os A Life-saving Match. Ss How a Flickering Flame Saved from Destruction tne Scotch Express. “Well, sir,” he begins, “there's not much in it, It's nigh fifteen years ago. There wor none o' them block tele- grafs and Westin’ house breaks, and Pullman cars on the cut then. It wor just such a dirty night as this, when the wind wor up and wouldna be said. ‘We had a pitch in just at the edge of a viaduct at the Junction. The shuntin’ ingin’ wor a collectin’ her wagons, and she got astride on the facin’-p’ints just as the down slow passenger train came a knockin’ into her and blockin’ both roads. Some said it wor all on account of the signals. Others made it out as it wor cos the lockin’-bar wor out of order. Anyhow the Government inspec- tor could not clear it up, although there were any amount of ingineers and offic- ials down wi’ plans and sections. We wor all confusion. Luckily none was much the worse. Some was shook a bit, and an owld woman died of the fright. 1 live close to the line, and, hearing the crash, runned up to see what was amiss. I wor just a goin’ to help to clear up one of the roads, when something quite sudden like occured to my moind, “I asked Job Croft, ‘Is the “Scotch man’’ gone up yet ?”’ ** ‘No,’ said somebody in the dark. “I think it was the station-master, I had a red lamp in my hands, and eff I started to stop her. Have you ever seen her go across the viaduet, sir? She comes down the bank at sixty miles an hour every night of her life, The incline falls one in seventy, so you may guess she’s not wastin’ time, She just slips down with her fifteen coaches like well-oiled lightnin’.. Well, as 1 wor a sayin’, I runs over the viaduct like a madman, makes my way through the funnel, and when I got into the cuttin’ ©he wind brought me the roar of the “‘Seetchman’ goin’ like a red-hot rocket through Drabble Dale Station, a. mile or more off. The wind it came through the cuttin’ till I had fairly to howd mysen onthe rails to keep mysen from being a’ hlown away, “It wor then my lamp went out, It wor blown clean out, and in no time the ‘“‘Scofchman’ would be a whippin’ down the hill. like a havalanche of flame. I searched my pookets for a match, In my coat-pockets never a one, although I ganerally carries a box, and have done ever since that fearful might. At last in my waistcoat pocket I found one mateh. One match, and the wind a blowin’ through the cuttin’ as though a funnel. I'm not a saint, sir, but 1 knowed that the lives in that thunderin’ express depended upon that one match. If she went into the fouled line she'd drop over the viadact into the river, The prespiration covered me with cold sweat. I could hear my heart a thumpin’. For a moment I felt a’ dizzy like. Theu I pulled mysen together and throwed my whole life into one short prayer, “It wor all done in a moment, I felt then in the cultin’ for a crevice, and thank God ! there wor a small opening where the fogmen shelter when they are signalin’ the trains on thick nights, I crept in this ’ere place. I opens my lamp and put the match inside the frame. I trembled lest it should fall. But somehow I wor strangely cool and steady about the hands. I struck and huddled around the match. The wick caught the fire, and I wor just in time £0 jump from the hole into the six foot and wave the red signal to the driver of the ‘Scotchman,’ as she rushed past faster than the wind. She wor a goin’ | But the driver wor on the look-out, and had seen the red light. All I could see wor the tail lamps on the .rear guard’s van ; but I could ear the danger whistle for all the brakss to be clapped on, and I ’eard ’em a grindin, on the metals, and there wor a gratin that told me he wor a reversin’ the in- gine," “Stopped ” “Yes, sir, just as she got on the edge of the viaduet. He had her buffer- plank not three yards from where the line wor a’ fouled. “The sweat noured down my face as I made for the junction again ; but I Jepowed I'd saved the train, and I gaged again, not in words, but with a sert of chocking gratitude that came up in Big burning lumps in my throat. Som of my mates gave me this ’ere watch and chain, and I was shifted #1p by the Superintendent to a ganger’s ob; but I dunna take so much lit the match that mght in the storm.” : a pay Lk masked, but which is too well aimed to be misunderstood, It may be at your person, your mental failing, your fool- ish babit of thought, or some little’ secret of faith or opinion confessed in a moment of genuine confidence. It matters not how secret it may be to you, he will have his fling at it; nay, since the wish is to make you suffer, he is all the happier the nearer he touch- es your heart. Just half a dozen words, only for the pleasure of seeing a cheek flush and an eye lose its brightness; only spoken because he is afraid you are too conceited. Yet they are worse than as many blows, How many sleep- less nights have such mean attacks caused tender hearted men. How after them one wakes with aching eyes and head, to remember that speech before everything—that bright, sharp, well- aimed needle of a speech that probed the very centre of your soul. Buriep TALENTS.—The man who hid his Lord’s talent, instead of using it, is no phenomenal character. Such people unhappily abound in our churches. The do-nothings are in ex- cess everywhere, That large numbers can at the best aecomplish but little may be conceded, but that little is not attempted is lamentably apparent. In large churches the enigma constantly presents itself, what would come to pass were some half dozen pecple to be withdrawn from active effort ? There is a disposition undoubtedly to speak slight of small abilities, but *‘one tal- ent” if wisely used may help to render important service. It is to combined efforts that we owe the grandest works in the world, Oné man may make comparatively few bricks, but they can not be dispensed with in the mighty edifice. The duty of every man is to find out what he has abilities for and use them to that end, With an earnest purpose to glorify God there is a niche for every one. There may be work as a teacher, or the consecration of social influence, or the simple manifestation of the grades of Christian character. It is declared by Christ that his disciples are witnesses of Him, light, salt, Now, a witness is to testify, salt is to com wingle with and premeate the mass in which it is placed, light is to banish darkness, The ancient curse on Merzo for doing nothing may reston men now, Still the Bible reads: “Woe to them that are at ease in Zion.” It is to be feared that the great rea- son why more is not attempted for Christ is our want of faith, We are doubtful of our own power to work, and, worse than this, doubtful of our Lord’s willingness to bless our efforts, If we could attain to Paul's standing ; “I ean do all things through Christ which strengthened me,” we should not allow our power to be untried or rust. With the gracious promises which our Lord has made of blessing and success there is no excuse for in- activity. — Weekly Baptist. He who knows most, grieves most for wasted time, A cheerful face is nearly as good for an invalid as healthful weather, The greatest life is that which has been the most useful, and has performed its alloted tasks cheerfully and well. Every man has three characters—that which he exhibits, that which he has, and that which he thinks he has — A. Karr. There is but one true, real and right life for rational beings, only one life worth living, and worth living in this world, or in any other life, past, pres. ent, or to come. And that is the eter- nal life which was before all worlds, and will be after all are passed away-— and that is neither more nor less than a good life ; a life of good thoughts, good words, good deeds—the life of Christ, — Kingsley. THe SAFesT WAY.—Thoroughness and straightforwardness in the path of duty are really easier and safer than any of the most plausible and cunningly devised middle courses. The weak com- pliances of those who think to show heir moderation by halting and waver- ing near the boundaries of right and wrong, will always be used to the hurt of the wavering soul. To the invisible powers who wield the weapons of temp- tation, such concessions to worldliness will be as the joints of the harness through which Abab received his mor. tal wound ; but the bow will be drawn, not at a venture, but with cruel clear- ness of aim, Henry James’ Appearance. At the Boston train when we were entering the town a person of rather robust side, wearing a bluish gray suit 10 speak to a lady in the most ultra What a strange disposition (5 that which leads people to say “Hateful” things for the mere pleasure of saying them. You are never safe with such a person. When you have done your Test. to please, and are feeling very kindly, and pleasantly, nut will pop can comprehend-—a sneer which is style. The first word he got out of his mouth was invariably a stutter, and he stumbled on 4s if biting at his sentences. When he had passed out my friend re- marked to me : “Whom do you sus- pect that to be P° Said I: “It might 0," said he, “that is Henry James, the author,” Health Hints. How to Preserve and Restore Health. | Physicians say that; ginger ale is a poor substitute for water, because the capsicum it contains irritates the lining of the stomach and produces dangerous inflammation, A Brow AT SBOpA DRINKING. —A serious blow has been struck at the soda water fountain in an eastern city, A public analyst has examined samples of water from a dozen fountains, and found that all but one contained lead and cop- per—some in dangerous quantities, It has all along been suspected that danger lurked in the foaming cup of sweetened wind which has been the delight of the maiden and the bane of her impecunious young man, and now that it has been authoritatively demonstrated that the wildly exhilarating beverage is but mineral poison, disguised by syrup and chemically prepared ‘‘flavoring,” the impecunious young person aforemen- tioned will immediately add the fiz drink to the list of potables which must not be touched, tasted, handled nor purchased. OYSTERS AS Foop.—Dr. J, H, Han- naford, in the Golden Rule, thus com- bats the prevailing notion that oysters are pesuliarly putritious and easy of digestion. *“*That is a strange idea so prevalent in some communities, that oy sters are highly nutritious and easy of digestion, It is truethat the raw oyster digests in about the same time as cooked beef, while stewing 'adds twenty per cent. tothe required time, for the reason that they are rather rich in albumen, like eggs, al ways rendered more indiges- tible by thorough cooking. Inthe mat- ter of muscle food, oystert fall below all of the fish and meats, or equal that of pork, having about one-half of that of herring, halibut and trout, just one- half of chicken, one-sixth of cheese, loss than one-fourth of southern corn, not one-half of that of beans and peas, being far inferior to beet. Still they have long been popular, from the fact that some noted physician, who had studied his taste more than his subject, ounce decided in their favor, supposing that all might be as fond of them, and that fondness is, about the sace as whole- someness, As these, with all fish, be come early putrescent in hot weather, they must be objectionable after having been out of the water for any eonsider- able time.” Four Ame 1x Houses, —1f the air of a room smells sweet there is apt to be no consideration of the danger which may still lurk in the atmosphere in gases and organic impurities whose natural odors are subdued by something stronger. When foul gases cannot be detected by the nose, defective drains will not be repaired, much less exam- ined for hidden defects. The only safe- ty from sewer gas is to bar it out of the house ; and when this can be so easily and so positively done, it is fairly erim- inal that it should not be done. As to foul air, there need be none in & house except such as comes from the breath, and caused by the excretions of the skin : this may be, also, easily and quickly re- meved by a simple ventilation through a grate or stove, There need be no re- fuse within the four walls of a house, nor, indeed, near it, without the walls, if people would respect the plain re- quirements of decency. Asto ‘‘fungous germs’ '—whatever they may be—dry walls, dry foundations and rooms will prevent their growth, As to diffusing “disinfecting agents,”’ disinfection in the sense of destroying the germs of disease means the destruction of human ad well as germ life. No vapor will destroy the germs, or poison, of small. pox, scarlet fever or diphtheria, which may be transported by sewer gas, that will not also destroy the person who breathes it, — Chicago Sanitary News. or -~ One of Schenck's. In ante-railroad times, when most of the travel between the Ohio river and the seaboard was in stage-conches, western members of congress, in going to or returning from Washington, would make a party of six, and charter a nine-passenger coach, so as to have more ample accommodations, Every such party would be made up of per- sonal and political friends, who would be pretty sure to have a good time. In 15845 a company of this kind was travel. ing eastward, consisting of Senator Johnson, of Louisiana, Crittenden and Corwin, and Representatives Vanoe, Vinton and Schenck, all except Vinton backwoodsmen by birth and rearing, Johnson was the oldest, having been born in 1783, in the wilds of Tennessee, from which state he went to Louisiana early in the present century. Schenck was the youngest, and is now (1883) the only survivor of the party. He is re- sponsible for the substance of the following story, which, at seventy. three, he tells with as much animation shown the day the thing occurred, when he was only about half that age: When the stage was in Fayette county, Pa., it stopped, just at the dawn of day, to change horses, All the passengers seemed to be asleep except Schenck, who put the curtain aside to seeing a man near by, asked him what place it was, “Smithlield,” answered the man, “Smithfield,” said Schenck; “why, that’s the place where John Rogers was burned at the stake,” Johnson had got just enough waked up to take in this dialogue, and, with a start, he exclaimed, “What's that, Schenck ? [Did you say a man was burned at the stake ?”’ “Yes,” replied Schenck, “A live man ?" “Yes, a live man—bumed—at the stake—at Smithfield,” said Schenck, with pausing emphasis, ‘Is it possible ? Why, I never heard of it before,” ‘‘But, senator,” gravely rejoined Schenck, *‘it's as true as that this is Smithfield. And what's more, bis wife and children stood by and saw him burned ; and it’s a curious thing that it i# to this day. disputed how many children there were. The story goes that she had with her nine small children and one at her breast ; and it is to this time a mooted point whether the one at the breast was one of the nine, or was number ten.’’ “Why, Schenck, how on earth is it that I never before heard of such an outrageous affair as that ? A live man burned at the stake here! I swear I never saw & word about it in the pa- pers,’ By this time the other passengers were awake, and comprehending the situation, kept still, leaving Schenck to manage his own case, “Nevertheless, senator,” he pro ceeded, “that thing occurred at Smith- Held, just as I have stated.” “By thunder! exclaimed Johnson, “it's strange that never heard it. When did it bappen “Well, senator’ —Schenck paused a little, as If trying to recollect—‘‘upon my word 1 can’t on the instant recall exact date as my memory serves me it must have been— let me about two ninely years ago. at any rate, it was some time in the reign of Bloody Mary of England.” Then the others could longer, and Smithfield guffaw as it had the but as well Bee hundred and hold in mo heard such a heard Schenck in it, but was grum for t hours after- that is, until after he got his breakfast. Whether he subsequently became acquainted with the New England primer is ne known. ———— never before from a lot of stage passengers. says that Johnsen didn’t join hree wards ; Personal. The King of Greece is at Wiesbaden. Professor David Swing is fifty-two years old. Ex-Governor Stanford, of California, is in London. Professor Bell, is preparing a bib- liography of electricity. Dry Goods Claflin, of New York, now seventy, is climbing the Catskills, Anna Dickinson's manager says that she is best appreciated in the West, Governor Blackburn, of Kentucky, has issued 845 pardons during his ad- ministration, General Beauregard is summering at a Wisconsin lake, He says he believed in Mississippi jetties in 18518 Peter Lorillard and Roland P. Jeph- thah Davis are traveling through New England with a retinue of wagons and servants, and a mamuee tent which once belonged to the Prince of Wales, Among prominent English people coming to America are the Earl of Cork and Hardwicke, master of the buck- hounds ; the Earl and Countess of Car- narvon, the Earl of Lathom, Lord Doug- las Gordon, Mr. Bryce and Horace Davey, M. P. for Christ church. Mr, Millais’ painting of Henry Irving, which he will present to the Garrick Club of London, is described as a most admirable portrait. It is half-length, and reprasents the actor in profile clad in ordinary moming dress, looking to- ward the left of the spe ctator. The Duke of Norfolk, with all his immense wealth, is obliged to retrench. He has given so much money for relig- fous purposes and spent so much at Arundel and other places, that he has been obliged to dismiss 300 work-people and cut down his household expenses, He is a very insignificant looking man for a premier duke. Mr. St. John, the ex-governor of Kansas, is thought to be the worst fisherman in the country. He went trolling for pickerel at Silver Lake N. Y., the other day, but talked with a companion constantly until their return to the shore, He was leaving the lake ui fut two, inches high 250 pounds. brothers and #x sisters, them being the lightest Scientific, ' Oren WorLps Tuan Ouns.—An incredible story is seriously given in some of the journals about the discoy- ery of a sword which was found in an aervlite. A certain physician in the State of New York was attracted by a very brilliant shooting star which fell in the bad of the creek near where he was riding. Subsequent investigation on the spot where it fell discovered a sword of peculiar shape, which had evi- dently been wielded in battle, and which must have been used by one who would have been deemed ‘‘a giant among the sons of men’ in this world. Of cotirse the presumption would be that this sword had fallen into the clay of a river, which was subsequently metamorphosed by heat into solid rock. In the course rock, which projected the imprisoned sword into space beyond the attraction of the planet from which it came, In the course of time the wandering aerol- ite in the interstellar space became en- tangled in the atmosphere of the earth, and fell into the creek, the impact breaking and setting free the sword. This reads like another Cardiff giant story, but it is very ingenious ; and it is barely possible that some day or other we may have positive proof of the exis- tence of life and intelligence of some of the myriads of planets «hich inhabit space. A microscopic examination of meteoric stones at Berlin reviled the fact that they contained some sixtyvari- eties of the outershells of coral insects, which, of course, establishes the fact that they were attached to coral insects which lived in warm oceans of salt water, lime, and islands nuust have been built The water must have contained up above the ocean as they are on our globe, But that is, so far. the only trustworthy indication that there is any- thing on the other worlds approaching to the same kind of life we have on this, Felt or thick paper, coal tar and gravel make a good covering for flat It is tolerably fire-proof as to fire applied from outside, but much re- Fools, mains to be done to avoid the present rapidity of destruction of the roofs of within. The Manhattan market building seemed to meit The Palace roof fell about ten minutes after large buildings by fire down instantly. Crystal The wooden mansard roofs on the top of the other- wise fireproof buildings conduced great- iy to the destruction in the great Boston fire. The Boston Custom House has a roof of heavy granite blocks, The Gir- ard College is roofed with thick marble, supported on brick arches, A favorite antidote for rattlesnake poison in Mexico is a strong solution of iodine in potassium iodide. Mr. H. H. Croft has tested some of the poison it- self with this solution and finds that a light brown amorphous precipitate is formed, the insolubility of which ex- plains the beneficial action of the anti- dote. When iodine cannot be readily obtained a solution of potassium fodide, to which a few drops of ferric chloride has been added can perhaps be used as an antidote to suake poison. the fire was discovered, M. Regnard, a French savant, has been lately trying the effect bf “‘blood diet’ on lambs, Three lambs, which for some unexplained cause had been abandoned by their mothers, were fed on “powdered blood’ with the most gratifying results. The lambs increased in size in the most marvelous fashion, and attained unusual proportions for their age. The coats of wool also be- came double in thickness, Encouraged by his success with the lambs, M. Reg- pard is now feeding some calves on blood. The editor of the New Genesee Fuar- mer lately witnessed an experiment of driving nails into hard seasoned timber fairly dried. He says that the first two nails, after passing through a pine board, entered about one inch and then double down under the bammer: but on dipping the points of the other six or eight nails into lard, every one was driven home without the least dif- ficulty. Carpenters who are engaged in repairing old buildings sometimes carry a small lump of lard or tallow for this purpose on one of their boots or shoes, Dr. Skinnei, of the Academy of Natural Science, referring to the cir cumstance that butterflies are in the habit of depositing their eggs upon such plants as affords the proper nourishment to the larvee, i e., the plants upon which the caterpillars of a given species feed, stated that he had observed the female of a certain species drop her through repeated observation, The eggs thus distributed from a consider able distance above ground tell upon a mass of grass and violet leaves, A Treasury official at San Francisco states that $6,000,000 worth of opiam to ports, Government officials receiving 30 per cent. of the amount. He says ' $1,000,000 worth of the drug can be brought in at a time, . Copper, at present prices, only | twice as much as tin, while, unlike tin, ry 1 it does not need painting and is net worn out in twenty years, being prac- tically Indestructible, circumstances which ought to lead to its free use for roofing, the American Architect says, In, ———————— Jottings. Tue new postal note made its debut last Monday. Tine public debt was reduced August $6 671 851, I Tue last statement of the Philadel- ! phia banks shows a slight decrease im the reserves but generally a very favor- able condition, im Tue Yellowstone Park is in the N. W. corner of Wyoming Terri. tory, but embraces small portions of Montana and Idaho, It is 62 miles from north to south, and 54 from east to west, The act of congress sets it apart “as a public park or pleasure ground for the benefit and enjoyment of the people,” A branch line will soos connect the park with the Northern Pacific Railroad, Tue New York Sun bas favored us with a reprint (of that now prosperous journal) of fifty years ago--September 3d, 1833, The prideof journalism may well vaunt itself at the issues of the Sun of September 1883 are compared with its prototype of '33--then a few hundred copies—now 150.000, The diminutive little original is printed on a sheet only 12 by 18 inches ; and sin- gularly enough, 8a prominent article in the little three-column daily, Las the caption “Wonders of Littieness;” not refering to itself, of course, but drawn with self-complacent classicism from Pliny. Looking at the two Sw’ as they lay on the table before us, and glancing at the contents of the two we exclaim ineontinently ‘*‘the world moves.” Think of a New York daily of to-day folded up on your table be- fore you, 9by 12 inch s 1 Ez Ware the business outlook has not at any time this year been as bad as the alarmists would have us believe, there has nevertheless been some spots on the financial sun, which have lately been fading oul and are now followed with gradually increasing brightness, so that to-day the horizon is almost undimned with a spec forboding trouble. It is certain we shall not be drawn upon for gold, the European harvest being such that our breadstuflfs will take the place of gold shipments, saving the with- drawal of foreign capital, and ferced sales of American securities to restore the commercial equilibrium that lately had been setting against us. India has not yet become, if she ever will, the granary for Europe, and our large wheat crop, and the very enormous prospects for corn, come in most oppor- tunely to brush away all probabilities of financial trouble in the pear future. We may therefore congratulate our- selves upon having escaped whatever disaster the prophets of evil have been holding up before us. ne A ——— A Famous Escape. The most famous of all the escapes of New England captives was that of Hannah Duston, Mary Neff and a boy, Samuel Leonardson. These three were carried off, and many others in 1607, in the attack on Haverhill. Mrs. Duston’s infant child having been killed by the Indians. When the captors had separ- ated, the party to whom the two women and the boy were assigned encamped on an Island in the Merrimac river, At midnight, the captives secured hatchets and killed ten Indians—two men, two women and six children—one favorite boy, whom they meant to spare, and one badly wounded woman escap- ing. After they had left camp the fugi- tives remembered that nobody in the settlement would believe, without evi- dence, that they had performed so re- doubtable an action ; they therefore re- turned and scalped the Indians, after which they scuttled ull the canoes on the island but one, and in this escaped down the Merrimac, and finally reached Haverhill. This was such an exploit as made the actors immediately famous in that bloody time. The Massachu- setts General Court gave Mrs. Duston twenty-five pounds and granted half that amount to each of her companions. The story of their daring deed was car- ried far to the Southward, and Gover nor Nicholson, of Maryland, sent & valuable present to the escaped pris- oners, : Mis. sionary Society of the West is to send l.
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers