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■ sr -. It*' ••T/ ’ ' '• *> W #T* <1. - ■r /* The Darlington News. M. T. Thompson, Ed. A Prop. «&*-' Tf JP'- m d t H *. '■J ffiy W.lfgWk,. On* of tb« eurioaitiM exhibited *t the Cincinnati Centennial k n petrified watermelon, which wat found near the quarries of the Southern Granite Com panv, at I.ithonia, Ca. THB LAZY MAN. Pm tbe n't boot ifc. In tbe manufacture of cotton the United States is the second nation in the wor d, led on ! J by Great Britain, which a*es fifty jer cent more than this coun try. We ronsinie two and one-half time* as much rnw cotton as < ermany, and 'hrcc times as much a-t Franca An imperial ukase lias been issued in Fu ^a eatending the term of military service from fifteen to eighteen yeiirt fire yen s in the active army and thirteen yta a in the re'crve*. Tiie annual con tingent of recruits, wh ch in the list yea.» numhereil about 388,000, ia rai-ed for the present year to 250,000. Tbe Moderation Society of New York ha* a perambulating tank of ice water, »bii h is driven about the city all day tod makes frequent stop* that the thinty may take advantage of the water. The tack holds 300 gallons, and on hot days k filled three time* and uses up 2100 poueda of ice. This is the second seasoa of this mode of assisting temperance I The Amphitrite, one of the double turreted monitors, which have been fourteen years under construction in the Brooklyn Navy Yard, k to have her steam trial immediately. The Terror, Miantonomah and Monadnock, aster ships of the Amphitrite, are also pro greasing, but it will be a long while be fore any of these vessels, which will be ef excellent service for coast defense, can be fully equipped and put in com mits on. A French inventor, M. Pagan, has discovered e way to stop the headway of asteimer in short order, and conse quently lessen considerably the dangers of colluion at sea. Theharrc and Bor deaux papers speak of a coming test of the machine by one of the French war itcamers. The machine consi.-ts of a number of parachutes, so placed that they can be toased overboard readily and towed by a cable. The resmtance, with out being great enough to produce a shock, rapidly overcomes the headway of the vessel. Fay* the New York Pot: “The Liber al journals in Belgium are calling atten tion to the great increase in the number ol c«u\ ents in the kingdom. In tiie thirty- f»Ui years from to 18b0 the numbet of curb establishments increased from 772 to 15W‘, and the number of inmatei from 11,1168 to23,262. In the Province of 1 uxemburg, where until recently monks were almost unknown, there an now quite a number of monasteries. It the town of Brugeq the capital of Weal Flanders, it appears that the rcligiom bodies maintain no less thsn forty hou ce.*’ ____________ A lending ( hicago restaurateur, aver* tbe JYnirie Parmer, comes pretty neai tolling the problem of how to furnish the poor with good food at almost nom.ua! coat. He will buy the entin carcass of beef at an average cod ol eight and one-half cents a pound, re sene for hi* restaurant the choice por tions that would cost him twenty-twc cents a pound, and with the remaindc make soup. With tbe meat and bresc he proposes to furnish from a largi kitchen at fire cents a meal, excellent food to individuals and families. Tin sc heme is not a charitable one, but purely a business venture, run for profit. - 1 - 1 ■ ■ rhe statue of Marion F. Wells, the discoverer of gold in California, is a bronze backwoodsman ten feet high, clad in flannel shirt, top boots and slouch hat, holding a nugget in the right hand, while the left points downward. The gesture is explained by the fact that the monument will stand on Marshall Hill. El Dorado county, where Marshall found the gold. The figure will be placed on a pedestal and mound twenty- five feet high, and one panel of the hex agonal abaft will bear a bron'e relief, ■howing Sutter’s mill. Other decora tioca to the monument are miner’a too's, logging camp, saw and ax, the seal of California, and a frieze with a pine cone as a motif. Mrs. James Nader lives on a small farm near Potistown, Penn. A year ago she was the mother of twenty-two living children, the youngeit being a few months old. There was a mortgage for ♦350 on tbe little Nader property. The holder of the mortgage one day, a year •go, said in n joking way to Mrs. Nader that if her family numbered twenty-four children within the coming year he wou'd lift the mortgage. A few days ago he called to collect the year's interest on the debt. Mrs. Nader quie'.ly con- ducted him to a cradle in her sitting room, exhibited to him a pair of three weeks' old twins, and reminded him of his promise. The mortgage was can- eel'cd and the twins presented with |100 betides. There are still some old fashioned bandits in the world, muses tbe TiW Democrat. One Beitutlah, a Turk, has shown himself worthy to have lived in the days when brigandage, under one name or another, wav the only profession for a gentleman. Beitullah had long wooed a beautiful girl named Aishe, and he finally won her by force, carrying her off in n raid upon Guebz&h, where she lived. The ceremony was duly per* fanned in the presence of hk followers, and on its conclusion the bridegroom wrote to the officials of Guebzah, in forming them of the wedding and re questing them to properly register It. 11* threatened them with terrible ven- i legalize his 1 spring laziest man, I reckon, that a ever wed! u Got money I Nary a dollar! I fer greed, Fer graspin’an* fer gripfat’when the rerenne is found; I’m what you can a lazy ’an—Jet* built far lyin’ round! Contentedl Mighty right I am; wind* whisper sweat In the meadows where tbe daisies make a carpet far your feet; Where tbe nestin' birds are chirpin’; where the brook, in witchin’ p’.ay, Goae laughin' on, a-poshin’ all tbe lilies out of his way. I You'll find me almost any time a lyin’ at my ease, With the lull song o’ tbe locnat and the drowsy drone o’ bees Above me and aroun’ me; I'm a poet in my way, An’ I rather hear the birds ting 'an to shco' ’em any dsyl "Jetf laziness,’’ they tell me, an' I reckon they are right; But the world's so full & I«anty, an’ you cant see much at night! But different folk* has different minds, nor drink from tbe same cup; When I'm talkin’ to the lilies, they're allow in' of em’ up. My field's a pasture for the cows, an’ though it never pays. It's a source of pleasure to me je^ ter -tee the creature* graze!. fbe tinkle, tinkle o’ tbe bails is such a pleas in’ sound, But I’m a lazy chap, you know, jes’ built fer lyin’ round I A SENATOR’S STORY. BT ROB. GEORGE O. VEST. [Sevrral years ago, at the request of some "fi 0 ® ,w *•** •«> interest, United Btatee Senator Vest wrote a story for a little paper they were publishing. The story was printed anonymously, however, and few of tho*e who hat an opportunity of reading it knew who the author was. The (senator ha* given permission for the story to be republished under Us own name. It is as follows:] In 18C3, while passing through a vil lage in Alisrissipjit, I w ts approached by a surgeon of the Confederate army with inquiry as to my name and place of na- tiyity. As I had no special reason for withholding the desired information I was told that my cousin, Charley 8 , from Kentucky, bad been badly wounded in a recent fight with the enemy and was then lying in the hospital at that place and in a critical condition. “He is badly o.T,” said the doctor, “mentally and physically, and unless some one takes a special inteiestin bun, and in the right way, he will die." Charley und myself had been raised together, but hud not met for yenra. In early manhood our paths in life had widely diverged I had gone to the far West, and on the breaking out of the war hod entered the Confederate service from Missouri, whilst he had become a citizen of Mississippi and had been in the same service from the beginning of hostilities with the command of Ce.ieral Chalmers. A very few minutes' walk brought me to the hospital where Charley lay with hundreds of other gallant fellows, wait ing for the result—Tifo or death. Tiie fepulchrul light in the shadowy room, the half suppressed moans of agony, the weird shapes of the Sisters of Mercy noiselessly moving from couch to conch, were not cheerful, to aay the least, and when I looked down at the poor, wan, emaciated form before me, stretched upona<ot, and realized that this was what war had left of the glad-hearted, robust friend of my boyhood—well, I was rather disposed to give up a few of “ray rights in the Territories,^ if they would let me live peaceably in the States. “Charley,” said I, “old fellow, do you know mef" “Yes,'’ he whimpered, whilst a faint gleam of light came into his eyes; “I Eeanl you were here and sent for you.” I sat there, and the dce|>enmg shadows came about mc, t lhc silence unbrokqn save by a groan, whilst memory went back to our boyhood, his and mine, the old hills and the shining river, with the bridge hanging across it, and the road running up and aroun 1 the cliffs, like a serpent, undulating through the trees and rocks, the schooihouse and the old (hurch, with the high pulpit and the hard, hard teats, where we sat on each recurring Hnbbath, with eyes fixed on the preacher, until our cervical vertebr c teemed to bo parting. Oh, how we longed then to be men! What dream of adventure, traicl, war, flitted before us as •’scvcnteouthly," “eighteenthly” and “in conclusion my dear friends,” fell from those venerable lips! Well, we had become men, and here was the end, a laid of airoaj nod a soldier s death! Deeper fell the shadows and memory still lingered ntnidst the scenes of the far off past. How the cold, stern features of that austere Presbyterian, under whose teachings we were reared, became zoftened by the dim twilight of the years ago. Father, mother, teacher, minister, where are they/ Ask the marble gleaming in the moonlight on those Kentucky hills. And how they taught us our duty both to God and man. Hard, severe, tyrannical, we thought it then. But now, softened by time, we see the surpa sing love which was in it all. The mind is at times disposed to vaga bondize and to dwell upon subjects utterly »* variance with all our sur roundings. How often in some holy place do we find unholy thoughts press ing upon us? How often with the bier and grave do wc find some ludicrous idea dancing, harlequin-like, by our •ide? And so, tilting there in the gloom by the bedside ol death, I actually laughed aloud as the image of “Old Put came out upon the canvas memory of the past. < Mu Put” was an old horse belonging to my father, and named from patriotic motives after the New England hero, General Israel Fulnam, whose famous gallop down a precipice in his apocryphal escape has served to illustrate every school history for fifty years, and has sent that illustrious warrior down to posterity, indissolubly connected with a In color, “Old Put” was white; from it like the floating from it 111 venerable patriarch. . , troops vmz»«iwu was he ever known to exhibit the slight est impatience, while to the old and in- film he was a palladium of safety. Dignified, affable and venerated, both on account of age and character, “Old I “ t ’ M institution. There was nothing frivolous about him, nothing erratic. In short, he was the erabodi- meat of Presbyterian ideal, ia the shape of a horse. One thing only in his per’ wnal appearance did not eustain his general character as it was known to nil. In enrly life, probably while owned by some irreligious horse fancier. Put’s tail h»d been nicked,and from earliest recol- lection it presented, the appearance of a gjwtlj weeping pillow, Wing always cwrkd at an angleof fortgWdegrei. the white hair floatia locks of a f Now, like all boys worthy the came, Charley and myself were mighty hnntcrs. and in the fall when wild pigeons passed over the woods of Kentucky in vast droves, we reveled in the sport of hunt ing. This season only lasted for a few weeks, and every Faturday, therefore, was eagerly expected and glonoudy spent Never can we forget the sacrifices of personal pro|>erty, dear to our hearts, the trades and artifices tod shifts of all sorts •o which we resorted in order to obtain ammunition for these autumnal hunts. One Fridsy afternoon, in tbe mid «t of Ae pigeon season, when we could look from the school-house window and see drove after drove of birds darkening the sky < barley came to me vith tbs infor ms inr, that he had secured, by amaster- *! be of enterprise, a large amount of ■ v lcr, with shot in proportion, for the evt day, and we proceeded to map out it the details of the hunt The env^ of every other boy in the school w as excited by our boasts of what we proposed to do on tbe morrow, and in our anticipated success we went back to past exploits, many of them imagioa>y: T hrice fought our battles o'er again. And thrice we slew the s!ain. The morrow came, bat instead of the “sun of Austerlitz,” the heavens were shrouded in gloom, and tbe rain flooded the earth the long dreary day. Moodily, desperately, Charley and myself sat gazing through the dripping windows, asking each other over and over the savage questions: “What shall we do/" and “Why does it always rain on Satur day;” We were just in that condition of mind when Satan makes his appearance, and in a bland, respectable, gentlemanly way, as Goethe tells us, proposes some infcrcal scheme of ruin, tin that event ful diy his Satanic majesty, true to his antecedents, intruded himself and prompted Charley to suggest that we slip off and go hunting the next day, Sunday. At first the proposition was re eived with horror, then we discussed it with “!>ated breath.” and finally we illus trated the truth of that much hackneyed quotation, “Vico ia a monster of such frightful mien,” etc., by arranging all the prelim'naries. t hirley was to tike charge of (he ordnam e dep irtment and have guns and ammunition at a certain ;e laded »-jK>t veiy eirly the next morning, and 1 was to be responsible for the transporta tion, and to meet him with an ancient family chase and “Old Put.” That night I crept to bed with a feeling of gudt and pretermitted my usual prayers. A dozen times I determined to abandon the unholy cnterpri>c, and even after I fcl! into a troubled sleep all forts of spectral visions floated around me. A negro boy, whom I had suborned for the purpose, waked me up at an early hour, and my courage having partially returned. I managed to secure the chaise with “Old Put,” and met Charley at the rendezvous. In safety, without being Seen by a single person, we reached «the open country, and then, flinging to the winds ail reflections as to consequences, we proceeded to elevate our feet above the duthboaid of the old chase and to fmoke two very long but common cigars, the only luxury of that kind ou; limited exchequer could afford. Suddenly, at a sharp turn in the roa 1, wecncounterc 1 the ancestral family carriage of ’Squire Joe Uoberts, containing the Roberts family, consisting of the father and three maiden daughters, on the r way to the church at an utterly unprecedented hour in the morning. Old 1'oinp, a gray-haired I thiopian, sat in sober majesty on the driver's seat, driving two lain ly animal* as faithful h.m elf. To the casual ob server the vehicle and its attachments were eminently suggestive of patriarchal dignity and domestic propriety, hut to me it suggested nothiug but agony and tears. Toe Roberts family were staunch Presbyterians and noted for their strict observance of the Sabbath, and I knew that every orthodox Fiesbyterian felt himself as much railed upon before God to inquire into the cause of any child be ing at large on the Sabbath day and to apprehend and deliver that ch id up to its proper guardian as to assist a neigh bor whose cattle 1 nd broken out and were straying from the proiier inclosure. My first impulse was to hide that vil lainous cigar, wh eh I int litively felt gave me a lawless and ru.iinnly appear ance, and with the quickness of thought I thrust it down into the outside pocKst of my coat. Charley and myself were side by side, and unf irlunatoly my hand with the burning cigar went into his pocket and u, on the tighvly wrapped pujicr of powder. At tbe same moment 'Squire Roberts discovered the extraordinary turnout, comprising “Old Put" and two children of the church, loose on Sunday morning. The Roberts vehicle stop ed, and as Pomp proceeded to dismount from his jiorch to o|*cn the carriage door there was an explosion, such as my nervous system h.is never experienced since. C harley and myself separated immediate ly. He went over the fence into e m adow and I passed dear over or through the Roberts carriage, 1 have never been certain which. Amidst the shrieks of the Miss/.s Roberts and the yells of the 'Squire and old Pomp I sprang to my feet, burning and half dead, to be hold a scene of utter ruin. Both vehi cles were wrecked. Pomp was in the midst of the debris and 'Squire Roberts looked like the captain of an exploded steamboat, but the central figure was that of “V>ld Put.” True to hismilitary title, that veneral animal stood his ground, but terribly demoralized. He had been blown forward on his fore quarters, while his tail stuck straight up, bald and blackened like a charred stump after a forest fiie. It is hardly necessary to pursue the subject further. Carried back in dis grace on that bright Sabbath morning, we were swathed and bandaged with cruel kindness for days afterwards. Special prayers were made for m at church and prayer meeting. All the Sunday-school scholars were brought to see us ns a warning, whilst tho doctor and minister alternated in physicing us bodily and spiritually. But the disastrous consequences did not end here. “Old Put” from that day was no- longer the same horse. From having been the kindest and best and safest animal in Kentucky he became “Satan’s own,” and at Christmas, when the firecrackers bsgan their annual fug |. ade. he was perfectly restless. “Charley, do you rocollcet ‘Old Pot?’” 1IST0RY Of OCEAN CABLES m MMXS that closely com. MBCT TWO HEMI8PHEKE* A faint ripp'e of laughter satisfied me there was hope for him yet. M hen the surgeon came on his nightly round Charley was better, and ia three days out of danger. Maimed and dis figured for “tho land he loved, "he is married and living in Mississippi, and h** no doubt told his children the storv of our Sunday pigeon hunt and “Old Atlanta Conti,tutim. ■-Ilia cut be used constantly, if a little care is oifd i* the washing. fttflirnltlea Encountered In Laying the First Atlantic Cablc-Fe*- tlvitles that Commemorated H. The fir<t suggestion of the pmet'ea- lility of an Atlantic cable was made by Profesior Morse in 1843, nearly two /ears before his first telegraph line was u opeiation, and the first submarine able known to have been laid was jumpleted in September, 1851, and con- sected England and France. April 15. 1354, the New York, Newfoundland and London Telegraph Company was in corporated, and on May tt the first meet ing <>t the Board of Directors was held, tnd preparations were In-gun for laying s Cable between America and Europe. In July, 18*<6, soundings were made in tho Atlantic for a cable route, and the next summer the work of laying it was begun, but on August 10 the cable end was : ost at sea and could not be re- jovered and spliced, and hence the firet attempt proved a failure. In the meantime, however, a second Atlant'c cable company, called the At lantic Telegraph Company, had been fonned, of which Cyrus W. Field was a prominent member, and he became the manager of the company before the work was completed. < n April 34, 1857, the iteamship Niagara sailed from New York to assist in laying this second cable, and August 15 the cable squadron, comprising the Niagara and the British aaval vessels, the Gorgon and Indus, •ailed from C.ucenstown and commenced the work, which was pursued until in terrupted by winter and resumed again June 10, 1858. The end in mid-ocean was successfully grappled and split cd, but a few days later the cable parted 'gain but was again spliced, and on August 5 tbe work was completed. On tbe loth, the shore connections having been made, tbe President of the United States and the Queen of England ex changed congratulations over the com pletion of tbe cable, and New Y ork be gan preparations for one of tbe biggest celebrations known up to that time. The city and ^ surrounding country went fairly wild*over the accomplishment ol the great undertaking and put in two days and one night making it niemora b!<\ Tiie city was overrun with visitors and the streets were described as con taining “over half a million of jubilant people," and nearly every building was de: orated. From the I’attcry to Union p acc, as it was called then, Broadway was *o densely packed that the Seventh and Seventy-first regiments, acting at escort to a grand procession, could scarcely crowd their way through. Thert were services during the day in Trinity Church, where Bishop Doane delivered an address, and there were services else- wheie and a grand re eption to Mr. F eld and the o.Peers of the vessels at the Battery. During the festivities the next day th< announcement was made that “a bug had got into the cubic'’ And it was wisely concluded to postpone further rejoicing to celebrate the eviction of the “bug.’ It was never got out, however, and the cable was use ess from that date. Mr Field and his associates, although sadly disappointed, were not entirely discour aged, but tbe war came on before they could get to work again and the thircl Atlantic cable was not ready to lay until about the 1st of June, 1MI5. On July 2 2 the shore end was laid, and the next day the Great Eastern, which had failed to find any other field of usefulness, com me need paying out the cable. Ex perience gained from the two previoiu voitures proved xaluable to the third enterprise, but even yet there was much to learn alxiut ocean cable laying. Ow ing to the immense size of the Great Eastern the work could be done more perfecily, and as coil after coil of thi cable was wound off the reels and dropped into the sea extreme can was taken to make tbe splices tc the following sec:ions as strong as the body of the cable was, but,nevertheless, on Aug. 2, the cable parted and much difficulty was experienced in grappling the ends and splicing them. As the cable wai completed, section and sec tion, tests were made through it to the shore. After a few months’ delay the Great Eastern resumed work again it recovered an end which had been lost and completed the cable, which wa opened for business July 2!», tho tarill being fixed at $100 a message. 1 oui days later the cable parted in raid-oeeac and the Great Eastern again grappled the ends. Communication was restored September 8, and the cable worked twelve years, having been abandoned it 1878. In the meantime, however, othei cables had been laid, and the tariff wa> reduced first to $25 and later in ISIO tc $15, and then cables began to multiply so fast that the rates got much lower. The difficulties encountered in the first ventures have to some extent retarded all efforts to lay Atlantic cables, bul nevertheless there are now twelve ol them in operation, ten from North and two from South America. Atlantic cables are usually constructed of seven sma'l copper wires wound to gether so as to form one conductor, and covered with a heavy coating of composi tion insulation, largely composed of rub her and paiatline, around which othei and larger iron or steel wires are wound, protected by another coating of insulst ing material, and protected on the sur iace by other and still heavier wires, at though some Lave another coating out side the wires. The shore ends are about two and one half inches io di imeter and the mid-ocean sections from an inch t< an inch and a half. The work of transmitting roessagci over the cables has been materially rc ducid of late years by improvements ii the machinery. The first effort madeti transmit messages was by means of thi Morse c <de of signals as used on ordinar telegraph lines, but owing to the intro duct ion of the current, which does no affect aerial lines to an appreciable cx tent, it was found that only one or tw< words a minute could be sent. Sir Wil I lam Thomson, the g eat English elec trician and scientist, then devised i means of signaling by the aid of a needh ana looking-glass. A small needle ia vibrated to and fix by the alternate currents. Attached, U the end of the needle is a siphon about the hundredth part of an inch in diame ter, through which ink flows constantly The ooint of the siphon or pen rests oi a strip of naper which is automatical!] pulled under it, and as the needle vi brates the pen marks the vibrations ii rig/ag lines tn the paper. The operate reads the signals off as they pass befon him and writes them on the usual blanks while an attendant coils up the papei atrip and files it away. The paper goo along continually and when theoperato; at the other end of the cable has a met sage to transmit he goes right ahead will it. The sending operator aits to th« right of the receiver and manipulatei two keys side by side, one for the posi live and the other for the negative cur rent—ATm* Fer* World. The Beak of ] 1< NEWS AND NOTES FOB WOMEN. Red aad violet do not accord. Washington giris are *ki«f up f*a*- ing. Oriental combinations of color are ia vogue. Ruas’a leather ia all colon ia won for house shoes. Loose blou?e* art won by youag girts and children. Mrs. John Sherman in a devoted •tudent of horticulture. Silver for personal adornment in creases In feshionab'* favor. Miss Mary Anderson, the actress, baa celebrated her thirtieth birthday. The fall colors will be petri gray, olive, absiat'.e green and reseda. Edith Thomas, the poet will assist in (diGng St Nicholas next sea*on. White esame'ed slicks are seen npon tome of the p ettkst white parasols. Q* een Margherita, of Italy, is popu larly called “The Queen of Hearts.” Mrs. Laura A. Russell, of Bluffdala, HI, is ninety-one and loves to work. Lace fi mneings and net are about equally popular for costumes this season. Thirty-five women are students in the London School of Medicine for Women. The fancy of the hour in jersey pins is a long rusty-looking nail of oxidised sil ver. Miss Ella Transom Las challenged Mrs. Shaw to a whistling match for $500 a side Gieen and blue produce an indifferent effect, but better when tho colors are deep Somber-colored costumes may be re lieved with lucifer red or absinthe green. Draped bodices of soft wite silk, with blac k Swiss belts and braces, are in high favor. Novel white parasols are composed of large petals of muslin overhanging each other. A new shade of green, rather dark, is extensively used in combination with white. Mrs. Livermore is engaged to give her Fourth of July oration one year in advance. Coiffures are worn higher than for merly, although the Psyche knot is still in favor. In fancy woolens and ganzes pure white is preferred to cream by young la dies this season. A pretty hat for a little girl is a wide- brimmed leghorn, trimmed with a curl ing ostrich plume. Mrs. George Westingbouse is credited with an income of $7u00 a month from natural gas stocks a’.oue. When two colors accord bsdly to gether, it is always advantageous to separate them by white. The ex-Emprcss Victoria talks of donating a large portion of her dowry to German charitable work. The long, loose-fitting tan suede glove, with its wrinkles and generally rumpled appearance, is again in style. Mme. Patti’s castle in Wales will be sold because its fair owner has been robbed right aad left by her neighbors. Pretty, cool-looking white dresses are made of the sheer linen lawns, which may be procured in various degrees of fineness. A clnb of society women m London ia going to start a large poultry farm near Loudon. Bee culture is also included in the scheme. At an Indian wedding in Bombav re cently every guest received a splendid bouquet on which attar of roses had been poured. Fashion has settled that body “linen" is to be of foulard silk, and in the case of a blonde it must be of black, tender blue or pink. There are in England 347 female blacksmiths who actually swing the heavy hammers, and 1)138 women em ployed in naii making. The two prevailing colors, luc’fer red and absiuthe green, should compose but a sma 1 part of a toilet. A complete costume of these colors is atrocious. Skirts are now provided with a loose horse hair plaiting instead of steels or bustles. It is worn attached to the waist-band, under the back of the skirt. A fall gown much worn in England and on the continent is made of bine serge with leather trimmings and with narrow straps of leather in place of but tons. An ugly color called crushed raspberry is the latest in English costumes. It is a bright color, but exceedingly trying to the complexion, taking out all the flesh tinls. The number of women engaged in ac- ti e journalism is constantly increasing. The latest a !dition to the ranks of news paper women is an Iowa lady who is managing a daily paper. Mrs. Gladstone re ently appeared at the Irish Exhibition in London with a white Irish lace shawl thrown over her poplin dre*s, and her little grandson dressed in Irish costumes. Miss Mary A. Greene, of Boston, who recently received from Boston University the degree of Bachelor of Uws, has been admitted to the liar, and in the fall will open a law office ia Boston. Three women were in hysterics at one time in the waiting room of a New York dry goods store the other day. Some slight ca ise unbalanced one, and the other two went off because they looked at the first one. Dowager Emnrcss Victoria, widow of Frederick IIL, has an annual income of $200,000, $40,000 of which is derived from England. She will be obliged to make Germany hvr nominal residence and to visit Berlin every vear. Leghorn Straw Farming. What is known as Leghorn straw is raised on (he hills which rise on each side of the rivers Pisa and Elaa, to the southwest of Florence, Italy. Its adapt ability to tho uses to which it is destined depends principally on the Soil in which it is sown, which soil, to all appearance, exists only in this small district, out of the bounds of which, the industry is unknown. Any variety of wheat which has a hollow, flexible steam can be used for seed. The soil must be tilled and prepared very much as it is for corn, but the seed must be sown five times as thickly as is usual for other purposes, and this is done in the month of Decem ber or February. When tho straw is full grown, and just before the grain begins to form itself in the car, it is uprooted and firmly tied in little sheaves the ei/e of a handful. Each aheaf or menata, as it is called, is spread out in the shape of a fan, to dry in the sun for three days, after which it is safely stowed away in barns. The harvest being over and the fields empty, it Is again spread out to catch the heavy summer dears and to bleach in the sun, daring which process » - • si( j OT | THE GERMAN DAMASCUS. • ————— ' 1 A CITY WAMOVB FOB MAKXBO W- XXPUmBBM OF WAB. are - -.Ti It is carefully turned until all _ _ equally whit*. Here the cnltivatory work ends, and the manufacturing be- g na.—.Eta Fer* ZMspa’c*. ■ The Monster Factories at Sol In gen Where Keen Bladed Weapons ot Steel are Forged. A letter from Solingea, Germany to tho Pittsburg Ditpmth says; Of all the places of industry in Germany there is not oho whose very name is so apt to make your blood run cold, and make you think of murder and death as tha men tion of this little town on the Wupper. i Wherever you go knives, forks, daggers and swords are always confronting you. ! Whenever you talk to anybody you are j always forcibly entertained with a volu- ; ble speech alxiut instruments of death. How many factories there are really in Solingen it is hard telling. Thera are 25,000 inhabitants, and with the excep tion of women, infants and old people, everybody is engaged in making some part of cutlery. This industry has been going on in this place for nearly a thou sand years. Tradition has it that Count Adolf IV., of Berg, who was the owner of Solingen, went to the crusades with Emperor Frederick II., of Carraany, in the eleventh century, and on his travels to tbe holy land came to Damascus, in Syria. Here the nobleman observed the manufacture of all kinds of weapons, and he learned it there himself. On his re turn home he at once started a factory in Solingen, and since then Solingen weap ons nave become so famous that they are now considered to be uncqualed in the world. I went all through a factory, which employs more than one thousand men exclusively in the manufacture of fine weapons. They art bow filling an order for the German Government of a new bayonet Eight hundred thousand are to Ue made, and the firm delivers 1500 a day. The weapon is twelve inches long. Before a piece of steel is converted into such an instrument of war it has to go through quite a process. In the centre of the room stood a large machine where one man and a boy were occupied. “This is where tho steel is cut before it has received a stroke yet toward the shape of a sword, so we urght call this the store room for raw material.' Thus my kind informant began his explana tion. The long pieces of steel, which were about 21 inches wide, were then put under the ma Line, and by the turning of a cian't pieces of about twelve > inches fell one after tbe other into a basket. The boy then handed the man another p ; ece of s'.eel, put an empty basket under the machine and earned the short piece* into an adjoining apart ment. We followed, and from tbe num ber of fires all around I guessed that we must have arrived at the forgei. And so it was. Each one of these piecesof steel was put into tbe fire, and when it was hot enough a mau put it under a a!eim hammer, which struck the heated steel in rapid aucceasion about twenty times on every particle of its sur face. When it was pulled out the piece wax about eighteen inches long. It waa now thrown into a large barrel tilled with water. Now the wouid-be sword had gone through the hardening process, and a number of boys gathered them again into baskets to carry them to the rolling department. In the front of each of these rolls 1 ha l my attention called to a big coke fire. This fire was stirred up to an enormous heat, aud then tho piecei of steel were one by one put into the fire. There are two men occupied at each roll, viz: the roller and his helper. As soon as the steel is hot again it comes under the roll, from where it emerges about one-eighth of an inch thic * and the eventual shape of the sword stamped on it Again the piece* of steel are ca-ried off, and this time they go to the centre presses, where they are put under a con trivance which cuts the margin off the steel, and when they leave here you cau see that the thing looks like a sword.. Hitherto, however, you have seen nothing but a dark blue piece of dirty steel, while we now come into the de partments where the metal is brightened. There is at first the “grind-mill.” This is a large place which looks like a barn. From one end of the room to the other I ob-erved row* of immense grinders, tome of them eight feet in diameter. In thii factory I saw forty stones, and in the front of eich sat a grinder. The stones are turned by steam aud watered automatically. The grinding depart ment is the most important in the entire factory, and the grinder has to be very skilful. He hat to have a keen eye; be must know when to press tho steel hard against the stone and when nut. A sin gle scraping of the stone too much spoils the whole weapon, and it has to be thrown away. Most of the other work it mechanical, while here it is intelli gence that does the work satisfactorily. From the grinding stone the piece of steel comes bright and sharp. It is now tal en to the burnishing rooms. This pirt of the work is chiefly performed by boys, who vary in age from 12 to 16 years. In this place there are a number of wheels, but they are very small Some of them are of stone, others are covered with leather, which, if tho arti- clp has to receive a polish, is covered with a powder which lends the blade a high polish. The knob and the back of the handle are now brilliantly burn ished, and the weapon is already very dangerous. But still it it unfinished. The different holes which are made in the handle, the one which fastens the blade on the gun and several others are now bored. This is done, however, by machinery, and takes but a very short time. Then the handle is covered with leather, and now that the blade itself is thoroughly comp eted it is taken to the controlling room. In this department we find, as a rule a number of old men who have been at work for the firm for long years. They arc not able to do actual hard work, but still in this department their services are indispensable. Their duty is, in fact, to examine the article and tee whether there is a blemish anywhere. As soon as he detects a flaw he knows where it was done, whether in tha burnishing, the grinding, the rolling, or any other deo payment, aud the man who is found to have made tho mistake has to make it good, or, in other words, he has to pay for the damage. Things of that kind very often lead to S cat unpleasantness, and were it not for o iron discipline which is evsrywhsre maintained, Solingen would be the scene of bloody war every day. When the weapon leaves the control- llrg department is is taken to the room wl ere tbe eheetb bee been made, nnd after that the thing ie packed aad •hipped. This process is gone through with •Tory other article ef cutlery, scissors, knives, etc. * The late Kaiser Friti, of Germaav ev.T after his marriage with the English PrlBcy Royal kept the annivenjy of Waterloo as a fete day. a sorvo or wwamb* A dream of a oasny ckAMt aft ptey, • Bins eyed and fair, frolicsome, gay. Glad as tbe bird* In (he springtime am. Sorrows afloat like clouds star. Careless of trouble, untouched by f+y Singing her « ay through tee aoMen y^ar A dream of a woman, old and gray, Wrinkled aad brat, wending her Way Lomesomely toward the last mi'estone. Where the grim, dark shadow of <i—h j, thrown. Storm stained sad weary, and worn with care— Tbe candle of life at its final flan. A dream of • grave in a churchyard Jet Neglected, drear, with weeds o’ergrown. With only the chirp of the cricket's song, As it tings in the gram the whole night long, To break the silence that krooJ so deep Where tbe worn out soul and body sleepi —Susie M. Best, fa Homo Journ U. HFXOB OF THE DAY Tn a nutshell—Sweet meats. Born to rule—A book-keeper. Notes of the day—Sight drafts. Worth its weight in gold—Gold. He “whoops 'em up”—The cooper. Awaiting its turn—A buckwheat cake. The bent of many a man's inclination is crooked. Lame men have running expenses the same as other folks. Keep your conscience but not your farm void of a fence. Strange to say, elastic has its greatest snap when it’s “broke.” The bottom of a gun-barrel is always a good base for a change. The chief disease of a miser ia attacks of tightness of the chest. Paste diamond* are so called because people get stuck on them so often. When a physician loses his skill it naturally follows t r tice. i thot he is out of prsc- An imposing sight—A street fakir selling bra$s watch cases as solid gold watches. Shakes|>eare advised his readers to throw physic to the dogs. He is silent about cats. A little up-town boy is so fond of whipped cream that he licks the dish.— DrakP, Magazine. Big Head is the name of a prominent Sioux Chief. His Sioux-de-nym as it were.—Phi’adelphia Ptmo. Some men are born witty. Others have a good memory and some witty friends.—8om‘rcUU Journal. Determining the weight of an eel is all guess work. You can’t weigh a fish without scales.—Ottawa Bee. Signor Casus Belli, the celebrated Italian, is still trying to foment trouble in Europe.—Detroit Free Prett. Some one says that wealth it a shadow This is, perhaps, the reason that we all like to sit in the shade.—Ifosfen Gazette. The sweet girl graduate about this time is getting sour over the kitchea range, learning how to cook.—SomerctUe Journal. “Poor childless wish!*’ exclaimed Fogg, when Fenderson spoke of his wish being father to his thought—Sm/os Traneeript. Blobeon—“Don’t you think that Dempsey rather plays the fool?” Popin jay—“No, sir; I think he works at the job.”—Rurfi/ig'oa Fru Pres*. “I am so glad your sister enjoyed her vis t to us, Mr, Smith." “Oh, well, you know, she is the sort of girl who cea en joy herself any a here, you know."—£i/& “1 love you, dear!’’ tbe young man said, "Oh, will you be my wifsf’ Tbe maiden drooped her modeet head And whispered, “Bet your fife!" —SomoniUe Journal. Probably there is nothing’ ia the world that a man reaent* so quickly and so deeply as to find you awfully busy when he is perfectly at leisure.—NAossod leather lie) or ter. Do not let your overweening modesty prevent you from recording your own good deeds. A real estate man lost t furl uae ome through an unrecorded deed.—Harper'e Bazar. Hopeful Youth—“Is Miss De Cash in?” Servant—“Yis, sor.” Hopeful youth—“Is she engaged/” Servant— “Yis, sor; but he isn't here this avenia’. Come in.”—The Cartoon. “Do you understand much abont arbor cultureasked I abatt of a friend. “Yes, I think 1 do.” “Well, I want to ask you a question; Are all forest tree* seeders?"—Ikras Bating*. You can’t weigh grams with a grammar, Nor sugar euro hams with a hammer, Du some with a summer, Stow plums with a plumber, Ner shear an old nun with a rammer. —Sgrinqfield Union. Dentist— 1 ‘Well, how do the new teeth work I" Patient—“Not very well. They seem to ent the others." Dentist—“That is (wrfectly natural. They belong to aa entirely different eat, you know. —Am Francisco Examines. At em on hie yacht, with a fair lady by him; He aske.l for a kiss, bat she chose to deny him, „ “Not here,’’cried the lady, in tone* full or mirth, “Though I have not the slightest objection on earth.” Visitor at Cannon Foundry—“This i* al! grand, stupendous, astounding. But where will your occupation be when universal peace prevails?” Proprietoroi Works—“Casting cannon llo celebrate t with, Sir."—Chicago Tribun*. “ If you think my legs eccentric.” Said the grasshopper to the bee, “ And my forehead queerly pointed Where the brain-box ought to be; That my mouth has feeble motions Whence dark mysteries do exude, Please to know I once existed As a Pythagorean dud*” “Father, the paper says you (officiate* at the wedding clad in tha traditional garb of the clergy.’ What does tisdi* tlonal meant” “Traditional, my son, replied the poor minister, as he looked at his cheap suit of black with a sigh* "refers to things that have been ‘handed down.’ ”—ChUago Tribune. Flameless Neearite. Securite, the new flameless exploriT*. Is the invention of Herr Behoenweg, has been used in Germany for two past. It is composed of a n! V**~ hydro carbon in combination with car- tain oxidizing agents, which i* rend*!*® flameless by the addition of s ccrtaia proportion of an organic salt. It •ro'™ a spark in exploding, but this •P ttr k ” hnrm'ess, not possessing sufficient ei • P. to explodo inflamable gases orOoridlR ‘securite" wee exploded in veiw>»'' taining the most oighly exploo** ture oigas and air, and, in som® this combined with coal dust, bp 1 gunpowder invariably cause* 1h«!' • -‘“'-in, tbe flajfteless “tccurive’’did »» j the gas or the coal dust, a"" if __ mstrated to be safe, even under severe tests and conditions ih >■> a*^ ^ present in mining operations.- ,4