WIIY MFN CANNOT FLY. I.nrU ol I'rogrron In Mnn*a I oinpelllinn ill (lit* lllrda— Kenton* M (it No I'rnrtlrnl Flying Mnrblnr U l.lkcly in br Invrnlrd* The New York Sun concludes that this century is likely to he forever j memorable for its mechanical and en- ; gineering triumphs. It is distin* ( guished from all the centuries which have preceded it as the age of steam and electricity, of rapid transportation for human beings and their products, and for bringing ail the world in in stant communication, one part with .•mother. Other eras may have surpassed us in literature and art. Some of our metaphysical science may not lie so wonderful in the future as it seems to us; but our mechanical and engineer ing development has been so far be yond anything of tlie same sort in the past, even taking many centuries to gether, that this century is separated from the eighteenth by the broadest gidf in the history of human progress from era to era. Yet, with alt our mechanical triumphs and our engineering achieve ments, the .SUM thinks that we are no further advanced in one respect than 1 men wire one hundred years ago, or a thousand years ago, except to some slight extent for military purposes, ltallooning has made no progress, and is still nothing more than an amuse ment of no practical value. We do not seem to lie any nearer living than men were at the beginning of Un christian era. Our modern engineers have not yet constructed a practical flying machine; nay, they have not yet so much as taken the tirst step in that direction. The London Ewjinnr, which has lately discussed flying machines in a scientific way, comes to the conclusion that there is noeomhination of wings or arrangements of any kind which will enable a man to fly with his own strength. He lacks muscular power to practice the accomplishment in which the hints arc so proficient. And even if machines are devised to com pensate for that lack of power and en durance. they will not lie successful unless they shall lie so constructed that each pound of the machine will de velop as much energy as eaeli pound of a bird. "Not till then," says this engineering critic, can flight for man IK- achieved. Because birds flv, that is no reason why man should do the same tiling, even if he is able to tit himself wings as well adapted to his body as the wings of the bird are to its physical construction. Already " wings of many model flying machines act just as do those of the rook and other birds" whose movements are slow enough for us to observe just how they fly. For there is a grc.it difference among lords as to the rapidity of their flight, and not only that, hut also as to the grace with which they do it. They have various styles of moving through the air, some graceful and others com paratively clumsy, just as the walk of a courtly woman differs from that of a >iotix squaw. "We have no doubt," savs our London contemporary, "that if men could once fly. we should sfin hare as many styles developed as then are men." We have said that the reason men do not fly is not merely becaus they lack wings, but also liecause they are not strong enough. There is no bird of flight which weighs as much as even a Very light man, hut there are many birds which arc far stronger than men The limit of weight bey- nd which the L air cannot in; utilized for hint flight is Somewhere altout thirty pounds. does not produce heavier bin I*, 1 *, for the reason that the proper home for animals more. "The conditions h species are developed,'* Engineer, "are such that goes as far as it can go in si/Wlnd speed." The roc of Kastern story it pronounces a " mechanically impossible creature." The albatross is the largest bird in existence, and one of the heaviest. There are heavier birds with limited powers of flying, but the maximum weight of any natural flying ma' hint which ran fly well does not exceed thirty pounds, according to the Engi neer; and the weight of the albatross .seldom, if ever, exceeds twenty-eight pounds, or one-sixth that of a jiower fui man. But the albatross can keep its wings, thirteen feet long from tip to tip, in motion for a whole day. while the strongest man would he ex hausted, if he iial to keep heating t-he air with them, in half an hour. And to fly lie would need far heavier wings to he kept In motion. After a mathematical calculating the Engineer comes to the conclusion that the albatross possesses as much muscular energy as a man, and far more endurance, with which to propel the twenty-eight pounds 'if its !>ody "We have in the bird," it adds, "a machine burning concentrated fuel in a large grate at a tremendous rate, ami developing a very largo power in a small space There is no engine in ex istence, certainly no steam engine ami boiler combined, which, weight for weight, gives out anything like the me chanical power exhibited by the alba tross." The conclusion arrived at by both of our contemporaries is that man will haveto give up the hope of competing with the birds in dying. .SVt' ntijh .4 inrri'-un. Hans of u Sugar King. It is whispered, says the Washing ton Hepuhlimn, that Mr. Sprinkles, the San Francisco sugar monopolist, is quietly engineering a selieme for the eession of the Hawaiian islands to the I'nited States, should Congress deter mine to abrogate the reciprocity treaty, which it will probably do in the near future. Mr. Sprcckh-s is in receipt of a governmental gift of three or four millions of dollars yearly through the operation of this treaty, ami if it should continue the gratuity, will increase from year to year. The abrogation of the treaty will impose H heavy tax on him. which will amount, in the course of a few years, to #10,00<',0<)0 or 000,00" annually. He can well afford to pension King Kulukuu i anil all his uncles, cousins, aunts and other rela tivcsof remote degree in moremagnili ccnce than they ever dreamed of to get them out of the way and save such an amount of money. American influence already domin ates in the little insular kingdom, and as the monarch is not in receipt of a enloisal income it would not take more than a cord of gold to charm him from lus throne. The total revenues of the kingdom only amount to #(!OU,ooO a year, and as the government is pat terned after the older nations, Kala. kaua is ob'iged to do business on a shamefully narrow margin for a real king. To put it briefly and plainly, he is in straitened eircumstances for tlip head of a royal family, and as his I native subjects are dying fl with lep rosy, he will soon have noliody hut for eigners to rule. Mr. freckles and ins associate-i already own the !>cst of the sugar lands, and they are slowly but surely absorbing what is left. They really ownalmtit all that is valuable in I the kingdom, and they feel that they ought to have the right to annex their property to any country thev want to. I The annexation <>f the Hawaiian islands would, of course, at once settle the vexiil question which is now ere ■ ating such a stir. Mr. Spreckh-s' dominions consist of eight islands, having a combined area of aisuit |,i X* 1,1 la< res. and a imputa tion of (V ">. of whom 4are natives. A hundrisl years ago the native population was 4<*'.oun. Vol canoes, leprosy, sugar, ri<- and wool are the only production*. Hawaii is : the largest island of tin- group, and is. in fact, larger than all the others com bined. Maui, Oahu and Kauai an near in Mr. freckles' kingdom is considerably nearer the t nst<*l states than any other country, l>eing only 2.100 mile* from San Francisco. Japan is miles distant from Honolulu. Mr. f rc< kles is said to he worth #2-V (xsi.i ninaor #40,00",'"" O. Four year? ago he was rated at MS'.""". How the ( hlnese Make Dwarf Trees. We have all known from childhood how the ( hine-e cramp their women's feet, and so manage to make them keepers-at-home, hot how they grow miniature pines and oaks in flower pots for half a century has always been much of a secret. They aim first and last at the seat of vigorous growth, endeavoring to weaken it as much as , may lie consistent with the preserva tion of life. Tak a young plant say a seisiling or cutting of cedar—when only two or three inches high, rut off its tajer'sit a* *< n as it has other root lets to live upon, and replant it in an j earthen pot or pan. The end of the tap root is generally made to rest on a stone within it. Alluvial clay is then put into the |Kit, much of it in hits the size of iicans, and just enough in kind and quantity to furnish a scanty nourishment to the plan*. Water enough is given to keep it in growth but not enough to ex ite a vigomur ! habit. So, likewise, in I hi* application of light and heat. As the Chinese pride themsehes on the shape of their miniature trees,they use strings, wires and pegs and various other mechanical | contrivances to promote symmetry of hahit or to fashion their pet* into odd, ' fancy figures. A century since the Hawaiian.* were savages and cannibal*. Now there are over 300 telephone wires in use in the city of Honolulu, and the application of the telephone is made throughout the islands on the plantations .Some of the planters cut their eane at night i with the aid of electric light. SCIENTIFIC SCRAPS. | I'rofeesor Ayrton, of London, has successfully applied electricity to the propulsion tf 11 tryclelo. The added weight was equal to that of anothe. person. Mr. K. J. Stone expresses eonlldence that the ltritisli contact observations of the transit of Venus were so suc cessful that they w ill reduce the pos sible error in our estimate of the sun's distance to 300,000 miles or less. One of the glaciers mentioned in the " Ilimayhtyan .Journals" of Mr. Jo* eph Hooker has a vertical height of 14.0(H) feet. Its source is the g'eat Kinchinjunga mountain, whose sum mit reaches an altitude of 28,<>H) feet above the sea. A remarkable shooting star was ob served one morning from a steamer in the Red sea. It quickly disappeared like ordinary meteors, but left a bright train, some eight or ten degrees long and half a degree wide, which was vis ible for more than half an hour. A curious and important discovery is reported by the eminent New York scientist, Hrown-Sequard. It has been found that if a powerful stream of car. lxmic ueld gas is dire-ted against the throat or tonsils for one or two min utes they will become entirely free from sensation for eight to ten min utes, so that a surgical operation can be performed without pain and undis turbed by any sympathetic nervous ac tion. From observations of the planet Jupiter from Septemlier, 1H79, to De cember, I*Bl. IR-rr Korta/zi has con cluded that the great re 1 spot must be cither of a liquid or a solid nature. In the former case it may be considered as a large lake in an ocean of other liquid. If it is a solid body it must be a floating mass on the surface of an ocean, as it is only on tin* hypothesis that we can account for the changes in its position which are observed. pearls OF TIIOI'GHT. The great question of life is, " \\ hat shall we do." There are many echoes in the world and but few voices. Every man dis res to live long, but no man would be old. Woman is the Sunday of man -not his rejNise only, but his j v, the salt of nis life. We carry all our neighbors' crime* in sight, and throw all our own over our shoulders. Truth should never strike her top. *aiLs in compliment to ignor.uu sophistry. The man wh • is always le>ating of speaking his mind usually has the least mind to speak. Sorrows are our is-st educators. A man may see farther through a bar than a telescope. Private troubles are very much like infant* the more you nurse them the bigger they grow. He loving, and you will never want for love; be humble, and you will never want for guiding. It is every man's duty to labor in his calling and not to d< -pon-l for any miscarriages or disappointment * that were not in his own power to prevent. False happiness renders men stern and proud, and that happim-vs is never com mii meat is I. True happiness r<n ders them kind and sensible, and that happiness is always shared. A Year at ( astle Harden. Last year 520.355 passengers were landed at fasti • Harden, New Y'nrk Of this numle rail were aliens but 41,269. This exceeded the total emigration of I**l by 7U.717. and was far larger than in any previous year. Of last year's arrivals 198,468 were Hermans. 52,7<H were Irish. 44,517 were Sweden, 4<>,- 819 wi re English, and 27,487 were Ital ians. The avowed destination of the emigrants were as f dlows: New Y'ork, 106.824; Illinois, 51,341; Pennsylvania, 10,398; Ohio, ki-'t.fM72; Michigan, 2'),- 115; Minnesota, JO,l'J3; lowa, 10,iJ06 Mansaehusetts, 14,002; New Jersey, li.MD; Missouri, 9,553; Connecticut, 8,153; Indiana, 5,355; California, 4,521; Dakota. and Rhode Island 2,410. The remainder were di vided among the other Mates. The larger number—thirty-six per cent.— credited to New York is explained by the fat that many emigrants make the city their stopping place for a time and afterward go permanently to the West or elsewhere without making known their destination to the com" mission. The cost of receiving and earing for the emigrants per head was in 1880 forty cents, in 1881 thirty-eight and four-fifth cents, in 1882 forty - four cents. In all preceding years since 1847 the cost ranged from $2 to $2.50 per head. LAD!EN' DEPARTMENT. I nn Hnrringe Pugail^nrn'*. Taking the I Tilted states thr .ugh 1 there IN not a largo city, says the Phila delphia t, where marriage engage- i merits are so formally arm mru ei and " looked upon as such solemn oidlga* tions xs in Philadelphia. Long on- | gagements also prevail to a consider- i able extent, and they are looked upon as good things, because they familiarize | young people with cacli other an I ; give tiiem a chance to test their con. geniality and escape in time if tliey find | they do not agree. .% Uulrk-Wlllffl Worn ft <f There is one woman in London. *syv a correspondent, wlio has 10-r wits ( alsjut tier, and when you come to think about it the fact is highly crlit ilile to London On the Strand a thief suddenly snatched her purse from her : and instantly disappear*; I In the crow I. In the purse was some on.ill change and a check for tlO. The lady spent no time in a fruitless attempt to catch the thief or 8 rid a polic -man. ' Mie went to till- nearest postofllee, took a telegraph blank and sent a dispatch to the bank saying "When anyone presents a check signal bv for I'll), arrest him an 1 detain him till I come." she then g>t into a cab and drove to tie* bank. When dm got there she found a policeman explain ing to a very astonished young man that he would have t< wait a little a-< they expected a lady vis tor. The young man will have three years to g> t over his astonishment. Two llo? n I \\ rl > urra. The young infanta of Npain has * wo wet nurses, who relieve each other in ih'-ir arduous duties. Th<-\ are mag nillccnt young women, who were *• -' h-< t<d by the cardinal priinat.-of ""main, or rather received his recommendation for their exemplary conduct. They are clad in ruby-color<sl velvet, em. hroider<sl with silver, and wear • Uly white veils. The little infanta cr:s| several times during the christening -eremony. Mie was christened Maria Ten si Isabel Patrocina Diega. She is a pretty child, with f i r hair and blue •*yrs. After the ceremony the y img infanta's ears were pierced by her mother's Austrian medical attendant. This is ancient custom among the Spanish Ibulrieins, even the princes in Spain have their cars pierced, i leung considered lHtietici.il for sight to have blood drawn very early. That is, in fact, their lirst baptism of blond.— M<nUrn Aj-. Il r f •• Miorr. MiM i Alrott. tin* \v#ll kn un novelist, records in a Ronton paper that iier lirst story brought her #5 and h r second $ Id. with a request for more of her productions. She then relates sonic pleasant experiences and memo. r.w: one of the most mem rabb-moments of my life is that iii which, as I trudged to sch'sd una wintry day, my eyes fell upon a large yellow poster with these delicious words : " Ib-rtha." i new tale by the author of "The Hi al i'riina Donnas." will appear in the fiat'iiil ip Hr*niuj it vv a■> I.'lte; it was hitter cold; people j->s".lis! me; I was m >rtally afraid I should be recognized; but there I stood feasting mv eyes < n the fascinating (Mister, and saving proti lly to myself, in the words of the great "Vincent t'rntninir*," "This, this is fame!" That day my pupils had an indulgent tea her; for, while they struggbsl with their pot-hooks, I was writing immortal work*, and when they droned out the multiplication table 1 was counting up the noble for tune my pen was to earn for me in the dim, delightful future. That after noon my sisters made a pilgrimage to behold this famous placard, and finding it torn by the wind, boldly stole it,and came lioinc to wave it like a triumphal banner in the hosom of the excited family. The tattered paper still ex ists, folded away with other relics of those early days, so hard and yet so sweet, when the lirst small victories were won, and the enthusiasm of youth lent romance to life's drudgery. Fnahlsn Scotch ginghams are largely im ported. Corn bine is a favorite color for new rcss woolens. The new muslins are soft flniihcd, i without any starch or size. Jagged, ragged-edged flounces and ribbons are coming in vogue. Flush remains in high favor for household decorative articles. Irregular points called cocks' comb* edge the new Ottoman ribbons. Ashes of roses has made its appear nce among the (esthetic colors. The finish and the d -signs of the new prints arc rarely beautiful aid ar tistic. Rasques and leal ices, with very sharp and long points back and front, willl e i much worn. Cloth for p"li vses is seen among new goinls with rough finish in the new shade of corn blue. As many as six different col r< ap- | p" ir in some of the new Ottomau rib bon cocks' comb corsage bows. Sprays of flowers, beautifully iml- 1 tat iii in precious stones, are taking as , brooches the lead of all others. R'sliees of velvet, whether plain or 1 br M-aded, are elegant and fashionable j for afternoon, dinner and reception toilet. Checks, large polka dots, Creek keys, s'ripes and shamrock leaves are among tin* designs of the m-vv sateens and cambrics. New c itton dress goods exhibit j great-r variety in coli-rt and designs than ever, while the finish Is simply admirable. "b'eVes atld the collars of dresses are trimmed with flat-lying collars and : cuJT.s of lace put on over the dress col lar and cufTs. The newest fancy in plush decora tion- are pedestals lor -t at uary covered with this material, either (ilain fir dee orated with artistie emliroidery. The satin that forms the under • Ires, of a tulle ball dre s may be light weight, i ilaee silk underskirts are also permissible iiml< r tulle draperies. New briM aded < ittomaii silks have f r de-igns sprays of il > \v• rs with tlieii fruits. strawberries, black berries, plums, ji.ars, apple- and Mandarin ■ ■ranges. A dinner dress, wheth r simple and itlexpefis.ve -<r i'V> I'ssively eostlj and ' legal.!, should IK Ver be lil.'lde 111 a sty le 'l-at wouM rf■ 11 d r it im-takaMe f- r a ball toilet. Plush-framed pictures and mirrors, jdush-f ova ri d furniture and plush char ind table mats and banner v re.-ti, ta\e the bad of all • it |p-r decor ative obje. t. arid artn les. Printed India pongees of light w eight appear in the n<-w colors for grounds, with harmonizing tints in the designs, which are in a variety of large and small flow er. fruit, <irii-nt.il and kalei d ifcop.r patterns arid a variety of polka dot effects. Panels of hr-> .i bsl materials or of (.lain fahri - richly de.-orated, are as fashionable .1- ever. No style is so • alculated to a Ivantag-snisly <)-play the eb-gmt han l-einbroideries, wide pawnien'i ri' trimruings or applique ban I- whi h frequently border tin ( ! indwnu -t of tin - s ( . pari* 1' A Mar Incident. .\in-j the < iii ag . commercial travelers who visit < hilli'othe ar- two gi-ntleimn. now go--] fri'-nd-, whose t.r-t meet ing was under circumstances just the reverse if friendship. Mr P. is a Virginian, an 1 Mr. it. is a N<*w Yorker Jy h.rth. arid l>th were sol diers during the lat • war. the former a< a tain in the famous < confederate tro ijiers i nun tnded by the ceb-bratfsl ih-mral John > Mosbv. and the l,tt<r a private in a N:w Y'ork regiment. In <>n" -if the many skirmishes in the vicinity of Warn-nton, Vs., Captair P. was c.ipturid by R.'s r<-gi merit, the commander of which, in pursuance of a j r v ions order from his superior* "to shoot Mosby's men win n -ver caught," ordered the itn tu"! ate execution of the unfortunate captive. Ife was bsl out a short ditance from th • command and a detail of s. ven nn n, of whom R. was one. was ordered to execute the drum head sentenc-v At th-- word "Fire !" the squad discharged their weapons straight at *Jie victim, and poor I*. fell, riddled with x minnie halls. He was left for deal as food for tlie v ultures, and his executioners mounted their horses and followed their regiment in pursuit of Mosby. The victim was unconscious for twenty-four hours, and when h* awoke and feebly called for help there was no response. With six ghastly wounds in his chest, and c wered with blood, he ; dragge,! Dims -If a mile ti> a negro's I cabin, where he was kindly received and nursej for a wu-ek. until Moshy'a forces ha 1 rallied and driven the Feder als from the vicinity. Then for the tirst time his wounds were dressed by a surgeon, an t in about six months he rejoined his command and fought un til Die final surrender at Appomattox. His health lias ever since Iwen delicate hut lie is energetic and pushing, and is a very popular and successful sales man. and has no warmer friend than IL, who was one of bis executioners, oi thought he was.— Chitliootht (Ohio) < o istitntinn. Experienced lumbermen say that the supply of walnut is rapidly diminish ing. and that fully three f nirtjis of the good stock throughout the country has been consumed within tbe last i ten y oara CLIPPIftus . TT" "mors. In the polar regions now KmictinMi falls from a cloudless sky. On an averag; nowadays thirteen theatre* are burned every year. Women cliiin Kurope after 1 years of marriagn often have families in Australia. The eastern side of the Atlantic Is warmer at the name latitude tiian the 1 western aide. 'J'liat monareh of the dean, the Great Kastern, i lying idle at Milford Haven. I • Knglaml, not only eating its head off, i hut consuming itself generally. There are 24> cities of over 10/100 in habitants each in t hi s country, and nearly one-quarter of the population of the l'nited Mates are dwellers therein. Mrs. Mehnert. ninety-nine years old, has kejit the Golden Trumj e hotel, at I'eirhenhach, Germany. for eighty eon i secutive years. She is still hale and hearty. After a recent violent storm on the Knglish coast a quantity of saline matter was observed on windows at a distant inland. Tin*deposit is Isdievetl to have been made hv ocean spray, which in this ease must have been blown by the wind at least sixty miles. The garlands worn by the Kgvptian mummies were made of the petals and sepals of different (lower-, Inclosed each in a leaf of the Kg>ptian willow and then arranged in rows. larkspur, | blue lotus, white lotus, saffron blos som and acacia were among the flow er- thus prepared. In the early centuries of the Chris tian era the • a'hisiral of St. David's, Wales, w.i- a place to which pilgrim ages w- re made by kings and conquer t or-. After the canonization of tlie .-aint two visit- to bis t"inb were con. sidered # qual to one to Home, and thr-e equal to one to Jerusalem. It is related by Ir. F">Wt Hfilth Monthly that a Hindoo will not tell a lie under the sacred peepul tree and accordingly, that at I'lwar the Hindoo shopkeepers refuse- to take lodgings on a street where tin- Knglish govern ment propose to plant rows of the [M-epul trees for shade, [asking : "How ran we do business under those trees ?" >an Franc.s the "past w inter has had its iir-t sleighing in thirty years, as the result of the only lmavy snow storm in that period. ThousanLs of young folks saw sn<-w for the first ime in their lives, sleighs were htir ridly constructed. loth for coasting ind driving. fine if the city's mil lionaires was seer, in a piano lox, under which were runners made of planks with the ends rounded of. Tin: FAMII.Y DOCTOR, I'ains in the side are most promptly relieved by the application of mustard. To cure sneezing, plug the n-istriLs with cotton wool. The effect is in stant aneou*. llroken liinbs should be placed in a natural position and the patient kept quiet until help arrives. To destroy black-heads, wash th face thoroughly at night with tepid water and rub briskly with a Turkish towel ; then apply a mixture of one ounce of liquor of potas-a and two ounces of cologne. to treat sprains give tne artectt part rest and apply warm fermenta tions. If inflammation has set in put on leeches anil cooling applications, which may be removed at intervals if necessary. When the inflammation subsides use fr.ction and stimulating liniments or poultice* male of bread * • vinegar arel water. One if the simplest and liest remo dies to be given to children troubled with worms is poplar bark, l'hysi i ciatis use it with marked success. It can be twilight at any drug store. Take a little pinch of the bark—as much as you can hold on the point of a pen. i knife and give it liefore breakfast. It has a clean, good taste, and any child will take it. The Star of Brthiebem. A writer in the lloston Herald claims that the star of Bethlehem will re-appear in ISB7. The general l>e lief Is that this star Is the one which blazed out in the constellation of Cas siopeia in the time of Tycho Brahe in 1572. This remarkable star reached the brilliancy of Jupiter, and then ; slowly faded to invisibility. Its re>- j Appearance is merely conjectured. Th ' character of the force** at work to pro i duce this remarkable display are a • i mystery. The sped rosoope, hail It I been Invented at the time, might hav* thrown some light on the matter. It is impossible to estimate the fo.ves re quired to make such a light at the dis tance of the fixed stars.— Rochester Democrat. The mother of President Garflclil spends several hour* every day read ing the published works of her son.
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers