TIMELY TOPICS.
The American horse Parole is aqueer
.ooking animal, with rough coal and
curious looking hocks, but when h 0
comes out on the track his preliminar
canter displays wonderful action and
S great spirit. The London Teltffraph
says that the victory of the plucky Yan- j
koe is a compliment also to the mngni
fment ships which traverse the ocean,
ami make the trip for men and horses so
different from what it was when the
first winner of the Derby, Diomed, wont
to New York in a sailing vessel.
A farmer in the suburbs OI Philadel
phia presented the 'JSnus of Hint city
with thirty-two stalks of asparagus,
weighing twelve and a half pounds,
twenty Inches in height and eneh stalk
as thick as a child's wrist. Mr. Starkey,
the farmer, says this was the result of a
three days' growth, and that it is a com
mon tiling tor him to cut his asparagus
at eight o'clock in the morning, ami by
five o'clock that day it will have grown
out seven inches. Over an inch an hour
on a warm day after a shower is a com
mon growth.
A dispatch from Helens, Montana
Territory, tells this story of one man's
brave nnd successful light against an
overwhelming array of savage fix's :
"The vicinity of Fort ltelknap swarms
witli Sioux. A man named Lloyd,
while camped twenty miles front the
post, was attacked by fifteen warriors,
lie scooped out a rifle pit witli bis
hands, and after a desperate light of two 1
hours' duration, in which three Indians
were killed, the intrepid white man su<-
4 cocded in driving oft' his assailants.
Lloyd bad but three cartridges left when
the savages abandoned their attack."
From a limestone quarry in the town
ship of Lisbon, Wis., there was recently
exhumed quite a number of petrified
animals. One. a large bullfrog, was
found solidly imbedded in a large, flat
stone, four inches thick, which was as
hard as the rock which surrounded it.
The shape of the frog is perfect. An
other petrified animal-remnant taken out
is a pair of stag's antlers, which are
alxiut two feet and a half in length.
They were broken in separating them .
from the stone, but are of very gixxl j
shape. This stratum of limestone runs [
entirely through the county, though in
some places it is a great distance from
the surface, and supplies building tui
terial for many.
The shark's voracity is something
wonderful. When the British bark but- j
terworth was becalmed in the tropics, a j
large shark was olnerved swimming j
around the ship. A large hook with a j
chain attached was baited with a four-1
pound piece of pork. The shark made
for it. bolted it, but in hauling him up j
the chain parted, and he coolly swaf- i
lowed the lunik, chain and jxirk. An- :
other hook was then baited, which he
- instantly seized, biting a three-inch rope
* in twain, and also swallowed it with
another four-pound piece of pork.
Another hook was then baited with a
similar piece of pork, and with this the
shark was caught and landed on the j
main deck. When at last he was killed
ahd cut open, the large hooks, chain and
rope, together with eight pounds of
pork, were found in his stomach.
A recent examination of Fn-neh black
silks in New York city showed that they ;
were heavily adulterated. The weight j
of dye in American silks is about seven- |
t>*en per cent., but Hie French silks show-1
cd a weight of from thirty-three to fifty I
per cent. The principal article used in i
weighting is iron. The silk is repeatedly 1
inserted in a solution of nitrate of iron, j
It then receives a blue tint from prussiate j
of potash, followed by several hat lis in j
gam bier, and a treatment witb acetate „f
iron. It is then made bright by iogwtxxl '
ami soap. To make tlie silk soft, a little i
oil and soda arc added, while to make it
stiff ami rustling an acid is used. The
" wearing shiny" is caused hy the action
of the soap and alkali, which develop,
under friction, a sort of grease. The
t racking of silk is owing to its inability
to carry the great load of material used
in the dying.
A careful estimate respecting the cir
culation of the Bible during the past cen
tury places the total at the enormous
number of nrarly 150,000,000 copies.
The British ntni Foreign Society is in ad
\ a nee of any other institution o( tie' kind
as regards the number of copies issued.
If was founded In 1804, and has circulated
upward ot 88.n00.080 copies. The Amer
ican Society, founded thirteen years later,
hiis caused a circulation of 35.000,000.
These two organizations are far in ad
vance of all others. Next in respect of
copies circulated are the Herman Nocie
tii-s. which together have issued H.j00,-
000. Then comes the National society of
Scotland with nearly 4,708.000. then the
Hibernian with 4.1wi,0n0, the Swiss with
nearly 8,000,000 ami the French with
1.000,000. The National Society of Scot
land lias circulated its 4,7W,00n copies
since I HOI, the year in which it was
founded
Speaking of the attempt of a lunatic to
assassinate Kdwin Booth in a Chicago
0 t heater, a New York paper suggests that
tlcrc are p" .ably many more such
dangerous fx .-ms uneonhned through
out the country. " many of them
through the eontiivanee ami conceal
ment of their families and friends, who
think that it would he inhuman to send
tlicin to an asylum, whereas the inhu
manity is in permitting them to remain
at liberty. This is the mischief of much
that lias been carelessly said of the
manag) mivit of lunntie hospitals, nnd
which may he referred still further hack
to the mismanagement of some of them.
One tU-regulnted establishment may
bring a great many well-regulated re
treats of the kind into disrepute. Mr.
F/dwin Ik with no doubt has strong opin
ions upon the subject, and so would
every reader of this have after escaping
from* a similar peril."
Experiments in California have demon
strated that the soil and climate o! that
State are :wlmirably ndaphxl for the
f growth both of the ten plant ami mul
terry tree. Neither the culture of ten nor
of silk, however, seem likely to become
practicable there for the present. The
tea plant grows as readily on the l'aeifle
coast as the camellia, and requires even
less rare. The difficulty, however, is in
devising some process bv wiiieh Hie
leaves can lw picked ala cost low
enough to make the industry profitable.
It is a well-established fat t that the tea
# plant will grow in many of the South
ern States. It Is not a tropical plant,
but a hardy one, and flourishes best in
- elevated regions, especially on the moun
tain sides. In India it is extensively
grown. There are large tea plantations
there, and the tea of that country is an
inuwirtant article of traffic. But neither
tra culture nor silk culture can be proflt
[ ably conducted while the coat of labor is
as high as it is in this country, and with
no better labor-saving macniney than
wo now have for use in those industries.
3
Mr. I/. Delmonico, the celebrated New
York restaurateur, has been telling tho
public tho Ix-st way of cooking fish.
Roiling smns to him the " most legiti
mate',' as well as quickest and most con
venient. IliH direction is to "nut them in
cold spring water— the less the quantity
of water that the fish can la- boiled in the
better—with a handful of salt. Rub a
little vinegar on the skin of the fish, to
prevent it from cracking, and to make
the flesh solid. Ten minutes to the
pound should be allowed for a salmon,
and three or four minutes for almost any
other kind; but a good general rule is
that the tisii is done when the tins pull
out easily." Mr. ltelmonieo also says
that broiled fish should Is- "carefully
split in two from head to tail, drictf,
seasoned with salt and pepper, greased
with a little oil (which is preferable to
butter), and broiled to a nice lu-own
color, the gridiron having Iwen pre
viously well greased, too;" and that!
small tish may he " dcliciouslv fried in
oil, after dipping in milk and then flour, 1
or ill very hot gmwc. after being breaded
with beaten eggs and crumbs."
Despite someone's dismal prophecy,
that on account ot certain changes in the 1
heavenly bodies during IHH|, the earth j
will lie overwhelmed by pestilence j
famine anil other disasters too numerous
to mention, an astronomical writer says: 1
"There will Ik- no catastrophe in Ihhl. j
The conjunction of the four great planets
at perihelion is not going to take place, j
It is an idle scare. It is true that the
longitude of the perihelion of these three :
planets will bring them somewhat mur ,
each other. Jupiter will he in perihelion,
I think, about IHBI. Saturn will tie in
conjunction near that time, and Neptune I
will not he near enough to helo any mis- i
chief that may be feared; while tlic jk>-
sition of the planet I'ran us in the
heavens in |HH| will lie about 14* degrees
right ascension. Every one hundred
years we have five conjunctions of Jupi
ter and Saturn, and always have hatl—
without the least damage thus far. I*c
ing in conjunction so near to Jupiter's
perihelion may possibly produce fiigher
tides than usual, as .Milliter's position
will is- twenty-three million miles nearer
the sun and tne earth than he is at his
mean distance. Is-t its not delude our
selves, nor is- frightened liv chimeras.
Hogging as n Fine Art.
Mr. J. 11. (Jrrgg, of Hong Kong, has
recently written to a Ixmdon paper a
very interesting letter on Chinese beg
gars. Certainly some of tie- accounts of
these mendicants an' horrible in the ex
trane, and would hardly be credited if
the authority w;is not so good. !!<• says
that he has actually seen one beggar
hearing on bis back a leper so much af
fected by the disease that his ears and
hands and (Wt were apparently slough
ing otr. With this loatle-some burden.
Mr. Gregg says, the beggar threatened
to enter each shop he passed, unless the
shopkix'por at once ndminisfcrtsl to his
wants. Alms were promptly thrown
into the stns't, and quickly picked up.
Others, according to th!* account, go
about carrying sharp Chinese razors,
with which they cut themselves to show
their misery, and to exort alms. Mr.
Gregg has s.-.-n mendii-ants with the up
per part of th-ir bodies rovensl witli
bkxxl. At the town of i'itkong. in the
province of Canton, he saw a tx-ggar lit
erally liathcd in his own bhxxLwhich
also sprinkled over the flixir of the shoo
in which he was trying to melt the ap
parently olxlurate heart of the hopf
eis'per. He also relates horrible stories
of tieggwrs who vary the above fashion
by knocking their heads against the
walls of shops, and of others who lieat
their liodies with large stones for the
edification of passers-by. Not rwitentcd
with these pleasant ami entertaining cx
ihitions. s<inie f the more emaciated
have an agreeable habit of apparently
app'aring in a dying condition on the
threshold of a shop or dwelling house,
and announcing, in dismal tores, their
purpose of remaining thereto die. Here
is Air. Gregg's account of one instance:
"In May, H74, I saw one, apparently
perishing from hunger, throw himself
down at the doorway of a dwelling
house, saving that lie would die of star
vation if he were not immediately re
lieved. The householder, who was in a
great state of trepidation, at once ol"-
! fcred the starving man a small sum of
money, which was indignantly refused.
A friend who was with Die cxprc**<xl
his readiness to relieve the wants of the
sufferer. He held out a half-dollar, and
| the penurious hnuchld>T at om-e
rushed toward him. and eagerly gr:u>|xsl
| the coin, which In- at once gave to the
! sufferer.
[ This letter goi-s to show that the men
dicants of the European countries and
the I'niti'il States have not begun to
master the fine art of twfging. and that
they are as yet hut in their infancy when
compared with the almond-eyed chil
dren of the Flowery l.and.
lo the Dying Suffer Pain I
People do not like to think of death.
It is an unpleasant subject; but it con
stantly obtrudes itself, ami there hits
brcn much speculation as to whether
mental or Physical pain attends the
final net. Observation tenches us .that
there is little pain of either kind in dy
ing. Experience will come to us all one
of these days, hut it will come too late
to lionefit these who remain. It seem*
to lie a kind provision of nature that, as
we approach the dread event, our terrors
diminish, ami the coward nnd hero die
alike— tearless, indifferent or resigned.
As to physical pain. Dr. Edward H.
Clark, in Visions," says:
"The rule is that unconsciousness, not
pain, attends the final act. To the sub
jecjof it death is no in ore painful than
birth. Painless we come; whence we
know not. Painlessly go; whither we
know not. Nature kindly provides an
amrsthetic f)>r the Ixxiy when the spirit
leaves it. Previous to that moment and
in preparation for it, respiration becomes
feeble, generally slow nnd short, often
accomplished by long inspiration and
short, sudden expirations, so Hint the
blood is steadily less nnd less oxygen
ated. At the same time Hie heart arts
with corresponding debility, producing a
slow, feeble anil often irregular pulse.
As the proiex* goes on. the blood is not
only driven to the head with diminish
ing forceand in less quantity, hut what
flows there Is loaded more and more
with carbonic acid gas. a pow>Tfttl an
vstlictie. the same as tlml derived ftmn
charcoal. Subject to its influence Hie
nerve eenters low consciousm-** and sen
sibility, apparent sleep creeps over the
system: then comes stupor, and then the
end."
PACTS ABOUT THE POTATO.
It* Msar I'm lu Cosinopolllsn Cksnw-
Ur.
At a meeting of the Washington Horti
cultural Society, Prof. Wm. Saunders
made the following interesting remarks
upon the potato:
The potato is a native of variouspart*
of South America, particularly ot Chili,
Peru and tlie Argentine territory. It is
stated that It wa* sent to Spain early in
the sixteenth century ; from thence it
spread to Italy and Germany. It wa*
intnxluecd into Knglnnd from Virginia
aliout the year 15M6. It was slow to
f;ain popularity, for it is stated to have
icon rare as n field crop in ITfto, hut after
that time its culture seems to have
steadily increased; and it is now con
sidered by political economists a* being
next to wheat in importance as an arti
cle of fisid, although, a* compared to
wheat, it* nutritiic properties are very
low, yet one acre of potatoes gives more
food for man than two acres of oats.
Approaching in its composition to rice
niui tlx- plantain, it is said to he superior
to these in nutriment.
The composition of the potato varies
very greatly in the different varieties;
tlie ingredients are the same, but tlx
proportions vary considerably. The
proportion <>f water range* from seventy•
two to eighty-two per cent.; of stan-hy
fibrin*' from six to eight per r<-ut.; of
pure starch from nine to tifbs-n per cut.;
and of gum from tln -e to four pci-ei-iit.,
while small proportions of vegetable
albumen, acids aixi salts make up the
remainder <>l the hulk.
TIIK POTATO ASA TAI'.II VIX.KTAIII.K.
As a vegetable, tiie potato 1- esteemed
in whatever manner it may Is- prepared.
It is recommended that potatoes should
lie well-fiioked, with a considerniile de
gree of bent. If intended to be ladled,
tliey should IM- placed at once in hot
water, but difference* of opinion prevail
on thi* jxiint, -Mime claiming that tliey
should IM- phxiil in cold water, which is
slowly brought to tlx- iMiilitig pniti!.
When peeled and soak'-tl in ••old water,
a portion of the ferula will lie extracted,
and if placed in a slow oven tlx- skin will
be hardened and thickened. Tlx- water
in which the |MitntiH-s have been Im>H<il
is nearly destitute of nutritive matter,
and is said to •-ontain suhstanc* which
are deleterious to health.
I'otatiM-s an* deficient in mineral matter.
mi that they are unfit to lx- a sole food,
but that defect i* supplied by Jhe addi
tion of hard water, miik and other ele
ments of Anal. New and waxy potatoes
are said to lie bus digestible tl.un those
that are old and nx-aly. and which con
tain a greater amount of st/uvh. When
cooked, the starch cell* burst and ine-ili
neas is the result.
IX oTIII K l oltM.l 111 I "Mill.
Ib-sidcs tlx-ir use as a table vegetabie,
poUIM fttrnilh a large quantity of
starch, which i* cmplovcd for various
ptirpos's in the art*, and forms the tais
of a variety of fiiritxv o>u* fiMMls, su< h as
artificial tapioca, sago, vermicelli, etc.
It is milch us.il for . ulinary purjuiM**,
and many famed gravies, '-.mce* and
soups are largely indebted to it for tlx-ir
excellence, a* also ar- biMd and p.-Lstry .
It is sometimes called |sXit<> (lour, but
the tuber* contain no proper flour, tlx-ir
starch i destitute a sutxtano
which i* lx* • ppMllX'tion of
•lough, which, fermentation nn
liaking. lMsiim*A.'jVad In certain pro
portions tlx- ferula of the potato may be
mixed with wheat flour *o as to pr<wiu< ••
giMwl liread. ft is statil that if the pro
portion of potato starch exewxls one-fifth
of the weight of tlx* Hour, a p<i uiiar
flavor is communicated to the fireatl.
arising from a small quantity of oily
matter whieh i* *up|wi*ed to be'identical
with fuse 1 oil. This is sotnetinp's call<ii
oil of potato spirit, and has been <-\tnu to I
as a colorless, oily liquid. {XMeM-asing a
very jM.wrful odor, at first ratlx-r agne.
atile, but afterward exceedingly nause
ous. This matter is believed to be a
pnaluet of the fermentation <if the po
tato. and not to pre-exist in the tuis-r
A substance railed dextrine, or stap-h
gum, is prepared either by torrifving
potato stareli, or by the action of li'-at
aided by a small portion of nitric acid.
I>extrine Is produced In tlie form* *f a
(M-arly pi'wder. a syrupy solution, or as
a gum. Powdered dextrine is used a* a
substitute for gum in calico printing and
by manufacturers to give luily to their
woven fabrb-s whieh are made slim and
with wide meshes which are tilled up
with starch. It is also employed for
adhesive jntx'l* and for jxtagc stamps,
and for many other similar purou**-*.
Hex trine ih the form of syrup is cm
ployed in the pp'paration of various ali
mentary sulntance*. The gum f* made
by Isdling the syrup and then running it
into flat vi-ssel* where it panains until it
assume* a pasty consistence; it is then
cut into small piece* w lii< liarr roiled out
flat and then dried. Thi* gum is •■a*ilv
dissolved and makes a clear solution, ft
is more easily packed than powdered
dextrine and over liquid gum it has the
advantage of not fermenting.
OTtir.lt I'ltri'AUATto.V.*.
Polenta is prepared from )M>tat4w>*,
whieh are first Uubil or sU-anxil, then
, bruited, dried, sifted and separated into
coarse grain*. It ki-ps for a long time
I if stored in n dry place; it is u*l to
I give eonaiateney to soup* and for other
eulinorv purpotea. Glueoae. or grajie
i sugar, (s prepared from iMitnto stareli;
' tills sulistanca is employed in the mnnu
( fa< tun- of MI and for mixing with
frapo juice in the manufacture f wine.
'otato pulp is distilled to produce
' brandy, and eogna.-, so called, is thus
I matte and substituted for that distilled
from gnyie juice. In the manufacture of
' brandy from t>otntie* a peculiar alcohol
jis formed which is variously ralb-d
, potato spirit, ftiM'l oil or amy lie alcohol*
Tliis gives a disagreeable flavor to the
brandy and is separated iiy rectification.
I When this spirit Is distllbif with oil of
vitriol It ylefds the voltaic ethereal liquid
called potato-spirit ether, or amylb'
cth'r, whieh, when compounded with
various acids give* respectively apple
oil, grane oil and cognac oil. Many of
the artificial swect-stnrllhig ethers" are
chemical production* from potato ether,
and under chemical treatment produi-e
• heap imitation* of melons agreeably
fragrnnt perftimc*. I'otnto cheese is
mans hy mlucing UtiM (Mitatoes to a
i pulp. To five pound* of thi* puip are
| .'xbxii one pound of *our milk and a iior
tion of *a)t. The whole i* kneaibil to
-1 get her ami the raa*s alkiwed to lie for a
j day or two, wlx-n it 1* further worked
and inade into small cheeses which are
hung up in Imgs or Iwsk'-t* to allow the
1 escape of superfluous moisture; they are
I then dried in the shade nnd kept in
| a dry plaro till used.
POTATO PtirffH* VKAMK*. lIII.MARH
It A I.l*, KTC.
The pulp remaining after the extrac
tion of the starch lis-omes hard and
horny when dried. It I* employed In the
1 manufacture of various ornamental All
cle*, a* picture frames, snuff-boxes and
toy* of the papcr-mache character. It
I* ai no stated that potatoes steeped for a
certain time in water to which ha* been
added eight per cent, of sulphuric acid,
too, "oefward submitted to pressure,
will form Into n material which can
readily be carved into any design, and,
when made into pipes ha* a resemblance
to meerschaum ; billiard ball* have liecn
made of it, so hard doc* it liecotnc.
Summing up some of the uses of the
potato, they embrace, in addition to the
tuber a* an esculent, starch, or potato
arrow-root, sago, scmola. (Mi)enta, ver
micelli and miu'citron I. It also furnishes
sugar, alcohol, flavoring essences, gum.
bread, coffee, cheese, pasteboard and
pnpcr-imu'he; and, in addition, a pecu
liar principle called solnnine is found in
the germinating shoots, and the lent ••*
tlie plant may serve as a substitute for to- j
luteeo, wliieh they are sometimes used to
adulterate.
MK.IUC.M. ntolT.ltTlM o| Till'. I'iiTATo
Medicinally, the stems aiul leaves have
slightly narcotic properties, and a nar
cotic extract is obtained from tliem which
hasbi-cn employed to allay pain in coughs
and rheumatism. Raw potatoes, scntped, I
are usiil as a cooling poultice applied to
iainis ami seaals, Alt bough the potato
come* from a tropical latitude, it doc*
not come from a tropical climate. It is
grown to perfection at (Julio, in E<*mt- :
or, > |•lace said to be upward of lO.fNm
fixt above sea level. It is tine of the!
most cosmopolitan of plants, nnd i* culti
vated with more Ol less success from '
Patagonia to Igibriulor, and from tlx
< a|M' of Good Hope to Iceland.
TIIK POTATO A • O.SMOPOI.ITI..
It also grows in a variety of soils, from
those composed principally of clay to
those mostly of sand. In regard to the
mechanical condition of tlx soil. Its
swelling tubers meet less P-si-tntX e in
light, loamy, friable soils, or those in
which there is a predominating projior
tlonofsand. In nllcasi-s the soil -lx>uld
Is-rich and properly dndned: wet soils
are <'s|M'eially pcrnieious, and jwxir soil* !
will not sustain a respectable crop. In
ch'-mical parlance, tlie potato is a potash
plant. There are some subjects which
sis-iii to compose the stock in trade of
rural wriu-rs. According to my obser
vation the foremost of these is " How to
cure gapes in cliiekens." nnd second only 1
in importance t<> tlii* is tlx-question a*
to which end of a potato produces the
most prolific plant. That celebrated
naturalist, .fosli Milling'., ha* determined
in a |.effectly satisfactory manner as to
whieh i* thehuain'*** end of a Ix.rnct. 1
have not swn lii decision in regard to
the potato, bill when it dot** com* it will
be equally luminous and diviiicd. Si
we will leave it. with the remark that
the vailie of a potato crop, as far as
present know-bilge extend*. i not much
influenced by the si/c or nature of tlx
tulx-r. Fine crops have lxi n pr<xlueal
from plant* which have In n prmlutv-d
from cuttings mad' of |M>rtions of the
potato-sti m inscrtisl in sand and nsiUil
in a manner similar to cuttings of ver
bena.* or geranium*.
K l.aw)er on lit* Profession.
At tlx annual dinner of tlx- New York
t'liamlxTof Commerce. Mr. Joseph II
t iiont'- nwpondni to the toast " It.-n.-b
and Mar—b!•••"i! are tlx- p< iii-i'iinkeix,"
and said among ••tlx r thing-: " I do not
believe that a hodv of tiXTeluUit with
their stoiua< in full have any distrust of
tlie institution that I represent. Gen
tlemen. you have tix* bar always with
yo'J. and so the lawyer* will always lx
votir -lire and stiulfast companions.
)x>rd Macon, who was one of tlx gi'-nt
•-st lawyers of hi day. said that every
man ftwr-s a debt to his profession, but I
think that can Is- amended oil Ix-jialf of
the lawyers. Every man owe* a duty
to our profession, and some time bet ween
the cradle and the grave he must ac
knowledge the liability and pay tlx*
debt. why. gentlemen, you cannot live
without law vers, and certainly you can
not die without tlx-m. It was one of
tlie ablest member* of our profession
wlio had Ix-spoken bis passage for Eu
nqx.. but failed t< go, and for an ex- j
pianation said, ' Ys>. lie ba<l intended to i
go, but one of bis ri'-b client* bad dinl
ami lie wa* afraid if lie had gone across I
the Atlantic tlie heir* would have got
all the pnqx'rty.' f ljiuglit'Tl. When ,
I look around ni tills solid I*sly of mer
chants. all this heaped up and idle
capital, I Ix-lieve that the fortunes of the |
bar an- yet at the Wginning. Gentle- ,
men. the future i* all lie fore us. W
have n sympathy with Communism,!
but like the C imtniinist* we have every
thing to gain and nothing to 10-e. W it'll
reference to the p-inarknfilc phraseology
of the toast. ' Blessed arc the peace
maker*,' I believe that!* true, 1 believe 1
that if you devote yourselves assiduously
and long enough t> our profession that |
it will result in perfrrt peace. For you
never knew of a *uit, if it was prosecuted ;
vigorously enough, at the end when
there was anything l'-fi for tlie parti"-*
to quarrel over. I will take niy s*at.
exhorting von to do justh-e to tlie ptie
fes-ion of the liar."
" What Is It I"
Yesterday forenoon a farmer's linrw
ami wag<in were hitehe<l on Congre**
stpi't. near and after the man
had gone into tlie store nn individual.
wh must know somethingatxiut human
curiosity, walk's! slowly down to tlie
wagon and enrcftilly cxaminil a bind
wlx-el. In ten seconds he was join's! hy
two boys. !ti a minute then- wa* a
•vowil of six, The man looked at tin
wheel from one side and the other, and
the in<-r<Ti*ing crowd did tlie same. In
three minut"** there were twenty people
around the wagon. Some btoked over
into the lm\ and some at the wheels, hut
no one said nnything. The man first
mentioned seised the wheel and shook it
and then measured one of the spokes
with a pocket rtlle. When he had
finished, the crowd numbered forty. No
one could say what had happened or was
at tout to happen, and the mystery was
fast becoming intense, when a corpulent
eitixen bore biwn on the crowd and
cried out:
" What's the matter hen-—any one
been hurt P "
" No, sir," was the quiet reply of the
man with tlie pocket rule.
" What is It. then?"
" I wa* looking at thi*hind wheel."
" Wliat'sthc matter witli the wfieel? "
asked the fat man. as he seised nnd
shook it,
" Notfiing."
The fat man scowled, clenched his
hand, looked up and down and then slid,
ami In thirty seconds no one wa* left
around tlie wagon hut a small Imy who
wa* trying to hook an old umbrella.—
tklroii IVe**.
Time —Twelve o'clock. She—"George,
are you to exhibit In the dog show " He
—"No; why?" She—"Oh, nothing,
only you are such a remarkable fine • set
ter Exit young man.
PIWH AlfD NEEDLE*.
An Inter. .(Ina < h*pUr .Iml ik. M Cm.
nil IomUe Article..
Pins are of very ancient invention, a*
Oiey were manufactured by tlie Egyp
tlans in the time ol the Iliaroaha. Mnny
of these useful articles were f<mnd in the
tomlrn of her kings in the Pyramids.
Some of them were of quite elaborate
manufacture, and must have been costly,
as they had cold head* and were six to
eight inches in length. Needle* are also
supposed to be of gr-nt antiquity, and
their introduction in Kurope i* said to
have taken place id the time of the Sara- j
cen invasion and conquest of Npain. The j
first needle* made in England were man- '
ufactureil at Is>ndon bv a negro who |
canic tliere from Spain during the reign :
of Ijuii'n Mary, lie died without im- '
parting the secret of hi* art; but it wa*
subsequently recovered in 1565 by one j
Klin* Grown*. A century later one Chris- i
tojdierGreening wa* instrumental in e*. j
lithlishing a factory at Ixng Creadon, in
Buckinghamshire.
The tirst pin* inaiiufitctured in Eng
land were made at Gloucester in IWfl;
but subsequently this industry was <•*- j
tablished in Hirmingliam, and that city j
i* now the headquarters of the pin trade 1
of Gli al Britain. The i-*t English pins :
aii' of superior excellence, and are put '
up in green paper; hut inferior pin* are :
also put up in the same way, and are
frequently palmed ofl' uimui the unsus- 1
pecting purchaser a* the genuine pro- ;
duct ion. When pin* were lir*t made in j
England the raw material pa***! through
fourteen different processes before rum
pletion. and enrli of these processes em
ployed a separate operative. The op
eration* consisted of straiglitening the
wire. |tointing. cutting into pin lengths,
twisting wire for head*. annealing
heads, stamping heads, cleaning, whit
ening. wiL-hing, polishing, winnowing,
paper-pricking and putting in paper*.
The business of pin making was e*tal>-
li*lxil in thi* country in 1612, b< n. in
consequence of the war with Great
Mritain. the price rose from six cents to
one dollar |kt paper. Invention was
consequently stimulated, and pins were
manufactured at Greenwich. New York,
or w hat now constitutes that part of the
metropolis in the vicinity of < 'liristopher
street, west *ide. At the close' of lxs
ti . i-s the effort wa* abandon)*!, a# we ,
could no longer compete with English I
cheap lalior and low rat<-s of int< r>-st. i
In I*lso the business was r<-*umod at
Itellevue Alm*lioU*e, but sesin was again '
abandoned. In 1k!4 Is nim l Wright, of
Massachusetts, invented and patented
in England the first ma<'liinc that made
stilid-liead)*) pins, but tlie enterprise .
lacked encourag<'ment. and it was muriy i
ten year* subsequent txfore pins of Ins
mak' were sold in Ixmdon. IVrfcet pin* |
hy tliis proci-sk were manufactured lur- j
ing the revolution e>f a single wheel, and j
till* machine. since considerably im- j
proved, is the one used at present in tlie i
largest manufiu-tori'-s in Itirmingbam.
Siiii*- IHB4 several Americans liave
pnt*Tit*l machines for making pin*, but
tie most sui**s.*ful invention was tlie
work of * Mr. Fowler. Hut the entire
pr<H .- j- a mystery to the uninitiated,
ami the ms'ret i can-fully kept hidden
from ctiriou* eye*. Most of the best
Ameri hi pins arc made in4('onn-iTi'Ut.
after Few b*r's pnx-<— fn JE- establish
ment ar<- eighty-five machine*, which
•■on-uni<' annually many tons of brass or
iron wire, and turn out millions of pin*;
lira-* pin* ar<- whitened tiv long boiling
in copper vcKel* containing block, tin.
Tlie pnevss of making white iron pin*
i> -till a secret There ar<- iglit pin
factories in tie' L'nit'sl Ktt<. with an
annua! production of alotut ".tmo.uoo.ooo
ptao. I
rin-itaper* are marked hy the use of a
mo dn piece of wood, which <*>r
n-*ponds to Uioae portions representing
tlie smnll fold*, through which tlx-bob-*
are made for the pin* to be secured. The
pin-sticker, usually a girl.gathers two f
tlx- folds together, and place* these lx
t ween the jaw* of a vice having grooves
to serve as a guide for the entry of the
pin*. When filled the pnp r is released
and held Up *o that tlie eve of the ex
pert at on re detect* every defective pin.
nnd causes its removal.
Needle* differ from pin* in being made
of steel, anil having an eye for the recep
tion of thri-ad. a sharper |xint, and a
liighly-poli*li<*l body. English needle*
of the het make* are very elastic, the
metal W ing suitably temiM-ml. and the I
eyes all finely finished ami burnished, so
as not to cut the thread A great many
needle* are Spoiled while in process of
tiCTiprring, as the stc) of which they
an- made i* apt to lx- so variable in
quality, and in a heated state, while un
dergoing chemical action, they are easily
ipjurod. fv-ouring is also a delii-atc
o|x ration, and ni**lles when not propelly
hardened and polished are always of in
ferior stn-ngth and quickly accumulate
rust.—,\Vtc Fori- MrrratUiU Jourtuil.
1 "
Hon Much Can a Person Head 1
The longest single poem. I believe, j
extant, is an Italian poem, "The
A done" of Marini, who lived in tlie
time of Jme* I. of England. It con
tains 45,000 line*. A* lor Spain, one
single author of the seventeenth century,
I/qx>* de Vega, wrote I,WO play*. His
works altogether fill forty-seven quarto
volume*. Alonao To*taoo, a Spanish
bishop of the fifteenth century. wrote
nearly forty folio*. covi-Ting with print
three time* a* many b-aves a* he had
lived days. To eome to England.
William Prynne wmte two hundred
different works. Chalmers' collected
edition of the English p<*-t* only come*
down to Cowper, who died in lAoo. and
fill* twenty-one volume* royal octavo,
double columns, small type. The vol
umes average TOO pages. This give* a
total of It.TOO page*, or 80.400 column*
Now. it take* (I have made the experi
ment) four minute* to read aeoiumn.
with fair attention. Here i* a good
year's work in reading over only once a
selection fptm the English pool*. The
amount of reading which a student can
get tlmntgh in a given time hardly ad
mit* of being measured by the ell. "The
rate of muling variea with the subject—
the rapid glanoc with which we *kim the
columns of a newspaper being atone end
of the scale, nnd the slow rate which is
niiuiml for a page of, nay. Kant'*
"Critique of l*un- Reason " being at the
ofher. Still, just to get something to go
upon, make a calculation in thi* way;
Suppose a man to lie able to road eight
! hour* a day. No one can really sustain
' receptive or critical attention to written
matter for eight hour*. Hut take eight
hour* a* the outaide pnaaibility. Thirty
riago* octavo i* an average hour'* muf
ng. taking one hook with another.
This would make *4O page* per day,
1.6*0 tier week, and M 7.360 page* in a
j yenr Taking the average thickness of
an octavo volume a* 400 page* only, the
quantity of reading which a diligent
! tudcnt can get over in a yaar I* no more
than an amount equal to about W vol
- umra octavo.
A Masterly Stroke of fienfo*.
I'll'' other <Jny a muscular young fel
ow, having an iM \„ r „ ft))( .
u ", . * Photographer'*
taking lilk m lit in tli#* * )j*| r | l# . Uli
m >. '"-w hi* mouth
side, stuck up hi* no*. ami |,ntt.n v " v
waited for the operator, wluw astonish
ment caused him to exclaim :
"Good gracious! hut you don't want
to look that way to get a picture. No
.body will know you from Sitting Bull."
" You go ahead," wa* tli- r.-jily.
" lo you want me Ink'- mirli a phiz. as
that."
"I do."
Thi' artiat took it. It lent Sol Smith
l!u**c|) all to piece* and wim highly sat is
factory to the sitter. who paid for it and
Raid:
> " Vou aee, I hail a sort of object in this.
Come here fr<Ml Allegan eounty six
month* ago—engaged to a gal out there
—found a pi here I like better—got to
sever old tiea—see?"
" Hut what ha* that picture got to do
with old tics?" asked the artist.
" Isita—lientis! I've writ to her that I
wa< Mode up liere on a boat and disfig
g- nd for life. She's awful proud. When
sh< (fits this and see* how that explosion
wrecked me. she'll hunt another lover
quicker'n wink—we? How do you like
tic plot? Just gaze on this picture once
nd tlien tell me that Mary Ann won't
send back my love-letters hv first train!'
He post's! the picture. The letter was
brief, hut explained all, It said: "My
Ewer Di-nr'iurl—l indole niy piekture
that you may see how offul had I was
hurt, tho' I know you will luv me just
the same."
"Ever see that game worked afore?"
he asked of the artist as lie licked the
stamp on the letter.
" No—never did."
"'Course you never did. It's mine.
It struck me the other day while I was
greasin' a wagon, and I tliink it's boss.
Hlode U|i —see? Pisflggercd for life—see?
I'i' ture right here to prove it. and she'll
writ'' back that she has at last concluded
to yield to her parents'wishes and marry
a young man out there who owns eleven
*tc. rs, a hundred sheep and an < iglit-acTe
lot " —/''/rot/ tYtr f*rr,
Hlryrle Trarel.
In.in article entitled " P'Tsotiai Rapid
Transit," a New York paper devotes its
attention to the bicycle, formerly <-all-d
the velocipede. The writer says :
If w .iHik to long-distance prize eon
lists, like the one in the American In
stitute, we find in England, only a short
tinu- sini'.a wonderful race, under the
Wu'verhampton rules, for six days, from
six K. M. to twelve I'. M. daily,'one at
tendant Icing aliow.-d to a"-*it tin- com
petitors in mounting and dismounting.
Taking '.nly the two highest riders on
tin- wonderful score, we tind it rending
thus, leaving out the odd laps, of which
"i en and one-half went to the mile :
.Monday, No. 1. 'JTWi miles, and No. SI,
21 t: Tuesday. No. I. 422: and No. 2. 3W4 :
Wednesday. No. 1,013; and No. 2. inti ;
Thursday, No. I. 7l*s, and No. 2. 707;
Friday. No. I, '.'l7. and No. 2. U10; Satur
day. at eleven r. M. t when the
mat'ji%loncd. No. I, 1,000 miles; N0.2,
I .<*2s. Such score* show the not usually
appreciated possibilities of the bicycle.
Indeed. sin'-i' the seat has lcen shifted
to a jMiint OVT the '-enter of the front •
wheel, this wheel enormously increasssl
in size, the rear wheel as greatly dintin
jsheit. and otli'-r improvement* made,
the bicycle has become a very swift ma
chine. I'nfortunately, it* speed and its
knock-down powers compel city authori
ties to prohibit its US'* >n ordinary
Hut the bicycle lias
re ' ■ rthcl'-s* a spli'Teof its own, and for
use as well as amusement, on suburban
roads. In England, bicyelism is as much
a'mania as pciestrianism has lately bin
here. The clubs are numlsTnl by hun
dnals, and the horsemen by bus of
thousands; while, as to the steeds, it is
alleged that 00,000 bicycle* wore made
and Mild in England last year. In Ameri
ca there lias lnsn no such bicyclical
furor as yet; hut at some points, and
quecrly enough at the (pvigranbicml cx
tremes of Hoston and San Francisco,
bieyclisin has strongholds. New York lias
been, to a remarkable degree, free from
the fever, but it would not he difficult to
predict that the late contest at tlis
American Institute will give it a start.
Life's Masquerade.
In this masquerade of life who is there
that appear* undisguised? Not one!
(Jo whore we will, we find tragedy
weeping behind the grinning face of
comedy, and comedy smiilng behind
that of tragedy. \i <• all wear our
masks from the cradle to the grave
The doctor beside the sick bed. the law
yer at the liar, the minister in the pulpit
are all masqucraders. and nearly every
one chooses a mask the very opposite of
his condition. The merchant, whose
• inliarraasmi nt* are staring him in the
face, must put on his most choerfttl
guise as he CICMM - * his hankmpt ledger
and goes home, for the wife must not
suspect the ruin that is t*o imminent. It
is time enough when it comes, he thinks,
and one is enough to suffer, so the mask
of gay et y must have the crows feet of
anxiety and despair. And she, as the
sound of his well-known footsteps
reaches Iter car, quickly wipes away the
lingering tear, the annoyance of house,
hold duties, and wreathes herself with
smiles to meet her lord, for lie must
never know her little troubles. Mm-
Imps, when too late, she finds site has
made an ill-assorted match. It cannot
be remedied, and she greets him hat'
pily, and determines not to ruin lib
peace by the knowh-dge of what i in
evitable. The mother, as site leans over
the crib of her dying in tan t. wears the
mask of hope until death rudely snatches
it from her features: the father wears
the mask of deceit as he tearfully strives
to defend bis erring child. So it goes
on through every grade, until we reach
the tomb, that marble mask which aball
cling to us until the last trumpet rend*
it asunder.— ltaJttmort Hr*ry fmtuntoy
A New York paper gives this anecdote
of the late Judge George Barnard - Mr
Ed. Illanktnan. a well-known lawyer,
was arguing a case before him. but did
not seem to be making his points to the
satisfaction of the court Mr. Blank
man thought tlie court was vry obtuse.
" Your nnnnr." said he, "1 am evi
dently arguing nt cross purposes, let
roe give a snnposit itious ease. Nuppoeit g
jour honor had lh n a WW
"That l not a suppoaahle rase, said
Judge Itarnard.
" I only want to make the Point, your
honor." went on Mr. Hlsnkmair "I
will put II In another wny. Supposing I
had stolen a horse—"
"That is auite a suppoaable rase."
said Judge Barnard. "Go on. Mr,
Blankiunn "