Newspaper Page Text
§knttuel.
HAI LEM. OFORGIA
I’vuii'iiin kirry thvrsday.
a«ll«rc1 cto AlUln«O»i.
PWOI'KIInoRA
fanlight ha* been pot to raid u«e *t
Dniwll*. Falling on * small shaft the
ray* cau*e an upward draught of air
which «ct* a fan in motion, an<l that in
turn start* machinery that wind* a flock.
According to the census of January 1,
IHMi, showing the nurnlwr of horse* on
farms in the United Slate*, Illinois lead*
with a total of 1,048,759, the estimated
value of which is 178,872,127; lowa
follows with 945,445 horses, Ohio next
with 708,880, New York, (147,845, and
Pennsylvania 577,581.
The evolution of the tomato is going on
in a remarkable way. Not many year*
ago the fruit wa* mostly skin and seeds,
but the newest varieties are almost aolid
pulp with very few *e<*i». Possibly, a*
in the case of the Imnana, the seeds may
yet diaappntr altogether and the plants
will have to be propagated by cuttings.
An official in the Indian bureau gives
figures to show that tlie future million
aires will be Indians. They are decreas
ing in number at the rate of five or six
thousand a year: the lands they occupy
are increasing in value, and when only n
few thousand Iml inns remain, he
says, it is natural to suppose they will be
very rich Judging from tho past it is
natural to aup|>o*c that the longer the
Indian live* the worse ofl he will be.
fhlltr. c anal cost the French $90,000,000
and was 120 kilometres long. Panama is
seventy-four kilometres and has already
cost $12,(MX),000 for little more than s< t
ting up building*, sanitary arrangements,
aad such like. A similar sum is about
to I* collected, and so potent is M. de
Leaaej*’ name that the money will doubt
leas be forthcoming. The projectors
pro*** rve a demeanor of undaunted hojso
fulness, and look upon the carrying out
of their project a* a certainty.
The largest barn in the world is situs
ted at Papilion, Neb. It covers five
acres of land, and she Iters 3,750 c uttie.
It is said to bo the intention to enlarge
tliis stable to accommodate 8.000 cattle.
The object is to take range cuttle and
finish them fat ns prime beef. This
great barn is said to have a complete
system of water works. The bum is
thoroughly washed twice everyday. Tho
cattle are fed upon cooked meal. One
man feeds the whole herd by turning on
a large faucet, thus letting the feed run
to them from the tanks.
i-.— —
The Washington correspondent of the
New York Tribune says: "Three Re p
reaentatives, Ellwood, Rankin ami Hahn,
and one Senator have* dice! so far, mak
ing a co*t of SIO,OOO for printing eulo
gies outside of the Congrcutorud Record.
In addition the eulogies delivered on
Vice-President Hendricks, of which 81,-
000 copies have liecn ordered, will cost
SII,OOO. The account then stands us
follows: Four funerals, $20,000. print
ing eulogies, $27,000; eulogies in Con
grssslnncd Record, SI,OOO, total, $48,000.
In addition tho adjournments out of
respect and days devoted to eulogies
make a loss of eight days' time. It costs
SIO,OOO a day to pay tho ex|>cnses of
Congress."
As a result of the instructions sent our
consuls in Europa to gather information
in regard to the land troubles existing
there, our representative nt Copenhagen
reports that a belief exists among Euro
pean philosophers that the prairie farm
era are making the same inlstako into
which their forefather* fell, in not culti
vating closely enough. It is shown by
closely compiled statistics that eleven
barrel* of flour can be grown in Den
inmk on the same area of land that it
take* to grow five- barn Is on our Western
farms The point is made that these
farm* will, in a comparatively short time,
bo considerably impoveriolied, when it
will lie ditlicult to compete in the mar
kets of the world, for a* the land deterio
rates, the on-going flood of emigration
will continue to raise the price of wheat.
Bi*K.xKtsu of the C >ngo climate a re
turned missionary say-: "From my expe
ricnee I do not doubt that Europevnscan
Itvo there with comparative safety and
comfort 1 have lived then myself lot
nearly a year. If a young man in good
natural health observe* carefully the rules
which apply to a tropical country, being
tcm|>crate in lx»th eating and drinking,
there is no reason why hi* health should
not Im- retained. Unbridled enthusiasm
leads people to all kinds of indi-e etions.
If Kuro|>ca:is work us hard a* at hom<
they must fall. Other causes, for which
persons are themwlvi - responsible, had
to the loss of health. 1 have known
persons to live there neatly three years
without sickness. Lieutenant Taunt, U.
tk N., was one of then There is no
distinction as to wet and dry seasons.
Raiu fall* once every two or three day*,
generally in the night. The tetu|M-rature
uiaintaius an average of 83 to 90 degrees
all the year round The night* are cool
and pleasant, with tile temperature at 70
to 75 degree*. There are a few sosqut-
-toea, but they arc nut tfoublcwtue. ’
Hie agricultural statistics of Great
Britain for 1885, which have recently
been issued, show a very serious decrease
from the yield of 1881 in some of the
most Important food products. The de
crease in wheat is estimated at 2,628,211
bushels, in peas 1,336,558 bushel*, in
bean* $2,610,783 bushels, in potatoes,
544,699 ton*, in turnip*, 6,562,497 tons
and mangold 87,869 ton* in England.
The Knights of lalmu of Minnesota
have taken a new departure in the for
mation of a co-operative land association,
which has bought 700 acre* of land in
Crow Wing county, and secured a con
tract for tho reservation by the railroad
for future purchase of the remainder of
the township in which they have located.
Upon the land so secured the experi
ment of co-operative farming will be
tried upon a wholly now plan. The
Knight* of Labor will send out, from
time to time, families to colonize the
farm. The «<Joni«t» will be organized
ami incorporated a* the Pioneer Co-oper
ative company. Tho beat wishes of all
men concerned in the good of the labor
ing classes w-ill attend the venture. Co
o|x -relive industry, when successfully in
augurated, is one of the most jiotent
agencies in the settlement of the great
problems which recent events have forced
upou the attention of the country.
The works of the immense clock which
has been put up in the Board of Trade
building in Chicago are pronounced a
mo*t |M-rfc< t reproduction of those of She
great Westminster palace clock in Lon
don, but with some addition* ami im
provements adapted to it* commercial
purpose. It is constructed of iion,
bronze ami steel, and weigh* ten tons
without the Is 11, the latter a<iding some
4,500 jH>und* more. The pendulum
alone weighs 750 pound*. In its ar
rangement the works are divided into a
time train, a hand train, and u striking
train, the several train* comprising sepa
rate machine*, resting, side by side, on
separate frames. Each of the trains is
o|>erutcd by a separat< weight, and the
three weight* together reach some 3500
)s>und*. The hammer that strikes the
Ih-II weigh* eighty pound*, the clock
work is Im-low the dials, which are ten
feet ten inches in diameter, and the Im-11
i* above them, or 250 feet above the
ground. The jx-ndulum swing* one way
in two seconds.
Hand writ Ing for the Press.
Literary aspirant* are given some ex
cellent advice on the subject of hand
writing by the New York Critic'll
“Lounger,” who way*: "A reader fora
publishing house is almost incapable of
judging of some stories, owing to the
careless manner in which they arc com
mitted to pa|M-r. A hastily prepared
manuscript must have great intrinsic
merit to be accepted, unless the author
Im- well known. 1 huve known manu
script to Im- sent to publishers, written in
had ]M-m-il and wit i half the lines blur
red beyond legibility. 1 have seen others
written on immense foolscap sheets in a
scrawling hand, all blotted and scratched
and soiled. A reader should be something
more than a saint who should sit down
t<> read a manuscript of this sort with a
]rredis|Ki.*itioii in it* favor. Then there
are manu-cript* which, while they are
not blotted and soiled, are written in a
very small hand, with the lines close to
gether. These are discouraging to read.
But when a reader get* a manuscript
written out on a type writer, or carefully
copied by hand, he approaches it with
feelings of gratitude; and it is the fault
of the story itself if he finds nothing
good in it. I nfoitunately, an idea ha*
gamed currency that it is ‘literary’ to
write a bad hand. I wish to deny this
point blank. It may have been so in old
times, when it was literary’ to wear long
hair and soiled lim n ; but the ablest lit
erary men of this generation turn out
manuscript* that is a delight to read.
Every letter is perfect, every i is dotted,
< v< ry t is crossed."
Tho Organist Cunglit Napping.
One of the ablest clergyman in Maine
has the habit of often making a pause of
several minute* in the midst of his re
marks. This is seldom embarrassing tc
himself or to bis audience, for when he
resumes there is always something good
< Hough to justify the wait. One Sunday
a short time since he made an exchange
of pulpits, and during his prayer he made
one of hi* accustomed pans ■*. The or
ganist had not |s-rhap* Invn paying that
strict attention which organists in general
are accustomed to pay. He had no
doubt Ix-en dreaming of some symphony
which has never yet been vouchsafed to
mortals to interpret. But the solemn si
lence roused him from his reverie. He
listened. The stillness was gaining: the
prayer was apparently done. Hi* hands
sought the key* and music floated U)h>>;
the air. The congregation was somewhat
agitated, but not so ;«> the reverend gen
tleman. He waited uutil the last strain
died away, and 1. ginning. •»> furthet
Ix-seech thee, O L-rel,” went on, and
brought the prayer to its proper conclu
sion.
Again the tones of the organ wort
beard, but this time more softly sweet
than before. The organist was now
wide awake, but he preferred to pout
fourth his soul in the minor key.—AnTm
Areeref.
THE “ALABAMA/
Th* Confederate Cruiser’*
Last Engagement
How She Was Sunk by the "Kearaarge"
Off the French Goaat
From an account of “Life on the Ala
bama,’’ by one of her sailors, in the Cen
tury, wc quote the following: “We got
everything ship-shape and left Cherbourg
for our last cruise on a bright Sunday
morning, June 19th. We -were escorted
by a French armorer! vessel, and when
we got outside we could see the Kearsarge
awaiting us, about four mile* away.
Captain Scmmca made u» a short speech
which was well received,though it seemed
odd to me that an American should ap
jM-al to an Englishman’* love of glory to
animate him to fight the speaker’* own
countrymen. But we cheered, and the
French ship leaving us, we steamed
straight for the Kearsarge, There is no
doubt that Semmes was flurried and com
menced firing too soon. We were, I
slihiild say, nearly a mile away, and I do
not think a single shot told. The enemy
circled around u» and did not return our
fire until within seven or eight hundred
yard* and then she let u* have it. The
first shot that struck us made the ship
reel and *hake all over. I was serving on
oiw- of the thirty-two pounders, and my
sponger was an old man-o’-war’s man,
who remarked, after a look out of the
port, ‘We might as well fire batter pud
dens a* these pop-guns: a few more biffs
like that last and wc may turn turtle.’
He had scarcely spoken when a shell
burst under our pivot-gun, tilting it out
of range and killing five of the crew.
‘What is wrong with the rifle-gun?’ was
asked. ‘We don’t seem to be doing the
enemy any harm,’ while with slow preci
sion came the crash of the heavy shell of
the Yankee. One missile that seemed as
big a* a haystack whiz.z.ed over our head.*,
taking a section of the port bulwarks
away, fortunately missing a man that
was handling shot. He only remarked
that he believed the Yankee was firing
‘steam b’ilcr*’ at us. Another shell
struck us amidships, causing the ship to
list to ]>ort so that our gun weighing
three tons raced in, pinning one poor
fellow against the port sill. He died be
fore we could get him clear. This was
the missile that sunk the Alabama.
‘She’s going down I’ was the cry, and all
was confusion. Another shell struck
about the water-line,and the vessel reeled
like a drunken man. The dead and
wounded were lying about the deck,
which was red with blood. Our officers
did their duty and the men at once be
gan to get up tho wounded. The cutter
and launch were in the water, and the
officers were trying to keep the men back
till the wounded were all in; but certain
ly many of them were left, for I saw. sev
eral on the berth-deck when I went be
low, and the iMiats were then full and
pushing off. When it was certain that
the ship was sinking, all order was at an
end. 1 had £lO and a watch in a lock
er between decks, and I ran ‘below, but
they were gone.
“ ‘All hands on deck—ship’s going
down!’ was called, and I had just got
on the upper step of the forward compan
ion-way when the water, entering the
berth-deck jK>rts, forced the air up and
almost carried me off my legs. I cast
my eyes around for a moment. Old Gill,
with his head crushed under the carriage
of the eight-inch gun, was lying there,
his brawny hands clinching the breast of
his jumper. Just as the water came over
the stern I went over the port bulwarks.
I was a good swimmer, and had not been
in the water five minutes when a French
pilot-bout camo running past, ami a
brawny fellow in petticoatsand top-boots
dragged me out of the water."
The Thirteen Snperstillon.
Some of the fashionable people of Bos
ton are firm believers in the superstition
which is opposed to thirteen at table,
this often leads to awkward complica
tions, for their dinner parties are fre
quently arranged for fourteen. When
this is the case and on? of the guests can
not attend, and does not apprise the
hostess of this fact until the day of the
dintmr, great exertions are made to ob
tain the one necessary to make up the
original number, and many ladies accept
short invitations in order to help their
friends out of their dilemma. When the
one desired cannot be found, it is often
convenient for a memlier of the family to
be indis|KX*ed. This, of course, makes
the number of diners ever, but it is
doubttul if it prevent* any of them from |
dying within the year.— R'tttin Budget.
The Part He Forgot.
The following colhxjuy occurred in
the court room in this citt the present
w eek:
Young Attorney Have you stated all
that you remember of the conversation
which you had with Mr. Bianki
Witness—Yes, sir.
Young Attorney - That, then, was the
whole conversation, was it not?
Witness - No, sir. I do not think I
remember all.
Young Attorney—What part of it
ion’t you remember!
The witness' answer was lost in the
aughtcr that ensued at the attorney’*
spense.— Eimira Gaeette.
/ The Town Caw.
One of the moiit annoying thing* that
the country people ha* to contend with
(ways the West Union (O.) Defender) is
the ordinary town cow. When the farm
er leave* home he put* in the bottom of
hi* sleigh or *led a bountiful armful of
hay. Thi* answers the twofold purpose
of a seat and to keep the feet of himself
and the good wife warm. He arrives at
town, unload* his wife in front of some
store, and proceeds to hitch his team at
some point about the public square. No
sooner is his back turned than a dozen
starved cow* immediately surround his
sled, and before he can say "Jack Robin
son with hi* mouth o|>en,” every straw in
his sled ha* gone through the gastric
orifice* of the aforesaid cow*. We no
ticed one particularly careful fellow the
I other day. After hitching hi* team he
j took hi* hay and carried it into the court-
I house yard. He was going to have the
deadwood on that bunch of hay and de
parted for a saloon with a grin on his
face. We watched the proceedings with
considerable interest. He was no. out
of sight until three or four long horns
opened the gate and proceeded to the
pile and chewed it up. Clubbing these
lean kind does no good. In fact they
rather enjoy the fun. You can take an
ordinary stick of cordwood and bounce
it from off their carcasses fifty feet high
and they will turn around and smile at
you. They don’t even grunt when you
have hit them hard enough to stave in
their ribs. Such punishment seems only
to act as a tonic; it whets their appetites
and makes them enjoy the repast which
the farmer has hauled to them from his
home many miles distant. Anil after it
is all over just notice the peculiar look
they give the man who came to town sit
ting on a pile of hay, as he departs for
home on the bare boards! The town
cow is a nuisance, but at the same time a
necessity in all rural villages. A “home
without a mother” would not be a more
lonesome spectacle than a rural village
without its herd of lean long-horned,
stump-tailed cows.
Canned Goods.
In the testimony brought forward in
the recent Kolyer-Thurber case, much
light was thrown by expert and other
witnesses upon the methods, in some in
stances, of the canning trade. Besides
the copper boiling and zinc soldering
practices, other reprehensible modes of
manufacture were testified to. One wit
ness, who said that he had been in the
canning business for thirty years, gave a
simple means of distinguishing spoiled
from wholesome fruit. It is understood
that when air can get at the contents of
the can decomposition will ensue. The
wholesomeness of the goods, therefore,
depend* entirely upon the air-tight con
dition of the can. The witness asserted
that when a can is perfectly air tight
there will be a hollow in the heads—that
is, they will cave in. If they are level,
and spring back when pressed upon, they
arc known to the trade as "spring bot
toms"—that is, air has got in and the
contents are in a state of fermentation.
The cans have been badly soldered or
sealed up. If the “spring bottoms”
stand long enough they become what is
known as “swell-heads”—that is, the
bottoms have become convex and swell
out, a condition due to the generation of
gases by the process of fermentation. In
order to sell these goods unscrupulous
dealers resort to what witnesses called
"reprocessing.” That is, the dealers
make a hole in the head of the can, heat
the fruit and solder it up again; or, ns
this trick is easily detected, shrewder
manufacturers melt open the original
vent-hole, heat the fruit and then resol
der the can at the old place. This leaves
no mark, and therefore removes all evi
dence that the can has been tampered
with.—JYste York Commercial.
Hair for Wigs.
The hair for making wigs comes from
all parts of the world. The natural
blonde comes from Norway and Sweden.
Dealers in the south of France supply
great quantities of dark hair, and thou
sands of pounds of black hair are brought
from Italy to New York every year.
China sends us the cheapest hair, but
it is rather coarse, and is used in manu
facturing low-grade theatrical wigs
and back-pieces, braids and bangs for
ladies’ street wear. By bleaching and
dyeing, Chinese hair can be given any
color that is desired. But it assumes
auburn shades best, and an enormous
quantity of it has been used. The
Swedish hair is rarely longer than
tvrenty-two inches, and when received
here it is always dirty and teeming with
insects. French hair is generally clean,
but the Italian hair, which comes to
New York in 100-pound bundles, is ex
ceedingly filthy, and the workmen who
clean it before it is purchased by the
wig-makers sometimes contract diseases
from handling it. Dyed hair is called
"dead,” and becomes harsh after being
worn a short time. Chemicals are used
to give it a glossy appearance. Besides
the human hair large quantities of yak
and angora goat hair and jute fiber are
used.
A gentleman rode up to a public house
in the country and asked: "Who is thi
master of this house I” "lam. sir," re
plied the landlord, "my wife has been
dead about three weeks."
PROFIT JN_ DREGS.
I Some Facts About the
Apothecary’s Business.
The Extensive Use of Patent Medicine*,
Quinine, and Opium.
Every member of the human family is
more or less interested in the drug trade,
which is one of the most important car
ried on in the world. It employes hun
dreds of millions of dollars in capital,
and affords thousands upon thousands of
people a means of making an honest live
lihood. With the view of learning some
thing of the inside mysteries of a trade
of such importance, a reporter for the
New York Mail and Erpreu visited a
large drug store. The man of drugs was
busily engaged in filling a prescription.
When he was at leisure he said in an
swer to the reporter's query:
“Now there is a compound that is
composed of exactly four ingredients.
One of these ingredients costs at whole
sale exactly two cents, the second one
cent, the third two cents and the fourth
three cents, making a total of eight
cents.”
“How much will you charge your cus
tomer for that prescription?”
“Fifty-five cents.”
“A handsome profit—just 600 per
cent.”
“Oh, yes; but then you see, the cus
| tomer pays forty-seven cents of the fifty
five for my experience as an apothecary.
Men in other professions do the same as
we in this respect. For instance, a phy
sician will look at your tongue and feel
your pulse, demand a fee of from $2 to
$5, according to the length of your purse
and his standing in society. If he is a
high-toned or fashionable doctor you
may think yourself fortunate if you es
cape without being charged more than $5.
It is the same with a lawyer. You visit
his office, obtain his advice in a simple
matter, and occupy his time for about
fifteen minutes. He wants you to pay
$25 or SSO. Now I have performed as
much real service as either the doctor or
the lawyer, and all the compensation I
ask is the small pittance of fifty-five
cents. We prefer the prescription busi
ness to selling patent medicines, because
the former is the most profitable of the
two branches of our trade.”
"Is the sale of patent medicines in
creasing or declining?”
“I can reply to that question both in
the affirmative and the negative. Patent
medicines are like garments, they become
fashionable and may go out of fashion.
It is not always the best medicines that
have the largest sale. A great deal de
pends upon the manner in which they are
; advertised and placed before the public.
: A few years ago a man prepared a pain
annihilator. It was a sort of wash that
deadened pain temporarily, but it was
not a permanent cure. It was, in fact,
injurious for it tended to produce paraly
sis. The proprietor advertised it far and
wide. The name of the so-called reme
dy appeared in the advertising columns
of all the newspapers. It was seen upon
buildings, fences, and bill-boards, in the
city and in the country. Turn which
ever way you would it stared you in the
face. The proprietor made a fortune in a
very short time. His pain annihilator
was known and used in almost every
family. Like the Roman Empire it had
its rise and fall. Now noboby thinks of
using it. In fact it is not even manu
factured or to be found in the market.”
“What drugs have the largest sale?”
“Weil, I may include in the list quin
ine, the various preparations of opium,
calomel, arsenic, valerian, lavender and
well I don’t think you wish me to go
through the entire catalogue.”
“Tell me something about quinine?”
“Pills containing two grains of quinine
sell at $1.50 to $2.00 per bottle of one
hundred pills. The prevalence of mala
ria in almost all sections of the country
during the past few years has caused an
immense consumption of this drug. It
has also afforded speculators a chance to
make money by forcing the price up, and
they have not been slow in availing them
selves of the opportunity.”
“By whom is opium mainly bought?”
“By people of all classes. You would
be greatly surprised if I should show you
a list of my customers who are in the
habit of purchasing this drug. I do not
mean those for whom it is prescribed by
physicians, but those who use it as regu
larly as they would tobacco. These
slaves of the opium habit comprise law
yers, artists, preachers, merchants, and
all kinds of mechanics, tradesmen and
laborers. Women as well as men are
slaves to opium.”
"Do druggists as a rule become
wealthy?”
"No. There are too many in the busi
ness. If the number of drugstores could
be reduced one-half those who remained
in the trade would stand a chance of
making fortunes. As it is, the most of
us have a hard task to keep our heads
above water."
Didn't Retaliate.
“What is the trouble between you and
Johnny Green, Jamie?"
"He struck me in the face and called
me a baby.”
“Well, J hope you didn’t retaliate, did
you ?"
“No, sir; I didn’t. I just hit him
back.”— Drake'e Magazine.
PEARLS OF THOUGHT.
Remember thi*: However small y Ott ,
consider your possessions, there is »ume
one who envies you them.
Let us begin our heaven on earth, and
being ourselves tempted, let us be pitiful
and considerate and generous in judging
others.
There is no luck, but there is su a
thing as hard work and the knowing
how to make it answer for what others
call “luck.”
The only talent that man under all cir
cumstances ha* succeeded in handing
down to his son is the ability to judge
prime whisky.
Look not mournfully into the past—it
comes not back again; wisely improve
the present—it is thine; go forth to meet
the future without fear and with a manly
heart.
When the man listening to his con
science wills and does the right, irrespec
tive of inclination as of consequence
then is the man free, the universe open
before him. He is born from above.
We pass through this world but once.
Any good thing, therefore, that we can
do, or any kindness we can show to any
human being, let us do it now. Let us
not defer or neglect it, for we shall not
pass this way again.
Such are the vicissitudes of the
world, through all its parts, that day
and night, labor and rest, hurry and re
tirement, endcar each other. Such are
the changes that keep the mind in action;
we desire, we pursue, we obtain, we are
satisfied; we desire something else, and
begin a new pursuit.
Precocious Prattlers.
The “Children’s Chitchat” in the Asio
Moon contains some amusing sayings by
the little ones. A saw samples are given:
“Well, my young gentleman, and how
would you like your hair cut?” “Oh,
like papa’s please—with a little round
hole at the top.”
Grandpa: “Tell me, Ethel, why do
you have six buttons on your gloves!”
Ethel: “Yes, grandpa, dear, I will tell
you. The reason is if I had seven but
tons, or five, they would not match the
six buttonholes.
He was a persistent little boy who told
his mother, who thought he was too young
towear trousers, that “he would be will
ing to go without pockets if he only could
wear something that had legs.”
A small boy, the son of a gifted clergy
man in this state, was heard one night
addressing the following petition to his
Maker: “O God, please bless mamma,
and please bless papa; but the less you
have to do with Aunt Marie the better.
Amen.”
“Mamina, what does it mean when it
says, ‘The shades of night were falling
fast’ ?” “You should try and figure out
those things for yourself, Johnny.” I
know now. It means when sister Jane
pulls down the parlor blinds, then Gus
Smith comes in to siamd the eveniners.
eh?”
Mrs. Jones—“ Did you take Johnny to
school, Jeremiah?" Mr. Jones—“l did.
An excellent school it is, Matilda. The
scholars are models of dejrortment; the
curriculum is first-class, and the professor
a man of ability. At least, that is the
way he struck me,” Johnny (with a
groan) —“You ought to have stayed
about an hour, and seen how he struck
me.”
Dickens’ Genins for Diligence.
A friend of the great novelist, a man
who had given promise of a noble career
as an authors but who through indolence
had failed in doing any permanent work,
called upon him one morning and after
bewailing his ill success, ended by sigh
ing: “Ah, if only I were gifted with gen
ius!” Dickens, who had listened patient
ly to the com plant, exclaimed at once in
answer: “Genius, sir! I do not know
what you mean. I had no genius save
the genius for hard work!” However
his enthusiastic admirers may dispute
this, certain it is that Dickens trusted to
no such uncertain light as the fire of gen
ius. Day in and day out, by hard work,
he elaborated the plot, character and dia
logue of his imperishable stories. Whole
days he would spend to discover suitable
localities, and then be able to give vivid
ness to his description of them, while,
sentence by sentence his work, after ap
parent completion, was re-touched and
revised. The great law of labor makes
no exception of the gifted or ignorant.
Whatever the work may be, there can be
no success in it without diligent, unceas
ing, persevering labor.— Baptiet Weekly.
Extracting Teeth With a Pistol.
Old Dr. Monsey extracted teeth by
fastening a strong piece of catgut secure
ly to the tooth, to the opposite end of
which he affix'ed a bullet. With this
bullet and a full measure of powder, a
pistol was charged, and when the trigger
was pulled, the operation was performed
effectually and speedily. Once a gentle
man who had agreed to try the novelty,
and had even allowed the apparatus to
be adjusted, at the last moment ex
claimed, “Stop. stop. I've changed my
mind!” “But I haven’t, and you’re a fool
and a coward for your pains,” answered
the Doctor, pulling the trigger. In an
other instant the tooth was extracted,
much to the timid patient’s delight and
astonishment.— Scientific American.