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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.