Experience of a Census Nan.
Owen Browne, a census enumerator,
who is now resting on his laurels, gave
a New York Ueratd reporter recently
a brief history oi his experience. His
district was No. OHO, between Fifth and
Lexington avenues and Eightieth and
Eighty-fourth streets, which lie found
to contnin a population of 2,971. He
began his task every morning at eight
o'clock and ended it generally at six,
but Bometimcs seven in the evening,
taking a lunch and siesta at noon. He is
a tall, dark, wiry, determined sort of
man, of about thirty-live, who. as he
says himself, started out with his mind
made up to be as polite as possible under
all circumstances, but resolved to stand
" no shenanigans " if the law was not
complied with, and he kept the afore
said law before him like a lantern to
* guide him all along in the path of his
duty.
•' When I'd ask a lady," said he, " for
her age, she might say,' is it necessary
to give the exact figures?'and I'd an
swer, 'no, ma'am; I can't compel you,
and I must only draw my own conclu
sions.' Ar. American lady of the middle
class, well-dressed and lively, gave me
her age one day as thirty-seven, but
when she came to tell me her son's age
was twenty-six, I said, ' Madam, you
must have made a mistake.' ' Oh,
then,' said she, a little put out, but
very cheerful, 'make it forty-seven; it
will beallthe same in a hundred years.'
That was a class of ladies 1 used to like
to meet with, but some of them would
get their backs up if I doubted their
word and give me a look as good as a
subpena. Another lady gave me her
daughter's age r.s twenty-one, and as I
was leaving the daughter called me back,
and said she wanted that made nineteen,
as she was afraid the people next door
might see the entry twenty-one in my
book and sneer at her. Young ladies, I
found, seldom knew their own ages, and
would always call their mothers and
say. ' Mamma, what a' e ought I to be
now ?' and the mamma, I used to notice,
always had to think awhile before she
fired off an answer."
The census man then went on to re
late how a lady refused him admission
to licr Louse tince times in succession,
and would only st eak to him from an
upper window, telling him that her hus
band loid her to give no countenance to
book agents, insurance agents, light
ning rod men and such. She believed
he was one of these. At last lie grew
impatient and somewhat angry, and
told her that if she didn't open the door
and give him the information lie would
read the riot act. She bid hini to road
away, so he pulled the law out of his
pocket, and, taking a position in the
middle of the street, read the penalties
out loud enough to be heard a block
away.
" Tell that to your husband when he
comes home to-night and be ready with
your answer in tlie morning," cried the
census man as he walked frownlngly
away.
He was around next day, and the re
ception lie met with will be something
he thinks that hecan never possibly for
get. The lady, he says, was in full dress,
and welcomed him inside with profuse
apologies, and her hospitality was so
pre sing that at the rate of two cents a
name lie believed his earnings that day
hardly exceeded twelve cents.
In his district Browne found Ameri
eans, Irish, English, Scotch, Welsh,
French, Swedes, Canadians, negroes and
one Russian. He had more annoyances
from young married women than from
any other class, as on account of their
babies, they always wanted him to call
at their own convenience. He reasoned
with one of these young women by say
ing that if he had tocall two, three or
four times at every place there was a
baby the census would not be taken till
Christmas, and the young woman saw
the point and surrendered. One day,
Browne, who was also engaged in tak
ing the census of 1675, called at a dwell
ing and met the housekeeper, who told
him she did not think she was bound to
give Lim the information he wanted.
" Why." said he, " I took the census of
this house before." "Oh, well, that will
do," Baid she; " just refer back to your
books and you'll have the whole of it
V. ithont any trouble."
" Another thing," continued the cen
sus man, "made an amusing experi
ence In nineteen cases out of twenty
the men would be absent at business
when I called, and I bad to depend on
the women for all my information. It
was necessary to ask the women what
business their husbands followed, and
though many were never slow about
telling the real truth others would hesi
tate nnd try to think of something more
dignified than the actual calling- A
bartender would be 'in the wine busi
ness.' a driver of a beer wagon 'in the
brewery business,' a bricklayer 'in the
building business,' nnd clerks 'in the
dry poods' and ' in the grocery busi
ness. One colored woman WHS crazy to
have all her eight children ' took in the
i r:-us.' 'Come up here, Jemima;
etmc up here, Lukie; come up here,
I/M py,' sb cried, until she had the
whole crowd around."
"Well, on the whole," asked the re
porter. " was the work severe?"
" I did not feel so." answered the cen
tal man, " because perhaps I went
niethodically to work. 1 began at the
beginning and made it a point to finish
with every house in a row as far"as pos
sible. I failed to get information in the
morning, pass on to the next one, hut
in the nft<-rnoon I was bound to return
aid I'd pick up such as were omitted.
This would s metimes take me past my
recolar hour for quitting work, but I
had the satisfaction of knowing that I
had every day so much work covered
without a break. There were no tene
ment houses beyond half a dozen, con
taining four or five families, in my dis
trict. nnel the majority were private
dwellings."
What au Editorial Room Looks Like.
He opened the door cautiously and
Peking his he-ad in a suggestive sort of
way as if there was more to follow,
inquired: "la this the editorial rink
tum ?"
" The what? my friend."
" Is this ti.e i iukiuuj—ainktum—sanc
tum or eonic such place where tbe edi
tors live."
"Tlds is '.he editorial room, yes, sir.
Come in."
"No, I guess I won't come in. I
wanted to see what a rinktum was like,
that's all. LeKiks llks oar garret,
only wuse. Good day."— New Haven
Betpeler.
A piece of charcoal to be changed oc
casionally fchou.d be kept in refrigera
tor* as a purifier. Milk, butter, and all
strong- smol ling articles should be kept
cor<-' nl, especially when the water from
the refrigerator is used fur drinking.
COUNTERFEIT MONET.
Increase at Imitated Currency-Maine
Facta About founterfcltlnii and Coun
terfiltcre.
" When you want to know whether a
ock can bo broken, you don't want to
go to the maker of that lock to find It
out. The burglar's the man you must
S} to. You nslt him: ' Fee here; can
lis lock bo broken?' and he tells you at
once: 'Why, certainly it can/ And
then you get from tiim its weak points.
If I want to find out whether a note's a
counterfeit or not, I don't ask to know
any thing about counterfeit notes; I want
to know about good notes; I want to
be familiar with every detail of them,
so I may know them at a glance. If a
man comes in and offers me a countcr
fiit, then I know it nt once. Why?
Because it is not like the other notes."
Thus spoke John Dye, of Dye's govern
ment Counter/eil Detector. Mr. Dye
sat in his office. Around hira was a
curious collection. The fruits of forty
years' counterfeiting at least looked
down from the walls, or out from the
cases, or reposed beneath lock and key
in numerous small drawers. Thousands
of dollars artistically bunched together
in neat wooden frames behind glass
work told of the days of wild-oat band,
and State scrip; thousands ol dollars
more told of the after period of silver
and gold, the trade dollar, the half dol
lar and the quarter. took at those
trade dollars as they nppear through the
glass cases. What is the matter
with them? There is no shine about
them; they arc all dim and black, cop
per-colored and brass. A man luugtis
as he looks at them at the idea of his
being deceived by such base imitations.
Yet men have been deceived by them in
their better days, and now that they are
like old shoddy garments, worn thread
bare, their true nature stands revealed
and, as a warning, they have come here
to serve a moral purpose.
"Here," said Mr. Dye, reaching his
hand into his pocket, "are the*most
dangerous pieces that have been seen.'
He drew out two $5 gold pieces—one
of date IHI4, the other of date 186.1.
"The great trouble," said the old ox
counterfeit detective, " in counterfeiting
gold pieces is to get the counterfeit to
the right weight. I only want to feel a
gold piece anywhere to tell whether it's
good or not. I can teli 'cm in the dark
by the heft. Here," said the old man,
gazing with his sharp gray eye on one of
the gold pices as he danced it in the
palm of liis hand, "this is a piece I
would have been deceived on any day.
It's just the right weight. Joe, bring
me the scales."
The young man addressed brought
forth a queer small steel scales, such as
is used in the mint for weighing coins.
There were apertures in it for placing
coins of all denominations. In one of
these marked " Five D," he placed the
gold piece. The brain tilted up; it
balanced exactly; it was to all appear
ances a genuine coin.
"See that,'' said the old man. " It's
the exact weight of a $5 gold piece."
But around the edges was noticed sev
eral little blotches of white metal pro
truding through the cold. The piece
was nothing more than a platinum body
with g ld plating. It was worth about
$2 50, that being the value of the plati
num in it. The cost of plating it was
about fifty cents, making its entire worth
$3. Old Mr. Dye imparted this infor
mation with professional gravity as he
took the coin out, and, having restored
it to his pocket, told of the mischief it
had already done.
" A tout two years ago a man, travel
ing in the istlmins to California, traded
about 1,50 ft of these pieces to the captain
of a schooner for English sovereigns.
The counterfeit was not discovered until
the captain reached San Frnncisco
when, having got into circulation, in
was detected by the authorities of the
San Francisco mint."
Counterfeiting has increased to such
an extent that it is claimed the govern
ment will shortly have to take some
more vigorous measures than it has
ever taken yet toward cheeking it. The
one drawback the oflicersnf the secret
service have to encounter Is the small
nessof the appropriation which Con
gress allows for this particular work.
A less sum is appropriated for this
purpose now, it is said, than has been
allowed heretofore, despite the fact that
counterfeiting has increased just as the
resources and capital and population of
the country have increased. The sum
granted amounts to atont $50,000 an
nually. Persons who are familiar with
the extent to which counterfeiting is
carried on in this country nno have
had long experience in trying to break
it up, declare that $951,000 a year would
not be any too much to pay for secur
ing more perfect means nnd facilities for
protecting the nat ional currency. Coun
terfeiting. by all accounts, was never
carried on with such perfect system as
it is now. The work the counterfeiters
turn out in many instances surpasses
the work produced tv the gov
ernment, ana so perfectly have the
counterfeit notes been executed that
they have been taken by experts for
good money. The latest counterfeit out
is a slOft bill upon the National Ex
change Bank of Baltimore, printed from
a retouched plate of the National Bank
of Commerce, of i'lttsburg. The only
way in which this bill differs from the
genuine is in the superiority of the
workmanship Although this counter
feit was originally on the Bank of Pitts
burg, as above mentioned, the plntc can
be easily modified so as to counterfeit
the issue of any national bank. Not
oniy is the engraving of asuperiorchar
neter, but the bill is printed on i-n ex
cellent quality ofcounterfeit fiber paper.
There is not the slightest elue as to the
locality where or the persons by whom
this work is done, nor is there any
knowing to what extent the government
issue has been counterfeited in this
single case. The oniy way in wldoh
the matter can be remedied, it is
claimed, is for the treasury department
to call in all the notes ol this denomina
tion and series, thus withdrawing from
circulation the counterfeit as well as the
genuine.
It lias been for some time advocated
by persons who have interested them
selves in observing the extent to which
countei leliiii_- is carried on in this
country that the government will he
forced to take sonic steps soon that will
insure the suppression of the business,
not temporarily, but permanently.
Some months ago a proposition was
made by Tom Ballard, the skillful and
notorious counterfeiter, now serving a
term of thirty years in the prison at
Albany, N. Y., to impart to the govern
ment a process by w liich money could
be made ihatoouid not be counterfeited,
provided in return the government
would, after satisfying itself as to the
xenuiness and success of his plan, set
litni nt liberty. Tli • offer was made in
good faith, und some effort was put
forth by the publishers of several papers
devoted to the subject ot counterfeit
detecting to have the proposal taken
up. An interview was Arranged 10
come off between George W. Casilcar,
the head of the bureau of engraving and
printing at Washington, ano Ballard, in
the Albany penitentiary, but through
some hitch or other it was never carried
out. Ballard has several times since
that renewed ins proposition and
endeavored through parties who interest
ed themselves in his behalf outside
to get the matter to the government's
attention, though without suocess.
Despairing of everything alter this he
made two attempts to commit suicide,
but failed in both. lie'has asserte
positively and persistently since his
impriponment that then- is away by
which money can be made that no innn
living can eounterleit. As Ballard is
known to be ono of the finest, most
skillful, most ingenious engravers of
the country, in prison or out of prison,
there are many persons who think the
government would do well to give him
a hearing. Again, it has been suggest
ed that the government should ofler a
reward of suilieiently liberal proportions
for a design for banknotes which it
would be impossible to counterfeit.
There are plenty of ideas in the heads
of tho engravers, it is claimed, by which
such a design could be produced, but
nobody wishes tn give away their ideas
without a recompense. At the treasury
department, it is understood, there is a
belief that there is too much engraving
on the government notes. Instead 01
so much of this kind of work, it is
supposed to substitute a system of
Bcroli-work for either the back or face
of the bill. The more intricate this
work the more assurance of the inabil
ity to make a perfect counterfeit.
Some counterfeits are executed with
such masterly skill, and such faithful
ness to the smallest details of the origi
nal, with such perfection in every Une
and fcaturo, that they stand out :u> mar
vels of imitative genius. To produce
such work the highest order of artistic
skill is requisite. The business of
counterfeiting monopolize!) some of the
most finished talent to he found in the
engraver's profession. Whether it is
the incentive found in the prospect of
large though unlawful gains, or tho
fascination held on by a business ever
attended by danger, the counterfeiter
seems, as soon as he gets launched into
the work, to he favored by some special
genius which quickens his skill and
sharpens his perceptions t an extent
that is almost miraculous. On the
wall of the Counterfeit Df lectori office
there hangs a splendid picture of the
late Governor Alien, of Ohio, a grand
face, with curves and lines and wrinkles
—exactly the type of face seen in the old
Roman cuts where Brutus and Cassar
stJind as models—with every point of
the grand old head, with its elose-cu
white hair and bold, dark eyes standing
out in strong relief. Directly under
neath is the inscription:
; Govkrxob Wm. Ai.i.kn, at Ohio. ;
t Engraved by Charles Ulrich on a nw> ;
' blade, in tho Ohio penitentiary,
ironi a photograph. ;
Over in a gloss case, among a lot of
photographs of noted counterfeiters,
there is a picture of a broad-faced indi
vidual. with a pair of very sharp gray
eyes nnd a most genial expression about
a well-formed mouth. This is Uirich,
the noted counterfeiter, whose skill at
counterfeiting there is none can equal.
Ulrich was serving a term of twelve
years in the Ohiobtate prison, at Colum
bus, when one day, in 1*76, he got hold
of a photograph of Governor Allen.
Without any more ado he set to work
on an old saw-blade nnd engraved an
exact counterpart of the picture, head,
face and bust, making such a remark
ably good likeness that it attracted at
tention far and near and Governor Allen
himself came to see it. So perfect was
it that the Democrats of Ohio, in the
next canvass for the governorship, in
which Governor Allen ran forre-elec
tioii, used it on theiritransnarencie*, and
the picture stands to-riny as one of the
best ever made of Governor Allen. Ul
rich was pardoned out sliortiv after
that, and is now engaged in the china
and glass business at Trenton.— l'hiludel- \
phia Time*.
Aerial Navigation.
Tho Mililar-WocJienbfott prints a de
scription of an aerial
byaHpanish artillery officer, .the con
struction of which is, in the opinion
of the German paper, based on correct
principles. The machine, which is of
considerable extension horizontally,
but of very small vertical dimensions,
can be made to ascend or descend at
pleasure, and can. according to the state,
mcnt of the inventor, be turned in any
required direction. It consists of two
air-hags, as they arc called ,by the in
ventor, one of which is filled with
hydrogen gas and the other with com
pressed air. When the latter is so far
filled that its weight, together with that
of the ear and its load, exactly counter
balances the lifting power of the for
mer, the machine will naturally neither
rise nor fall. If the compressed air is
allowed to escape from its bag the
weight will be reduced and the machine
will rise, the altitude it will attain de
pending upon tho amount of compressed
air liberated. If, on the other hand,
it is desired to make the machine de
scend, air can. by a simple mechanical
contrivance, he pumped into the com
pressed air-bag until the total weight
of the machine exceeds the buoyancy or
lifting power of the hydrogen bag. To
rhange the direction of the machine a
rudder is provided, to be worked by a
small steam engine, while by a simple
arrangement the position ol the eenter
gravity of the whole apparatus can be
altered so that the resistance of tho air
shall effect the machine in the most
favorab'e manner possible. The ma
chine, in fact, is designed to act the
same way that a bird does. When a
bird wishes to change ,tho direction of
its flight, it lowers one wing and raises
the other, and as It works tho latter
rapidly and diminishes the speed of its
flight, the resistance of tho air on the
oblique surface presented to it turns he
bird around into the required course."
In tho new aerial machine this principle
is applied; but whether it will be possi
ble to overcome the difficulties which
may ariso remains to be seen.
Feather pillows can be cleaned and
purified without removing tho feathers,
by taking the pillows, laying them in
the bathtub, scrubbing them with a
scrubbing-brush dipped in a solution of
two tabiespoonfnls of ammonia to half
a pail of warm water and ritase them
thoroughly. Lay them out on the grass
to dry. turning them frequently; and at
the last pin them to the line for a nun.
ber of dnvs. nn < when quite dry beat
them with a rod. This is to disentangle
and lighten the fealticra.
Wrestling for u Wire.
Tho peculiar conditions upon which a
matrimonial affair was biu-ed in South
Arkansas have iust come to light. Diok
Anderson bad graduated lietwoen the
plow-handles. It was said that he could
run a furrow so straight that it would
break a knock-kneed man's legs to walk
in it. This accomplishment was a kind
of frontispiece to a further volume of
agricultural success, and more than one
young lady in the neighborhood bud
her eyes on the young catch. Dick
wasn't bashful, but lie didn't seem to be
particularly impressed with the charms
Scattered around him like falling drops
of water that linger on leafy trees after a
rain; But lie soon met his fate, a young
lady, Winnie Hogrow. Winnie was a
beautiful girl, anil could cover as much
corn with a hoc or scrape as much cot
ton as any man tn the neighborhood.
Tho couple loved—devotedly, agricul
turally. Hogrow had raised his 'laugh
ter with great care, and now that she
had attained the zenith of her useful
ness, it grieved him to think of losing
her. One 6unday Dick went over, and,
going out to where the old inun was
shelling corn to the pigs, said :
"Mr. Ilogrow, I suppose—"
" I don't suppose anything, sir."
" Well, then, you doubtless know— "
"I don't know anything."
" That's ail right, then. I am giving
to marry your daughter, and by next
com planting time you'll know some
thing. Do you weaken, Mr. ilogrow?"
"See here, young feller, I can't afford
to lose my gal. I have had powerful
bad luck this season. The cutworms
begun on the corn by the time it came
up, and the bugs pitched into the cot
ton ; and to make things worse, my best
mule and one of my cows got into a
fight the other day. The cow Inxiked
the mule, and the mule kicked the cow
until both of them died. So, under
these circumstances, I'd rather you'd
marry somebody else."
" I don't aCe< pt your misfortunes as
excuses. I'm going to marry the gin."
44 1 toll you what I'll do. "Dick. I'll
tnnke this arrangement: We'll wrestle,
and if you throw me the gal's your'n
If I throw you, she's mine. If you
marry her against my will, I shall pleas
antly exterminate you. If you throw
j me and marry her, this farm, together
' with the gal, is your'n. I'll give three
| trials, one to-day, one three weeks from
now and the other six weeks."
Dick was compelled to agree, although
the old man was recognized as the best
wrestler in tho county. He had chal
lenged evcrylxxly and liad thrown
everybody who had accepted. After
entinf! dinner, the old man announced
his wiilinguess to take the fir.-t ballot.
! Di"k was willing. The contestants, in
j eluding the girl, went into the yard, the
girl took the hats and the men grappled
each other. The signal was given, and
Dick went over the old man's fiend and
plowed a short furrow in the ground.
"< live me my hat." he said to the girl.
" Don't give up," she remarked, hand
ing over his tile. 44 Go away and pnie
tieo."
Dick left, discouraged, hut taking the
ndvire. wrestled with steamboat men
and farmers until tho time for the next
trial came. At the appointed time Dick
appeared at Hogrow a re sidence.
" Feel like you can cut your capers
putty well?" asked the old man.
"I think so. I feel that my cause is
just, and with the aid of kind Providence
I hope to pile you."
" Providence comes in putty handv at
times," said the old man, puiling off his
coat, 44 but it's a hard matter to buck
agin nn old stager. Get outen your
jacket. If I fall the gal and the farm is
yourn. Four hundred acres, and all
under fence. Gal weighs one hundred
and fifty. Big inducements." The two
men grappled, ,-md again Dick plowed
up the earth.
Don't give up," said the girl.
"No," said the old man, "for the
bend is under fence, and the gal weighs
ene hundred and fifty—can handle a lie>e
wonderful!"
Dick went away and ponelored. It was
evident that the old man could throw
him every time. To lose the girl wns
to wreck his life. An idea struck him.
He siuihxl. He left the neighborhood
and remained until the time for the third
fall was nearly up. On the appointed
day he visited the old man.
" I have agreed to everything," said
Dick, " and r.ow I ask a favor. l-et the
final trial take place to-night in the dark.
I will meet you here at ten o'clock."
" Any way suits me," replied the old
man. 44 I'll meet you anywhere."
AI ten o'clock t lie old man stood in the
yard chuckling. His combatant climbed
I the fence and approached. Without
exchanging a Word, the two men grap
pled. The struggle was short. The old
man went up in llienir. came down, and
struck the ground with a force that al-
I most took his life. He lay for a moment
1 hnif uncousciou-. Dick raised him up
and assisted him into the house.
" The gal and ttie farm is yourn." said
I the old man, nnd the young couple cni
| braced each other. The next day they
were married. Shortly after the cere
mony was over a large negro man ap
peared at th door and, attracting Dick's
attention, said: "I wants my $lO- I
flung the ole man hard 'nougli to kill
him. Whar's my money P" Dick gave
a searching look from the old man.
" I'll explain," said the bridegroom.
'• Realizing that I couldn't throw you,
nnd at the seme time realising that my
ImppiiiMw depended upon this marriage,
I rtstortoi to a hit (If treachery." Here
he stopped iiis nrm around his
wife, " I found a big negro that 1 knew
could throw you, and offered him $lO.
That's why 1 wanted the wrestle to take
place in tho dark. After he had thrown
you. 1 rushes! forward and picked you
up."
Wh IBek had finished, the old man
looked nt him for fully five minutes and
remarked: "It was a mighty mean
trick, but the fim and gal are yotir'n.
Four hundred acres under fence, and tho
gnl weighs one hundred and fifty."
—Arhttuas daieitt.
To remove stains frjm ivory make a
paste of prepared chalk and asmali quan
tity of sweet oil nnd snti volatile. Apply
it moist with a piece of wash leather,
and let it remain till dry. If discolored
yellow place them in alum water pre
viously boiled and cooled. Take out
the brush wcii ami wrap them in a linen
cloth wet in cold wriP r. and dry gradu
ally. If dried too rapidly out of the
alum water they will be injure;!.
Mf . M l "WS -
TVU Rev- DA Hogs, of the Sou then
PrestuUrian uhurch, whp is traveling
in tip Holy Lang, narftowly escaped
drowning In nth-mpting tn cross Litany
nvarfjfcWwfiTyps (Ul d Sldon-by ford
ing The strfiun proved to bo deeper
and the current winch stronger than he
suspected,' nhd fits horse barely escaped
being swept down into the sea.
About Icebergs.
A New York paper says: Vessels sail
ing hence lor Kuropc, particularly the
regular steamers, have encountered an
extraordinary number of icebergs this
season, and been exposed to great dan
ger therefrom. Many icebergs are pro
duced from glaciers, which, thrust
down from the higher lands of the polar
regions, are pushed forward to the sea,
where vast fragments break off and fl oat
away. The edges of glaciers extending
for miles along a precipitous coast have
been seen to fall into the ocean and thus
become icebergs, often carrying with
them masse* of rock gathered upbv the
advance of the glacier. Enormous bergs
are also formed by the breaking up of
fields of sea-made lee which accumulate
along the shores of far northern waters.
In 1817, the ice covering several thou
sand square miles of the sea north of
Iceland, and mainly on the east coast of
Greenland, most of which had not, it is
thought, been disturbed lor nearly four
centuries, was suddenly dislodged and
scattered over the North Atlantic. Por
tions were carried far beyond the usual
eastern range of icebergs f rom the north,
approaching within eight hundred miles
of Ireland. This great break-up led to
the expedition of Admiral (Sir John) 1
Ross in search of a northwest passage 1
the belief then being that the climate had
undergone so great a modification as
would insure the continual openness of |
the northern seas. Northern icebergs
drift with the great polar currents.
One of those Bids in a south-south
west direction, between Iceland and
Greenland, and another along the
west side of Baffin's bay. near the
coast of Labrador. The l>ergs are brought
against this continent and the west
shores of its bays from their not catch
ing immediately the rrpider rotating
motion of tne earth as they pass upon
larger parallels, and so permit the mo
tion to slip from under them. The ma
jority of icebergs form on the west side
of Greenland, their most remarkable
center being at Jacob's light, an inlet
a little north of Disco island. From
Labrador the ice floats with the current
1 past Newfoundland, meeting near the
1 Gn at bank the warm influence of tne
I Gulf stream, and usually disappearing
! about latitude forty-two degrees, the
; extreme limit being forty degrees. In
j the southern hemisphere b< rgs go itill
I nearer the equator, being visible occa
| sionally off the Cape of Good Hope, in
latitude thirty-six degrees. They sensi
bly cool the waters for forty to fifty
miles.and the thermometer on approach
; ing them fails seventeen or eighteen dc-
I green. When driven, as they sometimes
I are, into Hudson's bay in large numbers, !
I they cause intense cold over the north
| ern part of the continent. Ice is always
! found, even In summer, at the mouth of
Hayes river, though this is in the lati- ;
lude of Northern l'russia. When tho '
ice is spread out into sheets of hundreds |
| of miles extent, and rises only a f< w
'■ feet above th< water, it is called a field,
and when its entire area tain be defined 1
from tlie mast-head it is named a Hoe.
j The bergs are rugged nnd picturesque,
' and are om< times seen moving together
! in great numbers. Ifiw tor Kane counted
I on his first cruise 9so in sight at the
same time, most of tln-m 250 feet high,
J and some 300 Jcjd-. Tliey ace generally
I sevt n or eight times turthcr below tlmn
j above the surface, and the biggest are
measured by miles.
Rats.
Itats are a great pest in every city and
j town, and. indeed, everywhere in this
country, it seems nearly impossible to
get rid of them, and - any method that
promises to secure this most desirable
j end is worth trying. Somebody recom
mends covering stones, rafters and every
part of a cellar with ordinary wliite-
I wash. made yrllow with copperas, put
! ting copperas in every crcvice or cranny
j where a rat may got, and scattering it in
1 corners on the floor. He has tried it
repeatedly, and the result has been n
I general retreat of both mice and rats, j
| not one of which had at last accounts
returned. It is said that a coat of this
yellow wash, given each spring to a eel- i
lar, will not only banish those vermin.,
but wiJ prevent fever, dysentery or ty- |
phoid. Everything eatable should be
carefully secured against the ravages of !
ran. which MU so intelligent that they
; will soon abandon premises where they
' get next to nothing to cat. The rat we
are most troubled with is the brown
rat, much larger, stronger, fiercer and
more ravenous than the black nit,
which lias almost entirely disappeared,
having been driven off or exterminated
by the more formidable species. The
brown rat is frequency called the Nor
way rat, from the erroneous impression
that it came from Norway.which coun
try it did not reach until it had become
abundant in Britain and America. It
appeared first at Astrakhan in the be
ginning of the eighteenth century, and
gradually spread over Western Europe,
whence we have derived it. It was
onee known as the Hanoverian rat. be
cause the Britisli Jacobites were pleased
to believe that it came in with the
house of Hanover.
The Seven unites 01 the World.
The seven bibles of the world are the
Koran of the Mohammedans, the Eddas
of the Scandinavians, the Try l'ilikes of
tlie Buddhists, the Five Kings of the
Chinese, the three Vedas of the Hin
doos, tlie Zendavesta, and the Scrip
tures of the Christians. Tlie Koran is
tlie m >st m-ent of tliese seven bibles,
and not older than tlie seventh century
of our era. It is a compound of quota
tions from the Old and New Testaments,
the Talmud, nnd the Gospel of St. Bar
nabas. The Eddas of the Scandinavians
were first published in the fourteenth
century. The Pitikcs of the Buddhists
contain sublime morals nnd pnr n aspira
tions, but their author lived and died in
the sixth century before Christ. There
is nothing of excellence in these sacred
books noCiound in the Bible. The ss
; cred writings of the Chinese arc called
the Five Kings, " king " meaning web
of cloth or tlie warp that keeps the
threads in their place. They contain
1 the best sayings of the best sa*es on the
ethico-politicni duties of life. These
r sayings cannot lie traced to a period
, higher than the eleventh century B. C.
1 The throe Vedas are the most ancient
. books of tire Hindoos, and it is the opin
t ion of Max Muller, Wiison, Johnson
1 and Whitney that they are not older
■ than eleven centuries B. C. The Zcada
-1 vesta of the Persian* is the grandest of
nil sacred books next to our Bible. Jsor
oaster, whose sayings it contains, was
i born in tlie twelfth oentury B. C. Moec*
, lived and wrote his Pentateuch fifteen
[ oenturies B C„ and therefore has a clear
, margin of 300 ye irs older t out the most
, ancient ot the other sacred writings.
1 A man who won't take off his hat to
him-cif once in a while in summer
must be a cold-blooded wreeb.
A Singular Disaster.
The astonishing accident to the
steamer Bohemian, which took place at
Montreal recently, adds Htill another
calamity to the list of marine mishaps
which of late hue already been so <x
tended. The lloherninn left her dock a
few momenta before the accident, and
with about fifty passengers and an as
sorted cargo, being bound for the Upper
St. Lawrence, paased into canal loek No.
2 from the leadline canal basin. She
was going half tip' <d at thin time, but,
to tiie amazement and terror of uo be
holden she w.u seen to put on full
steam, and to daeh straight at the op
posite gate Now, this gate was the
sole barrier betweoti the Bohemian and
a mass of water thirteen feet higher
than that on which she floated, a mi e
in length, and several hundred feet in
width.
The effect of the impact of the Bohe
mian was instantaneous. The gates
were crushed like so much brittle g.ass,
and the flood, in a Niagara torrent
poured in, carrying everything before
it. The steamboat was whir ed hark, in
spite of her engine/to the basin she had
left- The water drove furiously on, sub
merging wharfs, sinking many small
vessels, enguifing numbers of laborers,
and carrying terror arid ruin in every
direction, ft is said that tire deluge of
water sc-t the huge ocean steamships in
| the 1 jarbor of Montreal dancing lit' so
I many cocklr shells. As for the Bohe
| rnian, she sank in four minutes from the
i time she struck the gate. But owing, as
lone dispatch says, "to the admir&b.e
j presence of mind of her officers." the
I passengers were restrained from jump
i ing overboard, and with the help of too
harbor police, all were saved.
On" cannot but regret in considering
1 this statement that the admirable pre.--
; cncc of mind of the Bohemian's ofhera
was not exhibited beforethiasurprising
accident instead of afterward. Todasli
| deliberately at su'-h an object as a canal
gat< that held back a v:iat of water,
1 or, in other words, short ofb.owing th"
-U.-omt*oat up outright, to do the mo a
nuidiy perilous and destructive thing
that imagination could conceive of, is
an act to which we con recall no par
allel. Nor wac the danger or injury
confined to the Bohemian alone. When
the water rushed forward on its errand
of destruction the effect was also to
destroy what it left behind. In a few
moments .rosin No. 2 was emptied and
the vessels lying there were left high
nnd dry on the bottom. This broke the
backsofmany of them.they being chiefly
laden with grain, and severely strained
others, besides doing much damage to
I their cargoes. A lost of many hundreds
1 of thousands of dollars is roughly stated
as the Buit of this astoun'iing proce
dure.—Sew York Fvcniny Potl.
Udders and Matrimony
The "Hermit" of the Troy Itnut
writes: The recent visit of tic lourna.-
j ists of the State to your city will natur-
I ally leave a favorable impression in
j point ol personal nppearance; and I
; need liardly add that editor- bear an ex
| cellent reputation in social life. A -
i though s<> ue prominent men ia ti..a ;r< >-
- i n are bachelors (like William H.
Huribcrt and Whitelaw It. id), the
j recent leading editors hav- a., been
j married men. (ireeicy's wih was a
schoolteacher, wliose acquaintance he
made at a boarding-house. She after
ward went South as governess, and
they maintained a ooflfespondence, but
how any woman could decipher
Greeley's hieroglyphics is a wonder.
At last be went to Richm< nd and
| brought bark his bride, who pre
; ceded him to the grave only a few
weeks. Bennett married a bright girl
whose parents kept a thread and
needle store. It is said that their ac
| quaintance was made at a fair he,d in
behalf of a Roman Catholic church,
which Bennett was requested to notice
favorably. The "favorable pottoe"
led to mutual notices of a more import
ant character, and finally a matrimonial
alliance was the rpsult. It was then the
day of small things, and the Bennetts
little dreamed of the immense wealth
which was before them. BenneU was
| fben glad to go up to New Roolielie as
a Sunday resort and cut clam chowder
at the public table, where, as I'ope
says, he oould "damn the climate like
a ford." David Hale's wife was one of
the most remarkable housekeepers on
record, and although he was even then
moderately successful, she voiuntar y
opened a large and fashionable board
ing-house. which was well known as
Mrs. Hale's. This was kept up for many
years, and was a popular resort for tit st
elass families, llenry .I. Raymond left
a widow and a family. His son has not
thus far displayed any of his father's
genius. Manton Mnrhle, formerly of
the World, has a second wife, and lives
in a very quiet manner. It is suurising
how Marble can endure a life of retire
ment alter so many years of incessant
activity.
The Power of Enjoyment.
Comparatlvelyjfew people posses# uni
formly ehecrfu* disposition#. Most of
us have our #d hours nnd moods. But.
wbntever his disposition, a man is
hound by the law# of his own being,
and by those of his social relations, to
cultivate the virtue ol cheerfulness as
siduously and constantly, lie has r:o
more right to injure his neighbor's hnp
pinrss llinn to,interfere withh is pecuni
ary property, and he cannot indulge in
venting ill-humor or spleen, with
gloomy forebed'ngs or complaints, or
even carrying a sad. sour, frowning
visage, without sensibly diminishing
the enjoyment or comfort of others, and
thus infringing on their rights. Any
individual who has tried to do so can
win himself from despondency and
auriloess. The power of epjnytncnt is
in itself a faculty capable of improve
ment. and as practice always en fiances
power. It is a good thing to form the
habit of enjoyment. It is not true t .at
the sources ol pleasure arc lew and
rare, but it is sadly true that we pass
them by unnoticed. Wo crave the ex
citement of business or politics of fash
ionable lite. and forget the world of in
nocent enjoyment,Uiak we trample un
der foot. Nature and art ofler their
treasure* in vain, the loveliness ol child
hood, the attractions of home, tho reel
satisfaction of honest labor, the simple
pleasure of little things all plead for ut
terance. but we repulse them. How
can we possess a cheerful spirit and a
glad heart when we scornftulv des) if*
our simple pleasures? Rvery inno. u\t
means of happiness should he welcomed,
and giooouiy thoughts persistently init
ialled.
Always let on that you are smart. It
any one asks you a question you can't
answer, look at Uietn as though you
pilied their ignorance nnd immediately
change the subject.—/feci# uk date
Cty.