The standard and express. (Cartersville, Ga.) 1871-1875, August 30, 1875, Image 1

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THE STANDARD AND EXPRESS. I.iUAKW HALK 1 W . A. IttAMtJH lIALK,/ Editors and Proprietors. IN MEMORIAM. Andrew Johnson. BY ANNIE SOMERS GILCHRIST. B <> night-lamps dimly burn, •j nth-moth’s ghostly tap is on the floor, I e gray owl silent flits around the tarn, B ad '< w winds creep alorg the wild ola moor. ■ . ( Id, pale stars cast through m - inhlii'g clouds a solemn, ghastly glow ■ m g dewdrops hiss the violet’s cups of blue, ■ ini gray bats through the gloom dart to and frc I yihin the darksome dells t; deadly nightshade spreads her poison leaves I t i through the acicii boughs with solemn swed B tet cadences a mournful authem grieves. I fjjfrefore is ah this sid. ess? Xhrmighout the go.den, flowery summer day I j;p birds and breezes chanted notes of gladness- B ' Why traileth sorrow’s sable robes this way l B p,| fr , yes, fainter grow ‘ ften ystic stars- the night i* almrst spent; I He pallid morn looks :in, and, bowing low, Her tears are with the morning bra zes blent. 9 fith drooping wing each bird Forgets to greet the grayly dawning sun, I And weird, unearthly music soft is heard, is r'er JJolian harps the sad winds play. ■ A/*r the matin bell Bings out a dreary, sullen monotone. | y lore is this ? YestereVn the witching spell | 0 Joyous beauty o’er the'glad earth shone ■ yw, in the v, ailing breeze I rite crimson-hearted fuscbia slowly swings, m i. iin the somber depths of shuddering trees I the -aterp llai weaves her finny rings. I y: ere the sun’s gold ray ' pid flood the Southern hills with ruby wines 9 i* iadrew Johnson’s life hath passed a way,” Cams flashing o’er the telegraphic line?. I firiff spreads her tear-steeped zones From broad Atlantic’s silvery sanded shore I Pacific’s coast. The nation mourns A patriotic statesman is no more. I put from the purple West Bring flowers. O, sorrowing South, thy raresl I bloom I _ thou. Thy garlands bring, oh North and I Hast, Wherewith to wreath the noble patriot’s tomb. 1*: still’s the thrilling voice Thai changed all hearts wita glowing eloquenoe. ■ p/üßtidden gne-t his sable wing did poise £e-i<te n r noblest brave, and bore him hence To that bright country where \ tears e'er fall, no darksome tempests rise. mi the track of weird N'ght’s dusky car. 3 ronnesst e, thy proudest, brightest star I- crowned with bays beneath uufoldiDg skies ! sETEXIEEn YE.\K> a SAYAGE, r . F.firnordinarv Narrative of Narcisse Pierre Plticr—Abandoned on a Barren Coast token a Sou 1!,- is Adopted by a Tribe of Blacks, and lirnics Up Among Than. The London Times publishes the fol ding extraordinary story from a cor respondent, who dates his letter, serew sit’nmer Brisbane, Keppel Bay, May 20: Ou the 11th of April, in the present tear, the John Bell scheoner, engaged in the beche de mer fishery, aehored at Night, Island, a small island off the northeast coast of Queensland, in lat. idegs. 10 mins, south, long. 143 degs! 5 east, about three miles distant from lire mainland, to which boats were dis patched from the ship in search cf water. The sailors sent on this duty encountered in the bush a party of blacks with whom they found i white man, who was, like the ‘blacks, perfectly naked, and appeared to be completely identified with them in .alignage and habits. On these facts •’mg reported to the master of the John Bell, he determined to make an ’ rt to rescue the man, and with this new sent on shore the following day a large supply of articles of barter, which it was endeavored to explain to the na tives were intended to be exchanged for their guest or captive. The white savage was induced to enter one of the ship s boats, where he was given biscuit ifl eat and told to sit still, muskets be g at the same time pointed at the natives and fired over their heads to induce them to retire, which they were very unwilling to do without being ac mpanied by tho white man, whom they begged to return with them. This, -e has since explained, he wished to do, it was afraid of the guns held by the a has, and thought they would shoot i.tn if he tried to leave the boat, where lie had been bidden to remain. The John Bell brought her prize to Somerset, the settlement at Cape York, where he was clothed and cared for by the resident magistrate, Mr. Alpin. For some days after his arrival he sat the greater part of the day perched on ’he rail fence of a paddock, “like a Mrd,' as an eye-witness describes it, casting quick, eager, suspicious glances sronnd him on every side, and at every abject that came within his view, rarely speaking, and apparently unable to re member more than a few worris of his wn language, ahhough he said enough o show that he was a Frenchman, and *rote down on a paper, in a stiff, up tight French hand, his own name and a ow almost unintelligible sentences, winch were subsequently found to con tain a short account of bis history. On '“ e return to Cape fork of Lieutenan Connor, Royal Navy, who speaks • reach iluently, a good deal more was extracted from the savage, and it ap peared that his name was Pierre Peltier, r Pelletier, son of Martin Peltier, at St. Gille’s, Department c ' Sendee, France. At the age o twelve Narcisse Peltier embarked as a boy on board the St. Paul, of Bordeaux. This ship sailed from China ior Australia in the year 1858, having ° Q board some three hundred and fifty Chinese coolies. She never, however, reached her destination, having been 'recked one dark night on a reef off ousael Island, in the Louisiade Arch elago. The captain and sailors got I in three boats and made for the main island, while the Chinese, with whom Narcisse, walked along tlie reef to II SlUa ll island situated upon it. An attack was subsequently made by the datives upon the captain’s party, which as compelled to retreat to the island the Chinese were, leaving in the Samis of the savages the second officer, ; sailor, and an apprentice. Dis gustful of the Chinese, and totally with means of convey ed for so large a number, the aptain and European sailors deter rcine( i to abandon them secretly and ESCAPE IN THEIB BOATS*, basing for the Australian coast, in the ?°P® falling in with some Euglish or European vessel. This an they accordingly carried out in the Sat They had intended also to leave 'Uiud the boy Narcisse, but he had what was contemplated and mowed the crew down to the boats, mo which they did not refuse him ad ■ , <;on \ ,H° W long their voyage lasted 'uncertain. They subsisted onapaste aQ d water, and such sea birds Itey could catch, which were de mred raw. Two or three days before e , v reached the Australian coast their i ppiv of fresh water failed, and when they male the shore, which rf'l. at First Red Rock Point, south *l Direction; latitude 43 dee. 4 “to. south, longitude 143 deg. 3 min. their first thought was the allevia tr "hirst. Leaving the boat, they V; r a enial l quantity of water, the °- e °f which was eagerly drank by the i>ov ’ , eavia £ none for the poor little cabin h naif dead with hunger, thirst, ex at>d fatigue, and whose feet were rt . tn 'Pieces by the sharp coral of the u,, ' bheir thirst having been quenched, ca Ptain and his men —eight in all to their boat and sailed away e£ ;' a > leaving the boy to die by the n.Pjf water hole. They reached New caw ■ ia bi safety, and there the ‘ I' Uiin reported the loss of his vessel and the hardships which he and his companions had undergone. He did not report his abandonment of Narcisse Peltier. The Chinese left at Roussel Island wer ®* , was aft erward ascertained gradually killed and eaten by the na tives with the exception of some tW mu ty ’ wlk > ultimately escaped. The career of the boy Narcisse Peltier would undoubtedly have come to a close even before his captain’s arrival in New Caledonia, had it not chanced that some blacks crossed the footprints left by the sailors in their seach for water, and fol lowed them up until they found the dying boy by the side of the dried-up well. They gave him food, which he describes as “des noisettes,” and then led him away gently by the hand to their tribe, with which he has remained uninterruptedly until the present time, a period of no less than seventeen years. Narcisse is a short, thick-set, active man. His skin is of a bright red color, and glazed upon the surface by con tinued exposure to the sun. He is clean in his person, and says that the blacks among whom he has lived are so also— a statement apparently confirmed by the disgust he expressed for the Chinese on board the Brisbane, whom he styled dirty pigs (“ dcs sales cochens ”). Across his chest are two horizontal lines of raised flesh about the thickness of an ordinary lead pencil. The upper one extends from nipplj to nipple, the other, rather shorter, is about an inch lower. Above the other, and on the upper part of the right arm a sort of gridiron has been scored, consisting of four vertical cuts inclosed in one passing all round them. These cuts were made with pieces of broken bottles obtained from ships, and the tips of the cut raised by continually pinching them up. rvo earth or other foreign matter had been introduced into the cut. These scars, he states, are made simply for ornament, and he is proud of them, or was a short time since. The lobe of his right ear has been pierced, and the flesh itself considerably drawn down, apparently between two and three inches. When found he wore a piece of wood in this aperture about half an inch in diameter and four inches long. This ornament he gave to one of the sailors of the schooner which brought him to Somerset. When speaking of the size to which the oar had been drawn down, he mentioned, with evident ad miration, some men of his tribe who had trained the lobe of the ear down or nearly down to the shoulder. After having been on board the Brisbane a day or two, however, he came to the conclusion that the best thing he could do would be to have the lower part of his ear cut off, as not being “ the right thing” in civilized society. His nose is also pierced, and he was accustomed to wear in it a piece of white shell, probably that of the pearl oyster. Wheß first found by the blacks ! he says he was very unhappy, often thought of his father, mother, and brothers, and longed to get away. In the course of time the recollection of them became less vivid and painful, and he ultimately completely identified himself with the tribe. He had never made an attempt to eseapo, as, being alono, ho oonld not have managed n canoe out at sea ; and though he had often seen tcsbclb passing along the coast, he had never been allowed to get near them, having been always sent by the blacks into the woods in the inte rior when they went on board a ship. It is not clear how they came to allow him to be seen at last by the sailors of the John Bell. When first recaptured he could hardly j recall a word of French, and the rapid ity with which he has recovered it is remarkable. Even when he came on j board the Brisbane a week ago his knowledge of his own language was very limited, and it was curious to see the manner in which a word or its meaning would suddenly recur to his recollection. He now speaks French fluently, and in proportion as it returns to him he forgets the language of his j tribe, of which, however, about 100. words have been collected from him and much more .remarkable, however, than his recovery of his mother tongue, is the fact that he has not lost the powers of reading or writing after a disuse of several years, during which he of coarse never saw a book, and, as be says, nevir wrote a line; nor, indeed, did the blacks know that he possessed the power to do so. Very probably he did not know it himself. After two or three weeks residence at Somerset, how ever, he wrote, as has already been mentioned, a few almost unintelligible lines. Before coming on board the Brisbane he had much improved in in telligence, and pronounced correctly the names he saw written upon the boats and elsewhere about the ship. His pro gress since has been most rapid- He now spends a good deal of every day in reading, though whether he understands all that he reads may possibly be doubted. He displays considerable in telligence, but at the same time a child ish dependence and imitativeness of others. That anything is done by les autres is sufficient to induce him to attempt it himself. He is generally good-humored, though with occasional fits of apparently causeless sulkiness ; he frequently coughs violently, and his habits of crouching about here and there are those of a savage. He can count in French up to 100, having, however, at the first attempt, stuck at eighty, pass ing from seventy-nine to 100 (“ soixante dix neuf—cent.”) The blacks, he says, have no names for the different numbers, and can only count by signs up to ten, signified by touching different parts of the body. He is very bitter against the captain of the Saint Paul for deserting him, but at the same time appears to be afraid of him. He speaks with kindness of his family, which he distinctly remembers, but always maintains that they must all, even including his younger brothers, be now dead, and it would appear as if, hsving no measure of the time he has passed with the savages, the past ap pears to him at so great a distance as to have given him the impression that he is extremely old, although, in fact, bare ly 30. He'says HE WISHED TO REMAIN WITH THE BLACKS and, although he acquiesced in his re moval, he is evidently no means as vet either happy or satisfied. The name of the tribe with which he lived is Macadama. They have no kings, chiefs, nor leading iflen among them, all the males being equal. The men, he says, are very strong, but observes with pride that he himself is very strong, much stronger than the blacks. On the other hand, though he says he is a good swimmer and diver, he acknowledges that in the water the blacks far surpass him. The tribe subsists chiefly on fish, turtles, turtles’ eggs, alligators’ eggs, and roots and fruits. Sometimes they hunt animals, but apparently not often. The occupation of the men is fishing, that of the women to gather roots, end sometimes also they get honey. They have no knowledge of nets, lines, or hooks. The larger fish are harpooned from canoes, the smaller speared with a three-pronged spear. The canoes are cut out of trees with knives formed of hoop-iron, obtained from barrels washed up from wrecks. Of this hoop-iron, also, the heads of their spears and liar poons are made. Narcisse says he him self constructed two canoes, which he has left behind him. THE WOMEN appear to be more numerous than the men, every man having from two to five women in his suite. Their position is a low one, as appears from the fact that although there are separate names for . man >” “brother,” and “son,” there is only one word—“ beycheynumma”— 101I 01 “ and “ daugh ter. The terms “husband” and “wife” are of course unknown, as are the ideas which they imply. The relations of the sexes are strictly animal, and “might makes right.” The men. he says, not unfrequently fight with spea/s for the possession of a woman, while the women fight among themselves about a maD, their weapons being heavy staves, with which they beat one another about the head till the blood flows. These quar rels probably arise when a decided pref erence is shown to one woman over another by their lord. The men have no clothing whatever, not even opossum rugs or other covering at night; the women wear a fringe of cords extending from the waist half way down the thigh. They have no houses or hnts, but when it rams they put up some temporary shelter of the branches of trees or barli. He maintains, however, that they never feel cold, because they always have fires. On board he feels the cold bitterly, and dislikes the wind. Like all savages he can make fire by rubbing together two pieces of wood. He describes the tribe he has been attached to as very peace able, and says that he has never seen one of its number killed by another member of the tiibe. Battles, however, sometimes occur between two tribes. He describes one in which he took a part. A tribe named the Echaus killed some of the Maccadamas, upon which the latter retaliated by surprising the Echaus when asleep one night, and kill ing a large number. Two were speared by Narcisse himself. The blacks have no knowledge of any Superior Being, and no fotm of religion of auy kind whatever. The dead are tied up with cords after the fashion of a mummy, and exposed to the action of the sun either in the forks of trees or on a rough scaffold. He describes the treatment he has received from the tribe as having been uniformly kind, and he thinks they would treat any white man well. They are not afraid, he says, of white men, but of white men’s guns. They are not cannibals, nor does he think that any of the tribes in that re gion are so. He states that he has heard that in his tribe there was an old white man who had lived among them for many years, aud was at last drowned while out fishing. He does not recollect having seen this man himself, and is not sure when his death occurred. The Girls of Manilla. A m ouiiuuer s Monthly of a ball in Manilla as follow : Promptly at eight o’clock we drove into the widow’s basement; we ascended the stone stairway, and a scene of splendor, brilliant colors, and black eyes burst upon our view. The Mestiza girls were sitting in a row on one side or the room, about forty of them; some decked in gay plnmage, yellow, pink, and green being prominent colors, others dressed in sombre hues ; they were mostly very pretty, with lithe, graceful figures, and eyes as black as coal. The gentlemen hovered near the doors of the grand sala, like hawks eying chickens ; at the first note of the music hey all made a pounce for partners. As I saw that pouncing was the go, I made a dive for a pretty yellow-and green, rattled off a sentence from the fifteenth lesson in Ollendorf, “Will you do me the favor to bailar conmigo?" and started off on a dance I had never seen before, but which was easy to learn ; it was the Habanera, a sort of walking embrace to slow music ; you make a step to the right, rise on your toes, step to the left, rise, swing round, step to the right, and so on; then, when you wish to balance, you wink at some fellow, stop in front of him and go through the ladies’ chain, then clasp your partner’s waist and take the other lady’s right hand ; the other ellow does the same, and now with the music you sway up to the centre, sway back, and revolve in an eliptic at the same time, after the manner of the planets. After swaying six times you drop the other lady’s hand and gradually sail off again with the 6tep and turn. The girls cling quite closely and gaze up occasionally, Spanish fashion. When ever the couples ran against each other the girls sang out with a sharp little “Hi!” which was very amusing. They have a great way of kissing each other all the evening, and the fanciest kieses I ever saw ; first, both kiss to starboard, and then to port. The first time I noticed it, a young damsel kissed my partner good-hy as she started to dance with me. 1 was astonished, and said we were not going far, which made them laugh. 1 found that the girls in contiguous seats kissed good-by before every dance, as if to say, “You will elope this time, sure.” When the time for supper came, I fell into the line, and escorted a blooming Philippina to the table. I asked a resident American what I should help her to, and he said, emphatically, “Ham and turkey ! Give her plenty of ham and turkey !” I gave her a full plate, which she soon des patched and called for more. Every body ate liam and turkey. The gentle men acted as waiters, and afterwards safe down together, Spaniards are ter rible eaters. Aud no wonder, on this occasion, for they came to the ball at eight o'clock aud danced until five a. m. A Cooler. —A writer on public health recommends that a dish or basin large enough to present a good surface of wa ter be placed in rooms where the heat is oppressive, aud the water changed once or twice on very hot days, to secure a general lowering of the temperature. The hot air of the room takes up the water in the form of atmospherio vapor, and diffuses the greater coolness of the vapor thioughont the room, until air and water become of the same tempera ture. When this takes place fresh wa ter should be put in the dish. He says that he has found a tumblerful of water “potential” enough when he has been sitting in a small study, but the greater the surface of the water in contact with the air the more effectual will be the diffusion of the atmospheric vapor. The Duke of Edinburg, Queen Vic toria’s second son and heir apparent to the throne of Saxe Coburg Gotha, in Central Germany, has sold the righr of succession to that Duchy to the German government for the consideration of an annuity of $400,000, CARTERS VILLE, GEORGIA, MONDAY EVENING, AUGUST 30, 1575. SUN SPOTS. What they Have to Do with Terrestrial Phe nomena. In the opinion of many distinguished scientists there is an intimatic connec tion between tbe commotions that occur in the sun, and which are indicated by the appearance of spots, and various terrestrial phenomena of a general na ture. The extent of the solar spots varies from year to year, being greatest at periods about ten or eleven years apart. Beginning with a maximum year, the spots decrease in extent for about five years, on an average, and then gradually increase till a second maximum is reached in about five years more, after which the decrease begins again and so on in continual alterna tion. This interval of ten or eleven yenrß is called the “sun-Rpot cvcle.” The researches of Mr. Mcddrum, tbe director of the Meteorological Observa tory of Mauritius, indicated a connec tion between the cyclones of the Indian ocean and of the West Indies and the smi-spots; the one varying with the other. Prof. Loomis has shown that there is a striking similarity between the curves that represent the changes in the extent of the solar spots and those which represent respectively the mean daily range of the magnetio de clination, and the number of auroras observed each year. According to Poey, the commotions of the earth re spond to those in the sun, and earth quakes and volcanic eruption vary in their frequency with the fluctuations of the solar spots. From ninety-three tables of rainfall for various parts of the world, almost entirely excluding America, Mr. Meld rum has found that, without exception, more rain falls in the maxima than in minima sun-spot years. A late discus sion of Mr. C. A. Schott’s article on the “Rainfall of the United States,” iu which the respective rainfalls at one hundred aDd seven stations are t iken for comparison, points to the same con clusion. Rochefort and Cassagnac’s Compli “ mints to Each Other. In his letter challenging M. Paul de Cassagnac to fight a duel with him, M. Rochefort said : “The abuse for which I ask satisfaction from you contains at the same time an engagement on your part, from which it is impossible for you to withdraw. Be good enough to start immediately for Geneva with your seconds. Mine await you. You will not invoke legal interference, as you did with regard to M. Olemenceau. I am not pardoned, pardon being only granted to those who ask it; but lam free. I demand the satisfaction which you declare yourself prepared to grant beforehand, and I beg you, moreover, to prevent your honorable father from warning the prefect of police. My two friends, Puissant and Bouvier/ who wi 1 hand this letter to you, will under take to transmit vour answer.” In his reply to this Mr. de Cassagnac wrote : “Since you have had the condescension to write to me permit me not to be hindhand to give you counsels. In about you. It is a good tiling one* SSP* way; it would not be fair a second time. Siuoe Ido not care about per petuating meetings of this kind. I should very much wish that this not over-convenient way of wearing a shirt of mail should not save your life as was once the case with me. Next, do not forget your bottle of English smelling salts. Your fainting fits have remained famous, and I should be very sorry to go so far as to unlaoe your stays and andminister perfumes to you.” The seconds of both individuals met, but as already announced, they could uot agree to terms. Wather UP the Fragments. How many lives are, so to speak, mere relics of an ended feast, fragments which may be either left to waste, or be taken up and made the most of! For we cannot lie just when we wish it, and because we wish it. The fact may be very unromantic, but it is a fact, that a too large dinner or a false step on the stairs kills much more easily than a great sorrow. Nature compels us to live on, even with broken hearts, as with lopped-off members. True, we are never quite the same again, never the complete human being; but we may still be a very respectable, healthy human being, capable of living out our three-score years and ten with tolerable comfort after all. These “fragments” of lives, how they strew ‘our daily p iths on every side ! Not a house do we enter not a company do we mix with, but we more than guess—we know—that these, your friends, men and women, who go about the world doing their work and taking their pleasure therein, all carry about them a secret burden—of bitter disap pointments, vanished hopes, unfulfilled ambitions, lost lovers. Probably every one of them, when his or her smiling face vanishes from the circle, will change it into another, serious, anxious, sad—happy if it be only sad, with no mingling of either bitterness or bad ness. That complete felicity which the young believe in, and exneefc almost as a matter of certainty to come, never does come. Soon or late we have to make up our minds to do without it, to take up tlie fra -ments of our blessings, thankful that we have what wc have aud are what we are ; above all, that we have our own burden to bear, and not our neighbor’s. But, whatever it is, we must bear it alone ; and this gather ing up of fragments, which I am so earnestly advising, is also a thing which must ba done alone.— Mis, s Mulock, Crown Muds in Russia. There are seven crown studs in Rus sia and one in Poland, containing altogether 3,602 brood mares and horses, with twelve crowu stables having 945 stallions. The Carjauov stud, pur chased by the crown thirty years from the heirs of Count Orloff, is di vided into three sections, one devoted to pure English horses, another to sad dle horses, and the third to trotting horses. The Derkuli stud breeds Eng lish carriage horses, the New Alexan drov, a kind of half blood saddle horse, the Simarevsk thoroughbred Arabs, and the Strjeletzl Oriental horses. In the Orenburg stud horses are bred for the light cavalry and the artillery. Russia farther possesses 2,444 private studs, having 6,496 stallions and about 70,000 brood mares, besides upward of 69,000 stallions and 620,000 brood mares m the Capaek and steppe “tabu nes.” Horae breeding has increased on private estates since the emancipa tion of the serfs, and many of the studs have been broken up, and have passed in part into the hands of the peasantry. In Russia there are 380 horse fairs, at which about 150,000 animals are an nually sold, out of about 263,000 aie brought to market. The average price ot a horse is 60 roubles—about SSO, Washing Days in the Olden Time. Washing day, now a bngbear in every household, does not seem to have been much of an institution in the days of our great-great grandmothers, says the American Grocer. Indeed, we are forced to the conclusion, mortifying as it is, that they were not very cleanly in their personal habits. Linen and oot on, materials that can be washed, were not popular in England two centuries and a half ago. Velvets, taffets and rich silks j were, in the middle ages, often worn by the wealthy without any under-clothing whatever, while the domestics and the I people of the lower order wore ojarse linen, also without under-clothing. The j possession of a linen shirt, even with | the highest nobles, was a matter of note, and it was but few wardrobes that contained them. Under the Tadors, night-gowns were zvorn, though they had not been before, but they were formed mostly of silk or velvet, so that no washing was required. Anne Bo leyne’s night-dress was made of black satin, bound with black taffets, and j edged with velvet of the same color. One of Queen Elizabeth’s night-gowns was of black velvet, trimmed with silk lace and lined with fur, and in 1558 her majesty ordered George Bradyman to delivor “ three score and six shymies, to furnish as a night-gown.” In another warrant from her majesty in 1572 she outers the delivery of “twelve yards of pnrple velvet, frizzed on the back side with white or russet silks,” for a night gown for herself, and also orders the delivery of fourteen yards of murry damask for the “ making of a night gown for the Earl of Leycester.” Night dresses for ladies were of a later period, called night-veils, and in the reign of Queen Anne it became the fashion for them to be w T orn in the day time on the streets, over the usual dress. A nice looking overdress they must have been, particularly if the ladies of Queen Aduc’s time were as restless sleepers as some of their descendants. If anything were needed to show that the “ good old times ” never existed, and that the present is infinitely superior as a time to live in to the past, it would be that the reign of the washerwoman has suc ceeded that of the dyer and scourer. Cleanliness is said to be next to godli ness, but we believe it is the right hand of godliness, and that godliness seldom exists without its most important mem ber. Luxurious Gypsies, The Reading, (Pa.) Eagle describing a K.Ypey camp, says : Standing near the group of gypsy women and children was a very large wagon. It looked much like one of those beautiful affairs gen erally seen with a circus company. It was open for an airing. The body was large, and extended out over the wheels. It was supported by heavy springs. The wagon was fitted up as a bedroom. It ivas as beautiful as a bridal chamber, and Mrs. Guy smiled approvingly when the reporter mentioned tbe comparison. “Yes, sir,” she said, “yon guessed it pretty wall. That is our chamber. My husband’s and mine.” A pe'ep in side showed everything as neat and as walnut, aud bedding" of the'finest linen.* The walls were ornamented, and the best, kind of carpet was on the floor. Looking-glasses, wardrobes, closets, dressing-cases, and everything seen in a first-class bedroom was there. The wagon was specially built for the party in Frederick, Maryland, and cost 8700 in cash. The bedroom was divided off from the front part of the wagon, which is occupied by the driver’s position. The leather curtains around the wagon were all thrown up yesterday, and it seemed as if a hotel bridal chamber had been suddenly brought out there. The wagon body outside is painted and var nished in the most costly manner and the gilding and ornamental work are very neat. The vehicle is large and roomy, and seems much out of place in the woods. The owner came along shortly, and he expressed himself as fol lows : “I live in the woods and move around from one place to another. I want to live with all the comforts I can provide, and in that wagon my wife and T sleep as good as the rest of the world.” Everything about the wagon is fitted uo in the best style, and the blankets, sheets, counterpanes, and piliew-cases were just as clean as could be. Many of the blankets were dark, with gray stripes. There were three other wagons of the same pattern, but none of them were fitted up in so costly a manner. One large wagon had a row of beds in it made for the children. Length of Roots. The nature of the soil has much to do with the length a.sd nnmner of roots. In light, poor oil I find roots of June grass four feet below the surface. Peo ple are apt to under-estimate the length, amount and importance of the roots of the finer grasses, wheat, oats, etc. A young wheat plaut when pulled up only shows a small part of its roots. They often go down four or six feet or more. The roots of a two year-old peach tree in light soil were fouud seven feet four inches long. In dry, light soil, this season we pulled up one parsnip three feet and a half long. Of course smaller roots went down still further. The noted buffalo grass on the dry western prairies is described in the agricultural reports at Washington as having very short roots ; but Mr. Felker, one of our college graduates, found, where a well was being dug, that the roots went down seven feet. The roots grow best where the best food is to be found. They grow in greater or less quantity in every direction. If a root meets with good food it flourishes and sends out numerous branches. Roots do not “search” for food as vegetable physi ologists now understand it. Many of the smaller roots of trees die every autumn when the leaves die, and others grow in spring. Somebody interviewed George Francis Traiu, and the* latter said: “Do you see these hands ? See the blood runs into them. There's health for you? All comes from vegetable diet, sir. No meat for me. I eat nothing but veget ables. Vegetables make muscle, smew, strength, manhood.” “ Yes, George,” said his auditor, laughing, “you’re right, meat is weakening. I always notics ail the strong animals live on vegetables. There’s the weak lion and panther, they live on meat; end there’s the sturdy sheep, the goose, the cilf, and jackass, they live on vegetables entirely. They—” “ It always makes rem mad to talk to an infernal fool,” said Train, coloring up, while he turned on his heel and left in a huff. Mobile people judge of a maa’s wealth by the size of the cigar-stub he throws away. If he smokes it cloie he is looked upon as a fellow of no account. A MODERN SAMSON. The Prodigious Feats of a St. John River New Brunstoieker. From the New Brnngwick Reporter.’ Thomas, or Tom Gardner, as he was familiarly oalled, was born on the River St. John, one mile above the mouth of the Mactaquack stream, in the year 1798. Viewed casually, Gardner gave no evi dence of unusual power, but when strip ped his muscular development was tre mendous, and it is affirmed that instead of the ordinary ribs he possessed a solid bony wall on either side, and that there was no separation whatever. He stood five feet ten and a half inches, erect and full chested, and never exceeded 190 pounds in weight. The late Charles Long informed us that at one time he saw Gardner lift from a towboat a pnucheon ef corn, containing at leas' twelve bushels, and, swinging around, deposit it on the sand. In so doing he tore the sole off his boot. On another occasion a number of men were trying to lift a stick of timber. In ail the crowd only one man could raise it above two inches from the skids. Gardner told four men to sit upon it, and then lifted it so high that the men jumped off to save themselves from the fall. Mr. McKeen has frequently known him in lifting to break boom poles six inches thich. He has known him also with one hand to lift, by the rung of a chair, the chair itself and a man weigh ing nearly 200 weight. Once in attempt ing to lift a very heavy man he wrenched the rung entirely from the chair. Gardner at one time was possessed of a balky horse with which he exercised great patienoe; but when patience ceased to be a virtue he would fell him to the ground with his clenched fist, striking him behind the ear. It is re lated of Gardener’s sister that on one occasion a famous wrestler traveled all the way from Miramichi to Tom’s home in order to “ try a fall with him.” Tom was absent, but the sister, looking con temptuously upon the intruder, declared she could throw him herself, and, suit ing the action to the word, in a fair trial threw him fairly three times in succes sion. The stranger’s experience with the sister was sufficient; be never sought a future interview with the brother. The greatest feat which Gardner was ever known to'peiform was on one of the wharves in St. John. Mr. McKean saw him lift and carry an anchor weigh • ing 1,200 pounds, numbers of other witnesses standing by, some of whom are yet alive. Frequently he has seen him carrying a barrel of pork under each arm, and once he saw him shoulder a barrel of poris while standing in an ordinary brandy box. When about 40 years of age Gardner removed to the United States, and never returned to his native province. It is commonly reported and believed that he met with a sad adventure on board a Mississippi steamer. A heavy bell was on board as a portion of the freight, and the captain, a great, power ful fellow, was concerned as to how he should remove it from its place in order to make more room on deck. While captain and passengers were at dinner, Tom, in presence of the crew, to their utter amazement, lifted the bell and boat. When the captain refurnd’a' he asked how that had been accomplished, and when Gardner laughingly remarked that he carried it there, the former gave him the lie, and as one word brought on another, he presently struck Tom in the face. This was too much, and for the first time in his life the strong man gave blow for blow ; but one buffet was suf ficient. The captain never spoke again, killed dead on the instant. Tom made his escape, went west, and has never been heard of since. DRESSM VKING AS A FINE ARr. Within the last few years there has been a great revival in many branches of decorative art. The schooi of needle work at South Kensington is rich in designs for costly and beautiful hang ings. There are a large number of effi cient workers employed there, and some of the embroidery produced-by the ladies is'extremely good. In many shop windows are to be seen fine plaques of china and admirable tiles, while even the convicts at Woking turn out very creditable mosaic. Wall papers have reach the point of being really decora tive, and the most fastidious person can hardly fail to find something to please him amongst the many patterns brougnt out by competent people who have studied the subject. It is now possible to get both men and women so well edu cated in art and archaeology that they are able to design appropriate furniture to suit any given style of architecture. It is surely time to try art dressmaking. So long as we were contented to follow French fashions with regard to the furnishing of our houses it was perhaps natural that our wives and daughters should get their dresses from Paris. Now that we have ceased to look across the channel for the patterns of our carpets and clocks there is no reason why dress should not also be provided ; at home in harmony with other decora- j tions. Ladies with delicate .perception and sufficient skill to know how to furnish their rooms often express a wish that they could order their dresses from the pame artist who paints their rooms, but as that is impossible, they go to Mr. Worth instead, and try to conform their taste to the last new Taris whim, no matter how ugly or indecorous it may be. The fashions which have been worn for the last six or seven years are certainly much more picturesque than thoe of the days of crinoline. More care has been taken by the milliners that colors shall be few aud harmonious. The wearing of black even by those not in mourning has been very generally adopted, and, as it suits almost every one, and looks well out of doors, it is at least unobjectionable. Still there is an immense amount of bad dressing to be seen everywhere which is quite needless, and which would be simply impossible if the art was at all understood by either dressmakers or dress wearers. Dressmakers, as a class, are vulgar and uneducated, with little appreciation of the artistic subtleties of their art, or even its more obvious proprieties. They have learned to load their work with ugly and senseless frills which do not end anything, with bows which do not tie anything, and with buttons which are of no use, until their eyes are incapable of seeing or their minds of understand ing the grace of simplicity and the charm of suitability. Of what consti tutes true beauty in the female form they are entirely ignorant, and they adore a waist that can be spanned. They think that a dress is a perfect fit in which a lady can neither raise her arms nor use her legs. Artificial flowers and glass beads are the highest ideal of decoration and costly trimmings of art. A novelty, however ugly, if stamped with the approval of Paris, is accepted without a thought, but the suggestion of some pretty design which has not emanated from that centre of frivolity is at onoe rejected with scorn because it has no “style.” It is not uncommon to see vigorous efforts made on the part of some ladies to emancipate themselves from the thraldom of fashion and to strike r ut a line for themselves. Too often these efforts are signal failures from want of sufficient knowledge of the subject. There are very few people who have a genius for dressing them selves or even the perception to know what style suits them best. A good design is spoilt when badly carried out, or when the workmanship is not highly finished. Laces of different periods and countries are olten ignorantly mixed up together and sleeves of one century worn with bodies of another. It is un pleasant to see a Stuart costume sur mounted by a Victorian chignon or an Elizabethan head dress finished with a mob cap. Some ladies, too, will appear in a mediaeval dress one day and in a Pompadour robe the next, giving one the impression that they are using up their fancy ball costumes. Every woman has a certain style of appear ance, and her dress should correspond with it. In French fashions there is generally a great want of dignity—the dignity of simplicity. To a country gentleman accustomed to see his women folk in fresh muslins and clean prints it is not a little surprising to be taken to the homes of some of the literary and semi-artistic families living in and near London. An atmosphere of mouldy decay pervades the house, which is painted in dark green blues. The walls are hung with every conceivable absur dity—sconces where no candles are ever lighted, go- gs which are not to sound, curtains which have no purpose and give the air of an old clothes shop. Whole dinner services of china are strung on the staircase, and everything is covered thick with a black, oiiy dust made by smoke, smuts, and fog. The poor girls try to dress in a way which they fondly believe to be artistic, -nd end in looking like rag dolls. They tie the refuse cf Cairo round their waists, and wisps of strange fabries round their necks. Pea cock’s feathers eye us from unaccounta ble situations, and frills of old lace, so dirty as to be almost nasty, garnish throats which would look much better in clean linen collars. But clean linen collars and cuffs have unfortunately no tone ; they are incompatible with artistic dressing. Then, too, tidyliair is inad missible. There is another style of artistic dressing which when badly done is almost as offensive as the withered style. Wo may call it, fot want of a better name, Free Claf sic. It is gener ally adopted by short fat people with high shoulders. It consists for the most part of a shapeless cream oolored cotton or woollen robe, with a gold girdle. On stout figures the effect is by no means attractive. A model atrired in a night-gown which has been properly damped and draped no doubt looks very well, but a night-gown over a reasona ble amount of under-garments is merely ungainly and shapeless. Dresses of this pattern must be either ugly or in delicate. Good artistic and good fash ionable dressing both involve expense, and neither of them can be well carried out without thought, knowledge, and money. We are very unfortunate in fetrenißnrw/ifiiaw] aonfnmp Tt, wnnld hideous in the dress of the lower orders, and perhaps enable them to have clean, serviceable clothing, instead of trum pery second-hand finery. If our middle class young ladies are to do cooking and housemaid’s work they, too, should have a picturesque costume. Women should either adopt a uni form, as men have done, or else dress making should be elevated into the posi tion of a fine art and treated as such. It should be undertaken by people of culture and refinement in the same way that cookery has been. There ought to be a school of art dressmaking. There are always a large number of ladies who say they have got no work to do. Here is an opening for them. Their first step ought to be to petition Her Majesty not to insist upon ladies who are delicate or spare in figure wearing low dresses at morning drawing-rooms. Their second one ought to be to abolish the use of the word “fashionable” in its present sense, and to substitute for it the word “ becoming,” which would indicate both economy where it is necessary and mag nificence where it is suituable.—iSatur day Review. Japanese Fan Decoration. A New York correspondent of the Boston Gazette says: What do you suppose our people of taste are using to decorate their houses with ? I don,t mind putting you on the track, for I shall have laid in my stock before this letter gets in print." They are using nothing more or less expensive than Japanese fans—the kind you buy for three cents a piece. I fear, though, as soon as the dealers find out they are worth more to us, that they will raise the price. For a couple of dollars you can get some beautiful specimens of Japanese art, and unless you have tried it you have no idea how beautiful it is for deooration. Stick two or tnree fans behind a picture, or up against the chimney-piece, or back in the shelves where you keep your old china. I heard of a lady the other day who had a bor der of these fans running around her parlor wall. A young artist I know lives in a rented house which has a very ugly plaster center-piece on the parlor ceiling. He could not afford to get a new one, so he has the offensive piece stuck full of brilliant fans. Alma Tadema had his beautiful drawing i room on the banks of the Thames deco rated with these fans, and the effect was striking and beautiful. Japanese wall paper is expensive and hard to get; ; so that we who have not the wealth of Mr. Russell Sturges have to content ourselves with the fans, for which we are truly grateful. Flize. —l hate a fli. A fii has got no manners. He ain’t no gentleman. He is an introoder; don’t send in no kard, nor ax an introduckshun, nor don’t knock at the front door, and never thinx of taking off his hat. Fust you kuo he is in bed with yon and up your nose—tho wat they want there is a mis try ; and he invites hiss elf to breakfast and sits down in your butter thout brushing his pants. I hate a fli. Dam a fli.— Josh Billings. If your girl, or her big brother, comes along and points a pistol at you, an<i tells you to walk down to the minister’s and be married, go right along and do it; the marriage will be bogus. That has recently been decided by the su preme court of New York. The Louisville clergymen recommend that slates oe hung iu the church vesti bules to enable the girls to register their names on entering for morning services. This will obviate the disturbance cre ated by the young men who come in to see whether the charmers are present. VOL. 16-NO. 31 SAYINGS AND DOINGS. A Brookltn girl was heard to remark as she was leaving churoh last Sunday evening : “ There’s my foolish father has gone and given 850 to the heathen, and the new spring hats are ont, and I shall have to buy a cheap one or put up with a straw.” An ordinary lighthonse where oil is used, gives an illuminating power equal to about ‘2OO candles. An electric light in England flashes over the North see its condensed beams, each of which is more than an equivalent to the com bined light of 800,000 candles. A Scotch granite monument at Cam bridge City, Indiana, was recently struck by lightning, the current follow ing the shaft to the limestone base, tak ing out every paiticle of red color, and leaving a white zig-zag strip about an inch in width. The monument was not injured. A precocious boy was asked which was the greater evil of the two, hurting another’s feelings or his finger ? He said the former. “ Right, my dear child,” said the gratified questioner. “ And why is it worse to hurt the feel ings ?” “ Becanse you can’t tie a rag around them,” explained the dear chili A project for tunneling the Mersey has been revived, and apropos thereto Mr. Gladstone writes : “ Assuredly it will seem strange to future rimes that we should in 1875 have been far ad vanced in maturing a project for a tun nel under the Straits of Dover, while we have not yet tunneled under a single river of the many that indent our shores.” Mr. Gladstone Beeme to have forgotten the Thames tunnel. A boy of five years old was “ playing railroad ” with his sister of two and a half. Drawing her upon a footstool, he imagined himself both the engine and the cond actor. After imitating the puffing noise of the Bteam, he stopped and called out “ New York,” and, in a moment aftr, “Paterson,” and then “Philadelphia.” His knowledge of towns was now exhausted, and the next place he cried “Heaven.” His little sister said eagerly: “ Top, Ides I’ll det out here.” An old-fashioned clergyman named More was riding on horseback one stormy day, enveloped in a loose cloak of large proportions and having a broad, scarlet collar. By the action of the wind the cloak was tossing about in all directions, when a gentleman rode up on a spirited horse, which shied and al most threw the rider. “ That cloak of yours would frighten the devil,” said the gentleman. “You don’t say so!” replied Mr. More ; “ why, that’s just my trade.” What Arm,? of Toad-Jitools Did. Did yon ever think how strong the growing plants mnst be to force their way up through the earth? Even the green daisy tips and the tiny blades of grass, that bow before a breath, have to exert a force in ooming through, that, in proportion to their size, is greater than you would exert in rising from under a mound of oobble stones. And think of toad stools—what soft, tender things can ten you, >juvv their way. Charles Kingsley, the celebrated Eng lish priest and novelist, was a close observer of nature. One evening he noticed particularly a square flat stone, that, I should say, was about as long and as broad as the length of three big burdock leaves, He thought it would require quite a strong man to lift a stone like that. In the morning he looked again, and lo ! the stone was raised so that he could see the light under it. What was his surprise fo find on oloser examination, that a crop of toad-stools had sprung up under the stone in the night and raised it up on their little round shoulders as they came ! I’m told that Canon Kingsley gives an account of this in his book called “ Christmas in the West Indies,” but it was in England that he saw it. Knowing that he was so close an ob server, I shouldn’t be one bit surprised if he went still further and fonDd oat that one secret of the toad-stools being able to lift the stone was that they didn’t waste time and strength in urging each other to the work, but each one did his veiy best without quarreling about whose turn it was, or whether Pink Shoulder or Brown Button was shirking his share. But then the toad stools must have been strong. Qneen Vic’s Common Klnfiness. In noticing the “ Eoglish-Gypsy songs,” by Miss Tnckey, we omitted to mention that one of the poems in the book, entiLed “ Told near Windsor,” is founded on an incident in the Queen’B life, but little known out of the charmed Ilommany circle. One bitter winter? day, when the enow was lying thick all ever Windsor park, a gypsy family were crossing it, when the tent had to be suddenly pitched, the pangs of labor having overtaken the mother. A few sticks were hurredly gathered, but there was hardly any time to scrape away the snow and get the fire lit before the gypsy woman gave birth to twins. The park-keepers, of course, came up, and ordered the tent to be taken off the ground. But the birth of the twins in the snow under her windows reached the ears of her majesty, who at once sent food and drink and clothing to the wanderers. Amongst the presents were some babies’ woolen stockings, knit by her majesty’s own hands, and a pair of blankets, which, bnt a short time be fore, had lain on a state bed. Gypsies repeat this with great pride, and “ the socks knitted by the Queen of the Gorgios ” are frequently refer red to by them when they speak of deeds of thoughtful and timely charity.— The Athenaeum. A Just Admission. —A long, illus trated article on caricatures of women, in Harper’s Monthly for Augnsit, closes with the following just of the fact that woman’s inferiority in business career and unwonted fields of employment is due to previous con dition" rather than a natural want of capacity, and will be fully remedied by a different education and training : “Equal rights, equal education, equal chances for independent careers —when women have enjoyed these for so much as a single oentury in any country, the foibles afcwhich men have laughed for so many ages will probably no longer be remarked, for they are either the follies of ignorance or the vices resulting from a previous condition of servitude. Nor will men of right feeling ever regard women with the cold, critical eye of a Chesterfield or a Rouohefoucatdd, but rather with something of. the exalted sentiment which caused old. Homer, whenever ne had occasion to speak of a mother, tc prefix an adjective usually applicable to goddesses and queens, which we can translate best, perhaps, by our English word ‘ august.’ ’’