The free citizen. (Orangeburg, S.C.) 1874-1876, April 10, 1875, Image 1
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CITIZEN
*&?S& A? W^SBE?f:^ditoy?and Proprietor.
A Weekly Paper Devoted to Temperance, Literature and Politics.
NUMBER 3b.
Thuy sal 'np<1 'coi.lt)J, I 'Jil(. Ir bt'nutirul hair, \-lil
Thelr'l?'ug. bright tresses ono l>y olio,
AH tiley laughed and talked in their chamber Ibero,
Aftei tho revol v?ydqoe:_-' j J { ? .-' 'J- .'/
Idly they talked of waltz and i|u:idrlllo,
Idly they laughed. Uko other ?Irl?, j
Who over tho llrf/when all ?H still,
Comb ont their braid? and curl?
?litSlitVi'of IrttiuWd UniHBOlB lace, . \U
Knots ol' Hu WITH, and ribbons too,
Scattered about tn ?ivory plaop.. ;
. After, tho'revel 1? through.
A?a 3iww?:???i frrtrf^Mftrtttfcll or white,
' ' Tho prettiest night-gowns undor tho nm
Stocklngloss, Blipporlcss, sit in tho night,
After tho revel Is done.
.Slttild Sofijlrtncir beauttriit hair, " 1
Thoso wonderful waveB of brown aud gold, I
Till the tiro is out ia tho chamber there,
And tho llttle-bare-feot aro cold. '"'
When out of tho gathering winter chill, i
And out of tho bitter St. Agues weather,
Whtlo tho Aro ls out aud tho houco is still,
Maud nnil MadC'! to/:uthor
Maud and Madge, in robes of white,
Tho prettiest night-gown* under tho sun,
Curtained away from tho chilly night,
Aftor the revel ?H dono.
' T?o??al5p'rt"jn" a ?plond?? cfroair?; - 1^
To a golden gittern'? tinkling tone,
While a thousand lustres shimmering stream,
Ir*, a palace's grand Baloon. .
Flashes of JOWOIB and flutter of laces,
Tropical odors sweeter theta musk,
M?h and women with boantlfnl faces,
Aud eyes of beautiful dusk.
Ant} ADO-faro shiping Jtlso a,atar,
" ' . Ono'f?co ft?uhnriK tho dreams of each,
And ono voice, swootor than others are,
Breaking in ntlvery speech.
. TolliDg.throngh lip? of bearded bloom;
Au old, old ?tory o'er again,
As down tho royal bannered room,
To a golden gittoru's strain,
Two and two'tbey dreamily walk,
While au unseen spirit walks beside,
And all unheard, In lovers' talk,
Ho clalmoth ono for his bride.
Oh, Maud and Madge, dream on togother,
With never a pung of jealous fear 1
For hero tho bitter St. Agnes weather
Shall whiten another year.
Hobed for tho bridal and robed for the tomb,
Unified brown bair and golden treas,
There'll bo only ono qr .you loft for tho bloom
.Of tho bearded HpB to press!11 *
Only ouo robo for the bridal podr?s,
'Tho robe of satin and Brussels loco
Only ono to blush through her curl,'? :
At sight of a lover's face.
O, beautiful Madge, in your bridal White!
For you tho rovol has jiiRt begun ;
But ftjr hor who sloepH lu your arms to-night,
Tljo revel or Iiifo i? done S
But robed ami crowned with saintly bllee,
'.Queen of Heaven afiff brido'of tho sun,
O, beautiful Maud, you'll never miss
Tho I.in c? another lian won t ?., 1*1
ANASTASIA'S GHOST.
November night. Some vague present
iment of. evir weighed upon mjBhearfc,
ns I sat alone in tho twilit,-, f And yot
there'wUtf n'offorog'^partjhtiy to ruako
me glpomy. On ,tb.e contrary,.I. ought
to h?v?'lie?tt''m'oro'tl?ari UH nal ly ciUeer
fni ; lind. I.^not rcce-iveda delicious
promise'from Katie Nolson that very
afternoon.?. , .. , , .... dil] .
It seemed 'to be odd, to be sure, that a
gray-haired widowov Tike myself1 watt to
marry this girl of eighteen. Her mother
had, boen tt^houH?ke.e^rdn nui family,
bht dic'a ebon af ter Katie's birth. So it
happened that sho? jwsf" adopted by us,
mvw? had nb 'children of our own. My
wife treated hqr. Jkindl^ .bjut.witb.put
much warmth of f?eling. Anastasia was
of such a peculiar disposition that I'
actually believed she WHB joalous of thisy
infant. .
Poor Anastasia ! she warned mo sol
emnly on her death-bed never to marry
again, and , threatened, >tp.;rjso from her
grave iii case of such an event.
Katie was in her. tenth,year when iny
wife diedi ' ?I'??iit'her ?way'toa board
ing sohool ; and, as business called mo
abroad, did not-Soo her' again urrtil my
return, eight yonrs afterwards.' ; 1 was
somewhat bewildered 'to' find ii lovely
woman, instoad('pf. the little girl jl.-had
loft in short dresses. 'Of'course yon can
guess th? auquel; J' i fell in love with
this charming adopted daughter. There
was Rometlung in the frank tenderness
of her manner that completely .won my
heart.
It waa evident . that; she was .deeply
attached to me. 1 could noir help see
ing how much higher she ?valued my
Hooiety than that of my nephew,OharleSj
Raymond, wHo ? had accompanied me
from abroad. .She never addressed him
except in: monosyllables,- and' would
flush all over with embarras ment if he
but entered the room. "But with me,
she was always self-possessed, and BO
talkativo and sociable that I could not
help pi tying?? 'Charlie. Ho was really
quite good-looking, and I used to won
der sometimes at her antipathy; Poor
fellow; how I dreaded to toll him of my
approaching .hopp' iriess, It would be a
great blow to his hopes, for ho had ex
peoted to inherit my fortune.
Katie wasn't a b it 1 ike other girls that
I had ever known any thing about. -In
stead of blushing at my confession that
afternoon .me turned palo, and shivorod
as if struck by a sudden ? ohill. I no
ticed, too', that ' thorne was a strange
quiver iu her voice when she lin a Hy
consented to be my-wife. I was appre
hensive that Charlio had told her what
. Anastasia had 8*dd ou her death-bed.
And yeti conldht believe her ghost
would be-8o ,inconB.iderote.; Somehow,
I could ti't, forget that warning. Anas li
sia was a remarkable woman, and would
surely ke9p herword, if ghosts are per
mitted to walk the earth. Thinking,
thus, J began to grow frightened at the
shadows in my roomj and hastily rang
the bell forlightB.:-. -.- '
" Why aro you so late, Bridget," I
asked, sharply, ''as. tho il serrant -entered
tho room.
"Indado, sir, and it's mesolf 'that's
beon with Miss Katie every blessid min
uit, and she's almost kilt with a pain in
.her head/''. ? "? W Y OST /.ll
Could thiti be tl\o result of our con
verantiofi thRf nlternoorrT Considera
bly atartled, I questioned Bridget eager
.ly. ' Gharli?- chmo: in 'whild' wo wore
talking.'- n VMuv I lin b'trii
"Katie ill,?'',ho ?aid, with a shadow
bri His WowV ' " Ts it' anything serious,
uncle ?" . ' -. .
; What business [ had he to take any
special'interest in Katie.
"'!*???Only7, a headache,'* T answered,
coldly^./'.She is subject ta siiqh attacks.
Bring'in fha tea", "Bridget. , ' ',
'?'<?.? *f We; Sh'a?: lr?v'?'?-lot?esome evening, "
Charlie sighed. hil COI
I half believed that he was . in love
with the girl himself:
,'Ifc'. waV < cheerless, though, without
.Katie, , I missed lier bright face behind
the tea-tray, Charlie left his oup un
tasted. My jealousy was aroused, and
I watched him keenlyt
As sqon as we were .alone, I said, half
angrily, " What is the matter, Charlie?
Ton look a's. if you hadn't a friend on
earth." I didn't know before that you
liked Katie so well."
-Tho^crimson leaped up to his very
brow; 3
"I am. glad that you do," I con
tinued, hastily, "for you will soon be
connected by ties of relationship. She
has promised to be my wife."
" You are jesting, uncle !"' he said,
doubtingly.
"I was never more serious iu my
life," I answered.
Charlie showed evident signs of agi
tation.
" You have no right to sacrifice that
young girl," he said, bitterly. "You
are old enough to be lier father. Of
course she accepted you from gratitude.
How dare you think of suoh a thing ?"
" No wonder that yon rave," I re
plied, with a mocking smile; "you are
disappointed of your inheritance."
At that moment the wind gave a fear
ful shriek outside, and I thought of
Anastasia.
"Are you not afraid to marry again?"
Charlie inquired, maliciously. "You
remember the warning ?"
y Nonsense !" I answered ; ff it will
take something more than a ghost to
frighten me out of this marriage."
1 had scarcely finished speaking,
when there carno a gust of wind, and a
crashing' of glass,' and tho storm actual
ly swept into the room. Wo glanced
around us in dismay. The boughs of
a large elm tree; that stood in front of
the house, hod ./allen against the win
dow. Sw^ tttf-,
Ghorlio gave me h pdqnluu: look as I
.cowered over tho tiro, nod thonbarred
tho window in Mich a manner RH fojrpop- ?
jjPHjjjPRn^ oh-.-.!
Opa?L ns-b?tn, and we.-did not return
again to thtv%nbject w? had.boen dis
cussing. Our conversation was fitful,
and it seoinod a relief whon we separated
at bed-time. .
There is no uso iu denying that I waa
troubled a little with superstitions
fears. I peered round anxiously into
?v?ry corner of the room before retir
ing, but found no sign of any mys-,
ter ions visitant. I had mich a f oar of
tho darkness, however, that 'I, ?l?ftrthV
candle burning. * i-x'-,-L-1
Tho fury of the storm had not abuted,
and I lay a wok rs nonio, timo listening to '
the wind. At last, .howover, I foll into
an uneasy slumber. How long I had
slept I know not, when I was awakened .
l^an-ioy-touoh upon my forehead.
I i i UP? with a thrill of appre
hension. Tho lighi^emittcd a faint,
Hepulqhrnl gl?nm., t ?h, horror ! :what
was that I saw? ? .A-figure, roped in
white*- came '-gliding ? toward 1 me from
the foot of the bed. The face was hid
den from my view, but I knew from
the form that it was the ghost of Anas-'
tasia. . --T>
"William Raymond," came in a
honrse voioe from tho figure; "I am
hero to avenge your infidelity, mid to
drag jon down to tho grave in my em
brace." , _
. I.^brieked with terror ?as I. felt j her
olntoVmy throat, und - cried, faintly,
"Meroy ! mercy ! "
"You would marry Katie Nelson,
would' you? whispered the ghoBt,
mockingly. " Ii y'?u 'do hot wish to
die "-and here the ioy fingers pressed
so tight that I gasped -for breath
."?promise rae that you wilt not ;take a
second wife." v- * - ? ' : 1
" Oh, I promise 11 promise ! " said I,
half dead with terror.
" Woe be unto you. if yon deceive
me ! " answered the ghost solemnly.
And I heard no more. . . .
It was some time, however, before I
ventured to oast a timid glance around
the room. The ghost had disappeared.
The storm," too, was ^beginning tb sub
side ; but I could not go to sleep again,
for I found it impossible to forget that
phantom and its deadly clutch upon ray
throat. I resolved to say nothing about
it. Of course, people would ridicule
the idea of a ghost. Nevertheless, I
did not dare to wed Katie Nelson ; yet
how could I explain this pudden change
of purpose? I foivently hoped that
she would not die of a broken heart,
the poor child I What should I say to
her?
After considerable refleotiou, I re
solved to trust this delicate affair to
Charlie. The proposed marriage was
so odious in his eyes that I knew he
would justify my apparent treaohery to
her, if possible.
Morning came, and I arose in a fever
ish state. of, mindi How I dreaded to
meet ??tie at the breakfast table ! but,
fortunately, she did not make her appear
ance. Charlie, looked so troubled that'
I almost fancied he, to?, had seen'the
ghost. . -
After breakfast, I said to him, with
un embarrassment that J strove to hide,
''My dear boy,' do' you remember what
we wore talkipg about iB&t oyening? I
have beert'thinking over the matter se
riously, and nm afraid that a marriage
betweon Katie and myself will result in
unhappiness ; but I have not the cour
age to bravio bor reproaches. Now,
Charl io. will you act as mediator, and
malee knowii this change in my views ?"
"Why, nuci?," ho answered, and I
wa? almost sure that I euw a gleam of
mischief in his eyes, " something extra
ordinary must have happened. You
aro not usually so fickle !"
."We won't discuss the mutter," Baid
1,'in an irritated tone. "Will you, or
will yon not, grant my r?qnost?" .
"Of course, I will," he replied;
"but it is a difficult task. The poor
child will bo so disappointed 1"
I: detected a joyous ring in his
voice, and I looked at him rather sus
piciously.
His diplomatic mission was success
ful, however. Late in the afternoon,
Katie came down into the library where
I was sitting. I had never seen her
look prettier.
" Oh, Mr. Raymond !" she said,
eagerly, " I am se glad that you have
changed your mind 1 It was so unex
pected yesterday. I never dreamed
before that you loved me in any other
way than as a daughter."
Was this acting? was she trying to
deceive me in her sweet unselfishness ?
" Then you never loved mo ?" I
asked.
" Dear Mr. Raymond, you know bet
tor," 8ho answered ; "only it was not
exaotly the kind of love one ought to
feel toward a hnsband. Yon aro as
dear to me aB if you were my own fath
er ; but you aro so much older than I,
that-that-"
She hesitated, and did not fiulsh her
sent once. I remembered my gray hairs
with a pang of mortified vanity. Was
not the ghostly visit enough ? Must I
be tortured in this manner afterward ?
The veil was torn away from tho de
lusion I had cherished.. Alas ! I had
misinterpreted her childish affection.
It might be that she loved another. I
looked down into the face where a vivid
scarlet glowed, and road her secret.
"My dear child," I exelmmed, at
tempting to control my agitation, " toll
me everything."
.'Oh, Mr. Raymond," she answorod
in confusion, " Oharlio has asked mo to
be his wife."
The rascal ! No wonder that ho ro
mainod with her such a long time that
morning ; no wondor that ho boasted of
the. satisfactory manner in which every
thing had been explained.
"Tho impudont fellow !" I muttorod,
impatiently, "What did you answer,
pfr?UiJ?^A,Yf>M-?ove him?"
. Low and .soft the answer carno :
"Yes?'
Tho heart of a woman ia a mystery
that I cannot fathom. I was certainly
outwitted by my nephew. Ho might
have been afraid, howovor, that my
conscience would reproaoh mo if Katio
showed her disappointment. I have
littlo doubt that she loved mo far bettor
than she wonld confess.
Ah, woll! they woro married in due
time, and wo aro all living together.
Tho doar childron do everything they
can to add to my happiness,
Katie is still a'beautiful woman, and
Oharlio is the staff of my old ago.
. I never saw-the ghost again. In fact,
I have good reason to think that the
mysterious visitant was a certain grace
less nephew of mine, who had fallon in
love with Katie. Of course I forgave
the deception long ago, as it saved me
from a terrible mistake.
I am much happier, probably, than if
I. had married the young girl whose
heart belonged to nnothor. I am not
certain, however, that she did not ac
cept Charlie from pique at my rejec
tion. Any way, ho has mado her a good
husband.
The Art ot Listening to Music.
A ^writer in Scribner's says : " There
is no greater delusion than that of sup
posing that tho best music ean be en
joyed only by the 4 musical.' Ordinary
people eon derive keen pleasure from a
sympathetic listening to great mnsio if
they will but behove that they oan, and
so attend to it accordingly. There is
no need of being baffled by a want of
knowledge ooncering keys ; nor by an
ignorance of modulation. Your next
neighbor may know that the air began
in G major, and then passed into B
minor, bnt you can get your own sim
pler pleasure out of it. What is it to
mo what Titan's seorot of color might
have been ? ! Ho had it, and that is
enough for one who cannot even draw.
The first rule in listening to music is
to listen. Wo do not want to arouse
ourselves to a f f Ky of delight* but
we do want to bea x what .the music is
like. A very simple and very good rulo
for thoBe who are perplexed by an or
chestra, and who ianoy they are puz
zold to know whore tho tone comes in,
is to listen to ono instrument, the
violins, for instanco, alone for a time.
These will probably take up the melody
and sing it plainly enough, then the
movement may become moro compli
cated, and tho air seems to have grown
more florid, to be broken perhaps into
brilliant fragmonts, but hearken !-the
Violoncelli have taken it up, and over
it floats this new and lovely etrain of
violins, then the flutes catch the melody,
the cornets and tho bassoon swell the
harmony, the drum makes it rhythmio j
beats, the wholo orchestra is alive with
the theme, and before you know it yon
ate in the very ' center of the munie,
and what was before involved find in
tricate now becomes plain and beauti
ful." _
-" How is your ohuroh getting on ?"
asked a friond of a rigorous Scotchman,
who had separated in turn from tho
Kirk, the Free Ohuroh, the United
Presbyterian and several lesser bodies.
?. Pretty weel, pretty weel. There's
nobody belongs to it .now but my
brothel and myself, and I'm nao sure'
| of Sandy's soundness."
-. fji--i--;
I i. FR08T-BITTEN.
f :B? :OK.?lt(lE A. FMI Uli, .1. lt.
We were riding home from the Carroll's ball,
Nelly Siossrj'ent anti I, yon know ;
Tho white flakes fluttered about our Ump",
1 Ami our v^ico'iM rolled silently through tho snow.
Wo'd danced together the evening through,
Kor Uoritltein'd Viola had "played their best ;''
Her fair head drooped, ber !ld? ?ere ?ow,
Aiirl her dreamy eye? wero full of reai.
Uer white wmii nestled along her lap.
Her bandi half holding with weary ?race
Her fading violets-pausing sweet
WaB tho far-off look on her fair young face.
I watched ber, speaking nover a word.
For I would not waken thope dreaming eyes ;
Hut th6 breath of the vi?lete Ulled tho air.
And my thoughts were many and far from WIBO.
At lHst, 1 eald to her, bending near,
" Ah, Nerty Saneargont, sweet 'twould be
To rido to;?..?thor our whole lives long,
Alone with the violets, you and me."
Her fair fsoo flushed, and her Bweet eyes fell ;
Low as thc mnrniur of meadow-rllla
Her answor came to mo-" Yes - perhaps ;
lint who would settle our carriage bills?"
Tho tl el I cat o blossoms breathed their last ;
Our wheels rolled hard on tho stonsn just tit cn,
Where the. ano w had d' ifted ; the subject dropped,
And han haver been taken np agaiu.
Syrian Sponges
The latest project before the acclima
tization society of Paris is the cultiva
tion of the celebrated Syrian sponge in
tho waters of southern France, a valu
able and moat useful product, which,
like many another gift of tho sea, is in
danger "iii extermination through exces
sive fishing.
The .sponge-producing grounds of
Syria occur along the coast, from Mount
Carmelfin the south to Alexandretta in
tho n?jrth, tho centers of production
being Tripoli, Ruad, J jallakin, and
Bartroun, on the coast of Mount Leba
non. The best quanitieB aro found in
the neighborhood of Tripoli and Bar
tronn. j According to a late report of
the British vice-consul at Beyrout, as
many 'ns throe hundred boats are en
gagedjin tho fishery ; the annual yield,
thong]} falling off through tho exhaus
tion of the grounds, still amounts to
SIOO.OOO to -$125,000. The majority of
tho b^ats used aro ordinary fishing
boats^irom eighteen to thirty feet in
ltujglijij three parts deoked over, and
carryiner one mast with an ordinary lug
sail. "Tlioy are manned by a crew of
four og five men, ono to haul and the
rest tp serve as divers.
Ia wrmor years the const was much
frequented by . Greek divers from tho
islahifij of tho Archipelago; tho numbor
is hri/jvirostriored to five or six boats a
v.C- ? *^<?=?lcUl, .of . tho Syrian combined
wilh^iiBbottcr knowledge of tho fishing
gr?iii>u8, ounbliiig him to compete suc
coHsfrtllyrwith his foreign rivai
Diving is practiced from a very early
agc up-to forty years after which few
aro ablo to continno tho pursuit profit
ably. The dopth to which the diver
dcHoondn varies from five to thirty
i* brafse?," or from twonty-fivo to ono
hundred and scventy-fivo feet. Tho
time. IHM ? ablo'to spend underwater
depends on natural capacity, ago, and
training; Bixty seconds time is reckoned
good work-iu rare instances eighty
seconds are spout under wator. Tho
Syrian divor uses a heavy stouo to carry
him quickly to the bottom, and is drawn
up by a comrade. On the bottom, ho
hoklH tho guide rope with ono hand and
tears off the sponges with the other,
placing thom in a net whioh he carries.
No knife, spear or instrument of any
kind is used in detaching tho sponges ;
nor does ho, like his Groek competitor,
over uso the diving dreHS, having nn
antipathy to it on tho score of its re
puted tendency to produce paralysis of
tho limbs. Two or three fatal accidents
occur annually, mainly amoDg tho skill
ful and daring, who sometimes drop the
ropo to seouro a tempting prize, and
missing it on their return, attempt to
rise to tho surface unaided, and aro
drowned. At other tintes tho diver
will be wonnd?d by jagged rooks, or
his ropes will become entangled, expos
ing him to great risks where the dopth
is great.
It i? poBBibie that this high-priced
and durable variety of sponge might be
onltivated in our southern waters, as a
substituto for the beautiful but tender
sponge they' now yield. Tho experi
ment is worth trying.
Tobacco in Connecticut.
At a recent meeting of the Connecti
cut Valley Agricultural Institute, Prof.
Stockbridge is reported, in the New
England Homestead, as saying that
there was about forty million dollars'
worth grown r# the United States, in
the following order : 1, Virginia ; 2,
North Carolina ; 3, Maryland ; <i, Ken
tucky ; 5, Mississippi ; fi, Connecticut ;
7, Massachusetts, etc. Tho analysis of
tobacco shows it to bo a narcotic poison.
No other plant is like it in compositiou.
In a mn nil quantity it is a stimulant, in
largo quantities a deadly poison. It ia
a rapid grower, and draws from tho
soil more than any other plant. Clover
takes from the mineral oloment of tho
soil ten per cent., tobacco twenty per
cent, or ono ton of tobacco exhausts
?00 pounds of mineral substances for
overy acre. Tho Connecticut seed-loaf
tobneco has a peculiarity, in contradis
tinction to any other in its fineness and
thinnoBii of leaf (md texture, and light
ness of color. Tobacco is mado by its
soil. It oannot be heavy olay, heavy
loom or alluvial soil. Must bo fine,
sandy land, having absorbent power,
and retaining heat through tho night.
I Tating this poo? soil a largo quantity
of menuro must be used. Tho land is
the machine for raising tobacco, and it
must be fertilized ana not allowed to
deteriorate a particle. Tobacco is so
exhaustive that no farmer or farm can
mako it an oxolnsive orop. Stook must
bo fed for the manuro, and the streams
of groin whioh flow in from tho west are
to ne taken advantage of.
Prof. Stookbruigo said if tob?ceo
raising was managed on business prin
oiplcs, with economy, it ?B tho host
bURiucBB n man can ongngo in, in tho
Connecticut valley. Tboro will always
be n markot for all that will bc grown.
Tho reason of the present d?pression
of tho business is because tho quality
has much doteriorated, and this ?B ac
counted for in part by not uping tho
right kind of fertilizers, but mainly
in the future to ripen and euro it.. To
bacco properly cured should bo ripened
just as much aB any other plant we
grow, and tho modern method of plant
ing it too near together has caused se
rious evil, and is tho groat source of
pole-sweat. In planting so close to
gether all except the upper leaves aro
Blinded, and the juices of tho leaf aro
not properly olaborated. To make a
fine leaf, and to develop thc oils and
acids of the plant, we must expose it to
the direct rays of the sun.
The curing process is defective ; by
the slow gradual process, mnoh of the
CB8entiaI narcotic oil ia lost. Prof.
Stockbridge referred to a now system
adopted largely in Maryland and Vir
ginia, to cure tobacco by an artificial
bent with a furnance constructed for
thnt purpose. And it could bo dono
thoroughly in seven days, first making
tho heat temperature to eighty degrees,
ana the course of five or six days in
creasing to 130 degrees. This artificial
curing retains all the virtue of the to
bacco, in fact, increases its essential
oils.-Rural New Yorker.
Early Marriages.
Discussion in the British house of
commons on tho subject brought out
information as to the earliest apes at
whioh marriage may bo legally solemn
ized in each of the states'of continental
Europe. In Austria it is l-l for both
sexes ; Hungary, l-l for males, 12 for
fomnloB ; Bussia, 18 for males, 1G for
females ; Turkey, as soon as they are
able; Italy, 18for males, 15 forfemales;
Prussia 18 and 14 ; Franco and Belgium,
18 and 15 ; Denmark 20 and 16 ; Greece,
14 and 12. In Hesse Darmstadt and
Baden the consent of parents is nec
essary in the case of men until they
have completed their 25th year ; in that
of women until they are 21. Tho com
pletion of 18 years by males and 16 by
females is necessary in the Netherlands,
and in Saxe-Coberg-Gotha no malo is
permitted to marry before he has at
tained his 21st year. lu Saxony the
legal ago for males is 18 ; for females
16 years. According to the amended
paragraph ,-0f~"th'r7*,uow Ooiiuajx^-eHTil
mariage bill, the ages would be re
spectively 20 and 16 years, instead of
18 and 14, as in tho draft bill. In somo
of the cantons of Switzerland tho law
ns to tho ages of tho contracting
parties is as high as 20 years for males
and 17 fut females, and in others as low
as ll for males and 12 for femalos.
APPR?HENSIONS OP DROUTH.-Says
tho Sugar Planter: Our planting friends
havo serious fears of a long drouth so
Boon ns tho ure ont rains pass away,
and with ?orno show of reason. As we
havo (?tated in previous issues of this
paper, the rains nave boon almost inces
sant hinco December last, giving our
farmurs and planters but little oppor
tunity to got their fields in order for
cultivation. Now, it seoms to follow,
as a rule, that long rainy spells produce
drouths of an almost equal duration,
and should the rule hold good in the
present instanee, it would bo wise to
mako preparations to meot it. While
every one wiii uso his own judgment in
the premises, we desire to offer one
word of advice, and that is to plant ns
deep as possible and hill up well when
the shoots aro above ground the proper
height. Plonty of soil around young
plants hold tho moisture, and should
tho anticipations of a drouth bo not
realized, a little labor will remove any
superfluous soil from cane, cotton and
corn. _
HOME LIFE.-It is the fashion of "rest
less and ambitious women to despise
home-life as too tame, too narrow, too
uneventful for them. They long for a
wider arena, set well in the view of the
world, whereon to display their gifts or
their acquirements ; and they think
this claustral home, this unexciting
family of whioh they form a part, un
worthy of their efforts. And yet in
reality tho art of living well at home,
and making the family life a success, is
just as great in its way, if not so im
portant in its apparent-but only ap
parent-results, as the finest shades of
diplomacy and tho largest transaotions
of business. All sorts of talonts, both
moral and intellectual, are wanted for
the task ; and it seems slightly irra
tional, to despise as futile qualities
whioh so few of us are nerong enough
to possess, or to rato them aB beneath
tho regard of high-minded people, when
not ono in a hundred has wit enough
to employ thom to a satisfactory issue.
YntnD A LiTTiiE.-It is bettor to yield
a littlo than to quarrel a great deal.
The habit of standing up, as peoplo
oall it, for thoir (littlo) rights is ono of
tho most disagreeable and undignified
in tho world. Lifo is too short for tho
perpetual biokerings whioh attend Buoh
a disposition ; and unloss a very mo
mentous affair indeed, where other peo
ple's olnimB and interests aro involved,
it is a question if it is not winer, hap
pier and moro prudent to yield some
what of precious rights than squabble
to maintain them. True wisdom is first
pure, then peaoeable and gentle.
-"Herbort, " said a perplexed mother,
" Why is it that you'ro not a bettor
boy?'r " Well," said the littlo follow,
soborly, looking up into her faoo with
his honest bluo eyes, " I suppose the
real reason is that 1 don't want to bo 1".
The child gavo tho real reason why all
of us, big as woll as little, aro not hot
ter than we are.
FAOTS AND FANOIEB.
-Samuel Wilhelm, of Berks county,
Pa., eight feet high, has applied for the
situation of the Into .Irish giant. }
-Tho woman who enacted tho part
of Katie King in tho Holmes seances
in Philadelphia in studying for the
stage.
-Careful observations havo shown
that tho average temperature of the
hxinuin body within the tropics is nearly
one degree higher than in a temperate
climate.
-In a fox-chase in England lately
the Rev. O. W. Wilkinson broke his
neck and Lady Florence Douglas
smashed her collar-bone ; but the fox
was caught.
-Large apes of naturally intelligent
breeds are put to good service in tho
straits settlements of tho east. They
are trained to climb tho cocoanut palm
trees, valuable for their fruit, which,
ordinarily, is diffioult to roach, and not
only harvest the nuts but always seleot
such as are ripe. They twist the nut
round and round until it falls down
from the stalk, and at eaah success
testify their delight by jnmps and
chuckles. Apes so trained are hired
out by their owners like so many field
hands.
-The coast line of the United States
under the supervision of the light
house board, including the northern
lakes, is about 10,000 mileB in extent,
surpassing that of any other nation on
thc globe. Tho number of light-houses
and lighted beacons along this coast
lino is 030 ; light-ships, 25 ; fog signals
operated by steam or hot-air engines,
40 ; day or unlighted beacons, 350 ; to
tal, 1,005, being one beacon for every
10 miles of coast. Besides this, there
are 3,000 buoys in position to indicate
banks, rocks, and other obstructions in
channels of navigation.
-Take a man and pin three or four
large tablecloths about him, fastened
back with elastic and looped up with
ribbons ; drag all his own hair to tho
middle of his head and tie it tight, and
hair-pin on about five pounds -of' other
hair and a big bow of ribbon. Keep
the front locks oh pins all night and let
them tickle his eyes all day ; pinch his
waist into a corset, and give him gloves
a flizo too small, and shoes ditto, and a
hat that will not .stay on without a tor
turing elastic, and a frill to ti eldo' his
chin, and a li ttl o lace voil to, blind in's
he will ?mow what woman's dre?s'?B?
-Tho thioves of Spain are gayly pur
suing their mad career among piotures
and statues. Tho celebrated cartoons
of Goya nt Madrid have gone after the
Sevillo Murillo-which latter, iddeod,
has been recovored. Tho Virgin's
crown in Saint Ferdinand's chapel at
Sevillo hes vanished. So has tho
" Master Dolorosa" of Alonzo Gano at
Granada. The latest exploit of these
enterprising fellowB has been: -?imph
antly carried out at Madrid. Thoir
Vooty is a small statue of tho Virgin,
most excolloht of workmanship,' and
dating from the end' of' the .sixteenth
century. Its mafce?i&l V w??d.> gilt and
painted. Tho thioves got it safely into
Paris, whero they borrowed ' a 'round
sum upon it from MM. Andre-and Mer
cuard, bankers. Tho Spanish legation
has claimed tho statue.
-Thc banishment of lepers is rigor
ously carried out in the Sandwich isles.
There was a recent official search for
persons affected - with the incurable
malady, many having been secreted^ by
their relatives. Hundreds were found
and put into a vessel for transportation
to the leper village, to bo kent until
they die. Their families gathered ou
the beaoh, and expressed their grief in
loud lamentations. A talented half
breed, called Bill Pagsdale, has long
held a high place in the regard of Sand
wich Islanders. He is an orator of
great natural power, and leader in tl -\
district of Hilo, and a man of notorious
bad morals. He discovered that he was
leprous, though the indications were so
slight that he had escaped official no
tice, and at once gave himself up to thc
authorities. A procession of natives,
singing and carrying flowers, escorted
him to the vessel which was to take him
and the others to their living graves.
He made a speech to the assembly,
urging submission to the measures for
eradicating leprosy by banishment, and
expressing his hatred of missionaries.
Wheeler & Wilson's Sewing Ma
chines.
Wo call attention to the Wheeler &
Wilson advertisement in our columns.
This well-known Company has the
most advantageous facilities for supply
ing the public with Sewing Maohines,
on as favorable terms as tho business
will allow. They warrant all their
work, and it ?B a matter of impor
tance to the purchaser to deal with a
Company whoso position and_ perma
nence givo assurance that their guar
anty will bo fulfilled. They have
agencies and offices throughout the
civilized world, for furnishing needles,
thread and other necessary supplies,
and have an established reputation for
reliability and fair dealing.
THE conspicuous triumph of Messrs.
George Steok ?fe Co., of New York, at
the Vienna World's Fair in 1873, at
whioh their pianos obtained the highest
award-the only-gold medal-has begun
to yield thom substantial fruits. The
incrensod popularity of tho Steck in
struments is noticeable not only in New
York, where their excellence has long
boen acknowledged, but throughout the
country, and more espeoially in those
communities that lay special claim to a
cultivated musical taste.-Nero York
Independent,