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r But Neither “Read to not Weigh to Believe to Contradict and and Consider.” take and for Refute, Granted; i
NMWWI
lie who offers TWO dollars for ONE comes properly under the category of being either a rogue or a dolt, for he offers the impossible. It is manifestly impossible to give more than is re¬
ceived, else one finds he has broken all laws of common sense, yet this is often made the new catch penny inducement to intending piano purchasers.
We often read in the daily papers statements of offers made
on pianos of high class, “containing every known
ment,” for an exceedingly small sum of money and on
lously low monthly or quarterly payments. The impossible is
proffered, and he who doe® it knowingly, falsifies himself and
assumes that the purchaser is incompetent or foolish, else he
could not be caught in such a net of fraud and deception.
There is no occasion for deceit, yet the history of the pianos
trade show it to be crowded with mis-statements regarding the
grades and prices. We have found it necessary in the manage-
•In addition to the large stock cf the above described instruments, we have probably the most complete stock in the South of
EVERETT AND HARVARD PIANOS
Which are perfectly new and direct from our two factories. These instruments are made in all of the fancy woods and unequaled in tone quciRy and durability.
EVERETT is the OJS LY piano guaranteed for the El? TIRE lifetime of the instrument. This guarantee is are Remember that the
the EVERETT PIANO COMPANY themselves. Would like to partial list of the of not by a salesman or a local dealer, but is a signed guarantee furnished by
you see a owners the EVERETT PIANOS, We have such a list, and it will probably interest you.
The JOHN CHURCH COMPANY,
WWAWWM General Factory of the Everett and Harvard Piano Companies.
CINCINNATI, CHICAGO, NEW YORK, and 99 PEACHTREE ST., ATLANTA, GA
FRENCH DECADENCE.
EXPLANATION OF IT BY A
FRENCHMAN.
Had Effect on Tubllc Life—He Says
Baizac and Rabelais Were True Sons
of the Vine, Caustic, Flippant and
Unkind—Satire Deplored. V
France is In trouble about her soul,
§he is filled with vague and unrealized
desires, says the London Mail. Not
content with her wealth and capacity
for happiness, which might inspire
envy in the breast of the most arro-
gant Anglo-Saxon, she still sighs for
What she has not, and dreams of an
empire across the sea, as though her
own country were a heritage not worth
{he keeping. She feels the need of ex-
Danslon, so say her philosophers, and
she cannot satisfy her need. The al-
liance wHh Russia proved for awhile
An assuagement of grief, but the im-
serial bond is becoming irksome, and
the voice of France is once more raised
in lamentation. Paris is destroying
the provinces, says one, by attracting
Ail the talent of the country to her
boulevards: the Jews are destroying
the whole country, says another, by
putting all her money into their gaping
pockets. But never did pessimism dis-
cover so strange a complaint as that
set forth by M. Demolins in his recent
book. “Les Franeais d’Aujourd’hui.”
For this professor has made a study
of the modern Frenchman and declares
that he is ruined by the fertility of his
country's soil.
That, indeed, though he would not
allow it, is the conclusion of his argu¬
ment France, says he, is heading
straight for decadence; she is follow¬
ing Greece, Italy, and Spain into the
night of hopeless obscurity, and she
owes her failure to the baleful effect'
of a generous soil upon her character.
He has examined the provinces one
by one. and wherever his travels have
led him he has found only one ominous
content. The English, unable to grow
their own corn, are wont to deplore the
sad condition of the farmer. M. De¬
molins travels into Touraine or Gas¬
cony and sheds tears of bitter grief
over the fertility of the vineyards. The
vine, he declares, has ruined France
and depraved the French character.
Not that he brings a charge of
drunkenness against his countrymen;
they, at least, are not driven by an
inclement climate to the solace of the
bottle. No, the vice of the grape is
far less obvious than the teetotaler
would suppose. In the first place, it
yields a handsome profit for a small
outlay, and that is the beginning of
its wickedness. Once the vine is plant¬
ed it goes on year after year filling
the pocket of the peasan; in return
for a modest uvestment and little
labor. Moreover, its cultivation may
e undertaken by small proprietors,
vho need neither be exploited by
ua ists cap-
nor undone by the purchase
n n . COmpli er itsJBSuence ^^ machinery. France So that
has become
°* smal l holdings and has
thus achieved without intervention
any
result which years of
IaUe<i to in oth -
But, says M. Demolins, the result is
not beneficent at all. As the vine
may be grown and pressed without
elaborate machinery Its cultivation is
“bad for trade." And its immoral in-
fluence is still worse. An easy pros-
perity renders the family unstable and
converts the young into monsters of
cruelty. The old men are thrust out
and their wealth infamously stolen.
until every village in Touraine pro-
vides the material for another tragedy
of Lear. Again, an easy livelihood
produces leisure, another vague dream
0 f the legislator, and leisure brings
j n jts train improvidence and luxury,
M. Demolins asserts, though we can
hardly believe it, that in the Herault
the women cover themselves with orn-
aments. And if this indictment be
true, it is clear tha t the grape is
France’s worst enemy. “In good
years,” says this extraordinary phil-
osopher, “the vine gives considerable
profits," and this is sufficient reason
to deplore its existence!
But the worst is not yet told. The
vine exercises, also, a debasing influ-
ence upon public life. It makes for
equality and those democratic virtues
for which we have been told the blood
of France was shed and for which a
king lost his head upon the scaffold,
it is droll enough to hear a French-
man deplore the spirit of equality; it
j s droller still to hear it ascribed to the
cultivation of the grape.
in literature the same unhappy ef-
feet is visible. Rabelais and Balzac,
born in Touraine, are true sons of the
grape, and they were both caustic,
flippant and unkind. In fact, they
looked upon the bitter side of life and
though the world has regarded them as
men of genius, M. Demolins deplores
their satire, and believes that if only
Touraine had enjoyed an ungrateful
soil these heroes might never have
been born, In fact, what we have
always believed the glories of France
are her shame, and it is only when the
grape is turned into brandy that M.
Demolins admits its excellence. For
the manufacture of brandy requires
machinery, and machinery demands
co-operation. And it is by co-opera-
tion that France shall be saved from
the consequences of her own prosper-
ity.
Brittany is not cursed with the vine,
yet this province fares no better at
the hands of M. Demolins. The Bre-
tons grow cattle and catch fish, and
these simple pursuits are immoral, too.
A CHILD’S THANKSGIVING.
I thank thee, Father in the skies,
For this dear home so warm and
bright;
l thank Thee for the sunny day
And for the sleepy, starry night,
I thank Thee for my father’s arms,
So big and strong to hold me near; ;
I thank Thee for m\ mother s face; |
I thank Thee for my dolly dear.
I thank Thee for the little birds
That eat my crumbs upon the sill;
I -thank Thee for the pretty snow
rhat’s coming down so soft and still,
O, Father, up there in the skies,
Hear me on this Thanksgiving day,
And please rsad in my little heart
The “thank yous” I forgot to say.
.—[Kate "Whiting Fateh.
ment of our wholesale trade to withdraw the sale of our pianos
some of our country dealers. In order to close the account
with these particular dealers we have found it necessary to
from them a number of pianos of various makes and place
them on our floors for sale, applying the proceeds of such sales
to their accounts in order to settle account with them.
We do not expect to give TWO DOLLARS for ONE; but we
have in these instruments pianos of standard makes, many of
which could not be detected from new instruments directly from
the factory when placed side by side with new pianos in our
tPTSilTrp 1? ±1X11A Y/J? HlArtXJ IT A "NW^T?/YT7T? JA\J 1
-
PN ~ Af >rrn “... two oijmroats in
8 nw watrr *
stopped by White Flag ^ Goes
a —
Aground and is stranded for Hours
After the Battle — Details of the
Battle. V
__
Further derails have been receiy .
^he bombardment of the port of ai-
barien, on the northeast coast of to
province of Santa Clara, Cuba, by the
Mangrove. The Mangrove left here to
protect the landing of an expedition un-
der Colonel Bosas, which had gone
ahead on the schooner Adams and Del-
lie - When the Mangrove reached San-
ta Maria Key, near Caibarien, she
found the Cuban party had safely dis-
embarked, but feared to advance he-
cause of the presence of the Spanish
gunboat Hernan Cortes and a similar
gunboat, which were evidently making
Caibarien their base. On Saturday
afternoon the Mangrove anchored at
Key Francis, just outside Caibarien,
and as she lay there the Hernan Cor-
tes came out and ran around the key
to get a peep at her, scurrying back
into the harbor as soon as she saw she
was discovered. The Mangrove fol-
lowed as far as the shoal water would
permit but could only get about half
way up the harbor. The next morn-
ing Captain Stuart, the commander of
the Mangrove, decided to have a shot
at the gunboats. He was alone and
the odds against him were heavy, but
he did a bold thing. Sounding her
way inch by inch the Mangrove crept
along the channel, drawing eight feet
of water in an average of eight and a
half, until about 9 o’clock she sighted
both the Spanish gunboats. The Her-
nan Cortes was anchored near the
shore, about a thousand yards to the
right of the town, with her broadside
to the sea. The small gunboat lay at
the wharf. The Spaniards were evi-
dently anticipating a battle. The shore
was crowded with Spaniards, citizens
an d soldiers, while the roof of every
building that commanded a view of the
harbor was literally covered with peo-
pie anxious to see the fight The Her-
nan Cortes carried two 4.7-inch guns
and four one-pounders, while her
smaller companion was armed with
three one-pounders and a Hotchkiss
rapid-fire gun. The Mangrove, whose
entire battery consists of only two six-
pounders, worked into a range of 3,000
yards. The channel was so narrow
that only one gun could be fired at a
time. At 10:45 a. m. she got up her
port gun at the Hernan Cortes. The
shot fell short. Instantly the whole
line shore buret into flame, both gun-
boats and the field pieces pouring in a
heavy fire upon the American vessel.
Every shot of this volley struck the
water ahead of the Mangrove, -which
continued pumping away at her port
six-pounders. She concentrated her
fire on the Hernan Cortes, and the five
or six shots fell on the Spaniards deck
between the bow gun and amidships,
scattering a body of men. Some of
the latter must have been kibed, al-
though the Spaniards later denied that
they suffered any less. For awhile no
Spanish gun was fired, but soon the
s pan i ards got the Mangrove's range
and a veritable avalanche of shot and
shell was hurled at her. It was noth-
ing less than a miracle that the loss of
nf e was not heavy. Shells from the
big gun of the Hernan Cortes dropped
W jthin twenty feet of the tug, several
bursting, and the fragments clipping
bits off her hull. Others went wliiz-
zing through her shroulds, and Mauser
bullete peppered the surrounding wat-
ers like a summer shower. In the very
xnidst of all this, and while the Man-
g rove wag sw i ng ing cautiously around
^ bring her starboard gun into play,
wa tch shouted, “Flag of truce!"
And gure enough not only one , but
three white fiags could be seen, one
flying from the g^al* gunboat and two
from the government houses on shore,
The Mangrove acknowledged the sig-
nal and pTe6en ti y a small boat came
QUt with a Spanish officer, who clam-
bered aboard the Mangrove, and, in
exceed i ng i y nervous tones, announced:
«p eace proclaimed, and I have in-
B t ruc tions for your commanding officer
f rom the military commander of this
district.”
He that during the engage-
ment the Spanish authorities in Caj*
barien had wired the military com-
mander 0 ,f the district that the Amer-
ican s bi Ps were bombarding the port
and t bat immediate response had been
rece i ved informing them that peace
had be ®n restored and the firing should
cease. The Spanish crew of the small
boat which brought this officer to the
^i an g r0 ve said the Spaniards had not
lost a man, but the officer himself
made no allusion to the fight, which
ba d lasted an hour and ten minutes.
Mangrove was creeping her
way out 0 f f b e narrow channel she
^ en t aground and lay there five hours,
jjgxl the same mishap befallen her dur-
j ng engagement the chances are
that s b e would have been captured.—
^ nd i a napolis Sentinel,
For His Mother’s Sake,
The florist - s L , ov had just swept
gome broken and withered flowers into
the gutter w i len a ra g g ed urchin dart-
ed across tlie street. He stooped over
tlie pile of mang i e d flowers and came
ftt last upon a rose seemingly in better
cond "
j t j oli t b a n the rest. But as he
tenderly picked it up the petals flut-
t ered to the ground, leaving oi ly the
ba re stalk in his hand,
jj e s t ood quite still, and his lips
quivered perceptibly, The florist’s
boy. who had been looking at him se-
ve rely, felt that bis face was soften-
iug
'■What’s the matter with you, any-
he asked.
rj.j ie raggPd little fellow ehoked as
b e answered:
-it’s for my mother. She s sick an’
she can - t eat no thin’, an’ I thought if
S be’d a flower to smell it might make
her feel better.”
“j us t yo u wait a minute,” said the
fl or i st ’ s boy, as he disappeared. When
he came out upon the sidewalk he held
in his hand a beautiful half-opened
rose< w bj c b he carefully wrapped w
tissue paper . “There.” he said, “tak< i
that to your mother. ’-The Midland.
store; and which these dealers have been asking a reasonable
profit for, that will be offered during the next tew days at very
much lower prices than these goods have ever bean sold. We
shaM make an extraordinary effort to close out every mstru-
ment on our floors of this class between now and January first,
In order to do this we may find it necessary to oQertnebe m-
struments at wholesale prices to dealers, or even-less. We won
advise any one who expects to purchase an instrument, mmg
the next few years to sonsult us m regard to prices on tnese
pianos at once.
VFSTTVTTTS M LuOU UUD TN AIN AiTTTfVNI
OMINOUS REPORTS COMEFKOM
THE VOLCANO.
Threatens Destruction—-Fears That Towns
May Be Destroyed by the Stream
of Molten Lava—Has Cost Thousands ”
of Lives. V
The world’s most historic volcano is
going through one of its periodical
eruptions, which from the ominous re¬
ports threatens to be more violent and
destiuctive than usual. Naturally the
event attracts world-wide attention
and hosts of the curious are flocking
to Naples. Since 1841 the big volcano
has been under close inspection by sa¬
vants, who have been able to pre¬
dict eruptions but unable to predict
their force or extent. Vesuvius is
eight miles from Naples. It overlooks
the bay which itself is believed to be
the immense crater of a prehistoric
volcano. At its base Vesuvius is thir¬
ty miles in circumference. Its height
varies after eruptions, but the average
is about 4,000 feet. Its great crater
is some 2,000 feet in diameter and 500
feet deep. Vesuvius, as known to the
ancient world, was a truncated cone
with a base of eight or nine miles and
a height of 4,000 feet. At its summit
was a depressed plain three miles in
diameter. That was the scene of the
fight between Spartacus and Claudius
Pulcher. At the beginning of the
Christian era the sides were covered
with fields and vines and the crater
was overgrown with wild grapes. It
was not known within human memory
to have been in active operation. The
younger Pliny and Tacitus say that it
gave warning by earthquakes for thir¬
teen years before the great eruption,
but no heed tvas paid.
In the year A. D. 79 the famous cat-
astrophe occurred. The steam con-
densed fell in torrents of rain, making
from the lava dust a kind of cement
that poured down the mountain side
and buried Herculaneum, at the west
base; Pompeii, on the southeast base;
Stabiae, on the south side and beyond
that Castellamare. These cities were
covered and lost and forgotten. It was
a strange revelation when in modern
times those ancient cities were exca¬
vated with their revelation of the man-
ners and customs of Roman life at that
day. For many centuries after Vesu¬
vius slept. People living around for¬
got that it had buried cities and slain
its myriads. Vines again covered the
treacherous crater; the plowman tilled
and the herdsman pastured his kine,
and the vineyards waved on its slopes.
Again the mountain began to rumble
and shake, but the warning was un¬
heeded. At last on Dec. 16, 1631, Yesu-
vius burst forth in tremendous fur j.
The cities at the base were destroyed
by the lava and 18,000 lives were lost
Another grand eruption came in lt i9
when huge stones were hurled thou¬
sands of feet into the air in a cloud of
white vapor with masses of moLen
rock, while immense streams of lava
poured down the mountain side carry¬
ing death and destruction. In It94
there was a repetition of the horror on
a smaller scale, and again in 1822 when
t , he top of the cone was ruptured and
the great crater was formed.
then Vesuvius ha<s never altogether
j rested. When the great eruption ol
I May, 1855, occurred the people fled in
time, having been warned by the ob¬
servatory founded a few years before
At intervals of a few years the erup-
tions have gone on ever since.
v ______
Indiana's Fat Man.
Longevity is not the only feature
Indiana rural life. Over near the
lage of Argos, one man at least
the distinction of weighing nearly
quarter of a ton. George
Walker, a farmer’s son, tips the scales
at 540 pounds. He stands 5 feet 10
inches, measures 27 inches around the
arm, 68 about the chest and 78 about
the -waist. His excessive flesh has
made him almost helpless, and he has
been unable to perform any farm work
for years. He now permits enterpris¬
ing managers to exhibit him, that he
may earn a living for himself and
family.
Mr. Walker’s is a peculiar case. He
had attained his majority and had
married before any evidence of ap
preaching corpulency became appar¬
ent. He was born in Noble county
forty-eight years ago, and until 25
years of age Ae was as other men in
the matter of weight. None of his
ancestors, as far back as he can re-
member,, was endowed with too much
flesh. His parents are both small peo-
pie, his father weighing but 145
pounds. His mother is somewhat lar-
ger, hut she is far under 200. Shortly
after the birth of his son he began to
take on flesh rapidly, until it became
impossible for him to do even light
farm work.
M'hen he bad attained a -weight of
over 400 pounds, he decided tc make
i this fact the vehicle for a living. For
several years he has put in the sum-
mer months at county fairs as the
champion fat man, and has earned a
comfortable income by his exhibitions,
His flesh continues to increase so that
he is almost helpless, although he can
■ still walk about slowly without the
assistance of a cane. Unlike most fat
men, Mr. TValker is a hea\\ eater, his
appetite keeping pace with the in-
crease of adipose^ -tissue.-Chieago
The Colonel and the President.
During the late Spanish-Ameriean
war a certain old colonel who had
served all through the civil war and
who had lost one of his eyes at the
battle of Gettysburg, was very indig¬
nant because he was put aside as
physically incapable when he applied
for admission to one of the New York
volunteer regiments.
Filled with wrath he journeyed to
Washington, bent on having a person-
al interview with the President. He
succeeded in getting an audience, and
the President, after listening to his
plea, said kindly;
“But. my good Colonel J—, you have
only one eye.”
“Just so, sir,” was the prompt re¬
joinder; “but can’t you see the great
advantage of my having only one eye?
When I aim my gun I will not have
to close the other!” ____
Eagle Whips Rooster.
Hack In the forties aa AmeVican
Ship visited one of the ports of Spain,
and while lying at anchor in the har»
bor the officers went ashore to see th*
sights, says the Fall River News.
Among the places they took in was a
cock pit, a popular resort, to see the
sport. The game cock of the don fas
a diminutive bird, but a fighter.
One of the Americans expressed
contempt for the bird, and boasted
that he had on his ship a Yankee roos¬
ter that could whft any bird ashore.
The dons accepted the challenge, and
a match was arranged. On the ship
the sailors had an American eagle,
wkich they proceeded to starve and
trim of his foaffhers so as to resemble
a Shanghai cock, strange birds to the
Spanish, and on the appointed evening
carried him ashore for the battle.
The dons eyed him suspiciously, but
he was dumped into the pit, where he
stood, hungry and ugly, taking in the
surroundings. The Spanish cock, a
champion fighter, was brought in and
likewise pitched into the pit. Strut¬
ting and crowing, he sparred for an
opening at his silent and watchful
Yankee enemy, and finally let drive
at him with his “slashers,” knife
spurs, and drew first blood. Aroused,
with one wild scream, the eagle lit
on him, tore off his head, and, to the
horror of the Spaniards, began to eat
him.
They lost their money, their honor
^ras trailed in the dust, and to this
day they do not understand the pe-
culiar nature of the American fighting
cock,
The Beginning of an Assay.
Imagine a gold mine. You may se¬
lect taany climates—Siberia or Africa,
Klondike or Australia, California .or
India. Situate vour mine where you
so i ong as it be a gold mine the
procedure of assaying is the same all
the wide world over. Select a mass
of ore weighing perhaps fifty pounds
an d smash it up. Do not expect to
see anv gold in it. because the pre*r-
io u S me tal is probably so thinly and
uniformly scattered through the quartz
that it is impossible to «spot a grain
together. Continue grinding the ore
until it is in the form of powder. This
powder is heaped into a cone, which
is divided into four parts, of which
the sampler takes two whose angles
are opposite to one another. Mix these
tw'o parts thoroughly and again di¬
vide into four; take two portions again
and so on till a sample of convenient
bulk is obtained. By this logical
method the sample yielded is. on any
ordinary calculation of probability,
certain to represent accurately the
original mass taken.
A certain quantity of this sample
iS weighed out, two equal
amoim i s being taken as checks upon
each other. The weighing may be
done in denominational values of eith¬
er grammes or assay tons. The
ton is a most convenient invention aullv
is very simply explained. The ordin¬
ary ton contains 32,666.6 ounces; if.
then, we make a unit (an assay ton) *
weighing 32.6667 grammes, each .001 of
a gramme will equal one ounce
ton. Thus no calculation per
all is needed at ,
to estimate the gold richness of an
ore per ton.—Chambers’s Journal.