FOR THE FAIR HEX.
ruhltn Rottl.
Jet is more worn in Pitris than ever.
Basques nre made witli long talis at
the back.
Hunting suits are more fashionable
than ever.
Silk and lisle thread gloves are in all
he latest shades.
Short black satin skirts are shown t
wear with grenadines.
Chenille is seen in nearly all of the
latest galloons and fringes.
The breast of sea gull is used to orna
ment tin* English round hat.
A ruehed garniture for the neck is
called the Sara Bernhardt collar.
Parasol linings nre sometimes of gay J
Scotch plaids or bandana goods.
New stationery is in Queen Anne pat
ern wi th letters in old English text.
Overdresses for evening and dinner \
wear are made of the new Breton lace
material.
The cut-away basque is cutting away
very fast, and will ere long lie out of
fashion.
Bonnets are of less importance now
than those jaunty round hats alleged to
be English.
Handsome half shawls arc of black
chenille, netted and fringed with deep
fluffy fringe.
The fern leaf carpets in Persian colors,
witli lighter borders to match, are the
latest designs.
A new trimming material is the Tur
key satin, which is almost lustcrless, but
very handsome.
Beaded lace is in style still. On light
dresses under the blaze of gaslight it
looks very showy.
Stockings of lilac and of mauve take
the place of silver-gray and light-blue
hose wom last year.
Pretty fichus arc formed of silk braid,
netted in large tneshes anil finished witr.
very deep Huffy fringe.
Handsome parasols are in light shades
of satin with deep soutaehe embroideries
in the favorite wood colors.
The new bright shade of crimson is
called " peony, and the shade of red in
crepe poppies is carmine brune.
Some of the new sashes are finished
with handsome painted ends instead of
embroidered ends as formerly.
An odd and pretty fan is of broeaded
velvet, in palm-leaf design, and is fin
ished witli the tips of peaeoek feathers.
Slippers are more fashionable for house
wear than sandals. They are trimmed
with satin bows set with crystal buckles.
Molierc shoes are low shoes with four
buttons and a wide, flat double bow ,
and square buckle which set on the in
step.
Decorative art has got into the hair
and all manner of things in the alleged
Egyptians, and other lines are stuck in as
ornaments.
The latest Parisian novelty in bonnets j
is cut away at the back, and has several I
large roses placed in the opening. The j
face trimming is bunches of smaller
roses.
The narrow scarfs used for trim
ming skirts are a Parisian whim in
toilet garniture; the eflect is graceful,
producing a correct outline and giving
an easy waving flow to the drapery of
the overskirt.
Importance of t'lranclna fled* and
Pillow*.
Two little children were simultane
ously attacked with canker rash in it*
worst form. There had been no eases in
the vicinity for years, and they had been
kept entirely at home for the whole
winter, so there was no possibility of
their having taken the disease from any
outside exposure to contagion. It was
a mysterious Providence, the clergyman
said when he was called to perform the
burial service. Afterward it was ascer
tained that the mother bait bought a
feather lied of a peddler a few weeks
before and used it on the trundlo-l>cd for
her little ones to make them a comforta
ble nest for the cold weather. Upon
further investigation it was discovered
that the peddler hail bought it at a house
some twenty-five miles away, and that
two children had been sick and died of
scarlatina upon the same bed the year
before. The bed had been laid away in
an open chamber till the family sold out
their place to move away, and they sold
the bed to a traveling peddler for a
trifling sum. thus distributing sickness
and death through a distant town, for
the disease spread in every direction and
became a regular epidemic. Had that
fwd, immediately after the death of the
first children, been washed thoroughly
and soaked in water with cither a little
carbolic acid or spirit* of ammonia added
to it and then dried in the sunshine, it
would have been safe to be used by any
one; but as it was It carried grief and
desolation into many households. Of
course it was not a premeditated wrong
—it was a case of ignorance or careless
ness.
Diphtheria ha* been conveyed by using
l>ed* in the same manner: and if indi
vidual* would only consider for a min
ute how much suffering might be pre
vented they would be more careful.
There is nev.. .n effect without a cause,
but perhaps the cause may not lie dis
covered till too late to prevent the evil.
It is very little labor to cleanse pillows
rind beds, if done in a proper manner,
and common sense will show tlint it is
advisable to have it done often, even if
no sick person lia* lain upon tlirm. A
day's exposure to the hot sun—turning
over and shaking them up often—is a
great benefit and make* them sweeter
a* well a* lighter. An occasional wash
ing is a sure purifier. Carbolic acid is a
powerful disinfectant and it sweetens
ncds, which will accumulate a disagree
able odor if not thoroughly cleansed and
aired. Pillows can be washed without
ripping so that they will be delightfully
renovated. Use scalding suds in a wash
tub to soak them well, and then pass
through rinsing waters till the water is
not colored at ail. This is all that is
required unless they really smell badly.
In that ease either carbolic acid or spirits
of ammonia should be added to the rins
ing water. Let them drain well and
then hang them where they will get air
and sunshine.— A Farmer'* W\fe, in
Country (lenUemnn.
During the year 1876 there were 2,708
medical students graduated from the
fifty-nine colleges of the United States.
As the statistics show that in this coun
try an average of 600 people support one
physician, there must be a constant sup
ply of over 13.000 patients, who must
pay the handsome sum of 91,076,000 a
year, in order to allow each doctor only
two dollars a day.
Historical Hun Rarkenlngs.
In 536. 667 and 626 we find mention of
long periods of diminished sunlight.
Schnurrer records that in 733, a year
after the SaracenH hail l>ecn driven hack
beyond the Pyrenees, consequent on
their defeat at Tours," the sun darkened
in an alarming manner on August 10;
there appeared to las no eclipse by the
moon, hut rather an interruption from
some meteoric substance." There WHS
an eclipse of the sun, annular, hut nearly
total, on the morning of August 14; it is
mentioned in the "Saxon Chronicle,"
which tells us that " the sun's disc was
like a hlack shield." The near coinci
dence of date suggests, in tllis case, a
connection between the darkness and
1 the eclipse. In 031, according to a Port
uguese historian, the sun lost Its ordi
nary light for several months; and this
is followed hy the doubtful statement
that an opening in the sky seemed to
take place, with many flashes of light
ning, and the full blaze of sunshine was
suddenly restored. In 1001, on Septem
ber 20--not 21, as given in some of the
translations of Humboldt's "Cosmos"—
Schnurrer relates that there was a dark
ening of the sun which lasted three
hours, after which it had a peculiar
color, which occasioned great alarm. A
century later (or in June, 1101, accord
ing to Schnurrer) the sun was again
darkened, with certain attendant effects
upon nature. Here the cause is easily
found—on June 2.7 there was a total
eclipse, in which the moon's shadow j
traversed the continent of Europe from
Holland to the Crimea; the eclipse was !
total in this country between the coasts j
of Cumberland and Yorkshire. Ermaa I
refers to a sun darkening on February |
12, 1100, which was aceompanii-d hy me- ;
teors, and we read in the cotneto
graphics that on the 4th—or, according j
to others, on the 6th—of February, in j
this year, a star was sis-n from thetnird j
to the ninth hour of the day, which was j
distant from the sun "only a foot and a
half." Matthew Paris and Matthew of '
Westminster term this star a comet, and
we may take it to have been the same
which, later in the rfanie month, was
observed in China under the sign !
Pisces, and which, at one time, was
supposed to have been identical with
the great comet of 1680; this body,
however, would not appear to have '
been sufficiently near the earth, as, 1
even on the assumption of a denser ]
constitution than usual with comets, |
to account for a diminution of the so- j
lar rays hy its intervention. On the j
last day of February, 1206. according
to a Spanish writer, there was com
plete darkness for six hours. In 1241,
" five months after the Mongol battle
of Is-ignitz," the sun was so obscured
and the darkness became so ijreat, that
the stars were seen at the ninth hour
about Michaelmas. In this case,
again, the darkness referred to was
undoubtedly due to the total eclipse of I
October 6, of which Professor fiehia
parelli has collect#*! a full account
from the Italian writers. Ijuttlv, in
P*l7, from April 23-25, Kepler relates,
on the authority of (lemma, "the sun
appeared as though suffused with
blood, and many stars were visible at
noonday." Schnurrer thought this
phenomenon was what the Hermans
call a " Hohenrnueh," notwithstanding
the visibility of stars. From the above
brief summary of what have Is-cn con
sidered sun dark<-ning, we see tliat in
several cases the diminution of light j
has been !ue to the ordinary effects of
a total eclipse, while it is riear that
there are no grounds in the historical
evidence for IUIV prediction of a period
of darkness. The nervous in these
matters, and It woultl really appear
that such exist, may take consolation
therefrom.— J. H. Mrvi, tin Nature.
A Virginia Ire Mountain.
The ice mountain of Preston county,
says n correspondent, is a groat natural
curiosity. Wo passed over tne Baltimore
and Ohio road to Kowleshurg, then by.
steam three mile.* up Cheat river, past (
Vieksburg, and caine out upon the
Northwestern Pike. Following it two I
mile* west, wo came to the ice mountain,
situated on the right l#ank of Flag Hun,
one-half mile from the pike. After re
freshing ourselv#* with a very cold
drink of wnter from the Twin Springs,
we ascended the mountain for some dis- 1
tance and arrived at the ice-field, where )
wo found I>m. West, Shaferand Sehooley
contemplating the wonder; also a now*- j
paper man or two taking in the situa
tion.
It is claimed that the ice mountain ;
was discovered hy some soldier* in the
spring of IHfil. Its discovery was after
ward report#*! again, hut person* sup
posed the discoverer was only trjing to !
lioav some one into making n fruitless
trip into the mountains. No credence
was given to the story until lately, when
responsible parties visit#*! the designated
locality of its existence, and reported
it* actual discovery. On the north side
of the mountain, al>out a quarter of an
acre is covered with a mass of loose, un- j
stratified rocks, none of which are of any
considerable size. All was covered witli
a heavy mass of moss, which now is all
torn off. No trees grow upon it. only
here and there, a few small hushes. Re
moving the loose rock ice is discovered
in small quantities, A thermometer
stood ninety degrees in the sun. eighty
degrees in the shade and forty eight de
crees when placed in the rocks on the
ice in their crevices. A cold nir is pre
sentjln the crevices, hut no strong freez
ing currents as reported. Hundreds
have visited it. The rocks are torn Up
and the ice is only obtained now by go
ing down some little depth in the risks.
We would suppose from ObMTVUtKM
that the mountain is mostly a vast heap
of rock, a portion of whose west 4idc is
more broken and loose than the rest. The
pOTOIH nature of this portion would
admit through its moss covering a con
siderable amount of water, which, infil
trating lattween the stone, would form
ice in Just the manner we find it. The
ice thus formed would be protected
from all external temperature by the
non-conducting properties of the vast
surrounding mas* of rock. The ice
mountain, we would suppose, is noth
ing hut a huge natural stone refrigerator.
The Children of Ram Drinkers.
Dr. Martin, of the Halpetriere Hos
pital, Paris, has made a series of inter
esting-observations on nervous affections
among the offspring of alcoholic parents.
His results may he summed up as fol
lows: In eighty-three fnmilie* in which
one or more members showed nervous
excitability with a history of alcoholic
origin, there were 410 children. Of these,
106—more than a quarter—had convul
sions, and in the year 1674, 162 were
dead; 241 were still alive, hut eighty
tliree.. more than one-third of tun
survivors, were epileptic.
A Lecturer's KrmlnlH , rgff.
Ann* Dickinson has written a book
of reminiscences of her lecturing tours,
calling it "The Rugged Register."
Among other mousing stories slie tells
one of the rampnnt president of a certain
lecture association who wanted her to
lecture him his town. She could not do
i t'.and meet her other engagements, and
she told him so quite plainly. Hut he
would ntbe put off. 11c told her tliat by
taking the three o'clock train she could
do it. After a hard night's work a three ;
o'clock train is not a pleasing prospect, '
and she declined the honor. " I 11 be un i
•ler your window at 3.30 sharp," replied !
he, notwithstanding her expressed de
termination. And ho wits as good as his
word. It was pouring ruin, but lie came
and banged away as though the front
door was a fort and lie a battering ram.
Wlijle he was bunging an indignant
family servant carao into .Miss T)ick
inson s room with a bucket of wa
ter in her hand, and opened the window
above the man's bono. " Why do you
waste the water, Maria," said Miss Dick
inson; " he is wet to the skin already."
Hut Maria knew what she was nbout,
and Standing the books! on the sill,
emptied the contents down over the be
sieger. A howl, a muttered exclama
tion more vigorous than elegant, ami ids
feet were heard 'splashing down the
walk. "I thought tl.at kitchen tire
would never burn," Maria said, as she
passed out of the loom. " and that there
tea kettle never would bile, but it did."
Miss Dickinson tells of one man who
took a seat by her in tbo oars and tried
to make her talk by plying her with
questions, to ail of winch she gave mono
syllabic replies. Hecoming discouraged,
he dragged some greasy hills and cur
rency from his pocket and said : " Well,
now, look here,; you'll never lecture in
ourtown. It's too small. Hut I'd like
0 hear what you can do when your
steam's up. I thou gilt I'd get a free
blow-out. but I reckon you weren't
t*>rn yesterday—got your eye-teeth cut.
There's a dollar, 'll that pay you for a
good square talk and all the tixins'?"
Miss Dickinson tells some of Uie ad
venture she has had in keeping her lec
ture engagements. One night she was
drawn across a river on a sled by two
men—the ice was too thin for horses and
a sleigh—in a driving storm. The jour
ney took three hours. She arrived at
the " institute, teeth chattering, stomach
chattering (no nourishment for thirteen
hours), fingers stiff, feet like wooden
clogs, winter cold through and through
nic." Miss Dickinson has heard that
somebody once asked .Mr. Beccher
whether a man would have gone
through that to have kept a lecture en
gagement, and that he answered, " No;
no man would have Is-cn such a fooi."
And lie was "justified in the saying," nays
she; "only he should remeinls-r that
the world, in reasonable fashion, de--
tnnnds of a woman that site do twice as
much as a man to prove that she can
equal him."
Western scenery is Miss Dickinson's
delight. Out there she met a man whom
she describes as a "horrid little scrub,"
who was l>ound on a lengthy tour of the
I'is itic slope, his wife lecturing, he man
aging and an adopt**) daughter singing,
the witole made to "go " by a gift en
terprise. To make herself agreeable.
Miss Dickinson said something about
the marvelous Montana region. " A
beastly country!" lie cried, "a beastly
country! we did not take SSOO in it." In
traveling through this country, if in
stag"*, site rode on the scat with the
driver; if by railroad, on the locomotive
with the engineer. Her dress for cross
ing the mountains on horseback consist
ed of a soft felt hat. loose coat, skirt to
the knees, Turkish trousers, woolen
sbs kings and stout sho*. Thusarrayi-d.
she bestrode her horse like a man, not
withstanding the sneers of a lady who
joined their party, and in an audible i
whisper told her companion to " look at
that vulgar creature." The " vulgar j
erenlurc,' from her comfortable and se- •
cure sent, looked at the long skirts and '
twisted tx sties of the other ladies, and. !
thinking of the twelve hours'ride over i
the mountains, said to herself, " at j
those idiots!"
Sitting on the platform alone Mias j
Dickinson lias often had hard work to
keep from laughing at the manner of
her introduction by pompous chairmen
of a lecture committee. One presiding ;
officer in New Kngland. instead ol intro
ducing her, offered up a prayer of I
twenty minutes' duration, in which he i
interceded with the throne of gra*e in j
Miss Dickinson's behalf. A Western j
chairman,with an eye toward Congress. ,
spoke of her reputation as a lecturer, i
"In fact," sain he, "wherever the
F.nglish language is spoken, wherever
the stars and stripes wave, her name is
like household words. I.isten to her. 1
then, and I know—yes, fcllow-eitixens.
1 know you will listen to her, since she
always addresM-sherself to the ignorant,
the <lown trodden and the oppressed of
every color, clime and tongue. '
Audiences are thus described by Mias
Dickinson: " Some and bines are stone.
You strike against tliem and rebound—
angered hy their hardness. Home are
sponge—atworh, and aiiaorh, and absorb,
and give nothing back, till you feel
l as though you had eiyoycd six
hours of the Turkish hath and then
teen put under an exhausted receiver—
and some are like champagne, or vigor
ous tea. or clear cognac, or aggressive
; coffee, or whatever it may he that the
most quickly and enchantingly stfmu
i late* your brain and nerve."
L ■
#
Substitute for (Julnine.
It will be useful to poor people, and
those in the country, away from drug
store* and doctors, to know, on the au
thority of Dr. Beach, the noted botanic
doctor, that a strong infusion of yarrow
; (white tansy) and boncaet is a good sub
stitute for quinine in fever and ague, or
other malarious complaints. The plants
should be gathered when in flower, and
a double handful of each steeped in one
quart of boiling water and drank freely
three or four times a day. The prescrip
tion was given by Dominie Van Saxon,
a well-known missionary to China for
thirty years, who studied medicine and
the properties of herbs before going out,
as most valuable for usefulness among
the poor. Though not fond of " quack
ing In any shape, observation of the ef
fect* of tliis medicine in counteracting
summer debility and malarious coni
p.nints among elderly people, hn id me
to a sincere respect for the missionary
experience, and I shall risk a smite for
recommending herb teas, knowing the
use such homely wisdom 1* to new set
tlers and those to whom quinine, even
with the tax removed, is an expensive
item. The small miseries of life make
a sum so truly formidable that no one
who has proved remedies for them is ex
cused from giving others the benefit.—
Sew York Sun.
TIMKLY TOPIt'H.
A special number of the Cofiffreetional
Kfcord, lately issued, shows that the es
timated value of the mackerel taken in
American waters during a period of Ave
years, beginning July 1 1873, and ending
June 30, 1878, was #10,600,790. The
total value of the marine fisheries of
Cunada for the year 1870 is estimated to
lie #1 1,003,050. The estimated value of
the marine fisheries of the United States
in the same year was #70,37H,Kj.
Tlie Argentine Republic seems des
tined to I iccome a formidable competitor j
witli tlie United States in the grain
markets of the world, rite exports of
wheat from that country for the present
year will foot up 8.000,000 bushels. Tliis
amount is expected to be doubled next
year and quintupled the year after.
These predictions are based on the pres
ent heavy emigration Into the republic
from (ierrnany, France, Spain and Italy,
particularly from the last named coun
try.
Mr. Millais, tlie eminent Knglish
artist, lias introduced portraits of hi* '
own children into several of his pictures, j
Ret ently on a Sunday his youngest np- ■
pcared ficforc him in a new and pictur
esquc Unmet. "Going to ehuren, my ;
dearP" asked the father. " Yes, papa,
answered the child, with a pouting lip, I
"Don't you want to?" "No, papa,"
" Very well, come and sit for nx\ and (
I'll paint you in that pretty fsinnet." :
"No, thank you, papa; I think I'd
rather go to ciiucrh." Millais' models
have to sit very still.
An event, perhaps without parallel in
the history of medical science in Kng
land, has occurred in Ixmdon. the " blue
riband" of the profession having been
carried r>ff hy a Japanese student. At
the distribution of prizes at St. Thomas'
Hospital, the gold medal—aa honor
coveted and striven for hy every student
wiio hopes to occupy a worthy position
among medical men—waa awarded to
Konchiro Takaki, of Japan. Not satis
tb-d with tliis honor, tlie young for
eigner also carried riff tlie (Jhiscldcn
ni'-dal for surgery and anatomy.
The king and queen of the Sandwich
Islands had a swimming race while on a
recent excursion. James G. Fair, the
Nevada millionaire, who was then vis
iting tlie royal lainily, say* that the
party could not land from their steamer
for reason of the breakers. The king
said that all ought to swim to the shore.
The queen assented, and tlie pair jumped
overUmrd together. They buffeted the
waves with skill and soon reached land, j
They not only went whin no boat
could go, hut braved at th'-r danger, for
the place was alive with sharks.
This is an age of adulteration, and the
practice i* carried so far that articles
used for adulteration are themselves
adulterated. Coffee suffer* as much a
any other single art irk from this con
temptible deception. Almost every
kino of seed large enough to roast Is !
used for tliis purjiose. ami various root*. '
from parsnip* to dandelions, are calks! ;
into the serviie. Ground eoffie will ]
float on cold water, and not soon ivilor
tlie liquid; tlie adulteration* will sink >
and discolor the water at once. It i
Is-st to buy the coffee in the " berry," and s
grind it at home,or see that it is proper]?
done. Kven then one may be defrauded,
as there are machine* for making artifi
cial green coffee.
In the neighborhood of Houdan. :
France—the home of this popular French :
brei-d of hens, which has never obtained
(treat favor in tliis country, however—
immense establishment* are in operation
for supplying eggs and poultry to tlie
Paris mantels. main object in
(•reeding is to keen an early-maturing
breed, so that chicks arc saleable at
j three month* old. Hatching and paring ,
are carried on artificially, and the work !
1 o far proves that chicks thus hatched '
are found to be inore lively and stronger i
than those from eggs incubated by liens,
1 and also Ui grow and fatten quicker.
| For young chick* the food consists of
milk, buttermilk, barley, or oatmeal
and rice.
One of tlie most important features in '
I recent studies of the soil, especially by |
lex peri m enters abroad, relates to lis
physical characteristics; and the fact is
! being more generally reeogni-d that
1 tlie influence of the soil upon tlie life and
growth of tlie plant is determined quite
a* much, possinly more, hy its physical
qualities—its relations to water and
heat—which have hitherto been slnuwt
wholly overlooked, as by its chemical ,
j character, which lias been (riven the
more attention. Tlie investigations so
far made indicate n most intcreting
, field for inquiry, and the results that are
j lo come from this new phase of agricul
tural study must he lioUi novel nnd val
: uable.
I The large machinery hall of the Phil
' adelphia exhibition lias been torn
j away. It was bought hy a speculative
, Ann for #3l,uno. and they will multiply
their money. The stone was used to
build extensive oil works at Point
| Breeze. The rougher lumber was
worked into oil shed* at tVimmunipaw,
; and tlie immense quontitvof yellow pine
and other valuable wood* waa sold to a
| railroad car company. Sixteen tlioti
i sand pounds of cast and wrought iron
were rold to a foundry, and 70,000 panes
j of glass were as good aa new for the
j market. Tlie tin roofing realized nearly
the entire purchase money. The specu
lator* gave the two cupolas to the Phil
! adelphia Old Ijulies' Home for summer
houses.
A curious plant ha* been discovered
in Wisconsin which product* a kind of
cotton and (lax front the same stalk. It
has already been woven into fabric, and.
as any article that will make as gtntd
elotli as can be made from this plant
will make good paper, it has been railed
the paper plant. It can be planted In the
spring and cut In the fall and winter. It
bleaches itself white as it stands, ami
will yield at least three or four ton* to
the acre. From a single root that was
transplanted at AppTeton last spring
Kw twenty large stalks, with 350 JXMI
ntaining the cotton), with at 'east
sixty seed* in each. From this root
were obtained seven ounces of purs cot
ton and over half a pound of flax. It is
a very heavy plant, and grows from six
to seven feet high.
There is no stronger temptation to a
boy than to crack the kernel after he has
eaten the peach. Therefor* it la im
portant that the hoys should understand
the poisonous nature of ksraels. A
timely case comes from Paris to serve **
a wart ing. It appears that a five-year
old little one ate the kernels from peach
stones, under the Impression tiist the
peach was a nut. When found he waa
nearly dead from the effects of the pros
aic a* id contained in the kernels, and aid
arrived too late to save him. Writers
on toxicology state that an ounce of
the k> mela contains nbout one grain of
pure hydro -cyanic acid, and it Is
known that one grain of the poison
will almost to a certainty kill any
adult persi it. Should sickness occur
from eating kernel* It is well to re
iin iuiier th.it ammonia Is one of the
be*l iiitidotcs.
'flic lotnl value of stamps, stamped en- |
velopes and postal cards issued by the I
United .States during the past fiscal year '
was $20,530 000, an increase of #671,868 !
over the year previous. There is a big 1
difference iietwccn this showing and Un
fit-si year of the existence ofd.be Host- '
office Department. The whole revenue
in 171*1 was only #37,935, and it tvns not
until 1815 that tin- husimws reached a mil
lion dollar*. It was not until 1860 that
the business reached ten millions. In
tlie lust twenty years the business lias
trebled. \\ hen the j>oHloffice branch
went into operation in 17!*), the postage
on a letter, eoniposed of a single piece of
paper, was eight cents under forty miles;
under ninety miles, ten cents; under 150
miles, 134 cents; under 300 miles, sev
enteen cents; under 500 miles, twenty 1
cents; over 500 miles, twenty-live cents.
It was not until l**ls that the mileage
system was practically abolished by
making the postage on a single letter of
one-half ounce, under 3,(**i miles, pre- 1
paid, three cents; if not prepaid, five
cents. In 1803 the mileage system was
entirely abolished and the present sys- j
tern adopted.
Oriental Kxtratagance.
The recent exodus i>l the Khedive and j
ids family from Kgypt has directed at
tention to the domestic arrangement* of
tliis most prodigal of Oriental princes, j
who was deposed bv the Sultan of Tur
key at the contmaud of Kngland and
France for attempting to oust the Kng
lisli and French memlM-rs of the Kgypt
tian cabinet. Bv the Koran all true be- |
llevers are perm it I**l to have four wire*,
and I .nail Pasha ha* availed himself of !
this privilege to the fulJ extent. A! |
though only threw of the liulic* whom j
he has successively taken to wife, and
wlio are known a* "the first," "the.
second" and " tlte third" princess, enjoy !
local rank, the fourth, the mother of
Prince Tcwfik. the present viceroy, hy
virtue of that circumstance alone is
entitled to consider herself a* equal to
the rest of Ismail's wives. Of the posi
tion of t lm*c royal favorite* one may
judge from the fa-t that last year the '
united income of the three princesses
amounted to #536,930* year. File value
of their jewelry may be imagined from
the fart that in the recent crisis it was
in contemplation t*> raise five million j
dollar* on tliis security alone. Ib-side* i
these ladies there are others too nuttier- j
ou* to mention. The harem which ac
companied liis highness into exile eon-|
sistisi, beside* tbr three princswse* (the
niotlier of Prinee Tcwfik remaining
behind), of sixty women altngrt lMT.
including twenty female slaves. It
took sixty of tlie viceregal carriages i
to convey tie- party from the palace of j
Alsiin to tl.c railway station, and ten
men-of-war's Ismts to embark the fait !
traveler* at Alexandria. The harem i
luggage formed a small pyramid, com- ,
pletely filling a lighter of 150 ton* hur
d< n, and oe. uph-d over two hour* in
shipment. Tie above, however, was
but a small portion of the female belong
ings of the late Khedive, over ftoo of
whom remain Is-hind in Cairo, and are
maintained bv the present viceroy at a
cost for feeding alone of #15.000 a
month. .
Terrible Famine and t anniballsm.
Hussion merchant* recently returned
front the interior of China to St. Peters
burg have furnished terrible details re
specting the famine whicii ha* for some •
time prevailed throughout certain prov
ince* of the Celestial Kmpirr. They dc-
Jiose to liavine seen people die in tlie
streets of many towns and villages from
timer starvation, and state not oniythat
antliroponhagy i* practiced upon the
bodies of the dead, but that famished
men attack the living and prey upor
tlietn with all the ferocity and greedi
nes* of the fiercest rarnivora. One oi
them allejp-* that he was present at tie
examination of a mendicant, who iiad
liecn arrested for some petty theft, and
in whoM professional wallet the man
gled n mains of an infant were discov
ered. This man confessed to the magis
trate that for some time previous to his
seizure he had lived exclusively upon
tlie fresh flesh ol human Iwings, as he
1 could not surmount his antipathy to that
of dead bodies. Another appalling case
which came under tlie notice of a Rus
sian merchant was that of a young man
who had jiersuaded hi* father to a**i*t
him in murdering and subsequently eat
ing a girl to whom he was betrothed
Men have been executed for killing and
eating their own children, and son* nave
slain their father* in order to appease
the pang* of hunger. Iln some of the
northern district* whole village* stand
■ nipty, their inhabitant* having one and
all perished for want of food. Some of
the incidents recounted hy these com
i men ial travelers and published in the
j ffolo* are too horrible for reproduction;
but tlie above detail* will convey some
idea of the awful sufferings by which
the population lias lately lieen. and in
-1 deed still is afflicted.
Betrayed by a Hear.
About six month* ago a young Bra
zilian, aged twenty-eight, arrived in
Pari* from Rio Jaaerio. lie called hint-
I self Ferdinand Co*tales, and gave him
self out as a doctor rich enough not to
practice. Of a pleasing exterior, and
provided with authentic papers and let
ten of credit and Introduction. the
young Hraxilian penetrated the salons of
the noble faubourg. He was an indefa
tigable dancer, an agreeable talker and
always welcome. Alter theae soirees he
used to go the boulevard restaurants and
carry on the gayety through the night.
Tlie Hraxilian always wore his hair
parted over Ills forehead and temples at
all hour* of the day and the night. Mr.
Co*tale* was supping in company with
two girl* and a fourth person at one of
tlu>boulevard restaurants. The fourth
person, feignlrg drunkenness, put Ills
lingers through the hair of Costalcs.
The latter rose furious and very soon
left the room. The next morning he
wo* arrested at his house. The fourth
person was a detective, who had sus
pected Coetalea to be a certain Morin.
who had escaped from New Caledonia.
The cicatrice discovered under the hair
was conclusive.
Kffert sf Aitltade la Leadrllle.
A letter from Leadville. Col., the
great mining town. *y*; I taw but very
Few cave* of intoxication in the streets,
though the 300 saloons in the city held
out their bet inducemmtf. I wan sur
p r iwf) at tli in, M one of the notable
effect* of tiie (treat altitude of the place
(10,300 feet above the level of the aca) in
that all fermented liquors intoxicate
much more quickly than at lower eleva
tion*. The boiling point, owing to the
deereaae <f iitnio*ph<-rir pr< M-ure, ia
much lower than at Chicnito, and the
alcohol ia aooner vaporized and taken
into the circulation, producing intoxi
cation mueli quicker.
Tiie i>oilin(( point of water here is
about 15*0 degree*. instead of UIU degrees,
the effect of which in lioiling leans,
eggs, potatoes, etc ~ is that it requires a
longer time to cook tliern in an open
Vessel, and it is necessary to Keen the
pot well covered or the. water will va
lorize and escape tK'fore being raised
to tiie requisite decree of heat for
thorough cooking. At this elevation
inuc'h more air is required fo fill and
satisfy the lungs, and breathing must ire
quicker in order to properly oxygenize
the blood. It is said, too, liiat after one
has been here for some time the coloring
matter of the blood becomes d*rkc*r,
being changed irom the peroxide to the
sesquloxide of iron. With a person suf
fering under any difficulty or disease of
the heart, the effect of any severe or
long-continued exertion is to cause a
dangerous degree of palpitation, and
even witii persons entirely well the
pulse runs extremely high.
There are other and notable facts con
nected with tliis altitude. Time are
very few birds seen here—perhaps for
the reason that flying is difficult in the
light air. The common house fly, the
summer pest of our Kastem housekeep
ers, is unknown here. There are some
of tin- out-door bluebottle variety, hut
they see m languid and tired. It is said,
also, that cats cannot live here. This is
probably owing to their delicate organi
zation being unable to resist tlie rigor of
the night air. So the "voice* of the
night' are not heard <n this locality,
and bootjack* are reserved for their
natural uses.
Another result ol the lightness of the
air is that, having so little density, it is
easily heated by artificial mesns Oar
nights are uniformly cold—so cold that
it is uncomfortable to sit without a fire;
but a few pine chips or small sticks will
warm an apartment very quickly. At
th<- same time the sun's rays do not seem
to'have tiie heating power that they do
in lower elevations. This seems to eon
firm the theory that there is no substan
tial c-aloric in the rays of the sun. hut
lliat the heat is the result of chemical
action generated by the direct rays with
the element* of the atmosphere—the
amount and degree of action varying
with the directness of the rays and the
density of the atmosphere. While
standing high upon these mountains,
even at a distance from any snow-drifts
and where tlie air is still, the summer
sun lias only sufficient power to make
the air refreshing an I pS'-asant. while
you on the plains ar- sweltering under
a torrid heat. In the suadc of a rock or
two it is always cool enough.
The effect of the altitude is the same
as that experienced hy balloonist*, who
in ascending from the surface of the
earth, even on the hott'-st day. SKID finds
it necessary to don his overcoat and
warmest clothing In the night here a
good sur nly of blanket* is always neces
sary ; and nearly every morning heavy
frosts are found, and sometime* thick
is-alc* of ire are formed. The crest* of
Mime of the mountains and many of the
deep ravines upon their sides are still
fpll of masses of sn w so compact that
one can walk over them without sink
ing. A day or two sgo, in visiting a
mine close to the summit of Mount
Hross. I was compelled to cross a field of
snow hanging overthe edge which must
have been a mile in length and pr ibably
in places twenty-five feet in depth.
fforlc of Wisdom.
We la.k little, if we do not talk about
ourselves.
M- n may le ungrateful, but the human
race is not so.
The first step toward virtue is to ab
stain from vice.
It is the best proof of the virtue* of a
family circle to see a happy fireside.
Happiness and unhappineas are quali
ties of mind, not of place or position.
Prosperity soems to be scarcely safe
unless it is mixed with a little adversity,
T<> be really and truly independent i* to
support ourselves by our own exertion*.
Success lis* a great tendency to oon
<-eal and throw a roil over the' deeds of
men.
The love that has naught but beauty
, to keep it in good condition is short
| lived. •
An ahle man shows his spirit by gentle
words and resolute action*; he i* neither
hot nor timid.
Nature knows no pause in program
and development, and attaches her curve
to all inaction.
In the treatment of nervous cases. be
is the best physician who is tiie most in
genious inspiter of hope. .
In talking everything is unseasonable
which is private to two or three or any
other portion of the company.
IVmiestie rule is founded upon truth
snd love. If it ha* not both of theee It Is
nothing better than a despotism.
There is no knowledge so thorough a*
'.list which is gained at last, after yean
of baffled and wondering inquiry.
Kasii words are scarcely more danger
ous. and are generally much less un
wholesome. thsn capricious silence.
llave nothing to do with any Iran in
a passion, for men are not like iron, t<o
be wrought out when hot, or molded
into any given form.
Kvcry person's natural weight of af
fliction is frequently made more unhappy
by the envy, malice, treachery or injus
tice of his neighbor.
There is a great deal of unmapped
country within u* which would have to
be taken lnt account in an explanation
of our gusts and storms.
Probabilities are a* various an the
faces to be seen at will is fretwork or
paper barging*; every form i* there,
from Jupiter to Judy. If you only look
with creative Inclination.
Men and women make sad mistakes
about their symptoms, taking their vague,
uneasy longing* sometimes for genius,
sometimes for religion, and ofteninr Mill
for a mighty love.
The presence of n child is n radiant
sunbeam ia dark hours, n holy waning
of happiness, bat at nil limes Hist link
which connect* us with the for off Bdcu
n innocence and purity.