Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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The Cost of a Lead Pencil. "What does it cost to make a lead pencil?" queried a reporter of the New York Sun. "First let me tell you li?w we make a pencil," said the manufacturer. "See this fine black powder? That's graphite. It costs twenty-five cents a pound. This white substance is German clay. It comes across the ocean as ballast in sailing vessels, and all it costs us is freight, i We miv tliw mid tliiu iinwiler to gether and grind tliem in a mill, allowing moisture to be added during the process, until the two are thoroughly assimilated and are reduced to a paste about the consistency of putty. "This paste we press into these dies, each oue of which is the size of a pencil lead, except iu length. There are four leads in one of these. After they art? presstju we cut uit?tu imu tut: jjiuper length, and bake them in an oven kept at very high heat. There we have the lead made. Its hardness i* regulated by the greater or less amoun of clay we mix with the graphite?the more clay we put in, the harder the lead. "Thft r?pil?r ?'A iisp nrinmimllv w ' v ", v x J from the swauijis of Florida, and i.-> obtained entirely from the fallen trees that lie there. The wood is delivered to us in blocks sawed to pencil lengths, some thick, to receive the lead, and others thin, for the piece that is glued over the lead. The blocks are sawed for four pencils each. They are grooved by a saw, the groove being the place where the lead is to lie. "The leads are kept in hot glue, and are placed in the grooves as the blocks are rpariv. WIipii Ihi* i? <lnnp flip thin block is glued fast to the thick one. When dry, the blocks are run through a machine that cuts the pen cils apart. Then they are run through , a machine that shapes and burnishes them and they are ready to be tied in bunches, boxed, and put out. "The different grades in value are made by finer manipulation of the graphite. Here is a pencil that is about the average quality used in every-day business. It costs a little more than one quarter of a cent to gel it ready for market. We sell it to dealers at one bundled per cent profit, and the dealer makes much more than that. Of this grade an operator and the machinery will easily make 2,500a day." 1 Experiment with a Blind Person. "I stood in an aisle," said Mr. Har rison of the Institution for the Blind, "when a blind boy was walking to ward me, and just as he came opposite I put up my hand before his face. It brought him up short, and lie flung , his head back- to avoid ihe obstruction. . I did not touch him with my hand, . nor did I s]>eak, nor give any other in dication of my presence. How wasi lie enabled to know the obstruction!! was there?" < ' Has that experiment been tried in j | more than one ease?" < "It has heen tried often and in many , cases, and always with success.'' 1 [JVc?t? York Evening Sun. \ The Atlanta, Ga., Constitution tells J ( this characteristic story of General i Lee: "A short time after the battie ofj' Fredericksburg the soldiers observed a ' servant carrying a big demijohn into General Lee's tent. Visions flitted before the eyes of the General's staff. At twelve o'clock General Lee walked out, and with a twinkle in his eyes, remarked: 'Perhaps you gentlemen would like a glass of something?' Thej verdict was unanimous. Everything! was arranged, the gentlemen drewj, near, the cork was drawn and the 1 steward poured out?butter-milk." I In matters of moral duty, every one! refers to the Scriptures. In the proph-1, ets, I find ihat to do justly, love mercy, 11 and walk humbly with God, is thei concentrated representation of duty.1, jUOCS war uo iuui vv ar is uuuuij mu-1 eous?hideous from the oppression i practiced at liome, and from the de-j struction effected abroad. WhetherJ the question is regarded in a religious j or a political point of view, no man j, can better befriend his country than , hy advocating peace. [James S. Buckinyham. J, War is out of harmony with all the j highest interests of mankind. Topre-i pare for war is to foster the elements' of ruin and wretchedness. It is for' the good of all that there be no more I war. In order to do this there must' be organized peace. To provide a substitute for war, is surely as much the: interest as it is the duty of the great 1 fraternity of modem times; and no substitute is so simple, j so practicable, and so economical, as a: permanent Court of Nations. [Elihu Burrilt. r The Messenger puts it in this way : 'It has been said, in behalf of the| racecourse, that it lias improved the! breed of horses. That may be true ;) but it is equally true that it has deteri-1 orated the breed of men." About. Lamps. Don't leave in every room a beautiful lamp, softened and shaded so that it. is "just light enough to see how dark j it is." The "dim religious light" is becoming and a?>thetie, butsomewhere' ? w herever the most reading is done? we want, a good, strong light. I have in my hand a picture of a great sixfoot man, whom I know, wandering helplessly around fro in one shaded, laee-trimmed lamp to another, trying "to find a lamp without a petticoat," by which to read his evening paper. Let the useful German student, or the Argand drop light, hold a place of honor' especially if there are veryl young or old eyes to bend over the printed page. There are many lamps, J beautiful to lighten a dark corner, that] are useless on a center-table. There! lias been a species or carved brass! shades invented lately, set here and J there with great bull's eyes of colored trlass. Beware of it! It is fair to look on, but difficult to read by. First, the J light through the red bull's eye will smite your long-suttering optic, and if you dodge that, it is only to fall into the more pensive blue. After prancing around one of th*se shades a whole evening, I went to bed and dreamed I was looking at fire-works all night. Rose is the prettiest all-over color for a yhade, and yellow next; blue is apt to make people look a little ghastly. There are all kinds of crocheted, silk, ribbon, lace and paper shades, but they all lose their color before long i put on next to the glass shade, and men mey iook soscorcneri ana ioriorn, and show so plainly that they "have seen better days," that one regrets the time spent in making them. I saw some pretty shades lately made of pink and yellow crape. They were ju*t big circles of the crape, with a noIe cut in the middle for the chimney and top of the shade. The lower edge 11*0& fpimmurl with loon Thnv foil in soft folds, and shaded a lamp without extinguishing it. Now a word as to the care of lamps, which few servants understaud. They should be kept perfectly clean, and tilled every day. The wick should be rubbed off. not cut; and the chimneys washed, whenever they are the least smoked, with a little ammonia and] watec, which clears them instantly. *K.,f ...ill int'ic IJIHUIII^ Liiut nut icnaiu juui j care more, for a pretty, well-trimmed j lamp lends beauty to the whole room, while a smoky, bad-smelling one will destroy an entire evening's pleasure. [ ConyrcyationaUst. Poison's Formed from Food. The subject of "Poisons Formed j from Food,and their Relation to Bili-j mtsness and Dhyrrhoia," has been con-1 sidered by Dr. 1\ Lander Brunton in j articles in the Practitioner. There are; persons, he says, or even, perhaps,j, "classes of people,''to whom even ar-| tieles of food, usually salutary, arepoi-j ionous. Many articles of food, also, ! have a property of splitting them-' selves up so as to yield poisons. The ( melon and cucumber tribe of vegeta-j t)Ies exhibit a tendency to the forma-|( linn of nurcative substances. In ani-' mal foods poisonous properties arc apt j, to appear either from partic ilar modes j jf cooking or from beginning decom-i position. The decomposition may be L-flected by microbic organisms, or by ( the digestive ferments of the healthy 1 body; aud they are various according , to the peculiar organism or ferment that sets them up, and according to j the temperature at which they occur, | uid the length of time that they eon-j tiuue. Some of the products of decomposition are poisonous in various' degrees of activity, while others are! innocuous. Christmas and the Aged. Make the Christmas a glad time for 1 the aged. Let each child, even the! baby, have its little tribute to bring. Let the dear old heart know that its own gift, however simple, is prized and expected by every one of the household band. Help tht trembling hands that may have groivn slow to fashion the dainty miracle' of needlework. Keep all the secrets of what she is going to give to this, .hat, or the other friend. Go patiently on the shopping jaunts, even if Ihe feet are slow and the eyes take a great deal o time in searching for "just the right J1 Alfto f/\r flit* /lnif U'liftn liuug. maO| ivt vnv vti?j m nv?? grandmother is no longer here to -'do1'! for us or to be "done" for! Let us remember how surely that day is com-! ing nearer, and that to make her thor-i oughly happy and conscious of lioWj near aim necessary sue is? is uur umjf i way of beguiling the angel to linger! in the home. As the truest joy comes j always from the consciousness of pow-i er to bless, so the more fully we can 1 convince the aged of the blessing they ar? to us, through their experience] and their presence, and through their angelhood, that has so often been born I in their sorrows, the more we shall | really minister to them. They are of-1 ten afraid of becoming useless, conscious of failing powers, fearful of being in the way, or casting a shadow on the household mirth. See to it, dear young friends, that on this, of all days of the year, they be made to knowhow much we love and need the light of the faded faces and assure them by every gentle attention that Christmas would not be Christmas without the ,"angel in the house." [Mary Lour Dickinson. The Infant Saviour. i What a contrast! A Child in the! manger, yet bearing the salvation of ; the world ; a Child hated and feared, 1 vpf I mured fornncl loved? ft Child nnor and despised, yet honored and adored ; beset by danger, yet marvelously preserved; a Child setting the stars in ! heaven, the city of Jerusalem, the| shepherds of India, and the sages of I the East in motion; attracting the best elements of the world, and repelling the evil! This contrast, bringing together the most opposite, yet not contradictory, tilings, is too deep, too sublime, too significant, to he the in vent ion of a few fishermen. Yet, with all these marks of divinity upon Him, the Infant Saviour is not represented, either by Matthew or Luke, as an unnatural prodigy, anticipating the maturity of a later age, but as a truly human child, silently lying and smiling on the bosom of His virgin mother; "growing" and "waxing strong in spirit," and therefore subject to the law of regular development, yet differing from all other children by His supernatural conception and perfect freedom from hereditary sin and guilt. He appears in the celestial beauty of unspotted innocence, a veritable flower of paradise. He was "that Holy Thing," according to the announcement of the angel Gabriel, admired and loved by all who approached Him in a child-like spirit, but exciting the dark suspicion of the tyrant king who represented His future enemies and persecutors. Who can measure the ennobling, purifying and cheering influence which proceeds from the contemplation of the Christchild at each returning Christmas season, upon the hearts of young and old ill every laud and nation. The loss of the first estate is richly compensated by tlie undying innocence ot params regained.?L'cv. Philip Sch(J1J\ I). I). Selfishness. It is selfishness more than anything else that is hindering spirituality. Selfishness is the worm at the root. Reckless disregard of the rights of others, the malicious that is ever so ready to retard another to promote self, blind self-seeking, envy and evil speaking, these are the vices, often reproved in the Word of God, that we Hi e so .slow lo check, and which are so sure to prevent spiritual growth. The fewer number are struggling to fight these corrupting dispositions out of their hearts. Some are striving with ;ill their might to overcome, and growing themselves, they are reaching out strong arms and are trying hard to lift up their weaker fellows. The unsel-j fish love of those who have learned j Christ is binding up the wounds of! malice and bringing back to the world ! uf brightness and blessedness that sinful selfishness has so long banished. Spiritual growth is advancing only so fast as the sinful lusts of the llesh are 1 consumed in the fire of a fervent love for Christ and those lor whom Christ I1 died. The indulgence of any disposi-j tion that hurts others cannot fail to i retard our own growth. 1 To my mind, one of the painful' phases of the conflict in our country isi the attitude of Christian churches in the two sections toward each other. In the great revival of 1857, the lightning fingers of the telegraph, now busy with the plans and doings of war, h-niumittw] intelligence of noonday prayer-meetings in the various towns and villages of the Union; and of the conversion of tens of thousands among1 all classes of the people. Now thousands of those couverts, fresh from the affecting memorials of the sacramenttable, are marching toward each other, not to the music of that hymn sung by their Savior and his disciples on the Mount of Olives; but to the sound of the life and drum, with fixed bayonets,! to the work of mutual slaughter. And ; the churches to which they belong are cheering them on, and praying for XT/MI' onrl niul cndHon. MICil IIIUU.I.U. XW. ....v. ing is all this! Is Christ divided? Are his teachiags, his Spirit, and his life; susceptible of such antagonisms as these? Until those who profess to be! actuated by the Spirit, and live by the J rules of Christian faith, shall be en-; lightened to see that it excludes them 1 from all participation iu war, we shall | see, when the trial eonies, just such aj scene as the country now presents. [J'Jli/tu Jhirritl. J Jn pruning trees of any kind it is ' u c-fi'Ainr ni* i ueuer id iuivc umv duvu^ ?. limb tlia.ii two or three weak ones It's better to keep heads low than high. It's better to keep limbs thinned out than to cut back and make two close beads. Let the sun's rays In through all the tree. If the people are indifferent to selfgovernment the bosses are not to blame for ruling them. Culls of repentance are plain indications of inercy designed. A man must be a candidate for election to eternal life or he will never be elected. Our hearts must be fired by God's grace before our works can shine to His glory. "He shall be delivered from fear of evil," is a great promise, and one often needed by the'fainting believer. It is a great mistake to set up youri own standard of right and wrong audi judge people accordingly. Happy is lie who has learned to do the plain duty of the moment quickly and cheerfully, wherever and whatever it may bo. Deeper than the love of home, deeper than the love of kindred, deeper [than the love ot rest and recreation, ! deeper than the love of life, is the love of Jesus. "The longer I live, the more highly do I estimate the Christian Sabbath, and the more grateful J feel towards those who impress its importance on the community," said Webster. What the world wants is a religion for ordinary neonle. We snend too much of our time in twisting garlands for remarkables, and building thrones for magnates, and sculpturing warriors. The desire to say some great thing has prevented the utterance of many a wholesome word, and anxiety to accomplish some wonderful work has crushed in the bud many an humble deed of exceeding grace and sweetness. It is almost always when things are all blocked up and impossible that a happening comes. It lias to. A dead lock cannot last any more than a vacuum. If you are sure you are looking ami ready, that is all you need. God is turning the world round all the time. Poverty is the load of some, and wealth is the load of others, perhaps the greater load of the two. It may weigh them to perdition. Bear the load of thy neighbor's poverty, and let him Dear witn tnee tne ioaa or my wealth. Thou ligbtenest thy load by lighteuiug his. it is worthy of notice that Christ, when referring to God as Father, never says "our Father," but always "my Father," or "the leather." This , implies a relationship between him and God the Father, not common to , him and other beings. He is the Son of God, and God is his Father, in a t'Anon h?nn nf nn nfhnr l\oi it ir ovl.--.v- wv.v v. ..w The principle, "If meat make my brother to offend," etc., is no less important now tlmn in the apostolic age. But let us never forget that all genuine < self denial for the sake of others must have its root in righteousness?in the supreme law of love. When this is 1 the case, the Christian will be able to determine readily what is demanded of him, and what is not, for his broth- j er's sake. Genuine self denial is not < bondage?rather it is blessed freedom. , Kverv dav religion is the foundation 1 of thoroughness, which is another word for truthfulness or honesty. ' Workmen that slight their work, > whether they make shirts for a living i or sermons, build houses or ships, raise flocks or families, will be some day or 1 other found out. We want clothes i that will not rip, vessels that will not ' leak, and bridges that will not break ! down. So we want characters that 1 will stand temptation, and not snap ; asunder under the sudden pressures of i ife. Hear Thy Burden BraTely. I If thou hast a skeleton in the cup- I board, keep it there. Believe me, the | world does not desire to see it. If it i be brought out, it may terrify rather * than attract. Bear thy burden bravely and silently, or, better still, cast it ! on the broad shoulders of the Almighfv Hcnt, least will carrv the heavv end of it for you. If thy heart be i stricken by the cruel hand of adversity, be still and suffer. Only children cry and show their bruises. If thou must cry, cry to Christ. If thou must show thy wounds, then do it to the eye of the great physician and consoler. His glance brings balm from Gilead. Go from your knees to the chapel. Get a renewal of your commission every time you go to preach in a renewed sense of the favor of God. Carry your authority to declare the gospel of Christ, not in your hand, but in your heart. The Adams Express Company is represented by the New York Voice, as having learned by experience with their horses, which are out in all weathers, tlmt blankets do more harm than good. Too much coddling enervates animals of all kinds, human included. fh\V! ITT? SvADC! TJni 1 csl/N\tr1\r ?f\Y> P.. teen minutes two cups of molasses; add one-half cup of butter, cool and add two spooufuls of cold water, one heaping teaspoonful of soda, one tcaspoonful of ginger and Hour to roll. * There is some extravagance in tho modern assumption that a great deal more is going to he known about Jesus Christ than ever has been known. We are carried away hy the fact of eoniin-j ual new discoveries in science, and im-' agine that we must match ihe scientific folk by continual fre.sh di-coveries in religion. We blind our- elves to the very important fact that minus have no limit within the apprehension of. the entire mvsterv of this created world, ami so they can by always get-J ting new stores; but morals and reli-l gion are matters of divine revelation, i and arc the same for every age. Wei flatter our own pride by the delightful j notion that we see Christ as none of our fathers ever saw Him; but the honest truth is that we don't try to find out all our fathers saw iu Him, and our pride is but based upon our ignorance. The modern tendency to cry, "We are wise," "We are the people," needs to be well pricked with a point of.satire, for verily it is but a conceited bubble. [ The Sunday-School Chroniclc. It might be difficult to show satisfactorily whether the world as a whole is growing better or worse. But we think every candid observer must a1Iow that evil is becoming more intense in form, and bolder in manifestation. Does it follow that the disciples of Christ should withdraw themselves from all that is going 011 around them, and seek only to preserve their own souls alive? We judge not. "Ye are the salt of the earth," said the Master, in an age when social vice and wrongdoing were probably far more rampart than they are to-day. It is the presence of the corrupting element that makes the salt so necessary. The greater the evil, the more need for the counteracting forces of good. Our Lord's request to trie ratner ior nis faithful followers was: "I pray not that Thou shouldst take them out of the world, but that Thou shouldst keep them from the evil." In the 1 strength of these words, let our testimony be unflinching, while we al- 1 ways remember to "speak the truth in love."? The Christian. Giringr the Best. I Let us not be content with serving ( the Lord a little, with giving him the odds and ends of life; the cold crumbs iiud broken fragments, as it were, that \ fall from life's table. Thousands of , people are perfectly willing to be ] Christians if their discipleship will not interfere in the slightest degree , with anything else that they wish to , I J- T M UU Ui' UU. Ill JUUI, UllMI SIIIC puijiusv | ^eems to be to solve the problem, how to grasp the world with one hand and . 10 keep hold of heaven with the other. They do not seem to care for any stars in their crown, for any sheaves in . their garner. "A starless crown, and ; 11 third rate harp in heaven" seem to " say, "is good enough for me, if I can ( only keep from getting shut out for- ; ever." Such service is little better ( than no service. In fact, we arc not | sure that it is considered as service at | all. If we read our Lord's life correct- j ly, he would not have allowed such people to count themselves among his Jisciplcs. If there was one thing about which he was emphatic, it was that if any one should be his disciple ( lie must take up his cross. What sub- J lime courage it took fpr a friendless ( young man, as he appeared lobe, to turn away the rich young ruler from , tuKon hici net nun cflnmc/1 1113 oianuaiuj Tiiicu mo vuuov uvwiuvm , to be in such a desperate need of influence and wealth, simply because he lacked one thing, because he would not jive up all for Christ! His demands are just as imperative now. He asks our all and our best or nothing. He ever makes a compromiie with any soul, and that soul dreadfully deludes itself that thinks it can make a compromise with Christ, and give him anything less than all it is or hopes to be.?Qolden Itulc. , J I have studied the subject of Peace aud War for twenty-five years, with a 1 good deal of care. The individual among us, be he minister or layman. who can talk to us gravely about the lawfulness of resisting violence by vi- 1 ? ' i oience, nas in mm tne spirit 01 wiu-; j and as far as thisspirit prevails in liim, 1 has not the spirit of Christ. Has such ' a man studied Christ? The great mis- 1 fortune is, that we are trained to war ' from the very first dawn of infancy to ' the close of life; for life itself I regard ' as a mere school of education. The \ Mflmln onlrif r\f mil* wlnnafinn 1Q a WAN ' ?T liV/JV/ 0?/ I lib W1 VUl VMUVMV*wil aw m | spirit; of course I will not say that ' this training to war is by design. I * say such is the fact. I i There are 03,000 post-offices, and < there ought to he as many preachers. |: w nerever mere are peuiJie enuugu iu warrant the establishment of a postoffice, there are enough for a church and for a preacher to pastor it. The great crying want of the day is preachers trained, godly preachers, and we would have them if we prayed for them aright, and if we did other things aright, which should accompa- ( ny our prayers. (??od Nature.. There is no possession so valuable, which can he secnrcd at so litlle a cost, as that of good nature. It is a talisman for good wherever it is seen. It emulates, elevates and purifies. It lautihs at trifles, scoffs at vexations and speedily dispels gloom and despair. He who hns good-nature finds friends where those of a contrary disposition see only enemies. He who can smile easier than frown, is a blessing to all whom he meets; and best of all, he usually seems as unconscious of his power as is the gladdening sunbeam, or as the flowers, of their influence through their beauty and perfume. The good-natured man is the largehearh'd man. He loves everybody and is ever ready to render a kind act, wmie nine limes out of ten he neither knows nor cures whether the world is aware of tho Heed or not. He is eminiiroous and full of enthusiasm. If lie fails in a financial scheme, lie is willing to make another attempt. If misfortune overtakes him, he calmly admits to himself, "It might have he en worse;" like the sailor who, on breaking a limb in falling from the mainmast of his ship, exultingly exclaimed: "Thank fortune, it was not my neck." The good-natured man is strong in his power and is far more wealthy than the man of a gloomy disposition, with an estate worth ten thousand yearly. : The good-natured man is the happy man, the contented man, and the possessor of an approving mind and sunny soul. For him the sky is clearer, the atmosphere more balmy, the hills are greener and more symmetrical, and all the fruilc of nature, more abundant. A true Christian should certainly be a good-natured man. Faith and trust in God 3houId develop a peace-making and an all-loving spirit, and the manifestation of such a spirit is indeed a sanctified good-nature. Slirrors. We arc mirrors. "We cannot help heing reflectors. We reflect in our characters every influence that touches :>ur lives. I am introduced, to you. You speak one sentence?I know that you are an Englishman, or an AmeriUn?nHiril Vnii npt? *i nnmhi nation of reflections. We become like those with whom we associate. Two boys in a University in England loomed together for eight years. Toward the end of that time these two boys were so much alike that it became remarkable. They had reflected and reflected until one was almost the image of the other. If 3*011 called on one, 1 ml found the other one instead, you mijjht talk to him on the same sub jccts and expect to receive the same answers that you would from the otli?r. I once knew a girl who was growing so saintly that every one wondered. No one guessed her secret. She became very ill, and a dear friend of liers obtained permission to open a . *. -1. ~ [OCKet WI11CH Sue ?oit uunsiautiji ibout her neck. There she saw engraved on the inside of the locket th? slew to the secret: "Whom having not seen we love." If we reflect the ;Iory of the character of Christ, we Uia'll bfc changed from glory to glory? that is, from character to character. JIoiv this is I cannot tell. Had Paul written in these times, he would prob ibly have used the photograph instead )f the mirror as a symbol. I cannot tell how the impalpable shadow which ippears on the plate is fastened there ?no one can. And I cannot tell how 3haracter is changed. We reflect Christ for a time, and then we are jhauged, and then we are changed igain, and then again, and so on from jlory to glory. First the blade, then ;he ear, and then the full corn in the ?ar, and after that it doth not yet appear what we shall be. Do you not see the infinite possibilities of this? We are to go on and on.~ We are to bo God's reflectors in this world. [Professor Iienry Drummond. ? ? / ? T C T PROTECT THIi LHIlukm.?ai i pierce the young leaf of the shoot of a plant with the finest needle, the prick forms afknot which grows with the leaf, becomes harder and harder, and prevents it from obtaining its perfectly complete form. Something similar takes place after wounds which touch the tender germ of the human soul ind injure the heart-leaves of its being. Therefore you must keep holy tbe being or tnecnua; protect it iruiu jvery rough and rude impression, from every touch of the vulgar. A gesture, a look, a sound is often sufficient to inflict such wounds. The child's soul is more tender than the finest or tenderest plant. It would have been far different with hurnani ! in if Iin/I llPPVl ty, 11 every iuuivjuuui m ? protected in that ienderest age as befitted the human soul which holds within itself the divine spark. [i-'. Frocbd. Our sermons should not only interest, but increase and quickcu activity in the hearer.