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W?,?.T?T.v gTtTr|nT^' . ' " ViyySEORO. S. C.,^^^^yESDAY. DECEMBER 20, 1882. ^ ^ ^ ^ ggXABLISEED IN Captain Loredan?A. D. 1499. r. Old Venice grapp!?d with the Turk In fourteen hundred ninety-rime; In troth it was a troubled work. Jixii ruddy were the seas as wine; . ?*or dread Ii-ijaret sit afloat Aqainst oar three hundred sail; And when he t'."j!c a tithing boat Kc:cor>cI:s:-!v his fOlUiers bawto Our :?len. and poured their blood C| or.'tlj* .V;r:atic'? flood. I ills cruder? :e:t a o.oouy wan; - Our Admiral Grimani iay t In hc'skating siiencc till. While ytt iiTisolate, one day H<i heard our rfoc!: of gri'!"ys thrill With las'..y, maaiy singing, Wi:h clamor load and long. And through his brain went ringing .,-.1 , i This hordei of the sons ,r.*"l;fS+ " Ob, wuer?s is C? tain Loredan? For he wilt a* jw the way' "i Give osrt'&pula Loredan, k And we will :einpt-the fray! i Sow listen to this hoary iaas ' tB Who leans upon his oar; raS^x- f R He'll tell you how brave Loredan ** V Siew t'i'enty Ttirks and more!" t ^fethrou?h tae ships the story ran, igy-j |B: o'er the stars the glory ran? j&$ gj?| The story of ~" Vf Pp? The glory of - ' tjfSt Hgrtorious great Lorciaal Krnani felt hi* cheeks grow white?hgp/ i Bt:t not with fear; it was with rageji-; For be had sworn that ia this tight ' * - He'd Slot proud Loredan's bright page. " WtiaT ls"thls Cr.ntaiTt Loredan But c21cer at my command?" W Ee cried: '* 111 crash the daring man, - And Jest he rcsh into the van Of battle, newer fame to win, I'll fold my galley's banners in, And hug tLic comfortable land." So said he; and traced the deck With jealo::s envy at his side ; While ^rjxzet wrought his wreck Am^c" our shipping far and wide. But still came breeze.- bringing Oar galley oarsmen's song; O'er purp'c"water# flinging Its protest agalust wrong: " On, where is Captain Loredan? He's here with us, to-day' Give ns our Captain Loredan? He will not bid us stay! Now listen to this hoary man Who leans upon" his oar; He'll tell you how stanch Loredan Has swept the waves before." So through the ships the story ran, C, And o'er the seaa the story ran? The story of The glory of Victorious great Loredan! IIL Nor day nor night Grimani stirred; The Turkish fleet, grown bold, drew near; Oct men, impatient, begged the word For action*: but Grimaui's sneer Froze up their hearts, until one morn, A..* *Ua r.nm<v ervlon^rtP Vfttd A blood-rod tfawoggfor battle born; And haughtily, as IT ixvsgorn, The Crescent's pennaSw buttered high Upon the mighty craft?close by? Standing alone. -? * ? Then, with one 6trobs Of springing oars, a galley sped Out from onr midst: a second came To join her: and like lightning fled Beyond Grimani's cry of " Shame 1 What are those oarsmen singing Who any command disdain?,T Eack came "the answer ringing, In strange ecstatic strain: " This is the Csntain Loredan; These be his galleys twain! Lo: here is Capialn Loredan, Whom fools cannot restrain! K>jw listen to this hoary man Who toils upon his oar; And win with Captain Loredan? Or Venice sec no more!" So through the ships the story ran? And through ail hearts the glory ran? The story of The glory of Victorious great Loredan! 1 rv. The Turkish monster thrilled with life; From her gigantic sides Mined down Huge missiles wiih dest; action rife; ^ And many a fighter fell to drown Between the "alleys' sides that shook As if with frenzied laughter, when The thunders of our cannon took ) The yellow from the Turk's wild look And brought the ashes to his lips. He could not fight tHese bellowing ships? Nor war with these enchanted men Who climbed along his galleon's rail; ? Who swam, and sank, and sprang in space, Still fighting; men who scorned to wail Thp' carved by swords; and who with grace : Kept np their rhythmic singing With'dying lips that bled; ____ Sang?to the galleys clinging " With infers battle-red? " This is the Captain Loredait, j ^ ^^^^^And we are r II his men I y Or Byzance see no more!" . I So through the ships the story ran, r. wyStjji A-id o'er the sea.- the glory-ran? Victorious great toredan. I V. Swift sailing from the roseate East i Came kindreiship? the Turks to aid; - i -ind now the strusgle's rage increased; "*.? 5 Wild flames broke forth to make afraid The Moslems on their conquered craft. ? Just as the banner of Saint Mark :3? "Was raised open her?fore and aft? ~ Came a weird shudder. And abaft The wretched Turks raa-quakingly ' {, To leap into the crimsoned sea; Then came vast thunder. It was dark. The ship?our splendid galleys?all Went skyward?rending friends and foes, As fire burst through the wooden wall To stores of powder. Then arose? Out from the chaos bringing A harmony complete? A sound of voices singing This chorus strong and sweet: * To die with Captain Loredan .^oxaJs-joy enough for men! r - \\^ir?5**fcstax^die with Loredan I Xo matter ho^V>r when? Safes Oh, listen to this hoary man Ipgr Who floats npon his err;, He sings the death of Loredan. Who ne'er will lead him core. To Venice, so the story ran, -/t And through :he world the story ran-. 1" The site? of ,.$f W The glory of ? Victorious dead Loredan! - Jv ?Kdzcard Eiiut. in Boston JournaV-.-'k I '" ^ Mr. Farquliar's Niece. Mr. Farquhar certainly did not intend to invite iiis niece to join him in 1 Paris, when he wrote to inform her that he was racing a short stay there,^ en route to his^native country. The"* f fact was that he had never set eyes on f the young lady, having been absent in j India nearly twenty years; and, con-; sequently, he did not feel much personal interest in her. But he had generously paid for her education and I maintenance since she had lost her pr -; rents, and was prepared to_make ui home for her on _ his arrival in Eng T land; Sat! written her a tn announce his return. much surprised,. K ' Verted, when two _ brmed, on reach- j BUHL. ^evening stroll on ?? ^ <i a young lady who j irom England was { HHT he salon, and before-: ?XS. ' from his astonish>j niself in the presence"" H)B5. ') greeted him affec-1 B ufully held up a re- 1 B0^ Ve to be kissed. ssmy dear," said old I p Jer availing himself1 V * Sfcwir arrival is ouite IV should certainly | " " ""-^the station had I B . * ming." pad f "vould be surprised, ET4 .. ;ung lady, blushing. iy friends, Mr. and r > ,;re coming over toiled myself of their; t x"7* I should not have ' or two, or at all events -severed your letter." r was on the point of or ' ? did not recollect anyo >er which could be conU ^ . cavitation, but being a , susceptible old gen+,?.oirained. The truth was he ^ .erymuch struck by his niece's i possessing appearance. He pos- j fel a photograph of her taken some ^^i^vhich had given himji n|^dea of her attractions, fc^vned that he had Actively. He RSith imdis^^^roung Ke^ &. Httfr V tds BcotiEodV said Mr. *E5r^fcr, beastly. "Hi! waiter. TelRfiwohambermaid?femmt de ch<nribrey veil 333j$*r-?to: conduct this lady to a rooiE^si^^iQiue. J^grd, bless my soul, yOujjJBis? iie iumgryy;ay:-: dear! /| While bis ~0jtc was^fisSSb^ti% necessary .alterations in her.to3?^>jf? Farq.uhar superintended the ddtalls1:^ a dainty little repast, which4b?'yoang* lady found awaiting her when 'site came down. The old gentleman'was more delighted than' eyeri with his niece's appearance when, he beheld k?r divested of her hat;iad traveling att*YA and nould hard?v>vtake*his eves off iter. In fact adinr^tioa^nd astonishment rendered "hkin^^^agei^/jsilent;.: s&i&s the. young;;j^y^as ^dently' fati^ded-after her, jVersation $t -:a - yety ' pcasSdien|?g|x!?tu&7' _ . -V *5. i ^8f ?red,< "his niece's fatigue. " You mustn't spoil your roses, Ada, and wo have la lot of sight-seeing before us." " Thank you, uncle," said the young lady, rising from the table; " but my name is Amy, you know ; not Ada." " Apay, to be sure. I was - thinking it was Ada," replied Mr. Farquhar, in some confusion ; and having submitted with good grace to another dutiful salute, he opened the door for her, and made his way to the smoking-room, to. discuss a cueroub ueiure iiumiig m. It was astonishing what an exhilarating effect the arrival of his niec? had upon the old gentleman. He felt quite young and jaunty at the prospect^ of having to escort a pretty girl aboni to seethe sights of Paris. He wXsvUp' betimes the next morning, and'^r^ssed himself with especial care. He?e>?en made a pilgrimage to the Ma*&ieine market to purchase a flower buttonhole, not forgetting also>?lt?ry' elegant little bouquet, which heplac d by the side of his niece's plate. Z'i . v;Miss Amy came down to breakfast,, looking fresh and rosy and charming after her night's rest. She went into pretty ecstasies over the bouquet which her uncle'had provided, and insisted upon giving Kim an extra kiss for- his attention. She laughed and "lalfealgayly during the meal, and Mr^axgiar; har learnt a good deal of news:53b?pulr members of the family whon?:&u!Mj not recollect ever having But the fact was that h'e^aid':r^r? little attention to what his'l^^ifrasr: saying, being absorbed in' wafdBSn^.* her and listening to her musical vettce* His niece had fairly bewitched-:E&? and it only dawned upon the 61d ?eStleman that he had lapsed into a stupefied silence when the young lady, ih her turn, suddenly left off talkigg^,.. Then he awoke to the faet.^^^ls niece was showing symptpii^^^nbarrassment, and that a bright" flush of color was "mounting to her cheek. At first Mr. Farguhar was afispd he had omitted to reply to*;qme remark which needed -an_ answ^.'.-He soon perceivedr ho weVer,\. ttiat^liis niece's eyes were turned anxici^sljvtoward another part of the room, and foUo^ring the detection :-of herftartled gazef he | beheM.a- tall, -military-looking gentle-; man, elderly, but still handsome, with j an iron-gray mustache/who was just | taking his seat near them.'. 3Ir. Par-1 cphax. experienc^uwiki; "ttnreasoJiing J tnem," hi i suspicions were allayed noty ^dear ?" he | .^^Ir these iium^^^E^he-Touh*g! i^^ose and'Tanished'-'frpiS-the room before her .uncle could inferfere. ' The old ^entieman was quite startled -by. her abrupt departure;, and after ten mifiutes' interval be sent up to inquire wfca^was the matter . with her. Aj cia^Sermaid brought down, word that | HsfSiece had a headache and proposed j -Pr\y' on V?r\n r JU. XVJL (?U iAVU*. ? w?. j fr?3$us report, Mr. Farquhar finished his breakfast and strolled into the courtyard to smoke. v * . After lounging about for nearly two hours, Mr. Parquhar sent again to inquififc'after his niece. This time came S&J&^sage requesting him not to wait agshe did not feel well enough him.-Mr. Farquhar, ^r^J^%tarted q^rather. disconsoret^^^^t was" past midday, and not finding his niece In ^any of th'e saloug, he* ventured to go up" to her roofer 'Having knocked two,or three times at the door*without eliciting any he cautiouslv turned the'han die and found the apartment deserted, j ' ..^his was rather an unpleasant sur- ; began to feel va^ftely uneasy. li?\^?dfie inquiries < of'tbe servants, hut* none of'them could gife. hiw^anyv"*t49ings x>?- Miss Amy. As it -vva$Tejiiqent she w^rfiot Lsj t?ie? hotel, Mr. Tatt&ihar sallied f6r?h with the idea that Sirejmight have gwe-Xvra walk during absence. He spent tho rest of cthe^ay^io. wan&pj^jpaim-! lessly about iKe-sfire^TaHj^j.etu'rningi at short in^vaK' tothe jbafcg&tc in- j quire if bis niece had come back. By ; degrees j^worked himself into a state ! of nervous^accitement, and when"it j began to grow dark^^^^^^^did j tajnthe name of'the gentleman who" f irad'sat near to them at breakfast, re-; membering that his niece had appeared i startled at seeing him. Upon being urnished with his descrijpti^ity^he -concierge tion as a. -oio-ri^. Insyar^M&w^sud" iQiDSa-. sieurjis seeSing w^t gentleman. I recollect M. Colonel had a young lady witVhim." . " What r exclaimed Mr. Farqtthar, aghast. . " They started off in the hotel- omni-1 bus about midday, without luggage,-'"1 added the cxmciergg* - " . ... I "Good God !"-^exclaimed- ,gck>d Mr.; Farquhar, wiping ;iiis brow ' what ;' an awful tiling ?' That ^oor'eMld | must have eloped with, some?some, adventurer." ' "Ravinor foirnd a clew to his neice's I disappearance, he .had no . difficulty in obtaining further aaforination,_ which : convinced hiiifthat hts suspicions were ' correct. A porter had brought down i the young lady's luggage by the gen- ] tleman's orders, and had placed it on i the omnibus. The English colonel ap-1 peared to be au mieux with the young ! demoiselle, and they had driven oS^to gether. >Ir. Farquhar subse^a'eSSy ascertained that they had gone fo^he ; railway station, where their luggage I j^d been labeled for Geneva. > ! l^Farquhar wa*an energetic old ; He felt in duty to ^^^^Wpovrer to rescue >>? ?V ^0X^be was nataraUr^sSS.2S.??. ;VC5?-" . / and to believe that she had been decoyed i away. His first impulse was to telegraph to the police to anvst his niece's . companion ; but with the object of i ( avoiding a scandal, and from an inkborn spirit of caution, he abandoned idea, as he hoped to reach Geneva in the course of the next day, within i:a,;fe\v hours after Miss Ann* and her : abductor. He could hardly control his impa| tience during the long and weary - or?u*arl of 11 i c? /tact in ntinn J JUUIULC^>y UiiU cU U ? tu <*u 1UO uvciiuubiviA , ; in a state of furious indignation.- Xot : knowing where Colonel Ingram was ; staying, he started off to make inqui-: tries at all the principal hotels, lie j [ first drove to the Hotel National without result; but at the Hotel Monopole ihis enterprise was rewarded. lie | learnt that Colonel Ingram and Miss ! Amy had arrived, there early that : morning, and in-'a few moments he j^fou^d Ji^$&elf /face to "face with the ^CoIoneFTtngrara occupied a private | sitting-room, and was lounging by an j ! open window which overlooked the ! lake, smoking a cigar, while Miss Amy : I was leaning over the balcony, watchI ing the people in the straet below, j ' Both turned round when Mr:Farguhar . i bounded;into -tire 'zoom, | sighf - '6f her: "uncle, the young ;iaay^ turned deadly-pale, while ' : gram xose from his seat, and said-Vatlf| er defiantly: .. .' i " May I inquire what your business : !isr&ir?". J "I' am that- young lady's: uncle and j j guardian, and I am here to demand an- j : explanation of your disgraceful and,: | unprincipled, conduct, sir," cried^pld jllr.Farquha^.firHilv. " "What- do-you^mean ? I .don\x2itaifir^ ! sta^d," said'Ocdonel Ingram, with^great ^hauteur. "I'fepeat^ttj-that Miss 2ftetols<j)kfs, [ihy-^iece, aa"(f.I am her guardia^^e^ j %ne^Hr/j:arquhar, -angrily. * ,C :: y ? " "-5fis?:-2ftchdbon! I assure.you^-^ { ! you:^e-mi^taken,'' replied Colonel Xiif.{ | gram; .perceiving that his .visitor waj^l .neither Brad nor intoxicated. "This# | young lady's name is not Miss Sfichpl-"! j son iibrHs'she your niece.. May: liafekj iyoux^ame"?'' %**r; j s fi-Ponvmy -word, this is too much," | L^c&aBaaed Mr. Farquhar, indignantly, : ^Eigh .mTvardly disconcerted by Col- i gpier Ingram's apparent- straightfor-j ^aiicbMss. " I appeal" to the young j jS&dyc I "will give you my card with 1 KptealiiTe," he added, .laying it on the ftable.w.ith trembling jiand. know that name, my dear?" j ?2^^^^Colonel Ingram, glancing at j ^Ld handing it to the young j j IjMr. -'Campion Farquhar. 2s o, I; neVer heard it before in my life," was j the reply, uttered in a low nervous I tone, and from the manner in which j I shp misnronmmced the name it was I evident slie never had. "Really, Mr. Farquhar, you are laboring under a misapprehension," said Colonel Ingram, frankly. " You j are probably misled by some accidental! I resemblance between this young lady I ("aBo-^our niece. I sympathize with i your disappfe&^t* "aa<l hope you j will be soon relievt^iT^^^P^r e^ident anxiety." Poor Mr. Farquhar looked th^i^1 tare .of confusion. The colonel's frank* ^necarri ^3-^ggctiori J^hilc { between her and his niece, Miss Nicholson, was mcst striking, but in his . citation Mr. Farquhar began to imagine he saw points of difference. It occurred to him with painful dis feactness that he^??l. made an absurd so overwhelmed I by the awkwardness of his position j that he fairly bolted out of the room ! with a muttered apology. On descending to the hall of the I hotel he found that his portmanteau j had been taken off the cab, and being j worn out with fatigue and excitement, ) he wisely determined to stay where he \ was for the night. He therefore o[- \ dered dinner, and by degrees recovered j his equanimity sufficiently to be able j to reflect with calmness on what had j happened. / Unfortunately, his deliberations did j not conduce to his peace of mind, for i the more he thought ove^the matter, j the. more convinced did he feel that i hi? first suspicions w/re correct, and | that the young laj^y upstairs was J really his niece.. TKe colonel's ingenu-1 ous manner had' evidently been as-; sumed to put bi'm off the scent, and i recalling to m^nd the young lady's agitation whence entered the room, Mr. Farquhar dime to the conclusion that he was tae victim of a cleter conspiracvy' While angrily meditating anoth^l- visit to Colonel Ingram's apartment, a waiter handed him a note written in pencil in-"a lady's hand, w&ich showed traces-Of haste and agi tation. Mr. Farquhar put on his i glasses, and read 'with amazement as follows: Dear Sir?I implore yon to keep my secret It was all the fault 01 the people at the hotel at Paris, who caused me to mistake you for my uncle, and I . never suspected anything until my uncle came into j the room while we were at breakfast. He had been ! in India so many Years that I had forgotten what he was like; but w'hfll he came in I at once recollected him. I cannot tell you how ashamed I feel, for I was wicked enough in my great confusion to pretend to him that I had only'arrived yesterday morning. I persuaded my uncle to leave Paris at once, never thinking you would take any :nore trouble about me. Pray forgive me for my ungrateful conduct to you just now, but please keep'my secret, or my . uncle might be angry." I will tell him some day ] really. Do please forgive me, and accept my grate- I ful thanks for your kindness. Yours sincerely, ! Amy Bethijxe. " Poor little thing!" murmured Mr. I Farquhar. when he had read the let-, ter^wmcii ,?re handled tenderly. " Of j ^^Srse, sue feels awkward, for she I kissed me more than once, thinking 11 was her uncle." The recollection of this agreeable episode caused the old gentleman to break into a goocWtumored chuckle, whioh 'hqnicvia.i avptt* trunp. nf anffer ali.d'resentment from his mind. t ^ . _ _ " Black Ants-as Food. & -ifa'iE,,Fl-Brush, of-Mount Vernon, { - .thus, writes to' the Medical Jtecord: " I have just been reading in | JtizHecord Lieutenant -Sch^atka's ar- j ,ticle. 041 scurvy,, and wish to: Call atten- i tion to an article?*of diet,"nyhich, if! procurable in sufficient .quantities, I ? VX 1. > ~ A a/?/5 /?V"? f V? A ii THIglili UC it" auiuuvu lv? me I arctic voyager's '"diet list,- namely, the j large, black.ants found m- the wood of J ; the pine trees. Scu'rvy very often at-m tacks the lumber nw-n of Maine, an? they adopt this food as a remedy whem suffering from the disease. Indee? some of them become so fond of it w to eat these ants whenever they can Jf i1 found. As these insects retain tbW j] vitality while frozen imbedded in w j} wood dust which thnv^Jjiemsey*; make, might it not be possil^,.JJLmfJ ! ^ could be collected in suflirieBBr^' , ?' j: to carry them frozen and ? .3 j] sawdust till needed for /?' * , i3 4.1 <_ /how lon<r 11 course, the question arises/,,. . ; mil they retain their vitl% m??s < condition? a re Uk-tpM1 .' ,. ^ 1 classes of hibernating 3' v, c 1 might answer the same^B^ ( " TT--THBhe Philadel-f I - * r^'Mr"T Iftf v ^VrOTjB^B-r T 1 "-^BSIov>' ca^ J ] : avoid being ad<^sjijJ^B walk out at ^ Sght witl&bt The exi -nerienced ^itbl&MBpaper tartly i replied: "W shawl and i | carry a cloth Tjjpj&y 1 A TURKISH FESTITAL. H?w the Sultan Killed a Sheep at the Bair&in Ceremonies. A Constantinople letter of recent I (late to a Xew Yurk paper gives this interesting account of the peculiar Turkish religious ceremony in which the sultan took a prominent part: Courban-Bairam lias just begun. The sultan drove down from Yildiz in his state coach, a very handsome affair, all chocolate color and gold, drawn by fnnr bav horsps. with ffurseouslv an- i ~ ? O f * * | pareled outriders, running footmen and coachman. The dress of these j people is a sort of Albanian costume? ! jackets with hanging sleeves of a deep j red color, every part of the cloth j thickly embroidered with gold, loose, baggy trousers of blue cloth, and riding i boots with tops of irreproachable white- ; ness. In the carriage of Abdul Ha-, mid rode Ghazi Ahmed Pasha, the major domo of the palace, and Dervisch Pasha, who appears to enjoy just; now a great deal of the imperial favor.; The coach was sent away shortly after j the arrival of the sultan and a 'mag-; niiicent-looking wliite Arab charger; was brought up to the door of the! mosque, with silk and gold tasseled! bridle and saddle cloth, a mass of red i ,Velvet and gq^d tracery. The religious ! pf^ihony lasted"abSatr half ar. hour,' 'and to the^Cfiristian listener outside i seemed very muelrlike a%igh (Church | performance of "some ceremonia. of his own religion irith its chantinsr of the ! prayers. Presently, a bugle scunded, j the ministers and marshals mounted i ;their chargers, while the nav.il and j Military pashas of lower rank aid the > " boys formed in two lines as before, j The soldiers stood to their arms and a bustle at .-the mosque, door, where! two fine Circassian Cavalrymen with ! their keen-cutting " k<smas" kept watch and. ward, showed that his majestyj was about to appear. As the sultan mounted the charger, carefully* held1 .W^ome half-dozen glooms, the guard Jii^onbr turned^; half face, the troops ^pse^ed-^ai^s^ithe^iusic struck up ; a stately pace, '.'^^niarshals their prancing , rode .' a ]itt^:.atea^;lS3Pt^rtg a space between theni^i4;^fe:|^^^iiah. The latter, with GhaS^fopStar at his bridle rein, i on the one'slcl?,>nand Osman Pallia on j the other, surrounded by aides-de-1 camp, grooms and the men of his spe-j -cial body-guards, moved on with the > two lines of pashas and beys, anw&the; loud shouts of "Padishah chok Pasha!" j the soldiers presenting arms?u?tak-: ing up the cry in succession a$g%s^%a-; jesty passed each battalion. **' I The sidtan had a weary :l6p>-' upon.- j his face, as if the thought hail struck', mm ot tne nonowness 01 an mis suuw . of military strength when Europe was determined to treat him as but a pup-: pet in the arena of politics. "Whether ' owing to the unpromising appearance j of the weather or the callousness with j which Turks have grown to regan? everything connected with their eminent, there were fewer spectJ^v- j present than usual, and I noticej^tors ' one petition presented. The mm. but j looked like an American, hapm, who j his ground well, and un^ia chosen i sheet as the sultan p^s?e<*olhng the and' :b^jp caught his> Massing in ~TFfrou^~tTT<f j~ large gates, his majesty ^dismounted j and stood for a few minutes on^the | maroie steps, -a. cam oeanug sujluc i verses of the Koran was placed in his hand, and while he was reading them a magnificent-looking sheep was l brought upon the scene. The lon&> j wool of its full-grown fleece was j as the /driven snow, its horns gilt and a knot of ribbons andjTaf ' ficial flowers had been listened ??? ttxe back of the neck. The poor lifted by the attendants, was nf^f.to present its throat, an&'the sultarf^ ? | a small knife from* a richh*# .35 { salver, made the requisite JTcl^10f' j With a graceful temenah .^u all present liis majesty pjff* I followed in a short tin,m 2 , the great fnnctionaries a/JF. oHlcials who had come from the/Jrvee/ ?ix c-V.oar\ cimiliirlv arlnrrifd v.? ? s augil- J r f : IT 7'7 vPrWe steps, i teed at the foot of thejT sacriI>ce; that bang the extentoMI, mak | winch the sultan is sur f;ation. Xo | as being the father of ! <fption of the | give an adequate defjg would ceremony which foil JT thim couW quire much more s is ,)ne of be spared. Dolma-T fia]aces that ex. the most magniflcei,? le(l waU ist m Europe-ma r^j woolcov. fluted columns anCu stahcases, ered with gi , /- and standing! massive chandelp support3 ?? cancelabra, mjt beautiful the scale 01 .'Jiy carved and inlaid parquet floors, nf^ of ^ descri cabinets and fu# f.ts ^ make ^ tions, and ^ftmrnandment tut to! break the tenttfl^ after | see them send*, the j)a]ace ,4 J, ,1 %'m f Infused pictures of ori- i T? Jr *cc and profusentss of ental magni !#^ t0 ^),^s gorgeous splendor, jm the broad sashei and uniforms wil Qf ^ fu?,tion. ? . ?'.Tf them set in diamonds,; jiries, man} / re5(iUe cos^uines cf the j an : e P i hierarcliv, and the music j ecclesiastic* ban(1> .^d you have some j Moo ^Jwlnaterials which formed the ; display of ^rnlK'"a^ Power that took j place. / /"When to Advertise. . tenon mistake of retail d jalers r*pf^ect advertising when tr.ide is \s Jbefore the rush sets in. Adr^rfciib *s ^e sowing seed. The hardest* fJ^0WS- It(loes not come ut the ^ jpne. It does not come without ?? Jving. The time to advertise is -16 ?Pe0Ple are not to? husy to read, ^ t^s than wljen they refes 1o the 110 M as to a directory. During the i P^wti'enn celebration in Philadelphia ;r~Jherchants of that city crowded I ttJ?Press their announcements,i tj afterward expressed disappoint- j jtit with the trade. Tliis leads one j Wthe wisest journals of that city to Wnark that perhaps the mediants | five learned by this experience that I Ee time to advertise is not whea the ' pty is jammed with people on some j |reat occasion, but during the rest of: che vear.?Boston Times. Xnsic Hath Charms. . He who has not heard the merry |. matin sung ol! the tuneful mule, knows 1 aothing of the power and potency of ; ii^ic in her wildest, freest mood. 1 When in solo or concerted opera, the 1 four-footed choir is head and ears j1 ibove all human possibilities. The j' music begins with an andante move-1 ment, soft and sweet as the ungrtased |' wheelbarrow's plaintive voice ; then ;: ;omes the staccato furioso, the ac agio 1 fortissimo, splityourearso, followe-l by ] ;he tremulous yee-haw, which it the 1 jrown and summit, the cloud-capped 1 mountain top, of ecstacy and joy. Talk lot of music, fellow-citizens, till you j; lave heard the song of the mule.? - Boston Transcript. J ] Thirty thousand horses a year are ] leeded to supply Xew York city';) de- ; nand. ??== : . A FIOATDiG F1EM. Toe Way a Yankee Aytfded Paying TaxesStories of Ruling Islands. " Speaking aboufeiS^mg taxes," said a man who had p^&j&ps been performing that pleasant ^S;" reminds me of an old fellow, ^.jport of hermit, who lived whete^fcdid in a small town in Xew ^gSj^liire, and if he wasn't the out^mje^utest chap for avoiding the demanci&i the State, thea I'm mistaken." "Why didn't they^U him out?" " Because they couldn't get hold of the property. Xo, it Wasn't air castles, and he didn't live in a balloon, but on solid property, and every tirae the taxcollector came. aro]jn<^in Xew Hampshire Ezra and hiproperty were in Massacb usetts," ;> "Oh, I see.:^?CehaS the State line* on. j^:heels,|^d';;sh^v^d it about to ad his property fixed so that he could s^.'ftit anywhere he wanted. It was no<'>;r.g more nor less than a floating isl^r^v oade up of bog and stuff, and for* .?;'>od many years it blew about J[. ,nd, -until finally the old chap put hut on it, kept a cow, chickens and/ ducks, and had a regular floating farm. But one day he h eard the assessor was coming, so he cast off the moorings that he had rigged to the island, and before the next day the wind ha-i carried him over the State line thi t ran through the pond into Massachusetts, and when the collector went out in a skiff the old bog-skipper, as they called him, actually threatened to have- him arrested for trying to collect the taxes of a neighbor State. He anchored the island on the Massachusetts side .until the selectmen got after him there, and for several years he dodged bask and forth, and didn't pay a cent on his four acres. But finally they put up'a job on him, and two assessors, op.e from each State,went out in skiffs, theisland being anchored in the middle of the lake. The old man said he was ready to pay, only he wanted it just right, as he lived in both States?the hous?i was in one State and the barn in tl|e other.. The collectors got so mixc-d.^% trying to straighten it that I belijsjPftliey had to take it into court. Atfvfrjay, I don't think th3 old man's taxes'are square "A similar case nnjp> happen at another place in 2s ew England," said one of the group of listef&rs." On Lake Menomcnpuk there is?aa island that for a^>ng.time was called the mysteriou^Maad. It belonged to the town of Wirichehdon, Mass., contained about sixracres, and was covered with trees + KAi. rr>/-vro Vi i nrh < ' Snmp nf t.hfl Hiiri L'y icci/ wx. ~ people declared that theskhad seen the island move years ago, flbt they were generally laughed at undone morning they found it gone, and; now it is, or was a short time ago, over the State line in Xew Hampsliire,' nearly three miles from where it lirst stood. lt. was mined it, uc^fi^^rood: ^'eeze took the trees as ? ^.^"^way it went. "Many ]? ^^T^^imilar islands, even in stream ^e- They are found ancliS^HB'ots' rising ainl filing with thj^HHkt ^ swinging oy their veer ^'ome ?f the ^ Du^ir^? the great .Hood in the Mis >i in 1874. vast floating: islands ' $S formed in the river and carried faA- out into the Gulf stream. One j.;/iat a vessel ran into 300 miles from the delta was over an acre in extent, and populated with a great variety of snakes^fjogs and turtles, besides a number of lantT ammals that had sought protection tlafre from the rising waters, only to be swept out to sea. The geographical distribution of life, it will be seen, depen ds much on these floating islands?a fact proved by comparing the inhabitants of islands miles apart. Several years ago a large snake was picked up off the Bermuda islands clinging to a floating island that with- j out doubt had come from the Amazon. I Miles of cordage float out of the great river in the same way, carrying seeds ; and even animals far around the cir cuit of the Atlantic. The same is true of the Ganges. Great rafts, populated with animals from the interior, have ; been found by vessels over 200 miles ; from the mouth of the river. " The great mass of seaweed, occu- , pying an area of many thousand square miles in the Atlantic, better known as i the Sargasso sea, is a vast island inhabited by a fauna entirely different from that of the surrounding waters, , and all the animals are in some way j peculiarly adapted or modified to their surroundings. Similar tracts cccur in various uarts of the world, often so thick that the passage of vessels through them is seriously impeded." "Well, I declare," said the first speaker, "then old Ezra's floating farm wasn't such a very singular thing after all; liut I reckon he made an original use of it."?New York Sun. Onr Oldest School. One would not expect to find in the city of Xew York a school older than Harvard university. On the front of a plain brick building in Twenty-ninth street near the Seventh avenue may be read the following inscription : " School of the Collegiate Eef. Prot. Dutch Church of the City of UsTew York. Founded A. D. 1633. Erected A. J). 1860." Harvard college was founded in 1636 ; Yale in 1702. So far as we know this Preformed Dutch school is the oldest institution of learning now existing within tne ooruers 01 tne United States or even in America. Founded early in 163-3, it is approach**: ing the end of its two hundred aruH fiftieth year, an anniversary which ftN' intends to celebrate with unusual eclat. 'When it began its career the city was called ZSTew Amsterdam, and TTouter Von Twiller was governor of the colony. The only period of any considerable t length during which, the school lias been closed was from 1776 to 1783, when Xew York was held by the British troops. Before Evacuation day, however, it was reopened, and has never since been discontinued. Until 1773 the English language was never taught in the school. In that year the deacons of the Dutch Reformer! church, under whose charge it was, and is, permitted both languages to be taught. The Dutch language continued to be a leading object of studv I until after the beginning of the present century. Tiie school now contains about one hundred and fifty pupils, all of whom are children of members of the Reformed Dutch church. The school is not only free, but needy children are provided with clothing, akd all are required to attend Sunday-school. flow changed is Xew York since Master Bogardus and his little flock of Dutch boys, all in cocked hats and leather breeches, came together every rv?/\T? n r>1ir> f HPV\ n -L1VJJL 1ULU.?? ULCfti VUCUWO OXii JL1IC place was then a Dutch village of | about three hundred inhabitants.? I Youth's Companion, j The Bank of England. The following is an interesting account of the manner in which the greatest financial institution in the world is conducted: The^constitution and government of the Bank of England are not fully understood, even by rv.oTiTr Af-liortrico 1. i n f nrm prl rp<;i iiiClil T UtUVi '? iOlj ?? Vii *** a?^wv% ? vw* dents in the city of London itself. It differs from most corporations in tlie fact that it has no permanent governor nor chairman, and furthermore that the remuneration paid to the directors for their services is individually .small. The governing body consists of twenty-six directors, that is to say, one governor, one deputy-governor and twenty-four directors. This body does not change except by death or resignation, etc., but the governor and his deputy, who act as chairman and deputy-chairman of the board or L'Olirii Oi. UirtfUlUl?., Uimiigc ocj.? k nv rears, the deputy becoming governor ^and ail > the directors being* deputy and governor in rotation. " The^ salary; of the go^noiy . of the other twenty-four directors is ?500 each. According to Francis, whose history of the Bank of England is practically out of print., the management of the birnk is vested in the whole court of directors, which meets weekly, when a statement is read of the position of the bank as regards its securities, bullion and liabilities. The directors have equal power, and should a majority disapprove of tlie' arrangempnfiq t.hpv mav reconstruct them. Eight directors go out and eight come in annually, elected by the court of proprietors. The list of candidates recommended by the court of iirectors is transmitted to the proprietors, and the eight so recommended uniformly come in. When any person is proposed as ft new director, inquiry is always instituted concerning his private character. Those who survive this fiery ordeal, and are approved of by the court of doctors, never fail to be elected. The qualifications for a director are the possession of bank stocl: to the amount of ?2.000; for the deputy-governor, ?3,000, and for the governor, ?4,000. The directors are responsible for the management of the j affairs of. the bank, and penalties are ' attached to their office individually and collectively on certain occasions.' By their charter, however, they are not answerable to the government for the management of the monetary de partment, and the security which the public has for a good administration of affairs depends upon the discretion . 1 of the directors, subject to the charter. Tlie Singhalese. I The greater number of children playing in the streets were boys. Girls are early accustomed to remain inside che huts and employ themselves in ! household work. Besides this, they ^gvdop very young, being often marfc^^^teE-pr twelve years old, and are jl^^^Bl^fig^^^Wrtyare jery f re quent. j cact is the permanent dispropo^S^fcL male and female births among tm^ Singhalese. The average is ten boys j 4?- &9,girls. This fact is connected, to TTTgTffOT L5 marnrpy ernment to suppress this custom, it maintains its ground, especially in the more remote districts of the islan'I. It is not unusual to lind two or three Drotners witn one wiie in common, and ladies may be found the nappy possessor of ten or twelve husbands. These complicated family arrangements form the theme of many extraordinary stories ; but it is very difficult to distinguish fact * from fable on the subject. The Singhalese have a passion for music and dancing, and practice both arts according to a standard of taste very different from our own. Their principal instruments are the a f U a f /~vf Am ^rr! 1"* A UI Ulil <ALLU LUC OUlU-lrV/Ul, V IgVJIUUOlJ' UC" I labored with wooden drum-sticks; be- j sides these, they have reed-pipes, and a very primitive stringed instrument of one string. My evening calm was often broken in upon by the din of these ear-splitting instruments, and if I followed the sound to its source I was sure to find, in front of a fire under a palm tree, a group of ten or a dozen naked brown fellows, gayly painted with white, yellow or red stripes, and indulging..in th'e^most extraordinary antics. A'ci're&'of spectators stood round, and followed the grotesque performance with devout attention.?Professor Haeckel, in . ture. t "-v- ,5 ;'?Jack Ketch. Jack Ketch,^whose name," says Ma-.cauley, "has during a-century and a half been vulgarly given, to ;ill who in London have succeeded " him in his j odious'oince, was a re^ person, tnougn some will -have, it that^&ack Ketch" is only a corruption otthe^ame'of- Richarc! J?cquet, once lord ofSIhe- manor pf Tyburn. Jack Ketch beci^ehangnftii about 1678, and "hHd for- a long time, though.- temporarily ' ousted by Rose, the.iit&cher, in 1688. It was he who executed the, "\Vhig martyr, Lord "William llussell,'and the unfortunate Duke of Monmouth. That was a particular palmy time for the hang-.. ? man. Snow makes. ..out that_uader. Henry VIII. there were 72,000 executions in thirty-eight years?a contrast with the present time, when the exeTTnrrlon^l W?yiOC ?/l*l/XVJLlO XXX Ui.iU M tU*-0 C*-* age, perhaps, fifteen a year, as against* 104 about 1820, fifty-nine about 1830and twenty a decade later, -And this average of about forty hangings a week pales into insignificance beside some of - ... ,;the records under James II. and Jeff- '/. "feys. At Dorchester we read l.^out ^ . of 300 persons were sent to tlie:; gal* ^ lows ; in Dorsetshire se ve.ufcy-four,'and :: in Somersetshire 233.. At a,.time whetiLady Alice Lisle was sentenced to be burned alive for harboring fugitive rebels arid.Ja:II. reluctantly-eoramuted the^i. irice k> decaprtafibn when women were scourged atthe 1 c?rt's tail through the /streets, and" a 1 boy in. his teens, accused of'-using se- < iff A\M/7n .</in f/\n rtA/4 tA .uuuus ? ui.ua, tv whipped once a fortnight for seven years, the hangman was kept busy. < "* A Pretty Experiment. ' J The following experiment in the way '< of physics without apparatus is given 1 by a correspondent of La Nature. A ' ciav pipe is laid over the top of a large 1 wine glass, and a person is required to ' bring it down to the table, without 1 touching either pipe or glass, without 1 agitating the air or moving the table. ^ Tne solution of the problem consists in taking up another like glass, rub- 1 bing it vigorously on your sleeve, then 1 bringing it near the pipe stem, which is 1 thereunon stronsrlv attracted, so that i ( the pipe falls. This experiment is a pretty variation of the electric pendu- ( lura, and shows that pipe clay, a very 1 lad conductor of electricity, yields 1 readily to the attraction of an electri- 3 fied body. . There are 19,037 boys and 4,566 girls confined in the reformatory and indua- < trial schools of England. ( TDEELY TOPICS. ! r ,1 It is said there ate in Xew Yor"? city some 20,000 houses, each contain-; ing from two to forty families, and 8,000 more containing two o^three families, but not known tech^icaSy ^ tenements. The polite name for these . barracks is fiats. Business men who are seeking out j many inventions in the way of adver-j USlng, Will UU Weil IfiJ ICiliCIJUUCi j an imitation of the greenback note of ; any denomination has been declared to be "illegal by the treasury department, i Some of these advertising devices are J printed in green ink on the back, and j when folded up look exactly like a j genuine greenback note of the denomi- j nation indicated by the figure. This is j a violation of the United States statute upon'the subject, even though no attempt be made to counterfeit the face of the bill. It is a punishabjg offense, to counter^^^^^^^^^^^^uine_ standing in Ms. hoke paper the'year | round. The legal right of a woman to be as young as she chooses has just been settled by a Pennsylvania court. An insurance company had issued a policy upon the life of a lady who gave her age as sixty-three. She died three months later, and the company claimed not to be liable, on the ground that the age of the insured had been misstated; that she was, in fact, seventy-seven instead of sixty-three years old. The plaintiff, the daughter of the deceased, contended that her mother Jiad given her age as welT as she could remember it, and was not guilty of fraud or deception. The jury found for the plaintiff, evidently taking the view that a woman's age is nobody's business, and that if she happens to count her years i fifteen or twenty short it is a matter j of no consequence. The case will go j to the supreme court. * Since 1S43 an'&verage of 575 earthquakes a year have been known to occur. Mallet has collected the records of 6,830 earthquakes which took place over a period of 3,456 years previous to 1850; but 3,240 of these occurred during the last fifty years. It seems, therefore, that our earth is almost constantly shaking at some point, and no part of the world is entirely free from tremors of some degree. Professor Milne t has recently urged that the study ' of earthquakes should receive more attention in countries little subject to their visitation. Such countries may at long intervals be shaken by earthquakes of a severe character, and it is suggested that even the stable ground of England may not be secure against disturbance by convulsions as caJamatous as that which suddenly swept away 60,000 of the inhabitants o? Lisbon in 1755. 1 Labouchere, editor of London Truth says that France is now one gigantic ; gambling establishment. At Paris, ; etery one, from the fine lady to the ^abman, speculates at tii^bourse, and fcjevery Frencl^^nvn "fame of baccarat to be ow^ for my part," he says, " I hold that a fool and his money being made to part it signifies very little to the state whether money be in the pocket of fool A or fool B?or, indeed, for the matter of that, of swindler C. But I would point out to the British traveler in France that if he risks his cash at baccarat it is about fifty to one that he will be cheated. Any one may hold the bank and there are numerous gangs organized for this purpose. , One of the gang holds it and deals the cards, while another of the gang makes a sign to him to let him know the exact value of the cards given to the players. With this advantage it is not. perhaps, surprising that the gang , should win and that the unsuspecting traveler should lose." , Benefit of Cl rgy. It was an ancient privilege allowed to the clergy of claiming when accused : of felony to be delivered up to an ecclesiastical judge?always favorable to : his own order?for compurgation, in- ; stead of being tried in the ordinary way i before the lay judges of the land. .In s ancient times few persons, except i those in holy orders, could read, and : accordingly the test for an accused per son claiming benefit of clergy was his 1 ability to read. If he could not, the ] courts would not part with the defend- j ant'^bu^ proceed to try him as if he 1 were aiSfrnan. Afterward, when edu- < cation became more general, other per- 1 sons besides clergymen were able to c read; and"so, in the reign of Edward j III., parliament extended the privilege : t of clergy, as it is called, to clerkly lay-,.? men until the reign of Elizabeth.! j -itt~?^nI 4 VY Uliicil ucic hvju auuftcu ujulcii ( i until tlie reign of William and Mary* c when parliament extended the ben- z efit to them. In the reign of i Henry YIL, however, a blow If was aimed at this singular... .priv j 1 ilege as. enjoyed by laymen,- and- a | i statute was then passed- against "di- t verse persons lettered," who have been * more bold to commit murders, rob- c bery, theft, as well as all other mis- t chievous deeds," which enacted that 1 persons "not within holy orders" ac- c cused of these offenses and convicted \ thereof, were in cases of murder to be f marked witjli-the letter "M" on the br^vn of the left thumb, and in all t with thp lpftpr "T tn dpnntp t. it is'presumed, that tberperson had 1 beeiguilty of theft.- In cases of high I treason, benefit, of clergy were never \ alibied to. be pleaded. It is stated c that when an accusecTperson claimed i d his clergy it was usual to test his learn-i p ing by requesting him to read the first! a v;erse of the fifty-first Psalm, which in h Latin." begins with the words, "ilis- ii erere uiei Deus." In addition to the " extraordinary character of this pro- v seeding* in which a touch ofgrhn humor | seems perceptible, it^aftejardity.is ap- i parent-. for,, of course, meiunigkt easily ; I have coached.themselves;up in the ro- ^ quired t<*?t. "The ecclesiastical judge, who whs. generally the bishop," might, v however/ have given the defendant anything else to read; and in either :ase, in the event of his inability to t comply, might have handed him over g to the law, and this proceeding gen-11 ?rally meant death. A custom which j g favored criminals solely on account of J t their good education appears to us, who 11 live in times when it is justly thought! b that superior intelligence adds a stain j n ;o criminality of any kind, to be in the v y-/i vaf itro ! 11 iigliCOU uc^icc tt';ouiu, jr cw ^ cll ^ tuiu i *' 7V able writers that the benefit of j v Jlergy, or learning?for "clergy" is here ! d ;antaraount thereto?was' not so ri-j t liculous as it seems. Without saying j uore on the subject, it may be stated i I ;hat the privilege was abolished in the ! S reign of George IV.?London Anti- f [uary. o ? e The inhabitants of the Xorth Pole u country will be sociable enough when v mce the ice is broken. J / ^ CHRISTMAS SYMBOLS. 1 Some Timely and Interesting FoIk-Lore, The Christmas carol is derived from j cantare, to sing, and rola, an interjec-: tion or JayTfrom <* very early date, i Jjishop 'Taylor observes tiui*. the "Glo-; riam Excelsis," the well-known hyisiU sung by the angels to the shepherds at our Lord's nativity, was the earliest Cnristmas caroL In former times bishops were accustomed to sing these pious canticles among their clergy. Wart on tells us that, in 1521, TFynkyn de Worde printed a set of Christmas carois wmcn were restai cnansons lor enlivening the merriment of the Christmas celebration, quite unlike our religious hymns of the present day,! which are popular among all classes, i and we are told that the Puritans i adopted them in keeping with their more staid notions of Christmas observance. The boar's head, soused, was'anciently the first dish served on Christmas d~y in ^England, and w?s Mid solemnity to the.^hantunj- of a. certain carol Am'o&g^ofiaSf early English customs at this festival was that of the oblanders, who gave to their customers gifts of candles, and the bakers presented their patrons with yule cakes, which often represented some grotesque character jn miniotnro nr -nocfir rvroconto nf Snmo X-ii. U1UJUUUUAV} VA V4 WWM*V description. Among the anc'c-nt Komans the laurel was an emblem of peace, joy and victory ; whence an English authority derives the custom of decorating English homes with that evergreen, as a symbol, denoting joy for the victory gained over the powers of darkness, and of that peace on earth and good will toward men which the angels sung overthe fields of Bethlehem. Other evergreens were subsequently adopted. The mistletoe, however, regarded rather as a symbol emanating from the heathenish rite, of Drmdismgwas never admitted into churches, b? *%s hung up in dwellings, where it signified, upon Christmas occasions, the right of any young man %o salute with a kiss any maiden who passed beneath the bough. The Christmas-box^ was one for'-the reception of money contributed in contemplation of . this "season, that masses might be said by the priests, who invoked forgiveness for excesses committSi^y.the people. The old English name of tne holly was holm," or " holm-oak," and in many parts pf England it is still kiiown "Kit fVioc& -nam^c orf/i *T?7Ylmpc;rtalp in Surrey, and other villages, whose names commence with Holm, . have been derived -from the abundance of holly, which at.-some period grew in their:' vicinity.- ^ A writer in Chambers' Journal says concerning the etymology of mistletoe: " Mistletoe is an obsolete old English word, used, however, as late as in the writings of Boyle, and is defined in Dr. Johnson's original fplio edition of his dictionary as the state of being mingled. Xow, this is truly the condition of our plant, which is intermingled with the foliage of other trees, and mixes their juices with its own, and is indeed in rural places still called the mistle. If to this we add the old English tod or toe,-signifying bush, we have at once the derivation,, mean to its own. ? The Christmas season is proverbial as one of popular activity among the English people ; and the Italians have a proverb expressive of this in the sentiment, "He has more business than English ovens at Christmas." The season is well known throughout Protestant Europe as " The Children's Festival." Christmas cards are very popular in England, and the postmen in London and other English cities are busily engaged in delivering these welcome messages every Christmas morning. Leigh Hunt says that volumes can be written on each of the separate items of'Christmas association, beginning with "roast beef and plum pudding," and ending characteristically , with "love, hope, charity and en aeavor. The popular custom of decorating ( the houses and churches at Christmas , with evergreens is very ancient, and it is believed to be derived from Druid , practices. It was an old belief that ' sylvan spirits might look to the ever- ; greens and secure among them protec- j tion from f^>st until the return of , spring. T d various evergreens in ? use from Arly times are hollv, ivy, j rosemary, bays, laurel and mistletoe, . which, excepting the latter, retained j their place in both houses and churches , from Christmas until Candlemas. < [lolly and ivy still remain in England ^ ;he most esteemed Christmas ever- 1 jreens, though at the two universities , ;he windows of the college chapels are \ lecked with laurel j Many of the rites and symbols at- ( ;aching to the observance of this j ;eason may be traced to a period long s irior to the time when Julius Caesar ^ irst landed in Britain. The drawing ! t )f the "yule log" comes from a very J mcient Scandinavian custom, when, t n the winter solstice, during a certain . east, large bonfires were kindled in * lonor of the god Thor. The bringing ^ n and placing of the ponderous log on c he hearth of the baronial hall was g imong the most joyous of ceremonies *? >bserved on Christmas eve in feudal r imes. If the charred remains of the r ? 1 - x og were preseiveu tu uguu its auc- g :essor of the following Christmas, it }. vas considered a s are safeguard against a ires in the interim. ; t The custom among the juvenile por- ^ ion of the English people, at one f ime, was called 44 The Burial of the r rVren," on St. Stephen's day, Decern- ^ ier 26. On that day parties of boys rent from door to door, the leader a arrying a fresh branch of evergreen t iecorated gayly with ribbons and j. ieces of colored paper, to which was t ttached a bird. At the door of each f louse visited the party joined in sing f Qg the following lines in rhyme: ; The wren, the wren, the kins of birds, S Vas caught on St. Stephen's day in the firs; v. Jthough he is little his honor is great, ? o rise up, ianci mauam'j, ana give as a i * treat? i a Ip with kettle, and down with the pan, j r . penny or twopence to bury the wren; j .'our pocket full of money, your cellar full ! s of beer, 11) re wish you merry Christmas and a happy | 7 New Year." \ One of the prettiest Christmas cus- j Loms is the Norwegian practice of g iving, on Christmas day, a dinner to n he birds. On that morning every e ;able, gateway or barn door is decora- ^ ed with a sheaf of corn attached to p he end of a long pole, from which the irds are invited to make their Christ- ' ias dinner. Even the poor peasants ^ i-ill contrive to have a handful at * ?ast reserved for this purpose, and ^ chat the birds do not eat on Christmas s av remains for them to finish at v lieir leisure through the winter. ^ Christmas gifts had their origin in ... 'aganalia, which was instituted by ~ ervius Tullus. B. C. 550. On these v festivals, celebrated at the beginning ^ f the vpnr ,in aitar was erected .in i J very village, "and to the box placed p pon it every man, woman and child ,-as expected to contribute a coin. Lubery mentions a spot in which c : ;>V ' IS Roman coins were formd andfl to be one of those Paganali^M The Christmas-box ngtunH from this Pagan Coleridge, in North Germany *0 ~ the first jS^-as.4 M trez pe^eo^5' EnglishVtftftf: a place about half ?nuH^r^R Curious Facts About ConsumptwH Consumption causes many ? deaths than any other disease, and an^H statistics bearing upon its causes or the conditions of its development are of much importance to both the medi- -,JjB cai profession and the public. With V* the view of obtaining information I concerning the etiology of the disease .0'^9 Dr. Placer, of Toronto, sent oat a list of questions to' each of many'handreds of physicians, having cases'in'practice . in Canada .and the. St?-t?s" of York,' Ohio, Indian^ -Illinois fl I and Louisiana. The ques^^s? r^l - JP to the [age, sex and jgfnefiirstructnre -- v of the patients, and to their ancestry, general habits, etc. About 250 physicians answered the questions, and doctor has made Jr?>ni_ these^ 2o0: v ~ "Tfl cases a concise r eport of much'practical value. The average age of the patients was twenty-seven years-; forty- J six per cent, were-males and fifty<our per cent, females; only twenty-eight. per cent were married. The circumference of tb^e chest was in "every case ; :3S much below the average of vigorous persons of the same height, being-only thirty-one and a half inches; the average height being fiv^ feet five and a ?3?sgi[ half inches. Persons of such statfioae^ , should have a chest circumference of * about thirty-seven inches. About fifty-five per cent, had light blue eyes . and light hair, and the nervous temperament largely prevailed. Two ^ thirds of the patients had been en- * gaged in indoor, sedentary-Occupation, and spent but little time inthe open air. Much the greater part of them had slept in small unventilated bedrooms, two in a bed, had not usually*" T^ v - * worn flannel next the skin, nor used habitually any form of bath, and nearly - v all had been small or .very moderate; eaters, and used but very little fattv . ^ food except butter. The general habr '? , its of nearly all had befen good, and but very few had used alcoholic spirits to excess. In only*hirty-six per cent. of the cases had ancestors died o? the disease, while nearly three-fourths had.-' resided in a locality favoring a humid,.. cool atmosphere.. ? Mr. Playter draws some important " deductions: Marriage in certain, conditions and certain stages of the disease is probably unfavorable to,the development and progress of consumption." Heredity is not ef such constancy andv^ importance as a cause as appearsJtc^ : have been commonly believed^ further than in so far as configuration and . structure of the body, the relation, and . the relative size and vigor of the different organs to each other are influenced by parentage?i. e^ina want of general* stamina from defective construction. With the small lungs and consequent imperfect respiratory capacity, the individuals could not consume enough , oxygen to utilize the digested products "C of *a-generous or. full, diet, especially pruuauiufy accum of uELTised and waste substances which . ^ ~M should have been thrown off through the lungs. The one means which will v. best tend to prevent the development of the disease in those thus predisposed to it is apparent enough ; it is that of increasing in early life by ju- ^ dicious physical exercise the size and capacity of the respiratory organs. The . doctor draws attention to the desirability of taking into consideration the respiratory capacity of patients suffering from tubercuiai phthisis before prescribing a full or toe carbonaceous diet. - Stuffing an Elephant's Skin, An article in Century, by Franklin H. North, contains the following de- ~'i scription of an elephant's skin: Xot long ago Ward dispatched a man to India to shoot an elephant. He obtained permission from the governor of the Madras presidency (for the elephant is protected by the laws), ana after a long hunt, in which the natives joined, finally secured the largest stuffed specimen in the country, now in the museum of comparative zoology at * | Cambridge, Mass. The elephant was shot through the head. Careful measurements were first made of the body md limbs, and then the skin was removed in three sections. One incision vvas made at the top of the neck, along ;he back to the tail; another divided ;be skin from the throat, along the niddle of the body underneath, meetng the first incision at the tail; and a ;hird cut severed the head from the )ody. On the inside of each leg an incision was made from the sole of the :oot to the abdominal opening. The ;kin was removed by working from ;he latter and the back cuts at he same time, the legs being cut >ff at the joints. Then the body was oiled over, and the operation was related. Finally the head and trunk vere skinned. The absence of haii rom the skin facilitated the treatment >f both sides with preservatives. Both ides were washed with arsenical soap ind salt, and rubbed with a flat stone. Dhe skin was then rolled up and jacked away. Two days later it wa* Aiif nrv/1 fV?A /vP j uut, <xiiu. v^JL la^oii <*\jt iering were removed. . ^fter being Lgain treated with arsenic, it was- left ??< -*fj mdisturbed for a week, at the expiraion of v/hich time the fibers were N ound to be hardened and the epidernis thoroughly set. Powdered alum sras now freely used, and the skin left * o dry in the shade. Twenty days .fter the commencement of the operaion, the skin, then weighing only two lundred and forty pounds, was shipped - o America. Upon its arrival hither, our bars of wrought iron, each twelve eet long and one and a quarter nches thick, were bent *into . hape for-, the legs and firmly -1 4-? a IUIleu <X CTC<1U1 ICCl auu our inches thick. This was to serve s a backbone for the attachment cf ibs, pelvis and scapulae. Semi-circular haped bones were attached to the ackbone, and laths nailed thereon. 'hen a wooden pelvis and shoulder lades were set, and at each joint of he legs a round piece of wood was tted about the leg-iron, and lathes ? -ailed from one joint to the other. An xact copy of the skull in wood was olted on in position. Then the several arts were wrapped with wisps of traw, and the manikin was covered ?j nth the skm of the elephant. From y. J lie measurements that had been mad,?; tie distances between the various eix- jjfl remities were copied, and the protruions imitated by stuffing. The trunk /as filled with straw, and the wooden nitation of the skull covered with lay and molded into shape. After the kin was thoroughly dry?for pr; ious to mounting it had been in the re ipsing tank?the seams were sewed H jgether, and the elephant was com v. Montana has over 1,000,000 head attle grazing on its fertile .pastures? - .'^hH