The Elk County advocate. (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, August 07, 1879, Image 1

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HENRY A. PARSONS, Jr., Editor and Publisher.
XIL, DESPKllAJSTDUM.
twa Dollars per Annum.
VOL. IX.
ItlDQWAY, ELK COUNTY, PA., THURSDAY, AUGUST 7, 1879.
NO. 24.
Wheat.
j MAT.
So many shinies of tender green
Are rippling, shimmering, pulling Willi do
light,
Soft, cool nnd billowy, like the glimmering
etiecn
Of some grand river in the morning light,
Thrilling with hope, its life is fnir,
Its joy is lull, nil through the lovelv Mnv
It simply grows and waves, nor tries to bear
The coming burden ol the harvest day,
JUNE.
Steeped in hot sunshine, lightly swing
The long bright stalks, whose bearded heads
bang down
Beneath their fruitful burden, which the
spring,
Departing, laid upon them as a crown.
Sweeter nnd graver life has grown,
The green just touched to gold by doep'ning
June,
Warm, bright with glowing, with its mellow
ing tone
Flecked with the shadows of the afternoon.
JULY.
In serried ranks the golden sheaves
Gleam iaintly in the sunset's lading red,
While some reluctant blackbird slowly leaves
The fruit till gleanings for his quiet bed;
And thus, with full fruition blest,
The wheat stands reaped. It hath no more
to yield,
And thankfully, belore he seeks his rest,
The weary reaper gazes o'er his field.
Cornelia Seabring.
THE CHILD SPY.
His rnrae was Stenne, little Stenne.
He was a " child of Paris," thin and
pale, and was ten, perhaps fifteen years
old, for one can never say exactly how
old those children are. iis mother was
dead, and his father, an ox-marine, was
the guardian of a square in the quarter of
the Temple. The nurses and babies, the
old ladies who always carry their own
folding chairs, and the poor mothers, all
that small world of Paris which seeks
shelter from vehicles, in those gardens
that are surrounded by pavements, knew
Father Stenne and loved him. They
knew that under his rough mustache,
which was the terror of dogs and dis
turbers of benches, was hidden a kind,
tender and almost motherly smile, and
that in order to bring it forth they had
only to s:iy to the good man :
" How is your little son?"
For Father Stccne loved his tittle son
so much! "
He was so happy in the afternoon
when, after his school, the little boy
would call for him. and together they
would make the rounds of the paths,
stopning at. each bench to speak to the
habitues of the square and to answer
their good wishes.
But when the siege began everything
was sadly changed. Father Stenne's
square was closed and lilled with pe
troleum, and the poor man, condemned
to an incessant surveillance, passed his
life in the deserted, upturned paths,
quite alone, not permitted to smoke, and
only seeing his little son late in the
evening at his home. You should have
seen his mustache when he spoke of the
' Prussians. Little Stenne, however, did
not complahi of this new life.
A siege! Nothing is more amusing
for such urchins. No more school, no
moro studies! Holiday all the while,
and the streets as exciting as a fair.
The child ran about all dav till night
fall. He followed the battalions of the
quarter to the-ramparts, choosing those
that had a good band. Little Stenne
was well posted on that subject. He
would tell you very glibly that the
Ninety-sixth band was not worth much,
but the Fifty-fifth had an excellent one.
Sometimes he would watch the mobiles
training, and then there were the pro
cessions. With his basket un
der his arm he would join the long files
that were formed in the dark cold winter
mornings, when there was no gas, be
fore the butchers' and bakers' shops.
There, with their feet in the wot,
the people would make acquaint
ances and talk politics, and, as he was
Mr. Stenne's son, everybody would ask
him his opinion. But the most amusing
of all were the afternoon games, especi
ally the famous game of galoche, which
the Breton mobiles made the fashion
during the siege. When little Stenne
was not at the ramparts or baker's 3hop
you would be sure to find him at the
square of the Chateau d'Eau. He did
not play, however; it needed too much
money ; he was satisfied in watching the
players with all his eyes.
One especially, a great fellow in a blue
workman's blouse, who only played
with five-frane pieces, excited his ad
miration. When he ran one could hear
the coins jingling under his blouse.
One day as he was picking up a piece
that had rolled under little Stenne's
feet, the great fellow said to him in a
low tone: "That makes you wink,
hey? Well, if you wish, I'll tell you
where they're to be found."
The game over, lie took him to a
corner of the square and proposed that
he should join hnu in selling newspapers
to the Prussians that he would make
thirty francs for every trip. At first
Stenne was very indignant and refused,
and what was more, he remained away
from the game for three days three ter
rible days. lie neither ate nor slept any
more. At midnight he would see great
heaps of gaioehes piled on the loot of his
bed and five-iranc pieces moving over it,
bright and shining. The temptation
was too strong for him. The fourth day
he returned to the Chateau d'Eau, saw
the large fellow and was overcome.
They set out one sunny morning, a
linen nag thrown over their shoulders
and their newspapers hidden under their
blouses. When they reached the Flan
ders gate it was yet hardly dawn. The
large lellow took Sb-nne by the hand
anc appl cached the sentinel a good
civilian with a red nose and kina air.
He said to him, with a plaintive tone:
" Let us pass, my good monsieur. Our
mother is ill and papa is dead. We are
going to see. my little brother and I, if
we can i nna some jaotatoes to pick up
inthefi'lds.!' p '
He cried, and Stenne, who was
asnamea. towered his head. The sen
tinei looKea at them a moment, and
then, giving a glance over the white,
deserted road. "Go uuieklv " bhM h
them, moving aside; and then they were
a mo i"v4 i nura vine. 110W the
larito fellow lauehed!
Confusedly, as though in a dream, lit
tle Stenne saw the manufactories trans
ermed into barracks ,their tall chimneys
which pierced the fog nnd seemed to
reacn the sky," tireless ana battered.
Now and attain they would see a senti
nel and officers who were looking far off
through their field-glasses, nno their
small tents, wet with snow, which was
melting before dying tires. The large
fellow knew the way, and would take
short cuts over the fields in order to es
cape the outposts. But suddenly they
came upon a large body of sharpshooters
too lnte to escape them. Thev were in
their little cabins, hidden in a ditch half
full of water, and encamped along the
Soissons railway. This time, though
the large fellow recommenced his tear
ful story, they would not let him pass.
Ashe was lamenting, an old sergeant,
white and wrinkled, and who looked
like old Father Stenne, came out of the
post guard's cabin.
"Well, little ones, don't cry any
more!" said he to the children, "we will
let you go after your potatoes, but before
you leave, come in nnd warm yourselves
a little. He looks frozen that
8mallboy there!"
Alas! It was not with cold that little
Stenne trembled ; it was from fear, from
shame. In the post-house they
found some soldiers gathered round a
small fire, a real widow's fire, by whoso
DM7.0 tney were tnawing tneir biscuits
on the end of their bayonets. They
crowded close together so as to make
room for the children. They gave them
a drop of wine and a little coffee.
While they were drinking, an officer
came to the door, called the sergeant,
spoke to him in a low voice, and then
quickly went away. " Boys P" said the
sergeant, as he came back radiant,
"there will be tobacco to-night.
We have found out the Prussinns' pass
word. I think this time we will take
back from them that Boureet.
Then there followed an explosion of
bravos ana laughter, They danced and
sang and swung their sabers in the air.
Profiting by the tumult, the children
disappeared. Having passed the breast
work nothing rcraainedto be crossed but
the plain, at the end of which was a
long white wall filled with loop-holes.
They directed their steps toward this.
stopping every now and then and mak
ing believe to look for potatoes. "Let
us' return ; don't go any further," little
Stenne said all the while, but the large
one only shrugged his shoulders and
went on. Suddenly they heard the
lick of a gun being aimed at them. " Lie
down, said
the large boy, throwing
,ie ground. When he was
lown- he whistled and another
whistle answered him over the snow.
and they went on, climbing on their
lianas ana knees, in iront ot tne wall.
ind even with the ground, two yellow
uustaelies under grcasv cans appeared.
md the large boy leaped into the ditch
be.ide the Prussians. "That is my
brother,'' said he, pointing to his com
panion. He was so small little Stenne
that on seeing him the Prussians began
to laugh, nnd one of them was obliged
o take liltn in his arms in order to lift
him over the breach.
On the other side of the wn.ll wore
large breastworks, fallen trees and black
ioIcs in the snow, and in each one of
these was the same yellow mustache
and greasy cap, and there was great
numbing as the soldiers saw the children
pass by.
In a corner was a gardener's house,
ascmated witli the trunks of trees, the
ower part of which was full of soldiers,
who were playing cards nnd making
soup over a clear, bright tire. Jlow
good the cabbages and the bacon smelt,
and what a difference to the sharp
shooter's bivouac! Up stairs were the
officers, and they heard them playing
on the piano nnd opening champagne
bottles. hen the Parisians enterea tne
room a hurrah of joy greeted them.
hey gave up their newspapers, and the
officers gave them something to drink
and made them talk. They all had a
proud, hard look, but the large boy
amused them with his Parisian gayety
and his gamin slang. They laughed and
repented his words alter mm, anil seemed
to wallow with delight in the Parisian
mud he brought them.
Little Stenne. too. would have liked
to have talked and to have proved that
he was not stupid, but something em
barrassed him. Opposite to him, sit
ting apart, was a Prussian, older and
more btrious than the others, who was
reading, or rather seeming to read, for
he never took his eyes off little Stenne,
and there was in his glance both tender
ness and reproach, as though this man
might have had a child of little Stenne's
nge at home, and as if ho were saying to
himsell: "1 would rather cue than see
my son doin" such a thing," and as he
looked at little htenne the boy telt as if
a hand was clutching at his heart and
keening it from beating, io escape the
anguish ho began to drink, and soon
everything turned around him. He
heard vaguely, amid loud laughs, his
comrade making fun of the National
Guards, ot their way 01 going through
their drill, he imitated an assault of
arms in the Marais, and a surprise at
night on the ramparts. Then the large
boy lowered his voice, the officers ap
proached nearer to him and their faces
crew more solemn. The miserable fel
low was telling them about that night s
premeditated attack, of which the sharp
shooters had spoken. Then little Stenne
rose, furious and completely sobered :
Hon t tell that fellow, I won t have
you."
But the other only laughed and con
tinued; but before he had finished the
officers were all on their feot, and one
of them, showing the door to the chil
dren, told them to " Begone!" and they
ncgan to taiK hurneaiy together in uer-
mnn. llie large boy left the room as
proud as a doge, clinking his money.
Little Stenne followed him, holding
down his head, and as he was passing
the Prussian whose look had so dis
turbed him :
"Not nice that, not nice," and the
tears camo into his eyes.
Once more. in the plain the children
began to run and return toward Paris
quickly. Their socks were filled with
potatoes which the Prussians had given
them, and with these they passed the
sharpshooters' encampment without any
trou'.le. They were preparing for the
nigl.i attack. Troops were arriving
silently, and were massed behind the
wall. The old sergeant was there, busilv
engaged arranging his men with such a
happy look. When the children passed
near him he recognized them and smiled
kindly at them. Oh ! how badly that
smilo made little Stenne feel. For a
momentjhe felt as if he should burst out
crying anu say to them: " Don t go
there. We have betraved vou."
But the other boy toid him that if he
spoke a word ihey would be shot, and
so icar Kepi him suent.
At Courneuve they entered an aban
doned house to dividi their money
Truth compels me to say that the
division was honestly made, and, when
he heard the line crowns sounding under
his blouse and thought, of the future
giiines of galoche, little Stenne thought
his crime was not so dreadful after all.
But when he was alone, the unhappy
child when nt the gates of the. city the
large boy left him. tnen his pockets grew
heavy and the hand that had been
grasping his henrt held it tighter still.
Paris seemed no longer the same to hiii ;
the passers-by regarded him severely, as
if they knew from whence he came, and
lie heard the word "spy" in all the
sounds of the street and the beating of
the drums along the canal where the
troops were exercising. At last lie
reached his home, and, glad to find that
his father had not come in, he hurried to
his room and hid the crowns that were
weighing so heavily under his pillow.
Never had Father S enne been so good
humored and joyous as he was that
night on coming home. Good news had
been received from the provinces; the
country's affairs were going better.
Whilst he was eating, the old soldier
looked at his eun hunjj on the wall and
he said to the boy, with a hearty laugh :
" Hey! my son; how you would go after
the Prussians, if you were old enough!"
About eight o'clock they heard the
sound of a cannon. " It is at Aubervil
liers ; they are fighting at Bourget !" said
the old man. who knew where all the
forts were situated. Little Stenne grew
pale, and, feigning great fatigue, went to
bed, but not to sleep. The cannons were
thunderine continuouslv. He nietnvpH
to himself the sharpshooters going at
nigni to surprise tne Prussians, and tail
ing into an ambuscade themselves. He
recalled the sergeant who had smiled at
him, and saw him stretched out there
in the snow and so many others with
him! The price of all that
blood was hidden thereunder his pillow.
and it was he, the son of Mr. Steane of
a soldier His tears choked him. In
the adjoining room he heard his father
walking to and fro, and then open a
window. Down in the street the rappel
was sounded; a battalion of mobiles
were getting ready to start. Then there
was no doubt about there being a real
battle going on. The unhappy boy could
not kpep back his sobs.
" What is the matter with you ?" asked
his father, entering his room. The child
could bear it no longer; he jumped
from his bed and threw hin.self at his
father's feet. In so doing' the silver
crowns rolled down on the floor.
" What is this? Have you been steal
ing?" asked the old man, beginning to
tremble. Then, all in one breath," little
Stenne told him that he had been to the
Prussians, and all that he had done, nnd
as he was speaking, he felt his heart
grow lighter; it comforted him to make
the confession. His father listened to
him with a terrible look on his face,
and when the story was told, he buried
his face in his hinds and wept.
"Father, father !" the child tried
to say, but the old man pushed
him on without replying to him, and
picked up the money.
" U that oil P hp asked. Little Rtonne
made a sign that it was; then the old
man took down his gun and cartridges,
and putting the money in his pocket,
said :
" I am going to return it to them,"
taid he, and without another word
without even turning his head, he
went down into the street, and joined
the mobiles who were starting oil' in the
night, lie was never seen again!
From the French of Alphonsc Dauacl.
Something About Prelzels.
History says that fifty-two years ago
a man named Shcrley baked the first
pretzels in Lancaster county, Penn., ever
made in the United States. He rode
through the country on an old horse nnd
sold the pretzels from a bushel bag. Up
to comparatively a few years ago pret
zels were made only in Pennsylvania
and some portions of New York State.
They are now becoming very popular in
Chicago and other portions of the West,
nnd also in some of the cities of the
South.
It takes a very expert hand to mold
ten pretzels in a minute, ready for the
oven, while no one cares to make more
than seven pretzels a minute, working
all day. A Pennsylvania firm has just
completed an automatic machine that
turns out pretzels at the rate of sixty to
one hundred per minute ready to bo
baked. It is nine feet long, two feet
wide and eight feet high, water or steam
power.
The dough is placed in a funnel-shaped
cylinder eight inches in diameter and
sixteen inches long on ton of the ma
chine, and it passes halfway avound a
concave cylinder eight feet in diameter
and htteen inches wide, having a back so
arranged that the dough is rolled be
tween them and then drops upon an end
less apron having sixteen molds, where
the rolled dough is shaped by a curious
device into pretzels, after which they
drop upon a movable board, which,
as soon as filled with. pretzels, is re
moved and an empty board substituted.
The machine is a very ingenious con
trivance and includes a feeder, cutter,
roller, folder, presserand movable board.
The pretzels are deposited at uniform
distances upon the board.
The Author of Cheap Vostage.
Pi-nlial.lv nnt. nnfi r.pmnn in n.tlinncnn1
in the United States is aware that the so
justly celebrated Sir Rowland Hill, who
was the means of the introduction of the
pennpostage system into Great Britain
and Ireland, is sun living. iui sunt is
,1... ....a. Thniirfh l-wii-ti tipl 111 i-min it-
llio mac. iiwuh" ..w... .... U........A
ham in 1705, and consequently an octo
. i f i . . . . i .. i?ii
genarian ana lour years ueuer, no la buii
in good Health ana m me iuu possession
of his faculties.
The Court, of Common Council of
London, having regard to the vast beno-
o n.nfi.i.iorl iinnn t.hp nmmpreial com
munity by those measures of postal re
form with Whicn nis name win ever oe
associated, has paid him a graceful com
pliment by sending a deputation to his
house at Hainpsteaa to confer upon him
tne ireeaom oi uie cuy oi jxmuoii.
rt, ........ .nrn..n.a. wmlipri nt. snmfl lenffth.
V . U 1 ..11 I i.ji ...... . . - - ------- - - r- .
saying, among other things, that a letter
could now oe seni irora r.Kyii l" 011,1
Francisco for a smaller eurn than in 1839
was charged on a letter coming from the
city of London to Hampstead a distan -of
a few miles. , .
It was in 1837 that sir nowianu pub
lished a pnmphlet first developing his
new postal system; in 1838 it was re
commended by a parliamentary com
mittee lor adoption; and m 1840 penny
postage was carried into eftect. In 1810
he received a testimonial from the public
amounting to 60.800, and was subse
ouently made secretary of the general
postottice.-CAwoffO Htws.
TIMELY TOPICS.
The Science of Ileallh says : " If fann
ers would avoid suddenly cooling the
body after great exertions, if they would
be careful not to g with wet clothing
nnd wet feet, and ii they would not over
cat when in that exhausted condition,
and bathe daily, using much friction,
they would have little or no rheuma
tism." A Zululand letter says that the Prince
Imperial died fighting, and must have
sold his life dearly. In the right hand
of the corpse was found a tuft of hair, of
native fiber, while the path marked by
the Zulus in quitting the fatal spot was
stained for a hundred yards with gouts
of blood, supposed to have dropped from
wounded men being borne awny by their
comrades.
The Scientific American says that tho
narrowest gauge nnd tho cheapest rail
wny as yet broueht out is that of D. B.
James, Visalia, Cal. Two stout bars of
wood, so Jaid as to leave a groove be
tween them, form the track. On this
track a wheel with a bulge in tho mid
dle of its periphery tlut fits the groove
Is used, the wheel having a broad flange
at each side of the bulge. One of these
wheels placed at each end of a plank
forms the car. , It is alleged that twelve
miles an hour can be got out of a wooden
railway of this construction ; and that
its carrying capacity js very great. The
cost is estimated i at one thousand
dollars a mile.
For a year or two past the newspapers
have been printing long lists of the great
nnd universal evils predicted by astrolo
gers and astronomers to follow a cer
tain extraordinary conjunction of four
planets in 1881. But now comes the
Washington critic with the assertion
that it has interviewed Professor Simon
Neweomb on the subject, and he says
that there will be no such conjunction
that instead of marshaling themselves
in an order unprecedented since the date
assigned to the creation of the world in
tile Mosaic chronology, the planets dur
ing the year 1881 wi.l continue the even
tenor of their way. and present no phe
nomenon that can be considered at all
remarkable.
The Mexican government is trying to
replenish its exhausted treasury by levy
ing a heavy interna! tax on the cotton
and woolen manufactures of that coun
try. These manufactures amount to
about 8200,00,000 a year, and the
government thinks that the manu
facturers can afford to pay at
least !?500,000 in internal taxes. In
order to protect the home manufacturers
from disastrous foreign competition, the
tariff on American and English goods is
proportionately increased. The new tax
is, however, very unpopular, the manu
facturers, tradesmen -uil-T:34- Koing
all opposw-" itj-rfs thoy are all affected
bv it, -and some of the manufacturers
threaten o close their mills altogother.
People who do not read tho shipping
lists or have occasion to cruise about the
harbor, says a New York paper, may be
surprised to learn that of foreign vessels
arriving at the port of New York, Nor
way has more than any country save
Great Britain, and Italy follows closely
after Norway. Seamanship is not a mat
ter of climate in Europe. The Genoese,
the Neapolitan and the Sicilian take to
the salt water as readily as the dwellers
by the Norway fiords. The favorite
Italian build for vessels is the stubby
brig, but the Norwegians prefer the
bark, and usually model a more graceful
hull. Both nations are sharp competi
tors for the jobbing trade of navigaton.
Their vessels are small and are com
manded by shrewd, thifty captains who
nrequick to pick up acargoforany quar
ter of the world if a tritiing profit can
bo earned. The cheap construction of
these crafts nnd the low wages of the
seamen enable them to earn money for
their owners at rates of freightage that
would be unprofitable for our well-built
and well-manned American ships.
Many of them founder at sea every year,
owingto their flimsy build, but there
are plenty of new ones to take their
places.
The Mai Nichi Shiribun, a Japanese
newspaper, tells a story which ought to
be interesting to ethnologists, who claim
that some of the American Indian tribes
are descended from persons who were
carried to this continent against their
wih by the storms of the ocean. About
forty years ago Yamamoto Otokichi, a
native of Onohara-mura, Chitagori, in
the province of Owari, Japan, who fol
lowed the sea, was, while sailing with
two companions between Tokio and Na
goya, carried by a typhoon to the Ameri
can coast. They landed on the shores of
the Pacific, and were hospitably received
by the Indians. An English ship subse
quently took Otokichi back to Japan,
out the Japanese laws at that time for
bade any Japanese who had departed
from his country to return to it under
penalty of death. The English vessel,
therefore, took their passenger to Shang
hai. There Otokichi married. lie, sub
sequently went to Signapore, where he
resided until his death. He had one
son, who assumed the English name of
John W. Hudson, but it was the father's
earnest wish that he should go back to
Japan, and become a Japanese subject.
Mr. Hudson accordingly made an appli
cation to the authorities in Japan for
leave to io naturalized, llie petition
was granted, and Mr. Hudson has since
been appointed to a government office.
Do Monkeys Swim !
A correspondent of Land and Water,
in reply to a question whether monkeys
swim, says: I was always under the
impression that they aid not like wetting
their fur or hair, but at Sangur, Central
India, when I was stationed there I had
a littio monkey that was exceedingly
fond of swimming and diving. One day
on taking him to the pond at the bottom
of my compound, he jumped off my
shoulder nnd dived (like a man) into the
water, which was three or four feet
deep ; he had his chain on at the time
ana when he dived in the chain caught
m some grass or root at the bottom and
kept the monkey down ; he was just able
to come to the top of tlw water. Feeling
his j-hain had caught, he dived down,
undid the chain, and continued his
swim with the chain in his hand. He
swum just like a man as far as I could
see from tho motion' of his arms.
Several of my brother officers came to
see him swimming, of which -he was
very fond, swimming very quietly, and
cunningly trying to catch the frogs that
lay floating on th top of tht water.
Trunk Spnce and the Sexes.
Mr. Bowerman and wife left for the
country yesterday. One could tell that
their trunks were not over half full, as
they were pitched into the baggage car
with a crash. They began packing a week
ago. When the subject was broached
lie said he preferred to pack his own
trunks, and he didn't propose to hike a
whole month to do it, either. All lie in
tended to take along was an extra suit,
and he could throw that in most anyway.
Night before last he began woric. It
struck him that he'd better put in an
extra pair of boots as a foundation and
he flung 'em in the corners with his
clean shirts. The shirts didn't seem to
rido very well, and he braced them with
two pairs of trousers. Then he stuffed
his Sunday coat pockets with collars and
cuffs and found a place for it, used his
white vests for "chinking," and the bal
ance of his clothing just fitted in nicely.
" The man who takes over ten minutes
to pock a trunk is a dolt!" said Mr.
Bowerman, as he slammed down the lid
and turned the key.
Mrs. Bowerman has been at it just
seven days and seven nights, and when
the husband went up stairs at ten o'clock
she sat down belore the open trunk with
tears in her eyes.
" You see how it is," she explained, as
he looked down upon her in awful con
tempt. " I've got only one part of mv
dresses in here, saying nothing of a
thousand other things, and even now the
lid won't shut down. I've got such a
headache I must lop down for a few
minutes."
She went away to lop, and Mr. Bower
man sat down and mused :
" Space is space. The use of space is
in Knowing now to utilize it."
Removing everything, he beean re.
packing. He found that a silk" dress
could be rolled to the size of a quart lug,
A freshly starched 'lawn was made to
take the place of a pair of slippers. Her
brown bunting fitted into the niche she
had reserved for three handkerchiefs
andi her best bonnet was turned bottom
up in its box and packed full of under
clothing. He sat there viewing suffi
cient empty space to pack in a whole bed
when she returned and said lie was the
only real good lrisband in this world.
and she kissed him on the nose as he
turned the key.
"It's simply the difference between
the sexes," was his patronizing reply as
he went down stairs to turn on the bur
glar alarm.
When that wife opened that trunk last
night ! But screams and shrieks
would avail nothing. Detroit Free Press.
Emigrant Icelanders.
Among the passengers landed at Cas
tle Garden, New York, by the ocean
steamer Anchoria, were fourteen fam
ilies of Icelanders, consisting of seventy
six persons. They are the first large
batch of Icelanders that ever arrived at
New York, and it is their intention to
go to Jlinncootiv, -where they Twill found
a colony, which willbefurlherincreased
by emigration if the pioneers should find
success in their new homes. They had a
very pleasant voyage, keeping altogether
apart from the other passengers, and
the only thing that happened to mar
their journey was the death of Kicsteum
ltyensen, an old lady ot the party, who
died at sea iust previous to the ship's
arrival.
The Icelanders seemed very much
pleased when they had been landed at
(Justle Garden and expressed themselves
so to the interpreter. They compl-iined,
however, of the warm climate, and,
seemingly, not without just cause, as
they were wrapped in heavy Arctic
clothing, which they seemed very re
luctant to relinquish. The nartv con
sists of about thirty middle-aged persons
with n great many children. Thev all
spoke in the Norwegian tongue. Tho
men were short ai ot.vtio .ml wmnil
to be intelligent. Ihey were dressed
in heavy pea jackets, coarse trousers,
thick fiannel shirts and caps with np-
pendages for the cars. The women
wore woolen dresses and heavy woolen
shawls, and instead of hats they had a
sort of head dres3 consisting of a round
piece ot black cloth resting on the ton
of the head, from which depended a
long black tassel attached by a silver
band, which swayed to and fro in re
sponse to the movements of the wearer.
The children were also dressed in heavy
clothing and, as well as the women,
wore moccasins instead of shoes. The
party bring some money with them,
one person Laving $1,755 and the others
sums 'ranging from $125 to 8750. Ihey
seem to bo very simple and confiding
people, and were perfectly satisfied with
all that the authorities did for them in
the way of exchanging money and pro
curing railway passage. Tho Icelanders
left Castle Garden for Minnesota, by
way of the Pennsylvania railroad.
New York Herald. " '
A Pigmy Painter.
In a recent exhibition of old and cu
rious paintings in Holland was -a por
trait of Oliver Cromwell. It was by no
means a masterpiece of art, being a
somewhat feeble imitation in style of
Sir Peter Lely. tho court painter of
Charles 1. of England. But it was a real
curiosity in its wav.
Its painter wasilichard Gibson, other
wise known ns the "dwarf artist."
Gibson was three feet two inches high.
Ho was born in 1615. While serving as
a page for a lady at Mortlake, she no
ticed his talent lor drawing, Hnt caused
him to be instructed by He Keeyn, the
superintendent of the famous Mortlake
tapestry works. The little artist became
very skillful as a copier of Sir Peter
Lely s pictures, and attracted the atter.
tion of Queen Henrietta Maria. She
made him her husband's page, and mar
ried him to a dwarf young lady of ex
actly his own height', who waited on
her. llie wedding of the dainty little
iir was honored by the presence of the
king and queen, and Edmund Waller,
the poet, commemorated it by a poem.
When Charles lost his scepter and his
head, and passed with his queen out oi
English lines, his little protege lived and
throve. He had painted the king's por
trait, and now was called upon to limn
that of the protector. Cromwell re
garded him with particular and kindly
favor. On the restoration he atrain
changed coats, and entered the service of
Charles II. Ho was drawing master to
the Princesses Mary and Anne. But the
wild court of the son of his old master
did not suit tne tastes ot the pigmy
painter, now grown old. He retired to
private life, and died in 1690. His wife.
after giving birth to nine children, all of
whom attained ordinary size, diied in
1 '00, at the age of ninety. .
Little Georgle Dobhio playfully set
fire to a heap of brushwood close to a-
powder mngatlne at Marquette, Mich,
and ths explosion killed hiaw
RUSSJl'S MISFORTUNES.
Life In That Country n Veritable " Sea of
Troubles.''
Russia's complicated misfortunes nrp
possibly unparalleled in the history of
any uoumry. just Deiore the latest
lurko-Kussian war the wretched condi
tion of the people in manv of the flzur'n
provinces had brought about extensive
eruptions. Then ative tribes of the Cau
casus could not stand the levies imposed
on them in different shapes by the Rus
sian army ana revoitea. lieing defeated,
they were transported to the northern
provinces of Russia. This proved so
iaiai mat, oi me nrst party of 2,000 ex lies
one-half died in the first year. There
are now 770 . families, besides
300 single persons, of these Daghestan and
ersK reoeis on tneir way to exile, and
stiu more nave been doomed to
transportation. Tho war with Turkey
was resorted to in the hope that it would
raise the old patriotic sentiments and
turn the minds of discontented Russians
from their domestic troubles. This no
tion proved a mistake, and the results of
tne war, so far as Russia is concerned,
were unsatisfactory. Over 200,000 men
perished in it. of whom 18.000 are re
ported to have frozen to death, and the
wai expenses amounted to 1.500.000.000
roubles. The Russian Nihilists have
watched each steD of their cnemv the
nussian government. Thus the two
hostile powers the Revolutionists and
imperialists have been carrying on
their desperate struggle, each trying to
deal tho death blow to the other. In no
agricultural country is the chief product
of the fields the grain so much as
sailed as in Russia. The forces of na
ture itself often turn against the public
welfare. One year the crops are de
stroyed by extensive drought; the next
year by excessive rain, by inundations
and by hail, Then again every year, be
it too ary or too rainy, tne neias are de
vastated by clouds of locusts and beetles,
and by swarms of Siberian marmots.
For the last five years the middle and
southern provinces the very granary of
itussia have been one vast nest ol de
structive insects. The Russian millions
have a foe yet more terrifying than fam
ine. Epidemic diseases make havoc
every year in many parts of the empire.
The fatality last year from the plague
was small in comparison with that which
occurs every year from other less heard
of epidemics. Several varieties of ty
phoid fever, especially the so-called hun
ger typhus, and cholera are epidemic in
Russia. The young generation is de
stroyed by diphtheria and small-pox to
such an extent that it has been necessary
to call for the aid of the Red Cross socie
ties in dealing with them. The ever-recurring
nnd extensive fires, of which we
have lately heard so much from Russia,
should not bo overlooked. Statistics
show that every year no less than one
twelfth part of all the houses of Russia
are consumed in flame. Russia will
doubtless go on burning, for tho present
Russia is but a huee agdlomeration of
combustible material, with hardly any
fire extinguishing engines. In conse
quence of the appalling poverty of the
masses of the Czar's subjects, it has for
many yenrs been impossible to enforce
the payment of taxes upon any regular or
orderly system. 1 lie tax collectors re
sort to the severest measures against de
linquent taxpayers. Thev are floeeed
and imprisoned, their cattle, horses, pigs
and poultry are seized and put up at
auction, and finally tho house of the de
linquent is unroofed. 1 hese are some of
the points which, for tho common peo
ple at least, make Russia a veritable
sea ot troubles. I'lnladtwlua Tele- '
graph.
Words of Wisdom.
The word of nn honest man is surer
than the gold of a villain.
We can never die too early for others
It is the best proof of the virtues of a
family circle to see a happy fireside.
How few faults are there seen by us
which we have not ourselves committed.
If everv ve:ir we rooted out one vice
we should soon become perfect men.
Ingratitude calls forth reproaches, ns
gratitude brings fresh kindnesses.
Let a man overcome anger by love.
evil by good, the greedy by liberality, the
liar by truth.
He who would amass virtues, leaving
out the guardian virtue humanity, is like
a man who leaves a precious dust exposed
to the wind.
Might and right do differ frightfully
from hour to hour; but give them cen
turies to try it in and they are bound to
lie identical.
Men of great and stirring powers, who
are destined to mold the age in which
they are born, must first mold themselves
upon it.
Energy will do everything that can be
done in this world; and no talents, no
circumstances, no opportunities will
make a two-legged animal a man without
it.
There are some benefits which may bo
so conferred as to become the very re
finement of revenge; and there are somo
evils which we had rather bear in sullen
silence than be relieved from at the ex
pense of our pride.
As to Ilafs.
A man's hat, unlike a bonnet, is often
indicative of his character, for ho is al
lowed to choose from a great variety of
. . . i , i , i , .
styles thai which dcsi suns ins iciupcra
nient or accords with his moral sense.
And yet a " shocking bad hat" does not
always reveal a shocking bad character,
Hats, as well as dreams, often go to con
traries. Wendell Phillips' gray slouched
hat is no sign of any slouchiness in
Wendell, and the bright beaver of the
burglar is no indication of shining moral
attributes in the wearer. The chief
beauty of the modern hat is that it is
eminently useful. Sociates, whose cri
terion of beaut v was adaptedness to use.
would have been delighted with such
hats as nine-tenths of modern men wear,
though we fear he would ask, Cut bonof
f nvesented with a beaver.
The ideal hat, pemaps, is yet, io ue
made, but we have come pretty near to
It,. It keens the head warm in winter
and cool in summer, It protects the eyes
nnd face from the sun. it is impermeable
to the rain and yet not to the air, it is
soft and yielding, it may be sat upon ana
iammed into the pocket without injury.
' . i, , . . . i . i i ..
ana ronea in uie uusi or muu uu cmuo
out untarnished, and, above all, it will
endure the ravages of time. What mor
does a man want of a hat? Compar.-d
with the ephemeral bonnet, it is "a thirty
or beauty ana a joy iorevcr, an c iv.
nnpni. rinninir with the years. Tin -i".
lore, what man having worn an old 1 at
straightway desireth a new? For he
alth the old itbetter.SprinyJUldUnun
Fulfillment.
Sometimes I think the things we see
Are shadows of the things to tie;
That what we plan we build;
That evory hope that hath been orossod,
And every dream we thought was lost,
In heaven shall be fulfilled.
That even the children of the brain
Have not been bom nnd died in vaiu,
Though here unclothed and dumb;
But on some brighter, better shore,
They live embodied evermore,
And wait for us to come.
Phahe t'nrj
ITEMS OF INTEREST.
Sound advice A locomotive's whist. e
to tell the people to get off th track.
Picayune.
"Had dime my way, oh, beauteous
maid, I'd steal a kiss!" he cried. "Then
I'd do ten times worse than that I'd
dollar!" she replied. Eugene Field.
An engineer on the Grand Trunk rail
way is said to hare run a single engine
200,000 miles within a period of four
years and three months, without repairs.
This is said to be an unprecedented feat,
rnd creditable alike to engine and en
gineer. A common way of imposine upon Iff.
norant prospectors in the mining regions
of Nevada is to shoot gold filings into
the ground from a gun. Even brass is
made to serve the purpose, and by this
means many a worthless claim is sold at
a high price.
Nothing is lost in France. The ornncfi
blossoms and grass in the public gardens
of Paris are sold to the highest bidder,
and at a country railroad station a visi
tor lately saw a sale of the crass on the
embankments. The purchasers were
peasants' wives.
The importation of American lpnther
into Europe has increased over one hun
dred per cent, since 1873. In that year
Europe received 659,912 hides, and to
judge by the exports from the United
States thus far this vear it will receive
at the close over 1.500.0C0.
You love me?" echoed the fair
young creature, as her prettv head oiled
the collar ot his summer suit. "Yes,"
he said, tenderly, "you are my own nnd
only " "Hush!" she interrupted,
"don't say that be orieinal. Thai-
sounds too much like Barnum's show
bills. Rockland Courier.
There is said to be one very picturesaue
personage in Sitting Bull's camp a Nez
Perce, named Step so-called, it is sur
mised, from the fact that he has no legs
md can t walk an inch. J I is lower
limbs, left arm and part of the right
hand have been frozen off. He is strap
ped to his pony, and his weapon is n
horse-pistol, which he manipulates with
the stump of his dexter fin.
A young lady graduate in a neighbor
ing county read an essay entitled " Em
ployment of Time." Her composition
was tmsea on the text, " limewastea
existence; used, is life." Tho next
day she purchased eight ounces ol zeph vr
of different shades and commenced work
ing a sky-blue dog with sea-ereen ears
and a pink tail on a piece of yellow can
vas. She expects to have 'it done by
next Christinas. Norridown Herald.
The surgeon had prescribed a bath for
a soldier who was ailing, and ordered
that he be conducted to an adjoining es
tablishment by a sergeant. At the end
of an hour's waiting at the bath-room
door, the sergeant, hearing no noise, en
tered the room and found the soldier
seated by the side of the bath-tub. The
water was as it was when the soldier
went into the room, except that its level
had been perceptibly lowered. " Ma foi,
sergeant," said the soldier, "you may
put me in the guard-house if you want
o, but I can't drink another drop !"
The practice of " weighting" silks has
begun to excite serious attention. Some
idea of the extent to which 6ilk adultera
tion is carried may be formed from re
cent statements by Justus Wolff. He
says tho public is made to pay tho ful
price for a matt rial containing only one-
third of silk and two-thirds of sub
stances which are not only of little
aliio in themselves, but injurious to the
small quantity of genuine silk. "I
know English manufacturers who send
their silks to France to bo dyed black
and then returned for working up, be
cause in France they are able to increase
tho weight of silk while dyeing it niacK
much more than they can do in Eng
land. The result of such practice is a
beautiful black silk fabric, changing into
racs remarkably quick in the possession
of the buyer." He recommends analyses
of wcightea" black siik iaorics to ue
made and the results published, with the
names of the firms manufacturing or
selling the adulterated goods.
IT hat the Eyes See in Reading.
M. Jave.1 has lately published observa
tions on the mode in which the eye
takes in the successive letters
on a printed page. We are not to sup
pose, he says, iliac in reading a nneone
passes successively from the lower part
of a letter to the upper pait, then down
tho next letter, up the next, ana so on,
the vision describing a wavy line. The
fixation takes place with extreme pre- -
cision along a straight line, traversing
the junction of the upper third of the
letter wmi me lowi-t iwo-iuuus. n uy
is this line not in the middle? Becauso
characteristic parts of tho letters are
moro frequently above than below, in
the proportion of about seventy-five per
cent. 1 hat this is so, we can see oy ap
plying on a line of typographic charac
ters a sheet oi paper covering uie nnu in
its lower two-thirds, and leaving the
upper third exposed. We can then read
the letters aimosi as weu as u im-y nuu
not been concealed in greater part. But
the cose is very different if we cover the
upper two-thirds of the line; the lowest
third alone does not furnish sufficient for
recognition. The characteristic part of
the letters, men, is cnieuy in xucir up
per portion. M." Javel next compares
the ancient typographic characters with
those of modern books, and maintains
that the latter have too much uniform
ity, so that, taken in their upper parts
alone, many of them may be confounded
in reading. The old letters, on the
other hand, had each a particular sign
by which they could be easily dis
tinguished. In the books printed by the
celebrated old publishing house of the
Elzevirs the a, for example, had '.o re
semblance to o, the r could not be con
founded with the n, as now, nor the e or
e with the o. the b with h, etc. This too
great uniformity in the upper part of
typographic characters should be cor
rected, since it is to that part we chiefly
look in reading.