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HERALD. “IF FOR THE LIBERTY OF THE WORLD WE CAN DO ANYTHING.” VOL. III. Azrael. With quiet Step, and features vailed and hidden From all of mortal mold, He cornea once more whoever comes unbidden, A Presence gray and cold. Before him lieaa silence sad and dreary, As falling Hope departs! * Behind him rolls a mournful miserere. The wail of anguished hearts. Bounds man’s deep sob, when ties are rentasunder. So sweet and yet so brief, And childhood’s cry* where loss is touched with wonder, And woman’s truer grief. Not yet around the veiled and somber angel We see the glory burn, For hear the whisper of the blest • evangel Below his accents stern. DARLINGTON, SOUTH CAROLINA, WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 1892 NO. 11. Tfce Mistakes *r M*8cs. The pain of Loss in Patience issues slowly. But lie who still aspires Shall tind his life sereneynade and holy By Sorrow’s cleansiug fires. Till this dark Presence, robber! of all its terror, Blooms In eternal yonlh. And opens for-us, freed from fault and error. The golden gates o.f Truth. THE FIFTY-THIRD CONGRESS. A Forecast of the CoMflexloa of the National Leglslatore. , Washington, Nov.—The officials of the Democratic and Republican Congressional Committees have made up their final estimates as to the strength of the majority • in the next House, which it is universally con* ceded will be Democratic by a small but sufficient majority. Some specu lation is also being indulged in re garding, the possible change in the complexion of the Senate. The terms of twenty-nine Senators will expire March 4, 1893. The eighteen Republicans who will then retire unless re-elected are Felton, of California; Hawley, of Connecticut; Hale, of Maine; Dawes, of Massachu setts; Stockbridge, of Michigan; Davis of Minnesota; Sanders, of Montana; Paddock, of Nebraska; Stewart, of Nevada; Hiscock, of New York; Casey, of North Dakota; Sherman, of Ohio; Quay, of Pennsylvania; Al drich, of Rhode Island; Proctor, of Vermont; Allen, of Washington; Sawyer, of Wisconsin; and Warren, of Wyoming. The eleven Democrats are Gray, of Delaware; Pasco, of Florida; Turple, of Indiana; Gorman, of Maryland; George, of Mississippi; Cockrell, of Missouri; Blodgett, of New Jersey; Bate, of Tennessee; Daniel, of Virginia; Faulkner, of West Virginia, and Mills, of Texas, who is now serving out the nqex- pired term of ex-8euator Reagan, who resigned bis seat. Of those Senators whose terms ex pire next March, Aldrich, Sherman, Proctor, Daniel, George and Gorman have been re-elected, and the Legis lature that will select Hale’s succes sor has been chosen and will ballot in January. Senator Walthall^ of Mississippi, whose term does' not ex pire until March 4, 1895, has also been re-elected. The Senate was last Democratictthe more we shall in the latter half of Prey dent Hives’s term in the White House,-from 1879 to 1881. The Democrats then con trolled the upper house by a majori ty of nine, holding it for the first time since the war. Now that there is a possibility that the Presidency, the House and the Senate will all be Democratic, the strongest etto'rts have been put forth by the party leaders to carry the State Legislatures that are necessary to Democratic suc cess. The Republicans now have a plu rality in the Senate over the Demo crats of eight, and a majority over the combined Democratic and Alli ance vote of six. Bat, as has been stated, the terms of eighteen Repub licans expire, while but eleven Dem ocrats go out. There is, therefoie, an excellent opportunity for the Democrats to secure control. A loss of four Republican Senators out of eighteen would result in a tie between the two parties, leaving the balance of power with the Alliance Senators, Kyle and Peffer, who usually vote with th; Democrats on all political questions not involving finances. In the event of Cleveland’s success, Stevenson as Vice-President and pre siding officer of the Senate would also strengthen the Democratic party in the npper house, bis vote being cast whenever a tie might occur. The big Democratic majority in the House will be cut down by nearly if not quite a hundred. The tremen- doss representation of the popular party that rode into the house upon the crest of the tidal wave two years ago was of couAe abnormal.—News I Mi Some' skeptics have a great deal to say about ■‘.‘the mistakes of Moses.” Let ul refer to a few facts which thfcy in their researches seem to have overlooked. . Moles, after he was eighty years old, emancipated and organized a captive nation, leading an army.of six hundred thousand men for forty- years through the wilderness of Sinai to the bmlers of their inheritance, giving them a law so full of these so called “mistake; ” that this one ua- tiftft which lias partly observed it has existed for more than thirty-three centuries in a wairing and tumultu ous world, outliving all the nations, empires, and tongues which then ex isted on the face of the earth, wit nessing the downfall of Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Persia, Greece, and Rome; and, though scattered for ages, because of their sins, among all na tions, still exists, as numerous, per haps, as'll} ■ its palmiest days; and though without a country, a city, a jovernment, a priesthood, or a tem- de, it yet wields on earth an infln- j?nce gi eater than that exercised by- all the empires and nations of anti quity combined. Is such a result due to Moses mistakes. The investigators of “the mistakes of Moses” might, well consider the system of sanitary science embodied in Moses’ law, so unlike anything which the woild had ever seen, and which the civilization of the nine teenth century is stilLtoo ignorant to appreciate, though observers begin to note its results as indicated ip the superior health and longevity of the Jewish nation, as is abunditiijy proved by-statistics, which etfety-- where give -a higher birth rate -and lower deatji rate for Jews tha^; for Gentiles- *. ft v And this is not due to any consti tutional -"Superiority of the Jews. Among jibe Society of Friends, whose membert'’conform to. the law of Christ,4’the average'life in Great Britain in 1860 was 59 years, while that of Jews was 51 years, and of Gentiles generally 31 years. The Jew was commanded to ab stain from swine’s flesh, aud was strong, pure blooded and healthful. The Gentile easts it, and is saturated with humors, permeated with wrig gling trychinue, which perforate his flesh and destroy his beard. ‘ The Jew was forbidden to shave, and consumption is unknown among them, while the Gentile, removing the protection which God gave for his respiratory and voeai.organs, after years of feebleness and distress, dies of laryngitis; bronchitis, or pulmon ary consumption. The more we study the law of Moses in its relation to health, and in its various provisions which anti cipated the sanitary science of our day—in its system of deities, in its convocations and feasts, in its purifi cations and varied restrictions, which touch the social lifcgt^ery point— be amazed at the wisdom manifested in that ancient law, as exhibited in, it* safeguards against vice, disorder, and disease. We are indebted to looses, a native of Egypt, brought upaopd the splen dors of the court of Phardah. and in heriting only traditions of; tyranny on the part of the rulers, abd slavery on the part of the ruled, for the world’s first example of i-l “govern ment of tlr people, by the people, for the people.” This fli^republic known to history, consisting of Twelve United States of Israel, estab- lished and organized iu the desert, on the basis of universal suffrage, was established in Canada with an organic law, a written constitution, and a form of government wiser and more humane than the world had ever known. * - V '' The germ and type of all success ful popular governments are found in thecommonwealthof Israel, which exhibits, first a republic, and later a constitutional monarchy,, the two most desirable forms of government known; just as the basis of all civil ized common law is found in the com mandments writAenon tables of stone, and in the book of law which God gave to IsraeL Was this another an other of the mistakes of Moses? The Mosaie law vested the land in fife Almighty, and thus • guarded against the accumulation of wealth in a few hands; it further provided that the priest should own no real estate beyond his own house and gqrden, and it strictly forbade t&e taking of usury from men of their own nation. Were these also among the mistakes of Moses? ■ To Moses, also, we owe the weekly day of rest, so essential to the con tinued well being of man and beast. Again, the Israelites are a law- abiding people. It is ai.ijiittedly a faro thing for a Jew to ‘be arraigiied for crime. r The most prolific sources of vice, .crime, violence, disease, in sanity, and pauperism among civilized nations is the use of intoxicating drinks. Against this crying evil various remedies are proj used, such as total abstinence from all intoxi cants, and legal enactments to dis- pqproge, aud .‘.prevent their use Among his other mistakes Moses an ticipated these measures for the pre vention of crime by the institution of the order of the Lazarites, the first total abstinence society of which his tory makes record. Moies further furnished us with the first example of stringent legislation against in temperance. Our prisons are not thronged with Jews, but with people who have never been permitted to Jiarnse and study the law of Moses. Why did not the Jews in the dark ages die of the plagues aud epidemics as other people did? Why are the Jews almost entirely exempt from consumption, cholera, croup, typhus and gqrofula? Do they owe this im munity to the mistakes of Mose? Such are some of the results of a partial observance of - the law of Mosig,; even W a rebellious aud apostate people, who for their sins have been dispersed as exiles and wanderers iu all tbeeart)), a perpetual monument of the-displeasure of the Most High. And It appears that this nation, apostate as it is, t.irough the rejection of its own Messiah, and of the prophets who foretold His coming, though destitute of spiritual life and severed from the blessings of the cov enant, finds, even in its v ?ry imper fect observance of this law, such benefits as place it at the head of all nations in physical, mental and moral vigor. Aud if there be such:; vigor in the sapless branches o! the Jewish olive tree, 'what Would they be if they had still continued to partake of the strength of the' living root?—Cen tenary. Superiority of Christ. ‘ : THE EVIDENCE THERE. J i “Everything in Christ astonishes me, His spirit overawes me and His will confounds me. His ideas and his sentinientVthe truths which He announces, His marindrdf convincing are not explained either oy human observation or thy naturt of things. His birth and the history of His life; the profoundity of His doctrine which grapples the mightiest difficul ties and’wfiich js pf those difficulties the moslwVadnilrjble Aolutioa) His’ gospel, His aptoption. His ^supiny’ His mutfai acrosA then's ajtd the realms—oven thing i«. for .ne a prodi gy, a mystery insoluble, which plunges me into a reverie from which f I cannot escape—a mystery which is there before my eyes, a mystery which 1 can neither deny nor explain. Here I see nothing human. The nearer I approach the move carefully I examine. Everything!.!? altore me. Everythuff? remains- grand—of a gMuidtiir which iyiverpfe'wers. His religion is a revelation fiom an in telligence which certainly is not that of man.” [Napoleon 1.]’ , ■ - Siberia Nat a Desert. On Jii jy 3lt) we offered a ' prize of two guineas fqr the best definitien of “Vanity.” ' The winning definition ^ c “The rese-colored spectacles through which we view ourselves.’* The following are some of the definitions sent in: An attempt 4o recommend our selves bya behavjyr eocfcrarv Aq onr $eal character. V jf The MimmiBn^of egg aijfl the Jhaxirnumjfr cS^^fe. f fe > A hollow drum upon whicli passer-by qiay play. ' ' A merciful provision of nature whereby.fools are satisfied with their folly. It is a mistake to suppose that Siberia is a desert, -or. a glacier, or a mountain fastness, or incapable of being made habitable. The valleys are level plains, and said to be as fertile as the western portion of the United States, audit is not unlike the west iu the v ariety of its resources -pin minerals, .timbers and iu agri cultural facilities. It is a marvelous treasure trove of stored up opportuni ties. Its wealth is practically un limited. Wi*h the advantages of railroad communication ar.d tele graph lines a vast country is added to the the world of civilization. The eultivationeof the land and tho intro duction of all the elaborate machinery of enlightened life will, us scientists depict, modify the rigors of the cli mate, although in southern Siberia even this DbttacTe does n >t exist.— Hartford QJobe. Professor Schevin, of Berlin, has invented a flash light havmg a bril liancy rivalling that of the electric are, aud greater penetrating power in thick weather: It is produced by forcing air through pumiceeteneim pregnated with benzine and mixing it wiMiMtenzine gas. The aiik- thus treated is passed through powdered magnesium and ignited ly a small flame. Haw Three AteericaM Steed I'pfor Their Ceuutry. Some time since three tall Ameri cans—Mr. Robinson, 6 frft, and Bishop Phillip* Brooks, 6 feet 4 inches high, both of Boston, and the Rev. Dr. McVicker, of Philadelphia —made, in company, a trip to Eng land. Eu route they determined that when they should reach that country they would travel apart, lest three such tall men together might pro voke remark. But arriving at a well known town in Yorkshire, and learn ing that a lecture was to be delivered to workingmen on America, they de termined to be present. Entering the half separately they took seats apart. As the lecturer proceeded his utter ignorance of America soon be came manifest to the three Ameri cans. Finally, however, a statement concerning the size of Americans was too absurd to 1 e endured in silence. The speaker had barely time to con clude asentence asserting that Ameri cans are proverbially short of stature, never exceeding at the utmost 5 feet 10 inches, ‘when Mr.'Robinson arose and said: “My friends, I am an Americai', and, as yon see, I measure fully six feet. If there is any other American who Happens just now to be in the house I *equ«t him . to stand iipj An expression of surprise was fol lowed by wars of laughter as the Rev. Phillips Brooks arose and said: “I am an American, and my height, 6 feet 4 inches, occasions no particu lar remark in America. If there is any other American in the house, 1 iu turn request him to stand up.” After a,lapse of a few seconds, in order to give the lecturer a little time to recover himself, Dr. McVicker slowly raised his majestic figure to its full height of 6 feet 6, and be- gan: > ’T anuyafi Anf —I But’ this was’too much, and the speaker’s disappearance from the stage brought the entertainment to a premature close.—Philadelphia Re cord. Defivitlogs of Vanity. any The peaectek’s tail of humanity. The outward' fullness of inward emptLftes* p , f MuuV.meanest attempt to cheat nature. Pride demoralized. The attribute that makes a far thing dip fancy itse'f an electric light'. -A small ffi” with a big dot. The glory of mean ambition. Pride,' in a state of effervescence. The caricature of true ambition— rcgretable in great men, laughable in small men. That upou which the “knowing ones”, play to attain their desires.— London Tit-Bits. An Error In the Lord’s Prayer. A party of gentlemen were the other evening discussing literary sub jects when one was asked to point out the grammatical blunder in the Lord’s Prayer. Half a dozen tried; some thought it lay in the words, “which art in heaven;” others placed it, else where, but not one detected it in the expression, “For thine is the king dom, tlie power ami the glory.” To be -perfectly correct the word. “is” should bq “are,” but people haveused it in the present form so long that they never think of regarding it as a blunder. There are teachers who say such an expression is right, be cause it.sounds right, but reverse R and say, “The kingdom, the power and the glory is thine,” and the fault 1 ss soon perceived.—St. Louis "Globe-' Democrat. . . ■ campaign funds. How the NeceHorjr Money 1* Ratted and Handled for Carrying Elections. Daring a political campaign the first aud in most cases the chief source of revenue is the assessment of candidates. The amount of these assessments varies in different localities and under differ ent circumstances. A common si-esw- ment in Illinois, for example, in districts that are not considered especially doubt ful in ordinary elections, is 8 per cent of the annual salary, and it is expected that all candidates, nnless there is some special reason for exception, will 1 pay this assessment. However, it not infre quently. happens that the most canapJSt & a j ■whoTsnnBmero pay the regular assess ment. In that case, the committee, tak ing all the circumstances into account, ask him to pay what seems reasonable, or he may be even entirely exempted from assessment, as in the case of a crippled candidate for county recorder in Indiana iu 1890. A wealthy c uidi- date, who can well afford to jiay luuro, is sometimes assessed a lump sum vvuu- out any especial reference to the salary that he is to receive if elected. In national elections local county com mittees expect to receive money also from the national committee, usually through the hands of the state commit tee. In the campaign of 1888 the Re publican committee in one county of Indiana received $800 from the state com mittee, which they supposed, as a mat ter of course, came from the national committee. In the campaign of 1880, in that same state, the two leading county managers of one of the parties went to Indianapo lis and met there a representative from the national committee. They went to his room in the hotel to talk with him regarding funds. When he asked their needs it was replied that they did not come to beg money from the national committee, but that their county stood ready to match dollar for dollar whatever sum he was willing to give them “You’re the kind of men I have been wanting to see,” replied the gratified rep resentative from New York. “You can have as much money as you want; help yourselves.” He took down two valises, and threw them open, showing thei. packed full of hills. One of the most as tute of New York political managers is of the opinion that while they doubtless took what they needed they failed v keep their promise to match the sun “dollar for dollar” from their own coun ty; but they did keep their word. Another source, of revenue, and one that is much larger than we should ex pect, if we did not consider the great en thusiasm that a'close campaign arouses, is voluntary contributions. I am not speaking here of the large sums that are raised by national committees from wealthy men, especially from those who feel that they liave much at stake in na tional legislation, but the amount that is contributed to county and city commit tees in local campaigns. In the cam paign, of 1888, in the same county that received $800 from the national commit tee, one little city of 4,000 inhabitants raised $1,200 a day or two before the election, after.the assessments had been collected. The money was given volun tarily by enthusiastic taen. In that cam paign, in that county, some $7,000 \vas spent by one party alone.—Professor Jenks in Century. A Momentary Delay. At first blush it would seem to be an impossible feat for a pedestrian—a poor, defenceless woman, at that—to success fully bar three entrances to the Brooklyn bridge. It took place on the Brooklyn side one morning last week, when the wage workers were hurrying to the metropolis, and a large assembly was kept in a state of suspense for minutes that seemed ages. To explain the feat accomplished, you remember how the entrances are ar ranged—a ticket office on either side, be tween them two iron parallel bars to guide yon through. Between these rail ings is a space through which you pass _ on to the “chopping boxes,” where tickets are dspeeited. hurt If you have to pur chase them yon pass between a rail and the box. She was a gray haired old lady and she wished to buy a ticket. There would have been less difficulty had it not been for the umbrella. It was thrust under the old lady's arm as a man poses his umbrella when going up the “L” stairs —point to the rear and breast high. The old lady stepped into the middle space, and while the umbrella swung round like a tollgate bar, closing the space behind her, she reached over to the ticket office and calmly proceeded to open her parse, famble a roll of bills, finally select one, and with both arms stop the passing of pedestrians until a disgusted lot of humanity was dammed. With the umbrella posed like an in fantryman’s bayonet fixed to repel caval ry the old lady and her gray hairs held the fort. At last her pennies and tickets had been picked tq> me by one. She gave way and the crowd surged around her like the floodtide around a shad pole in the North river.—New York Herald. An Apple Tree's Roots. For the purpose of erecting a suitable monument in honor of Roger Williams, the founder of Rhode Island, his pri vate burying ground was searched for himself and wife. It was found that everything had passed Into oblivion. The shape of the coffins conld be traced only by the carbonaceous matter. The rusted hinges and nails aud a round wooden knot remained in one grave, while a single knot of braided hair was found in the other. Near the graves stood an apple tree, from which fruit had been gathered each year and eaten. This had sent down two main roots into the very pres ence of the coffined dead. The larger root, pushing its way to the precise spot occupied by the skull of Roger Wil liams, had made a turn as if passing around it, and followed the direction oi the backbone to the hips. Here it di vided into two branches, sending one along each leg to the heel, where both turned upward toward the toes. One of these roots formed a slight crook at the knees, which made the whole bear a striking resemblance to the human form. —New York World. Making Ghost Photographs. Photographers, and especially ama teurs, have given much attention to the production of spirit photographs, and many suggestions have been made as to- the best mode of securing effective pic tures. A prominent operator states that he has obtained excellent results by set ting up the camera and focus in the ordinary way on a person wrapped in a sheet or other suitable covering and plac ing the clothed spirits lightly out of focus against a dark background, giving a short exposure and then capping the lens. If the real sitter is then placed in the center of the focusing screen and given an ordinary exposure a material ized angel will be visible on the develop ment of the photo.—Pittsburg Dispatch. IncreuM of Voting Population. Between 1880 and 1890 the eligible voting population in the United States increased 82 per cent. The ratio of growth was smallest in Maine and Ver mont, and largest in Nebraska, Minne sota, Oregon. Florida, Kansas and the new states. Florida increased more largely than any one of the sonthern states, and New Jersey more largely than any of the northern states east of the Mississippi.—New York Sun. Tho Gorman Birth Buto. It is asserted that the proportionate number of births in Russia is nearly double that of France, while the Ger man population increases faster than that of any other country.—Uhambers’ Journal. Carriages fitted up with electric , lamps were used by speakers during I the late English elections, | It is stated as remarkable that in most ancient statues the second toe is longer than the great toe. The reverse is the case in men of the preeent time. Amaziah, king of Jndah, fled from Jerusalem on the discovery of a con spiracy against him, but was followed and kilMt The Great Rule of Life. We have to be governed very largely by the analogies of nature whenever we venture into the realm of the possibili ties and the unknown, and there is no analogy in nature of something being given for nothing. The seed has to push through the ground to find the sun; the tree has to draw its sap np from un seen sources to whirl forth its buds; the bud itself has to fore j its way throngh obstacles of bark aud fiber; the bird has to build its nest with careful endeavor and many journeys ere it feels the little wings beneath its hrer-st; the gold has to be mined, the precious stone dug from the matrix; the diamond has to undergo fierce processes of grit..ling and scouring before its facets shine like living light. Struggle is the rule of life. Were it otherwise it would seem as though we might all of us have Veen put upon the planet in conditions of luxury and ease and eminence that wonld require no effort on onr part, and leave us free for all the enjoyment the world affords. But what soft, untempered, worthless metal we should be iu such case! It is the fire that tempers the steel; it is the hammer that welds it; the grinding, whirling stone that brings it to an edge. —Harper’s Bazar. A Poor Folk’ll Garden. So early were toiler‘-ors in California, and so universal was the interest felt in Europe over the new plants of the Pa cific coast, that many trees of sequoias and other snperb conifers were planted in the parks of England, France and Italy long before the discovery of gold. Wealthy Californians, as early as 1855, visiting Europe, were surprised to find how popular were the brilliant annuals, flowering shrnbs, vines and trees of their own state. Returning they often urged neighbors to cultivate more of the native plants, but with little effeot. In Alameda county, a plain, unedu cated Englishwoman of Lancashire yeo man stock was one of the first persons in all California to make a home garden of wild flowers from field and hill. 1 remember in my boyhood the passionate devotion that she showed to this pursnit. “It do be the best land the sun ever shone on,” she declared, “for poor folk to have a garden.—Charles H. Shinn in Century. The Juice of the Pepew Tree. In his “History of Barbados” Griffith Hnghes mentions that the jnice of the papaw tree is of so penetrating a nature that, if the unripe peeied fruit be boiled with the toughest old railed meat, it quickly makes it soft and tender. Ker- sten also tells us that boiling meat with the juice of the papaw is quite a com mon thing in Quito. Captain S. P. Olive-, writing in Na ture, July 10, 1879, says, “In Manritins. where we lived principally on ration beef cut from the tough flesh of the Malagasy oxen, we were in the habit of hanging the ration under the leaves themselves, and if we were in a hurry for a very tender piece of fillet, our cook wonld wrap np the undercut of the sir loin in the leaves, when the newly killed meat wonld be ls tender as if it had been hung for a considerable time.” —Chambers’ Journal. The Glant'a Organ. One of the - ist interesting features of the Giant’s car -ay is “The Giant's Organ.” This hu^s ■•instrument" con sists of a group of pillars of varions lengths set apart on the side of the main cliff. The larger columns being in the center and the smaller ones tapering off on either side, after the fashion of organ pipes, admirably sustain the idea which the name “Giant’s organ” conveys.—St. Louis Republic. A Baronet ns a Conetnble. Among the constables in the Royal Irish constabulary stationed at the depot in the Phenix park, Dublin, is Constable Sir Thomas Echlin, Bart. According to Debrett’s baronetage the Ech.in family is of ancient Scotch origin, and ormerly possessed princely estates in Scotland, and also large domains' in the counties of Kildare, Carlow, Lublin and Mayo. The third barohet dissipated a large por tion of the family estates, and the fourth, fifth and sixth baronets managed to get through with the remainder. Then the /resent baronet found himself landless Snd entered the Royal Irish constabn- Ury.—Yankee Blade. A Timely Proteat. Sarah K. Bolton, through an article In The Independent, utters a timely pro test against the wedding present nui sance and extortion. She says—what every sensible person knows and con cedes—that wedding presents have como to be a burden, and to a considerable extent simply a matter ot pride, RARE GEMS IN BOOKS. LITERARY TREASURES IN THE ASTOR LIBRARY IN NEW YORK. Volumes That Are Storehouses of Scholar ship and Are Worth Small Fortunes. Ancient Illustrations In Priceless Mann- scripts. Even many otherwise well informed people are not aware that the public li braries of this city contain some of the choicest literary gems extant—books for which wealthy bibliophiles have offered fabulous sums. If New York is not the literary center of America, then books immense in number, rare in antiquity and almost priceless in value are not factors in the competition. There are thirty-four public libraries in New York, and the number and value of the volumes within their walls have grown so rapidly that Paris, Munich and even London will be surpassed in their library collections if the present growth continnes. The day when the citizen of New Am sterdam was content to sit outside his door, drink beer, smoke, grow fat and die in the firm belief that he had enjoyed life, has given way to an entirely differ ent state of affairs. Twenty-five years ago one public li brary collection was considered sufficient to meet the demands of every class, call ing or profession. Today nine institu tions can be picked out, each one of which is patronized by a single class. The Astor is the richest of all onr li braries. One million dollars’ worth of books repose upon its shelves, but not without frequent disturbance. From fifty to 100 studious men and women are delving into the enchanting mysteries of some favorite tlwme every day that the reading rooms are open to the public. The library contains nearly $200,000 worth of rare books and mannscripts, which are seldom allowed to go into the hands of the public, Perhaps the largest and finest single volume in New York may be fonnd there. If any one thinks that the contemporaries of Shakespeare and Milton would marvel at the snperb product of modern illustrators he is very much mistaken. Nothing has been pro duced in the last century that can equal, much less rival, the illustrations in a Seventeenth century manuscript entitled “Antiphonale.” It contains 228 pages of vellum, adorned by 272 small and 53 large miniatures in the highest style of the French art of that day. Some of its illustrations have been attributed to Le Brun, the great painter of the time of Louis XIV. The larger paintings for the most part are scenes from the Scrip- tnres appropriate to the various church festivals, and many of the initial letters which accompany the stanzas are illumined in a style wholly unknown at the present day. This volume, bound in purple morocco, with gilt mountings and ornamented with the flower-de-luce, was designed for the coronation of Charles V. At a public sale it would easily com mand several thonsand dollars. Another valuable work is Sylvester’s "Universal Paleography,” in two vol umes, containing upward of 300 finely exeented facsimiles of mediaeval works of art. This snmptuons work is said to have cost the sum of £20,000 for its exe cution alone. Among other rarities is a copy of the first letter written by Chris topher Coiambus after he discovered America. There are only six copies of these in existence. The letter consists of only four leaves, but at a London auction sale in 1872 it brought $700. Another rare volume to be found only in this library is Lloyd's “History of Columbia, Now Called Wales,” pub lished in 1654. It contains the legendary narrative of the expedition of Prince Modoc and a Welsh company that voy aged to America prior to Columbus, but never retained. Many foreigners have sent to this country for abstracts from this rare volume. The earliest known editions of Ptole my’s geography repose on the shelves of the Astor. The dates on their title pages range from 1478 to 1621. There is also a snperb specimen of tho “Biblia Sacra Latina” of 1462, the first edition of the Bible bound in old crimson morocco, with pit edges, which is worth $10,000. In side the covers are the names of those “immortal printers,” Johann Faust and Peter Schaffer. The oldest polyglot edition of the Scriptures, executed at the order of Cardinal Ximenes, which cost 50,000 ducats in gold and fifteen years for its preparation, is also at the Aster. The oldest mannscript of all is the ■ ‘Lectiones Evangeliis,” printed on vellum and containing whole pages of illuminations. This mannscript was executed by the monks in A. D. 1470 and is almost priceless in value. No other library in America possesses such a treasure. Next in point of antiquity is John Wyclif’s English version of the New Testament, written in 1390, and containing the antobiography of Hum phrey, duke of Gloucester. There are also two rich Persian manuscripts of the Fifteenth century, besides manuscripts of more recent date. Several competent Egyptologists, among them the late Miss Amelia B. Edwards, who inspected the collection during her visit to this city, have pro- nonneed the library especially rich in oriental works. The great work of James Audubon on the “Birds of Ameri ca,” consisting of four volumes, would probably bring $5,000. Elliott's Indian Bible, dated 1661, the first Bible printed in America; the Geneva, or the Breeches Bible of 1560; a copy of the papal bull against Luther, 1520; rare Siamese manuscripts, and the valuable and in teresting collection of autograph letters from emperors, poets, statesmen, presi dents, soldiers and authors are included in this collection.—New York Herald. A Sunday Suit. Mr. Constant Sqnabbler—What kind of a suit do you think I had better get for Sundays? Mrs. C. S.—Well, if you want one to match your usual Sunday disposition, you had better get a pepper and salt suit.—Exchange. Enormous Headdresses. About 1439 enormous headdresses came into fashion in England, France and Italy. They had horns 'standing ont from the head sometimes more than two feet, and from these a veil depended which floated down the back of the irearer.—St. Louis Globe.-Dempcrat. Icebergs In Glittering Array. There are few more interesting tilings among the perils and wonders o' the ocean than icebergs. They are interest ing not only for their gigantic size, their fantastic shapes, their exceeding beauty and their ability to cool great masses of water aud air in their neighborhood, but also for the manner in which they array themselves. ’ Icebergs often show a tendency to form both clusters and long lines, and these groupings may arise from the ef fects both of ocean currents and storms. Some very singular lines of bergs , ex tending for many hundreds of miles east of Newfoundland, are shown c n rn iceberg chart issued by the hydrographic office in Washington. Two of these cross one another, each keeping on its independent course after the cros sing. In several instances parallel linei of bergs leave long spaces of clear water between them. The Prince of Monaco, who has taken a lively interest in experiment^ with floating bottles in the ocean, urges in an address to the Briti.h association, the desirability of more systematic stuay ot ocean tides and currents. A record ot the groupings and alignments of ice bergs in the North Atlantic might be of some use in such an investigation.— Youth's Companion. The Weather. The weather is the one topic which never wears out. It is wet, it is di y, it is hot, it is cold, it is flckle, it is agree able, it is good for the crops, it is trying for invalids, it is this or it is that, and it furnishes a never ending, unfailing re source for conversation. The least gifted talker can bewail a draft; the rno.-1 incessant chatterer can magnify a food. Old and young meet on common ground when they discuss the winds and the clonds. Meanwhile the skies are blue or gray, and the sun and rain shine and fall impartially on the good and tho evil. The part of folly is to gird at the occasional discomforts of the wea.her. Wisdom regards the weather not with indifference, but with composure, as a background for that which is best in life for all of us, our work. How shall wo accomplish that if we fret and fuss and ^me and find fault?—Harper’s Bazar. It Must B© Weil Seasoned. The young couple had been married, and among those congratulating tueia was an effusive sort of a woman, who liked to hear herself talk. “I do not,” she said, taking a hard of each in hers, “hope for you unalloyed happiness, for that is not given to any mortal; nor do I ask for you the gre de: t worldly prosperity, for that often l ard- ens the heart; bnt I do desire for you that the love which has sprung u > in your young hearts shall be ever fresh and green” A crusty old bachelor had been listen ing, and at this point he growled t > his neighbor: “Listen to that woman, will you? By jove, if there is anything in this w orld that is undesirable, unreliable, unac commodating, unhappy, unstable, unde cided and unimproved, it is green ovo. Baht” and he walked away.—Detroit Free Press. Cleanllne*. as a Luxury. Many rich pessons, who give alms bnt never time nor personal investigation to the subject, say, “At least poor people can keep themselves and their houses clean.” They do not know that cle mli- ness demands money and time. With out soap it is impossible to wash towels or sheets or even faces and ham! s iu this grimy city, and hot water is a luxury if yon have to save every scrap of coal or wood. I have seen families, naturally inclined to cleanliness, go very dirty indeed for want of hot water, soap and ambition. Ambition is ex;>eii- sive, too, and costs as much as many tangible items to keep up. I can im agine perfect apathy as to smudges and grime if I did not own a towel.—Chi cago Post. Delicate Tyrolean Handiwork. A curious plaque work is done at C«r- tini, in the Tyrol, of marvelously flue silver thread and tiny pieces of gold. The men and women employed at it work with strong magnifying gh sses and small pincers, with which they some times fit into a single tiny leaf no larger than a currant 160 pieces of metal. The odd thing about it is that men working in this way have more delicate manipu lation than women, which bears oui tho dictum of the chiromancists, who de clare that large hands are best for de tail, small ones for breadth of effei t.— New York Sun. Occupations That Affect the Teeth. Chloride of lime, employed by bit icli- ers, frequently destroys the enamel and dentine of the teeth. But phosphorus, nsed so largely in the inanufactm" of lucifer matches, affects a very largo number of persons, women, girls and children greatly preponderating. Peo ple who work iu soda factories are af fected by the teeth becoming soft and translucent; they break off close to tho gums.—London Tit-Bits. The Right Time. Kind Father—Children, if the clock struck fourteen, what time would it la? Logical Louise—Two o’clock, pap :. Clever Charlie—Time to get the clock fixed.—New York Herald. Perfecting HU Italian. Mrs. McClaugh—Is your son goin to school now, Mrs. McGooghan? Mrs. McGooghan—No, sure, he'st'rew wid the English branches. He's per fectin his Italian now. “Where”’ “Helpin dig a sewer down on road beyant.”—New York Weekly. the A Shrewd Investment. The investment of £4,000,000 made by the British government in the Suez canal shares will in a year or two. ac cording to Mr. Goschen, be worth lltl,- 000,000, vthich proves it to have bee i an excellent stroke of business as well as of diplomacy.—New York Times. Saving a Stamp. Mamma—Why did you put two st.. ,s on this letter? One would have been plenty. Little Tommy—One of the stamps was tored, and I didn’t want to waste it,— UwdtfWH* . ... asai ?ii