Newspaper Page Text
Jjaeidiiicl.
«■==.— T i '.»■* L raw, ■
HARLEM GEORGIA
l-lllll'm!> XVEBY THURSDAY.
X3z*ll**rct *•» AiUinoon.
r«oriuETuiu>
The Knight* of Labor propose to '
tabliah * community farm in the north
went. There are in the I nited Blate*
many thriving eetticmcnt* which Brecon
ducted on the community plan, but in
almost every in*tan> <• the nu ruler* arc
bound together by religion* M well a* by
property bond*. It remain* to be seen
whether the Knights, on their 600 iw re
farm in Minnesota, will lx abk to work
harmoniously togethei for any <on*iders
ble time while subordinstlng individual
advantage to the general good.
Rome idea may Ims formed of the mag
nitude of the higher institute* of learn
ing in Germany when compared with
those of the I nited State*, by reading
the official report* of the number of
•student* in any one of them. It i* re
ported that there are now 2865 student*
in the university of Munich. Os these
1067 are devoting themselves to the stud
io* of medicine, 890 in judiciary branches,
890 law students, 834 to the study of
philosophy, 130 to theology, 102 to
national economy, rvrisi 152 to pharmacy.
M Charles Girard, chemist, of Paris,
recently amused himself by investigation
of the ingredients of a la-autiful red
currant jelly, charmingly put up for ex
port to the United Mates. There was
not an atom of fruit in the mass, as was
demonstrated by the adding to it of me
thylated alchobol, which would have
turned it green had it contained any fruit
acid. It was found to consist of gelatine,
aweeteneil with glycerine residue, col
ored with pichsino (a poisonous mineral
extract) and flavored with no one know*
what. _____
Referring to the purpose of the Audu
bon Society to prevent bird destnu tiAn
a correspondent of Forrrt and Stream
says: "A* the country became cleared
of tinilxr and mom thickly inhabited,
the birds have lx-cn destroyed in large
numbers and insect* have gained the as
ceudency. There arc birds worn by out
city belle* that alive would accomplish
more good work for mankind than the
average fashionable belle, although she
lived for a century. The eyes and beaks
of these dead bird* cry out in shame
against the cruel fashion that causes their
slaughter." *
An English agricultural journal serious
ly urges that in time of abundant and
cheap w heat it should be purcluued in
large quantities by the Government, ami
stored away in public 'granaries, in orde r
to insure the country tit least one year’s
supply in any contingency. “It argues,”
says the .Imerieon Cultivator, “that
the homo food production in Great Brit
ain is now so very deficient that, in case
of war, prices would go up at a bound
and cause terrible distress among the
people before a source of supply could
be developed. This measure, involving
the purchase of grain for storage, might
relieve the market so much a* to change
the present agricultural discontent In
England, and put an end to the demand
for protection; but it r< ally reminds us
of the historic tinu tn Egypt when Joseph
laid up grain in the years of plenty to
serve for food tn the year* of famine."
The Boston Herald constitutes itself
the champion of New York State iu the
following editorial (uiragraph: “In
seeking to belittle the polit eal inipor
lance of the Empire State, the Galveston
A'eicz observes that 'New York does not
occupy much of the soil of the United
States.' No, but it has one tenth of the
population, one-sixth of the property,
one elvcnth of the electoral vote; it pro
duce* oik fifth of the total value of
inauutm tured product*, receives the
greater part of the ini|>ort«of the country,
and ships the layger proportion of its ex
port*. Even its farms have a value of
one-tenth of the whole, and m arly ten
time* as much as tho*. of the gn at agri
cultural state of Texas N<« York is
considen<l>lc of a state, however you
look at it.”
The American Exhibition building for
IBH7 is being very ingeniously contrived
iu Loudon. Like Solomon'* Temple,
the various jcirts will arrive ready to be
fitted into each other w ithout noise or
confusion, and the structure will arise
fairy like. Its component parts an
made to tit any section, and will be bolt
ed togi tlier w ithout the slightest friction.
No skilled labor, indeed, it is said, will
be required in it* erection. The cast
iron chair will re>t on TOO stout iron
pnats, sunk in deep beds of concrete.
Tlii* will be firmly «cured and bolted,
and upon it will rest the wall plates.
Upofi Jlw «• will be lilted the w hole of
the twain rafters, previously bolted to
gitlier. The roof is to be of six spans,
the largest extending to sixty feet. The
rafteta, jullars and girders are all of iron.
It i* int udtsi to erect a press pavilion,
an Atlant ~ cable otiice, an clcetrir eleva
ted railway and rvprxductior* of the
frontage* of the more remarkable public
buddings and iustitutiun* in the United
A: itea.
The number of egg* a hen will lay
tjrjiend* mu< b on the care and food given.
If you do not believe it glance over the
following, condensed by the Cincinnati
< uu.mrrr l al from reliable statistics show
ing the average number of egg* a hen
will lay yearly : Maine, 89 < gg» to each
ben; Maasar hu*ctta, MO; Connecticut,
85; New Hamji»hire, Ml; Rhode Island,
70; Vermont, flit; Pennsylvania, 02;
Indiana, 60; Ohio, 57; Tcnnesaee, 55; ;
Kentucky, 52; lowa, 51; Illinois, 42;
North Carolina, 42; South Carolina, 37;
Louisiana, 30.
According to a statement of the United
State* Potters' Association there are
about 175 kiln* in ojzeration, not includ
ing those i inployed in turning out deco
rated |>otti-ry, of which there i* a large
ntimlH-r. Th<- nuinlw-r of employes is
roughly estimated at about 15,000, and it
may fairly Im- assumed that not les* than
30.000 derive their mean* of subsistence
from thi* source. The total of capital
invested in the business is supposed to lie
not les* than s’',ooo,ooo, two thirds of
which is alisorbi-d in plant, the wage*
paid amount to $1,000,000 or $5,000,000
annually, and $*,000,000 worth of good*
is made. The < hies centres of the trade
are Trenton, N. J., and East Liverpool,
Ohio, but establishments more or less ex
tensive are to be found iu more than a
dozen other place*.
A Washington correspondent speaking
of the late Mr*. Benjamin F. Brewster,
explains how she, a very attractive wo
man, happened to marry so notoriously
plain a num : Both hail been married be
fore, she to ti Frenchman and he to a
Russian Indy. When widowed, the only
thing left her by her husband was three
children, whom Brewster adopted a* hi.*
ow n. She was so entirely without means,
though of excellent family, that she ob
tained n position in the treasury for self
support. She was there when the Phila
delphia lawyer, having occasion to call
nt the department, passed her desk nnd
overheard her remark: "That is the
ugliest man 1 have ever seen.” Turning
to her, and bowing very politely, he said :
“Thank you, madam; I always like to
hear a lady express herself frankly. Thi*
ackward circumstance was soon followed
by an introduction ami hi* falling in love
with her. in pnqiosing he is reported to
have said: “You are charming and I
am hideous; but it will not be the fir-t
instance of the meeting of Beauty and
the Beast. You may never love me;
but, if you will accept me, I shall always
try to deserve your love.” That i* the
way to win a woman, and ho won her.
They arc believed to have been entirely
harmonious and devoted to one another.
The ex attorney general, albeit singular
ly fantastic in dress, and often in man
ners, is extremely polite and kind-heart
ed, and has a host of friends.
The Farmer’s Choice.
In a Hjiecch recently made by “Jim
Hill," President of the St. Paul Minne
apolis nnd Manitoba Railroad Company,
nt the dedication of the Duluth Board of
Trade palaeo, lie said, characteristically:
Down in southern Dakota there lives a
fine old gentleman nnd farmer who came
me the other day and wanted to know
on what terms we would construct a line
down into his territory. “That,” 1 an
swered, “is something out of our bent.
There i* only one thing that would in
duce us to build a line down in that di
rection, and that is a tow with our neigh
bor*.” Then the Dakota num said his
neighbors shipped wheat to Chicago and
sold it for 8(1 cent* a bushel, w hen it was
worth 93 cents in Duluth, paying 35 i ts.
per 100 for hauling 450 miles, when, if
they had an outlet to Duluth, they would
ship over a line over 200 miles shorter and
anbody would think of charging them
over 20 cents a hundred. 1 told him I
thought he was right and that ]>eople
who felt as he did about Duluth would
get there in some way. He answered:
'My [sople are pion*, prayerful and
church-going, and mean to gain an en
trance through the pearly gates, but if
they had to make a choice in that coun
try Iwtween Heaven and Duluth there
would be a big majority iu favor of Du
luth." ______
The Brakeman's Peril.
The present method of coupling freight
cars is primitive, costly and dangerous to
life and limb, and for years the inventive
ingenuity of the country has sought to
produce a better way that would U- ac
cepted by railroad managers. Over 4,000
patents for couplers have been taken out,
and yet the “man killer" has not been
displaced. Few people have the remot
est idea of the number of men who have
been crippled or killed coupling cars. I
venture to say that the casualties from
this cause for the last ten yi'ars tar i xceed
iu numU-r the killed and wounded of
any battle of the late rebellion. A num*
bvr of states have passed laws requiring
all cars built or owned within their limits
to be fitted with couplers which can la
operates! without going l>etween the ears,
but iu none of .hem is any v: ion* attempt
made to enforce the law. Every year the
Master Car Buddies' Ain*o<iation and the
convention of railway Mi|>erintviidentsand
the mast< r niachinnts devote considcrble
time to testing automatic couplers, with
but little »p]varetit progress, *o far a*
thi t adoption by the roads is ccl.
- I'oladtlfihta .YcWK
Nlielllng Bean*.
Sbelliug bean*! Hbehiug beanat
7 bi» i* *port Whan nights are cold,
W ben a cloud tha moonlight acreana,
And the wind I* loud and bold.
Gathered cjoae around the fire,
Prettieat of houmihold 's i-.ne*,
Hit the farmer* family,
Hbellmg Irean*, Hhelling lx«na!
Great big "squaw bean*" white and pink,
Hmall “p*poo*a* n red and round
“Crowdla*" je-arl and crimson mixed.
In their pod the closeat found.
“Cranbarri**" half a 'lozen shade*,
"California*" from the coaat,
Flat-shaped "Lima*” purple, white,
"Indian chief*,’’ a dark bright boat
“Wild gwae" dotted with black *{>eck*
Like the eggs the grans bird* lay,
Red striped “Scipio*,” "Rowleys" flat,
And “Imperials,” violet gray.
Little “pea bean*," creamy white,
Spotted ' 'bush beans" paa*ing count,
From the pod* they rattle out,
Higher in the jans they mount
He, who toiled to raise them all,
Underneath the summer sun,
Thinks how many he can sell
Now the labor is all done.
While hi* wife in vision* sees
Steaming, well filled platters rise,
baked beans for winter days,
Indian bread and pumpkin pies.
But the little boy* and girls
Handful* on the table lay,
And by shape and size and hue
Ix>t their fancies with them play.
Pretty flower beds they devise,
Fence and pathway, house and field.
Such great pleasure to their heart*
Just a few bright beans can yield.
Hhelling bean* ! Shelling beans !
Thi* is sport when nights are cold,
When a cloud the moonlight
And the wind is loud and bold.
Gathered close around the fire,
Prettiest of household scenes,
Sit the farmer’s family,
Hhelling l«-ans, shelling bean*.
—tUai'y L. H. Branch, in Good Housekeeper.
A SCRAP OF PAPER.
It was once an immaculate sheet of
white note-paper, lying with it* brethren,
in a plush case on the stationer’s counter,
ami wu* purchased with the rest by Mrs
Gordon for Helen’s birthday gift.
Before coming into Helen’s possession
it spent a dreary time in a big, busy
work room, where it was stamped and
pouuded and generally ill treated, but
whence it emerged bearing a wonderfully
twisted blue monogram of which II and
B were the principal letters. Helen was
delighted with her gift, ahd exhibited it
with pride to Mr. John Cunningham,
who, however, observed that it “wouldn’t
be of much use,” and added in an ex
planatory whisper that “she would soon
need aC instead of a B.” Whereupon’
Helen blushed, and pretended to be very
busy putting away the case in her pretty
secretaire. There, in a dim, violet-scent
ed corner, our particular sheet, which
chanced to be about the middle of tho
box, lay undisturbed for weeks, till, as
it* fellows were gradually removed, and
sent forth upon various missions, it came
in time to be the top sheet. Then one
night -or rather morning—its mission
began.
About 2 o'clock on a Wednesday morn
ing Helen returned from a ball, and, in
stead of going quietly to bed, as usual,
•he hurried into her little boudoir, and
dropping into a chair before the secre
taire, buried her head in her hands, and
began to sob bitterly. “Oh, I wish I
hadn't! 1 wish I hadn’t!” she said over
and over again. At last, however, she
grew calmer; and, opening her desk,
drew forth the top sheet from its place
and began to write rapidly.
“I know I can never rest, John, with
out first—even though this can not be
sent till morning—explaining to you
what happened to-night, and telling you,
dear John, that I am very, very sorrv
and ashamed. I know quite well that 1
was wrong hi giving three dances to
Captain Morse when you had expressly j
asked me to have as little to do with him
as possible; nnd, believe me, I did not
intend dancing with him at all. If it had
not been for Louise Hill I never should
have done so. Y’ou know her teasing
way. In the dressing-room this evening,
before we went down stairs, she asked
me if I intended dancing with Captain
Morse, and when I wouldn't answer, de
clared she believed that you had forbid
den it, and ended by darirg me to dance
with him more than once. Afterward,
when he asked for two dances, 1 happen
ed to look up, caught Louise's mocking
glance, and was silly enough, on the im
pulse of the moment, to let him put his
name down twice, thinking that 1 could
explain to you how it hap]x-ned. I had
no idea then that you were close by
and had seen it all, anil when, later iu
the evening, I tried to tell you about it you
were so cold and distant that my pride
rose, and, out of bravado, I gave him a
third dunce. But when I saw your pain
ed, stern look, John, I was quite misera
ble, and I even forgive you for flirting so
abominably as you did for the rest of the
evening with Louise. Now I have told
you all alxiut it. Please, dear, dearest
John, forgive your own Hu rs-
“P. S.—l will wear the frock you like
to the opera party Thursday evening."
Then, a happy smile on her face, Hel
en left her letter lying on the desk and
went to bed.
The next morning, just as she was pre
paring to address an envelope, “Miss
Louise Hili’’ was announced. Helen's
welcome might certainly have been more
cordial, but her visitor, nevertheless,
chatted on and on, and aired her view*
on every conceivable *ubject, remarking
at last, os she rose to take her leave:
“So, Helen dear, it'* all off between you
and Mr. Cunningham?"
“From whom did you derive your in
formation?" asked Helen, coldly.
“Well, from •himself,” replied Miss
Hill, with a would-be conscious laugh.
“At least, he asked me to go with him
to the opera party to-morrow night, and
as I knew that you hail expected to ac
company him, I supposed, of course”—
“Y'ou are at libv-rty to suppose any
thing you like, Louise,” said Helen, “but
if you please,” still more stiffly, “I should
prefer not to discuss the subject.”
And Miss Hill, with a *atisfied air, de
parted. A moment later Helen had
snatched the letter from her desk, crush
ed it passionately into a tight, hard ball,
and flung it into the waste-basket. “He
shall never see it—Merer!” she declared,
with an indignant «ob, as she left the
room.
In a little while Mary, the housemaid,
came in, broorn in hand, opened wide the
windows and placed the waste-basket on
the window ledge while she went to seek
her dustpan. As she opened the door a
mischievous—or was it a beneficent?—puff
of wind whirled our particular bit of pa
per, in company with a torn dress-maker's
bill and the programme of a morning
concert, out of the open window! All
three were blown together to the street
corner, and there parted company. What
happened to the other two was never
heard, but Helen’s letter became some
how wedged in between a lamp-post and
a small block of coal which had been
dropped near it, and remained there till
toward evening, when it was noticed and
picked up by an old scrap collector, who
stuffed it—our poor, violet-scented scrap
—into her sack among a lot of very dirty
rags and papers of ail kinds and emptied
all together that evening on the floor of
the cellar which she occupied with her
sister. Now the scrap collector’.* sister,
known as “Sairey” Malony, was a
“sweeper" ut the large theater where
Patti was then nightly trilling. Her
duties led her thither every morning at 9
o’clock, and kept her there usually for
five or six hours. She was in the habit
of carrying with her a crust of bread or
some similar delicacy to serve as lunch
eon. On the Thursday morning, being
seized with unaccountable daintiness, it
occurred to her to wrap up her crust,
which usually went unprotected into a
corner of her huge pocket. She sought
among her sister’s heap for a suitable
wrapper and selected Helen’s crushed
letter, which, although it had lost much
of its original freshness, was still several
degrees cleaner than the rest. She smooth
ed it out—not being able to read, its
contents had no interest for her—wrap
ped it round her crust, and slipped the
parcel into her pocket. There it reposed
till noon, when Mrs. Malony, having
nearly finished her work, seated herself
in company with Mesdiunes Flannigan
and O’Riley, parquet and balcony sweep
ers, in one of the lower buxes, and pro
ceeded to discuss her luncheon. The
theater, with its dim half-light and long
rows of carefully “s iceted” seats, was a
ghostly looking place; the shrill voice of
an “under-study”—whose services, ow
ing to the illness of a prima donna, were
likely to be in request, and who was hav
ing a solitary rehearsal on the stage, toss
ing about her lean arms as Elvira—was
the only sound which pierced the silence;
the three old crows in the box mumbled
their crusts and conversed in whispers.
Suddenly a door banged, and the firm
tread of the stage manager was heard ap
proaching. In fear and trembling Mrs.
Malony and her companions made a hasty
exit from their comfortable quarters —an
exit so hasty that the first-mentioned
lady's luncheon wrapper-—in other words,
Helen's much abused letter—dropped on
the floor and was kicked unnoticed un
der one of the chairs—the identical chair,
in fact, which was occupied that evening
by Miss Louise Hill. Thus it came tc
pass that during the second act of
“Lucia" a certain well know n blue mon
ogrtm on a torn and dirty piece of paper
which lay half concealed by'Miss Hill’s
sweeping train attracted the attention of
that young lady’s escort.
By and by he managed, unobserved,
to secure it, and, making some excuse,
retired to the foyer. Ten minutes later
the indignant Miss HUI received by a
messenger Mr. Cunningham’s “deepest
regrets and apologies for being obliged
to leave the theater on sudden, urgent
business," and had to content herself for
the rest of the evening with the vacuous
youth whom her escort had deputed to
fill his place.
• * * ♦ ♦ »
Among the most cherished treasure* of
Mr. and Mrs. John Cunningham is a cer
tain torn and disreputable scrap of pa
per.—.4.’ (r. IVunrirl- in Chicago .Veic*.
TooLowforthe Tide.
‘•There is a tide in the affairs of men.’ 1
commenced the long-haired poet enter
ing the editor's sanctum.
“Oh, yes," replied the busy man, stop
ping work long enough to waft the airy
creature through the open door, on the
point of his substantial gaiter; “but you
have got down too low for the tide;
you've been struck by the under toe.’—
A MADSTONE.
Vihata Lady Says of One in
Her Possession.
Declaring its Use Has Cure! Over 1,278
People of Hydrophobia.
The Newark (N. J.) Journal recently
published the following letter from Mrs.
B. L. Milam, the owner of the famous
madstone, at Waterford, Miss: —
“Your request for n history of the
famous madstone for the cure of persons
bitten by rabid animals is received, and
I take great pleasure in complying with
the request. The large number of bites
by mad dog*, and the recent death of
George Neall by hydrophobia, has at
tracted my attention to Newark. I have
often wished thut ]>ersons bitten in your
city would come here and be healed, in-
Btead of going to Paris to see Pasteur. I
have nothing to say against the famous
French physician, and believe there is a
great deal in favor of his theory of inocula
tion, I know that much nearer home is
a cure that is absolutely sure as
it is absolutely wonderful. There
may be other madstones in this
country, but there are none with such an
accredited history. The proper name of
the stone is the China snakestone. It
has acquired the title of madstone from
having been used so often on the bites of
rabid dogs and other animals. The stone
was brought from China in 1810 to Mad
ison county, Alabama, by Dr. William
Barker. The doctor died not very long
afterwards, and left no orders respecting
the stone. It* merits were already
known to some extent, so it was put up
for sale at public auction along with the
rest of the doctor’s estate. The stone
was purchased by my father, James Mi
lam, and four others. Three of the
others died in a few years and my father
then bought their interest and also the
fourth interest. My father used the
stone until 1835, when h: moved to Mar
shall county, in this state. He died
there in 1849, and left the stone by his
will to me.
“I have been using it regularly since
that time. No other person has ever
used it but my father and myself. It
has been applied up to this date on 1278
persons bitten by dogs, cats, snakes,
spiders, and three or four horse bites.
The stone is one and one-quarter inches
long by one and one-quarter in width; it
is almost square and weighs one ounce.
It is of an ash or lead color, and nearly
as heavy as lead. It is very porous,
something like wood but much finer. It
is rough on the outside very much like
the large end of a horn. When applied
to a bite the stone adheres closely
until the pores are full, then
it falls off and is cleansed in warm
water, and applied as long as it will take
hold. It does its work by absorbing the
virus. Y’ou may ask how long after be
ing bitten persons can rely on the stone.
I have treated persons bitten from five to
eight months. They have often come to
me with the bite entirely cured up. In
that case I scarify for skin bites or cut
for a deep bite. I have no fear as to a
cure at any time before hydrophobia sets
in. I once treated an old doctor that had
been bitten eight months before he had
symptoms of hydrophobia, so much so
that he could not retain anything he
swallowed; he got well and lived ten
years. I have his certificate. After
speaking of her terms for treating pa
tients Mrs. Milam continued: “I
never let patients leave until I am
satisfied they are cured, as I guarantee
a cure in every instance, unless they
should happen to be bitten in some place
where I could not apply the stone. So
far I have always succeeded, though I
have had some very difficult cases, as they
have come to me bitten in every conceiva
ble place from the head to the toes.
But we have never lost a case yet. I
could give you hundreds of certificates,
but will only refer to L. Q. C. Lamar,
Secretary of the Interior, at Washington;
Col. E. M. Watson, Assistant Attorney-
General, at Washington; J. B. Morgan,
who was bitten forty years since, and is
now a member of Congress from Missis
sippi; Hon. H. Clayton, of Lamar, Miss.,
and Supreme Court Judge of this State.
These gentlemen are from this State and
arc well acquainted with the character
of the stone,
A Stupendous Mosaic.
The American church in the Via Naz
ionale at Rome has just been decorated
with a stupendous Venetian mosaic of a
cartoon by Mr. Burne Jones, representing
Christ surrounded by the celestial com
pany as described by Isaiah, Ezekiel, and
St. John. In the work, which measures
962 square feet, there are no fewer than
sixty figures, some of them three vards
high, while the reproduction of the
grand coloring is regarded as a triumph
of mosaic art. The difficulties to be
overcome in the tints were -very numer
ous, for in the composition is represented
the sun, the moon, a rainbow, sky, water,
prophets, evangelist, angels, and the di
vinity with all its glories and attributes.
—London Truth.
Thousands on thousands of men in
London live the year round at th > rate
of ten or twelve pence a day, equal to
twenty or twenty-four cent* of Ameri
can money, inclusive of food, with
abiuter. _
Killed by Grixxlie*.
In his book, “The Hunting Trips of »
Ranchman,” the Hon. Theodore Roose
velt has the following to say about griz
zly bears: A grizzly will only fight if
wounded or cornered. But two instances
have come to my personal knowledge
where a man has been killed by a grizzly
One was»that of a hunter at the foot »f
the Big Hom Mountains who had cha-ej
a large bear and finally wounded him.
The animal turned at once and came
straight at the man, whose second shot
missed. The bear then closed and passed
on, after striking only a single blow;
that one blow, given with all the power
of his thick, immensely muscular fore
arm, with nails strong as so nisuy
hooked steel pikes, tore out ths man’*
collar bone aud snapped through three or
four ribs. He died that night. Th#
other instance occurred to a neighbor of
mine—who has a small ranch on tho Lit.
tie Missouri—two or three years ag >. He
was out on a mining trip aud was pros
pecting with two other men near the
head waters of the Little Missouri, in the
Biack Hills country. Coming to a stream
two or three of the party crossed it, but
the third, a German, and a very powerful
fellow, followed a well-beaten game trail
in another direction. When they were
about forty rods apart the two men
heard an antagonizing shout from the
Garman and at the same tima the loud
coughing, growl or roar of a bear. They
turned just in time to see their compan
ion receive a terrible blow on the head
from a grizzly, which must have been
i aroused from its lair by his almost step-
I ping on it. So close was it that he had
no time to fire his rifle, but merely held
it up over his head as a guard, of
course it was struck down, the claws of
the great brute at the same time shatter
tering his skull like an egg shell. Yet
the man staggered on some ten feet l>e
fore he fell, but when he did he never
spoke again. The two others killed tho
bear after a short struggle.
Results of Heavy Mental Strain.
Some men can stand an enormous
amount of mental strain without any ap
parent injury; others, from what may be
called, for want of a better term, “weak
ness of the brain,” are incapable of any
thing requiring mental tension. The
worst consequences are noticed in people
of moderate brain power, who, in the ab
sence of proper training, attempt the per
formance of severe mental labor. Their
case is similar to that of those who sud
denly engage in trials of strength and en
durance after an insufficient amount of
training, and who cither exhaust them
selves by overtaxing their nervous ener
gies, or induce disorders of the heart or
lungs, or strain of some portion of the
muscular system by the violence of their
efforts.
When a man is being prepared for
great musular exertion he undergoes a
course of training in which the severity
of the work assigned to him is gradually
and cautiously increased, and the same
rule should be adopted for those whose
mental powers are about to be severely
taxed. If this condition be fulfilled, if
a proper amount of sleep can be obtained,
and if the appetite remains at its normal
level, the brain will bear almost any
amount of steady strain in the form of
severe mental labor.— Fortnightly Reelcw.
South African Diamonds.
Early in 1867, the first South African
j diamond was brought to the town of
| Colesberg by a hunter named O'Reilly to
whom it had been given by a Dutch boer
1 family named Jacobs whose child had
i found it in her play. It was carried to
the Paris Exposition, and by the follow
ing year diamond digging had been be
i gun in earnest. In 1869 the African
Kohinoor valued at $150,000 was discov
| ered. By 1870 public attention had be
' come completely aroused and capitalist*
i began to invest in the enterprises. In
1870 there were 40,000 people within a
! line of seventy miles on the banks of the
; Vaal River. The South African diamond
' fields arc situated chiefly in the colony of
West Griqualand, which was proclaimed
British territory in 1871.
. The diamonds arc found over many
hundred square miles of territory. Tho
■ principal diggings are situated in the
extensive Valley of the Vaal River to the
northeast of the Orange River Free State.
The country rises into long stony- ridges
or hills, called kopjes, consisting of ir
regular fragments of hard rock imbedded
in ferruginous gravel, which varies in
' character and compactness, being some
times quite loose ami sometimes forming
a compact lime-cemented mass. It is in
this grave] that diamonds are found.
Canse for Thankfulness.
“Lord Justice Clerk Brasfield, " say*
Journal, “was a man of few
words and of strong business habits, and,
consequentlv, when he courted his sec*
ond wife he said to her: ‘Lizzie, I’m
looking out for a wife, and I thought you
just the person to suit me. Let me have
your answer, on or off, to-morrow, and
nae mair aboot it.’ The lady next day
replied in the affirmative.
Shortly after the marriage Lord Brax
field’s butler came to him to give up his
situation because he could not bear her
Ladyship's continual scolding.
‘Mon,’ Braxfield exclaimed, ‘ye've lit
tle to complain of; ye may be than a. u
ye're no’ married to her.’ ”