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st ? i E. A. WEBSTER. Editor and Proprietor. A Weekly Paper Devoted to Temperance, litt?rature and Politik?. _s j? ' a ,-_ VOLUME II. ORANGEB?RG, SOUTH CAROLINA, SATURDAY, OCTOBER 30, 1875, NUMBER 12 TIMELY TOPICS. THE compulsory school law in New York, which promised so much nt the time of its enactment, has already become . - - a dead letter. Out of thc 10,000 children which were known in January to he tru . ant*, only 305 have, been compelled to ?A attend school, and their attendance for. six months has cost thc city ?14,000. It It takes time to learn, but sooner orbiter people must learn that there are social wrongs which indirectly aflect thc state that laws alune cannot control. GAMGXAXI states that thc soundings for-thc submarine tunnel bet ween Eng land and France are being- carried on actively. They are at this moment di rected to tho part of thc straits near the English coast, at a few miles from shore. Each evening the vessel which carries the * commission returns to Dover, Calais or Boulogne, and work is recommenced the next day. The engineers charged with that important lalior, MM. Larousse and Lavalle, are perfectly satisfied with thc results obtained ; and so far nothing has occurred to destroy their previsions rela tive lo the depth. ?>?. FRANCIS WHARTON, in an article in Lippincott's Magazine, discusses the relations of spiritualism and jurispru dence. "What attitude," he asks, "is ? urisprudoiice to assume toward a person who, charged with an invasion of the laws of the land, sets up a defense that he was acting under the constraint of a superior spiritual power? What attitude is jurisprudence to assume toward those who exercise such power for an illegal end?'' Dr. Wharton baa no doubt that mediums are. responsible for acts done while professedly entranced, and* for thc acts of persons whom they may get uri P der their control. AN appeal is now before the New York supreme court, involving the question of thc right to assess churches /or street im provements. Three churches of New' York city unite in endeavoring to escape - thc payment of certain assessments tor ... jt?ymg streets.. It was decided^ at special term of-tho court that, under 'un act thirty-five years old, which has been once repealed-the repealing act being after ward itself repealed-the churches were 1 . exempt from assessment, as they were free from city tax. The prominence given to this case may stimulate the gen eral discussion, which has not been in frequent of late years, concerning the exemption of church property from tax ation. - TURKEY is afraid that lin issi a will take Constantinople and kick the Crescent out of Europe. Russia is afraid Prussia will take Finland and Poland. f Austria is afraid Germany will take Aus tria. Germany is afraid France will take Alsace-Lorraine, and France is afraid that Germany will take the province of Champagne, as Yon Moltke's soldieis got such a first-class taste of its . . sparkling wine during the 1870 campaigu. England is afraid lier scattered prov?ntes will take themselves and leave her only a nutshell to crack in her own little isle. .Spain is afraid the United States will take Cuba. _ TlIE last on (Iii from Paris is that thc fimprcss Eugenie lately requested Pres; Hfdent MacMahon to permit her to visit Paris for twenty-four hours in the most private manner, and that the result was a prompt refusal. The French Govern ment permita the Bourbon Princes to reside in Paris; has placed the Due * ? 'd'Aumale (one of them) in command ot ono of tho eighteen |grnnd divisions ol the French army ; permits tile Prince Napoleon (Jerome) to reside in Paris but, in thc most percmplory manner forbids thc Trinco Imperial, a penn iles; young gentleman nineteen year old, anc his mother, a widow with narrow means to set foot on French soil The onh plain reference for this is that Presiden MacMahon and his/responsible advisor have no fear of the Bourbon or th Orleans pretensions and ""pretenders, bi are infinitely afraid of young Napolcb: and his brother._ THE floods which desolated TouloUE and ithfl neighliorhood last spring, aftc the melting of the winter snows, hav been equaled, if not surpassed by tho* which followed eight days of rain hu month.* A correspondent of thc Ne f York Herald estimates the loss inti: ... valley of the Allies at 8,000,000 franc " and that in Heroull, the Gard and tl ?^ere, at; 2.R>,000,000-a total of nearl $7,P00,C00 in American money. Foi hundrod houses have been d?molishr ? dhd one'Bundred lives lost. The floe . %} burst oru.tfce Abbey/of Fontfroid whi ' ?the monks were at prayer. One of the Was killed, mid ?Bo%,ei. l0st an eye. Tl ilnmugc to the ?bbey'wHl reach $-10,00 In various neighborhood* the crops \m\ been completely destroyed, and even thc earth in graveyards has been so dissolved by the water that collina have floated away. There is still much distress, but liberal subscriptions are being taken up in Paris and other cities. CHARLES FRANCIS ADAMS, in his able report as railroad commissioner of Mas sachusetts, expresses the opinion that the only course to pursue toward railroad corporations is to bring to bear upon them thc power ol public opinion, and suggests that this be done by the appoint ment of a board of arbitrators, like the one that has proven so efficient in Mas sachusetts. The duty of this board, lie says, is to hear complaints, and if they prove just, to suggest lo thc officers of the corporation the propiety of correct ing them. If they refuse, an appeal fol lows to the board of directors, and should their response provefavorableunTlie mat ter is reported to the next legislature for such action as it may deem proper to take. Thus far this plan, Mr. Adams states, has worked well; the board of directors have complied with the sug gestions in a frank and liberal spirit. He admits, however, that in Massachu setts the railways are owned by the com munity, and'that popular opinion there would be prompt to sustain the commis sioners. But it is hinted that the popu lar opinion of Massachusetts would have no effect on railways outside thc limits of that state. AT the recent meeting of the Social Science association in Bristol, Professor .levons returned to the subject of ex haustion of thc coal-fields, and very fully supported thc views that have been re peatedly urged on that important topic. Ile showed that the annual rate of in- ? crease of consumption, so far from having |V been overrated in his previous calcula tions, was not actually in excess of those calculations; and that thc actual increase of consumption is at thc rate of 3 A per cent per annum, not in arithmetical but in geometrical progression. The total produce of 1873 is estimated at 12S,(JS0, 1 HO tons, according to the. rejn^;/. ', inspectors"?t'"il?lrte?."'^?m3,'^mintity con urned for domestic purposes was esti mated at one ton per head per annum of the wliolu population, or between thirty and forty millions of tons. The total exports of coal are only from twelve to fourteen millions of tons per annum. Thus some eighty millions of tons repre sent the motive and manufacturing power of Hie country. The waste in consump tion, whether for manufacturing or do mestic purjKises, is, no doubt, enormous It was lamented by the president in his address, sind admitted hy all the speakers. The most economical compound engines only obtain one-eleventh part of the theoretic value of coal, measured in foot pounds. At the same time, wdien we consider wdiat is thc result of the com bustion, in round numbers, of a quarter if a million tons of coal per working-day throughout the year in the production of mechanical power, wc can form sonic faint idea of thc service rendered by the steam engine to thc country. Whence This Power m IK m w ai aa fe rc tl bi sc in se ed hi th sn fa to SJ. co th qn bl. de wc all tic th th hu co ot co tn ar on aa po rc th pl tn wi ni ge Mr. J. It. Brown, better known as the ' mind reader," is in thc city, and on ?1st Saturday gave a most extraordinary Lest .of his powers. Quite a party of gentlemen, including a number of news paper attaches, met him at the Tremont muse, with a view of experimenting ivith the strange force of which he is [lossesjied. It having been reported that ie could read the mind of a person at some distance, if properly connected with him by means of a wire, it was de termined to experiment in that dirction by means of tho wire connecting the Tre mont house with the operating room of the Western Union telegraph office, a dis tance of nearly four blocks. Having re eieved their instructions as to the man ner of procedure, a part of the experi menters repaired to the Western Union office, while others remained with Mr. Brown in thc telegraph office of the Tremont. Arrived at thc main office, one of the gentlemen to.ik out a gold pen cil, wrote on a slip of paper in a" spirit of jocoseness, "How is this for high?" wrapped the pencil in the paper written upon, and deposited both in a drawer, ?lu Word was then sent to Tremont. '"Alli ready." Quickly at either end of the ?lei circuit the wires were detached, taken in I T hand at one end by Mr. Brown, at thc'" other by thc party who was to transmit the messapo, and this position was main tained for several minutes. Thc gentle man sending thc message kept his mind intently on the fact that he had placed a gold pencil and paper written upon in a drawer, and in abouta minute alter Mr. Brown bad taken hold of the wire with one hand, he began to write with the other .?''Gold pencil wrapped in paper', with something written on it, in a draw er. The writing is, "How is this for for high?"' Who can explain this phenomenon ; and what is mind, that in "solid form," as it were, the intelligence evolved from it can lie passed along a common wire ? Verily tlie^study-not to say science-of psychology is in its infancy.-rC/iicag? Tima. * A nOtULE HJLBVCST. A farmer sat nt his kitchen ilnor, Smoking his noonday pipo, Ami over tho Hehls his eyes werai ast, Where the grain so fohlen ripe, Nodded away Through the summer day. With shadows and sunshine hard a', play. Down by the gate tho fanner saw (Ami lie chuckled low in glee) Two, who whispered together there. "So!" said the farmer. " I see If I guess aright, And their skies are liright. There'll he harvesting soon with main niida'uiight.' Tho weeks wont hv. and the old Imrn groaned With the might "of harvest store Hut (he farmer laughed, for well There remained one harvest more, . , , Since Cti|>id had sown, With grain of his own, A crop that love must harvest alone. Thc farmer sal at his kitchen door, When thc evening meal was done, And lie laid a kiss on his daughter's brow, And welcomed his new-found son; yvn-l the harvest lime, With wedding lulls' chime, .Sang its days into merry rhynie. CHARACTER CONNOISSEURS. Saturday itevlew. The vulgar tendency to simulate a nowledge about tilings where thc requi te conditions of accurate information rc clearly wanting, has ever been a icinc for philosophie satire. It is the 'cognition of this tendency which has led ie thinking few to despise the opinion of ie many as a spurious and counterfeit ind of recognition. From Plato, who istinctly excluded mere opinion from the itegory of certain knowledge, to thc mod .n idealist, who pays no heed to the longest assurances of common sense, tiilosophers have made light of prcvail ig convictions, on the ground that they c formed in haste, and with no due ap reciation of the conditions bf a rational irtainty. Not only so, but science itself, Inch might be supposed to maintain a tore amicable atti tune toward prevailing iTief, has long since learnt to imitate liilosophy in its contempt for vulgar leas, and a scientific lecture would now c deemed wanting in spirit and point if failed lo illustrate, by some startling cample, thc wide opposition hetweeuthe ibitual i iferericcsof common minds and ic verified conclusions of the savant. Nowhere, perhaps, does popular belief diibit its hastiness and inadequacy more mspicuously than in the readiness of ibst persons to pronounce" an opinion re acting the characters and motives of -hers. Thc confidence with which many J 1 man and woman will talk about the de res and habits of a comparatively now .' ~ j - -?,--..i ..<..".?_lr0. ,._roi?lcsi?J'o^. mu as assignat illustration ot tue eager-F ;ss of mankind to seem wise. There are any whose modesty and good sense 1 ottid prevent their giving an opinion on l'y point of scientific knowledge or ' jtlietic appreciation, who, nevertheless, ' el no hesitation in passing judgment ispecting matters of conduct, of which ' icir knowledge is infinitesimal. Nura irs of people, who do not in the least em lo bc ashamed of ignorance respect- ; g most matters of discussion, are quite risitivc as to their reputation forknowl Ige, with respect, to the intricacies of 1 mian character. When, for example, 1 ere is an addition to the society of a I tall town, through the arrival of a new mily, there is the greatest impatience 1 have a definite and fixed opinion re eding the idiosyncrasies of thc new mers. There will certainly he more an one knowing person whose supposed ! lickhess of perception will at once ena- i B them, satisfactorily to themselves, lo fine and characterize the man or mian about whom curiosity is natur- ' ly aroused. It is curious, too, to no- : ?c the readiness of others to accord to ese persons the special faculty for intui- i m which they claim for themselves, lt s often been remarked, that thc first ndition of winning the confidence of hers, is to display a fair amount of self- 1 nlidence, and this truth is fully illus ited in tlie case of the people whom we e. now considering. When a lady gives it among her acquaintance that she is i expert in matters of character ami dis isjtion, she speedily gains an enviable putntioh for this kind of prescience. If ere is any new character to be deci tered, about which there hangs a cer in mystery, she is thc authority to liom nil repair, in order to acquire defi tc information. If a scandal is just intimating, and everybody is on tiptoe spotting its real nature and results, it tnis connoisseur who is resorted to for final solution of the problem. In this ay people arc sustained in thc pleasing .lief that they possess some easy avenue i the minds and hearts of their fellows, lanks to which they are enabled to dis ;nse with the tardy methods of observa on, comparison and analysis, and toread new character as confidently ns an tin kled letter. Yet it does not call for any remarka e power of reflection to. see that this ituitive kind of knowledge of others ust be very delusive. For, first of all, liman character is an exceedingly coin lex and variable thing, and can not be nown except after patient attention, he facial perusal of cnnriicter, ol which e now speak, always involves two in.er ices, either of which may be a mistaken io. In the first place," the self-styled jserver argues, that certain things which live held gooil of other people will hold 5p(l of the new character, and since it is sceedingly easy to mistake a quality of certain order of minds for a universal ttribute of mankind, there is always a liance of a wrong induction. In the next lace, ll observer is compelled to judge ic who! of a character from a very few ata; and here again there is ample room r error in reasoning that, because one di or acted sound so to-dny, this must e his characteristic mode of feeling or eting. In other words, human nature is DO variable, both as a whole and within lie limits of a single individual, to allow f the*nipid kind of prevision of which rc arc speaking. * There is a second obstacle to this in stantaneous reading of character, which ??lis for special notice. Not only is mareeter a phenomenon of great com plexity, but it is also one in a liigh degree uiaceossible. For, in tho first place, all tile thoughts and purposes ol* another have to be inferred from external .signs; and this process, however carefully car ried on, must always be liable to*error. The real uniformities of connection ht? tween feeling and expression, for exam ple, can only he known approximately after a wide and careful, comparison* of in .dividual peculiarities. This 'reflection never occurs to the confident connoisseur of physiognomy, who fondly imagines that every moral peculiarity is*distiiiftfily indicated by some one form of -?.facht! structure or movement. In thc second place, it should bc remembered that all ,.of us have a certain power of dissiniula ' tiom and most fit us are accustomed to put some kind of watch on our words and "Actions. This is especially the case when we have to confront a new observer. Wc do not care, in most instances, to bc conned too easily by our fellows. Nearly everybody is accustomed to some meas 4xc of reticence before strangers, while (here are few who, from a certain kind M pride and force of individuality, arc wont even to mislead casual ohservers icspccting their real aims and sentiments. Thus it happens that a person who is ready at, a glance to classify any new variety of character, runs thc risk of ac cepting, as an essential ingredient of thc phenomenon, something which is wholly dpventitious. It may bc said, ol* course, .Wat tlic instances wc have selected ari' exceptional ones, that thc great majority off people are both too much alike and uio transparent in their words and actions to occasion any serious difficulty to a itotcrol men's natures and ways. That Giere is a certain force in this considera tion may he readily granted. At thc slime time, this fact docs not alter the (ruth of our contention, that in every hasty judgment of character, there is al way* an element .of risk which forbids (lie process being descrihed as an intui tive one. &'o, too, we may concede that ft certain few possess an indisputable fac ulty of quick perception of the coinplcx tyiea'of human character. Yet, when we come to analyze this faculty, we find ?iat it resolves itself into a happy skill lu conjecture, which no doubt includes a i'crtain range of past observation as well as a q"ickncss of imaginative insight into cither persons' feelings, but which, never jl,n1o.^^Uvays remains. . "-hut Plato wholly destitute'of thc exact cdrt?'ii'?t s.'of scientific inference. Those who see in fihis conjectural skill a mysterious power rjf intuition, are dazzled by the instances of correct prediction which they happen tb have witnessed, and fail to take account nf the errors to which this process is cer tain to lead. It would probably bc an interesting in quiry to trace out the various impulscsof human nature, which serve to sustain and foster this impatience in the observation of others. Some of the principal influ ences at work, will readily suggest them selves to a thoughtful mind. It isobvious that thc mere gratification of pride which iittends all consciousness of knowledge, realer imaginary, will not account for the peculiar force of this tendency. That is to say, though it is true that the moth ri of vanity leads men to iinnginc that they ure conversant with many matters ol which they are, in reality, profoundly ig-| norant, it d?>es not explain why they should be especially liable to assume this appearance of intelligence with respect to their fellows. It is evident that these special influences must be looked for in tue peculiarities of the relations which people hold to one another. The follow ing suggestions may, perhaps, roughly in dicate tile character of these influences.] First of all, it is manifestly of practical] importance to everybody to gain some thing like a definite opinion respecting! those whom he has to meet in social inter course. It, as some philosophers contend, I the first motive of ail inquiry is the need | of a definite basis for action, wc may un derstand how it is that most people arc so cager to come to a decision respecting the dispositions of their acquaintances. Nothing is more embarrassing or annoy ing, for example, to a hospitably-disposed lady, than to have to do with a person whose tastes and ideas aie shrouded in mystery. By the very painfulness of the situation, she is driven to frame some hy pothesis as to the person's real character, p however little ground she may have for A plausible conjecture. In this way, people li come to delude themselves that they have a< ascertained a man's real character, when u they have simply been driven by the in- h conveniences of conscious ignorance to e construct a purely hypothetical concep- ii tiou with regard to thc object. Another o influence at work in these cases is a form b of the primitive fetishistic impulse to in- e terpret everything outside one s own con- n scious life in terms of thc same. Thc y saine tendency which accounts for thc b savage projecting his own feelings and in- n teni ion into tree or river accouiPs for t people transferring their own modes o? fi thought juid sentiment to every new mind c winch conic under their notice. It. is ii quite curious to remark the invet- 1 erflley of this habit, even after ample op- o portunity has been g'iven for discovering o thd endless diversities of individual tciVi- o peramcnt. Possibly there is a charm lo y many persons in the spectacle of a mind s rethining up to mature years the naive a belief that all tiio rest of the world must t feel and act precisely as it does, and tills s aesthetic consideration may serve still )\ further to confirm thc habit. People are | a encouraged in the cultivation of th's s molle of regarding others, by the rcflcc- n tion that it is taken to indicate a singu- j: lar innocence of nature, and a touching t unfitness to.deal with thc harsh infrien- a cieiand contradiction!! of human cliarflc- <. teri However this may lie, thc habitdocs y er re Jp I is p? c\ ki di in 1? K? ct lu m te tl lu T tl ic tl SI gi tl W st fr si tl sc sc prevail in many minds, lind is" a fruitful ioufce of hasty Inference uni delusive misconception., .May not one see illus trations of tl?is tendency in the'grent lhV hility of both niemand ".women to delude themselves with respect to the'cli/iraclers which, they ellipse for tue matrimonial relation? It is not only the*ini.ocenJ girl which commits thi^error, by fondly un \ igining in the absence, of evidence, that t 1er lover* nuist necessarily share her own I ?nire thoughts; the highly cultivated man, .00, may fall into it, by piking it for Fran ted that tho young *v*;onian whom ie seleetsashis most incl?nate companion eel tho .s?iiic high' aspirations that he limself feels. * * Thc other influences which appear to nvour this impatience of belief with re-|l peet to thc characters of others arc upe aal emotional forces. The operation of beling in sustaining assurance even vhen there is the minimum ?d' evidence p ms been a favorite theme of philosophers. \\ I'herc are two modes of this Operation, ccording as thc feeling predisposes to lelicf in MTV shape or favors some par icular va jjfety of conviction. Both of i'? hese modes may be illustrated in thc 1 lass of beliefs of which we are now fe peaking. An example of the first is rr ?veii us in the action of a love of power O] n our observation of others' characters. p< L readiness in unravelling the threads ol /. untan sentiment and purpose has al lays been looked on as a ground for sclf ratulation and for the adm i rat ii ni of thers. A man who thinks himself cu- i0 able of divhing instantaneously* an- 1, ther's unspoken thoughts has not only <?? lie pleasing consciousness . of power j,., 'hich every supposition of knowledge rj. rings with it, but also a' gratifying'feel- th lg of equality with this second person. w< hat is to say, he thinks himself oil a nj] ?vol with this other in respect to thew-i nowlcdge of any thoughts or impulses wj hieb may occur to him. Not only so, .", nt tho assumption of this omniscient n'( isight into character will pretty cor- ^ .inly inspire awe, if not dread, in many pa her minds, so that the man or woman an ho can make any pretensions to this penetration will he abb; t<i indulge ne VK i the most delicious emotions of power ,U1, id superiority. A supposition: so in- tut nsely gratifying as this must bc will \?\ .etty certainly be secure from, that c?t ose scrutiny and careful verification scl hieb done would move its validity. ,)n The 1'celmgs which predispose men to {10 itertnin a priori a certain kind of notion an, speeting the character of 0thora are thi liere is the desire for sympathy, which 0f very strong in most minus, and which \x\\ .ompts a person to anticipate that d0 .cry new character will respond in a ah nd of grateful resonance to Iiis indi vi- fr(, lal sentiments. Then there are thc wl: tpulses of love *and admiration which xii .edispose the mind to believe in human wli lodness and render it optimistic in its t0 inceptions of character. On the other SU1 md, there are thc less pleasing senti- n,,( ents of distrust, hostility, and con- th, mpt, which sustain thc conception ioc nit everybody is mean and ignoble lill tin 3 has proved himself to bc thc contrary. in{ hese and other feelings always dispose 0?, ?eir pos.scss.01s to form certain opinions i)e ts weting any new character long before hCi leV have thc necessary foundation for sit ich opinions. To any one who will ni ve himself thc trouble of working out pjj ie many and complicated influences th hich tend to produce conviction re- pr lecting matters of character, quito apart SC| om tlie force of evidence, it can not he |l0 irprising that people's judgments on nd ie ideas and motives of others ave often i)( i crude and inexact, and so little dc- ne rving to he called intuitions. en CO-OPERATION IN ENGLAND. th lit? Civil Scrvli'c 'SIIJIHII ANWO?'i?l(loil Ililli I, ; It? YVorliIIIUH- ^ 1 This institution, little heard of in thc T 'liited .States, is one of thc peculiarities f tho British capital. The object is to ipply familieswith articles for consumo- w' on and general use at the lowest possible m rices. It originated in a combination ni, inong persons holding subordinate posi- }Y. ons under the government, municipal J?1 nd national; hence thc titled With their vj) jmpnrative small salaries, undj,hcir aux- e' ity to live respectably, they found it }u njiossible to pay the high charges for the ">: arious necessaries of life, ana so they w< :loptcd a co-operative system, a little mi kc that attempted by the granges or the c'" at rons td husbandry in some parts of m .mcriea, or, in other words, something 00 kc the old-fashioned plan of orders clopted in many of the" manufacturing )wns in our own country, the difference ere liebig that cash must bo paid for very thing on. the spot. The institution "J 'sues 4,500 slmrcs to its members, each lb' f whom pay .?5 or*$25 per annum, which, Iw esides securing the benefit of the society, ?15,1 ntitlcs tho holder to tako part in the ot icetings of the association and to have a "{l oice in the management. Tickets may ?I c sold to others 011 bibe. payment of half 111 crown (G2? cents), which tickets secure P1 lie purchasing of goods nt the stoics and si rom tho finns connected with the asso- w iation, but they cannot at tend the meet- bl ngs or take part in the management. b< ?"ickets may also be obtained by the wid ir. ws of civil servants upon the payment tr f haifa crown yearly, and hythe widows fr f members without payment: When >*< on are told that this organization con- tc ists of hundreds of thousands of persons, 0) nd that the supplies are furnished by nt liousuhds of establishments, and that no -fe irdi thing ns a pecuniary loss has ever w app.... j, or anything like dishonestv in h hy one of the brunches, you realize how ? uccessful it has hen. And this fact is ^ nore apparent tus you examine the prices fe ?aid by those who enjoy the benefits oil he system. Tn looking over the list t.f y, rticlcs furnished, J perceive"that it in- si aides literally everything-groceries, >M vineland spirits, provisions, tobacco and ai 'igars, hosieryf'drapcryfgent'snnd ladies .lothing, fancy goods, drugs, pluto, furs stationery una jewelry, books and nuts ic lousehold* furniture; in fact, everything n thc way of necossaries and luxuri?s. Tho price list for the quarter ending he. 'Hst of August, IK7?, showed a rc luction of froni 5 to 25 per cent, on thc . nevailing rate's. When you .reflect that his organization ks not patronized alone >y tho poorer classes, but is really suji lorteri itv persons in thc very best cir ai instances, and includes,us I learn, very nany of the nobility, you will see at once, lot only how'usel'ul ii is, but bow ncces ary integrity is essential to ils manage tient. At-fiist there was a decided pro est against it among old establishments, mt now it has bceoitre so powerful that t includes thousands of co-operative tores, and, of course, compels by thc cry nature of its competition reasonable rices among those who arc not connected .ith.it. During the christmas holidays une ol these civil service stores received vcr their counters as much as 8200,000 i a single day, and it, is a noteworthy ict, as illustrated, tor instance, by Mr. orster, M. 1\, in his speech on tho odd Hows, which is in England it kind of intuid relief organization, that the co iterative system ns applied to working apichus hecii'n triiimphniit success. oiuto? L?ttej' The Destruction of Lisbon. A writer in Lippincott's gives the fi,/ wing description jig thc destruction ot tsbon: The morning of November 1 iwned sarene, but the heavens wore izy;since midnight the thcrnionieterhad ten om? degree" Rcatthoiv As it was c feast of "all saints," the churches -.re thronged from an early hour, and I their altara brilliantly illuminated th thousands of tailers, and decorated th garlands of various tinted muslins d thin silks. At a (plaiter of ten ;lock the first shock was felt. It was slight that-many attributed it to thc ssnge of heavy wagons in the street, d even to mere fancy. Three minutes erward a second shock occurred, so lieut that it seemed as if the heaven? il earth were passing away. This ajri ion lasted fully ten minutes, and ere diminished the greater port iou i? the y was in ruins. Thc dust? raised <?b ?red the sun; an Egyptian darke ess ?vailcd, and to. add to the tl ni vcr. rror the^fCiirful screams of the liv? i thc groans ?HnC 'Wing rose thf ! air. hi twenty m?iu^. ?M1 g? escape. .Some were . ls, but were soon d?scott> ing by the rumors that those'wllo natl ' cady gone thither were suffocating in thc effects of the dense foi? of dust rich still rose from tho falling buildings, iori they rushed towards the quays dcb line a pitrt of the Tagus, hut only learn the horrible news that these had uk into the earth, with all thc people il edifices upon them. Those who night to put out to sea were told td dc at the river, and lo ! in its centre iv beheld a whirlpool which was suck r in all thc vessels and boats in its vi dty, and not a fragment of them ever ing seen again. Thc royal palace had cn entirely swallowed up, and over tho e is now the vast square of the Paco, Black Horse, one of the largest public ices in Europe. The great library bf b holy ghost was in (lames, and its iccless Moorish and Hebrew niaiiii ipts; fast becoming ashes. Tho opera use had fallen in, the inquisition was more, and thc great church of San .mingo was but a heap of stones, he ath which lay crushed to atoms the tire congregation. The. Irish church Si. Paul was the death-place of one Oltsnnd persons, and ino palace of Beni ?sta, where Catharine of Braga tiza, ?dow of Charles Iii, lived and died, id fallen over from the heights on Idell it was built, and utterly destroyed c poor but populous part of the town liich lay beneath it. In a word, where it an hour since was Lisbon was now ithinglmfculcsolation. As to thc people, lio can describe their condition'.' At ast 70,000 persons had perished, and e majority of the survivors were em ly wounded and in agony of mind and idy, Home went mad with fright,some st forever tho power of speech; sinners iiit about confessing their secret crimes, id fanatics, believing thc last day had nie. cried out to thor horror-stricken altitude to "repent, for that Christ was ming to judge thcquickniid the dead.'1 Politeness in (trent Men. Politeness is always the mark of good ceding, and some of thc greatest men ive been noted for their courtesy. Many they have owed thc popularity that ns a recognition of the greatness, in nc niall measure to their consideration of hers. The following is related of tho to Edward Everett : Many years ago, ie errand boy employed by a publish* g house in a great city was sent to nellie from Edward Everett the*proof leets of a bonk which he lian been camming. The boy entered thc vast brnry, lined from door to ceiling with joks, in fear aad trembling ; Ito stood i awe of the famous man, and dreade? > meet him. But Mr. Everett, tu rn i nt; om the desk where he was writing, iccivcd the hov with re;;--uihig cour igy, bade him sit down, chatted kindly i he looked for the. o'? ." sheets, and 'ked: "Shall I puta par er round them r you?" as nolitelv ns if his visitor ere thc president. Thc boy (lop::; teil i a very comfortable frame ol* mimi, le liad been raided in his own esteem hy [ir. Everett's kindness, and has never rgottcn the leo?n i t fought him. IT is said that fully three million cubie ?wis of levees will be needed for tho Mis ssippi l iver alone, the coining season, to y nothing of Red river, the Ont eldin t id the Atchnfulays.