The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, April 22, 1890, Image 2
dEV. DR.TALMAGE
THE BROOKLYN DIVINE'S SUN
DAY SERMON.
Subject: 'Duticaaud Responsibilities
of Ilu-diics* Mc?."
TRXT "lt is naught, it t? naught, saith
the butler, but when he is your his icatl, then
he bnaslcth.' - Proverbs xx.. 14.
falaces are not such prisons as tho world
imagine*. If you think that tho only tum?
kings and queens come forth from the royal
gates is in procession and gorgeously at
tended, you aro mistaken. Incognito, by day
or by night, and clothed in citizens' apparel
or the dress of a working woman, they como
out and see tho world as it is. In no other
way could King Solomon, thc author of my
text, have known everything that was going
on. From mv text I am sure he must in
disguise, some" uay have walked into a storo
of readv made clothing, in Jerusalem, and
stood noni the counter and overheard a con
versation between u buyer and a seller. Tho
merchant put a price on tho coat, and tho
customer began to dicker and said: "At>
surd ! thal coat is not worth what you ask
for it . Why, just look at tho coarseness ot
the fabric ' Seo that spot on tho collar ! Bf
sides that, it dow not flt. Twent y dollars lor
that- Why, it isn't worth more than ton.
They have a better article than that, and for
cheaper price, down at Cloathem. Kitem <V
Brothers. Beside that. I don't want it at
any price. Good morning." "Hold." says
the merchant: "don't gooff in that way. I
want to sell you that coat. 1 have some pay
ment.*- to make and 1 want tho money. Com?
now. how much will you give forthat coati*'1
"Well," says the customer. "I will split tho
difference. You asked twenty dollars, and I
said ton Now, I will give you fifteen."
"Well," says tho merchant, "its a great sac
rifice; but tako it at that price." Then Sol?
mon saw tho customer with a roll under his
arm start and go out and enter his own pince
of business, and Solomon, in disguise, fol
lowed him Hs beard the customer a- ho
unrolled the coat say: "Boys, I have made
H grwat bargain. How much do you guess 1
gav? for that coat." "Well." saysone.wish
ing to compliment his enterprise, you gave
thirty dollars for it." Another says. "I
should think yon got it cheap if you gave
twenty-five dollars." "No," says tho buyer
in triumph, "I got it for fifteen dollars. I
beat bim down aud pointed out t he imi>orfe< -
tiODS until I itally made him believe it was
not worth hardly anything. Il takes me to
make a bargain. Ha! Ha!" Oh, man. you
got the goods for less than they were worth
ny positive falsehood; and no wonder, when
Solomon went back to his place.and lind put
off his disguise, that he sat down at his writ
ing ?lc- l. and made for all ages a crayon
sketch of you : ''lt is naught, it ie naught,
saith thc buyer: but when he is gone his way,
then he boastdtn.'1
There are no higher styles of men in all
the world than those now at the head of
merchandise in Brooklyn and* New York and
in tho other great cities of this ?ontiueat.
Their casual promise is as good as a bond
with piles of collaterals. Their reputation
for integrity is as well establishea as that
of Petrarch residing in the family of
('ardi?al Colonna, and when there was groat
disturbance in the family the <.?.-. dinal called
all his ?ieople together and put them under
?with u> tell tho truth, except Petrarch, for
when Le came to swear the cardinal put
away his hoou. en?! sai?l: *'As to you.
Petrarch, your word is sullieient.''
Never since the world stood have there
been so manv merchants whose transactions
?.an stand tho test of the Ten Command
ments Snob bargain maker* aro ad tho
more to be honored l>ci-ausp they have with
stood year after year temptations which have
flung many so fiat and flung them so hard
they can nover recover tiiemselvos. While
all positions in lifo have |>owerful besctments
lo evil there are specific forms of allurement
which aro peculiar to each occupation and
profession, and it will he useful to speak of
the peculiar temptations of business men.
first as in the scene of the text, business
men aro often tcmptc.i to sacrifice plain
truth, the seller by exaggerating tho value of
roofls. and tho buyer by depreciating them.
We cannot but admire un expert salesman.
Kee how he first induces tho customer into a
mood favorable to tho proper consideration
of the value of the goo?ls. He shows himself
to bf an honest and frank salesman. How
carefully the lights are arranged Uli they
fall just right u|ton the fabric'
Beginning with goods of medium quality,
he gradually advances toward those of more
thorough make and of more attractive pat
tern. How he watches tue moods and hims
of his customer1 With what perfect calm
ness ho takes the order and bows the pur
chaser from his presence, who goes away
haring made up his mind that ho has bought
tho good? at a price which will allow him a
living margin when lie ajjnin sells them The
goods were worth wnut the salesman said
they wer?-, and were bold at a price wbi?'h
will not make it necessary for the house tx?
fail every ten years in order to fix up things
Rill with wh?:t burning indignation we
think ?il the iniquitous stratagem-- by which
goods ar?-some; nie-s disposed of. A glance
at the morning papers shows the arrival Mt
one of our hotel-, ol a young merchant from
one of the inland cities HOIK M comparative
stranger in the great city. and. of course, he
must Be shown around, and it will be tbs duty
of some of our enterprising houses t<< escort
him. He i> u large purchaser and has plenty
of time and money, and It will pay to be very
attentive. The evening is spent at a place of
doubtful amusement Then they go Imckti.
the hotel Having .III?' come to town, they
must, of ?ours?-, drink A lr.end from the
same mercantil* establisbmontvdrops in, and
usage and generosity suggest that th-y must
?trink. Business prospects are talked over,
and the stranger is warutxl against c?'rtain
dilapidated mercantile establishment? thai
are al? mt to fail, and for such kindness and
magnanimity of caution against the dishon
esty of other business houses, of course, it i?
expected they will, ont! so they do, take M
drink.
Other merchants lodging in adjoining
rooms find it bani to sleep for the clatter or
decanten?, and the coarse carousal of these
"bail fellows well met'' waxes louder. Bot
they sit not all night at the wine cup. They
must see tho sight?. They stagger forth
with cheeks flushed and eye? bloodshot. The
outer gates of bell open to let in the victims.
The wings of lost souls flit among the lights,
and the steps of the carousers sound with the
rumbling thunders of the damned. Farewoll
to all the sanctities of home! Could mother,
sister, father, slumbering in the inland
horne, in some vision of that night catch a
glimpse of the ruin wrought they would
rend out their bair by tho roots and
bite the tongue Hil tho hloo<l spurted,
shrieking out. "Clod save him!''
What, suppose you, will come upon mich
business establishments? and there are hun
dreds of thom in the cities. They may boast
of fabulous sales, and they may havo an Un
precedented run of buyers, mid tho nanto ol
the house may lie n terror to all rivals, and
from tliis thrifty root thora may spring up
branch houses m other cities, ana nil the par)
Hers ?<f tho firm may movo into their man
sions ami drive their full-blooded span, and
tho families may swoop tho street with the
ne t elegant apparel that human art evoi
weve or earthly msgnlnceiics ever achieved,
But a curso is gathering somewhere for tho*!
mon, and if it dose not seize hold of tho pil
lar? and in ono wild ruin bring down tho tent?
pie of commercial glory, ?twill break up their
peace, and thoy will tremble with sickness
and hloat witii dissipations, aa I, pushed to
tin? precipice of this lifo, they will try to hold
i>ack and erv for help, but no help will come;
nni? i hey will clutch their gold to take it along
with thom, hut tt will be snatched from their
grasp, and a voice will sound through their
soul, "Not a tm iiiiiu-, thou beggared spirit!1'
And the judgment will como and they will
stand aghast before it, and all the business
iniquities ot a lifetime will gather around
them, saying "Do you remember th isy" aud,
"Do you renienilier that*" And clerks that
they compelled to dishonesty, and runners
und draymen and bookkeej>ers who saw be
hind the scenes, will liear testimony to their
nefarious doods, and some virtuous soul that
once stood aghast at the splendor and power
of theeo businotw mon will say, "Alas! this is
all that is left of that great firm that occu
pied a block with their merchandise and
overshadowed tho city with thoir influence,
and made righteousness and truth and purity
fall under the galling Are of avarice and
crime."
While we admire and approve of all acute
ness ami tact in the sale of goods, wo must
condemn any process by which a fabric or
i product is represented as possessing a value
I which lt really does not have. Nothing but
[ sheer falsehood caa ropresent ns perfection
j boots that rip, silks that speedily IOHO their
! lustre, calicoes that immediately wash out,
: stoves that ernck under tho first hot fire,
j books insufficiently bound, carpets that un
! ravel, old furniture rejuvenated with putty
' and glue and sold as having been recently !
j manufactured, gold watches made out of I
I brass, barrels of fruit the biggest apples on '
I tho top. wine adulterated with strychnine, |
hosiery poorly woven, cloths of domestic
manufacture shining with foreign labels, im- j
I ported goods represented as rare and hard to ]
I get, because foreign exchange is so high,
rolled out ou the counter with matchless elis- '
j piny. Imported, indeed! hut from the fae- |
I tory in the next street. A pattern already i
j unfashionable and unsalable palmed off asa j
. new print upon some country merchant who j
lias come to town to make his first purchase
: of dry goods and going home with a largo
' stpek"of goods warranted to keep.
I Again, business men ore often tempted to
'. make tho habits and customs of other trad
? ors their law of rectitude. There are rom
! inercial usages which will not. stand the test
; of thc last ddy. Yet men in business are apt
j to do as their"neighl>ors do. If the majority
I of the trade?s in any locality aro lax in prin
I ernie, tho commercial code in that oomrnu
I niiy will be spurious and dishonest. It is a
I hard thing to stand close by the law of right.
I when your next door neighbor hy his loose
! ness of dealing is enabled to sell goods nt a
j cheaper ra to and decoy your- customer?. Of
j course you who promptly meet all your
j business engagement?, paying when you
; promise to pay, will find it hard to competo
i with that mer. 'mint who is hopelessly in debt
, to the im nor ter for the goods purchased, and
' to the landlord whorse store he occupier, and
I to the clerks who serve him.
There are a hundred practices prevalent in
I the world of traffic which ought never to bo
come the rule for honest men. Their wrong
does not make your right. Bin never be
comes virtue by being multiplied and admit
* ted at brokers' board, cr merchante' ex
change. Because others smuggle a few
things in passenger trunks, because others
take usury when mon are in tight placet:, be
cause others deal in fancy stocks, because
! others palm off worthless indorsements, hr
? causa others do not bing but blow bubbles,
do not therefore, bo overcome of temptation.
{ Hollow pretension and fictitious credit and
. commercial gambling may awhile proeper,
but the day of reckoning cometh, and in ad
dition to the horror and condemnation of
outraged communities the curse of God will
; come blow after blow. God's will forever
I and forever is tho only standard of right and
i wrong, and not commercial ethics.
Young business man, avoid the first busi
ness dishonor, and you will avoid all the rest.
, The Captain of a vessel was walking near the
nuiuth of a river when the tide was low, and
I there was a long, stout anchor chain, into ono
of the great links of which his foot slipped,
and it began to swell and he could not with
I draw it. The tide began to rise. The chain
could not be loose nod nor filed off in time,
, and a surgeon was <?alu il to amputate tho
limb, but before the work could be done tho
tide rollet! over the victim and bis life was
gone.
And I have to tell you. young man, that
just one wrong into which you slip may be a
link of a loDg chain of circumstances from
which you cannot be extricated by any in
gen ni tv of your own or any help from others,
and the tides will roll over you as they have
over many. When Pompey, the warrior, I
wanted to take possession of a city, and they ?
would not open the gates, be persuaded t hem i
to admit a sick soldier. But the sick soldier
niter a while got well and i.trong, and he j
threw open the gates and let the devastat
ing anny come in. One wrong admitted !
into the soul may gain in strength until '
after awhile it flings open all the avenuesof !
the immoral nature, and the surrender is ?
complet??.
Again, hi. men are sometimes
tempted to throw off |?ersonal responsibility
upon the moneyed institution to which they
li. li.nc Directors in banks and 1.1 iii i ucl and
insurance .-ompanies sometimes shirk ?>er- !
sonal responsibility underneath the action of
the corporation, .Vad bow often, wheo some
hanking bous?-o rhutuclal institution ex
plodes through I rand, respectable men in t tie
board of directors say: "Why, 1 t hough i al
was going on in an honest way, and I um ut
terly confounded with this misdemeanor''' !
The banka, and the tire and life and marine '
insurance companies, and the railroad ?un- '
i^anies, will not stand up for judgment in tin ,
Inst day. but those who in them acted right
eously will receive, each for himself, a re- I
ward, and those who acted the part of ne- I
gleet cr trickery will, each for himself, re
ceive a condemnation
Unlawful dividends are not clean belo?
God because there are those associated with
you who grab just as big , pile as you do. 1
tie who countenances the dishonesty of the '
firm, or of tho corporat ion, or of the associa- j
tion, takes upon bims?!f all of the nun il
liabilities. If the financial institution steals, ?
he steals. If they go into wild speculations, !
he himself is a gambler. If they needlessly 1
embarrass a creditor, he himself is guilt v of '
cruelty. If they swindle the uninitiated, he j
himself is a defaulter. No financial institu
tion ever had a money vault strong enough,ot j
credit stanch enough, or dividends large '
enough, or policy acute enough to hide the j
individual sin of its members. The old
mince, that corporations havo no souls, ii
misleading. Kvery corporation has as man)
souls as it has members.
Again, many business men have been
tempted to postpone their enjoyment? and
duties to a futuro season of entire leisure.
What a sedative the Christian religion would
be to all our business men If, instead of post
poning it* uses to old age or death, they
wotilcl take it into the store or factory or
worldly engagements now! lt is folly bi go
amid the.? ui-taintii nf business lifo with
no God to help.
A merchant in a New Knglnnd village wni
standing by a horse, and tho horso lifted his
foot to stamp it in a pool of water; and tho
morchant, to escapo the splash, stopped into
tho door of au insurancnagent,and Ino agent
said: "I supposa yon have come to renew
your lin? Insurance." "Ob,"said thorner?
chant. "Iliad orgotfou that." Th? In Ur
aneo was renewed, and tho next doy th?
house that had been insured was burned, I
AV as it all necidontal that tho merchant) tc
es<'tti>o a splash from a horso's foot, stepped
into tho insuranoo ollleor No, it was prov!?
dential. And what a mighty solnoo for a bush
ness mau to fool that things aro providential I
What peace and equiUbrTura in sucha con?
sideratioti, and what a grand thing if all busi
ness men could realize it!
Many, although now comparatively strait
ened in worldly circumstances, have a goodly
establishment in tho future planned out.
They havo tn imagination built about twenty
years ahead a houso in the country not difn
cult of access from tho great town, for they
will often have business, or old accounts to
settle, and investments to look ofter. Thu
house is largo enough to accommodate all
their friends. The halls aro wide, and hung
with pictures of hunting scenes and a branch
of antlers, and aro comfortable with chairs
that can be rolled out on the veranda wheo
the weather is inviting, or set out under
some of the oaks that stand sentinel about
tho house, and rustling in the cool breeze,
and songful with tho robins.
There is just land enough to keep them in
terested, and ita crops of almost fabulous
richness springing up under application ot
the beet theories to be found in the agricul
tural journals. The farm is well stocked with
cattle and horses, and* sheep that know the
voice and have a kindly bleat when one goos
forth to look at them. In this blissful abode
their children will be instructed in art and
science and religion. This shall be tho old
homestead to which the boys at college will
direct their letters, and the hill on which the
hoi KR utj>Ti<l? will iva . ulled Oakwood or Ivf
Hill or Pleasant Retreat or Baale Eyrie. May
the future have for every business man here
all that and moro beeide?! But are you post
poning your happiness to that time? Are
you adjourning your joys to that consumma
tion!'
Suppose that yeu achieve all you expect
and the vision J mention is not up to the
reality, becs.use the fountains ?will be brighter,
tho house gean der and the scenery more pic
tm cone i lie mistake is none tho less fatal.
What charm will there bo ia rural quiet for
a man who bas thirty or forty years been
conforming his entire nature to the excit
ment? of business/ Will flocks and herds
with their bleat, and moan be nble to silence
the insatiable tpirit of acquisitiveness which
has bu- years had full swing In the soul? Will
the hum of the breeze soothe the mau who
uowcfc'i timi hi? only enjoyment in the stock
! market? Will leaf and cloud aud fountain
charm the eye that has for three-?ourths ol
' a lifetime lound its chief tienuty in hogsheads
and bills of sale? Will parent? be competeut
j torear their children for high and holy pur
I .pose, if their infancy and boyhood and girl
\ htKxl ??ere neglected, ?vlien they are almost
i reaiiy to enter ujsin the world" and have all
I their babita fixed and their principles stereo
i typed? Nt?, no: now is the time to tie happy
Now is the time to serve your Creator. Now
iv the time to be a Christian. Are you too
busy? 1 have knonn men as busy as you ar?
wbe had a place in the store loft where they
|weuttoprny. Some one asked a Christian
sailor where he found any place to pray in.
: He said : "1 can always find a ?piiet place al
rras?L?ijd.' ? Cu' i rt the busiest day of the
season, if yonr heart i's right, you can find a
place to pray Broadway and Pulton stree?,
are good places to pray iii as you go to
meet your various engagements. <?o
home a little ? arbor and get intro
doced to your- children. Be not a gah'??
slave by day and night, lashed fast to the oar
of I.o-.i ce l^et everyday have its hour for
? worship ami intellectual culture and recrea
, tion. ?bow yourself greater than your busi
ness-. Act not as though after death you
would enter lipon an eternity of railroad
i i "i k- and <<ili. and boblions. Roast Dot
your manhoods before t he perpetual fire?; of
anxiety. Withe\ery yan! of cloth you sell
throw not. in your soul to boot. Cse firkin
' and counting room dank and hard??are erat*.
I as the slepto jlnrioiiB n<?efuln< and high*?!.
; Christian character. Decide unce and for
ever who shall ts- master in your store, you
or your business.
Again, business men are often tempted to
let. their <-alling interfere with the interests
ot' the soul dod sends men into the business
j World to get educated, just as boys are sent
I to school and college. Purchase and sale, loss
I and gain, disappointment and ?.?piug, pros
I peril y. the dishonest y of other*, panic and
I hunk suspension aie but different leesons in
the school. The more business, the more
means of grace. Many have gone through
wildest panic unhurt "Arc you not afraid
you ?viii break-' said tome one to a merchant
I in time of great commercial excitement. He
replied "Aye. 1 shall break when the fiftieth
Psalm breaks, lp the fifteenth verse: 'Call
upon me in the ?lay of trouble and 1 will de
liver tho? '
Tb? store and the counting house have de
i veloped acme of he most stalwart charao
?ters. Perhaps originally the? had but little
upright line.*.*- and force, but two or three
hard busijiesu thumps woke them up from
their let ha ru v and t bar? ?ama a t tx? rou ?rh de
velopment in t heir hearts of all that was goo?
and holy and energetic and tremendous, and
they have become the front men in Cbrist'l
great army, as well as lighthouses in the
great world of traffic. But Dustaess has been
perpetual depletion to many a man. It first
pulled out of him all benevolence, next all
amiability next all religious aspiration, next
al) conscience, and though he entered his va
cation with large heart and noble charactei
he goes out of it a skeleton, enough to scare c
ghost.
Men appreciate the importance of having
a good business stand, a store on the right
side of the street, or the right block Now,
every place of business is a goo?! stand for
.im liui.I culture. God's angels hover ?iver
'|- world of traille to sustain and build up
those who are trying to do their duty. To
morrow, if in your place of worldly en gag
ment you will listen for it. you may hear e
un.i louder than the rattle of drays sud th?
i hallie of feet and the clink of dollars steal
ing into your soul, saying, "Seek ye first the
kingdom of Hod and His righteousness, and
all other things shall !>? added unto you.''
Yet sumo of those sharpest nt the bargain
are cheated out of their immortal blosstslnew
by stratagems more palpable llianany "drop
game" of the strtjet. They make invest,
men ts in things e\ erlast bigly below par.
They put their valuable* in a safe not tire
proof. They give fnll credit to influences
that will not be able */> pay oue cent on a
dollar. They plunge into a labyrinth from
which no ban lo tip t law or "two-thirds enact
incut" will ever extricate them. They take
into their partnership t he world, tho flc/h and
the tlevil, and the enemy of all righteousness
will boast through eternal age? that the man
who in all his business life could not ba out
witted or ?iverrouched at last tumbled into
spiritual defalcation ?nd ?vas swindled out of
heaven.
Perhaps some of you saw the lire in New
York in 1835. Aged men tell us that it beg
rarod all description. Some stood on tue
housetops of Brooklyn, and looked at the red
ruin that swept down the streets and threat
ened to obliterate the metropolis. But th?
commercial world will yet lie startled by ?
greater conflagration, even the last. Bills ol
exchange, policies of insurance, mortgager
of bonds and government securities will tx
? mc .nm .I in one lick of tho flame. Th?
Bourse and the United States mint ?rill tun
to ashes. Gold will run molten into the dasi
of tho street. Exchanges and granite blocL-i
of merchandise will fall frith a crash thai
will make tho earth tromble.
Tho Hashing up of tho great, light will show
tho righteous the way to their throne.?
Tholr liest tr^utures in heaven, they ?viii go
np and take possession of them. The toils of
I MI .?ni life, which racked thoir brain and
rasped their nerves for so many years, will
have forever ceased. "Thero tho wicked
cease from troubling, and tho weary aro at
rest." _
An Interesting Page.
Jo Bradley isa House of Repr?sentatives
pago who is detailed to work in tho press j
gallery. Ho is a bright little fellow, ac
tive as a kitten, and will never accept
fees for running errands. When offered
ono tho other day ho refused it, with the
remark: "1 am paid by tho Govern
ment for my work and I don't want your j
money." Ho is hardly in Ills' ..teens,"
hut ia sharp and quick as. ever a bright ?
boy was. Ile was appointed by Repre
sentative' Bayne, of Pennsylvania, and !
lives in Allegheny City, and is always I
ready to defend his home.
Ho thinks Washington is abandoned to
vice and crime, and that some day it
will be swallowed up by n justly outraged
earth. Tho people of AUcghany City,
according to Jo, are uprightand educated,'
while those of Washington-well, evea
Jo hesitates to find word? to express his!
opinion. He was asked if ho did not
think it would bc a good :-eherne to
transport thc Capitol tn Allegheny City.
'.Not by a long shot," he replied, "the
{leonie out there aro righteous now, but
leavens knows what would b.v pen if
they had the Capitol for a short time.^
Jo takes great interest in tb". debates
in thc House, and often remarks that he
has given pointers to certain speakers,
but he does not. exactly like their mannet;
of expr?s* lng his views. Jo sees a great
deal of thc newspaper men, and as an ex
pert his testimony is worth something/
He says thc newspaper men are a hard
lot, and wlie i naked if he did not want
to join the fraternity himself said not
unless he gets a good deal more hardened
than he is now.-Mail and Krpreit. *?
I
Lecturer and Desperarlo.
: During his lecture tours, which filled
' thc better part of eighteen years, A.
"Miner Griswold (the "Fat Contributor")
had many curious adventures. One night
I while lecturing in a very demoralized I
Western village he was constantly inter
rupted and iusnlted by. the town bolly,
adesperado who bad killed a number of
men. Thc doorkeeper and usher wera
afiaid of the fellow, who came for th*
avowed purpose of breaking up tho ?cn
tertainmen'. Griswold finally lost his
I '.-it K nee, and, ?topping short in a sen
tence, said to the ruffian :
"My dear ?ir, either you or- I must
Jeave the hall."
Thc ?sn leaned back in bis chair and
smilingly anaWCffd :
"Waal, young folltfW, I guess you had
better quit." v ? . ..
The lecturer stepped back, and theU^N,'
rnnning forward at full speed, leaped
from the platform full upon bis adver
sary. What with his speed, Dig weight
(190 pounds), and the height of the ros
trum, hi* impetus knocked the man
senseless und smashed thc chair in which
he was sitting, fie wax carried* oui a
hopeless wreck, amid loud' applause,rand
Criswold returned to the platform)and
finished his lecture.-JVeto York Siar.\>?
* ---~ -. i -XTt
An Old Watch.
I saw thc other day a go1-* watch
which was made in 1760. Ii x * ..j odd
looking watch compared with tl ose of
.he present day. It was mode by the
'unions watchmaker, Brcguet, of Paris.
(Ic has beeu dead for more than one
hundred years. It waa worn by the
grandfather of the present owner, who
iough t under Napoleon and carried this
watch through the seige of Moscow and
;he terrible retreat that followed. It ks
in open face watch, with keyhole in the
face. Its mechanism is exceedingly del
icate and complicated. It must have
3ccn a very valuable timepiece in its
jay, as I do not remember having seen
many which repeat the hour, three-quar
ters hour, half hour, quarter hour and
.ven minute. Wc do not fully appre
ciate this feature at thc present day, but
ISO years ago, it must be remembered,
natches were not in free use-in fact, I
believe it was before thc time matches
were known. It must have receivsl
iomc rough usage, passing through tho
Napoleonic wars anti other strange vicis
situdes before it reached America. To
pas* through all those adventures and not
become utterly useless must redound to
the great fame brcguet enjoyed in his
time in Paris. In the last six months,
however, it has shown a feebleness ? n 1
unreliability which it was natural to ex
pect years ago. The watch since then
has made the rounds of nearly every
jewelry shop in Chicago.- Chicago Her
ald.
The Incomes of Four Meo.*
Rockefeller's fortune probably yields,
at ito estimated value, five per cent. Van
derbilt's yields about the same. Astor's
fortun?is calculated to yield six percent.
Inasmuch as many of tho stocks and
bonds owned by Gould pay no interest
at all, it is not probable that he derives
over three per cent. on,his total" wealth.
Taking these, figures tho annual apd daily
incomes''of the four,".men,"* comp^oYmdiog
the interest'' KCUJ?-annually, to allow for
ru-investment, ar?/'as fellows : v>y*.<
,k YKAR?V AND DAILY INCOHKSV'/i
? ? Kamt. ?. ? ?"'. Vip? income, *aV.' faeowr.
John I). Kxickefeller,..,fAit?l.fX)0|^ 119,718
Williajn Waldorf AWor 8,612,TOt>f^Q8,f,08
(Jornc??ns Vanderbilt..: B, AVI, OOO : . ' J,\;i'?
Jny-Gtnrkl.'.?;...... 2,718,000 7,-tit;
? . J "/ - ""?ton Herald.
The 'l Haines Uiver in one month pro
vided daily 8'?,0?R,fi62 gallons of tua
London water supply.
SELECT SIFTINGS.
At three vegetarian restaurants in Lon-1
?lou thc dinners daily served up averago'
1550.
A canary at Birmingham, England,
through hs companionship with a parrot,;
is said to have learned to speak several
words distinctly.
A woman nt Danville, Ind., the mother
of two children, sold a bed which had'
been given her by an aid society for
money with which to pay for a I?CCUBO to
marry another man.
A gentleman of Fredcricksburg, Ya.,
on buying, recently, an old Confederate
note as a souvenir, discovered that it was
indorsed with his own signature as hav
ing been paid in 1862.
An inmate of a lunatic asylum in Bres
cia, Italy, was released on February 1,
after a seclusion of forty years. During
this period his cost to tho institution,
footed up moro than $5000.
lt is H singular fact that glassblowers
live as long os the average of mankind'
ana develop larger lungs than anybody
else. Most any glassblower can expand'
his chest Ave or six inches, and there n
one man who can expand twelve.
An electric vegetable is said to have
been discovered in India which has the*
power of affecting the magnetic needle
at a distance of twenty feet when tho
weather is favorable. In rainy weather
it has no electric influence whatever.
A little girl fivo years old arrived in
Paterson, N. J., having traveled by rail
alone from Saginaw, Mich. Thc child,
at the request of ber father, was shipped
as express matter, with a tag about ncr
neck giving her name and destination and
also tlie key of her trunk.
The latest attraction of the London
Zoo is a collection of monster lizards, the
largest animals of their class. They aro
JO large and strong that it is said in India
burglars sometimea make usc of them,
seizing hold of tho lizard's tail and being
drawn by it to thc upper windows of a
house.
At Small Point, Me., the prospectors
for coal arc contemplating exploring the
bottom of the sea. A largo scow has been
engaged, and on it will bc placed the en
gine which will drive an electric dynamo
to furnish a light for a diver, who ia'tc*
explore the submarine depths at Small
Point.
An advertisement waa printed in a New
York paper ? al line, for a "bank burglar/
first-class, must have 'done time,' and be
'well up' in nitro-glycerine and other
modern explosives; tb call at HIS Broad
way at 3 v. M." One was found who
filled the bill. Ile was wanted by a
theatrical troupe.
Last year there were 3131 calls to fire?
in i/mdon. Of these 594 were falso
alnriMs,vwere chimney fires and 233B
for oihcr tfff8. of which resulted in
serious damagc\ s Forty-four persons were*
burned to death. Kr? extinguish the fife?!
20,000,000 gallons, P^tf?? g "V?f
water were used. V/
George S. McIntyre, of Biddcford/
Me., aged 00 years, is described as a,
natural mathematical prodigy mut tho
possessor of a prodigious memory for.
poetry. "Yet at present," we aro told*
"he lives in a Biddcford garret, subsist-*
ing on the scraps which charitable ac
quaintances givo bim." J
Miss Ella Ewing, living near Rainbow!
Mo., eighteen years old, is now seven feet
eight inches high, weighs 225 pounds',
wears a number fifteen shoe, which, ol
course, abe has to have made to order!
and her shoemaker had to order a special
last. The girl's parents are about tho
usual size, thc father being possibly a
little taller than the average man.
Bird Language.
"To my mind, all birds have a lan
guage, and that language is as intelligi
ble to themselves as ours is to us," said
the proprietor of a bird store. "I have
a pair of canaries and I often listen te
their conversation. In thc morning one
of them gives a 'tw-eet. ' 'Are you
awakeV he says to the other. Thc othei
gives a'tw-cct.' 'Yes; I'm u little sleepy!
though,' and closes his ryes again. 4But
it's morning.' .! don't care,' says the
lazy mate, tucking his head under he
wing once more. 'UV timo to wake up.'
ThiB time there is no reply.
"Then thc other proceeds to indulge iii
a morning serenade. Ile carols up and
down tho seale. Then the second bird
pokes nut her head and shakes her feath
ers. 'It's really impossible under th?
circumstances,' she says. 'I nope you
don't feel cross,' he says. 'Oh, no, only
-' And then they patch it all up and inj
dulge in a charming duct."-Detroit Tri
bune.
A Great Stone.
One of the largest bowlders in th?
world is situated in tho English j laka
district in Cumberland County, Engitmdj
It ia the shape of a ship'a kecl.rwcig???
nearly W OO tons, or nearly thrco times
aa much as the "Tandil bowlder." ^Tn?
atone measures 62 feet in length, 30, (ccf
jin;height,,,sad is ascended.by.a^bah^l
traded staircase of 80 ?teps.1*?. Likcjmoal
other curious geological attractiona^riB
'ono, knows ita origin or ;historJ?ffi^W
bowlder stands in such arpositIonrthaEf8
person on top of it can sway ifpcrj
cf> ,bly. vVuV**
-i .'. Wi*
j The TTmpcror of (?hina .VlslW IB? Em-,
press dowager at tho Nanbai palace evert
five days to inquire after her Majesty.^
health. Tho visits aro always very caril
(n i he morning, attended by u. vuM rptfQ
nue of personal 'pJ??TTST'^.I ?