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Swearing Off on Politic!).
The man who has once been addicted
to politics finds it hard to reform and
break the fetters that bind him. Ho
makes a resolve, in his mind, that never
again will he touch the fatal politic, and
he goes along for months without think
ing of indulging, but in an unguarded
moment, after the campaign opens, he
thinks of something that can he played
on tbs opposition, and he takes the first
step, anil then he goes down, until elec
tion day he is peddling tickets like an
old stager, at night he is around hearing
tlm returns, at midnight he is whooping
it up with the boys, and at three a. in.
he goes upstairs st home on all fours,
his hat overwhelmed by s good majority,
his head a* uncertain and wavering h
the chances of his party, his tongue as
thick as opposition vote*, and his breath
as strong as the atmosphere in a malt
house. He has lied to his wife about
having to go to the lodge to give s< >me
high degrees to some Masons from the
country, and when she smells his breath
she knows how high the degrcea are, and
it all comes over her in a second—not the
breath, but the idea—that ho has fallen
from ilia high estate and again sunken in
the mire of politics. After eloction, and
his party is beaten, as usual, he swears
upon a stack of brick, in his hat, that lie
will touch not, taste not, handle not, the
intoxicating and demoralizing politic,
but he lies, and he knows it. What the
country want* is a society for reforming
men who are addicted to politics, a soci
ety where he can go when he feels the
old apjietite coming on, and have his
thoughts turned to a different channel,
lie is weak, and lie wants his brothers
and sisters to take him by the hand, par
ticularly the sisters, and brace him up,
and make him strong against the enemy.
When lie feels like taking a hand in a
campaign, where he knows that he will
surely fall, and come out with the smell
of kerosene and beer on his garments,
and cheese on liis breath, he wants to
feci tlm strong arm of the society around
his waist, anil bear the members singing
songs of Zion instead of hurrahing for
somebody for justice of the peace. Hut
if such a society were formed for the
reformation of the politicians, just about
the time it got the converts strong
enough to walk alone, tire confounded
society would nominate a ticket of its
own and go into the campaign making
more noise than all the other political
parties, and the reformed politicians
would And that they had jnmiied out of
the frying pan into the fire. Twas over
thus from childhood's hour. —Peck's Sun.
What Electricity is to Do for Us.
A sanguine and imaginative writer pro
diets almost incredible marvels which
electricity is expected to accomplish be
fore the end of the twentieth century.
Chops and Htoaks will be cooked by
electric sparks. The fruits of the earth
will he multiplied behind colored glass.
Fruits and vegetables will be grown all
the year round, winter and summer,
day and night. Wo now take our air
and water raw, and through these two
ch uncut* come all the disorders and con
tagions which afflict Immunity. In the
future water will be distilled and purified
from all germs of disease, while air,
cleared of all noxious qualities, will be
admitted to ghms-eovered streets and
dwellings. Houses ami places of busi
ness will be situated in immense inclosed
edifices, tho nir which will be wholesome
and delightful to the sense of smell,
summer and winter will be abolished, as
the temperature can bo controlled by
artificial means, and nil parts of tlm
ulobo will become equally inhabitable.
Day will have no attractions over night,
for the artificial lights will be more
pleasing than the sun. The nir will he
navigated, and the groat cities l>e
situated on beautiful hilltops. With the
great motors shortly to bo diaoovMud,
hi lire nnrniOlnii can ho levelled, while
tlie ice packs around the two poh s can
be liquefied ami made navigable. Wild
as this seems, it is, as tins New York
Hour suggests, scarcely more so than
the present marvels of gas and water,
telegraphs and ocean cables would have
been to on Englishman of the time of
Elizabeth.
Attacked by a Ferocious Lion.
An nuderkcopor in n menagerie wns
attacked l>y n lion in Birmingham, Bug
land. Ho entered tbo cage in order to
clean it. To sojmrate the animals from
that part of the cage that was to bo
cleaned a wooden panel wns used. It
reached from the top to the floor of tho
cage, nml was about two inches in thick
ness. The uuderkoepnr, Harris by
name, does not ni>|ionr to have absolutely
closed the panel as he entered. Tho
largest lion -a powerful animal named
••Wallace"—sprang toward Harris, the
eliding panel gi.vo way from tho pressure,
and the man stood unprotected in front
of the lion, who with its mouth seized
the poor fellow by tho shoulder. Harris,
who had a broom in his hand, pluekily
defended himself for n few momenta by
sti iking the lion with the handle of tho
broom. But tho lion, clutching him with
one of its pa we, dashed him to the
ground and began gnawing at his body,
from which the blood was freely flowing.
The lion tamer, Alieumonsa, who was at
the opposite side of tho lmll, bearing the
commotion, ran to the rage. With the
utmost courage and coolness ho entered
the den, and twice tired his pistol, which
was loaded with blank cartridges. All
the time Harris was still beneath th*>
lion, who was tearing his flesh. The
pistol tiring had no effort whatever on
the animal; and seeing this, tho lion
tamer, who had w ith him a loaded whip,
began striking the animal w ith the butt
end of it on the head. He dealt tho lion
four or live blows, ami the last, hitting
the animal with terrific force between
the eyes, appeared to stun it. The lion
loosed Harris, who was instantly dragged
out of the cage. He was Weeding pro
fusely. but was not quite unconscious.
“ Homo, Sweet Home.”
In th(> spring of 18tid, two groat armies
were encamped on either aide of the
Rappahannock River, one dressed in
blue and the other in grew As twilight
fell the hands on the Union aide began
to play •' The Star Spangled Banner"
and “ Holly Round the Flag,” and that
challenge of music was taken up on the
other side, and they responded with
“The Bonnie Blue Flag” and “Away
Down South in Dixie.” It was boru in
upon the soul of a single soldier in one
of those bands of music to begin a
aweeter and more tender air, and slowly
a* he played it they joined in a sort of
chorus of the instruments upon the
Union side, until finally a mighty chorus
swelled up and down our army “ Home,
Sweet Home.’’ When they had finished
there was no challenge yonder, for every
V>and niton that further shore had taken
up the lovely air *o attuned to all that is
holiest and dearest, and one great chorus
of the two great hosts went up to God;
and when they had finished, from the
boys in grey came a challenge, “ Three
cheers for home!” and as they went
resounding through the skies from loith
aides of the river, something on sol
diers' cheeks washes! off the stains of
powder."— JV to York Ailthodtii.
Two Periods.
Behold her at eleven.
Her limbs unfettered by the long
skirts of conventionality, she, runs, she
romps, she slides on the ice ponds, she
rolls hoop, she climbs fences, she leaps,
she kicks, she runs races and is as fleet
of foot as the boys. Her appetite is
good, her checks rosy, and her move
ments unconsciously graceful.
Behold her again at twenty. Vo more
does she run or jump or roll hoops, run
races or slide on the ice. It is not
“proper” now nor ladylike, and she
couldn't if she would, for she is lettered
by long skirts, tight shoes and tighter
stays. Her movement has no longer the.
frecdoih and unconscious grace of child
hood, for now when she walks abroad
she walks to be looked at, which now in
her estimation ia the main object of
walking. Hlie is already in delicate
health, and lias a doctor xvho proscribes
expensive advice and prescriptions for
her and ascribes her complaint to any
thing and everything but the real cause.
That is simply the fettering of the body
with fashionable clothes. Physically
she is a prisoner. At eloven she was
free. The doctor advises travel, tint he
dosen’t advise her to take off and keep
oil her fashion able fetters. Hhe wouldn’t
do it if lie did, and he wouldn’t advise
her if be knew it would bring relief, for
she would no longer believe in a doctor
who would make her dress like a guy ;
anil being dressed like a “ guy ” is dress
ing different from the stylo prescribed
by a Paris modiste. Dinna never could
hunt in a trailing skirt, narrow, tight,
high-heeled gaiters, anil a pinched, cor
seted waist, but Dina was a belted tunic,
and unfettered limbs would ho bounced
off Broadway by tho nearest policeman.
Dressing for health and freedom of body
anil limb is one thing, and dressing for
fashion quite another. A man couldn’t
endure the pinching and encumbrances
peculiar to female attire for an hour, and
a pretty spectacle he’d make mailing
about in such during business hours. Yet
the “weaker sex” wear double the en
cumbrances of the so-called stronger.
To “ dress ” at all after the style takes up
half a woman’s time anil two-thirils of
her strength. —New York Graphic.
About Killing Brakenion.
Tho Hartford Courant, hi dwelling
upon tho importance of railroad com
panies using freight couples of a charac
ter that wiil not endanger the lives
of those who are compelled to do the
coupling, says :
"Each road that, in this civil zed day,
continues its hrakemen butchery is re
sponsible for it. Nobody denies that
the poor fellows are chopped and hacked
to pieces woefully every day Not a
quarter of the ‘ accidents’ to them get
into print. Indeed it has been even
commented on as remarkable that,
vhereaS in old times li.akenicn used to
work their way up to places of high re
sponsibility, suili thing now are rare.
The present hrakemen are said to be
rougher stuff. There are two good
reasons why promotions are less likely
than they used to he. One is that the
brakomau doesn’t live long enough, and
the other lies in the ‘rough stuff’ con
sideration, but the reason they are the
rougher stuff is that they arc brutalized
by the treatment theygot.
“ No other branch of industry lias ex
panded so much as freight transporta
tion lias with such disastrous results to
those personally engaged iu it. Asa
rule, when auy occupation grows in im
portance the circumstances of those en
gaged in it improve to correspond, fn
freight transportation this has been re
versed, and the braUomnn is worse off in
the full growth ami activity of the busi
ness than lie was when it was only be
ginning. It is all wrong, and in tho
name of humane trentmwut of f.-n-.n
men something ought to he done to
elieok the present wholesale butchery. ”
Just Filling His Pipe.
The brighter hours of good Bishop
Corbet have been very graphically de
scribed by one whokuew him well. Hie
Lordship's favorite companion was hi
chaplain, Dr. Lushingtoii. When the
business of the day was over, the Bishop
delighted to descend with this faithful
henchman into the cellar of the episco
pal palace, Corbet would then doff bis
hood, saying, "There lies the Doctor
he would then divest himself of bis
gown, adding, "There lies the Bishop. ’’
The glasses were tilled and the blast was
drunk. “ Here’s to thee, Liusliingtou,"
" Here's to thee, Corbet.”
The celebrated Dean Aldrich was tho
slave of bin pipe. There is a story iu
the biography of John Phillips, the poet,
which not only amusingly illustrates
this weakness on the part of the Dean,
but gives a curious glimpse of the free
and easy way in which the dons and un
dergraduates of those days used to live.
A senior student laid a wager with one
of his college chums that tho Dean was
at that moment smoking his pipe, that
instant being about 10 o’clock in ttie
morning. Away, therefore, he went to
the deanery, w here having made Ins way
into tho Dean’s study, ho explained the
reason of his appearance at so early an
hour. "Ah,” replied iho Dean, with
the utmost coolness, "you have lost
your wager, for I am cot smoking but
tilling my pipe." —From Temple liar.
Saddle Horses and Saddle Halts.
There is an increasing demand of late
for good saddle horses. The gsi's that
especially command a horse for use in
the saddle oro tlio walk, the fox trot, tlio
single foot and the rack. The walk is a
gait understood by everybody, but every
lash- dot's not understand that a good
saddle horse ought to be aide to go a
sipiare walk at the rate of five milea an
hour. The fox trot is faster than the
square walk and the horse will u-ually
take a few steps at this gait when chang
ing from n fast walk to a trot. The
single-foot differs somewhat from the fox
trot and has been described a* exactly
intermediate between the true trot and
the true walk. Each foot appears to
move independently of the other, with a
sort <if pit a-pat, ouc-at-a-time motion,
and it i* a muoH faster gait than the fox
trot. The rack is very nearly allied to
the true pacing gait, the difference being
that in the latter the hind foot keeps ex
act time with the fore foot of the same
side, making it what has l>een called a
literal or one-aide-at-a-time motion,
while in the former the hind foot touches
the ground slightly in advance of the fore
foot on the same side. The rack is not
so fast a gait as tha true pace, but is a
desirable gait in a saddle hone.—Va
tional Live Stock Journal.
Two young Canadians who nearly
killed themselves by blowing out the gaa
at a Bradford hotel, say they wonld doit
again rather than turn the light down
into the gas pipe and cause an explosion.
The innocents are abroad and ought to
be got homo as sjieedily as possible.
The man who was “ spell-bound” ob
taiuod relud by oouaultuig the Acuou
*ry-
With the Sandwich Islander* tear* ara
recognised as a sign of joy.
\ SOUND PHENOMENON.
Will I'nrlvif- Bi*ll mill WSlatlfi *l-arKr
NoinHlniM to Vary In Pltrti.
(From tho i'rovidoiict Journal.}
“When two trains, going in an op
jxisito direction at a rapid rato, meet
each other, with the engine bells ring
ing, or whistles blowing, a passenger of
the one train notices a marked variation
in the pitch of the bell or whistle of the
other train. When the sound first
strikes the ear, the pitch is at its highest.
Gradually it goes down as the train
ihv-.hes past, and the lowest pitch is
reached when the last notes fall on the
eat. Why is this?”
This qu -stion was propounded to an
engineer by an individual thirsting for
information.
“Tho question is simple enough,”
was the reply. “To start with, it is an
axiom w hich needs no proving that the
pitch of a sound depends on its number
of vibrations. Thus, while forty vibra
tions a s cond produce the lowest sound,
40,;;)d a second produce the highest.
Pitch rises with an increase of the num
ber of vibrations.
“A certain number of vibrations are
emitted by the bell or whistle during
the time the'train is running a certain
distance—oiy a quarter of a mile. Sup
pose each train runs this distance in half
a minute). Then, as the one train ap
proaches that in which the listening
passenger i; seated, all the vibrations
emitted during tho half-minute will
strike the ear in less than half a minute
(supposing, of course, that they can be
heard over so great a distance.) Tho
reason for this is that the first will not
bo heard until more than two seconds
after it lias been emitted, as the sound
will have to travel half a milo, while the
lust, will be heard the instant it is emit
ted, because the engine will then be
within a few feet of the ear. Thus,
thirty seconds’ vibrations will be heard
in twenty-eight seconds. When tho
trains are receding from each other, the
vibrations emitted durifig the half-minute
will take rather more than thirty-two
seconds to reach the ear, as that emitted
when the train is half a mile off will
have to travel to the ear.”
“Can you illustrate this to make it
plainer?” the engineer was asked.
“Certiinly I can. Supiiosc a man
with a rubber hose stands ten yards
from a tub. The capacity of his hose
enables him to squirt a pint of water per
second into that tub. But if, during,
sny, five seconds, ho walks up to the
tub, nil the while allowing his hose to
pour water into it, there will bo more
than five pints of water as the result of
that five seconds’ work. Tiiere will be
five pints, plus the quantity contained in
(lie etronra which would have fallen to
the ground if he had stood still and nt
the end of the live seconds turned the
cock, shutting off tho stream. By tho
approach of the whistle or bell of an en
gine a greater number of vibrations
meet the ear in a given time, just ai a
greater quantity of water readies tho
tub from the hose by the approach of
the ilozzle. And, accepting as correct
tho axiom that the greater number of
vibrations the higher the pitch, it will
be seen that when the trains approach
the ear gets more thm its due share of
vibrations per second, and when they
recede it gets less than its share.
The llight Time to Kiss.
An observant and i vidently discrimin
ating young reader of the Time. writes
to say that lie has read with lively snti
faetion the occasional expositions of kiss
ing in the various moods and tenses thnt
he, is still in doubt as to the right time to
begin kissing. He retails at some length
the embarrassments that, this uneertain
itv bus brought upon him, anil begs tho
publication 1 ,1 l,i toller in full, that,
others who are similarly situated may
contribute to tho discussion and thus
make the matter clear to those who are
willing but timid.
His own experience is not without cer
tain unique interest. He lias known
tho "thosweetest girl in the world” ever
since lie left school. Sho belongs to a
family that considers it a fir.it duty to
"live up to the dining-room dado and the
blue china” Unit garnishes the side
board and table. The mother holds kiss
ing in abomination and is fond of remark
ing that the "intellect is not fed through
the 1 1 Jim that a kiss :r a purely fleshly
jierversion of tho sweet intimacy of
msthetie love. Under such a'frowning
providence the young gir! he adores dis
plays an aversion to kissing him good
night, in welcoming him with this lover’s
privilege when ho comes of an evening
to take lior to church, the theater or
what not.
This, it will bo seen, is a rather trying
plight for a young lover—for a kiss is the
visible sign and token of an inner senti
ment winch no words can express. The
eyes and the tongue do a great deal of
appreciable work in love-making, buttlie
meeting of the lips is the sigu and seal,
the chrism, so to speak, which trans
forms the earthly into the divine. Love
without a kiss would be like the harp
without the hand, the rainbow without
its hue; the book without its babble; the
landscape without its colors; the tea-rose
—sweetest (lower for scent that blows—
without its oner; the borealis without its
variations; poetry w ithout rhythm;spring
without sunlight; a garden without, foli
age ormnrringo w ithout love. The young
woman whose ideals teach her to recoil
from u kiss cheats tho lover of the joys of
loving and does not deserve the devotion
of a manly heart. Hlie may live up to the
dining-room dado and the sideboard bric
a-brao. but she will never prove a con
genial wife, and our correspondent will
save his heart-strings many a future
wrench by leaving her to her dado and
bric-a-brac.— Ph iladelphia Time*.
Thkßi'i sident of the American Society
of Mechanical Engineers, Mr. B. H.
Thurston, points out ttiree fields for in
vention. iu which success must mean
fame and fortune. The lifst is some plan
for producing electricity, without loss,
directly from burning coal, with no in
tervention of special and costly apparatus
such as is now employed. The worker
in rho second field must find a plan to
produce the soft light of the fire fly in
such s manner as to be a practical and
ooiumerci.d success. Recent progress
lets nearly solved this problem. The
third go at field for invention is the
navigation of the air.
n-f wxehajtok thinks the cause of tem-
I perance will stand a poor show if a Ger-
I man chemist has discovered, as he says.
I how to make brandy from saw dust.
' There is not much chance for a temper
j anoe preacher to get in his work when
I "a man can take Ids ripsaw and go out
I arid get drunk on a fence rail. ” But there
i is really nothing to prevent bis getting
I drunk on a fence rail or any other un
i comfortable place, eveu if Germau
: science has not made tliis new discovery.
I It men were to get drunk on fence rails
■ instead of in front of bars, as they do
! uow, it might net bo so comfortable, but
thiy wouldn't get drunk so often.
| CoMintrsavD gun powder, cot in short
lengths to lit the drill holes, is found by
experiment to have many advantages,
among which is a saving of AO per cent
iu powder.
Baiting Will* Minnow*.
For a long time Mr. Furness studied
upon some plan to crush the milkman
a.id make him acknowledge the fraud he
had lieen practicing for months, and at
last an idea struck him. He hunted up
his son’s fish pole and started for the
lake, end- after some three hours of
patient fishing on the Government break
water returned home with half a dozen
perch, that would average shout four
inches in length, and placed them in the
aquarium. Then he told the hired girl
to be sure and call him early enough in
the morning so that he could go out and
get the milk when the milkman came
along. he wanted to see the
milkman poetic übirly, on business, and
she said sh£ would be sure anil call him,
and she dim About seven o’clock there
was a rush of wheels, the jangle of a
hell and the milkman was at the door.
Mr. Furness seizod the pitcher and
then rushed to the aquarium. Only
ttiree of the fish were alive, the others
having died during the night. Mr.
Furness seized the live ones, thrust them
into the pitcher and rushed out. By
holding the pitcher pretty high up, the
milkman waH prevented from seeing
what was in it, and he poured in the
milk, all unconscious of the trap that
was laid. Mr. Furness then handed
over the milk ticket and said, it beat all
what weather wo were having this fall.
Tho milkman said he never saw such
weather since the fall of '47, when there
w-as a period of seven weeks that the
sun never shone.
“For goodness sake, my friend,” said
Mr. Furness, “what on eartli is in this
milk ?”
“I don’t inow, I’m sure,” said the
milkman; ’Mot’s see.” And he bent
over and looked into tlio pitcher.
“Why, it’s something alive I” ex
claimed Mr. Furness.
“Here," said the milkman, “let’s
pour it out.’’ And he took the top off
a milk can and hold it while Mr.
Furness ponroii out the contents of the
pitcher.
“Fish, by tlie Lord Hurry I” said the
astonished milkman.
“Well, I should sap fish !” ejaculated
Mr. Furness, indignantly, and looking
at the milkman in a searching manner.
“What does it mean?”
“I’m blessed if I know,” said the floor
milkman, helplessly.
“Well, I’m sure / don’t,” said Mr.
Furness.
There was a long pause, anil then Mr.
Furness said :
“I want you to tell me candidly, now,
just how much Water you put in your
milk and Whether you put iu anything
else besides-water.”
“ Well, you see, sometimes I am a
little short. When I have milk enough
to go around to all my customers I ilou’t
put in any water ; but when I have sale
for—well siv—a huuilrod quarts, ami
only have ninety or ninety-live quarts of
milk—well, I can’t afford to lose my
customers, you know.”
“Are you short very often ?” Mr. Fur
ness asked.
“Well, no—not very often,” and the
man blushed and moved uneasily on the
sent.
“Isee the subject is becoming pain
ful,” said Mr. Furness, stiffly, “and I
will not pursue it further. But don’t
you think (hat hereafter you cau fur
nish me With a little purer article of
milk, and we will let by gones be by
gones.”
“Yes, sir. I think I can.”
They bad* each other good morning,
and ever siice then the milk furnished
the Furness family has been almost pure
cream.— Path's Sun.
A Greenhorn’s Irish Experience.
A story yin- told of nn Englishman whe
landed in Dublin filled with apprehen
sion that the life oi any loval subject oi
Her Majesty was not north a farthing
there anil thereabouts. The Land
Leaguers, lie imagined, were all blood
thirsty assassins, and all that sort of
thing. But it was bis duty to travel j n
the land—a duty ho approached with fear
and trembling.
Now there happened to bo on liis route
a number of towns, the names of which
begin with the suggestive syllable
“Kil.” Tlfere was Kilmartin, anil soon.
Iu his ignorance of geographical nomen
clature his affriglited senses were startled
anew on hearing a fellow-jiassenger in
the railway carriage remark to another
as follows :
"I am just after bein’ over to Kilpat
rick.”
“And I.” replied the other, “am
afthcr bein’ over to Kilmday. ”
" What murderers they are ! ” thought
the Englishman. “And to think that
they talk of their assassinations so pub
licly ! ” But the conversation went on.
“And where are ye goin' uow?”
asked assassin No. 1.
“I’m goin’ home, anil then to Kill
more,” was No. 2's reply. The English
man’s blood curdled.
" Kilmore, is it?” added No. 1.
“ You’d betther be cornin’ along wid me
to Kilumanle.” It is related that the
Englishman left the train at tho next
station.
Whittier’s First Poem.
Whittier's first attempt at poetry was
made when about seventeen years of age,
and tho manuscript copy was taken from
his loom by his sister, without his knowl
edge, and was given to John Morse, the
paper earlier of the district at that time,
.Moore being enjoined to carefully place
the copy in Garrison’s office, and to pre
serve the utmost secrecy regarding the
author. On the occasion of his next
visit to Newbury oort, Morse e rejit quietly
up the stairs leading to Garrison’s office,
and placed the copy beneath the door,
where it was found by Garrison, and a
few days later published in the Fire
Press." This p >em, the original manu
-cript copy of which is said to lie now in
the iHissession of the publisher of the
Portland Transcript, was styled by
Whittier, "A Paraphrase About the
Prophet Elijah. ”
The day following the publication of
this poem, Whittier was engaged with
his uncle in rwjmiriug a stone w all that
bad l>een torn down by sheep, and when
the Free Press was tossed to him from
the road by Morse, Whittier opened it
to obtain a view of its contents, when,
lo arid liehold, there was his first poem
standing out boldly at the head ot the
column. Whittier was transfixed with
delight, and stood motionless, gazing at
the precious lines, until liis sublime rev
erie was broken by his nncle. who, lean
ing over the wall, bade him drop the
paper sad return to his work. En
o 'ttraged bv the success ot his first ef
fort, Whittier wrote several poems
which appeared successively iu the Free
Press, Haverhill Gazette, and Boston
Statesman.—Boston Star.
A stkangkr, on taking his seat in the
pit of a theater, accosted a gentleman
who sat near him, with: "Pray, sir,
have you a bill?” When, to the
stranger's amazement, the gentleman,
starting from a reverie in which he had
been plunged, exclaimed ; " No, lir.bnt
I have two next week and both unpro
vided for.”
Care of a Cold.
There are some few constitutions that
need the old remedy of feeding a cold,
hut these are chiefly elderly folks, or
those young ones who never have any
great amount of vitality at any time.
There is a peculiar hoarse and loose
stomachic cough in middle life, that has
been cured by plentiful sprinklings of
cayenne pepper over every article of
food that could bear it, and liy good
feeding. Here a stimulus was needed.
Here two or four grains of quinine do
good. But for one eaae where beef es
sence or beefsteak, with red pepper, is
of use, there ate a hundred that aro re
lieved by slacking off digestive work.
The dull, congested lungs and the scar
let throat of an inflammatory cold aro
very near neighbors to the digestion.
When the bellows are wheezing or
choked, do not put in much work at the
forge. Grapes are refreshing and are
said to have a specific action on the
nerves of the throat and lungs. There
fore feed vour cold and sore throat on
grapes. Drink milk for thirst aud let it
take the place of all cooked food and of
all meats. It is the one food that is
meat and drink. When there is the
slightest approach to pneumonia, any
thing like a chill or contact with a
cliilied surface may be fatal. There
fore do not bring cold milk to such a
sufferer any more than you would ice
water, which has acted as a death war
rant before now. Take the chill off the
milk by heating it nearly to a scalding
point. ” Do not let it boil ; for the few
people who enjoy the taste of boile.l
milk there are many to whom tho
“skin” on the top is disliked. It
should be “milk” warm, that is about
the temperature of blood. There is so
much in nursing a congested cold, litng
inflammation, or the heavy cold that
produces nausea, that nursing is half
tho cure. Avoid all sudden changes of
temperature or draughts in the room. Do
not throw open the window to air it,
but contrive to secure a supply of fresh
air iu an indirect way. Get the fresh
air into the entry of the next room, aud
then coax it into the sick-room, behind
a screen or in such a way that there is
no sudden chance in temnerature.
Canes
The New York World interviewed a
cane merchant, who said: “Styles in
canes ? Why, they change almost as
often as the cut of women’s dresses do,”
said a manufacturer of walking-sticks
yesterday. “ I have been iu this busi
ness since it was established by my
father in 1841, and during that time I
have learned that new shapes in sticks
must be invented every year. A good
cane is an old man’s friend, and ft hand
some one is a youug man’s pride. One
may as well be out of the world as out
of the fashion, and the young man now
adays who doesn’t carry a ‘ crook ’ may
as well go to the nearest dock and throw
himself into the river. When I say
crook, 1 moan the latest thing out in
canes. It is in similiar shape to the
curved-handle stick, which has always
been in vogue, but generally carried by
old gentlemen. There are two styles,
the shepherd’s crook, shaped like a fish
hook, and tho Zulu crook, a plain curved
handle. Both styles originated on the
other side, as do most of the fashions in
canes. The Zulu is from Paris, aud the
shepherd from London. They were in
troduced there last spring, and took the
place of the crutch which was so popu
lar last year.- These new styles are
made from natural woods with handles,
and yet there are a great many made
with chamois or buffalo-horn handles.
Wiieu I was a young man, a whale-bone
cano was tho proper thing, and since
then there have been the agate topped
Malacca, the bamboo and barked (kicks
of different shapes. Tbe makers here
get woods from all over the world, tho
most expensive being the Malacca,
which comes from the swamps in the
straits of Malacca, and the leopard wood,
olive, and snake wood from Africa.
America can supply the wants of the
world for pretty barked wood. For
canes, the ash plant, very popular
aiaong Englishmen, comes from Great
Britain, whore it is cultivated to a great
extern for cane use alone. When used
ns a walking stick it is never varnished,
but carried just as it was pulled. The
fancy woods (such as Malacca, Penang
anil Wnukee bamboos) aro generally
mounted in gold or silver, with ham
mered heads, and often cost as much as
$30.”
fhe Stature of Different Races of Men
In comparing races as to their stature
we concern ourselves not with the tallest
or shortest men of each tribe, but with
the ordinary or average-sized men who
may bo taken as fair representatives of
their whole tribe. The difference of
general stature is well shown where a
tall and short people come together in
me district. Thus in Australia the av
erage English colonist of five feet eight
inches looks clear over the heads of the
five feet four-inch Chinese laborers.
Still more iu Sweden does the Swede
>f five feet seven inches tower over the
stunted Lapps, whose average measure
is not much over five feet. Among the
tallest of mankind arc the Patagonians,
who seemed a race of giants to the Eu
ropeans who first watched them striding
dong their cliffs draped in their skin
cloaks; it was even declared that the
heads of Magalkeau’s men hardly
reached the waist of the first Patagonian
they met. Modern travelers find on
measuring them, that they really’ often
reach six feet four inchs, their mew
.light tv iug about five feet eleven inches
—three or four inches taller than the av
srage Englishman.
The shortest of mankind are the Bush
men and related tribes in South Africa,
with an average liight not far exceeding
four feet 6ix inches. Asa fair contrast be
tween the tallest and shortest races of
maukiud it may be stated that if a Pata
gonian and Bushman stood side by side,
the latter's head would only reach to the
breast of the former.
Thus, the tallest race of man is less
than one-fourth taller than the shortest,
a fact that seemß surprising to those not
used to measurements. In general, the
itature of the women of any race may be
taken as about one-sixteenth less than
Chat of the men. Thus, in England, a
man of five feet eight inches and a
woman of five feet four inches look an
vrdinary well-matched couple.
Surface Accomplishments.
That reading does not necessarily
ir ake a eulfivated person is a truth not
generally apparent, even to conscien
tious readers who suppose them selves to
be going through a process of cultiva
tion. There is comparatively small
pleasure in talking of book and subjects
connected with literature with an uncul
tured person, however he may be in the
habit of reading; while in the presence
of cultivated m n and women, almost
the first word reveals that the reading
has been assimilated and become a pan
of their mental substance, so to speak,
and there is felt at once a oommon
ground to move upon, an unspoken un
derstanding of each other’s point of view.
—Atlantic MonUiiu
ZEKE’S MAD BIDE.
on , Bay Tried In Count lh Bir In
Ike Man* of rrljhleilMl Hori-.
[From th rhilnlalphai Timet.]
Zeke was thought to be the dunce of
tho family. He wasn’t dull exactly, but
because of his quiet ways and liis love of
sleep he got to be known as the most back
ward of the bright Bumwell boys. Zeke
was so lazy that he couldn't count, though
twelve years ol age. When, along about
noon, his father would say: “ Run,
Zeke, and tell me what time it is, ’ Zeke
would look at the clock and remark :
“ Little hand’s a stickin’ straight up I
One day Jerry, tho black man, made fun
of Zokc, saying: “G’lang wid ye, yo
do'au know yer foot from a hole in do
ground; g’way from heah en larn to
count up yer A B and a, ” What Jerry said
made the hid feel ashamed. That night
he covered his head with a quilt, and
said to himself that he wished a bugaboo
would catch him by the toes and take him
to the bad place.
As he was feeding the horses next
morning he asked his friend Joe, the
stableman, how he could learn to count.
Joe laughed and winked at a big horse
named Bob. “Why, yon pester you,
why don’t you get up onto Bob’s back
aud count them air hairs in his mane?”
That made Zeke’s blood feel hot Ju his
face. “All right,” he said, and bound
ing from the hay-mow he lighted upon
Bob’s back. Bob was taken by surprise,
He wasn’t in the habit of having boys
on his back at breakfast, so he started on
a wild run. If Zeke couldn’t count he
could ride a horse as a swallow rides the
air. Away went Bob out the lane and
up the country road. Zeke grasped a
handful of the mane and began to pick
out the black threads.
“One, two, three, four, five—but
just as he Was about to say six a violent
jerk of the horse’s head drew the mane
from his hand. Nothing daunted, how
’ever, the boy began again. Bob was run
ning up the road at full speed.
“Hal ha!” hallooed a man by the
roadside, “ wliat are you doin’?”
“Countin’ hairs,”said Zeke.
“What a little fool!” exclaimed the
man; “ho might as iyell try to number
the hairs of my head, but before he could
get through with his job every hair
would be gray. ”
But the dashing horse and his bold
rider were out of hearing and out of
sight. They went steadily on for nearly
an hour. Zeke had counted a thousand
end Bob’s ran had dropped into a swift
trot.
“Hold on,” said a gentleman whom
they met on the bridge; “where are
you going to without saddle or bridle ?”
“Counting the hairs of the horse’s
mane,” replied Zeke, never looking up.
“ Why don’t you count the hairs of
his tail?” roared the gentleman, with
much merriment; but on sped Bob with
Zeke bending closely over liis neck.
Boon afterward the frightened horse
came to the Schuylkill River. Into the
water he trotted, and soon he was swim
ming for the other shore. This Zeke had
not expected. The shock of tile Cold
water caused him to forget bis count, and
he was obliged to cling to the mane to
save his life. “ Anyhow-,” Zeke said, “I
find the mane of some use.” When Bob
reached the other bank he kept on as
madly as before, but seeing that his
rider was more than a match for him, he
at last stopped short and began to turn
the head toward Zeke. Meanwhile Zeke
had given over his attempt to count the
hairs of the mane. Wliat he was thinking
about was how he could procure a bridle.
His hands still grasped the hairs, which
felt so smooth and strong that the lad de
cided to try and make a bridio out of
them. With his jackknife he succeeded
in cutting off several strands, whioH
tied and twisted together in a clumsy
fashion. A stick of crooked oak, whit
tled smoothly, served as a bit. Zeke
looked with pride upon his odd pieces of
harness, and he was delighted when Bob,
responding to a pull of the rein, trotted
off homeward. That night Zeke ate his
supper in pain in bed, but the strange
adventure so worked upon his mind that
it resulted In good. Ho applied himself
to his books, and now he is professor in
one of tho best colleges of the country.
The Weight of a Million Dollars.
In answer to an inquiry liy Assistant
Secretary French, the" Government
Actuary” Mr. E. B. Elliott, has fur
nished the following information as to
tho weight of a million standard gold
dollars and that of the same num
ber of staudard silver dollars :
The standard gold dollar of the
United States contains of gold of nine
tenths fineness 25.8 grains, and the
standard silver dollar contains of silver
of niue-teutlis fineness 412.5 grains.
One million standard gold dollars,
consequently, weigh 25,800,000 grains,
or 53,70 U ounces troy, or 4,479 1-6
pounds troy of 5,700 grains each, or
3,685.71 pounds avoirdupois, of 7,000
grains each, or 1,843-1,000 “ short ” ton
of 2,000 pounds avoirdupois each, or
1,645-1,600 " long” tou of 2,240 pounds
avoirdupois each.
One million standard silver dollars
weigh 412,500,000 grains, or 859,375
ounces troy, or 71,614.58 pounds troy,
or 58,928.57 pounds avoirdupois, or 29
464 1,000 “short” tonß of 2,000 pounds
avoirdupois each, or 26 307-1,000
‘‘long”tonß of 2,240 pounds avoirdu
piois each.
In round numbers the following table
represents the weight of a million dol
lars in the coins named :
Description of Coin. Tons
Standard gold coin. 19$
Standard silver ooin. 26Jjf
Subsidiary silver coin 25
liincr ooin, 5-oent nickel 100
What Influences Digestion.
There are certain substances upon
which the gastric juice exerts no action,
and it should be remembered that
whatever goes through the stomach un
touched passes undissolved through the
whole of the alimentary canal. The
frequency with which such substances
as dried” currants and appie pips are
passed unaltered is familiar enough to
all. Indigestible substances are oc
casionally retained in the stomach, caus
ing pain, indigestion and irritation for
days and days together. Thera aje
avoid, what to wear, where and how to
live, by what means to avoid infection,
to keep off disease, and to escape death
for a few weary and worried years are
questions which engross the thoughts,
if they do not embitter the lives, of tne
multitude, that the projiosirion, "Is a
sanitary life worth living?” has come
e be a subject of serious contemplation,
and odc which the taxed and harassed
community will sooner or later be com
pelled to entertain.— Dr. J M. Gran
ville, in the Spectator.
Lord Derby has ten men servants in
the house and about forty more domes
tics feeding daily at his board. Suppos
ing to-morrow fie and his wife should
agree to struggle along on SIOO.OOO a
year he could save at least SBOO,OOO a
year; while were the Dukes of West
minster, Devonshire and Bedford to do
likewise their savings would be still
greater. Supposing Lord Derby to save
at this rate for thirty years what an arch*
millionaire he would become I
HUMORS OF THE DAY.
“If time ia money,” what ia etet
nity?
It has just come to light that Georgs
Washington once lied—in ambnah.
Most matches are sulphurous f love
matches always spring into a flame.
If the throwing of a eky rocket is not
a light sentence, it is at least a light sent
hence.
A barf, foot is a good tacks collector;
but the owner groans as the iron enters
his sole.
Bored of under-writers—the man who
yawningly reads a long list of signatures
to a petition.
Ik friendship the strongest attach
ment yields to money. In law, money
yields to the strongest attachment.—
Texas Siftings.
Modestt : The masked burglar is a
modest creature. He covers his face
that he iusy not be witness to his own
wickedness.
A bitter number-*-^ui nine. A sweet
number—sixteen. An sesthetio number
—two. A bad number fd? A boarding.
house—eight.
“ Is tiiat tte cuckoos’s roiecj I hear?”
Said Juliet at her casement. ,
And Romeo said: “Of course, not, dear; \
The cook is in the basement.”
— Son Francisco Wcsp. j
No matter how rich a young man
may be, he always prefers mending his
suspenders with cord, to purchasing a
new pair.— Ptich.
A Michigan man deserted his wife
“because she was deaf and dumb.”
Men lit-tle know when they have a treas
ure in the house.— St. Louia Post.
If Lot’s wife had any children, would
they be tbe salt of the earth?— Pall
River Advance. No, they would belong
to an odd Lot after their mother had
been salted away.— Steubenville Herald.
First Fresh—“ How did the Me
morial Hall election come out ?” Second
Fresh—“Oh, Carver had 11 votes. Salt
ora!), and Scattering 516.” First Fresh
Then Scattering got it.”
“Ah ! what has become of your son ?
Haven’t, seen him lately.” “He’s at
tached to a banking-house as cashier.”
“Attached? Oh 1 I see—they tie ’em
up so they can’t run- away. Capital
idea I”
How is it that when a young lady runs
off and marries a coachman, everybody
generally, and her parents in particular,
raise old Cain about it, and nothing at
all is ever said when a bride marries a
groom ?
There seems to be some discussion as
to whether a man should squeeze his
girl hard or soft. About the right thing
is a happy medium ; that is, squeeze her
both rb hard and's oft as you can,— Wit
and Wisdom.
The following remark is made by the
New York Commercial: “The majority
of sculptors have a cast in their eye.”
And would lead one to suppose that
sculptors who teach their art have very
bad pupils.
Mart Jane wants a recipe for pre
serving the hflir. Certainly. Use white
sugar, “ pound for pound, ” add enough
water to make a heavy syrup, add the
hair and four ounces of olemargarine,
boil, strain and put up in glass or stone
jars.— Hartford Times.
A religious fanatic of our acquaint
ance will not partake of spring lamb be
cause they are addicted to gamboling.—
Toledo American. And the. same mau
goes about looking very sheepish about
it.— Cambridge Tribune. Wether this
is true or not we can’t say, bnt if it is,
ewe must be the om.—Steubenville
Herald. ,
A Talc of Texas. i
The late Capwi. j,™ es M. Armstrong,,
of! Texas—as honesAwtia j/oWotfe . mt#
ns ever lived in any age or • a '
migrated from Fayette County, Ken
tucky, to Texas, when scarely arrived at
manhood, immediately after tke Repub
lic had been organized. He was a quiet,
but very shrewd and observing youth.
Soon after liis arrival at Nacodoches, he
found out that the refugees from justice
(from "the States”), who were then
quite numerous iu that place, were in
the habit of holding, from time to time,
at night, what they called “ The Awful
Court, ” Every new comer was arrested
—-generally when he least suspected it, —
was brought before the “court,” which
oat with an imposing array of officers
and spectators in a secluded room, was
arraigned and asked ; "What made you
come to Texas ?” If, in his reply, he
didn't admit that he came as a refugee
from justice because he bad committed
rome crime, the judge would order him
to bo whipped until he confessed : and
whee he had confessed he was sen
tenced to treat the crowd. No new
comer was permitted to claim that- he
was innocent, and came of his own free
will. If the party arrested, however,
answered promptly’, stating some oriiue
that lie had committed before leaving
“the States,” and giving time, place,
and circumstances, he was at onco dis
charged without costs. "The Awful
Court” was generally presided over bv
one L., who was known to have robbed
a gold mining company, which was the
immediate cause of liis leaving Georgia.
One day, in conversation, he observed
to young Armstrong:
“ Young man, we will have
you up before our * Awful Court. ’ ’
Armstrong, with an air pf surprise
and diffidence, said he hoped pot, ana
passed on. On the night of that Ter >
day he was arrested and led throng I’
devious ways to where "The Awi'U
Court” was sitting. Although the hour
was late, the dimly lighted court-room
nas throDged. In a few moments the
presiding judge ordered him to stand up,
old then in a distinct voice, before the
hut bed audience, put the following
question :
"Young man, what made you com* to
fexas ?”
Armstrong replied hesitatingly, with
an air of embarrassment: “It was such
a mean little thing that I don’t want to
tell about it.”
The question was calmly put a second
time, and received the same answer.
Thereujion the presiding judge sternly
remarked :
" I now ask vou for the third and last
time, what made you come to Texas ?”
Armstrong responded with apparent
confusion : “If I must toll I most. ■-
stole a sheep.”
“Stole a sheep!” exclaimed the pre
siding jmige, in real astonishment.
"Stole a Men, did you eveT
hear of the like? Young man, what
made you steel a sheep ?”
Armstrong drily replied : “ Because
they who came to Texas ahead of me
left nothing else iu the criminal Une
to do.”
“ The prisoner's discharged and tne
court adjourned.” said Judge L. '* Men.
it’s my treat.”
When Captain Armstrong was in com
mand of a volunteer company of Tex l2 ;
m Louisiana, in 1364, the writer learner
from him that the above was literal*. -
true.— Texas Sifting*.
Mr. Teudbn’s tailor bill is said to aver
age $3,00Q g year, and ha hke
little man.