Newspaper Page Text
The saving bank deposits in Maine
average $6G.G8 for every man, woman
and child of the population.
“At last in Wyoming,” exclaims the
New York Independent, “we have one
State which allows impartial suffrage to
men and women, and where it has al-
ways worked well.”
The London (England) Standard says:
“The death of General Fremont deprives
America of a romantic personality which
it can ill afford to lose in these prosaic
times. His name will live in history,”
The L nited States commissioner ol
patents estimated that from six to
seven-eighths of the entire manufac¬
turing capital of the country, or six
thousand millions of dollars, is direct¬
ly or indirectly based upon patents.
The incredible story comes from Iowa
that a pretty girl has run away from
home to avoid practicing or. the piano.
She said that she had no talent for music,
and preferred to help her mother with
the housework. There are very few such
girls to be found anywhere, and, the
Prairie Farmer suggests, some nice young
man should hunt up the Iowa lass and
marry her as soon as possible.
The people of Japan will hereafter have
their greatest political anniversary very
near our own Fourth of July. On the
fir=t of July 5,000,000 of them voted for
the first time for members of a national
legislature. The results of this new step in
political progress will be watched with
deepest interest in this country. Jap¬
anese islands occupy geographically much
such a position on'the Pacific as the Brit¬
ish Isles do in Europe. The strides that
their people have made in civilization
mark them as the Saxon race of Asia,
and perhaps as great a future awaits them
as did the Anglo-Saxon race, for ages
sunk in barbarism long after civilization
of its kind had flourished and decayed in
Egypt, in Rome and in Greece.
It is a noteworthy fact that the cession
of Heligoland is really the capsheaf in
the unification of Germany, regarding
Heligoland, from its geographical stand¬
point, as German soil. It was Prince
Bismarck’s ambition to add this little
atom of territory to the Empire which
he created. Its possession by England,
although not originally seized from Ger¬
many, was a rankling thorn in the side
of the German nation, like Gibraltar to
Spain, Malta to Italy, Aden to Arabia,
and such as Calais was for centuries to
France. The floating of the British flag
over the long outpost in the North Sea
has been a perpetual reminder to the
world of Prussia’s great humiliation, and
its surrender is the crown of Prussia’s
triumph.
“The progress made in the develop¬
ment of the trottinghorseis,” in the esti¬
mation of the Washington Star, “one of
the most wonderful evidences that mod¬
ern times gives of the value of brains
when applied to the affairs of daily life.
Take up your paper any morning during
this season and you will read of horses
almost, or quite unknown, making
‘marks’ far inside the twenties, and there
are dozens of trotters and pacers who
have touched the fifteen mark, or
are known to be able to do so if pushed.
Yet it was only the other day that we
threw up our hats when we heard that
Dexter had broken the world’s trotting
record by making a mile in 2:17^. A
little of the same sense applied to the de¬
velopment of the human race would be
no bad thing.
It is disclosed by a lawsuit in Sac
Francisco, states Frank Leslie's Xcus-
paper, that a number of millionaire min¬
ing kings and business men in Western
States agreed to furnish from $1000 to
$10,000 apiece to have their pictures and
biographies printed in a publication
styled “Chronicles of the Kings.” The
thirst for fame and notoriety, so common
in this country, is especially common
among that large class of Americans who
have, as the saying goes, “more money
than brains.” And yet, nowadays, it
ordinarily takes brains to make money.
The only surprising feature about the
matter is that in view of the constant ex¬
posures of schemes of this sort to obtain
money from the wealthy on the promise
that they will bring them into public no-
tic©, there still remain men of means, if
not of intelligence, who submit to being
imposed upon by unscrupulous adven-
turws.
According to the Boston Cultivator,
France seems to be one of the most
prosperous nations of the earth. Only
13 per cent, of the real estate is under
mortgage, while In Germany it is esti-
mated that 80 per cent, of the land is
mortgaged at about half its total valu¬
ation. 1 here is less emigration from
I ranee than from any other country.
Almost every Frenchman seems wedded
to his native land, believes in it, works
for it arm protects it with a persistent
industry and a frugal economy.
The ( liureh 1 inies of London re¬
cently printed a unique death notice.
It was as follows: “On the 17th
inst., promoted from the kindergarten
of earth to the High School of Para¬
dise, the swjct soul of Mary Sophia
Horsley, wife of the Rev. J. W. Hors-
ley, Holy Trinity, Woolwich.” The
conception of Heaven as a high school,
comments the New York Tribune,
hardly commends itself to Christians
generally, who rather look upon
Ueaven as a long vacation after the
school of earth.
The Sail Francisco Chronicle says:
“I)r. BroAvn-Sequard will probably
find that it is very difficult to revive a
collapsed sensation. His elixir of life
made a great stir when he first sprang
it on the public, but experiments
showed that it would not do Avhat Avas
claimed for it. The guinea pigs suf¬
fered to no purpose, and it is extreme¬
ly doubtful whether any physicians
Avill be found ready to test his later ex¬
periments. In fact the elixir is about
as dead as the blue-glass craze which
swept the country several years ago.”
It shows that the advance in science
is not limited to Europe and America,
remarks the San Francisco Chronicle,
when the authorities of Algeria and
Tunis forbid pilgrimages to Mecca be-
cause cholcra is raging in Arabia.
Twenty years ago the pilgrims would
have started out with full faith that
Allah Avould preserve them. The in¬
variable result was the spreading of
cholera over Western Europe, Now,
with the rigid enforcement of quaran¬
tine, it is possible to confine the dis-
ease to a single country, has been
done in the case of Spain.
Munsey’s Weekly has arrived at the
conclusion that “it is a great thing to
he a queen, or even an ex-queen. The
Queen Dowager of Portugal recently
went shopping in Paris, and ordered,
among other trifles, a thousand pairs
:>f shoes and seventy Worth dresses.
The dresses Avere lost on the way to
Lisbon, but her majesty aa*es not much
disturbed, and immediately ordered
seventy more dresses, The grand
scale upon which this lady does her
shopping may be partly explained by
the fact that her bills are paid by the
nation to which she does the favor of
belonging to it.”
The great importance of telegraphy
can be clearly seen from statistics late¬
ly published. It is shown that there arc
2,000,000 miles of land lines existing,
valued at 8210,000,000. The cables
belonging to governments are 13,178
miles long, and are valued at $20,000,-
000. The cable companies liaA'e 107 >-
000 miles of cables, costing $180,000 r
300, and have a total capital of $20 r
300,000. The gross expenaiture of
land lines and cables has been over
$500,000,000. All this has been cre-
ated during the last fifty years, and
most of the submarine cable portion
luring the last twenty-live vears.
The utilization of water power for
electric purposes lias just begun to be
regarded with the attention it deserves.
The returns of the 1880 census gave
the number of water wheels in the
country as 55,404,representing a horse
power cf 1,225,379, or 35.93 per cent,
of the total power employed for in¬
dustrial purposes. An official calcu¬
lation of the horse power obtainable
from the rivers and streams of this
country shows it to be over 2,000,000,
and with the help of electricity fully
fhe per cent, of this ought to be util¬
ized. In places like Rochester, Kear-
ney, Spokane Falls and Niagara Falls
we may shortly look for immense de¬
velopments of poAA-er. Colonel AVhit-
temore of the Government arsenal at
Hock Island proposes to transmit
power electrically from forty-one
wheels, the dam for which is now be¬
ing built. He will connect these
wheels directly with dynamos and car-
rj the current to distant Shops.
A FT O ATI *>!>Lj VP TC T \ VITA
** *
--
Remarkable Freak of Nature in
a Vermont Lake.
Over 100 Acres of Moveable
Land. With Trees For Sails.
The floating island in Sadawga Lake,
in (ho tow. of Whittlng!..n., Vt., is
one of (homos, remarkable freak, of
nature and one of the greatest curiosi¬
ties in the world. The island contains
over 100 acres, and it actually floats
upon the top of the water. There is
no doubt about it. It is not attached
to the mainland or any part of the
lake.
^ act tba * ^ rea % floats on the
water was made evident last year. At
tbat time a 8tone dam was bui,t at tlie
ontIet of tbe la Le over six feet high,
whlch raised the water a little more
than six feet - When the S ates Avere
sllllt an<i the water for the fl l ' st time
began to rise in the lake, there Avas
great curiosity to 6ee whether the
island would be submerged or rise
with the Avater. It took about 48
hours for the water in the lake to rise
to the top of the dam, and it Avas then
discovered Ujjut the island presented
exactly the same appearance that it
did when the water was six feet low¬
er. There is no part of the island that
has ever been more than two or three
feet above the surface of the water.
Therefore, if it did not float Avhen the
lake Avas raised six feet by this new
dam, it Avould have been entirely sub¬
merged.
Since the water was raised this great
mass of land has floated about mor e
readily than it previously did. Por-
tions of it, containing from one to
three acres, have been broken away
from the main island, and go swim¬
ming around independently, There
are four such pieces. Three of them
are close together, and already 50 or
60 rods to the northeast of the main
island. Sometimes they are five or six
rods apart. Then again they will be
all in a cluster, the smaller ones float¬
ing around faster than the larger ones,
as the wind carries them more easily.
The great main island, which con¬
tains over 100 acres, moves about
slowly. The prevailing winds are
from the south and west, and after it
has blown hard for a day or t avo the main
island is found to have changed its po¬
sition several rods. Sometimes it will
be near the cast shore, and then again
it moA’es over toward the west. It
never has come nearer than a quarter
of a mile of the north shore.
I here is a small forest of tamarack
trees giwing upon this remarkable
Bland. Some of them are more than
twenty-five feet high. They are in a
thrifty condition, and are of large size
at the butt. Smaller trees of the same
kind are rapidly growing up beside
them. The wonder is how- the roots
of these trees arc nourished, The
lake is situated in marshy surround¬
ings on the southwest side, and it is
supposed that there is vegetable mat¬
ter enough in the water to keep
tiie grass in healthy condition. Cran¬
berry bushes grow- in great luxuriance.
In some places they are so thick that
it is difficult to pass through them, and
the berries, Avhich are of the Avild sort,
are gathered in large quantities by the
natives that li\*c about the islands.
•Aider berries and a great variety of
natiA-e Aveeds grow- on all parts of the
island. The surface is spongy, and in
many places soft, but there are other
parts of it where it is comparatively
solid.
I here is no difficulty in getting
upon the island, although in some
places persons Avho visit it have to be
careful that they do not sink through
it-—[Boston Globe.
A Vermont Custom.
One of the oldest things I ha\*e
heard lately was told me yesterday by
Silas Fletcher of St. Albans, Vt. It
seems that the Green Mountains divide
Vermont into two nearly equal, though
irregular, portions, The law- makes
the range the dividing line between
the two Congressional districts, but
there is no similar provision as to the
two Senators. Nevertheless, there is
always a Senator from the east side
and one from the west. In the same
way the Governors alternate, being in¬
variably chosen first from one side
and then from the other. It is this
custom that prevents the renominatiou
of a Governor.—[New York Star..
Slept for Four Months.
Patrick Median, 22 years old, an in-
mate of the insane department of the
Philadelphia Hospital, has just atvak-
ened from a sleep of four months,
recognized those about him, and asked
for the attendant who was with him
when he sank into his slumber, says a
Philadelphia dispatch to the Boston
Herald lie came from Ireland a few
ag °' T ,ta , , ,n ?"' al £ d,s -
™ «»« to he hosp.ial Hcbru- ,
last, seized with “La Grippe ’
ary was
in March, the attendants found great
difficulty in keeping him awake, and
finally he fell into a deep sleep, The
aek of nourishment became evident
by decreasing weight, a deathlike pal¬
lor and pinched wan features, accom¬
panied by a corpselike rigidity, togethei
with an apparently general suspension
of animation.
Efforts to pry open the set jaAVS for
the administration of food proved
futile. A silver tube was inserted
through the nose and down into the
throat. A quart of milk in four doses
was first given, after that eggs whipped
in milk and a varying liquid diet Avas
administered, together with medicine.
The first month passed Avithout inci¬
dent. Meehan slept on immovable
when pins were inserted into his flesh,
electricity applied and other heroic
measures of sleep disturbance tried.
Three Aveeks ago the first change
Avas noticed. The muscles of the jaws
relaxed, and shortly afterwards his
eyes opened. Motions made as if to
strike him did not cause any tremor of
the lids, hoAvcver, and a fly Avalked
across the pupil without effect.
On June 30 there Avere movements
of the lips and other signs of returning
consciousness; then motion returned
and the patient turned his head. Food
was now administered through the
mouth direct.
Two weeks ago he moved and mum¬
bled some unintelligible sentences.
Speech was restored a day or two ago,
and the first sentence he sp°ke Avas to
ask for his clothes, and then for the
attendant who had been with him Avhen
he went ofl four months before.
His clothing was placed at his bed¬
side, and last AA’eek he arose, dressed
and walked about the ward, still, how¬
ever, in a half-awake condition. Full
consciousness has now returned, nms-
cular action has grown stronger, and
rapid recovery is now certain. The
patient cannot yet take solid food and
there is no change in his mental con-
dition.
Persian Civilization.
I have been much surprised to hear
even Avell educated Englishmen, in re¬
cent discussions in Persia, speak of the
Persian nation as if it were completely
wanting in civilization ana were ages
jeliind Europe in manners, customs
and ideas. Such a false impression of
the characteristics and social condition
of our good friends, the neighbors of
our Indian empire, is, I think, due to
ignorance, and I fear also to insular
prejudice. Persia has not progressed
as Europe has done, but Persian civ-
ilization and Persian art had reached
a high degree of development when
England Avas covered with tangled
forests and its inhabitants were half
clothed savages, whose highest skill
Avas shown in the slaughter of wild
animals with tire rudest of weapons,
Persian civilization has not retro¬
graded, though Persian art is certainly
stifled by the introduction of cheap
but inartistic articles from the com-
mercial AVest. In Persia a polite eti¬
quette is as strictly observed as in any
country in the world, and though in
some trifles the manners of a Persian
gentleman may appear strange and
e\en amusing when observed in the
AY est, it is safe to say that nothing
which a Persian gentleman would be
likely to do when mixing up in West¬
ern society would in any way shock
the delicate feelings of that society.
In this respect it is fortunate that tho
recent journeyings of the Shah and his
suite were sufficiently extended to give
a practical and widespread contradic¬
tion to the numerous absurd stories
which had been current concerning the
disagreeable peculiarities of the Per¬
sian manners and customs.—[Nine-
teeuth Century.
A Timely Hint.
Clara (11 p. m.) —“Do you know
why you are like an old fire-cracker,
Mr. Crawl?”
• Crawl—“No; tell me.”
Clara—“It’s about time you went
off!”—i,[Judge..
Insight.
3n the river of life, as I float a!o:i? t
I see with the spirit’s sight
That many a nauseous weed of wrong
Has root in a seed of right.
For evil is good that has gone astray,
And sorrow is only blindness.
And the world is always under the sway
Of a changeless law of kindness.
The commonest error a truth can make
In shouting its sweet voice hoarse,
And sin is only the soul’s mistake
In misdirecting its force.
And love, the fairest of all fair things
That ever to men descended.
Grows rank with nettles and poisonous
things
Unless it is watched and tended.
There could not be anything better than this
Old world in the way it begun,
And though some matters have gone amiss
From the great original plan;
And however dark the skies may appear,
And however souls may blunder,
I tell you, it all will work out clear,
For good lies over and under.
—[Ella Wheeler Wilcox.
HUMOROUS.
A remedy for sea sickness—Travel
by rail.
“Spars” of course come in very
handy in a sea fight.
An energetic woman with a broom
in her hand sweeps everything before
her.
The expenses of an electric company
may be summed up as current ex¬
penses.
Taking a day off now and again
doesn’t tend to shorten the working-
man’s life.
In Texas it is unlucky to find a
horseshoe, if a horse happens to be at¬
tached to it.
Bobby— IIoav did you manage to get
the boAvl of cream? Tommy—Told
ma I saw the cat put her nose in it.
The average Avife has little difficulty
in keeping her husband avcII in hand
once she gets him under her thumb.
“Did you call on Miss Jonas?”
“Aes. She Avas awfully disagreeable,
too; didn’t cheer up, really, until I
started to leave.”
“What shall we do to get our young-
er men to the front?” asks a writer.
The answer seems plain: “Induce the
older ones to take back seats.”
Mamma—Good by, dearie; Avhat
shall 1 buy for my little girl? Helen
—Some bunions, please, so I can tei 1
when the weather is going to change.
It is rather tough on a doctor s son
to be named William, and have to
sneak through the clysium of youth
under the opprobrious title of “the
doctor’s Bill.”
Husband—“Am I never to have my
own way?” Wife—“Certainly, my
dove, Avhen we are both agreed you
can have your Avay, and when Ave dif¬
fer I’ll have mine.”
Employment Agent—See here! How
is this? \ou staid two Aveeks in your
last place. IIoav did that happen?
Domestic—Sure, Oi dunno. Oi musht
av °vershlcpt myself,
Miss Lentils (in Boston)—“I hav-e
just discovered a poem in this maga-
zine which I can’t understand.” Mns
Beans—“Oh, how nice. Let us organ-
ize a chib immediately.”
•T always was a mighty unlucky
chap, complained a Joliet con\*ict to
a visitor. “Indeed!” “Yes, I got
nabbed the first piece o’ safe-crackin’
I undertook, an’ now my number is
1313 . Just think of that!”
Mrs. Jones—Why are you so anx¬
ious about the arrival of the steamer
from Europe, Phyllis, dear? Phyllis
On, nothing much; only papa or¬
dered a count from Germany for me
and its about time he was here.
Cl There are times when it is a deal of
satisfaction to give a A-oung fellow a
lift to help him along,” remarked the
father of several marriageable daugh¬
ters. [He had just hoisted an objec¬
tionable suitor ofl’ the front stoop.]
“What are you doing there in the
bath-tub, my dear Mr. Brown? It is
as much as your life is Avorth to stay
a moment in that water, Are you
crazy?” “But, doctor, you know you
told me to take those pills that you
left me—in water!”
A\ hen a Avowar gets frightened at
night, she just pulls the bed clothes
over her head, says she is terrified out
of her Avits and goes to sleep, say*
one who knows; but with a man it i®
different. He says he is not afraid»
pushes the clothes down, and lie®
tremblingly awake for two or three
Louis, straining his oars at every
sound.