The Fairfield news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1881-1900, December 13, 1882, Image 1
^ WEEKLY EDITION. TOfNSBORO, S. C., WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 13, 1882. ^ ESTABLISHED IN 1844. |
=L
|
The Lorer's Ehapsody.
k
A THASSSGmKG TDYL.
^V"'" I
"Ah to-??? T lore yon so," he said;
" Yonr every glance is joy to me?
Tb? poise of yonder graceful head
fc*. - T <r The inward-worth that I can see.
Your form so plump?with every line
That marks its proud and graceful swell? ;
P.C^n/iO Vp O A
And wraps me with its mystie spell.
" Thanksgiving comes; and then for you
Br My earnest gratitude shall rise:
For who with heart aright and true
Could such a gift as thee despise ?
K ContriTed to please the inner man,
To capture judgment, soul and brain,
^^nd molded on perfection's plan?
BC^hat few terrestrial things attain.
H Sv proud I am that thou art mine?
^^.Q^th?se perfections are my own,
ollhy charms and grace divine
Hr -to me and me alone;
Ktorioo^halt yet be part of me,
"*sny sorrows, dull my pain,
HKiani felt V feast my eyes on theo
WF B:it not g-^eetress once again.
BET For be cad swf *
Br - He'd blot of . , ,
? What is j?ous bird! my favored one!
by night, my dreams by day?
My hope when other joys are gone:
My fount of blessings glad and gay !"
He clasped her close within his arms,
ffife A glittering knife flashed by his side,
Her head fell low despite its charms;
He pore her," with a lover's pride,
Within the house, where faithful hands
The glowing coals had brightly raked?
- And told the bustling kitchen bands
He wanted that 'ere turkey baked!
pf" ?I. Edgar Jones.
SOFT SOAP.
A THANKSGIVING STORY.
There had been a grand Thanksgivi
ing dinner at the Macy mansion, six
courses. all told, each and all served
^?- admirable by Matthew, the butler, and
little Alf, Matthew's helper. First,
there had been soup, oyster and clam
soup, with crackers, and celery, and
pickled onions, and nasturtiums. Second,
there had been a mammoth tur
key, roasted to just the right point by
Gilsey, the cook; a pair of ducks;
broiled pigeons and baked venison,
flanked by mashed potatoes, stewed
tomatoes, succotash, squash, turnips,
/ . fresh-bailed pink and white beets, jip 'ijjkpie-sauce,
bread and outter; yes, and
coffee, too, belonged to the second
course, for sensible Mr. Macy, senior,
said lie " never cared for coffee after
dinner." Third, there had been pies,
pumpkin and mince pies, flaky-crusted
and delicious, with cheese. Fourth, j
there had been pudding?plum-pud*
ding. Fifth, ice-cream, cakes and
f jelly. Sixth, rosy apples, grapes and
winter pears, walnuts, raisins and
glasses of cold orange-water.
" Such a dinner as to make one too
lazy to navigate," said Uncle Phil, settling
himself down in a big arm-chair
by the open Franklin stove in the cozy j
^ back parlor.
" Wasn't it a rouser? Did you ever
eat such a dinner before?" asked tenyear-old
Robbie Macy, sitting ^own on
the rug in front of Uncle PhiL
" Humph! I eat a better dinner
years and years ago than vo?^ had today,
when I was a littlC* ^ 10
larger than you," Uncle Phil sLd,
mf . teasingly. And Rob answered* doubttee
bow
such a good--?nmer .as we had," let
alone a better one. Why, mamma
said you lived way out West, where
lots of Indians were."
Uncle Phil laughed.
"So you infer, because there were
Indians out where we were, that we
had nothing to eat. Do you?"
"I suppose you had something to j
3at," Hob replied, roguishly; "but 1I
/ don't believe 'twas plum-pudding and !
great big slices of turkey-breast. Xow, j
was it. Uncle Phil?"
""We didn't have plum-pudding, |
that's a fact; and we didn't have great j
slices of white turkey-breast, that's
another fact; but, Rob, we had slices
of dark turkey breast?nice, juicy
wild turkey, i can tell you it was
good, too."
"Pho! I don't like dark meat. I'm
glad I was not there." And Rob
turned a somersault over to Rover,
El i who lay peacefully on the other side j
of the big velvet rug.
"Rob!"
"Veil, sir."
tt T i-~n ~ *4. ^
oucui x im >uu <t siury auouo <t:
Thanksgiving we had out "\Yest, when j
I was a boy?"
Rob stood at his uncle's knees in
less than a minute, with wide-awake,
delighted eyes.
"Oh! Uncle Phil. Yes, do. You
always tell such splendid stories. But
perhaps there won't be anything in a
Thanksgiving story about bears."
And Rob's face grew a trifle serious.
" How about Indians ?"
" Oh! Uncle Phil, if you can tell
a Thanksgiving story about Indians,
111 be the happiest boy in town."
"We won't promise, but we'll see
about it. Go and call the rest of the I
children, Rob."
" Come, Dan and Walter and (Xel-j
lie !" called Rob. "Uncle Phil is go-!
, ing to tell a rousing Indian story."i
"Did I say so?" asked Uncle" Phil,
trying to look savage.
" I know so ! You can't fool me!"
Rob answered, wisely.
?" "You can begin now, Uncle Phil,"
Nellie said, coaxingly, leaning her
} curly head Uncle
Phil's ps&x. " The company's all
gofiefand it'll be so nice to wind up
^ ?ae dav listening to a thrilling Indian
frT story." I
Nellie shivered in anticipation of i
the horrible things she expected to;
hear. Uncle Phil, noticing, said : j
' "Don't get to shaking, Nellie. My ;
story will be more laughable than ;
thrilling, I fancy. And lo ! I begin.'
There were eight of us who had |
our home in that Western hut, made of j
cottonwood logs. But, children, I j
thought I saw a pair of black eyes,
with a good deal of white about them,
peering into the door just now. Perhaps
there is somebody there who
wants to hear the story."
^ " It's nobody but Ait," Jaughed j
Hob; "but I say, Uncle Phil, why,
Kv can't Alf come in and listen to the j
story? He hasn't anything to do just |
" That's thoughtful of you, Eob,
HE and just what I wanted. Call him in,
And so, a moment later, Alfs eyes
W^--. grew rounder and whiter than ever
as he listened to the Thanksgiving j
" Those were troubled times with j
Western folks. The Indians were not I
very near us; indeed, father never had
a fear in regard to the Indians attackr
- ing us. Xo one whom we knew of,
living within twenty miles of us, had
v been troubled by the Indians. One
jt day in October*we children had been i
ot?the afte ^on, having a happy
gatf* ed yards and yards
jfe_frite clematis and beautiV*
even Bathsheba
- d" aded like a .
Bg;t oi the B. r columbines i
Bt^islature is not do |
Kit iarge class of I
$ the ?> J
"Such a funny name, Uncle Phil, i
Who was Bathsneba?"
" Bathsheba was our only sister. A
pretty girl, too, I do assure you, notwithstanding
her outlandish name, j
She had blue eyes and golden hair, and
we boys almost worshiped her, because
she was so beautiful and good.
She didn't dress much like you, Xellie
; but she looked pretty enough, in
her plain blue flannel dress, which
came down half way between knees
and ankles, leaving her white feet bare.
I told you there were eight of usThere
was father, mother, Aunt
Huldah and the hired man, Nick
Vose, Bathsheba, Ephraim. Jeremiah
and myself. Well, that October
day, after we had gathered all the
clematis and 'columbines we wanted,
we carried them home to mother,
tacked the pretty vines all around the
cottonwoou logs ana mea a oig jar
with the columbines. Then -we were
off again?.Jeremiah and I shooting
wild game and Eph going with Bathsheba
to gather some beautful ferns,
which grew in the belt of woods a
quarter of a mile from the hut, our
home. The short day was drawing to
a close and Eph and . Bathsheba had
not yet joined us.
" 'Come on!' I said to Jerry. 'Let's
go home. I'm as hungry as a hunter.'
" 'And you are a hunter,' laughed
Jerry gleefully, as he pointed to the
string of wild ducks which were suspended
from my shoulders.
"'But, Phil,' he added,'I think we
better wait for the others. Mother
might be anxious if we should get
home without them.'
"4 What would make her anxious ?'
I asked, scornfully.
"' Indians!' Jerry bawled in my ear.
'"Indians!' I answered. 'You know
better. There ain't a redskin within
fifty miles of us.' But even as I spoke
"F.nh toward us with Bathsheba
in his arms. His face was white
with fright, and hers white with
what? Was it death? We did not
know. Jerry threw down his gun
and his prairie chickens, and I my
ducks, as we jan to meet them.
"'What's fee trouble, Eph?' we
both asked at once.
" ' Bathsheba's fainted. Can't you
see?' he answered, in a troubled voice.
'"Run for <inmn -R-at.pr Onir?lr f' And
he laid her do^arn on the dead maple
leaves which covered the-green sward,
still holding his arm tenderly under
her head. Jerry ran for water, while
I rubbed my sister's hands and asked,
anxiouslv: ' What made her faint,
Eph?'
' Hush!' he said sternly. ' I can't
tell you now. Wait until we get
Bathsheba safe back with mother.
Then I'll have something that is something
to tell you.'
" Eph's tragic tone roused all my
curiosity; but I knew him too well to
question any further. Jerry came
with the water from the brook, and
he and I bathed her face vigorously.
She awoke with a gasp, and looked
into Eph's face with a startled, ques
tioning look.
"'Don't worry, Bathsheba,' Eph
said, soothingly. ' We'ie most home,
and safe, too '
"Safe, too. What could he mean?
Jerry asked him, but received no -answer,,
except a warning look. __ JWell,
made "a 'seat' out 'of
"and Eph. Mfted nerup into it. Then
-we carried her home, Eph bringing
our game and other things. Father
and Xick Yose were away from home,
but mother and Aunt Huldah met us
at the door.
"'There's nothing the matter,
mother,' was Eph's cheery greeting.
Only she's pretty well frightened at?
nothing.'
" 'Oh! Eph, at nothing!' Bathsheba
said, in a remonstrating voice, as she
sat up and realized where she was.
" 4 Oh ! mother, 'twas a great, big,
fierce-looking Indian who frightened
me so. Eph didn't see him, because
he was bending over a great, beautiful
fern ?hat I wanted so much; but I
saw him distinctly. His big, feathered
head loomed up out of a ^lump of
young trees, and I'm sure his big
mouth was grinning in delight over
us?two children alone in the woods.
Eph was a little way off, and I didn't
dare call to him, for fear the Indian j
might scalp us; and so I threw my
basket at Eph's head. That's all i
know about it.'
" Mother looked at Eph, and he said,
with a laugh: 'And she hit me, too,
mother, a sounding thump. I thought i
maybe the " cow with the crumpled |
horn " had got hold of me, and, turn- j
ing to see, I saw Uathsheba motioning j
to me. I understood, by the way she !
pointed and worked her lingers, that j
she meant there were Indians around.;
Then I saw her tumble over, and 1;
picked her up and came home.'
" 'Well! well!' mother said, m atone j
which meant not well. 'I shall be '
afraid to go to bed if there are any j
Indians about, and father away and j
Kick Vose, too.'
" 'It's my opinion that there ain't!
an Indian within miles of us. Bath-1
sheba's an imaginative girl. I've no j
doubt that 'twas the tree-branches i
swaying in the wind that she took for |
a redskin's head.'
" 'You can think what you're a mind
to, Aunt Jtiuiuan; out jl Know uvas
an Indian,' Bathsheba said, decidedly, j
"Bathsheba was right; for the very j
next morning the sad news came that j
a whole family, less than a mile from j
us, had been murdered in the night j
and their log hut left bare and deso-1
late. After that father and Xick j
came home every night, whether con- j
venient or not, and it was often very
inconvenient to come home when they :
were miles away, cutting logs; but, as j
days and weeks passed by, we heard j
nothing more of the Indians and
we began to breathe easy again.
It lacked only two days of Thanksgiving
when father recer' * word from a
man over in the nexV^ettlement to
come over and attend tocSome urgent
business. He took Xick Vose with
him and also Eph, he being the oldest,
as it was necessary to bring back several
loads of lumber, and Eph could
manage oxen as well as Nick could.
Wall thof votv (ivpninrr .Tprrv and T
hurried through our ehores to help
Aunt Huldah pick some ducks for
Thanksgiving. Mother was sick with
a cold and she did not help : but she
talked and laughed with us as we
worked. Pretty soon we heard steps ;
outside, and Aunt Huldah said :
? ?periiaps our men are back. I do i
hope they are.'
"But Jerry jumped up quickly, and j
drew the bars across the door. Bathsheba's
blue eyes grew round with !
amazement, and she said : * Why, Jerry, \
do you mean to lock father out ?'
"' Look!' he said, pointing to the j
little window. Ah! that look! how it;
frightened us, and our sick, timid;
uiuwitri i<uii> sinicA.ru. -u ivi i/am- ,
sheba, she wrung her hands in agony..
"'Hush! every one of you,' Jerry ;
said, in a commanding tone, as if he
was general of an army. 4 Here, j
Phil, you get mother and Bathsheba
over in that corner and keep guard,
while Aunt Haldah and I run up the
ladder and look out the loop-hole, and
see if there's many of them,'"
Alf's curiosity could wait no Ion-1
ger. " What (lid ye see, Massa ? Was
it b'ars. big. black b'ars. lookin' in at
de windy ?"
"Xo, Alf," answered Uncle Phil.
" Xot bears, but savage Indians. We I
looked out the loop-hole (that's what j
we called a little round hole over the :
door) and we saw one Indian near our j
house, and another, with his back to j
the house, a little way oil. Father,;
i Xick and Eph had taken the guns, and |
j we were at a loss to know what to do i
-** T- f a V>i*ooV in
: II tills i.Illlkclli."> dUUUlU LL\ IV UlCtta an.
! Suddenly there was a loud pounding j
on the door. We went down and!
: A unt Iluldah asked what was wanted.'
They wouldn't answer, but whacked j
away until I thought every minute the j
: door would give way. Aunt Iluldah :
! rushed down the ladder, and motioned [
! to Jerry and me to follow her. We |
| went with her into a little room, par- j
; titioned off from the kitchen, where a j
; barrel of the strongest kind of soft;
soap stood. We each carried a pail of |
that terrible soap up the ladder to the
loft, and then crept up from the loft
to the roof. Then, creeping along
softly to the edge of the roof, we saw j
the two Indians flashing their bright I
blades into the cottonwood door.
"'No time to lose,' whispered Auntj
| Huldah. And we three together emp- i
| tied our buckets of soft soap over \
rp^skins. Oh ? such shrieks as i
rent the air, as the Indians danced
around and rubbed their eyes, in awful
pain. "We felt sorry, Jerry and I; but
Aunt Huldah said she didn't. 4 If
hadn't done it, they would have killeSs
and scalped us all,' she said, wisely.
" Xo one slept that night, and the
ducks did not get picked, either ; but
by early daylight father came homo.
His face was ashen gray as we drew
back the bars to let him in. He looked
at each of us in turn, then, seating
himself in a chair, he, strong man that
he was, burst into tears.
"' Are you sick, dear father ?' BathcVioh;*
cnui orninor nn tn him and rnit
j UUVUl. J
! ting her arms about his neck. My
I father was a Christian, and, gathering
Bathsheba's golden head to his bosom,
he said: "Xot sick, child; but overcome
with thankfulness, "Word came
to us this morning that several families
had been scalped during the'
night and that mine was one of them.
II didn't wait to tell Eph and Xick, but
j sent word to them to come home as
I soon as they could, and hurried on
ahead. When I reached the ' Corners,'
I found that the Stevensons
were gone, root and branch, and my
heart sank within me; but I find my
home unmolested, thank God!' Then
we told him that we had been attacked
and that our weapon had been
soft soap. We thought father would j
I laugh; but he did not. lie onlv| said,!
I reverently: 4 Thank God for soft i
soap!'
"Xick and Eph came home [that
afternoon. They had heard the sor;
rowful story, too, and I tell you we
I had a general hugging all around,
i " And then Thanksgiving .day I
| dawned. Such a dinner! Seems to
| me I can taste it yet. Any way. I can j
remember every single tning we nau.
We had roast wild ducks and baked,
fish, and the nicest, roundest little
roast pig I ever saw. It had a lemon
| in its mouth and a bunch of parsley
^pjo^dits curly tail, and it stood oh a
K^d^jgrfien parsley, v ^hen $e had
Rfettg^ea^'oakied potatoes ahd turnips,
and the best succotash and baked
beans that could be imagined, and then
those broiled quails. Oli! Rob, I wish
you could taste such quails."
" Didn't you have any pudding? "
" I don't think we did ; we had pies
?pumpkin, mince, apple and custard."
" And was that all ? " asked Hob.
"Xo, we ^ .1 one thing more. t "We
all got dc -ir knees and thanked
Gocl. F. . * that was the'finishing
toucl "
A Beard Twelve Feet Lone.
Adam Kirpen, of Chicago, who possesses
the longest beard in the world,
is sixty-six years of age, is five feet
eleven inches tall, and a perfect specimen
of a robust, though aged, German.
By means of his beard he has amassed !
a considerable fortune, but, not with- j
standing, he endeavors to sell his plio- |
tographs on the plea of poverty. The
beard which he at present wears has
attained the wonderful lengtli of nearly
twelve feet. He disposes of this rather
unwieldy appendage when walking on
the street by rolling it around a leathern.
t>elt suspended about his neck,
The length of the beard is such that
he can place both feet upon it, and the
other end. upon beincr lifted up. reaches
a few inches above his head. The
beard, which is of a dull gray color, is
quite thick, and is the result of twentytwo
years' uninterrupted growth.
From his youth Kirpen gave evidence
of becoming as bearded as F^au. At
eleven years of age he was uraer the
necessity of shaving, and at fourteen
had a large bushy beard, which, added
to his robust frame, caused people to
frequently confound hiniTS; being his
father's brother.
"When ho entered the German army I
as i.ctilierist his mustache was three |
feet in length, and lie experienced i
about as much trouble in partaking of ]
his meals as Victor Emanuel, of whom
it is related that he tied his mustachios
together behind his ears when
about to eat. He was the wonder and
delight of the fair sex, and received
innumerable privileges from the officers
on account of his appearance. It was
not until he came to America that he
allowed full sway to the grooving properties
of his beard. When the beard
was five feet long he sold it to a
Chicago museum for $75. From that
time, twenty-two years ago, no razor
hits been applied to his face, and the |
beard has steadily grown and is still ;
growing, having increased two feet J
since 1877. The hairs branch out like j
a tree, some having as many as a dozen '
splits. The old man has one son, but j
the beard does not seem to be lieredi-;
tary, as he found it a difficult matter !
to raise a beard previous to his thirtieth !
year. His grandfather was remark- j
able, however, in having his limbs and I
body covered with hair nearly twelve j
inches long.
Falconry Revived.
After remaining under a cloud for
a couple of centuries the once fash- j
ionable and exciting sport of falconry
is again making its appearance. The ;
English hawking clul> rented a Scotch !
moor for the season, and tried the j
ol.Jll ^.1.o rl/ivnn foln/inc Tho '
OIVUl VI a uv//,v.u nuvvuo. j.**v j
majority of the peregrines proved j
comparative failures, either through i
want of training or inadequate pace to I
get up to the swift-flying grouse. The |
collapse of these inferior birds is a'
proof, at the outset, that none but j
well-trained and swift falcons can V ;
used with any effect on the moors. On ;
the other hand, four of the falcons !
were credited with the best part of one j
hundred brace of grouse, which was \
the result of one month's sport. One :
of the hawks struck as many as five !
grouse in one day, showing remark-!
able skill in " waiting on " above the I
setter, remaining poised high in air j
till the quarry was roused and then j
I making the swoop with certainty. * j
Fishes that Sin? and Dan^e.
Lieutenant White, of the American j
service, in his "Voyage to the Chinese j
Seas," relates that, being at the mouth
of the Cambodia, his crew and himself
were greatly astonished by hearing
unaccountable sounds from beneath
and around the vessel. They were
various, like the bass notes of an
organ, the sound of bells, the croaking j
of l'rogs. and a pervading twang which :
the imagination might have attributed
to some enormous harp. For a time |
the mysterious music swelled upon
them, and linallv formed a universal ,
chorus all round, but as the vessel ,
ascended the river the sounds dimin-'
ished in strength and finally ceased. j
Humboldt was witness to a similar ;
occurrence in the South sea, but with- ]
out suspecting the cause. Toward 7 |
o'clock in the evening the whole crew
was astonished by an extraordinary
noise, which resembled that of drums J;
which were beating in the air. It was j
at first attributed to the breakers, j'
Speedily it was heard in the vessel, and ;
especially toward the poop. It was
like a boiling, the noise of "he air ,
which escapes from tluid in ebulition.
The sailors began to fear there was
some leak in the vessel. It was heard i
unceasingly in all parts of the vessel,
and finally, about 9 o'clock, it ceased
altogether.
The interpreter belonging to Lieutenant
White's ship stated that the
marine music, which had so much
surprised the crew, was produced by
fishes of flattened, oval form, which
possessed the faculty of adhering to
various bodies by their mouths. This I
fish might have been the pogonia.
The music of the sea is heard in the |
Bay of West Paseagoula, and is de- \
scribed by those who have listened to I
it as singularly pleasant. "It has for i
a long time," observes Mrs. Green, an j
American writer, "been one of the I
greatest wonders of the southwest. |
Multitudes have heard it, rising as it
were from the water, like a drone of a
bagpipe, then floating away in the
distance, soft, plaintive and fairy-like,
as if JEolian harps sounded with richer
melody through the liquid element;
but none have been able to account
for the phenomenon. There are several
legends touching these mysterious
sounds; but in these days few things
are allowed to remain mysteries;; some
have ascribed the sounds to the catfish."
The sensibility of fishes to the sound
of music has been commented upon by
writers. The alose (belonging to the
chipeidte) has been noticed for its love
of music and dancing by ancient
writers. Aristotle says that it no
cr.mnav oofz-.Vioo tlio cnitnrl /vf TIT fYl*
OWXI^L l/UWllVO V1JV v?. ?v?w w h
sees dancing than it is irresistibly
led to join the sport and
cut capers and throw somersaults
out of the water. yElian declares that
the sprightly conduct imputed to the
shad by Aristotle was well known to
fisherman, who, taking advantage of
it. fastened little bells to their nets, by
the tinkling of which above ihe fish
within hearing were attracted to the
spot and netted without difficulty.
A somewhat similar mode of catching
fish is had .recourse t? by ti e boatmen
or t?re IX-fflubeNwho arch across
and keep tense upon stronger
hung with grelots, a floating net, and
so ring in a great number of fist; by the
ticklingpof- these bells. Rondolet, the
famOus naturalist, gave a romantic Instance
of the fondness for music of
Ashes. When staving at Vichy lie took
a walk with some friends in quest of
alose along the banks of the Allier,
with violin in hand ready for i. seren- j
ade. The air was still, the mcon and j
stars shining brilliantly. "When the i
party had come to a favorable spot for
the operation a net was carefully drawn
across the stream, while the violinist,
putting his instrument to his chin,
st ruck up a lively waltz. A wonderful
effect ensued. Scarcely had he
drawn^j&bow when the sleeping sur-1
face of thcraters began to move, alose j
backs appeared, rippling the silvery j
expanse, and after a few strokes a j
large party of fish might be seen rising j
and leaping in the water,
Child Killed by a Bear.
The "Washington Critic tells the
stoiy of the death of a little gypsy in
the arms of a bear in the gypsj camp
near "Washington, thus : It appears
that several of the children were teas-!
ing the attenuated animal, which had I
been chained to a sapling by its i
swarthy master, when suddenly a threeyear-old
youngster, who had been
poking a stick at bruin, approached
too near, and was seized suddenly by J
the animal and crushed to death. One i
of the men, hearing the animal growl, ;
tried to save the inl'ant, but arrived on |
the scene too late. "Whereupon, seiz-1
ing a large club, he beat thi bear (
nearly to death.
The child was buried a few hours '
later by the roadside,-and the band j
packed its luggage^ and moved along, j
hardly missing tl^c little dead infant I
from the motley throng of bears, !
monkeys, dogs, donkeys and villainous- J
looking humans. The/ceremor y over :
the grave of the infant was a very curious
one. The entire band taking
hold of each other's hands formed a I
cirr-lfi arminil the onen hole Cfor it eer- j
tainlv was not a grave) and chanted a I
doleful melody, tlen like the witches |
in " Macbeth " went round and round, j
Suddenly stopping, one of the r.ien re- j
peated a jargon prayer; then In concert
men, women and children chanted ]
" Melah, Melah, Melah."
This ended the ceremony, and all |
hands engaged in covering up the I
corpse, which had been placed in the '
grave on a bed of dried leaves, and ;
covered copious! ' v.! .'.e same.
Statistics of the Presidency.
The following is an analysis of the j
occupancy of the presidential office
irom Xlit- or<ra.lii/.uu<m m uregmuu-;
ment under the Federal Constitution to
the end of the present term, showing '
the length of serviceof the incumbents
and th<; States of which they were
residents. It will be seen that the i
Eastern States elected three of their j
citizens to that high position, serving
gne term each. The Middle States
elected two and inherited fractions of i
two. The "Western States elected live, i
who. if death had not interposed, j
would have held the office twenty-j
eight years. The Southern States :
elected seven:
Southern States. States. Dates. Ys. Mo. j
Washington Ya 1789-1797 8 .. !
Jefferson Va.... 1801-1809 8 ..I
Madison Va... .l-SKMSl? 8 ..
Monroe Va 1S17-1825 8 ..
Tyler* Va.... 1841-1845 3 11 j
Jackson Tenn..l829-lS37 8 ;
Polk Tenn..184:1-1849 4 .. !
Tavlor La 1849-1850 1 '
T~w * Tonn ISlo-lSffi) 3 n I
Westebn States.
Harrison Ohio. .1841-1841 .. 1
Lincoln Ill ....1861-1864 4 1
Grant Ill ....1869-1877 8 ..
Hayes Ohio.. 1877-1881 4
Garfield Ohio. .1881-1881 .. 6
Middle States.
Van Buren N. Y.. 1837-1841 4 .. !
Fillmore* N. Y. .1850-1853 2 8;
Buehanc u Penn. 1857-1861 4 ..
Arthur* N. Y.. 1881-1881 .. .. !
Eastern States.
J.Adams Mass. .1797-1S01 4 ..
J."O.Adams Mass.. 1825-1829 4
Pierce X. H..1853-1857 4 .. j
^Elected vicc-prcsi4eut, i
Moslem Forms and Ceremonies.
The life of a good Moslem seems all
interwoven with forms-and ceremonies,
and the law of the Koran or some
such sacred words seems forever on his
lips, mixing most freely with all secular
matters. Xo action, however trivial,
may be commenced without commending
it to Allah. A ilohammedan
will not even light a lamp without
blessing the name of the prophet.
Even the cries of the str:-et hawkers
bring in frequent allusions to a spiritual
market, as when the / poor watercarrier
offers a cup of cool, refresiling
drink to all passers-by, crying aloud,
' Oh! may God reward me!" Whatever
be the matter in hand, on^ of the com?'ill
rtArfom ITT Tiff AT cAmo cnr?h ro
J,'Ciiljr >> JLIX LtlliiiJ vtwwv*. m/iuv whvm *v j
minder as " Semmoo," aril his friends
will reply " Eismillab," meaning
in the name of God.,' In truth,
the fatalism of which we hear so much
seems little else than a strong faith ; a
power of living calmly as in the presence
of God "(just as the strongest
practical characteristics .of a poor
Hindoo's faith seems to be a simple
submission to the will of the Almighty,
under whatever he may
recognize Him). So fait^-or fatalism
seems well-nigh to mer^*, and our
own Scotch expression of "It was
been to be" seems tolerably akin to
the " Kismet" of the East. I remember
an old housemaid ^being sorely
perturbed at having knocked over and
smashed a valuable china vase; but a
few minutes later she recovered her
equanimity and exclaimed: "Weel,
weel! iz had been lang -i' the family,
and it was been to be {.broken !" so
laying this flattering unction to her
soul, she went calmly Ton with her
dusting. Lane, speaking of this continual
allusion to the providence of
God, mentions that no? Moslem will
speak of any future event or action
without adding, " If it ?c the will of
God." lie explains the; cries of the
night watchmen, whose deep-toned
voices resound through ike dark hours.
One man cries: " 0 Ebrd' 0 Everlasting!''
Another sa%&: "I extol
the perfection of the ^living King,
who sleepeth not, nor dieth." He
tells, too, of a mode of Ijitertaming a
party ol: guests in Cair<?by the recital
of a kliatmeh, which m&ns the whole
of the Xoran chanted ?by men hired
for the occasion. Just imagine inviting
a party in Londopa to hear the
whole Bible chanted 4s a pastime,
with an accompaniment of pipes and
coffee. Mr. Lane alsofspeaks of the
reverence with whiqk the Holy
I3ook is treated?alwaysjplaced on some
high, clean place, wher^no other book
or anything else may fcfc laid above it.
He attributes the Moh^nmedan's dislike
to printing their sac$|tl books to the
dread lest impurity should attach to the
ink, the paper, or, above all, ltst the ink
should be applied to t&e holy name
with a brush made of^og's bristles.
"Worse than all, the fcak, becoming
thus common, is in doiible danger of
being touched by infidels. This dread
of dishonoring sacred jjiames extends
even to the ninety-nine titles of the
prophet and the names Of those near of
kin to him. Thus one -man will refuse
to stamp his name upon his pipe bowls
because it bears one of the . names of
to pass through "tlTatire. Atttftliei
man, less scrupulous, is blamed because
he h& branded. name, which
is also a sacred name,"i)ii (S^rjaln cam els
and horses. The sin thus committed
is threefold: First, the iron brand is
put in the fire, which is horrible sacrilege;
secondly, it is applied to the neck
of the camel, causing blood to flow and
pollute the sacred name; thirdly, the
camel is certain some day, in lying
down, to rest his neck on something
unclean. This dread of casting holy
things into the fire does not, however,
seem to apply to such as can be consumed.
A "Mohammedan, finding a
fragment of paper covered with writing,
will burn it, so that if holy words
should be thereon inscribed the flames
may bear them up and the angels carry
them to Heaven.?Gentleman's Magazine.
Canning Corn.
A correspondent desires to know
something of the process of canning
com in the large establishments. The
li rst operation is the shelling of the corn.
By one machine in use the ear of corn is
placed in a groove, back of a wheel,
and in the twinkling of an eye the ear
of corn is passed forward through the
sheller, and the corn drops into a receiver
and a clean cob drops beside the
machine. An experienced man can
shell between two and three thousand
pounds of corn a day. The corn is
next taken to the cleaner, where two
men thoroughly clean it by sifting it
through a large sieve.. By this method
not even a thread of silk of the Conor
a particle of dirt is left in the corn.
This cleaner is a recent invention, and
it saves the work of twelve women
whose part it was to wash the corn.
The coin by this new process is also
made much cleaner. The next process
is to press the corn into the can. This
part of the work requires a man of
experience in tne ousiness. ine corn
is passed from the press to a table,
where a woman weighs it and passes it
to another who washes it, and she in
turn passes it to a third who wipes,
and passes it to a boy who puts on it a
cap of tin, and it is then ready to be
soldered. The cans are then placed on
trucks and wheeled into the boiling
room, where the cans are first put
into tanks of hot water and boiled for
thirty minutes. They are then taken
out, a small hole pricked in each can
to let out the air, and then the cans
are soldered again. The cans are next
put into steam retorts, where they are
left from fifty to sixty minutes. This
is also a new process. By the old way
it. t.onk four hours to cook the corn.
The cars are taken from the retorts
and wheeled into a large room, where
they are labeled and packed into boxes
ready to be shipped. Before leaving
the factory every can is tested twice
to ascertain if it is air-tight, for if it
was not so it would quickly spoil.
Maine corn in quality and flavor stands
at the head in the markets of Philadelphia,
Xew York and other cities,
and should readily command the highest
prices. The reason why Maine
corn stands at the head is that the
fruits and vegetables that are grown
in climates where the growing season
is short are always of a better flavor
than those grown in places where the
seasons are longer.?Boston Cultivator.
It is es timated that nearly 2,000,000,000
pounds of paper are produced annually,
one-half of which is used for printing,
a sixth for writing and the remainder
is coarse paper for packing and
other rmrnoses. The United States
alone produce yearly 200,0 6 tons of
paper, averaging seventeen pounds per
head for its population. The Englishman
coraes next, with about twelve
pounds rer head; the educated German
takes eight pounds, the Frenchman
seven pounds, while the Italian.
Spaniard and Piussian lake, respectively,
three pounds, one and one-half
pounds and one pound annually, the
consumption of paper being roughly in
proportion to the education and intellectual
activity o^.the people
V
nPVC
THE ORKxIX OF CALCULATION. ;
Hotv IWeu Came to Learn to Count by Using .
Their Fingers and Tally Sticks.
Mr. Joseph Hardcastle recently tie-!
livered an address before the Institute !
of Accountants and Bookkeepers on
" The Origin of Calculation as I>duced
from Evidence in Languages*'" i
Mr. Hardcastle said it was not sur-1
prising that during the earlier races of
mankind the systems of computation
were never intricate or elaborate, as
their needs were simple and few. The
~ i i.i xi.- i:
nuinuer uiree wus me limit ui anuimetical
conception of many of the
ancient races, five of others and ten in
still others. It "was rather cuiious
that none of the ancient limits are expressed
by six, seven, eight or nine, but
the explanation was given by the
speaker later on in his address. In the
stricter sense of limits of intelligence,
meaning the idea conveyed by numbers,
how very few, even in this enlightened
age, are able to comprehend and take
in large numbers. For instance, take
two maps, one containing 1,000 objects
and the other. 1,001, and who can
dete.cWb^ difference. Yet the same
difference (one) divides two and three.
Thanks taouagvstem of notation, we
can proceed*iirall cases of comparison
and estimation as readily as if the
maps were of three and four objects
only.
The word calculation is derived from
the Latin calculus, a pebble. There
are several familiar Latin phrases in
which the word occurs, showing that
pebbles were used to count with by the
Komans. The Thracians used white
pebbles to mark fortunate days and a
black one for the ancient Fridays.
The system of counting and comparing
numbers by means of these pebbles was
illustrated as follows : There are two
Hocks of sheep to be counted and compared.
As the first flock passed one
by one, a pebble is dropped in a basket
for each sheep until all have passed ;
then the other flock is enumerated in
the same manner. Then a pebble is
taken from each basket alternately
until one basket is exhausted, and thus
the comparative numbers of the flocks
are ascertained. The pebble thus
played an important part in the calculations
of primitive nations.
Some nations, however, had better
natural facilities in the chalk and slate
found in their countries, and one can
hardly imagine a race so low in intelligence
as- not to be able to make some
rse of such materials. Straight lines
were marked with the chalk on the
slate until the limit of comprehension
was reached, to wit, five, which would
be shown by a mark drawn at an angle
across four other marks, and this system
was continued with similar sets until
their minds became clouded and their
capacity could reach no further. This
is a step in advance of the pebble
system and has been handed down to
us, and we use it in sets of five.
in consulting me cucuonary 11, is
found that the word number is derived
from the Latin numerus, which
is probably taken from numus, a small
silver coin, which was possibly used
for the same purpose as the pebbles
and finally became a medium for the
interchange of products.
These chalk marks are now called
"tallies," and in Webster it is found
*hafc,. before thg days of. writing, in
1*^" had a
stick on which was marked orTiS^^,
the quantity of goods bought and sole..
These two sticks were each a check
upon the other, and were received as
evidence in courts of justice. Connect
the giving with one scoring check
and the receiving with the other, and
remembering that the number of
notches agree, and no matter how
many of these sticks there may be
the sum of the ffivimr scores will agree
with the sum of the receiving scores.
A complete system of double-entry j
bookkeeping, showing that, as that!
system had no beginning, it will have
no end.
The next step in the onward progress
is the system of counting by
digits or lingers, which is still employed
by children and even by persons
of maturer minds. Here is the
explanation of the fact that some of
the primitive nations could only count
up to five, while others could count to
ten; the one race only comprehending
the use of one hand in counting, the
other understanding the use of both.
After getting beyond five there is no
reason for stopping at any of the inmi
ml tare rrhc? rlirrif evefom
w-tajiv ^fWwv*A4
is a long step in advance of the other
systems. To complete the digit system
and remedy its defects a philosophical
language is required. The requirements
are a means of communication,
a mechanical aid to thought and an instrument
of record and reference. The
combination of the digit and tally systems
will give the requirements.
Instead of erecting a finger, make a
sloping mark I; then to show that one
hand lias been used make another
stroke at a different angle, meeting the
first at its base, thus forming A'.
When both hands have been used add
to thisV another one inverted thus
forming an X, and givingthemeans of
symbolizing from I to X. Thus, I, II,
III (omitting four for the present),
V, VI, VII, (omiting nine), X. By
nnrvthpr sten TV and IX are made, the
left hand position of I signifying subtraction.
This is the Roman system, and is
now only used for special purposes,
being too cumbrous and wearisome for
ordinary use. The only way to improve
this method was to improve it
out of existence, at least for the purposes
of calculation, by inventing a
new system. The Arabic notation has
done that. There are in this system
ten svmbols or figures?6,1, 2, 3, 4, 5,
6, 7, 8, 9.
Drowned on His Wedding Day.
At Baltimore August West field, a
young man, a clerk in a mercantile
house, was to have been married to
Miss Julia Sewell. The marriage
license had been procured, a minister
engaged, and the guests bidden to a
bridal banquet, un tne morning 01
the bridal day, as the groom elect,
with a friend, was crossing the Broadway
ferry to Locust Point, he com-1
plained of having a chill. "Westfield
crossed to the opposite side of the
steamer and perched himself on the
railing in position to allow the sun's
rays to fall on him. Suddenly, when
the steamer was in mid-harbor, he lost
his balance and fell overboard. lie
rose on'-e, and was heard to cry "Julia,"
and then he disappeared. The body
was recovered, and by some mistake
sent to the house of his bride elect,
who gained her first information of
the tragedy by seeing the dead body of
her betrothed.
Bit Off the Baby's Hair.
I A. remancaoie instance ui appearance
versus superstition came to my
knowledge recently. A gardener's
wife having an infant in arms with
long hair on its head, was desirous of
improving the child's appearance by
cropping it, but as it is said to be unlucky
to cut a baby's hair, she gained
the desired end by biting it off with her
teeth! The incident occurred in an
adjoining village.?Notes and Queries,
A STARTLING RECORD.
Li?t ofStfoaniern Lost in the Atlantic-?Over j
Five Thousand Lives Lost.
It is a startling fact that in the space j
of forty-one years since the unfortu- i
nate "President" left Xew York, on
March 11, 1841, never again to appear ;
co mortal ken. nearly seventy-five mail j
steamers, including the West Indian j
mail-boats, have been utterly destroyed j
'while on their passage across the At-;
lantic. Of these, seven, after leaving j
port, mysteriously disappeared and have ;
never since been heard of; six were run j
down by or collided with other vessels; i
five were burned: one ran on sunken i
ice in the Straits of Belle Isle; another '
went down in a field of ice; two foun-!
dered in mid-ocean, and the remainder |
of the melancholy list were wrecked!
either on the Irish or British coasts, j
on those of America, or oh the islands j
or rocks off them. Fully eight of these
ran in foggy weather on the shores of
either Nova Scotia or Newfoundland
on their westward voyages, a sufficient
warning, it might be supposed, to captains
.to give a wide berth in those latitudes.
Only one, the Iowa, an American
steamer,. was . wrecked- on .the,
French coast, near fierboiffg, in 1S&L
It is generally supposed that shipwrecks
are caused by the rage of the
elements, but of all the vessels that
went on shore only three or four appear
to have directly suffered in consequence
of the heavy weather.
Comparatively few of these shipwrecks
occurred without serious loss of
nf 1 nofliro f aiioot> A r>orcAnc VlOVO
JJ.1.C, au ;caou ii > k. uivuoauu UM ? ^ ,
perished among the passengers and
crews who were on board. "When the
Atlantic was wrecked on Meagher's
Head off Xova Scotia, in 1S73, no less
than 5G2 persons were drowned. With
the City of Glasgow 480 people disappeared
; with the President, 120 ; with
the Pacific, 186, and with the City of
Boston, the last of the missing steamships,
191. "When the Austria was
burned in mid-ocean, 470 lives were
lost; with the Arctic, 323; with the
Anglo-Saxon, 372; with the Yille du
Havre, 226; with the Borussia, 200 ;
and with the Schiller, 311. The destruction
of other vessels caused the
loss of fewer lives than those named,
as, happily, fewer passengers were on
board; but with several on the list
from one hundred to two hundred beings
perished. In 1873 no less than
six large steamships were wrecked, run
down or disappeared, the most disastrous
losses being those of the Atlantic
and the Ville du Havre.
The following list of lost Atlantic
steamers is as complete as the records
within reach supply:
1841?President, mysteriously disappeared.
1843?Columbia, wrecked on coast
of Xova Scotia.
1846?Great Britain, wrecked on
coast of Ireland ; Tweed, on Alacrames
Reef, off Yucatan.
1848?Forth, wrecked on same reef.
1850?Helena Sloman, foundered.
1852?St. George, burned ; Amazon,
burned.
1853?Humbolt, wrecked on coast of
Nova Scotia.
1854?City of Glasgow, disappeared,
Franklin, wrecked; Arctic, run down ;
City of Philadelphia, wrecked.
1856?Pacific, disappeared; LeLyonnais,
run down.
, 1857?Tempest, disappeared 3Ion1859?Argo,
~ im?~
Newfoundland; Indian '"recked on
coast of Nova Scotia; Hungarian,
wrecked on same coast.
18G0?Connaught, l)urned.
1861?Canadian wrecked on sunken
ice; North Britain, wrecked.
1863 ? Norwegian, Anglo Saxon,
j Georgia?all wrecked off Nova Scotia.
1864?Bohemian, wrecked off Nova
Scotia; City of New York, wrecked on
Irish coast; Jura, wrecked at mouth of
Mersey; Iowa, wrecked off Cherbourg.
1865?Glasgow, burned.
1866?Scotland, run down.
1868?Hibernin, foundered.
J.OUU Kj HICC\.l OLtlLCi?, ^KXj
Germania andCloopatra, both wrecked
oil coast of Newfoundland.
1870?City of Boston, disappeared
Cambria, wrecked on the Irish coast.
1872?Dacian, wrecked on coast of
Xova Scotia; Tripoli, wrecked on Irish
coast.
1873?Brittania, wrecked in the
Clyde; Atlantic, wrecked on coast of
Xova Scotia; Isniaillia, disappeared;
Missouri, wrecked on the Bahamas;
Ville du Havre, run down; City of
Washington, wrecked on coast of
Xova Scutia.
1875? Schiller, wrecked on one of
the Scilly iles; Vicksburg, went down
in a field of ice; Deutschland, wrecked
on English coast.
1877?George Washington, foundered
off Cape Race.
1878?Metropolis, (bound from
Philadelphia to Para, with workmen
and materials for the Medeira and
Mamore railroad), driven ashore on
Currituck beach, X. C., in a violent
gale and wrecked; Sardinian, burnt at
the entrance of LondonderrvsfeSrbor. *
1879?Borussio, foundered at sea;
Montana, wrecke^^n "Welsh coast;
State of Virginia, ashore on Sable
island and wrecked; Pomerania, ran
down in English channel.
1S80?July 16, bottle picked up off
Irish coast, containing memorandum
signed by the engineer, stating that
the steamer Zanzibar was sinking.
Vessel left New York for Glasgow,
January 11, 1879, and has never been
heard of since. City of Vera Cruz,
foi '.dered by a cyclone off Florida
coast; Anglia, run down.
1881?Bohemian, wrecked on Irish
coast; Leon, foundered; Montgomeryshire,
lost.
1882?Mosel, wrecked on coast of
Cornwall; Edam, run down by the
j Lepanto. Both thi ) losses due to fog.
Cranks in the Great City.
Anybody who goes about much in
Xew York, observes the Buffalo Courier
correspondent, could point out a
score of undoubtedly insane persons
who are always at large. One of the
queerest is the Queen of Rags, who
may be seen daily in the lower part - of
the city, fairly festooned with rags
; from head to foot and carrying on her
I arm a basket of rotten applt-s. She
picks up rotten apples around the
j markets and imagines that she peddles
them. She is said to be harmless,
but so are all the cranks till they do
some harm. The woman who owns
the City Ilall, or imagines that she
does, still calls there the 1st of every
month for her rent and wants to see
the mayor about it. A very strange
character is a sunburned man of about
forty, who goes up or down Broadway
every day noticing no one. His dress
is shabby and soiled, his trousers are
i always snort, ms ut'uru uevtri, appaij
ently, less than three (lays old, and his
! whole ensemble that of a castaway.
: lie is said to be an ex-lawyer. I rej
member him years ago as a well dressed
i man of somewhat striking appearance.
The Canadian papers are telling of
an heiress who married the head waiter
of a Montreal hotel. This girl had
evidently decided to get something to
i eat.
A KtttAKKAIiLJslj^rERIEA'CL.
Strange Career of a Once Famous English
Actor?Found the Owbct of a Beautiful
liesidcnce in Japan.
Some years ago George Pauncefort
was a well known actor in this country.
He was particularly celebrated as
John Mildwav, in the play of " Still
"Waters llun Deep." Pauncefort suddenly
disappeared from the public
gaze, and perhaps nobody would ever
have known what became of him had
it not been for Joseph Arthur, thebusi
ness manager of Willie Edouin's
" Sparks."
"I found him," said Mr. Arthur.
" away back in the interior of beautiful
Japan. He had thirteen wivesnatives?and
seemed to be happy in
the possession of a charming tea plantation."
" How did you discover him?"
"It was purelyl accidental. Three
other persons and myself went inland
to visit the celebrated prehistoric
statue of Buddha, at Diabutsa. "We
traveled by moonlight in the only conveyance
known in that country, a sort
of perambulator, called a "fiwrickiabaws,"
liauled by'"natives. At mi'd-night
the moon was hiddeirby clouds.
In a short time we found ourselves in
the midst -of a storm and sought shel1
-3 ? ? ? ? ? ? ^ <* yvvifiA
ier unaer me eaves uj. me uuuac
we came across. The climate was
mild, and, being weary, we fell asleep.
Daylight revealed a charming scene.
The house, which I could liken to
nothing but a large bird cage, stood in
the midst of the undulating fields, intersected
at regular spaces by little
narrow streams of water, kissed by the
overhanging branches of bush and
tree, and spanned by numerous fairylike
bridges. The owner of this
house and these lands was George
Pauncefort, the English actor, whose^
playing had been witnessed by audPs
ences in all the large cities' of the
i United States, and some of your old
J theatre-goers here and professionals
(among these being Mrs. John Drew
and Mr. Murphy) remember him as
being in Philadelphia."
"And what 'took this man to
i Japan?"
" That," said Mr. Arthur, " is something
of a mystery. He is now an
octogenarian and something of a recluse.
When I saw him he stepped to
his door in the early morn clad in a
semi-Japanese garb, with long, flowing
footong and calash. He wore no
shoes; his form was erect, his hair and
mustache snowy white, his countenance
of a florid hue. He did not seem
to be either glad or sorry to see us
and we rather invited ourselves in:
and as he stood so silent and grave I
mentally said: 'John Mildway.' Behind
him stood his wives. You have
asked me," continued Mr. Arthur,
" why he was found in such an out-ofthe-way
corner of the globe? I cannot
answer that directly, but I think
domestic difficulties drove him there."
" When we went iuto the house he
nnlv uttered three words : 'Mv wives.
gentlemen,' but during our stay did
not, in the presence of the other parties,
express an opinion on any subject
or join in the conversation. Subsequently
I had a private conversation
with him in which he told me many
things regarding his past life. He came
to this country from England in 1857
and made a great reputation ;is an acmerchant
vessef^tS
vessel was wrecked off the island
of Formosa, near the northern coast of
China. He was rescued by the natives,
who were not absolute Chinese, but a
sort of hybrid race, a cross between
the Chinese and Coreans, and were exceedingly
savage, so much so that had
it not been for a Dutchman who had
located there and become friendly with
them, Pauncefort would not have
I escaped with his life. This Dutchman
was engaged on the island extracting
dyes from the different woods there and
interceded for Pauncefort's life when
the natives proposed to kill him. Leaving
this inhospitable island, he went to
Japan and landed there without money,
without friends, having no knowledge
of the language or the customs of
the country, a lone son of Thespis from
afar and with heart bowed down with
a weight of woe. At that time there
was no treaty between the countries,
and the Japanese took no stock in
foreigners. However, Paimcefort felt
that he had come to stay. He was a
man of tact and intelligence, and he
acquired the language, in the meantime
sustaining himself by writing
sketche^of the Europeans and having
them translated. Subsequently he
i learned tue language wen euuugu
| go through tlie country lecturing He
i knew something of medicine, and
I when lecturing failed him he took to
| doctoring, and he suggestingly said tc
! me that lie believed he had succeeded
in his medical career in Japan in killing
three or four hundred people.
Finally he formed a band of native
: actors, assuming with great power
| some of the leading roles in the Japanese
drama, which he pronounces superior
in cunning development of plot
and sublimity of language to either the
French or German drama. Thrice he
assumed in the native tongue the role
of Yura, the hero of the historical
drama of Japan analogous to our 'Hamlet,'
and played before the mikado
! 1 - 1 + * flvA Via rfl.
j ^i.5 it It?UIO ul tuc 1uiu.v^ jlv!
ceiveu unstinted praise from the
writers and poets of that country. At
his suggestion 1 was led to secure a
translation of the play -which is entitled
' Ronius,' and it will be produced
in this country next season."
" Why did he retire to the tea plantation?"
" His acting led to an accession of
wealth and fame. He then came tc
the conclusion that he would settle
down, and sealed to himself a wife?
a beautiful Japanese woman, of what
is known as the ' Damio' class, or the
4 long-nosed' class. They are as white
in complexion as any European, and
noted for their beauty. lie then bought
a tea and rice plantation, and when 1
vicii-oH him Tip pmnlnvintr ahrmt
150 or 200 laborers, and living a life
of ease. He accumulated his othej
wives by degrees, I presume, but ali
the women seemed to be getting along
without domestic jars. At all events
Pauncefort has had an experience few
Englishmen have had."?Philadelphia
Times.
Accordinff to X. "W. Avers & Son's
American Newspaper Annual for 1882r
the number ot newspapers in the
United States is now 11,183, being 540
more than was described in this publication
last vear. Comparing the list
with that of" 18S1, we observe that the
number of newspapers has decreased
in the following States : Maine, New
Hampshire, Vermont, Maryland, Virginia,
Georgia, Louisiana and Nevada.
Vermont has but sixty-one against
seventy-five last year. Each of the
other states snows an mcreaseu number,
Pennsylvania leading with sixtyeight
more than heard from last year,
followed by Illinois with fifty-five more,
New York"with thirty-nine more, and
Missouri with thirty-three more. Only
one of the Territories,Arizona, shows a
decrease. The list of scientific and
mechanical publications foots up 123
against 115 last year.
"Please Pass the Salt."
A real romance occurred lately In a v :
hotel in Montreal. In the hotel the
road agent of a respectable company
boarded while in the city. In the same
hotel an American young lady was
domiciled. The lady was pleasant and
accomplished. The young gentleman
at first viewed the lady admiringly at a
distance, but too timid to approachDay
by day his interest grew stronger.
He had never spoken to her, nor she to
him, and, so far as he was concerned,
this was what he most earnestly desired
she might do. In this dilemma
he applied to a friend for advice. " Do
you eat at the same table?" asked the 't ; ^
friend. " Yes," was the reply. "Then
I would advise you the next time you
dine to ask the lady to pass the salt."
" All right," sighed the lovesick hero.
The next day he intended to put
his friend's advice into operation, but
was most delightfully balked by the
lady asking him to " please pass the
?alt." From that moment the ice was
oroken, till at last the lady asked for
the gentleman's card, in order that she
rr?;<rhf i-nnw.wlmm shft was ronversinc
: with. : The gentleman at once handed
the lady his business card. Slat- _
ters then^went on smoothly, all the
while the couple enjoying each other's
companjfegt concerts, operas, etc. At
length "this state of matters was
brought to a crisis. The lady was ^
about to return to the States. The
lover was perplexed and again applied
to his friend for advice, who adgged
him to pop the question and thus
settle anxiety. She was willing to be- "
come one with him. The question then ;
came, when the happy day would
be. She replied " to-morrow." To this
the gentleman at first demurred, as he
ha^jtfflxain business matters to fix.
- ^ssTtold him to leave them alone and
i^vrite to his employers resigning his
position and leave the rest to her. He
complied; they were married and went
to the States, where the Canadian gen- .
tleman learned that he had married a
young widow worth $250,000. In his
happiness he did not forget the friend
who advised him. He sent that gentleman
a check for $2,000 with a letter
of thanks for his kind advice in enabling
him to become a rich and happy .
man, through the possession of a handsome
and loving woman. The gentle
* JlidJ-L \V LLKJ tenUA.JL\^V*. l/iiv Ui^>*vv
dubious as to the reality of the check,
and did not present it at the bank for 'M
some days. At last he put the matter
to the test, and was informed the
money had been lying in the bank at
his order for a number of days. And
so the romance ended, to the satisfaction
of all persons interested.
?
The Latfr Geography.
Q.?"Where are the Poles locatc.l ?
A.?At the schoolhouse, town hall
or some empty store.
Q.?What is a circle?
A.?A gathering where the gossips
sew for the heathen and tell all they
know.
Q.?What places have noon at the
same time? ^
A.?Factories and boardin^ Aouses.
^ fin /I
V?. IIUUS vxv .,v ? ?
part of the earth?
A.?In the same house with our
mother-in-law.
Q.?When are the nights the longest?
A.?"We should think not by the
way ours is borrowed.
Q.?What disadvantage in having a
bar at the entrance of a harbor?
A.?It would take away trade from
the saloons in port.
Q.?Where do we find the largest
and fiercest animals? -?
A.?At the menagerie. *'"^1
Q.?Where do you find the greatest
number of insects
A ,-\f t/in-n /in o hnt niorVlf'.
il.?? vyUb U1 bVTtu Vil U uvv
Q.?Into what races are we divided?
A.?The Horse race, the Boat race
and the Human race.
Q.?How are the inhabitants of a
civilized country generally employed?
A.?The men in working and the i
women in shopping.
Q,?What is mining?
A.?Finding out how much you
have been cheated.
Q.?What is commerce?
A.?Selling your neighbor goods at
three times their value. . - j
Q.?What do merchants do with
products of the surrounding country?
A.?Gather them together and form
a "corner" in the market.
Q.?How are the commercial towns
connected with the towns of the in
teriorV i
A.?By "drummers"
Q.?What is fishing?
A.?Sitting in a boat all day foi
nothing, and having to lie all the evening
about what you caught and what
got away.?Detroit Free Press.
'
Oscar Pronounced a Sham.
The Xew York correspondent of the
Chicago News has evolved an analysis
of Oscar Wilde, as follows:
The man is a sham. The only real
thing about him is his hair. Lacking
absolutely in the supreme element of
common" sense, what there is good
flhmit him is swamned in the mushi
ness of his vocabulary and the inordinate
self-conceit of "his bearing. In
the Lotus club he is a most welcome/
guest, and that club has the exclusive
honor of entertaining him. I don't
want to be misunderstood as having
any feeling against Mr. Wilde, who is
a most harmless person, and, in his
career of money-making, traverses in
no way the path of any other human ?
being, but with a calm stoicism that
absolutely defies criticism turns aside
the shafts that wit and humor thrust
ILL XU1U UiiU. piXUWVJJili yuvavvo
insults as he pockets the dollars. T
have felt, from the first time I saw
him in his unique and extraordinary
costume, precisely as I felt about Dr. . ^
Mary "Walker. If he likes it let him
wear it?it does harm to no one, and
makes a living for him.
^ Abont Djin?.
"When one is still young and in health
it is natural that death should be an object
of fear, but it is not true that those
who are very sick fear the grave. Dr.
Griswold, an eminent physician, who
has seen many death-beds, declares
that the dying do not fear death, but
ramer aesire it. to pass away wnen
the time comes is in the order of
nature, and we all submit to the inevitable
without a murmur. Nor is '
it true that death is attended \vith any
superstitious terrors, for, strangely
enough, ali physicians agree that the
dying think of the past, not of the
future. Death itself is not painful;
there is no pang of mental agony except
in case of wounds or prematgie JB
death. There is often terrible suffering
from disease, but death is always
a relief. It is idle as well as wicked I
to make death seem horrible or painful.
Indeed to myriads of human
1 - ? 'X. i- 1 AO A A A! j TTfirO*
Demgs it is ioukcu ujjvll <u a uua f w
from pain and care. In one of the
most popular regions of the East? ffl
Buddhism?Xirvana, or annihilation, js|fl
takes the place of the heaven of the
Christian belief.,
fl