VEBT 0L1) PEOPLE. Mnmc llru.nrk.lile A nr. ami Still Mora llrinarkable Facta, Mrs. Betsey Mason,of Mount Moiris, N Y., is just rounding a century of life. Laurel, Del., has lost its centenarian in the pn-on of Grace, a nrgnss, who lias just died, aged 115. Mrs. Gillespie, of Morgan county, Kv.. is !Ott years old, and walks two miles to church every Sunday. Matilda Stevenson lived to be 105 years of age before she made a profes sion of faith, and was baptized at Paris, Ky., recently. Ruthia Simpers died in the Elkton, Md., almshouse, aged 110 years. She was born a slave, but had enjoyed tifty yea's of freedom, having been manu mitted. Mrs Waty Clark, of Oswego, N. Y., still lives at the age of lWt. She has been the mother of twelve children, and, until very recently, had her faculties unimpaired. Baltimore loses another centenarian in Sarah Springer, who died recently, aged 103. She leaves thirty-one grand children and twenty-eight great-grand children. A violent fall killed recently the old est Indian of the Allegany reservation, named John Lewis. He died at Sala manca just as he had completed a cen tury of life. The oldest lawyer in Scotland, Charles Winchester, died on March '27, just as he had entered his 100 th year. He was born at Echt, in Aberdcnshire, on February 2*2, 1781. Ada Township, Mich., sincerely mourns the loss of Ebenezer Swann, a farmer, and a most estimable man, who has just died aged 105. He was a native of Maine, but one of the oldest settlers in Michigan. The proud mother of seventeen chil dren. the eldest of whom is eighty-two years of age and the youngest forty eifght, Mrs. Rrassett, of Grand Rapids, Mich., is just rounding-a century of life. She is in good health, with unimpaired intellect. According to the Fait, an actor who is a centenarian may be nightly seen at Toulouse, lie is a comic actor named Graffetot, and was born on the second ot July, 1780, and made his debut when fifteen years of age. when the revolution was at its height. He is said to be still amusing. When Hester Presbury died in Balti more city the family of Streets sincerely mourned. She had long ago passed the century line, and had neen a faithful servant, nursing the whole family, from their grandfather down. When the the proclamation of emancipation set the slaves free, old Aunt Hester left the Streets and went to shift for herself. She leaves an orphan infant aged eighty. The Madrid Epoch announces tho deatli at Gijon, in Northern Spain, of a gentleman who was 112 years old He successfully withstood the wear and tear of five successive marriages during his long life, and, Indeed, wedded bliss may fairly be assumed to have agreed with him. His last wedding day was also the eighty-ninth anniversary of his birth, upon which fest've occasion he espoused a comely maiden of "sweet seventeen," whose union with him re suited in the addition of two sturdy boys to his already numerous family of six-and-twenty sons, the fruits of his previous matrimonial alliances. Once, at the early age of fifteen, he was ill of a fever, since which he has known no malady or even inconsiderable ailment. For many years past he has eaten but one solid meal, at midday, in every twenty-four hours, his breakfast and supper consisting of a gill of raw spirits, swallowed at a draught and taken without food. Mrs. Sarah Mostly. of Madison, Ind., was horn in North Carolina February 15, 1770, and is therefore in her tilth year. One of her brothers, of whom she nad seven, David Ballou, served seven years in the Colonial army during the war of the Revolution, and was captain and aide-de-camp to General Washing ton. He died subsequently of small pox, and the pay due him was never re ceived by his family, a fact that still worries Mrs. Mosely. Mrs. Moseiy was playing with dolls when she was married, which was in her thirteenth year, and two years later witli a child of her own. She reared ten children, tiie oldest living being eighty-six and the youngest tifty. When she was 100 years oln she rode horseback and de lighted in long walks. In that year site fell, injuring her thigh, and lias since been unable to walk. In her youth she was the belle of Kentucky. Two years ago her hair, which at tiiat time was whitened with age, returned to its original color—black. The Digging tp or Ancient Troy. The St. Petersburg Goloa lias received a letter from the celebrated archicologist, Seliliemann, dated at Athens, which contains this interesting piece of infor mation : I haveiust returned from Asia Minor, where I have at last finished that digging out of Troy which I began in 1870. During the last ten years I have struggled with gTeat difficulties, among which perhaps the most trouble some has been the amount of debris under which the ancient city was bur! *i. It has been necessary to dig down and up the ground for more than sixteen yards below the surface. But I am fully recompensed for all ray trouble. I found the remains of seven different cities; the last of them was liion of Homer. That city was built by vEolians, banished from Greece by the Dorians in the eleventh century before our era. In one of the buried cities I found many statues of Minerva with the owl's head, whence her name of Glaucopis. In another city were found many Images of the divinities. But the most interest ing and important of all discov eries is, of course, the city of King Priam. Every article found in the ruins of that city bear unmistakable signs of having been destroyed by fire in a time of war. There were discov ered many remains of human bodies in lull armor. 1 dug out and cleared away the debris from the entire wall that sur rounded the city, and also from alt ihe principal buildings. Now lam finish ing a large volume in English describ ing with full details all my discoveries and containing '2OO illustrations of the most important of the discoveries. My Troon collection is now in London, but at the end of this year I shall take to my ▼ilia in Athens, which is firej>rooi, built only of marble and iron. I have received lapge offers for my collection from the United States, England, France and Germany, but. I cannot part with it for any more*- j the world. A Great Patch;ol Wild Pigeons. A correspondent of the Foreat and Stnam, describing a pigeon roost in Michignn. rays: T i.e morning and evening bonis are ho for catching, us then I lie flights arc on. I saw two hun dred and cighty-scv< n tnk<n nt one spring of a single net, over a bed of n.uek to arfilch the birds had been baited for some days by sprinkling salt over the mud. On these beds no decoys arc used, the baiting being sufficient. The pigeons would eat greedily of the salted muck. On the ocea-ioh I speak of we arrived at the bower just before day break. The birds were well baited, and I expected to see a fine eatch, as no net bad as yet been sprung over that bed. Willi the first streaks of light we couid hear the flutter as they lit in the trees alicut the bed. As the light increased Ihey came faster and thicker, until soon the trees were alive with them, and the woods were filled with their calls. Soon a single pigeon dropped on the bed, and ; had hardly folded its wings before ' others began to pour from the trees in a j stream. When they seemed to be stand- | ing on each other's backs and jou could see nothing but pointed tails sticking up, and while they were still fly ing down on to the bed, we botli jerked the line witli all our might. There was a loud swish as the net sprang over, the lead line knocking feathers from those still in the air ana in the way*of the net. We rushed from our cover, and while I stood in astonishment at the boiling mass under the meshes, the nettcr pro ceeded to fasten down the corners of the net and remove the birds to the coops. It requires the most skill to trap pig eons as they arc flying over a net, a flyer {apigeon with its eyes sewed shut and a light weight fastened to its legs) being first thrown in the air to attract the at tention ot a parsing flock, and a stool (a pigeon trained to actus if alighting) being industriously worked to induce the night to strike upon the bed when the net is sprung. The catch per day per man ranges from nothing to fifty or sixty dozen. No shooting is allowed within five miles of the roost proper. Good shoot ing ffor those who wish to shoot nest ing birds) can be bad outside these limits, as the birds fly several miles for food, passing some points continuously, at some hours of the da£. This roost was thirty miles long, varying in width from one to five miles. There were three hundred men engaged in ttie business at one time that season, and as a result of their work I saw one hundred barrels of dead pigeons alone shipped in one day from the little vil lage of Shelby. A Lively Bolt of Lightning. Mr. Frank E. Higbee. who lives on the Chicago road, about six miles from South Bend., Ind., gives this account of the freaks played by lightning at the house \ few nights ago. Mr. Higbee says he and his wife and child were sleeping in one bed, and his cousin Miss Lucy Higbee, in an adjoining room. All were sound asleep when the building was struck. Mr. Higbee was awakened by a noise which sounded as if the whole house was falling about him. Hejumped up and struck a light, and found more debris than lie supposed it wns possible to make out of his house and furniture. The clock was thrown from the man tel and lay smnshed on the floor; the cook-stove was broken and the bottom knocked out; the parlorstove wns tipped over and one leg broken ; the pipes and elbows of both were burst out and flat tened out of shape, [and looked as if they bad been heated red-hot. Miss Higbee's bed was badly racked and splintered ; a castor wns knocked from the dining-table; the cupboard was broken and the lids torn from all the cans in it, and many of the cans thrown to the floor; a bottle of biuing was broken and the liquid thrown on the walls; the carpet was torn up and little shreds of it scattered all over the house; n short, there was scarcely an article of furniture in the rooms that was not misplaced or damaged. Bricks from the chimney were scat tered about, mixed with plastering from the walls, and the laths of theccii ings were partly forced from their places and hanging down into the room. The sashes of the nortli windows were broken, and parts of t hem and the glass were found several rods nway from the house. Mr Higbee says it is evident the lightning entered the house-through the chimney, and then scattered in a score ot different directions. It filled the house with a sulphurous smoke that was so suffocating that the inmatts of the house had to get out of doors as soon as possible. There were not a dozen whole bricks of the chimney left, and some of the bats were thrown a distance of five or six rods. One of the bricks struck Mr. Hig bee on the knee and this was the only injury done to any one of the inmates, although all of them were slightly shocked. The wonder is that they were rait killed outright. One peculiar fea tuie about the occurrence is that every piece of steel and iron abont the house is magnetized. Mr. Higbee first dis covered this while using his knife to drive some glazier's points in a window sash. He then tried the knives and forks, scissors, a bayonet, his wife's corset steels, and found that all were heavily charged. Habitant Headache. Dr. Treichlcr, a German physician, has lately made some much-noted com ments on habitant headache among vonng people, a trouble which lie avers is largely on the increase. He is in clined to attribute it to excessive intellectual exertion, often caused by the fancy of parents for having a great variety of subjects taught, and more especially to night work, which, he says, produces in the brain the same condition as would be produced in the muscles, if, after a long day's march, a mountain-climber were to continue walking far on into the night, and were to repeal thisday after day. Dr. Treicli ler't letter has elicited from a London physician a statement that he has some times found the brain to be growing faster than the skull which contained it. What seemed like great stupidity was for a time the result, but in time the ssull effected its enlargement, and the brain was relieved. One of the most likely to occur in schools arises from the fact that the same lea sons are necessarily allotted to all in a class, and while they entail no effort of intellect on the part of one, may be a •frightful labor to another. It is the dull, laborious pupil, we suspect, who oftentimes is the most injured by sohool pressure, and it should be the study of the teacher to recognise him or her, and afford nid and encouragement. FOB THE FAIR HEX. New York fashions. A violet shade is to be in vogus tills season. The linndsomcet tism<>* nnd most hesuiiful 1 omhinations are made In this lolor. Rich brocatelles in two shades of heliotiopn are in preparation. Thire ate also mauve-colorcd satins with small hunches of violets, which are arranged like the madras fichus so much worn last summer, with the center and wide borders. Many suits are to be made in this style. The "tissu Mont morency," a new material, is covered with designs of handsome cherries and leaves. The grounding is dark garnet or bronze color. The material is arranged in different-sized hands, divided by light threads. Showy toilets for young ladies are made of this goods, nnd it is also much employed for sun-shades. Surah and foulard continues to be the favored materials, as they are Itylit and soft and admirably suited to all kinds of drapery Postilion basques and " tournures" are daily gaining in favor. Witli this yle of waist the fronts are pointed, and tlie sides cut out over the hips, while tlie harks forms postilion coat tails. The waists are smaller than ever, requiring corsets of the very best make. Satin, which hitherto lias been re served exclusively for winter toilets, is now extensively used on spring and summer dresses. These liavo puffings of satin down flic front, and draperies and plaiting*-. The trimmings, when com bined witli Pompadour foulards nnd plain surah, are very light and suitable for summer wear, and have a totally different effect to that produced when combined with SUoh goods as velvet vigogne. Colored fnille and brocaded taffetas arc in high favor. With the new fancy fabrics in use, aprons are made of satin, either in the color or the grounding, or in one of the colors of the design. This style is useful for making over old dress* s. Plain linen and batiste dresses, which cannot be worn as they are, may be made over in pompadour designs witli the same materials. Blue, gray, and straw colored linen dresses may be com bined with percale satinettcs, and the old-fashioned waists replaced hy the Watteau casaquc. The plain skirt has a short train and puffing of the fancy fabric. The mo-t important character istic of the mnkin. over of these old dresses is to HO combine the shades that the now goods do not deaden the effect of the old. There are so many shades now in use that this is not a difficult matter to accomplish. Satin inserted plaiting* are very extensively used. They are placed between the side pieces of the waist, on the middle r/ the basaue, between the breadths of skirts on the sleeves, and, in fact, on all parts of the dress. The "soufllet," as this j plaiting is called, consists of a fan shaped plaiting, arranged in seven plaits fastened close together on the top and left loose on the lower part. In the outer garments in wear nt present, 11 style has been brought out which was all the rage six or seven yearsago. It is akind of" MacFariane" garment, with the addition of varied trimmings. The double pelerine hns a large opening for the arm to pass through. The lower part of the gar ment is plaited. This small cloak is of English cheviot on woolen reps, and is used for shopping purposes and demi toilets. It must always be of some fancy goods, and fs often lined witli red surah. The collar is sometime* made to match, and is sometimes of velvet in the color of the gnrment. The "etrangere" clock is of satin, lined with heliotrope colored satin- The seam is cut up in the center of the back. The seam of the sleeve passes over the shoulder and terminates on a line with the seam under the arm. A piece is cut out to form the sleeve. The trim ming consists of honde plaiting* and C', fringe. On the sleeves are satin rib n hows. The "manteru Colibri" is of black slcilienne. It consists of two pieces joined in the back seams. The front* close to the waist, from which point they are taken back and joined under a black satin bow. with passe menterie cords and tassels. The gar ment is trimmed with ruclied lace and beads. Toilets for half-mourning wear are made combining black anil gray faille. The puffed apron is generally of plain black fail'e, while the draperies are of the grayisli ailk. The gray train ia nar row. The waist ia of black faille and the veat of gray. The black sleeves have gray cuffs. Any moruning dress n*ade of faille or foulard may be ar ranged in this matter. A toilet for deep-mourning may be of epinpline and English crape. The skirt is trimmed with a deep, plaited flounce, over which is a band of crape. The front of the tunique is divided into two parts. One ol these forms the apron and crosses a second piece, which is smaller and forms a panel on the left side The tunlque is trimmed wittra band of crape. On the side of the apron is a large crape bow, witli falling loons. In tue hack is a puff trimmed with crape. The each em ire jacket is trimmed on either side in front With a broad bias crape hand, and a cording of the same borders the basque and pockets On the hack of the basque is an Inserted crape plaiting. The turned-down oollar is of crape. The long sleeves are trimtmd with two bias hands and ap siting of crane. The hat matching the suit is asmall capote covered with English crape and trimmed around the crown with a crape braid- The crape veil, thrown over he back of the bonnets, is not long. Baby dresses are trimmed more than ever with embroideries. The drawers have a deep trimming of embroidery: the petticoats have four flounces, and the deep-worked collars are to be seen on all dresses. English (Iresees are worn bv children uo to their twelfth year, with draperies and scarfs, which seem to divide the dress into two parts, ono forming the skirt and the other a loose-fitting tun Ique. For these d resses many vests and "plastrons are made in f right colors. Spclted foulards and Madras fichus, with desp bordering*, are made in suits for little girls. Suits are made for babies, from three to five years of age, of whits, blue or pink sicilienne. These consist of micro scopic diroctoirc rod in vote*, with triple collars. The fashionslnchildren's hats are large Leghorn straws, not quite so large, however, as were worn some years ago. The brims are raised in different parts under either a bow, bouquet or a feather. A Arid# lath* laMI at HMMM*. A Persian bride, when first brought, ia a queer little body, fattened up with rloe and sweetmeats for the occasion, and sadly besmeared with cosmetics. Coliyrium has been put upon her eye*. to make them soft and languishing, and they are also elongated by some means, ■o that they may havs the shape of nlmondii. Her hair in dyed oi a coa block by indigo, or of a reddish-brown by indigo and henna mixed with it, according to he r ownfancy, or that of the broker. Her eycbiows arc plastered and painted so thickly that they look like a large piece of court-plaster cut into arches, and stuck upon her face. I say a large piece, because they #re joined artificially by a thick line across the nose. Her checks are painted in excessively bright colors, and two shiny locks of hair, gummed together, and stuck flat on each side of them, in the shape of number sixes placed the wrong way. Her hands and feet, finger nails, and toe nails, are dyed a light maiiog amo color witli henna. She lias no ante shape or figure than a bolsUv. j Poor little tiling! she plays such tricks with herself generally that at twenty she is an old womnn, with her skin all shriveled and burut up by caustics and poisoned pricks of needles. This old undersized -creature waddles about the i apartment of her new lord in the finest and largest trousers possible. She wears a smart embroidered jacket with short sleeves, and a pretty chemi sette of some light white material, em- ' broidered witli gold threads; hut her nrms and neck are bare. She hangs upon her little person as many jewels, gold coins and trinkets as she enn poßsi- J hly get at. She is especially fond of pep.rls and diamonds, but is not partieu- 1 far as to their l>eauty or value. A dia imond is a diamond for her, whatever its shape or color may lie. She is very fine, I but never elegant. Her mind is entirely uncultivated. She lias neither educa tion nor accomplishments; but she lias a good deal of flowery talk about roses 1 and nightingales, with an undercurrent 1 of strange roundabout wit and drollery. There is an utter waht of delicacy and modesty in her conversation. Sheknows a great many tilings which she ought! cot to know; and, child as slip is in , years, she would outwit the wisest man who ever wore gray heard. A Ceremonious Nabob. I have told you, writes an English traveler, very little about the nabob (of the Carnatic), although no day 1 passes witiiout messengers from him— 1 in the morning to inquire how I slept, j and in the middle of the day to present | a gift ol fruit and flowers. He insists on my seeing these messengers witli great silvqr sticks and returning my salaams by them, which is a great and rievous bore twice a day. After my rst visit he sent me n dinner of at least fifty dishes, each of which was brought j on the head of a black damsel. This feast was displayed on the floor of the colonnade, and I was brought forth to see tlie embroidered covers taken off, and to admire the cook-shop. I made my salaam, and the repast was j devoured by lsird William's body guard. | The present of a dinner is an established : custom in the East. The nabob is a very fat, thick-bcnrdcd pc-reon. about thirty. At my first visit lie received me at the door of my coach, having bar gained that I should do the like when lie returned my visit. He embraced me as soon as I was out of the coach witli most affectionate hut*, saying each time: "How d'ye do, governor general?" This I thought a very suit able salutation at our meeting, hut it seemed leas neat and appropriate at my dcpartuie, wtien, at the coach door, he repeated the four embrsws, with •' How <Tye do, governor general?" four times again. During the reception he sat on a sofa in a great hall, in which was also the musnud or throne, I on his right side. Lord William on his left. Then our in terpreter made us mutually happy by assurances of each other's perfect health, and the nabob returned thanks to God for the health of the king, the queen, the Prince of Wales and the princes and princcaseaa, the court of directors, the house of peers, and all the members of the house of commons, every one of whom 1 assured him I had left in the most blooming health. We were then still mora deeply affected by our extreme attachment for each other, and hy the singular felicity of beholding each other's laces. Many other similar affairs of state were trans acted between us, and when the pain ful moment for parting arrived, his highness dropped a lew drops of nttar of roses on my handkerchief, then sprinkled me profusely all over my best Vienna embroidered coat with rose water, saying affectionately that he knew tie was spoiling my coat (hut what is n 1 oat to the effusions of friend ship?). Then he put on my neck a gar land of white flowers, gave me two packets of betelnut and then two roses England's Agricultural Depression Mr. James Cuird, the eminent agricul tural authority, in a letter to ttie London 7Yme* on British agricultural prospects and American competition, says: It may he useful to show the pressing need for the early removal of every impediment which unnecessarily hampers us in the competition to which we are now ex posed. Nothing like the present depres sion in agricultural interest has been seen since the repeal of the corn laws. In nine years there have hern seven de ectivc wheat harvests, the last culmin ating in Intensity and including in its grasp a part of he animal in addition to the other produce of the land. In Eng land where the bulx of the wheat crop Is grown, there has been lost in these years a fourth more than a whole year's wheat crop—a loss to the wheat-grow ers of more than thirty millioiusteriing, witli no compensation in higher prices. The introduction of foreign meat and cereals is of immense benefit to the con suming classes of Europe. American statesmen believe they are rapidly gain ing control of tills trade and can main tain it even at lower prices. It must he met by the production here of article* which will not bear long storage or car riage, such as milk, fresh butter, early meat, vegetables, hat, straw, potatoes and the sugar-beet, (trass farms, dairy ing and market gardening—all the in terests in land, whether of the owner, oocupier or laborer—must be disen thralled. The control of the dead lssi must be removed. The sale and trans fer of land must be simplified and cheap ened. Encumbered and on wieldly estate* will twn be broken up and subdivided to form numerous small properties. The drain of agriculture labor and capi tal to the United States and Canada, which has already commenced and which nothing can prevent from contin uing and increasing, will alter the exist ing conditions of agricultural property In England. Our agriculture must adapt Itself to the change, freely accept ing the good it brings, .nd skillfully osing the advantages which greater proximity to the best market must al ways command. TIMELY TOPIL'H. Professor George L. Vose. of Bowdoio college, Maine, who is regarded as an authority upon such subjects, says that over SOW railroad bridges have fallen witli in the past ten years. He attributes these "accidents" cither to the selec tion of bad materia:, faulty construc tion, and imperfect supervision, or all of these causes combined. The great map of the moon, completed hy Dr. .Julius Schmidt, of Athens, after twelve years of labor, shows 33,856 crat ers and ring-like formations on the lunar surface, and 348 rills and clefts. Dr. Schmidt estimates that the number would be increased to 100,000 craters in a complete chart, showing the moon as seen with a magnifying power of 600. The American Journal of Science has been giving Edison's electric light a thorough investigation, and its conclu sion is as follows: Provided the lamp can be made either cheap enough or dur able enough, there is no reasonable doubt of the practical success of the light, but tills point will evidently re quire much further experiment before the light can be pronounced practicable. That Mr. Edison will finally overcome 1 the difficulty, however, no one who knows him can doubt. I)r. Carpenter considers it possible I that at some remote geological period a connecting strip of land may have ex isted between Europe and America, and that New Zealand, Tasmania and South America may have beei linked together hy ridges of dry land, while Madagas car may have been joined in a similar manner to the African continent. Geol ogists have supposed that a great conti nent, which they have called Atlantis, once existed between Africa and Amer ica, hut I)r. Carpenter regards the evil dencc of it as very unsatisfactory. M. Lam&rre is the originator of an improved military projectile, a fire ball, for the purpose of throwing a strong light on the enemy's position in the night time, the principal object being to pre vent the digging of trenches or the ac complishment of other military opera tions. Shortly after leaving the cannon, the Lnmarrc fire hali discharges a light sufficiently bright, and lasting long enough, to enable guns to be pointed at the works. The projectile has also a grenade, which explodes after a certain time, thus keeping the enemy away, and preventing their interference with the light. Adam Wagoner was about the most popular old man in GaLipolis, Ohio, but be was a confirmed swearer. The community was frequently shocked by lijs language, but liked him tor his kindly hesrt. His nephew, Philip, owed him a grudge, and took advant age of his failing to injure him. When ever lie * ureed outrageously before wit nesses. l'hilip had him arrested and fined under the law against profanity, j This went on for several years. At length the justice before whom the cases * anic refused to inflict another i fine- Philip was maddened by the fail- J ure of liia old device, and killed the old man on '.lie spot with a pistol. By an official return mating to Eng- i lish merchant shipping, lateiy issued, the number of Bailing vessels employed, foth in the hom and foreign tiade. lias diminished from 19,090 in 1860 to 16.449 , in 1879, the tonnage being 3.859,345 in the first year, to 3,918,676 in the last- The height of prosperity for England's , merchant fleet was in 1865, since which ! year there has been a marked falling ; off. On the other hand, the number of steamer* ha* augmented from 999 in 1860, to 3.580 last year, and the tonnage from 399.494 to 9,331,157. This increase of about six-fold in the tonnage of the j steamers means more than a similar in crease of sailing vessels would imply, for the effective power of the steamer as a carrier may be tnree or four times that of the sailing vessel, n* the former will make three or four voyages to one of the other. A Faiti. Home has been estahiislide in Springfield, Mass. All persons af flicted in body or miiid who have faith to believe that they can receive physical or spiritual help are welcome there, and the healing is Secured through the prayer of faith, the laying on of hands, and o metimes anointing with oil. Patients are allowed to take their own course while in the house, and. as Miss War- says: "If tliey want a season of prayei while we are in the midst of do ing our dishes, we stop right there and have it." Miss Warriner and Mrs. Hisser nre better known in Chioopee. as " Sisters Orpha and Rosa," having lived there together for nearly thirty years. Mrs. Kisser says she was healed by faith of a grievous disease of longstanding, some few years since. T hey depend wholly on the Lord .'or their own sup port and that of iut? institution, and they have the impression that they will shortly be led hy f.iiu to move nearer the heart of the city. The death, probably a suicide, of the stockbroker. Max A. Plaat, whose body was found in the East river. New York, conveys still another moral touching Wall street. He had been a very bold and successful speculator on the ex change; had counted himself rich: he was as happy as a man can be who lives on n financial mine that may explode any moment and blow his fortune and contentment to pieces. For a year or more he had, as the phrase is, been on the wroti g side of the market, and though he had not failed, nor lost credit, his losses so preyed ca his mind that it gradually swung out of balanoe. He disappeared from his home; was seen afterward in a strange, bewildered con dition, and next hiii body was taken from the water. OTbourse Wall street killed him directly, as it kills indirectly scores of men every year. He was young—only thirty-seven; he had a wife and two children whom he loved; he was genial and kind-hearted; he had many friends, in and out of the board, willing to help him over any rough places. He bad much to live for, but the unconquerable desire to get more money after he had secured a handsome independ< noe drove him to increased risks, to derangement, and to destruc tion. This distressing sort of history Is continually repeating itself. The facts disclosed every day about the stock ex change oiler such sad lessons that they need not be enforced. The New York stockbroker* nre supported by the loss* of outside is and yet they have not the dJWW 10 keep out of the speculations which they sec ruin others. Wall street is tha great gambling hell of the ooati- Mat, and draws the whole oountry by its mercenary fascination. I In Zurich, Switzerland, the use of a portable water power, HO to apeak, is being extensively used for household purposes. Firewood, for example, is to be sawn into convenient lengths for burning. A small sawing maohine on wheels is drawn by two men to the front of a house. They connect by a flexible tube with the nearest hydrant; the water flows to the machine; the saw dances, and cuts up the wood with surprising rapidity. A portable turbine has also been invented, and employed in many places in the same city, in driving a Gramme machine for the pro duction of electric light. Water is very abundant in Zurich; but there are other towns in which this domestic water power could be advantageously introduced. Where it is any object to keep a record of the water used an in dicator showing the quantity might be affixed to the machine. During a recent performance in the Teatro del Giroo, at Madrid, a madman forced his way into the house, armed witli a hatchet, and contrived to climb from the auditorium upon the stage, where, brandishing his weapon furi ously. heannouncedhimself to the terri fied audience as the "Avenger of Man kind." All attempts to remove him having proved in vain, and his fury momentarily increasing, a detachment of soldiers received the order to load with ball and fire upon him. A minute later the wretched man lay a corpse upon the stage, three bullets havuuc passed through his head; and, tins highly sensational dramatic episode having been thus brought to a close, the audience returned to their places, from which they had fled in terror when the madman made his first and last appear ance upon the stage, and the evening's performances were resumed at the point at which they had been interrupted by "Mankind's Avenger." Medical Properties of Kegs. For burns or scalds nothing is more soothing than the white of an egg, which may be poured over the wound. It is softer, as a varnish for a burn, than collodion, and, being always at hand can be applied immediately. It is also more cooling than the "sweet oil and oottor " which was formerly supposed to be the surest application to allay the .smarting pain. It is the contact with the air which gives the extreme dis comfort experienced from ordinary ac cidents of this kind ; and anything which excludes air and prevents inflammation is the thing to be at once applied. The eg£ ig also considered one of the best remedies for dysentery. Beaten up s.ightly with or without sugar and swallowed at a gulp, it tends by its emollient qualities to lessen the inflam mation of the stomach and intestines, and by forming a transient coating on these organs, to enable natureto resume her healthful sway over the diseased body. Two, or at most, three eggs per day, would be all that is required in or dinary cases, and since the egg is not merely medicine, but food as well, the lighter the diet otherwise, and the quieter the patient is kept, the more certain and rapid is the recovery. It is stated within a few years that a certain oil, to be obtained from the yolks of boiled eggs, is of great use in curing cuts and bruises. This oil is obtained by cooking the yolks over a fresh fire. They are stirred constantly till seem ingly on the point of bursting into a blaze, when it is found that qnite a quantity of oil is eliminated from each yolk, and this strained and secured is said to have wonderful healing proper ties.—American Pou 1 try Yar Sea-Messengers. The d isappearan£e of the Ataiantahas given rise to a suggestion in the Pall Mall QaulU that every sea-going vessel should be compelled to carry at least one of tha so-called "sea-messengers " The sea-messenger is a cask made in various sizes of copper, in compart ments ; and, according to its size, letters, dispatches, ships' Jews, jewelry and other valuables can be inserted in it. The cask can be quickly hermetically sealed so tliat no water can get in, and may then be thrown overboard with the assurance that it will remain afloat for a very long time. Xhe advisability, however, of adopting a second sugges tion. made by & correspondent ofthe Standard, that "if it ia made law that every ship must carry a tea-messenger, there must also be an enactment tnat ■hips sighting one must, under penally for omission, pick it up," Is open to ques tion. A handy steamer or well-found yacht might be able without much trouble to pick up a small cask; but it would often be very difficult, if not im possible, for an ordinary merchant ves sel to do so. A captain, unwilling to delay his voyage to pica up a messen ger, could al ways frame a plausible ex cuse for not doing so. At the same time, cariosity, if no better motive, could gen et ally be depended upon to insure that it would be done if possible.— Pittsburg hronicle. (law Rice ia Ceefced la Jtpaa, A recent traveler in Japan says: They do know how to cook rice here, though, and for the benefit of grocers and con sumers in the United States I investi gated the matter. Only just enough cold water is poured on to prevent the rice from burning tJ the pot, which has a close-fitting cover, and ia set on a moderate fire. The rice is steamed, rather than boiled, until it is nearly done; then the oover ofthe pot ia taken off. the surplus steam and moisture are allowed to escape, and the rioe turns out a mass of now-white kernels, each separate from the other, and as much sup< rior to the soggy mass we usually get in the United States as a fine mealy potato is to the water-soaked article. I have seen something ap proaching this in our Southern States, but I do not think even there they do it as tkillftilly as it is done here, and in the Northern States but very few per sons understand how to cook rice properly. lam sure that if cooked as It is here the consumption of this wholesome and delicious cereal would largely increase in America. A young pastor who has recently had a son born to bim notifies a brother pas tor as follows: "Unto ua a ;child is born; unto us a son is given.— Is. ix i." It was written on a postal jaard. The receiver showed the message to a sister in his church. "Ah, yes," said the woman, after reading it, "it weighed nine pounds, six ounces." A mining company at Bt. Clair, 111., dispensed with the services of a hun dred men at fil a day by the use of labor-saving machinery; bat tbey em ployed fifty men at fit a day to guard the apparatus.
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers