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IT IS SUN SPOT YEAR.
THE SIZE AND NUMBER OF BLACK
SPOTS INCREASING.
A Smoked (ittu Show* Them The Old
gnitlm Whttlui Titer Have A nr
Kffert aa Oar Weather la katuralljr
Revived.
The eyes of astronomers are once more
directed with renewed interest to the
face of the sun, which this year has
shown a deckled increase in the sire and
number of the black spots upon its sur¬
face.
These spots are great sink holes in the
sun into which are descending vapors
that are cooler and consequently darker
than the surrounding surface. There is
an intimate connection between the spots
and certain explosions or eruptions that
occur on the sun, By which vast quanti¬
ties of glowing hydrogen and vaporized
metals are cast up to an enormous height,
as stones and ashes are thrown out by
volcanoes on the earth.
The late Father Secchi, a celebrated
Italian astronomer, thought that tho
spots were caused by the settling down of
the materials thus cast forth, which has
tieen partially cooled and condensed dur¬
ing their lofty flight.
Great sun spots are frequently com¬
pletely encircled by tremendous erup¬
tions, which sometimes hurl the dazzling
substance of the sun 200,000 or 300,000
miles high!
We must notforget in considering these
startling facta that the surface of the sun
is not solid, like the crust of the earth,
but ptoliahiy consists of a shell of lum¬
inous and intensely heated clouds, in
which iron and ninny others of our fa¬
miliar metals apjiear in the form of in¬
tensely hot vapors.
Within the shell, which is formed by
the partial condensation, resulting from
exposure to the cold of outer space, just
ns va(>or from a tea kettle is condensed
into clouds of steam when it passes out
into the air, the body of the sun is lie-
lieved to be composed of matter in a sim¬
ilar vaporous condition, hut even hotter.
It is easy to see that such a body can
never be entirely at rest, but the disturb¬
ances that it undergoes, which are man
Rested to us by tho appearance of spots
and eruptions, become very intense, then
gradually die away, and then again in-
crease In intensity in pretty regular pe-
the time from one maximum, or
Bioint of greatest intensity, to another bo-
on the average, about 11 years.
■The latest maximum occurred in 1883
■J84. jw very and the few latest spot minimum could be in 1889,
H seen.
f-'&’-Brapid ■.preaching increase maximum, mm indicates wliicliab.niM Hist
■ nbout 1894, may be a nieim.inU.'
U«e spots that have lately ap-
■ could Ik> easily seen without a
l>y Protecting II,e ,.ye
■ smoked glass. Any one can six
■r sjsits by fixing a spy glass m
'* ! "' ‘Ur. ell d •••lead
■• sun while a sheet «tiito
^ - '■is placed at a distance of
t liehind the
■W of tho eye piece where
sun may fall upon it.
^^^^^Ijervation ■Jn a darkened can be made the through effect
room
|gt|jL . - ■igbtened. fir whether
i sun spots exer-
■icc upon the went hot. ;md
■Sfir pIl't'G;.;, ■«'• B' Gfect that the is. has natiiially
■ -j•..1 ; .ii■ • ,
■> that exlrnordmaty .oit -
kV"i produce violent mag
U P"“ (l "' "''"lie and
j M sj f ftV’- :»ys "f Hi.- aurora !..I, :
’ “ ’ Kids, which are can . d l.v
■lectricity.
SUfi l"''’t<'d tb-'it ■ ■ i la in
like our Western lei
' B y|,, "’ <M1H t when " f tlu ' ‘ 'Linn spots Sea,
sun are
Porous, ■ hy further but oliserrations. this remains to he
■t to 1 h> kept, in mind when think
^Kio ■ that intluenee while the of disturhanees earth on
■ would lie
He up completely if drop,„.,| j„|.,
sun spot holes that look to
•*•> the sola, mi 1 1'.,.
the other hand, is so large
9&Hp|SH§^nO,0(>0 ,t r , . t e | ^Bgh its miles, distance from ns is
vet only a little
V^B'""''’ B ,IMIsll "s v,mU laid reach in a row, the loneli-
' earth.
g^PYiftrtuality' ■^yi Going i», perlmj», Early. eharaeteris-
a
!;:■» American tr4^ At all events, Ameri-
tourists abroad are given to liewail-
HSow Bf' Uie early dilatory this characteristic ways of other peoples,
'developed—in is somet imes
connection, too, with tho
American habit, of traveling—is pleas¬
antly illustrated in a little story printed
in Golden Day *.
A small, rosy cheekpd girl picked up
her doll and her doll’s trunk and trudged
a mile or more over frosty roads until she
reached a railway station. There she
boarded the first train that came along,
and contentedly settled herself and her
doll into a vacant seat.
By and by the conductor appeared. Ho
looked down at the little woman, who
-was pointing out Hying trees and other
objects of interest to her traveling eom-
pauion, the doll.
“Where are you going, little one?'
■tod the big man with buttons.
■fVhy. I'm going to the World's Bair,
BAren't conductor coughed.
you rather early?” he asked,
■don’t believe the doors tire open yet. "
■Dear me,” said the child in ’arm,
shall I do ?”
Bperhaps ■ mother,” yen had better suggested go home the and
your Con¬
or.
kd she did. She was loaded with
■’ things by interested fellow passen-
■md returned to her mother in safety,
■jgtonahly Bk first expect visitors that when she will the
its doors to the world.
ist nuggets of virgin
Arndfcea is in the pos-
eike, of St. Louis. It
Ima mine and weighs
&7 ounces. Then* is
BLnugget, and it is
1 JEW* AND GOUIP FROM ABROAD.
The Farmere’ Alliance, it is reported,
J lias Land been values introduced in Berlin in Germany.
are said to have
increased 65 per cent in the last 10 years.
A cargo of oyer 300 half breed horses
has (seen sent to England from the At-
gentioe Republic. ,
Justice Stephen, who has retired from
the English iieneh, will receive a pension
of $ 35,000 a year.
The value of live animals imported into
Great Britain last year was $56,061,665,
u gainst $51,800,435 in 1889.
A 4 Wton , , philanthrope ,. idea is that .. _ of *
g.ving the workingman music ,n his dm-
ner hour. It lh sa.d to have resulted ,n
grta success.
General Booths shelter fund has
reached $550,000, and that large class in
darkest England who have no roofs be-
gin to be encouraged.
Out of $103,000,000 paid by the United
Kingdom in 1890 for imports of bread-
stutfs only $40,000,000 went to her own
colonies, including India.
The correspondent of a Scotch evening
paper complains of a clergyman who,
after preaching for 65 minutes, gave out
the hymn, “Art Thou Weary?”
J. M. McMahon, an American, has pat-
on ted in Europe a nitroglycerine shell
which can he thrown 10 mill* from a
cannon with ordinary black powder.
Australia has licgun to ship eggs to tho
British markets, but as yet the quantity
sent, is inconsiderable. The eggs are six
weeks at least aboard ship between Aus¬
tralia and British ports.
A hospital for dogs is to he erected at
Odessa, by the Bl.mk Sea. Incurable
dogs are hr be supported till death ensues.
A wealthy Greek merchant, named Rallis.
a great lover of dogs, is the founder.
Already with the success of the Lon-
dou-I’aris telephone the London electrical
papers are talking of a telephone between
the United States and Great Britain. It
is believed that the mechanical difficul-
ties may be overcome.
A ship canal, to connect Venice with
the Gulf of Spezia, is now under consid¬
eration in Italy. I‘s length, according to
present estimates, would be 273 kilo¬
meters (about 170 miles) and its average
breadth 75 meters (about 246 feet). There
will be in all 73 locks, and the cost of
construction is estimated at about $200,-
000,000.
CtlBREIIT ChlPPINGS.
Chicago is to have a playing card man¬
ufactory soon.
The Little Arkansas River at Wichita
is said to be full of German carp, a “prop¬
agated fish."
A house to house canvass is to he made
in Jersey City forthe purpose of inducing
residents to go to church.
The Union Pacific is the only railroad
now holding lands in the State of Kan¬
sas. It has something over 700,000acres,
all in 21 counties.
There has just been a contest over tho
property right In the tomb of Mary Wash¬
ington, George Washington’s mother, ut
j Fredericksburg, Va.
I The Sherman family claim to have a
sufficient income to place the members
aliove want; beside they will find in the
correspondence of the general a promised
source of much revenue.
The New York supreme court has de¬
cided that a man who abandons his wife
without just cause must still give her an
equitable share of his income, even if she
has plenty of means of her own.
The annual statistical report of tho
American Iron and Steel Association
says that in 1890 the United States made
the bwt, record in the production of iron
and steel that has ever been made by any
country.
Among the queerest of post mortem
gifts were the silver phials which the late
Ur. Charles F. Henser, an eccentric
physician in Baltimore, arranged to have
distributed among bis friends after they
I had been filled with ashes from his cre¬
mated body.
“HardTimes Parties”are being given
ip some parts of Nebraska. The invita ¬
tions are sent out in funny rhyme, writ¬
ten on coarse brown paper, and inclosed
in brilliant yellow envelopes. They invite
the receivers to be present in “rags and
tatters, and tatters and rags. ”
Surgeon General William A. Hammond
is said to have charged $5,000 for remo\
lug a “sebaceous wen" from Mrs. Stan¬
ford's head. Surgeons at Washington
say $5 or $10 is the usual charge for an
operation of this kind. The wen forma¬
tion is an ordinary one and its removal
fa attended with no danger.
XVIT AND WISDOM.
For a dead opportunity there is no res¬
urrection.
Till' sunniest tilings throw sternest shade;
Aud t here is even a happiness that, makes the
heart afraid.
A woman worth her weight in gold is
worth waiting for.—|N. O, Picayune.
If an alligator could talk he would
proliably declare that he had a small
mouth.—[ Ham’s Horn.
Don’t tell people all you know the first
time you meet them. Half of friendship
fa curiosity.—[Atchison Globe.
The man who never makes mistakes
misses a good many splendid chances to
learn something.—( Ram’s Horn.
A mule would rather hear himself bray
than listen to any other music. A good
many people are made like him.
No sane man would prolong this life
forever, but, at the same time, he would
rather die to-morrow than to-day.
When you liegin to argue with a man
and he talks loud, walk off and leave
him. You can’t convert him.—[Galveston
News.
According to scientists, “eating too
much starves the brain, ” and eating ton
little starves the stomach. And there
you are.
The latest thing in woman's headgear
is a glass lion not. It ought to fill a long-
felt want for theater wear.—[Boston
Transcript.
Her Family.—Mrs. McCanty—An ye’ve
raised quoite a big family, Mrs. Murphy ?
Mrs. Murphy (with pride)—Sivin polace-
inin, Mrs. McCanty.—{Judge.
THE V'ASKEK SKEWER,
On British ( OBilm Like It Hnsuse It
Dnesa’t Splinter Off.
Englishmen have some reason to feel
aggrieved at the fact that so necessary an
item of the domesticity as skewers should
be sent every year in immense quantities
from America; and the advocates of fair
niay hold that the circumstance of
our mainly indebted for our sup-
P*y ,,r skewers to foreign imports, admit-
** *"?■ “ “ additional argument in
^orrrf some degree of protection. Put-
,n «> h,, r, ver ’ fiscal questions altogether
on one side, it would seem to be entirely
within the fitnessof things f that the Amer-
^ should te ‘ tiona ;, y Bkmfu{ *
fabrieatore of gkewera lt ifj „ ot on ,
that they have an abundant variety of
| iar d woods in their forests; that one of
their rewnt Presidents dwelt originally in
a log cabin, and that Abraham Lincoln
the most illustrious of their Chief Magia-
trap* since Washington, originally fol-
lowed the useful but unpretending occu-
patinn of a rail splitter,
They can do something else besides
hewing, chopping, and splitting timber,
or polishing planks of butternut or bird's
eye maple into handsome panels for the
embellishment of sleeping cars. They can
“whittle.” They have taken the noun
sulietautive descriptive of the knife used
by Gurth, the son of Beowulf, and turned
it into a verb. When the “smart”
A merican needs a little mental repose he
liestows himself in a rocking chair, ele¬
vate* his heels, if practicable, to an angle
of 45 degrees above his head, lights a
cigar, orders a mint julep or a brandy
smash, according to the season, produces
his clasp knife, and begins to “ whittle. ”
With exquisite neatness and dexterity he
will pare and round and sharpen any¬
thing ligneous which is handy, from an
oaken cudgel to an office ruler, from a
lied post, to a Ijootjaek, to the required
form.
There was a champion wood attenu¬
ator once at Oshkosh, Witt., who would
hack himself heavily with a given num-
her of minutes to whittle a walking stick
down to a tooth pick. Such an achieve¬
ment, however, must lie looked upon as
only a “fancy” one, and would Involve
the loss of much valuable timber. The
majority of the wooden splints whittled
by the Americans in their leisure mo-
moots intimately resemble those abom¬
inable little Implements of boyish p:is-
t ime and mischief employed in the popu¬
lar but perilous English street game
known as “ tip cat. ” The transition from
the diminutive projectile used as tip eat
tova butcher’s or poulterer’s skewer is
very easy, and may lie extremely rapid,
and it is far from improbable that some
cutely speculative dealer in notions,
struck with the large number of whittled
splints which were produced and the few
uses to which they were turned, deter¬
mined to send a cargo of them as skewers
to the British Isles. —London Telegraph.
The Country's Wood Products.
Among the special reports of the Cen¬
sus Bureau one of the latest is devoted to
statistics of the wood production of the
United States in 1890. The bulletin in
question embraces nearly all the indus¬
tries in which wood is the principal rria-
terial. Of these industries there are 171
shingle factories, 86 cooperage establish¬
ments, and 108 in which materials for
wagons and agricultural implements,
chair legs, axles, chests, and other art icles
of wood are produced. Of the planing
mills only such are, included in this bul¬
letin ns come in connection with the saw
mills. Within this limitation the statis¬
tics show that of the wood products of
the mills the value was $115,609,000; of
wood products not worked in the mills,
$30,420,194, and of products in more fin¬
ished forms, $21,112,618—making a grand
total of $107,237,816.
For the production of these values a
capital of $270,152,102 is employed, with
an army of 95,258 men and 1(14 women
ami children cutting timber inthe woods,
ami aided by 32.491 draught animals. In’
the mills is required the labor of 87,939
men ami 1,269 women and children. The
bulletin gives full statistics of the steam
and w$ter power, machinery, and ini'-
ehnnieal apparatus, railroads, and train-
ways employed in these industries. For
wages and salaries the expenditure last
year was $99,688,256. The report shows
the growing tendency to concentration
of the wood industries and economy of
production by working the raw material
into finished forms at points located as
nearly as possible to Urn forests in which
the lumber may Ik* cut.
In the three greatest lumber States the
increase of production within the last, 10
years was; Wisconsin, 176 percent: for
Minnesota, 159.6 percent, and for Michi¬
gan. 30 percent, in portions of Michigan
the forest, supply of timber has boen ’al-
luost completely exhausted, while in
fiber portions different kinds of Umber
in place of the vanished pines is worked
into a great variety of products. The
city of Menominee, in Michigan, shows
the greatest increase in wood production
iu the last 10 years.
A IIlRlorlc Sionr Wearing Out.
There la danger that the historic, slab
of hrownstone which lies at. the foot, of
the big statue of Washington in front of
the sultreasury bail ling in Wall street
will be worn out unless au iron railing is
put around it. Scores of people stand
on it, and walk over it almost, every day.
This particular slab formed a part i.f the
stone balcony of the old Federal Hall
where Washington took his first oath of
office as President. The present location
of the stone is supposed to mark tho
place where Washington stood on that
memorable occasion.
A large proportion of the hundreds of
sightsoekers who visit Wall street very
naturally pause in front of the great
bronze figure on the subtrensury steps.
They read the inscription on the front, of
the pedestal which informs them of tho
character and significance of the statue.
Then they climb upon the pedestal and
stand on the slab of brownstone in order
that in after years they may be able to
relate to their children and their chil¬
dren's children how they once “stood on
exactly the same spot that Washington
occupied when he took the oath as the
first President of the United States.—
New York Times.
CAPTIYE BALLOONS.
THE IMPORTANCE THEY MAY HAVE
IN NAVAL WARFARE.
Interesting Experiments Made by the
French Authorities — Observations
That Were Mode at a Height at 1,500
Feet.
A recent dispatch from London states
that German military aeronauts have
gone to the island of Heligoland to ex¬
periment with captive balloons, with a
view to making use of them for naval
purp 'ses.
Th.j idea of employing balloons for
purposes of reconnoissance at sea origi¬
nated with the French navy. The suc¬
cessful trials on land of captive balloons
for army use led to the experiment being
tried of utilizing them for service on
board ship, and the French naval authori¬
ties in titutehl a series of practical experi¬
ments in 1888 with this object in view.
The first captive balloon with which
experiments were made was of the or¬
dinary spherical shape, and was made of
Chinese pongee silk, covered with several
coats of waterproof lacquer. This l»al-
loon was manufactured at Chalais Men-
deri, just outside of Paris, at the works
of the Central Aeronautic establishment,
where the war balloons are made. It
was inflated with hydrogen gas and held
captive by means of silk rope about 1,500
feet in length. In order to accustom th«
sailors to handle so large an object in the
narrow and confined space offered by a
ship, a platform was erected in the park
of the manufacturing grounds of tho
shape and form of a ship’s deck, with
mast, and rigging complete, aud on tills
deck the men were exercised.
Everything being in readiness, the bal¬
loon and fittings were placed on board the
gunnery ship L’iniplacable and then in¬
flated. The ascent from the ship at an¬
chor on a calm day was successful in
every way. The officers who went up
ro(>ortod that they had no difficulty in
making out with the aid of telescopes
not only the movements of all the ves¬
sels visible to their extended horizon, hut
that they could even discern their natioti-
alitioe and the courses they were steering.
AII the information obtainable from their
lofty station tho officers transmitted to
L’iniplacable by means of a telephone,
the wires of which were stopped up along¬
side of the rope that held the balloon
captive.
The practicability of perfectly com¬
municating between a captive balloon
and a ship at, anchor being thoroughly
established, the French govemmnent
proceeded to try the efficiency of such a
mode of obtaining information from a
ship under way. To accomplish this the
balloon and apparatus were placed on
board another ship, L’lndomptable, se¬
lected because she had very little rigging
to interfere with tne balloon on deck.
The vessel then steamed out from tho
roads at a moderate rate of speed. The day
was clear and calm. Long after the big
black hull of the armored ship had sunk
below the horizon of those watching
within the harbor the balloon remained
plainly visible, and to the olmervers in
the balloon the harbor and the shipping
movement remained In sight for a long
time.
Further trials were continued on board
the flag ship Formidable, and are thus
described; “Several officers of the ship
made ascents aud ascertained that in
clear weather all the details of the coast
from Marseilles to the extreme point of
the Islands of Hyerea were plainly visi¬
ble, aud that no building nor ship for 20
to 35 miles round could escape tho notice
of an observer in a balloon.*” These ob¬
servers also reported that they could see
vertically downward toward the bottom
of the sea to a depth of nearly 100 feet,
the water from their height appearing
transparent.
In the exercises described the behavior
of the balloon was all that could be de¬
sired. Going at the speed of 10 knots,
with quite strong winds, the Formidable
found no difficulty in towing tho balloon
with nearly 200 feet of line. To finally
demonstrate this fact the lialloon was
made fast to a torpedo lxiat that towed
it with perfect ease with 200 foot of rojw
for two hours, in which time 21 miles
wore made.
This is as far as captive balloon experi¬
ments on hoard ship have been carried.
There are many uses for balloons at sea if
they can Ik? cheaply and easily made and
handled, and the Germans iuteud thor¬
oughly to go into the matter.
A Pretty Fellow’s Attli-r,
A century and a half ago the dress of
a pretty fellow was a matter of constant
study and care. Embroidered coats,
laced waistcoats with gold worked but¬
ton holes, and black velvet breeches,
were his delight. For the last mentioned
garments hl:iok velvet was for years the
extremely fashionable material. In de¬
scribing a beau a satirical writer of tho
time says, “In black velvet breeches let
him put all liis riches;” and another
satire of the same time puts the un-
answerable question, “Without black
velvet breeches, what is man?” Fine
Mechlin lace to adorn the shirt bosom
and wrists, red heeled shoes with bril¬
liant buckles, and gold clocked stockings
rolled up over the knees, were also essen¬
tial parts of the costume of the pretty
fellows. Perukes with very long queues
were the fashionable wear. They were
heavily scented and powdered:
“Mix with powder pulvil,
Arid t hoa let it moulder away on his shoulder. ”
Not only the peruke, but the whole attire
was heavily scented. Musk, orange
flower water, and civet shed their fra¬
grance on the air. In the fob of the
laced waistcoat was a gold watch. The
macaroni of a latter day was accustomed
to carry two watches, which seldom
agreed—“one to tell him," as Walpolo
said, “what o’clock it was, and the other
what it was not. ” A sword and a snuff
box were necessary parts of our beau’s
equipment, A hilt adorned with rich
flligree work, and an olegant sword knot
with gold tassels, set off the weapon that
no pretty fellow was ever man enough to
draw.
There is a grate future for the nutmeg.
—New Orleans Picayune.
C9CI.fi SAM’S GREAT GTSS.
An Englishman’* Tribute to the Ex¬
cellence of American Methods.
Lieutenant Colonel Hope, who was for
some^tiniejm attache of the British le¬
gation at Washington, has written a very
compliifientary report on the manufact¬
ure of great guns at the gun foundry in
the Washington navy yard. He says
that not only was he flattered with a kind
invitation to inspect the method of man-
ufacture, but he was asked to criticise
freely. Having seen so much of the
troubles of the French and of the Eng¬
lish gun factories, lie had expected to
condemn every tiling. He could do noth¬
ing but praise. He found die tools aud
the guns perfect of their kind. The
“faulty proportion and abominable work¬
manship" of the English guns are most
carefully avoided, and “the Washington
gams can be thoroughly relied upon to do
what they profess to do, and they profess
to do just a little more than English guns
profess to do. ” This, he says, is a very
large statement, but the Elswick and the
Woolwich guus can not be relied upon to
do more than 50 or 75 per cent of what
they profess to do.
lie thinks that the secret of this superi¬
ority in the Washington guns workman¬
ship is due to the fastening of the re¬
sponsibility for everything upon some
one official by name. In England the
system, or lack of system, is that no one
man shall ever, under any circumstances,
be responsible for any one thing. But
wise old Uncle Sam insists upon gome
one man being responsible by name for
each individual thing. Officers of the
United State* navy are appointed to test
the steel at the works, and if it passes
the test, the officer stamps it with his own
name. The manufacture of the forging
into a gun, as well as all of its parts, has
to be done under the supervision of des¬
ignated officers, each of whom finally
decides whether it meets all of the re¬
quirements, and stamps each with hia
name and date of test.
The Mother’s Treasure.
Very daring was the performance of a
certain young housekeeper in a little
Ohio town. She had just come, a bride
and a stranger, among these people.
She was ambitious and quick witted,
and her household goods hiui only jus!
been thrown down upon her floors.
There came a ring at her door. Sha
thought it was the truckman, and hast¬
ened to open it. Before her stood a
woman whose face she had had pointed
out to her the day before as a society
leader in the little town, a woman, also,
of sharp eyes and sharjier tongue. She
was elegantly dressed, and evidently
came to make her first call at the time
most auspicious for observations.
The young mistress had her head tied
up in a big cloth; she wore a dressing
jacket and a dusty dress skirt, }«irtly
covered with a gingham apron. In her
hand she held a whisk brush.
“Is Mrs, Smith at home?" asked the
dainty lady, card in hand.
Now tho new comer had been the best
amateur actress in tho city where she
had lived, and she had not played the
part of the singing chamlier maid, who
whisks the feather duster alxmt coquet-
tishly in the air, all for nothing.
“No, mem,” she said, in the sweetest
Irish brogue you ever heard; “ no, mem,
she’s had to go up to Pittsburg for a day
or two. She’ll be back the last o’ the
week, mem. ’’
And the baffled society leader went
back to her carriage.
Two weeks later she sat in the per¬
fectly appointed little parlor in the new
house chatting with the stately, well
poised WhatTa young mistress.
“ pretty maid you had when I
first called,” she said; is she still with
you?”
“Oh," answered the other, her eyes
Rjiarkling, “that was my mother’s little
Norah. She came down to help mo
settle, but she went hack last week to
Pittsburg. She’s a treasure, but she’s
mother’s. ”
Heads of More and Raleigh,
When the wise and witty Sir Thomas
Mote was beheaded, his head was stuck
on a pole on London Bridge, where it
was exposed for 14 days, much to the
grief of his daughter, Margaret Roper,
who resolved to secure it. “One day,”
says Aubrey, “as she was passing under
the bridge, looking at her father’s head,
she exclaimed: ‘That head has lain many
a time in my lap; would to Gml it would
fall into my lap as I pass under I’ Sho
had her wish, and it did fali into her
lap. ” Proliably she had bribed one of the
keepers of the bridge to throw it over
just as the boat approached, and the ex¬
clamation was intended to avert the sus¬
picion of the boatmen. At all events,
she got possession of it, and preserved
it with great, care in a leaden casket until
her death, and it is now inclosed in a
niche in the wall of hor tomb in St.
Huston's church, Canterbury.
Sir Walter Raleigh’s head, in a red bag,
was carried to his wife, who caused it to
he embalmed and kept It with her all her
life, permitting favored friends, like
Bishop Goodman, to see and even to kiss
it. His son, Carew Raleigh, afterward
preserved it with similar piety. It is
supposed now to rest in the Church of
West Ilorsley, Surrey.
Hrlwcn Two Fires.
There is such a thing as being too
obliging. When Commodore Billings
and Mr. Main were on the river Kahima
they had for attendant a young man
from Kauoga, an island between Kam-
schatka and North America. One day
Mr. Main asked him, “What will the sav¬
ages do to me if I fall into their power ?”
“Sir," said the youth, “you will never fall
into their power if I remain with you.
I always carry a sharp knife, and if I seo
you pursued and unable to escape I will
plunge my knife into your heart; then
the savages can do nothing to you. ”
This recalls the words of the French
knight reported by Joinville: “Swear to
me, ” said Queen Margaret, “that if tho
Saracens become masters of Damietta
you will cut off my head before they can
take me.” “Willingly,” returned the
knight; “I had already thought of doing
eo if the contingency arrived."
THE STORY OF A SEED.
This is the seed that the wind sowed.
This Is the leaf
That sprang from the seed that the wted
sowed.
This Is the bad
That followed the leaf
That sprang from the eeed that the wind
sowed.
This th« ran
That shone on the bod
That followed the leaf
That sprang from the seed that the wind
sowed.
This is the flower of beauty rare
That loved the sun
That shone on the bud
That followed the leaf
That sprang from the seed that the wind
sowed.
This is the feathery ball 60 fair
That burst from the flower of beauty rare,
That loved the sun
That shone on the bud
That followed the leaf
That sprang from the seed that the wind
sowed.
Tills is the zephyr of perfumed air,
That scattered the feathery ball so fair.
That burst from the flower of beauty rare.
That loved the sun
That shonfe on the bud
That followed the leaf
That sprang from the seed that the wind
sowed.
This is the child with the golden hair,
That blew the zephyr of perfumed air.
That scattered the feathery ball so fair.
That hurst from the flower of beauty rare.
That loved the sun
That shone on the bud
Thst followed the leaf
That sprang from the seed that the wind
sowed.
This is the mother that stood on the stair,
To welcome the child with the golden hair.
That blew the zephyr of perfumed air.
That scattered the feathery hall so fair,
T hat burst from the flower of lieauty rare,
That loved the sun
That shone on the bud
That followed the leaf
That spi-an* f rom the seed that the wind
sowed.
—Youth’s Companion.
OI.D TIME “SAND CI.A8S.”
Sand Took the Place of Slate In the
School of Cong Ago.
“ Si xty years ago I taught the sand class
in the schools of this city in the Grand
Jury room of the o>d Court House, ” said a
gentleman to Gossip last evening. “The
sand clasHl” exclaimed Gossip; “What in
the name of Socrates was a sand class?”
Ami then the ancient pedagogue pro¬
ceeded to say: “Sixty years ago the schools
of the town occupied the old Court House,
and l was one of the scholars. In the
Grand Jury room there was a long table
about 18 inches high with a strip of
Liard fnsteued on the top all around the
sides, thus making the center lower thau
the sides. This center was filled with fine
sand en inch deep.
At the end of the table was a wheel on
which the letters of the alphaliet were
printed so that but one letter would ap-
l*>ar at a time; around the table the
smallest children of the school were gath¬
ered, and each furnished with a stick. I,
as the pedagogue appointed hy the head
teacher, would take my stand at the end
of the table and alongside of the wheel,
and as 1 moved it would announce the
letter that was brought to view, which the
children would proceed to make in the
sand with their 'sticks. When all had
made that letter I would level the sand
with a comb ami the wheel would Ik?
mover) on to another letter. And these
little ones were called the ‘ sand class.’ It
was an interesting sight, the system was
somewhat like the kindergarten of the
present day, and it was certainly an
economical mode of supplying writing
material.” This was the sand class of
CO years ago.—Harrisburg Telegraph.
IilrntifylnK Ancient Cities In Egypt.
Dr. Naville, the well known Egyptian
explorer, the discoverer of Bubastis and
the treasure city of Pithon, has recently
identified other cities in Egypt, more es-
pecially some connected with the exodus
of the Israelites. At the close of June
last he presented the results of his dis¬
coveries at a meeting of the Victoria In¬
stitute, in London, presided over by Sir
Gabriel Stokes, ex president of the Royal
Society. Dr. Naville found that the Suc-
coth, spoken of in the Bible, was not a
city, as some have supposed, but a dis¬
trict, aud from a valuable inscription
found at Pithon that the latter became
known to the Greeks a a Heroopolis, and
that although now many miles inland it
was lied once a seaport, the waters of tho
Sea extending up to ite walls, and
merchants’ ships are described by Strabo
and Pliny as sailing thence to the Arabian
Sea. Through some recently discovered
papyri M. Naville found that Baal-
Zephon was neither a village or a town,
but a shrine of Baal aud a noted place of
pilgrimage. The sites of other places dis¬
covered were those of Mignole, which in
after days was probably the Serapcum of
the Greeks, and also Pi Hahiroth. In
the identification of the two last places
M. Naville was greatly helped by a
papyrus. The bearing of his identifies
tions is of no small interest to the stu •
dents of history, both sacred and pro¬
fane.
Birds Hate Load Colors.
Dr. C. C. Abbott says that in experi¬
menting on the intelligence of birds he
placed a number of pieces of woolen
yarn—red, yellow, green, purple, and
gray in color—near a tree in which
couple of Baltimore orioles were building all
their nest. The pieces of yarn were
exactly alike except in color. There was
an equal number of threads in each
color, the red and yellow being purposely
placed on top. The birds chose only the
duller colors, taking all of the gray aud
a few threads of the purple when the
nest was nearly done.
Not a single thread of the red or bright
yellow was touched, the birds seeming to
instinctively know that such loud colors
would make their domicile too conspicu¬
ous. Again he experimented by gird¬
ling the branches upon which nests were
located, causing the leaves to shrivel and
blow away. Although they had laid,'
their eggs, the birds invariably left their
nests. If the nests contained young
when the leaves dried up, notwithstand¬
ing the exposure they would feed the
little ones until they were able t^ta^
rare of themselves. ..