“The Rain Palle Softiy.” The rain falls softly on the window eaves, And whispers lowly to the rostling grass, And loads the winds’ dusk pinions as they To shake the glittering moisture on the leaves The min sweeps whore the great sea swells and heaves, And dimples all the looked lakes’ living glnes; The min sobs round the home whose light she Was, As with the hearts left desolate it grieves, And listening to its murmur all alone, 1 set its cadence to my yoarning sorrow, And love's mute longing for the darling gone, From natore’s wail seems strength renewed to borrow, Till I oan hear the dull plash on the clay Of that dear new-made grave, broad leagues AWAY. JA the Year Round. A Bit of a Sermon, Whatso'er you find to do, Do it, boys, with all your might ! Never be a little trae; Or a little in the right, Trifles even Lead to heaven, Trifles make the lite of wa; So in all things, Great or small things, Be as thorough as you can, Let no speck their suriaoe dim— Spotless trath and honor bright! I'd not give a fig for him Who says any lie is white! He who falters, Twists or alters Little atoms when we speak, May deceive me But believe me, To himself he is a sneak’ Help the weak il you are strong Love the old it you are Own a fault if you are wrong, It you're avgry, hold your tongue, In each duty Lies a beavty, It your eyes do not shut, Tast as surely And securely As a kernel in & nat! VERLIAE Love with all your heart sad sou Love with eve and ear and ou {hat's the moral of the whole, You ean never love too muon! "Tis the glory Of the story an our babyhood begun; Our hearts witho:! : {Never doubt it) Are the worlds without a = Ii you think a word will please, Sav it, it it is but true, Tondwmay give delight with ease, When no set is asked {rom you, Words may often Soothe and soiten, Gild a joy or heal a pain; They are treasures Yielding pleasures It is wicked to retain! Whatsoe'er you fad to do, Do it then with all your might; Let your prayers be strong and true— Prayer, my lads, will keep you right. Prayer in all things, Great and small things, Like a Christian gentleman; And forever, Now or never, Be as thorough as you can. - Good Words for the Younp. IN PERIL. ** Lois— Lois Arnold! Where is she now? The speaker was an energetic-looking Drat the girl! of a village * What's the matter, Mary ?" queried her husband, = kindly faced man, as he stepped into the porch beside her. ** Matter enough! Why, here it is six o'clock ana the table ain't even set for supper. [can't find Lo's nowhere What's more, Reuben,” she added, with an anxious iook, “I mistrust she's after no good.™ “Why, how do you mean, Mary?" ** I'm afraid she's off with that Dray- ton.” * What, that city chap? “Yes. He's been moopin’ around here a sight more'n I like, lately. 1 saw her puttin’ on her best white frock two hours ago, and I thought thed that more’n likely she expected to see him.” And Mrs. Arnold shook her head sol- emnly. At this moment a young man turned the corner of the street and came toward thecouple. He wastall and well made. and evidently a carpenter by occu pas tion. asthe kit of toois he carried tes- tified. “Here comes Paul Haynes, now,” said Mrs. Arnold. * Perhaps be's seen her.” And, with a friendly nod she called out, ‘Seen Loisanywheres round, Paul **No, I havent,” replied the young man, pausing; then added, anxiously, “Yon ain't worried about her, are you?” * Oh, no; like’s not she is in to one of the neighbors.” said Mrs. Arnold, with feigned indifference; and, us Haynes passed on, she said to ber husband: “I wasn't going to have him mistrust any- thing Lois had a sight better mMAITY such a good fellow.” Lois Arnoid was the niece of the good couple who were thus anxious about her—a pretty, wayward little thing, wlio had already given as much anxiety to her sober protectors as does the wanton duckling to the respectable hen she who rears it. . At this moment the culprit was walk- ing down 8 green lane not far from her home, making her way toward it, in- deed, but very slowly, She was not alone. on the arm of a man about thirty, evi. dently a denizon of the city. He was eyes, and yet there lurked an expression on his face that might have inspired our country girl. “And you say we must part here, Lois?” he said, pausing under the shade of a large the shelter of some bushes. “Yes, Frank,” she replied. “I dare not have you go any further: and Ishall be late at home, as it is. Aunt Mary will be sure to scold,” “Lois,” said the young man suddenly. taking both her hands in his. ** would you like to escape those scoldings for ever?” ** What do you mean, Mr. Drayton?” asked Lois, looking up at him with startled eyes. “1 mean will you go back to the city with me? Will you give yourself to me entirely, my own pretty pet?” And he caught her suddenly in his arms, imprinting an sudacious kiss on her trombling Eo and fairly over- whelming her with the force of his emotion, After a moment Lois drew a little back from that almost fierce embrace, and looking frightened and bewiidered, faltered : * This is so sudden!” “1 know it is sudden, my darling,” he said, drawing her toward him again; “but I am forced to speak to-day. 1 received a letter last night that well ohlige me to return to the city in three days.” “80 soon?” g *“ Yes, sweet one; must I go alone?” Lois hesitated, and even while she listened to this lover's pleadings the - honest eyes of Paul Haynes scemed to be looking into hers with pitiful plead- ing and warning. But Drayton went on to paint pictures of life in the city with all its delights, and to utter pas- sionate protestations of devotion. And bewildered by the suddenness of the attack, dazzled and intoxicated. before they parted Lois had consented to elope with her new lover. 03t course, no thought of evil erossed her mind. Somewhat more gently nur- tured than the people about her, the picture of a city home possessed great attractions for her; and this man of the world, with his graceful manners and easy flatteries, had thrown about her a scrt of fascination that for the time Seeing to render her obedient to his will. I ois walked home as in a dream, and AS ——————— VOLUME XIII. . was so absorbed in thought that she never heeded Aunt Mary's scoldings, but went about her evening duties mechanically, Only as she was wash. thinking how pleasant it would be to be rid of such drudgery in the lature, proposed an enlopement, though she marry her, why did he not come and ask her utole for her and have the wed. ding take place in the village sothat s he might enjoy the innocent pleasure of showing Ler city conquest to her friends? And, somehow, she could not got Paul out of her head She had thought she should marry him; she knew he had loved her so long and so well, she had teased him with her flirta- | tions, of course, but, then, she had al- | wavs intended to marry him in theend. | Drayton took good care that Lois | should have as little time for reflection | as possible during the next three days. | It was early September, the weather | was warm and fine, and he persuaded | Lois to spend a large portion of each {day in rambling through the woods | side reflection was impossible, He made passionate love to her all the time, halfirightening her with the fierceness of his protestations, yet ren. : dering her quite powerless of resistance and molding her eyery day more abso. iutely to his will until she felt as if mysterious bonds were riveted about i her. She went home on the last evening through a gloomy twilight that threat | ened rain, with his last entreaties ling- ering in her ears, with no thought of trying to escape her destiny, and yet { with a heart that was as heavy as lead { Paul Haynes. { “Oh, here you are, Lois!" he cried, | with a joyful voice; * your aunt was just { beginning to be terribly worried about you!" {| “Was she?" said Lois, looking up at { him with a pale face and wild startled ieves. I won't trouble her any more.” Something in her look and tone smote | Paul with sudden alarm. ** What is the matter, Lois?" he cried out. ** Nothing, nothing," she said, hastily: **let me go in,” and before he could stop her, she hurried past him into the | house. Paul looked after her for a moment, {and then walked thoughtfully down the i street, | rain was falling, when, at a very early : hour, Lois rose and looked with forlorn ; fave out of her window. She dressed | herself as in a dream, and then, with a little sacheliin her hand, and closely | wrapped in waterproof and vail stole | from the house. Her limbs trembled so i that she could scarcely walk, her face | was pale, and tears stood in her eyes, i and yet she moved on as if obedient to | some imperious power. It had been arranged that she was to | wait near the little station till the train { approached, when she was to jump on ithe cars as quickly as possible, when Drayton would join her with the tickets. Of course Lois was early at the ap- pointed place, and as she stood under the tree, hiding herself as well as she could with an umbrella, she was a very miserable little creature. It al pened, however, as had been arranged. Lois hurried on to the train, and after it had whirled on for a short distance, she was joined by Dravton. Once by his side again, her fears and her reluctance seemed in a great meas- ure to vanish, and while he painted again to her in glowing colors the life they would lead in the city, or under her wraps cissped her hand in his, she exerted over her. When they reached New York, Dray- ton hurried Lois from the cars, and, finding her a seat in the waiting-room left her there, He must go away to make some arrangements for their com- fort, but would return soon, he said. Left to herself in tne dreary quiet of the room, which was nearly empty after the rush of passengers had departed, Lois fell again into utter wretchedness. The rain fell in torrents outside, the air was damp and chill; she shivered, and { after a while drooped her head and be- gan to weep under her vails The tears which at first dropped silently, grew thicker, and an irrepressible sob parted her lips. At this moment a hand was laid said : ** What is tae matter, Lois?” She looked up, and beside her stood Paul Haynes, gazing at her with eyes full of pity and tenderness. drew back and gasped out: * Paul, what brought you here?” said ; then, noticing a little repellant gesture, he added quickly, * No, Lois, happiness, simply to protect you it “you need protection. You believe that I am a true iriend, do you not?” * Yes, Paul, I am sure of that.” tle child,” he said, in a voice of infinite | gentleness, “but I distrust Mr.jDray- [ton. You think he is going to marry you Mm | pushing back her vail, and azing at Paul with wide eyes of astonishment. “ And you wish to merry him?” “Ye-e-s"—tho assent was not very | hearty. “Of course you do, since you have | come here with him, and you know, of | course, that he ought to marry you at once—this afternoon.” * Certainly; that is what I expected.” Paul looked at Lier gravely. dothe man injustice. But I cannot help fearing that he does not mean to do the honorable thing by you. When I met you last night I was troubled to the heart. I distrusted Drayton, and when [ learned that he was going away in the early train this morning I determined to watch him. I saw you get on the train and I followed. Iwill not tell you what I suffered” —a spasm of pain crossing his face—*‘you know how long I have loved you, Lois, and that ought to prove to you that I am your friend now. When Mr. Drayton returns, if you will give me leave, I will claim the right to go with you and see you married. intentions are what they ought to be, he will be glad to have me go. If they are not—" “I will go home with you, Paul,” said Lois, firmly. “Iam glad you are here. Iteltso—so lonesome,” she added, hesitatingly. “And you will authorize my being with you, Lois?” ** Yes, Paul, gladly.” And indeed it seemed as if new cour- age bad come to the girl. Her eyes were alight again, her face bright, and she no longer cowered in her corner, by sa upright. They had not long to wait. Presently Drayton stepped just within the door and beckoned to Lois. Shedid not respond to his signal, and, in sur- prise, he came toward her, an angry frown gathering on his brow as he saw that she was not alone. % “This is my friend, Mr. Haynes,” said Lois, simply. “He will go with us. Drayton acknowledged Paul's saluta- tion with a stiff bow. ** Come,” he said to Lois, imperiously. “The carriage is waiting.” Paul rose also. ‘“As one of the oldest friends of Miss Arnold’s family, I claim the privilege of being present at her wedding ceremony,” he said, firml “Yes,” hs Lois, resolutely; I want Paul to go with us.” Drayton looked from one to the other, the frown growing blacker on his brow, while his face wore an expressio uf helpless anger. Putting his hand on Lois’ arm, he tried to drag her away “I will not have this man with us,’ * Lois, don't you 3 he said, imperiously. trust me? She raised her innocent large eves to pression she met there, *1 shall not, unless you let Paul go with us. What harm can there be in that?" * Every harm,” muttered Drayton un- der his breath with an oath, Paul stepped forward. “Mr. Drayton,” said he, “if you in- tend to marry this young lady at ones like an honorable man, you can have no I am a very ald friend of her fam: ly, and I can earry to them the assurance that, although she has done a very foolish thing in eloping, she has at least placed her trust wisely." Drayton moved uneasily under the keen gray eyes. * All confounded nonsense,” he said. “Once for all, Lois, you will go with me alone, or you will not go at all Choose.” And he held out his hand. Lois Jooked from his flushed and an. gry face to Paul's irm and kindly eyes; then, suddenly extending her hand to the young carpenter, she said: will go home with you, Paul.” A look of sudden joy irradiated his face as he drew her hand within his arm an oath, strode from the room. The return journey was, strange as it may seem, far happier to Lois than the outward one; somehow a great rest and peace seemed to have come to her; the excitements and turmoils of the last few weeks had vanished, and tranquility was restored to her life. When she learned all from Paul—how he had heard what manner of man Dray- ton was, snd that he had already wrecked the iife of one young giri- when she thought of the devotion that had srompted Paul's action, and realized Pe what possibilities he bad saved her — when she discovered at last that he hae even provided against any possible scandal by sending a hurried note to Mrs. Arnold, telling her not to let any one know that Lois had gone—when al} this came to her, and she looked at the with a sudden rusk of tears: ** Paul, I can never thank you enough. I believe I have loved you best all the time. If you still care to have such a foolish, weak thing as lam, [ will never tease you again,” And so Paul had his reward. A Thrilling Story of the Sea. Captain George Beal is the only sur- vivor of nine persons on board the brig Lizzie M. Merrill, which sailed from New York for New Orleans, and lound- ered during a heavy storm. “When she went down I sank with the vessel acon. siderablejdepth,” says Cap:iain Beal “and the lifeboat, which I had launched as soon as the deck was stove, about twenty yards to the leeward of me, with the second mate and one sailor in it, but they could rot pull to me to take me in, as they had lost the oars. 1 saw the mate and another sailor get upon some pieces of wreckage, and I got on some pieces myself which had broken from the deck of. the after house. They were about eight feet long and .two feet broad. these 1 gradually lifeboat. Had the mate and his only companion in the boat even a light bil- boat s0 as to reach me and we would cling together in life or death. At one time I had formed the resolution to jump off tRe raft and swim to the boat but the distance was too great and the sea was running. Life was too sweet to take such a risk. “Toward evening Iithrew up my hands every two or three minutes to encourage them and they returned the signal. We must have been then a mile apart, and the gap was steadily widening. As night was falling snd they were fading from my sight the first feeling of terror crept over me, as I feit conscious it was our last separation, the chances of a rescue being all in their favor. Then I had only a few crackers in my pocket but, strange to say, from the moment 1 began to realize my terrible situ«tion the feeling of hunger departed. Ail night I was tossed about till my limbs so ached that they at last became be- numbed and I began to fear that I would be washed off. At the same time | strained my eyes all that long night—a night of such awful length that I felt the darkness penetrate my very brain, and a feeling of bewilderment crept over As I watched and watched for a light and the day was not returning, I light again. To add to my distressed condition I was seized with an intense thirst, which was burning me within. | kept my hair, face, neck and chest well relief, “All the years of my life seemed crowded into one of those fearful min- At last when I remembered how courage in the hope that my companions was visible. (All that day I dritted about and my situation was more com- next day and night without tasting my heart jumped with delight when I me. My arms had become so power- less that I was hardly able with them. Atsix o'clock a boat was schooner Harold Va., to Rio Grande del Sul, after hav- ing been eighty-one the eight-feet planks.” Stature of the Japanese, ches taken at random, the tallest was a trifle over five feet two inches, and the aver- average span of four feet six inches. The shortness of the span as compared with the height is a general character- istic that is especially marked in the case the height, and thirty-three per cent. greater than the height, while in only 6.8 per cent. were the height and span equal. Climute can hardly be made to account satisfactorily for the smallness of the Japanese, for they live in a tem- perate region, though it is subject to sudden and marked changes. The gen- eral use of charcoal braziers for heating may have something to do with it by causing them to inhale the carbonio ox- ides. The characteristic of their food is the rarity of meat and the abundance of salt. Many of the additional causes of the smallness of the Japanese may be so remote as to cease to effect the nation About 336,300,000 gallons of beer were manutactured in the United States in eB. and 1,245,500,000 gallons in Great ritain. TIMELY TOPICS, mn cotaemed orthography was intros duced into all the Prussian schools on April 1. All new school-books will hereafter be printed with the reformed spelling, and no educational works with the old spelling will be used in schools after the lapse of a ceriain interval, Fhe governments of Austria, Bavaria and Wurtemberg have also adopted the new spelling. It seemed that oysters mav be arti. fieally propagated by chopping up the male and female oysters together. Dr. thereupon immediately begin In afew hours the embryo Its shells, al first small and apart, soon grow down the edges and finally form the ters hinge, to take food, and it grows to a sige suffi. cient for food in about three vears. average oyster contains from six te nine million eggs. A large oyster con- tains fitty million eggs ! The Berliner Zeitung has caused some sensation in Germany by a terrible de. scription which it has published of the especially a young recruit, in the Ger the eaprice of his superior, and without any hope of redress, Licks in stomach, boxes on the ear, blows with a sheathed sword or the butt end of a musket, are part of the treatment to which the soldier must submit. The number of cases of suicide ip the Gere ing'y large, is mentioned by the writer in support of his ease. lli-treated by his suparicrs, drilled till he faints from fatigue, subjected to most cruel tortures, which compare with those of the In. quisition, the soldier, desparing of ob- taining justice or relief, puts an end to his life. —— taxidermist attached to the Anatomical Museum of Berlin, has just discovered a liquid which, injected into the veins of dead meat, not only preserves it for several weeks from decay, but keeps it perfectly fresh and in possession of its natural flavor. Having treated a slaughtered ealf with his new prepar. exposed for a fortmight to the air and weather changes, hanging in the open mriake of the meat thus tested, provid. } An old Lake Superior trapper, named Thomas Judson, was once suddenly | surrounded by a band of fierce Indians | from whom he expeoted no good, While | making free with his outfit, they found | 8 pair of skates among his other trap- { pings, and were immensely pussled to | know what to make of then. A funny | thought seemed to cceur to the hunter | as he saw their curiosity, for his gray | eye twinkled merrily. i Ice mocoasin,” he saia, putting a { skate on his foot, and then made with | his hands the gliding motion that the | feet take ip skating, { “Ugh!” granted the Indian chief, | pointing to the narrow blade of the | skate, and shaking his head. As they | were near the ice, Thomas proposed {to fasten them ona young brave for | trial, { The In‘ians welcomed the plan with | glee, for, though BAVAZES, ne were { great lovers of sport, Selecting the | bravest and swiftest young fellow, the | chief bade him stick out his feet, which | he did rather suspiciously. The skates i were soon strapped on, and the young buck helped to his feet, The ice was like glass, and as he started to move, you know what happened, His feet ¢w out from under him and down he came with a orack. Such shouts of isughter as the rest setup! The young fellow was gritty, and scrambled up to try it again, but with the same re- suit, The chief now signaled the hunter to show them how the things worked, Thomas fastened on the skates with great care, picked up his rifle and used | Saved by His Skates, i self. He moved awkwardly, fell down, got up and stumbled around, the Indi- ans ail the time laughing and eapering i at the sport. bled a little further AWRY, about and making believe it was very hard work to keep his balance, until he was near the point where the smooth | inke jee stretohed miles and milesaway. Suddenly gathering himself up, he | grasped his rifle firmly, gave a war whoop as wild us the Indian's own, and dashed up the lake like an arrow, | skating as he had never skated before, dians couldn't have been more aston. ished. Of course they couldn't hope to catch him, over the glassy ice, and they stood gaping after him, wondering casing,” Nothing pleased old Thomas in after years than to tell how he * fooled the | redskins, "Golden Rule. suit their palates. The professor's guests, however, found his prepared veal 80 toothsome and deliowte that they confined their attentions to it ex- ciusively, neglecting all the other solid items in his bill of fare, Philadelphia is astonished to find that it is to have an elevated railroad. The ately, and the first public intimation of Contrary to what has been done in New York, the line within the city proper is lo run on property owned by the com: pany, exoept where it crosses streels The projectors are the Pennsylvania ratiread company, and it is to run from their present depot, in West Philadel. phia, to Broad and Market streets, in the heart of the city. The job of pur was undertaken a year ago by trusty and the B at reasonable prices. The structure is kill is to be crossed bridge. s— The Brazilians have been proud of their two monitors, the Javary and the somewhat changed their views, They started the latter to steam down the const for artillery practice the other day, and after steam was made it was and they had to put out the fires, was, The next day they got up steam and heaved ahead very satisfactorily, and bore down with great rapidity upon another iron-clad, which my in her way, The officers and crew were the engines, and the threatened col- inns of their naval supremacy. In a review of the British opium trade in India and China, Professor Christ lieb, of Bonn, gives the following stat- istics showing the magnitude of the trade and its effects upon Indian agri- culture: Since the treaty of Tientsin, in 1860, the quantity of opium annually imported into China from the East Indies has chests. In 000, were brought into the Chinese market, 8,943 of which were sent to drug for medicinal purposes in Great 165 chests. The progressive growth of the trade during the past eighty years is thus shown: In the year 1800, about 5,000 chests; in 1825, 12,000 in 1850, Among the tension of poppy planting in India are sequent curtailment of food products. of the finest and most fertile land in Northern and Central India have been poppy plan Quite recently 100,000 acres the richest plains in Central the Ganges. which formerly used to pro- the impoverishment of the soil, been Theaverage Japan’s Mineral Wealth, The Japanese have now a completaly organized geological survey, with a full staff of native surveyors, under an American chief, Mr. B. 8. Lyman, The first report of progress of this survey for been published, and country. Mr. Lyman reckons that the counl fields of Western Japan contain about 620,000,000 tons, and if one-third be deducted for the working, presenting a value at the const of one thousand million dollars. Inconsider- able as this is in comparison with she large and rich coal fields of other lands, it is quite equal in value to all the metal products together, except iron. The copper of all the workable mines scarcely reaches the value of $750,000,000; the eight or ten gold and silver mines, which were formerly worked and may be so again, may, including the lead, antimon and tin mines, the workability ot which is doubtful, be valued at not more than $250,000,000. On the other hand, the value of the iron amounts to at least $250,000,000,000. The relative import- ance of the mineral products may be re- resented by the following numbers: ron, 1,000; coul, 4; copper, 3; all other metals (chiefly gold and silver), 1. We would do many more things it we believed less in impossibilities. What te De in Case of Fire, The loose garments worn by women {and children expose them to special danger from fire, If the fire starts from the bottom of the dress, the na. tural upward tendency of the flame soon envelops the whole person, un- {less by self-control and presence of | mind the necessary care be taken by the sufferer, or some one near, without a moment's hesitation. To obey the first impulse and open the doors and | rush out issure destruction. The only | safety is to fall down instantly on the floor, and roll over on to the fire, | snatching 8 woolen shawl or rug, if near, to wrap round the body, One is comparatively safe by rolling over and be less likely to be injured. who may be in the room, or may come snatch the first woolen thing to be | found—a table cover—without think- ling of the work of art on it. Pull it off! Whe cares where the bric-a-brac rolis to? It is a human life in danger. Or snatch a woolen shaw! from a chair, [ & curtain or a rug; anything—that one { human form is morevaluable. Wrap the | sufferer instantly into something that | is woolen—the coat from your back, if nothing eise offers—and thus closely wrapped roll her on the floor in the folds. Scores of lives have been saved in this way, or lost for want of such immediate inaction. In case the house is on fire { there should be one “captain.” if possi. | ble, who ean lead the less self-possessed out of the burning building. Every door, window or aperture through which air | ean find entrance should be closely shut | except during egress. There are niways eight or ten incles of pure air close to the floor, and it one cannot walk erect through the smoke he should, as soon as | enveloped in some woolen article, drop on the floor on the hands and knees an erawlout. A silk handkerchief or piece {of flannel or woolen stocking, wet and put over the face, will enable one to | breathe in dense smoke. Fijian Barial Customs, At the meeting of the Anthropological | institute, General Lane Fox residing, | a paper by the Rev, Lorimer Fison, en- | titled “Notes on Fijian Burial Cus. { toms,” was read. The author observed | that there was no uniformity of funeral | customs in Fiji. widows, however, was every where prac- | ticed in order that they might be buried { with their husbands, In some cases | Indies of rank volunteered to offer them. seives for strangulation, but generally it was practiced on the “watina lalai” or | ** little wives." The operation was in | most cases performed by the wife's brother, who is treated subsequently { with marked respect by the husband's | kinsfolk. In some parts of the island | the death of the chief was kept a pro found secret in order to save his goods from plunder, in supposed accordance | with a communistic notion which pre- | vailed in those parts of the Fijian group, The idea also existed among a certain class of the natives that it was not until decomposition had made considerable progress that the body of the dead man was fairly done with. the tribes not only the fact of death, but subsequently the burial piace of their chief, was kept a profound secret, iest those whom he had injured during his litetime should dig up, dishonor and aven eat his body. The general plan of sepulture appeared, according to Mr, Fison's description, to be that of a cave, in which the body was frequently placed before life was extinct, but hich was not closed up until the person was sup- posed to be dead. In some parts stone coflins were used, and in one particular island a mausoleum was erected to be subsequently covered with clean sed sand. The author mentioned several customs which were based on the hy- pothesis that the dead man's spirit was ferried over the river or the sea. More- over, nearly all the customs were based on the assumption that the departed spirit would return to annoy his old old enemies if means were not taken by securing his body to prevent it.— London Standard. Sn — “High Falutin’,” Some seminary girls can throw a very powerful stream of words from the en- | rine of their cultivated intellects, but they can’t bluff everybody. The other day a fully diplomated miss of eighteen walked into a musie store and asked the clerk for a song, which she called “Demonstrate by occular proof, the verdure of my sepulchre;” and, as he handed her a copy of “See that My Grave is Kept Green,” and raked in thirty-five cents over the counter, he smiled blandly and said: “Is the ditty known as ‘Argentine filaments inter. spersed with the aureate capillary attrac- tions a novelty to your Nopertory ” She turned pale for a moment, and then concluded to go back to schooi for one more year. mm—————————— The secretary of the Liverpool vege- tarian society states that he has walked 500 miles in fifteen days—an average of thirty-five miles per day—on a diet of nothing but raw fruit, and this without unusual fatigue or bodily strain, A Dish of Tea. The wholesale adulteration of this domestiv article which have lately been detected in New York set one to think. ing about the familiar Chinese staple. The well-known camellin japonios is of the same family as the tea-shrub; both have the same firm, dark, glossy green leaves, both the same kind o flower. The fruit contains two or three seeds of a mouse color, and from these plants may be raised. When tea was first introduced into Europe, in the seventeenth century, it was a costly article, the price being about twenty dollars a pound. When the founder of a celebrated London coffee-house ad- vertised it at ten shillings, or two dol- lars and a Linlf, a pound, some fifteen years later, it had already been de- nounced as interfering with the sale of beer and other liquors; and in 1660 a duty of eight pence per galion was levied upon *‘all the liquor produced from tea which was made and sold in | coffee-houses.” Notwithstanding this | kreat discouragement, it gradually went on making its way, till at last it became one of the most important arti- cles of British commerce, and the duty was no longer leviea upon the infusion, but upon the article itself, If we take a map of China and mark with a panel] a line at twenty degrees of northern lstitude, and another at thirty-one degrees, we shall include all the tea-producing district of the Celes- tial empire. Further north is Japan, which is equally suitable for the growth of tea. The finest tea is grown in the country about Nankin, situated midway between Pekin and Canton, where tle climate is mild and tem. | porate. The leaves are gathered one | by one; and, tedious as the operation may seem, the daily average thus col lected by each laborer is said to be from ten to fitteen pounds, according wo [the size of the Jeaves at the period of {each of the three tea-harvests. The | first harvest is toward the latter end of | February, the second about the begin. ning of April, and the third in June. | The finest shrubs frequently grow on {the steep deolivities of hills, where { considerable hazard is encountered in | the gathering process Iu the tea districts everybody culti- | vates the shrubs and the poorest cot- jtager has his tea-garden: even the | priests who attend upon the temples | are also tea-farmers, and the hills with low trees surrounding the pagodas, so {often seen depicted upon our plates and table dishes, represent the tes. | plantations of the priests. A new | plantation is made by sowing the seeds, { and the first crop is not obtained until the close of the third year. After four | years more it ceases to yield fully and | is cut down to the ground, when it will | put forth fresh branches and bear fine | ieaves in great abundance. This pro- | cess is repeated until the plant is some | must | seed. be renewed by planting fresh Its growth and cuiture have | scale, and with some degree of success. | cellence, the true tea country, and supremacy in its production, it nots as a gentle giv. digestion. It quenches thirst more readily than most fluids, and refreshes period of which is the most conspicu- ous and of longest duration. Hence, for very young children it is improper, as, like all narcotics, it is apt to pro- duce a morbid state of the brain and nervous system. In persons who do not take much active exercise, particu. arly in the femaie sex, tea promotes healthy bile, and assists digestion ma- terially; and to those whose diet is chiefly vey etable, it is most beneficial from the same cause. —dmerican Culls- valor The Prevailing Habit of Swearing. It may be a grievous truth, but it is true, says a New York paper, that very many men and women are addicted to the use of expletives, some of which are profane, some simply silly, some in bad taste, some meaning less, and all unneces. sary if you criticise them closely. Many men use oaths which are terrible in their intensity and bitterness, and vet their utterers have no feelings which need such language. They will condemn peo ple to everlasting torment, curse their eyes, and call down the direst judgments of heaven on persons who cause them slight annoyance, and when anything goes wrong with them they will curse and swear like pirates; and yet really they would do no man any harm, and as to sending anybody's | to hell, their lives would be miserable if they thought they had done it, It is plain therefore that swearing generally is only a habit into which men fall, and that it by no means indicates that thev are profane in their thoughts or disposed toarrogate to themselves the divine function of passing eternal judg- ment on their fellows. The exclama- tions expressive of wonder or delight or indignation which women so freely use, and which serve the purposes of asatety valve for their feelings, and the darns and gollys of the boys, are, in their essence, about the same, Of course it is foolish to use them, and their employ- ment is in bad taste. They do not strengthen the speech, for they have lost any real meaning; their free and care- less use has destroyea the force the may once have had. If men always} at their tongues’ ends the fit words to express their ideas and feelings, they robably would not swear so much. ut when the right word doesn’t come easily an oath is handy for emphasis, That is about all there is in swearing. It can’t be defended, for it is a fot habit; and oaths, beyond question, greatly disfigure speech, which is most effective when it is calmest and simplest. Yet that men took to swearing in a very early period of their development is provebi y unquestionable; and that they ive gone on in the practice, however civilized they have become, is a truth everybody's experience sustains. Chris- tians, or those who nominally profess Christianity, often swear as much as the heathens, and probably there was not more swearing before our era than there isnow. We have even retained some of the pagan oaths in their exact form, and to others we have given new forms learned under Christianity, while we have manufactured for ourselves an original supply. Simple Protection against Epidemics, Those who are at all afraid of epi- demic diseases may feel comforted on hearing that one of the best protective measures that they can resort to isa very simple one—the use of soap and water, An eminent physician says; Itis worth while for common people to learn that 50,000 typhus germs will thrive in the circumference of a pin-head or visible® globule, It is worth while for them to note that these germs may be dessicated and be borne, like thistle seeds, every- where, and like demoniacal possessions, may jump noiselessly down any throat, But there are certain things spores can- not stand, according to the latest ascer- tained results of science. A water tem- perature of 120 ‘degrees boils them to death, and son chemically noisons them. Here irs and microscopic science come together. Spores thrive in low ground and under low conditions of life. For redemption fly to hot water and soap, ye who live in danger of ma- larial poisoning. Hst water is sanitary. Soap 18 more sanitary, Fight typus, small-pox, yellow fever and ague with MONSTER SNAKES IN INDIANA. A Farmer's Fight with the Huge Reptiles, Mr. Joshua Mills, a farmer, lives in the extreme northwestern part of this or southeastern part of Grant county, near the junction of Delaware, Grant and Madison counties. One day recently he was clearing up a pateh of deadening on his farm. The day was balmy and lensant. At ten o'clock in the forenoon ¢ had ready for burning three or four heaps of brush, and when about ready for doing so he conceived the idea of cremating an old log hog pen which stood near by, A Busdred feet distant was a well whieh was uncovered, was operated by a deep bucket sttached to a pole, and was used for watering stock. A hundred feet or so further on was a large shallow pond of stagnan. water, surrounded by willows and dead flags and coarse grass. The surrounding country is low, wet and swampy. The hog-pen was a fair specimen of ye olden~ time stye—roomy, with log flooring laid on the ground and the corners of the structure resting an large logs imbedded in the earth. After determining upon burning the hog pen, on account of the many rats, lizards, ete, he had seen about it, and because of its having done uty so long as to become a pest, he at onoe proceeded to carry brush and throw into it. He worked an hour at this. When he had almost completed his work, and was in the act of picking up the scattered limbs and throwing them into the pen, he was startled at seeing » monster water snake crawl out from under the logs and start off toward the pond. Mr. Mills told the Commeral oorrespondent's informant that this snake was not less than fourteen or six- teen feet long and about eight inches in diameter, He was so compleiely dumb- founded that he could not move for a moment, but finally ran toward the ser. pent, and with clubs sucoeeded in turn. ing its course away from the pond. He then ran to the house for his gun, an old-fashioned musket, When Mr. Milis returned the snake was not to be found. He then fired the truck in the pen, and started around firing the other heaps. laying his gunon the ground not far from the hog pen. The burning of the brush on the stye attracted to the scene a horse and colt, the latter a yearling, which were run- of probably twenty minutes after placin the fire to the hog pen, Mr. Mills hear a disturbance among the horses, which were standing near the fire, He looked op. The animals were a hundred and fifty yards distant. The first thing that attracted Mr. Mill's attention was the old horse ki "king upward with his hind feet ms if wild. The colt was stamping with his front feet. Finally the old horse kicked high into the air and ran, and at the same time something like a long rope whirled into the air and fell to the ground. Mr, Milissaw there was something wrong going on, and ran with all possib Apron | to where the trouble was. The horse, which had run away, stood off a hundred yards dista't * whickering.” The colt pawed the ound terribly, and it was not until fr. Mills was right at the place where stood the colt that he comprehended the situation. Around the body of the colt was almost two coils of a large sna te, Its tail was four or five times wrapper around one front leg, its head had moved its ooiis around the coit's body. The colt's eyes protruded, its breathing was hard, it pawed, pranced and eavorted around as if in the very throes of death. Mr. Mills had no knife with him of suflicient size to cut the reptile in twain, He hadn't time to go and getone, for the vol. would die in half a minute's time. The snake was slowly tightenicg its flesh protruded, showing the terrible strength of the twist Mr. Mills took in the situation at a glance. He must burst the reptile with a club, and do it very quick, too. He sprang towsrd a stake lying on the ground, and just as he was picking it up a whirr! whirr! was heard from behind, and looking up the forked tongue of a murderous rattle. snake presented jwself, The fire was so intensely hot there that it scared the rattlesnake and it sped on and away. But then the colt con- tinged round and round, and pawing, slower and slower, as if ready to fall at any moment. Its very life was being Suessed out-of it. Without any delay r. Mills rushed that way, and with one fell swoop of his club burst the rep tile unti] its entrails were strewn all over the animal, and it fell to the ground dead. Strange, the colt was not seri- ously injured and it walked away. Butabe danger to Mr. Mills had just begun. When the horse ran away, a score or more of snakes of various fire. A load of shot from his gun failed to kill any of the huge yellow spotted monsters. Owing to the racket caused by the horses the snakes had so ar run in another direction, but as soon the animals got out of reach they Kided in the direction of Mr. Mills. * With the club he held in his hand he succeeded in keeping the snakes away from him for awhile, out finally the number 80 large, and their running so ferocious and promiscuous, that he himself was compelled to retreat Mr. Mills noticed from a distance that nearly all the rep- tiles, in their hurry to ges away f.om the scorching flames, were ing bendiond the pond, stood Mr. Mills saw, he thinks, forty or fifty horribly large snakes of various kinds go into that well. comparatively few were rattle. snakes, and they were not very large, but some of the others were huge, fii- teen to twenty feet in length. Some of the blue racers carried their heads as high as a man, and swept along like race horses. The sizht was one which thrilled the auditor with a sickeni horror. When the pen had burn down, so that there wasnot a Jrobability ol there being any more reptiles crawi- ing trom it, Mr. Mills approached the well and looked in. The water was probably six feet deep, and the distance to the water from the top about eight feet. From his position he saw some of the most horrible snake fights that can be imagined. Two giants fought until the walter was turbulent with mud and blood, spurts of which would occasion- ally be sent to the top of the well, caus- ing him who was looking downward to start back in a hurry. Mr. Mills thought to quell the mob b shooting them, but after firing a half Suse loads down jute the Saaies and uieting a few a new idea »d him, ow he at once med d rolling stones into the well. When nearly filled with stones and -wood he cemented the well over with dirt. And now in that grave are buried more hundreds of pounds of snake flesh than can b2 found in any other hole probably in the State. How a Pew was Bought. A well-known Hartford gentleman was unable to attend the sale of the ews of his church the other day, and 1e requested a friend to bid in for him a pew for which he had for many years vid fifty dollars. Later he met another fend, and incidentally mentioning that he would not be able to attend the aue- tion, asked his friend also to see to it that he had his old pew as heretofore. The auction took place, and the pew was put up. “Fifty dollars,” said friend number one. * Fifty-one said number two. “Fifty-three,” “fifty. four,” and so on till there had been thirty-eight bids, when one friend, thinking he had gone as far as discre- tion permitted, stopped, and the other took it triumphantly at eighty-eight dollars. *‘ Put it down for J! he said, and the astonishment of the other knew no bounds. They had been bidding against each other, both in be- half of the same gentleman, who had orgotten to tell number two that he had also spoken to number one. The charch is so much better off. Torn soap. Soap is a board of health. » ra RELIGIOUS NEWS AND NOTES. The Collegiste Duteh church in New York. : The church of Dr. Rufus Ellis, Boston, will celebrate its 250th anniversary in the autumn, " : op The Methodists claim to have ool and three theoiogienl semin- aries in this country. " John Kelly, the Tammany ** Boss, credited with the statement that there are 26,080 sisters of charity in different parts of the world, The Congregational church at Salt Lake City bas added Sistah yations bib its mem & several of whom converts from + It is asserted in the National Baplist that St. Yous which jin an esti BO of evangelical Christianity any other city in the country. “What is eternity?” as a WTiking Stir Was saven by.ong of the stri er was given pupiis: “The lifetime of the Almighty.” a i a par church for t show twenty-six ministers of other denomina- tions wera received into this church, Lhenai body five fom The Methiodin , five from f Tin Baptist, and three from than term. tion is expected to be the most interest ing and important which the coming general will engage in, The Rev. Dr. Jessup, wri from Beyrout, Syria, says the oiiting at Constantinople has given notice that hereafter any Moslem who a Cistits wil be put jodent that nny lol teaching Christianity be impris- oned without notifiestion to their con. suis, The family of the Jats Aan Paths ate soon to present a v an costly a ad reredos to St. Mark's Chunk of the builder The large saiariesof New York minis- ters range as follows: Dr. John Hall, £15,000 and a stylish house free of rent; W. M. Taylor, of the Broadway Dr. Tabernacle, #14 foo: Dr. Potter, of Grace fhurch, tthe 812 and a house; Dr 8 i 35.000 to $10,000, but It is estimated that of ts in the world by ern Baptist convention, , churches scat! over Southern terr , has no nection at all with 600,000 of these col- ored Baptists, and does not receive the nglive co-operation of all the remaining PN ect of the English Baptist m n A recent ® : said that since the” begin of modern na i: Byte Ed nto £pO y * »> 000 human beings, and distributed at nearly twelve ayers. minate. It will not be long before the Bible will be published in every on earth. All this has been done by m y Thirty-nine of the languages referred to never had a written form until the mus. sionaries created it. rep the Marriages and Marriage Fees. An article in the St. Louis Giobe- Demo- eRe Jar R i cle en of res ng mar. riage ceremonies, contains the ——. ing: “I remember hearing from a gentle. man in Connecticut,” said the minister, “that he had a very wealthy conclusion of the couple, and at the I ceremony the placing his fingers {in his vest , took a rp and qiietly banded it to Bim. put itin his pocket, and when he reached home opened itand feund it was a paper of chewing tobacco. The bride and m left for Europe that evening. Jpon their return, two months after- | ward, the gent op the min. ister and asked if he had not made some mistake. An explanation followed. and the gentleman handed the minister $200 as h 4 fee.” 5 " you ever have any strange ex- perience of that nature?” “1 performed the ceremony in ond of the elegant homes in this city not long since. The groom sli an envelope into my hand. When I opened it, upon my arrival home, I found in it. instead of money, a love from the pros- pective bride to the prospective bride- groom. I returned the letter and then got the envelope that was intended for me," “ Some strange cases must come under your notice?" “Yes. When I was in New York a Bohemian—I mean a native of Bohe- mia~ came to me and said that perhaps he would want me to form the mar- ringe ceremony for him next day. A number of women from his country would arrive at Castle Garden next day, and he intended to go down and pic out a wife, Next morning he appeared again. * Well,” I asked, ** did you make your choice?” “1 dond be sure yet a while,” he re- plied; *“I hired two and took them to mine store.” That evening he came around and got married. Cultivate One Talent, One talent, weil cultivated, deepened and enlarged, is worth a hundred shal. low faculties. The first law of success at this day, when so many matters are clamoring for attention, is concentra- tion; to d all the ener to one point, looking neither to right nor to the left. It has been justly said that a great deal of the wisdom of a man in this century is shown in leaving things unknown; and a great 4¢al of sis ac. tical sense in Jeaving things undone. The day of universal scholars is past. “Lite is short and art is long.” The range of human knowledge has in- increased b encuingust Shag no brain’ can grapple with it; and the man who homed: a one thing well must have the courage to be ignorant of a thou- sand things, however attractive or in- viting. As with knowledge, so with work. The man who would get along must single out his specialty, and into that must pour the whole stream ot his activity—all the energies of his hand, his eye, tongue, heart and brair Broad culture, many-sidedness, arc beautiful things to contemplate; but it is the narrow-edged men—the men ot ‘ingle and intense purpose, who steel their souls nst all things else—who accomplish the hard work of the world, and who are everywhere in demand when hard work is to be done.—Manu- facturer and Builder. Jet netted aprons, or else fringe half a yard deep, trim the fronts many grenadine dresses. Sometimes the sleeves come only to the elbow, and be- low this are half-sleeves of jetted net that fit the arm smoothly, or else wrinkle like a thread glove. and are finished at the wrist with ruffles of lace and loops of satin ribbon. Look onward to the goal; Though the heart and the head bo weary, Let faith inspire the soul. Beek the right though the wrong be Speak truth at awy cost; ; Vain fs all weak exempting When ones the gem is lost. Lat strong hand and keen eye be ready. For plain and ambushed loss; Thought emrnest, and fancy steady Bear best unto the close, The heavy clouds may be mining Bat with evening comes the light; Through the dark are low winds complaining, Yet the sunrise gilds the height; And love has his hidden treasure For the patient ani the pure; And time gives his fullest messure To the workers who endure; And the word that no law has shaken Hus the futare pledge supplied; For we know that when we * swaken Iron has gone up so high that Piopldsmnio: afford to have it in £ id ee dp dios gi : : ; Hi 4 i gE : § : o zE 8; : : i : ) fi i" Alps, while the rest were almost as bl as ebony.” “Well, well!” exclaimed the tor, * that is certainly very remarkable.” * And the roblem to be solved is,” continued the Palit the. white Janes hes to gir ones to boys, or vice versa. The explorers were greatly vexed by the matter and could arrive at no satisfactory concip- sion. Now. what do you think, father?” “Qh” wisaly ined the pastor, “of course the bones be. onged to the girl babies an !' the white ones to boy babies.” We ask the same question of our readers, and they had better better guess several times hefare ties Tead @ rest ot the - graph. en Mey ave settled the matter they can to the answer of lein, who, with a merry twinkle eye, said: ‘‘ Father, Jou must your Bible to very little . for the account tells that only boy were killed by Herod.” Statistics of Cotton, According to the latest dles, of which 39,500,000 are in Great Britain, The United States have 10,. 050,000 spindles; France has 5,000,000 ; Germany, 4,800 000; 2,860 000; Switzerland, 1 870.000; Austria, 1.800. 000; Spain, 1 775,000; Tay, 900,000 ; Belgium, 800,000; india, 1.275,000; Swe. den and Norway. 310,000; Holland, 230,000; Greece, 36 000; and other coun. tries (including Denmark and Portugal) 44.000 spindles. Britain bas to every 1.000 of its inhabitants, 1,180 spindles; Switzerland, 675; United States, 218: France, 135; Germany, 108; Spain, 103; Holland, 57; a veden hud Norway, 48; Austria, 43; Russian 30; I'aly, 29. Power of the Pulse, If all the heart-beats of one person in good health during twenty-four hours could be concentra ana we into one great impulse, it would be powerful enough to raise a ton of iron 120 feet intheanir. A healthy heart keeps s il ut wearying; but this n is enabled to do because it takes a rest after each beat; or to express it more Slearly, if he font et : ( ng) and expansion on of ng the rica % before con- thirds of a time, rest takes a third of a second traction again occurs.
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers