Straight-out democrat. (Columbia, S.C.) 1878-1879, June 28, 1878, Image 4
The Caine*.
All my readers know that the great
value of the camel lies in its ability to
pass a long interval of time without re
quiring to drink. The camel does not.
indeed, need a less amount of liquid
than other animals, for in this point it
is outdone by many South African ante
lopes, whioh are never known to drink at
all; bat it has a curious power of taking
in at one time an amount of liquid which
will serve it for several days.
The internal mechanism by whioh
this power is attained is very remarka
ble, but is muon too complicated to be
d OHO ri bed without the use of diagrams.
Suffi oe it to say that the water is stowed
away in a series of cells, whioh appear
to have the property of preserving it in
a fresh and clear state even after the
death of the animal. A slight greenish
# hue is communicated to the water, but
with that exception it is clear. In one
remarkable instance, after a camel had
been dead ten days, the water in its
H to m au h -waa -drinkable and tasteleek.
When first taken from the dead anim af,
a rather unpleasant flavor is perceptible^
but this vanishes, together with the
green color, after the water bas stood
undisturbed for three days?
The quantity of water taken at one
time is almost incredible, more than
twenty gallons being sometimes con
sumed at a single draught. The animal
drinks with great rapidity, and the wa
ter disappears so fast that it seems to
vanish by magic Its?desire for water is
so great that it can perceive the wel
come fluid at a great distance, possibly
by scent, and possibly by some instinct
whioh is not shared by man. Wheo the
camels perceive water, nothing can hold
them back from it, ana a whole caravan
will break away from their drivers, rush
ing tumultuously to the water. This
wonderful power is of the greatest value
to the inhabitants of the desert, who
would have known nothing of many a
spring had not their camels directed
them towards the water.
Another reason for its value is its abil
ity to eat and digest substances that nc
other animal would touch. It does not
stop to eat on its journey, but lowers itc
long neck and crops the scanty herbage
with whioh it may chance to meet. Thc
withered and dried leaves and twigt
whioh snap'at a touoh, and seem to bf
utterly devoid of nutriment, are all de
Toured by the camel, as also are the
branches of the thorn, bushes whict
would baffle any being but a camel
This animal, however, nas the roof o
its mouth defended by a hard cartilage
and can eat the prickly banquet with on
the least difficulty. It would thrive 01
the chips and shavings of a oarpenter'i
shop, and has actual.y been fed on char
coal. So abstemious, indeed, is the an
mal, that camels have been known t
traverse nearly a, thousand miles withii
twenty days, having no food but tha
whioh they gathered for themselves 01
tiie journey.
It has yet another advantage; namely
the wonderful adaptation of i te limbs t
the desert country in which' it lives. It
height enables it to carry its own hea
and that of its rider at a oonsiderabl
distance from the ground, so that bot
are sheltered from the heat the
radiates from the burning soil. More
over, each little breeze takes full eflec
at such a height, and in that climate th
least breath of air becomes a luxury.
Golden Hours._
? Hen's "Brood" of Dogs.
A friend of mine? writes the corre i
pondent of the London Live Stock Jgut
-a* srlin^^pSe^^Bo^'jhat ^nShS
extraordinary, bnt that she should I
assisted in her maternal duties by a
old hen is, I think, a very unusual thin j
In the kennel with her is a hen, whie
has taken to the young dogs in a mot
affectionate way, sitting in the oom?
with two or three of them constant]
under her wing; and, what is still moi
extraordinary, they know ber call, f<
if they stray away she cackles, and thc
come back. At present her adopte
children are very young; whether si
is only to take them for the usu
11 month" nobody knows, but I fei
when they are old enough to accompax
her about the fields, she will find it dil
cult to make them take to the delicaoi?
she may be able to scratch out of. tl
earth for them, and whioh would, i
doubt, be much appreciated by her ov.
young. At all events, the case ie
curious one, and may be interesting
. some of your readers. We had a cai
< not long ago in this parish of a oat ta
mg to some ohiokeus and nursing the
very carefully; but I never befo
'heard of a hen nursing young dogs.
" A Pupil of Liszt."
The greatest of pianists, Liszt, is very
amiable and quite eccentric. The fol
lowing story sets forth the genial side of
his nature. A young pianist was giving
concerts through the provinces of Ger
many for her support. To enhance her
reputation she deceitfully advertised
herself as a pupil of Liszt.*
In a little town, where she had an
nounced a concert, she waa confounded
the day before the concert w as to take
place, by seeing in the list of arrivals,
and at the very hotel where the concert
was to be given, " M. L'Abbe Liszt."
Here was a dilemma. Her fraud would
be discovered. Tremblingly she sought
the presence of the great maestro.
Coming into his room with downcast
eyes, she knelt at the old man's feet,
and with many tears told her story
how she had been left an orphan and
poor, with only one gift of music with
which to rapport herself ; the difficulties
she had encountered, until the fraudul
ent use of his great name had filled her
rooms and her purse.
" Well, well," said the great man,
gently raising her up, "let us see, my
child, what we can do. Perhaps it is
not so bad as you thought. There is a
piano ; let me hear one of the pieces you I
expect to play to-morrow evening."
Tremblingly she obeyed, the maestro
making comments and suggestions as
she played, and when she had finished,
he added,. " Now, my child, I have given
you a lesson; you are a pupil of Liszt."
Before she-could find words to express
her gratitude, Liszt asked, "Are your
programmes printed ?"
"No, sir,'* was the answer, "not
yet"
" Then say that you will be assisted
by your master, and that the last piece
on the programme will be played by the
Abbe Liszt"
That concert it may be readily be
lieved, was a great success.
Yfhj lt Pays to Read.
One's physical frame-his body-his
hands-is only a machine. It is the mind,
controlling and directing that machine
that gives it power and efficiency. The
successful use of the body depends wholly
upon the mind-upon its ability to di
rect well. If one ties his ?rm in a sling
it becomes weak and finally powerless.
Keep it in active exercise, and it acquires
vigor and strength, and is disciplined
to use this strength as desired. Just so
one's mind ; by active exercise in think
ing, planning, studying, observing, ac
quires vigor, Btrength, power of concen
tration and direction. Plainly then,
the man who exercises his mind in read
ing and thinking, gives it increased
power and efficiency, and greater ability
to direct the efforts of his physical frame
-his work-to better results, than he
eau who merely uses his muscles. If a
man reads a book or paper, even one he
knows to be erroneous, it helps him by
the effort to combat the errors. Of all
men, the farmer, the cultivator, needs
to read more and think more - to
strengthen his reasoning powers, so that
they may help out and make more
effective, more profitable, his hard toiL
There can be no doubt that the farmer
who supplies himself with the reading
the most of other men's thoughts and
experiences, will in th? end, if not at
once, be the most successful.
. A. Strange Cattle Disease.
/ The Indianapolis (Ind.) Journal has
[thia story about a strange diod*"* *W
MB tm kvum mk mmtfK *nrwm*m? owned
by dairymen near that city : from eat
ung dew-covered white clover, a certain
highly expansive gas is formed in the
Bovine stomach which penetrates to all
Sarta of the animals' bodies, oausing
eath in a few hours. There is only
one known remedy, and 'that is to thrust
a knife into the sides of the afflicted
cattle just behind the shoulder blades.
This affords an outlet for the gas, and
brings instant relief. Cattle suffering
from the gaseous complaint look as
though they might have been fed on
compressed yeast The dairymen have
associated themselves together for
mutual protection, and by adopting this
method manage to prevent a very ex
tensive mortality, though probably 100
cows have died from the disease thus
far. The gentle herdsmen now go
around with long, keen, butcher knives,
whioh they slip into the sides of their
cows when occasion requires. The
cornfield subdivisions north of the oity
have been converted into immense
clover fields, and it is here the grazing
kine are encountering the death-deal
ing white variety. Dairymen call the
disease " ol o venn g."
Fossils?
Don't be fossils ; old logs lying by
the wayside fer moss and fungus, to
grow upon ; for worms to honeycomb
and spiders to weave nets aroona. Be
a man among men, with a purpose and
strength to accomplish. Don't be afraid
of resistance - the more the better.
Friction cleans the bark and rubs down
the knots. Don't be af raid of failure.
You will be certain to find it if ever
lastingly seeking. If it must come, let
the day find yon and not you the day.
No man can succeed in all his under
takings, and it would not be well for
him to do so. Things easily acquired
go easily. It is by the struggle it costs
to obtain that we learn to rightly esti
mate th'p value.'
Don't be fossils. They are oontent to
rot out ; to let matters take their course,
and the sooner they are out of the way
the better. They Bimply occupy the
room need by better men ; by men who
are vigorous, thriving sprouts of the
great human tree ; men who will take
and keep a place in the world ; who
make business and attend to it ; who
amount to something ; do some good to
their race ; men of bone, sinew and
nerve ; men of thought and action, with
the will to do and the heart to dare ;
men whb would bo missed and regretted;
not old, mouldy, worthless trunks by the
side of the stream, tossed up high and
dry by one freshet to remain motionless
until the coming and swelling of
another.
Don't be fossils. Better die in the
struggle than rust out uselessly. Want
of success with effort is better than no
striving for the prize. There is more
of honor even in failure than to never
have endeavored. He who perishes
bravely in the combat receives the re
ward of praise, though he fails to grasp
the crown. There is a pleasure in effort,
in excitement, in the trying, though the
end is but a dream. Life is made np of
trial and no wise man shrinks from or
seeks to avoid it. Strike for the Truth
and the Right, and if the glory of the
Victor is denied, you can at least gain
that of the Martyr.
Don't be human fossils - miserable
nothings t Be up and doing. Glory
awaits the .seeking and wealth the toiling
for, and neither will come without the
earnest seeking. Do something. If
the great slips through your grasp, hold
firmly on - to the less. Be anything, if
honest, rather than a human nonentity.
A Persistent Detective.
A New York paper of a recent date
says: William Baum, a trapper and
hunter, living in Blooming Grove Town
ship, Pike county, Penn., appeared be
fore Justice Davis, in Jersey Oity. yes
terday, and asked for a warrant for the
arrest of Frederick Hobin, on a oharge
of arson and larceny. Baum had accumu
lated, by^his industry and economy,
about $500, whioh he kept in the house.
He made no secret of his wealth, nor of
the place of its concealment. Early one
morning in May, 1877, he started out
with his gun and dogs to look for game.
Grossing a creek, he had gained a height
some distance from home and sat down
to rest. Looking back he saw a black
smoke rising from the neighborhood of
his home. Convinced that the honse in
which he had left his wife and infant
child asleep was burning, he retraced
his steps. His worst fears were realized.
His wife stood in the yard, wringing her
hands ander j ir.g, and the babe was not
im li i MMIL Xrfbbiog into the burning f
building v B?/nm ^?*Wiea thu ern lia (rum1
its ?radio, and wrapping his coat about
it fonght his way through the flames to
the .open air. His brave effort nearly
cost him his life. He was scorch ed from
head to foot, and the traces of bis in
I'uri es were still painfully visible when
ie appeared in court yesterday. His
face was terribly scarred. Three fingers
of his left hand were missing, and his
right arm was withered. After the fire
Hebin was nowhere tobe seen. He was
suspected at once to have robbed the
house and set fire to it. When he had
sufficiently recovered Baum set out on a
hunt for the suspected incendiary. He
traveled all over the State of Pennsyl
vania, and partly over New Jersey. A
day or two ago he met Hebin in Hobo
ken, followed him to No. 80 Clinton
Btreet, where, he learned he was living.
Detective Quinlan arrested Hebin. The
Jjrisoner will be sent to Pennsylvania
or trial.
Tea made from the leaves of yonng
tea plants growing in the conservatory
of the Department of Agriculture at
Washington was recently served to some
visitors.
Items ef Interest.
The average age of a circa? joke fa oe?
hundred years.
The Qneen of Belgium paints; that
is to say, she paints pict ares.
Money doesn't make the man, bat
twenty shilling* makes the sovereign.
A thief may make a bolt for the door,
i and not be a very good mechanio, either.
The English refuse white horses for
Army purposes because they ara too
conspicuous.
Taking things as they come, isn't Tory
difficult; it's parting with them as they
I go that's hard.
j A four-year-old ohild in Kennebunk
Me., has a head weighing fifteen pounds
and a body weighing nin<v
It is time to sit on the front stoop
with a girl and a Japanese fan, and listen
to the street musician and the mosquito.
The hen cholera is prevalent inparts
of Minnesota, it takes chickens off
about as fast as the old-fashioned mid
night plan.
Melancholia, whioh has strnok the
Czar of Russia, is said to have affected
every autocrat of his family siter the
age of fifty.
A western statistician has found that
! Washington Territory has 10,000 -rotors,
1,400 ban, and 16,000 bears. By actual
count, of course.
In the Gasconade river, Miss., the
fish have been dying by thousands, from
eating the worms that drep from the
overhanging maple trees.
"I mean business," said a burglar
who entered Mr. Patterson's house, in
Sterling, 111. "So do I," said Mr. Pat
( tenon, and shot him through the head.
Of the 866 American colleges, sixteen
have libraries of over 25,000 volumes.
The largest college library in the
I country is Harvard's, containing] 160,
000 volumes.
A Kentucky .man who went to the
Black Hills wrote back to a paper, say
ing : " Offer a premium at your coming
fair for the biggest fool in the country,
and I'll try to get there in time."
Good service is prompt service... It .
ceases to be a favor when ? upan whose
the service is conferred hoslost in pa
tience and hope deferred what ne might
have bestowed in love and gratitude.
The discouraged collector again pre- >
sented that little matter. ..Well," says
MB friend, "you are round again.
"Yes," says the follow with the ac
1 count in his hand, "but I want to get
? square."
Elam Potter is now pushing the
wheelbarrow from Albany to San Fran
cisco. He wean very long hair and
whiskers, and the wheelbarrow is gaudi
ly painted, so that his arrival in a vil
lage causes excitement.
Jefferson Davis has been acting as
umpire for two Mississippi men who
disagreed in politics and applied abusive
epithets to each other. He decided
that both ought to apologise, and they
did so.
Nervous lady passenger on the train
after passing the temporary bridge al
New Brunswick : "Thank goodness we
are now on terra firma." Facetious
gentleman: "Tes ma'am, less terror
and more firmer."
The phonograph may bottle np the
voice and pass it down to future ages,
but the smile that twists the face of th?
mau as he seeks solitude and gases upon
lils name m pnntf for/tl?a Arst time will
have to be guessed at.
" Habit" is hard to overcome. If yon
take off the Ant letter it does not ohango
"a bit." If you take off another, you
still have a " bit," left. If yon take off
still another, the whole of " it" re?
mains. If you take off another it. is
not " t" totally used np. All of whioh
goes to show that if yon wish to be rid
of a "habit," you must throw it off
altogether.
In a rural district of Forfarabire a
young ploughman once went courting
on a Saturday night. In vain he racked
his brain for some interesting topic; he
could call up no subject at all suitable
for the occasion-not one sentence could '
he utter, and for two long hours he est .
on in silent despair. The girl herself
was equally silent; she no doubt re
membered the teaching of the old Scotch
song, " Men mann be the first to speak,''
and she sat patiently regarding him
with demure surprise. At last John
suddenly exclaimed, " Jenny, there's a
feather on y er apron!" "I widna ha'e
wondered if there had been twa," replied
Jenny, " for I've been sittin' aside a
goose a' nicht."