacup to two quarts of meal—to mush
intended for frying makes it very nice.
Fry in beef-drippings, not lard, and if the
slices of mush are first dipped in beaten
egg and then in crack crumbs before fry
ing, they are very much better.
Oyster Macaroni.— -Boil macaroni in
a cloth to keep it straight. Put a layer
in • dish sensnned with butter, salt, and
pepper, then a layer of oysters, and al
ternate until the dish is full. Mix some
grated bread with a beaten egg. Spread
over *he top and bake.
Homint Croquettes. —Boil two cups
of fine-grained hominy. When quite
cold work in two beaten eggs, two table
spoonfuls of melted butter, salt and pep
per to taste. With floured hands make
into oblong rolls and fry to a light brown
in hot lard.
Perils Near Hie Pole.
The scientific features of the recent
Franklin Search Expedition were pre
sented by Lieut. Schwatka, at the meet
ing of the New York Academy of Sci
ences. Beginning with the use of alco
hol, Lieut. Schwatka emphasizes the fact
that not a drop of ardent spirit of any
kind was used in his sled journey of
3,251 miles. In short journeys and
hunting expeditions, where there was
ample room for baggage, it was consid
ered that alcohol might be carried, and,
if used in moderation, would raise the
temperature of the body slightly, and
tend, as elsewhere, to increased com
fort. But, on Lug journeys, ardent
spirits could not be carried in bulk with
out displacing other indispensable arti
cles. Alcohol was not regarded as
necessary and was not considered a
good heating agent. The injurious ef
fects of intense cold, however, had
sometimes been wrongly ascribed to the
use of liquor. On shipboard the gene
ral use of alcohol stimulants was consid
ered bad, and only allowable when
every possible chance of scurvy was re
moved by the character of the food.
In regal'd to temperature, Lieut.
Schwatka said that his party had en
countered the most intense cold ever re
corded by white men 71 degrees
Fahrenheit, or 103 degrees below the
freezing point. On that day the camp
was moved ten miles, and no unusual in
convenience was felt. It was not the in
tensity of the cold that was unpleasant.
All suffering was caused by the direction
and violence of the wind. With the
thermometer at —6O degrees Fahren
heit, no especial trouble was met with,
but at a temperature fifteen degrees
higher, with a wind blowing straight in
the face of the men, frost-bites and great
suffering were common. The white men
would freeze their noses or the exposed
portions of their cheeks. The coldest
days were perfectly calm ; on warmer
days, with the exception of a few days
in midsummer, the wind blew constant
ly. Bnt it was considered that to men
clad in warm clothing temperature was
not material, and the longest journeys
could be undertaken without fear. When
the thermometer sank to —7l degrees
Fahrenheit, the sky was of a leaden hue,
varied with brownish red near the sun.
Clouds of vapor rolled from everything
animal. When the expedition stopped
it was enveloped in steam. Musk oxen
and deer could be detected at a distance
of five or six miles by the vapor about
them, and the Esquimaux claimed to be
able to distinguish the kind of animals
by peculiarities iu this vapor. Water
poured on ice caused a crackling like
miniature fire-crackers, and the surface
of sheets of ice was gray and opaque
from the unequal expansion. The
sound of the runners was like that
caused by a resined bow' or tuning-fork,
and, beard at a distance, resembled an
iEolean harp. In the most extreme
cold the acclimatization of the white
men proved as perfect as that of the na
tives. At a very low temperature the
beard became a block of ice, and the
lips and nostrils w r ere nearly glued to
gether. Drowsiness was not experi
enced in connection with great cold, and
it was considered as resulting usually
from a sudden change from ship-board
to out-of-door life, or from an insufficient
acclimatization.
In very cold weather the huts were
buried two or three feet deep in snow.
If was advisable to change these huts as
often as possible, because the constant
freezing and thawing made them a mass
of translucent ice, and exhalations from
the breath, bodies and fires became con
gealed upon the walls, and, continually
falling off, caused a little snow-storm in
the interior.
Wouldn’t Pay Duty.
Marie Yanzandt relates this droll inci
dent, which happened while returning
from Germany to France: “Running
the gauntlet at the custom-house, I had
in my arm two enormous bouquets pre
sented to me by some American friend,
and composed of our national colors,
which, you know, are the same as the
French, and do you believe those old
custom-house officers insisted on my
paying duty! For they iiate the French,
you see, and meant to take revenge on
my poor flowers, which bore the hated
hues; bnt this stirred my American
blood, and, mildly but firmly, I refused
their extortionate demand, and declared
I could not, should not, vxrald not give
them up. The argument was getting
quite serious, when, thinking that an ex
planation of how I came by them might
be soothing, and having exhausted my
German, I tossed my head back and
gave them a little trill, then imitated ap
plause, and threw the bouquets up and
caught them again. The gruff old fel
lows grunted and smiled, and motioned
for me to pass on. The idea had pene
trated. ”
Wasted Opportunities.
“Do you not look back into the dim
vista of by-gone years with a feeling of
regret at wasted opportunities that cause
a tugging at the heart-strings?” Tug
ging's no name for it. We had a chance
once in the army to make a fortune on
mules by putting our names to a false
certificate, and we declined to do it. The
man who proposed the mulish scheme
now owns an orange grove, two blocks, a
fast horse and a steam yacht. This was
• real tug-of-war. —Baltimore Bulletin.
The Isle of Man—The Isle for Women.
There aro corners of the world from
which wo seldom hear, but when we do,
we hear something worth while. Buell
is the Isle of Man, chiefly notable hitherto
amoug the ladies for cats without tails;
henceforth to he remarkable among wo
men suffragists for women with all their
rights. Geographically the Isle of Man
is oqui-distant from England, Ireland,
and Scotland. Politically it enjoys home
rule. Socially it is quiet and conserva
tive. Industrially it furnishes various
metals, minerals', mid agricultural pro
ducts. Politically it lias furnished, in
its limited area, its share of a possible
solution of a great problem. Its Legis
lature Ims widened the suffrage to house
holders of both sexes, under the same
conditions. The Woman's Suffrage,
Journal, an English periodical, raptur
ously proclaims: “Thus the House of
Keys, probably the most ancient popular
assembly in the world, has been true to
its tradition of resisting encroachment
on liberty by taking measures to secure
the exercise of political rights by women
as well as by men, and by asserting the
principle of free government for the
whole, and not merely for the half of the
people, ”
The House of Keys is the popular
branch of the Manx Legislature, the
other House being the Governor and
Council. The franchise measure was
introduced by the Governor, in the old
style, conferring the right of voting on
the male inhabitants. The House of
Keys amended it by strieking out the
word “male,” liy a vote of five to one.
It is said there is no doubt that the new
law will be concurred in so far as the
Maux-men nre concerned. The acts of
the Legislature require the sanction of
the Crown of Groat Britian before they
become operative; and, if Queen Victoria
withholds her approval, the “half of the
people” will declare that she is no'true
women.
The area of the Isle of Man is 180,000
acres, the population about 55,000. One
might think if there’s peace to be found
iu the world, the heart that is humble
might hope for it there. It has a revenue
of about £50,000, and its annual Govern
ment expenses are some £IO,OOO less.
Nevertheless the island has a very re
spectable debt of about £150,000. When
the women get into the Legislature, as
they naturally must, they will have this
debt reduced or, if not, know the reason
why. The kingship or lordship of the
Isle of Man was formerly held by her
editary descent, bnt the lordship was sold
to the British Crown in 1765, and tlio
Governors are now appointed by the
Sovereign of Great Britain. The Manx
men make their own laws, and impose
their own taxes. The institutions of the
Isle date back to 940, and the House of
Keys antedates tiro British House of
Commons. The local historians claim a
long record of independent legislation
and conservation of popular rights of
which they properly are proud. With
the women on their side they will bo
prouder still. Yet something is due to
their insular position, and to their—in
significance—we might say, but for fear
of the ladies. —Philadelphia Ledger.
f
Jules Yernc.
.Tules Verne is about fifty-two years
old, with a fine, handsome head. Once
a blonde, lie wears his beard full, and
his liair is curled in a haphazard fashion.
His features are more than regular; they
are fine. His eye is bright, of a clear
blue, brilliant, yet moist. His dominant
expression is sweetness, but a firm sweet
ness, like rosy steel, wdiich does not
bend. His mouth, which says such
charming and clever things, says “yes”
and “no” with the same smile. But
“yes” or “no,” it is irrevocable. A
Breton, of Nantes, Jules Verne has kept
the religions traditions of Brittany, but
rather like a painter, he preserves the
impressions of his travels, and like a
child of the soil who would die for his
faith. He is at bottom more of a skep
tic than D’Ennery. No one wouldstand
up more bravely for a doctrine, but no
oue would, a moment after, make a more
questionable speech. Iu politics it is
worse, for lie never voted in his life.
The son of a lawyer, he came to Paris
to study law. His literary tastes led
him iu another direction, but neverthe
less he was admitted to the bar. He
then became Secretary to M. Perm, who
at that time had the double administra
tion of the Opera Comique and of the
Theater Lyrique. After this he followed
the bent of his tastes more freely. He
contributed a number of articles to the
.1 fusee des Families, and about this
time wrote a piece iu one act, “Les
Failles Rompus,” with which Alexandre
Dumas was connected, for it was he who
had it produced at the Tlieater His
torique, and it was he who bought the
first copy after it was printed. After an
experience in the stock market, being
still in love with literature, Verne pub
lished his first book, ‘ ‘Five Weeks in a
Balloon.” It went off like hot cakes,
though it was only a trial. But the suc
cess was so great that it appeared to'
Hetzel that here was anew road to liter
ature which deserved to be followed up.
He made an engagement with Verne for
twenty years, on what then appeared to
be splendid terms, but which have since
made the fortune of the lucky editor.
After the publication of ‘ ‘Five Weeks in
a Balloon,” he announced to his friends,
one fine morning, that he was about to
get married, and then disappeared. It
was tlie only sign of life that his wife has
ever given. Since then he lias led the
same life of study, of travel, and of in
terminable production. He passes his
life between Paris and Amiens, where
he has a splendid house, when lie
is not exploring somew'liere or other on
his famous boat, the Saint-Mieliel, on
which most of liis stories are written.
As for the rest, he is the most charming
man imaginable, modestly earning his
100,000 francs a year, to say nothing of
the great fortune the stage seems to
promise him. —Paris Figaro.
Sardines.
These little funny creatures are caught
in nets, and after being well washed, the
heads are cut off and the fish are sprink-.
led lighily with salt. After lying for a
few hours, they were placed on girds, in
rows almost perpendicular. The frames
are then placed in pans containing burn
ing olive oil. The oil is changed as
soon as it becomes too black and dirty
for continuing the cooking process. As
soon as the fish are considered sufficiently
cooked they are withdrawn from the pans
of oil, and girds are placed on the tables
covered with zinc, the surface of the ta
bles inclining toward a groove in the
centre. The oil is thus carried to a ves
sel prepared to receive it. Around the
tables stand the women whose business
it is to puck the fish closely and uni
formly in boxes. The boxes being full,
the fish are covered with fresh oil, and
the lids are then soldered down. Thus
hermetically sealed they are placed in
iron baskets and immersed in boiling
water. The smaller boxes are thus
boiled for half an hour and the D.rger
ones somewhat longer, in proportion to
size of box. The fish are then ready for
the market, and being packed in cases,
are sent to the ends of the earth.
Not to Be Coerced.
Calling early one hot morning in the
summer of 1 859 at the residence of
Stephen A. Douglas, in Washington, I
found him earnestly engaged in conver
sation with a Northern Senator, a sup
porter of the administration of James
Buohunan, who was endeavoring to se
cure his vote in favor of a candidate for
an important office, whose nomination
was to be sent to the Senate on that day.
At this time Mr. Douglas, by his re
fusal to support the “ Lccomnton Con.
stitution” for the Government of the
Territory of Kansas, which lie consid
ered a fraud, and an insuperable obstacle
to the future prosperity of the Territory,
had incurred the enmity of Mr. Bu
chanan and his Cabinet advisers. From
them lie had, according to his own state
ment, experienced annoyuuceß and per
secutions which lied aroused all the bit
terness of his nature.
He listened attentively to the am teal
ol the Senator, and, waiving a direct
response, proceeded to speak of the treat
ment he lmd received from Buchanan
and his subordinates in office. As lie
proceeded lie became terribly eloquent.
The blood mounted to his temples, and
his whole frame quivered with rage.
When Mr. Douglas had ceased speak
iu.g, the disappointed Senator rose to de
part. On reaching the door which
ononed upon the hall, ho exclaimed,
with a menacing-look:
“ Sir, if you vote against my candi
date, I will vote against every friend of
yours whose appointment is s-uit to tlio
I Senate for confirmation!”
Exasperated anew by this remark, Mr.
Douglas literally rushed across the room
with uplifted hand, and, standing be
fore the speaker, rapidly snapped his
fingers within a few inches of liis face,
exclaiming at the same time :
• “Sir, I care not that for you or your
threats, and if you thought to intimi
date me you liad better have stayed
away from my house !”
The Senator, evidently deeming it
useless, or, perhaps, unsafe, for him to
reply, made no response, but quickly
left the house, and Mr. Douglas re
sumed his seat.
At this moment tlio door was thrown
open, and Mrs. Douglas, one of the
most beautiful women that ever graced
Washington society, entered the room.
Ail traces of auger had vanished from
the face of her husband, who greeted
| her in tones of gentleness and affection
I which betrayed the deep devotion of his
| heart.— Youth's Companion.
Portrait of Uncle Sam.
In personal appearance, Unele Sam is
a tall, bony, liealthy-looking man, ap
\ parently of 45 ; for, though bom in 1776,
| lie bears liis age well, and seems to be
| getting younger every day. He loves to
! brag of his establishment, and puts liim-
I self on such an equality with the people
! that a train of hangers on are always at
i liis elbow. There are always at his ta
j ble a number of gray-headed old fellows,
who were his companions in youth, and
of whose services he continually speaks.
He loves to boast bow Tom Sucli-a-one
saved his life at Bunker Hill, and how
Dick Somebody whipped a fellow that
assaulted him at Eutaw. He often, too,
wipes liis eyes when he looks at the pict
ure of a tall General, hanging up in his
parlor, who, he says, whipped a fellow
named Pakenliam, who once tried ,to
take away one of his girls aud a cotton
bale. On these occasions Uncle Sam
will become greatly excited, and, taking
off liis cocked hat—which, he says, was
the gift of his old friend George Wash
ington —will swear ne has the best land
in the world, and can out-run, out-jump,
and whip any man on the hill. In
truth, these are but eccentricities of a
character which is so mixed up with
generous virtues as to be excusable.
Though inclined to peace, he can some
times play the braggart, and is one of
those who, while he will give his life in
the way of friendship, in the matter of
bargains will stickle on the ninth part of
a hair. At any attempt upon him of this
character, lie will shoulder his cane and
act out as many maneuvers as a half
pay Lieutenant of infantry. On the
whole, he is one of those who will cud
gel liis best friend in a cause in which
he is engaged, and embrace his bitterest
enemy in whose conduct is observable
the smallest principle of magnanimity
and honor.— Southern Literarg Gazette.
Preaching to the Insane.
A good story is told by a Brattlebora
clergyman who had been in the habit of
preaching Sunday afternoons to the in
mates ot the asylum for the insane. The
clergymen in that villiage take turns in
this work, and one afternoon one of them
preached about the alabaster box of
precious ointment which was poured upon
the Master’s feet. As lie came out of the
chapel one of the patients came to him
aud said, “ You have got us pretty well
anointed now,” and in explanation added
that for two preceding Sundays different
clergymen had preached on the same
subject.
This story reminds us of another, as
good a one, told of a clergyman in Jack
sonville, 111. This minister was out of a
field and hearing there was no preaching
in the asylum in that city sought the
opportunity to dispense the gospel there.
At his first service he was very much
gratified to observe the close attention
that one of the patients gave to his ser
mon, and he went away and told some of
his friends that lie had found a very
hopeful field of labor in the asylum which
had been neglected too long. The next
Sunday he noticed the same intent ex
pression on the face of this hopeful lis
tener and thought the man would soon
be converted. Again the next Sunday
the same man gave eager attention, con
vincing the clergyman that he was not
far from the kingdom of heaven. In the
sermon the old story had been related
about Hindoo women casting their chil
dren into the Ganges. The minister
sought an opportunity at the close of
service for a personal conversation with
his eager listener. The patient grasped
his hand warmly and said: “I couldn’t
help thinking while you were telling that
story that it was a great pity your mother
didn’t chuck you into the river when you
were a baby.”— St, Albans ( Vt.) Mes
senger,
How Three Debts Vi ere Paid.
A singular coincidence, showing how
much can ba done by the payment of
even a small debt, happened at Bangor,
Me. A gentleman was at the wharf, in
tending to pureliase some lobsters, when
two gentlemen came up and engaged
with him in conversation. The first gen
tleman said to the second: “I believe I
owe you a dollar.” “Yes,” seplied the
second, “I believe you do.” The second
man then spoke to the third: “I believe
I also owe you a dollar,” which fact the
third man acknowledged, and he also
said that h owed the first man a dollar,
which he desired to pay. In Uiis trans
action the three men each paid their in
debtedness to each other, and they did so
without passing any money between
them.
The elephants sleep about six hours
at night, sometimes getting up for a lit
tle lunch. They also snore awfully
Wlilttlor’s First Form.
Wo lmvo before ns in Mr. Whittier's
handwriting the first poem of his that
was ever published. In 182(1, when lie
was iu lus nineteenth year, lie left it
under the door of the office of the Free
Fn an, a weekly paper then published
by William Lloyd Garrison, in Kewbury
port. Garrison had just attained his
majority, and this paper was his first
venture in journalism. It may interest
writers for the press of the present day
to hear the story of this first literary ef
fort. of a poet now crowned with years
and with honors.
It was many weeks after young Whit
tier left his manuscript to its fate beforo
be heard from it. Ho was then working
upon his father's rocky farm in Haver
hill, and his father was a patron of the
Frrr I'nux. Week by week the paper
arrived, and the heart of the young poet
sank within him as no looked in vain for
his verses. One day he was at work
with his Uncle Moses repairing the stone
fence by the highway going along on
the outside replacing the stones knocked
from the wall by sheep that had scram
bled over it. While so engaged the post
man came along on horseback, and, to
save going to the house witli tho paper,
lie tossed it to young Whittier. It was
opened with trembling fingers. Many a
writer knows tho exact sensation of hope
without expectation, so often experienced
iu regard to the firstlings of the brain.
The surprise of finding his poem at, tho
“head of the corner” was so bewildering
that ho was dazed by it, and he says lie
stood looking at it a long time, aid is
sure he did not rend a word. At length
his uncle called him back to his senses
by bidding him keep at work. No suc
cess in future years has ever stirred such
a tumult of emotions, as may well be
believed.
Garrison was so impressed with his
/lew contributor’s work that he sought
him out, coming up to Haverhill on
horseback to interview him. When Gar
rison called, young Whittier was at work
in the field. ‘ He was told a gentleman
was at the house inquiring for him.
Nobody had ever called for him before,
and he felt like running away. But he
got into tho house by the back door,
“slicked lip," and soon stood in the
presence of the young editor, who en
couraged him to make good use of the
talent he had displayed. Whittier’s
father came in during their interview,
and begged Garrison not to put such no
tions into the head of his son. But it
was too late; the damage was done!
This was the first meeting of the two
men afterward so intimately associated
in anti-slavery work. The poem referred
to has long been out of print. It is as
follows:
THE DEITY.
The Prophet s'ood
On the high mount and saw the tempest-cloud
Pour the fierce whirlwind from Its reservoir
Of congregated gloom. The mountain oak,
Torn from the earth, heaved high its roots where
once
Itshranches waved. The fir tree’s shapely lorm,
Smote by the tempest, lashed the mountain’s side;
Yet, raiin in conscious purity, the seer
Beheld the awful devastation, for
The Eternal Spirit moved not in tne sterm.
The tempest ceased. The caverned earthquake
1 urst
Forth irom its prison, and the mountain rocked
Even to its base. Tire topmost crags were thrown
vs ith fearful crashing down its.shuddering slopes,
t'nawed the Prophet saw anil heard. He felt
Not in the earthquake moved the God of Htavea.
The murmur died away, and from the height,
Torn by the storm and shattered by the shock,
K >se far and clear a pyramid of flame,
Migluy and vast! The startled mountain deer
Shrank from its glare and cowered beneath the
shade;
The wild fowl shrieked; yet even then the -rev
I'ntrembliug stood and marked the fearful glow,
Eor Israel’s God came not within the flame.
The fiery beacon sank. A still small voice
Now caught the Prophet’s ear. It’s awful tone,
Unlike to human sound, at once conveyed
Peep awe and revel once to his pious heart.
Then bowed the holy man; his face ho veiled
within his mantle, and in meekness owned
The presence of his God, di e ivered not in
The storm, the earthquake, or the mighty flame,
But in the small, still whisper to his soul.
—Portland Transcript.
Man.
The average weight of an adult man
is 140 pounds bix ounces.
The average weight of a skeleton is
about fourteen pounds.
Number of bones, 240.
The skeleton measures one inch less
than the height of the living man.
The average weight of the brain of a
man is three and one-half pounds; of a
woman, two pounds eleven ounces.
The brain of a man exceeds twice that
of any other animal.
The average height of an Englishman
is five feet nine inches; of a Frenchman,
five feet four inches; and of a Belgian,
five feet six and three-quarter inches.
The average weight of an Englishman
is 150 pounds; of a Frenchman, 136
pounds; and of a Belgian, 140 pounds.
The average number of teeth is thirty
two.
A man breathes about twenty times in
a minute, or 1,200 times in an hour.
A man breathes about eighteen pints
of air in a minute, or upwards of seven
hogsheads in a day.
A man gives off 4.08 per cent, carbonic
gas of the air he respires; respires 10.666
cubic feet of carbonic acid gas in twenty
four hours; consumes 10.667 cubic feet
of oxygen in twenty-four hours, equal to
125 cubic inches of common air.
A man annually contributes to veg
etation 124 pounds of carbon.
The average of the pulse in infancy is
120 per minute; in manhood, eighty; at
sixty years, sixty. The pulse of females
is more frequent than that of males.
The weight of the circulating blood is
about twenty-eight pounds.
The heart beats seventy-five times in
a minute; sends nearly ten pounds of
blood through the veins and arteries each
beat; makes four beats while we breathe
once.
Five hundred and forty pounds, or one
hogshead one and one-lialf pints of blood
pass through tho heart iu twenty-four
hours.
One thousand ounces of blood pass
through the kidneys in one hour.
One hundred and seventy-four thou
sand holes or cells are in the lungs,
which would cover a surface thirty times
greater than the human body.— Extract
from an Old Volume.
To Bid a Loft of Rats.
Take a pint of common tar, half an
ounce of vitriol, and a good handful of
common salt; mix them all well to
gether in any old deep pan. Get some
pieces of paper, and put some of the
above mixture very thick on the paper,
and place enough of this into the holes
sufficient to stop them, and then let the
bricklayer make good after you, and if
you should find any of the holes opened
again, it is quito certain you had not
put in a sufficient quantity.
For smoking rats out when they get
behind tlio wainscot :. Find out a small
hole or crack, then take a handful of
common salt, and put it in at tho hole or
crack, and pour upon the salt a spoon
ful or two of oil of vitriol, and this will
make such a fumigation or smoke that
they cannot bear it. Then stop the
hole or crevice again that the smoke
may not come out. Do this in two or
three places as near where you hear
they are as you can, and it will cause
them to forsake those places. This
method is very safe, as no damage can
possibly ensue to the wainscot from tho
smoke, — Vermin Catcher, 1768.
Power* of the British (Jueon.
The Queen alono can create a peer,
baronet, or knight, and confer privileges
on private persons. She alone can ereot
corporations, and raise mid rogulato
fleets and armies, though under such re
strictions relating to appropriation ami
expenditure of money as make it impos
sible for her to oxuroiHO her power to the
detriment of English liberty. Mho is
tho head of the Church; she convenes
and dissolves all ecclesiastical synods and
convocations, and nominates to vacant
bishoprics and other Church offices.
She sends ambassadors to foreign States,
receives ambassadors at homo, makes
treaties and alliances, and declares war
and peace, though her power in those re
spects also is in a large degree limited by
the power of Parliament to enact or re
ject such laws as may bo necessary to
make it effective.
Previous to tho Revolution of 1688 the
Government of England was mainly car
ried on by virtue of what was called the
royal prerogative; that is, by the King
in person, with the advice of ministers
appointed by liimseff, who were only re
sponsible to their Sovereign for their
management of public affairs. One of
the results, however, of that revolution
was the transfer of the power of the State
from tho Crown to the House of Com
mons. Instead of a Government by pre
rogative, t here was then established a
Government by Parliament, from whom
all laws must emulate, requiring only the
approval of the Crown as a condition of
their enactment.
As is well known, tho Queen appoints
her own advisers, irrespective of tho
wishes or approval of Parliament, and
though popularly the Ministry is sup
posed to possess the whole executive
power, no important measure is pre
sented by them to the consideration of
Parliament through the channel of tho
Ministry, and Parliament may originate
and pass acts at its pleasure, subject to
the constitutional right of the Queen to
nullify them by her veto. The Queen
can convene Parliament and terminate
its sessions at will.
There have been but two instances in
which the Lords and Commons have met
by tlmir own authority, namely, prev
ious to tho restoration of Charles 11,
and at the Kevolution in 1688. There is
one contingency, however, upon which,
under authority of law, Parliament may
meet [without summons. It was pro
vided in the reign of Anne that in case
there should be no Parliament in being
at the time of the demise of the Crown,
then “the last preceding Parliament
shall immediately convene and sit at
Westminster, as if the said Parliament
had never been dissolved.” Such a Par
liament, however, by a statute in the
reign of George 111., can only continue
in existence for six months, if not sooner
dissolved.
This, then, is tho power of the Queen.
She may, with the advice of her Minis
ters alone, assemble, prorogue, and dis
solve Parliament, declare war, confirm or
disallow the acts of Colonial Legislatures,
give effect to treaties, extend the term of
patents, grant charters of incorporation
to companies or municipal bodii fc create
ecclesiastical districts, regulate the
Board of Admiralty, and make appoint
ments to offices in the various depart
ments of State, create new offices and
define tho qualifications of persons to
fill the same, and declare the periods at
which certain acts of Parliament, the
operation of which has been left to the
Queen and Council, shall be enforced.
With regard to the expenditure of
money, it is expressly provided in the
act of settlement, to which reference has
been made, that money levied for the
use of the Crown without grant of Par
liament is illegal. The Crown is entirely
dependent upon Parliament for its reve
nues. — W. T. Davis, in Harper’s Mag
azine. _____
Farming in Japan.
Milton S. Vail, a missionary in Japan,
gives the following account of Japanese
farming:
The farmers in Japan seem to operate
on a small scale. All tlio land belongs
to government, and all have to pay a
good rent. Wheat, (parley, rye, and
buckwheat are grown in rows, the weeds
being kept out by hoeing. It seems
strange to see all their grain growing in
rows, but no doubt good crops are thus
produced. Rice is the chief product of
Japan. The earth nearly everywhere is
black, and the black soil of the valleys,
wli'en well cultivated and made to hold
the water from the neighboring hills,
makes good rice fields. Tho soil is
broken by manual labor. Men go into
the mud up to their knees, and with a
long-bladed hoe turn the earth over.
Horses are used to harrow it down, and
when ready, the rice plants are set out
by hand. The rice of Japan is very fine,
and the Japanese know how to cook it.
With them it is the principal article of
food—a little rice, with pickles and tea,
often constitutes the meal. The people
do not know liow to make bread, but
seem to be very fond of it when they can
get it of foreigners. They have flour
which they use in various ways in the
simplest kind of cookery. I noticed iu
coming to this place (Kakone, a mount
ain town forty-five miles from Yokohama)
that at some of the inns, instead of tea,
they gave us a drink made of pounded
wheat. Potatoes, sweet potatoes, egg
plaids, coni, melons, cabbages, onions,
and turnips are also grown, and other
vegetables, the names of wliiclTl do not
know, and never saw in America. I
think all the vegetables grown in New
York can I>e cultivated here. Of fruits,
we have peaches, plums, oranges, straw
lien ies, pears, and persimmons, also
figs.
Two Little Liars.
“Please, sir, let me shine your boots ?”
simultaneously ejaculated two little
boot-blacks, on Galveston avenue, as the
stranger stopped in front of them and
hesitated which to employ.
The smaller boy said: “Let me shine
’em up, sir, for I have to support a little
I sick brother at home, who is deformed,
and can't see.”
“Let me shine ’em up?” chimed in the
bigger one, “for I am that poor little
sick brother, and I don’t want to be
under any obligations to such an infernal
liar any more. He hasn’t got any
brother, no how, and I can see better
than he can.”— Galveston News.
A little boy, having hoard a mis
sionary tell how the natives of South
Africa live, on going home said, “ Ma, I
wish I was a little South African boy !”
“ Why, Georgie,” exclaimed the moth
er, “ xvhatever put such an idea into
your head?” “’Cause their mothers
don’t wear slippers,” said little Geourie.
“Dennis, my boy,” said a school
master to his Hibernian pupil, “ I fear I
shall make nothing of you—-you’ve no
application.” “An’, sure enough, sir,”
said the quick-witted lad, “ isn’t it my
self that's always been tould there’s no
occasion for it? Don’t I see every day in
the newspapers that ‘No Irish need "ap
ply,’ at all, at all?”
A colored man and woman were mar
ried at Lincoln, Neb,, the other day, and
at nightfall applied for quarters ill the
city jail. The groom had spent his last
cent for the marriage license and had no
home for the bride.
HUMORS OF THE HAY.
The man whose lager went the wrong
way said he had an ale in his cougliin .
Women’s hearts and violins are very
much alike. It takes a bean to play on
either of them.
Jon had patience, but then Job never
tried to back a carriage iuto a narrow
shed on a dark night.
An exchange Hays: “Tho butchers of
Baltimore are very handsome.” That is
when they are dressed to kill.
We would like to inquire if the man
who sat with bated breath got a bite? If
so the plan might be at one > adopted by
our ignoble army of tramps.
Anew book is out entitled “I/inks in
Rebecca’s Life. ” Rebecca was probably
a sausage maker’s daughter, What an
eventful and mysterious life she must
have led!
“I presume you understand my busi
ness,” said the census-taker to tile acro
bat. “I merely wish to know your oc
cupation." "Oh, yes, I tumble,” replied
the acrobat.
On the order slate on tho door of a
carpenter shop in this city a passing
pedestrian discovered the following:
“Cum to —'s Linker store a Dore to
lies." —Rochester Herald.
Senior asks professor a very profound
question. Professor —“Mr. w- —, a
fool can ask a question that ten wise men
could not answer.” Senior -“Then I
suppose that's why so many of ns flunk.”
Extract from a letter from Angelina:
“Dear Henry, you ask if I return your
love. Yes, Henry, I have no use for it,
and return it with many thanks. By-by,
H Miry. ” Ronton Transcript.
An impertinent fop made fun of an old
farmer’s large nose, mouth and chin, but
the old farmer silenced him by saying,
“Your nose, mouth an’ chin all had to bo
made small so ’at there’d be material lett
for your cheek. ”
“ Mother,” said a little girl, who was
engaged in making an apron for her doll,
“I believe \ will lie a duchess when I
grow up.” “ How do you expect to be
come a duchess, my daughter?” “Why,
by marrying a Dutchman, to be suv?r
replied the little girl.
“I have left all my fortune to m,
wife,” said the philosophic husband of a
grumbling and scolding spouse, “on
condition that she shall marry again.”
“ What is that for?” asked his legal ad
viser. “I wish to be sure that there
will lie someone to regret my death
when I am gone,” said the husband.
“Is dot so,” asked a Galveston bank
rupt of a friend, “dot Schwiudelmeyer
hash failed in pishness?” The reply was
in the negative, whereat the bankrupt
said euthusiastieally: “I am tarn glad
Hchwindelmeyer vash an honest man;
den del’ vash too mooch competition al
ready is disli bankrupt pishness?”—Gal
veston News.
An Irishman knows how to pay a com
pliment, but he does not always put it in
the right place. A beautiful young lady
happened to shudder, and afterward said,
referring to the old adage, “ Someone
is walking over my grave.” Patrick
could not lose the chance to say some
thing very polite, and so he replied:
“Oh, my lady, I only wish that I were
the happy man!”
Absinthe Drinking.
Absinthe drinking is said to steadily
increase in the Republic, but much less
steadily than in Switzerland and France,
particularly in France, where great efforts
are made for its abatement. It has
grown to an enormous evil in those coun
tries, notably in tho large cities, like
Geneva, Zurich, Berne, Marseilles,
Lyons, and Paris. At the French capi
tal the practice has augmented alarm
ingly within eight or ten years, officers
of tlie army, business and professional
men, and journalists and authors being
especially its victims. A French physi
cian of eminence has recently declared
that it is ten times more pernicious
than ordinary intemperance, and that it
very seldom happens that the habit once
fixed, can be unloosed. The same au
thority says the increase of insanity is
largely due to absinthe. It exercises a
deadly fascination, the source of which
scientists have vainly tried to discover, al
though they have no difficulty in ascer
taining its effects. Its immediate use
speedily acts on the entire nervous sys
tem in general and the brain in particu
lar, in which it produces actual organic
changes with accompanying derange
ment of the mental powers. The habit
ual drinker becomes dull, languid; is
soon completely brutalized, and then
goes raving macl. He is at last wholly
or partially paralyzed, unless, as often
happens, disordered liver and stomach
bring a quicker end. The liquor is dan
gerously seductive, because it seems in
the beginning to help the digestive
organs, when it really hurts them, and
very seriously. Many persons have been
induced to take absinthe for indigestion,
and have thus fallen under its baleful in
fluence. The drinker is in most cases
in seeming good health, having no
thought of liis peril, until the hour when
illness has declared itself. He is apt,
indeed, to believe that ho is remarkably
well, and to consider all the stories about
absinthe mere bugaboos. The earliest
symptoms of ailment lead to an exami
nation, and to the knowledge that hi*
entire system is deranged, usually be
yond restoration. His first illness is apt
to be his last, and death is a w’elcome
relief. Absinthe has not long been
known; in fact, it was not made a cen
tury ago. Some ninety years since a
French refugee, Dr. Ordinaire, settled at <
the small village of Couvet, Switzerland,
How Grant Learned to Smoke. .
General Grant lias explained how he
became attached to a cigar. When at
West Point he tried to join other cadets
in smoking, but the experiment did not •
agree with him and he did not form the
habit, nor did he begin to smoke much
until be began fighting the battle of the
war. Engaging in all the early contests,
he found a cigar of some service in re
lieving the mental strain upon him, and
when a battle was in progress he often
had a cigar iu his mouth, but still he
was not an inverterate smoker. On other
occasions he probably did not smoke so
much as most men of modern indulgence.
To his surprise he found the newspapers
making a point of his smoking, and
very soon boxes of excellent cigars began
to arrive at his headquarters from all
parts of the country. There were sj
many that all officers attached to his im
mediate service were supplied, and with
such a supply he assisted in sampling
until, as the campaign went on, he en
joyed his cigar on all occasions and has
since smoked as much as the best of
men. He thinks the newspapers in
fluenced him a good deal on the tobacco
question.
It is rather a satire on this country
that the Mormon Temple will bo tho *
most expensive building on the conti
nent. The cost is estimated at $27,000,-
000, and our national Capitol occupies
the proud position as tho second odifioa
to it.