rOB THE FAIR REX.
CliMDlDrMcii.
The problem is not to dress upon
nothing; but given a small allowance,
how to utilize it to the best advantage.
Thus, supposing that a girl lias hut ten
dollars to spend upon her summer out
tit. her wisest plan would be not to buy
five dresses and a hat as she does in one
of our exchanges, hut to get, a smaller
number ahd have them better. Let us
see then what she may do with her
funds in hand, doing her own dro s
uinking. as a matter of course.
There are very few women who are
so improvident as to have nothing left
over from season to season. A practi
cal economist buys every dress with a
view to its appearance afterward in a
new form, and it is unwise for
any but a wealthy woman to pur
chase an expensive dress which
cannot be made over. Ami in
this sense the word expensive must
lie taken comparatively. For our girl
it would mean a su inner silk, a cash
mere, or a French bunting. One of these,
then, she has on hand from last year,
and this is to be made as good as new.
The dress must lie ripped and pressed,
and it ttie bunting or cashmere is black
it may hesponged with water, to which
spirits of hartshorn has been
added in the proportion of
a teaspoonful of ammonia to a
quart of water. The best of the goods
must be kept for ttie laxly and the iront
of the skirt unless the old body is not
too much worn to serve the purpose
again, which will be a great point in
her favor. Clever contriving will hide
spots and thin places, and put the worst
parts where they will show least. Shir- j
ring covers a multitude of faults, and i
narrow plaitings may be pieced again )
and'aeain. If the old skirt lining will
do. she should use it by all means, as
i very cent counts. Three yards ol satin
at eighty cents a yard will trim the
dros-, witli pipings, revers, collar and
cutis, put a band lour inches wide down
one side and make a wide belt." Three
yards of riblxm to match, at twenty
cents a yard, will furnish a bow for the
belt and two for the side opposite the
satin band; jet buttons, at twenty-five
cents a dozen, will be good enough, and
a dozen will sutlice, or plain crochet
buttons at torty cents may be beaded at
home with five cents worth of beads.
Sewing silk, buttonhole twist, skirt
braid and a yard cf wiggin to line the
satin will tie needed and will cost sixty
eight cents, viz. two quartcr-ouncc
spools of silk, forty cents; one ounce
biack cotton, five cents; two of button-
Hole twist, five rents; skirt braid, six
cents, and wiggin, twelve cents; making
$4.13 as the cost of our young lady's
best dress.
There is a turore this season for ging
hams. and neat American makes aiuy be
had for twelve and one-half ce tsa yaid.
There are two qualities at this price
one thick and heavy for hard wear; the
other, the zephyr gingbnin, which is of
lighter weight and much more dressy in
appearance—this is what she must buy.
Twelve yards will be $1.50; a dozen
pisin smoked pearl buttons, ten cents,
and fifteen yards of white Hamburg
edging, for trimming, at two cents a
yard, brings the cost to $1.90, and two
spools of cotton, for sewing, rounds out
the $2. This may he made with the
bariy waist—t. e., with yoke and plaits
—if the wearer is slender, or a coat
basque, if stoat, and the trimmings arc
to be ruffles edged with Hamburg,
which is very narrow—merely a tiny
scallop and eyelet, but which looks very
well. Or, if she prefers a lawn to aging
ham, that may be had at the same price,
and trimmed with Italian lace at htteen
cents, the price of two yards.
Three doi.ars must buy another dress,
and in this she has quite a wide choice,
Victoria lawn, at twenty cents, trimme.
with tucked ruffles of the same, tlutedd
is very pretty. Dotted Swiss, made
with ruffles also, is much more dressy,
and costs five cents more a yard, but
since white muslin can be worn always
in the evening, this last will be prob
ably her wisest choice. Her hat may he
a Fayal, lined and trimmed with white
muslin, and a twenty-five cent bouquet,
a rougli straw, at thirty-three cents,
with a band and large bow ol satin lib
bon, or an embroidered reed hat, at
twenty-five cents, with brim faced with
bright foulard and a scarf ot the same
twisted around the crown, either of
which will come within the compass o
tiie eighty-seven cents left from her
dresses.
Very pretty and indeed handsome
overdresses for wear with satin or vel
vet skirts arc made of the cream-tinted
linen canvas which comes for curtains.
This is woven in small, square meshes
of twisted thread, is forty-eight inches
wide and sells for twenty-five cents a
yard. Five yards are enough for a full
overdress and creamy I.anguedoc lacc
at $3 for a piece of ten yards is the trim
ming. An embroidered vine done in
crewels or silk adds much to the beauty
of the gnrment, which, indeed, is hand
some enough for wear in a fashionable
ballroom. Cream-tinted buntings and
bareges are other inexpensive over
dresses for wear with such underskirts.
As fashions go this summer so they will
probably be this winter. A black vel
vet skirt is among the most useful gar
ments which a lady can possess, since it
may be worn the year round and is styl
ish with almost any overdress. The
velvet used for the handsomest skirts
costs five dollars a yard, but very good
quality may be had for $3.60. Such
velvets are all silk. Trimming velvet,
silk-faocd and cotton-backed, is the next
choice, while ladies who must consult
first cost rather than true economy buy
velveteen at $1.60. Walking skirts are
very narrow, two yards ana a quarter
being tf.e average width, while ladies
who are lielow medium height wear
them even narrower. The quantity of
velvet required depends upon the style
of overdress. A surtout with open
seams calls for an all-velvet skirt, while
a long, round overskirt, draped by shlr
ring, may be worn with a skirt merely
faced to the knee. Such underskirts are
frequently made plain, but • favorite
trimming for them is a box-plaiting two
inches wide, set in. not on. the skirt at
;iic tower edge. Satin skirts are also
much worn, nnd are trimmed in the
same manner. Corduroy skirts are for
wear oniyfln cool weather.
Thin, loosely-woven flannels, flannel
finished beiges, as they are called, make
cheap and useful suits for seaside and
mountain wear. Buch a one may b
made with a short, round skirt, with a
six-inch box-plaiting at the foot and
two scantily box-phuted ruffles half as
wide above it on the front breadths.
The bodice L a round waist in front,
with a wide belt, and baa a coat basque
at the back, on to which two full,
straight breadths are joined by n wide
cluster of shirring, banging plainly in
fall Jolds at the bark to form the
drapery. These breadths mast be
lined with thin foulard, besides which
4> suit is trimmed only with machine,
stitching in several straight rows. Such
tlnnnels cost twenty-five cents per yard,
nnd ten yards are a grent plenty for the
suit. They arc soft and fine-looking and
the dress is a pleasant one to wear on
damp cool days.
" If I could have hut one dress," once
said a practical economist, who went
out a st:cat deal. •• it should be a black
silk, with a calico wrapper for morn
ing." A long, half-fitting sack, with
a round skirt trimmed with Spanish
llounce, cails fo- about two yards more
material and is a much more serviceable
dress than the wrapper, since it can be
worn in the country all day long, while
a wrapper is suitable only for morning.
White and black calico—that is to say,
a white ground, with a tiny black
figure is excellent for such dresses. It
washes better even than white cloth
and always looks neat. After the dress
has seen its best davs the body will do
for a dressing sack, and an apron or
two may be mude from the skirt.
People who are clever with their fin
gers may do much with small capital.
Fen yards of white sewing silk feather
fringe, such as is sold in the shops for a
dollar a yard, was once made at home
for $1.50, the only expense being the silk
of which it was composed, and being
made on the garment, was accordingly
handsomer than if bought and sewed
on.
Ginghams and pongee sunshades are
fashionable, and these, too, may be made
at home at small cost if one lias an old
frame to cover, as most people have. Kip
the old cover oil" carefully and cutout
the new exactly by it, taking care that
the threads run straight. Join the gores
with a French fell, taking great pains to
have your tensions just right, and fasten
on strongly to the frame through the
holes made for the purpose. Silk um
brellas may be covered in thegame man
ner; it is only a question of great pains
taking not to stretch the cover.
Lovely gants de Snede have been
made at home from chamois skin, using
an old glove ripped apart for pattern,
and numberless such economies m: y be
and are practiced by ladies who have
leisure and ingenuity.
The white tics so universally worn
cost next to nothing when made at
home. A yard of nainsook or Victoria
lawn will make eight or nine, and they
may be all different—tucked, hem
stiched or embroidered, and more or
less elaborately.
Lacc mitts arc excellent gloves for
poor people, costing no more than kid
and outlasting them two or three times.
Lisle thread should he bought a size
larger than kid, as they cling closely
and adapt themselves to the size of the
hand, while if tight they soon wear
out.
As a question of economy poor girls
cannot afford to wear cheap laces, or
even crepe lisse ruffles. A few real laces
are far cheaper in the end, since they
last indefinitely, nnd arc always nice
looking if clean. Linen collars must be
worn for morning, and luckily, are styl
ish with any dress. But after all itiis
the way in which clothes are cared for
which tel.'s most in the long run. Rib
bons, etc., tossed pell-mell into a draw
er, and |"rooted through" when one is
needed, cannot long retain their fresh
ness. Therefore ribbons should be
rolled up smoothly after wearing: ties
should be smoothed out and wound over
pasteboard, and ruffles and flowers ten
derly picked out when they are crushed,
and laid carefully away in a box ; while
a dress should never, when taken off.
he toscd down on a chair, but brushed
or at least shaken, and hung up wrong
side out.
Fashion Notes,
Parasol costumes are the last freak of
fashion.
Pearl hats are fashionable; the brims
are very narrow.
Iridescent head embroideries on jet
continue in high fashion.
Rod halayeuses are worn by girls and
women of the period.
Boqueta are worn to match upon the
corsage and in the hair.
Red makes a better accessory than a
component part cf a costume.
Black parasols are made very dressy
with iridescent bead embroideries.
The full sleeve gathered into a wide
cuff at the wrist is Revived for house
dresses.
New overskirts are short apron fronts
with long plain hacks without drap
ery.
Ribbons aie very wide; the sash
widths are often used for trimming
round hats.
Handkerchief suit*, with umbrellas to
match, are pretty, effective and luxuri
ous novelties.
Embroidery is preferred to lace for
trimming young girls' white muslin
dresses this summer.
Calico and percale suits, with um
brellas to match, are sold under the
name of parasol costumes.
The new colors in silks, ribbons and
flowers aro Indian red. Antwerp blue,
bronze, citron and biscuit.
Rows of small daisies are use to head
the Breton and iiangurdou laces which
trim evening dresses.
Light and white undressed kid gloves
having six and eight buttons are worn
fashionably this season for full dress.
Some silly old women are wearing
pretty white muslin parasol hats, such
as young girls affect for garden and
lawn parties.
Gentlemen favor the leopard pattern,
dots on hose, handkerchiefs scarfs, col
lars and cuffs, and even dotted under
ware is fashionable.
In cambrics may be found a hand
some variety of picturesque effects.
Some of the bordered patterns are re
markably showy, the colors being the
brightest that fashion ever massed to
gether.
All gloves are less expensive than for
many years. Cotton gloves come as
elaborately made In open-work and silk
stitching as the Lisle thread and are fre
quently imposed upon the ignoract by
careless salesmen.
Lisle thread gloves are much more
elastic, thinner, and when planed beside
the cotton the difference is discernible.
They are embroidered and plain, some
of them are open-worked nearly to the
elbow; others have elastic bands at the
wrist.
Wasklaa, Insist. MS Mrsdlng.
Whether to soak the clothes overnlgh t
or not is a much-disputed question with
housewives. Where pure eistera water
can be bad. it is doubtless an advan
tage, but to soak clothes in bard water
seta the stains rather than removes
them, and river water, unless Altered
when drawn off in quantities, as a rule
contains so much mud that it is apt to
stain the clothes soaked in it for any
considerable time. Wringers are %
blessed invention, on the whole, al
though hard on buttons. But linn
nels should not be passed through them,
ns they rub the wool up into little hard
naps. Clothes should, if possible, be
dried in the sun and in the open air,
and " never yet did housewife notable
greet with a smile a rainy washing
day." But when Monday is rainy, it is
not always convenient to postpone the
weekly wash. In that case, sheets and
any other large white pieces which arc
not to be starched may be hung out in
the rain, which will bleach rather than
injure them. If possible, hung the
smaller pieces in an unused room up
stairs, when the rest may be usually
disposed of by hanging at night on lines
stretched across the kitchen, where the
heat of the fire will dry them before
morning. Blankets ought never to be
washed in rainy weather. Select a
bright summer day for the work, and
let it he done and through with. Have
two people to wring them, and stretch
and pull them carefully when putting
on the lines. Then pull and fold when
dry, and put under press instead of
ironing. Unless care is taken to see
that the clothespins and clothesline are
kept clean, ugly spots and streaks will
result. The lines should never lie left
out over night, unless it is necessary in
order to dry them alter being caught in
a shower. In such wise they should be
wiped with a cloth before the clothes
arc again hung on them. A shirt-board
for ironing is a necessity in every well
regulated family. This should be cov
ered with at least two thicknesses of
blanket, and have the ironing-sheet,
also double, smoothly pinned over it.
so that it cannot slip, Keep wax tied
up in a rug to rub on the irons. The
IKilish on collars, etc., done up at large
aundries is given by means of a polish
ing iron and by dint of much rubbing.
It may be done by any good laundress,
hut takes much time and is fearfully
hard on the linen. Spermaceti added in
small quantities to the starch gives a
prettv gloss. If the clothes are not aired
in the laundry before bringing them up
stairs it should he thoroughly done
before they are put away. Flannels
should never he worn within the week
after they are washed. The seeds of
many a iatal consumption or attack of
pneumonia have been sown by wearing
damp clothing. Every garment should
be mended before it is put away. But
tons and strings may lie sewed on at
once, and the sinple stitch, which taken
in time saves nine, may also he set as
the clothes are sorted. I-arger jobs of
mending should be placed in a drawer
or basket by themselves, and the work
done as soon as possible. If allowed to
accumulate, the weekly mending will
soon assume formidable proportions;
whereas, if done regularly every week
it will rarely be more than the task of a
forenoon.
roarUklplM (.rrtnlaml.
There is something exceedingly mel
ancholy in the accounts which are given
of the customs of courtship iu Green
land. Generally women enter upon the
blessed estate with more willingness
and less solicitude than men. The
women of Greenland are an exception
to the rule. A Green lander having
fixed his affections upon some female,
acquaints Ins parents with the state of
liis heart. They apply to the parents of
the girl, and if the parents are thus far
agreed.thc next proceeding is to appoint
two female negotiators whose duty is to
broach the subject to the young ladv.
This is a matter of great tact and deli
cacy. The lady ambassadors do not
shock the young lady to whom they are
sent, by any sudden or abrupt avowal
of the awful subject ot their mission.
Instead of doing this, they launch out
in praises of the gentleman who seeks
her hand. They speak of the splendor
of his house, the sumptuousness of his
furniture, of his courage and skill in
catching seals, and oilier accomplish
ments.
The lady, pretending to he affronted
even at these remote hints, runs away,
tearing the ringlets of her hair ns she
retires, while the ambassadresses, hav
ing got the consent of her parents, pursue
her, take her to the house of her des
tined husband, and there leave her.
Compelled to remain there, she sits
for days with disheveled hair, silent and
dejected, refusing every kind of susten
ance, till at last, if kind entreaties do
not prevail, she is comDelled by force,
and even by blows, to submit to the
detested union.
In some cases the Greenland women
faint at the proposals of marriage; in
others they fly to the mountains, and
only return when compelled to do so by
the hunger and cold. If one cuts on
her hair it is a sign that she is deter
mined to resist to death. The Green
land wife is the slave of her husband,
doomed to a life of toil, drudgery ami
privation.
A Viking's War Ship.
An interesting discovery has just been
made at Randeherred, in Norway, of a
Scandinavian war vessel. Buried un
der a hillock a sailing vessel has been
found, which is thought to have be
longed to those terrible highwaymen ol
the ocean, the Vikings, or Norwegian
pirates. It measures about seventy-five
[ret in length, nnd in in an almost per
fect state ol preservation. It is armed
nnd equipped ns though it had been
nbandoneo where found wb- u on the
point of sailing on some ■ venturous
expedition. All the ap irtus used
by nautical Norsemen sr met with in
this ancient craft, the most of which it
still pretty well intact There are frag
ments of sails and cordage remaining,
as well as many specimens either perfect
or incomplete of utensils and instru
ments, which have been eagerly exam
ined by antiquaries. Among other
things are a number of pieces of oak
wood, peculiarly shaped, wrought with
a certain elegance, and hollowed out in
the center, to admit of ropes being
passed through them. Spades ana
shields, or bucklers, have also been
lound, or rather the iron portion of the
bucklers, tor the wooden part is en
tirely gone. Near the rudder the skele
tons of three horses were discovered.
The form of the shields and also the
manner in wtiich they are suspended
round the interior of the ship is abso
lutely the same as one sees represented
in the beautiful tapestry of Bayeux, in
Normandy, which dates back to the
eleventh century. The ship Is not yet
completely dug out of its present prison
near the sea shore. When this has been
accomplished the ship—which is
thought to be still seaworthy—will be
launched and brought to Christiania
to be deposited in the University
Museum.
Charles Bands, it seems, has made
•46,000 out of "Drink." Just what
many n man has lost.
TIMELY TOPICS
There is at Brussels a curious case of
chronic drowsiness. A man about
forty-five years ol age, apparently in
Ker/ect health, has lately been attacked
y an irresistible tendency to sleep.
As soon as ho stops walking or seats
himself even to eat he falls Into a deep
slumber. All the remedies prescribed
by the leading Belgian physicians have
tailed to produce any effect upon him.
This is said to be the first case of the
kind in Europe, nlthough suo.h cases
are by no moans rare among the natives
of Guinea, who call them Nelavan.
As M. Cabiot was tisliing in the Seine,
near Suresnes, lie noticed a boat float
ing down tbe stream without any one
apparently on board to gxide its move
ments. On proceeding to it in his punt,
lie found it was tenanted by a couple of
young children, a girl and Ixjy, aged
about fifteen months and two and a half
years respectively, who were sleeping
peacefully in two cradles covered over
with a piece of sailcloth. Both were
carefully wrapped up, but their cloth
ing bore no marks by which they could
t>e identified. Attached to one of the
cradles was a paper bearing the follow
ing words in pencil: "I have aban
doned you because I am unabh to sup
port you, and as I cannot live without
jou, I am about to drown inyselt to rejoin
your dead father. May someoody Bave
and take care of you. The twocbil
dren have been sent to the Hospice des
Entants Assistes. where several oilers
to adopt them have already been re
ceived.
The only States that .have responded
to the invitation of ffongress to contri
bute two statues, to be placed in Statu
ary hali, House of Representatives, says
a Washington paper, arc Rhode Island,
Connecticut, Massachusetts, New York,
Maine and Vermont, and the only
States known to lie having statues made
arc Pennsylvania and New Jersey.
These State* (except Maine and Ver
mont) being among the original thirteem
of course have a !arg< r assortment ol
departed statesmen and soldiors trom
which to select their subjects than the
new States. New York has contributed
statues of George Clinton and Robert
R. Livingston, both in bronze: Rhode
Island, marble statues of General Greene
and Roger Williams; Vermont has con
tributed Ethan Allen in marble; Con
necticut, Sherman and Trumbull in
marble; Maine, William King in mar
ble. and Massachusetts, Samuel Adams
and John Winthrop in marble.
A Philadelphia grand jury recom
mends the revival of the whipping post
for criminals. •• While," says the
jurors, " incarceration to a sensitive na
ture may be painful and humiliating
enough to accomplish all the objects
sought to be attained by punishment of
any kind, yet in the case of a very large
proportion of the dangerous classes of
society—the professional thief, the well
dressed pickpocket, the adroit swindler
and confidence man, together with those
of a more brutal nature—a short term of
imprisonment in comfortable quarters,
with wholesome food is not adequate to
ohtain the end required. Criminal pun
isbm>nt* should be severe, shcrt, nnd
decisive. Then the prison would be
sufficient to meet the requirements."
Judge Riddle, who was presiding when
the communication was read, said that
it would not be for the welfare of the
community to revive brutal mode* of
punishment. He had great faith in the
efficacy of hard labor and solitary con
finement.
The marvelous rate at which history
is made nowadays is forcibly brought
to mind by the death of General Sutter,
in whose mill-race gold was first found
in California, only thirty-two years
ago. General Sutter (originally Suter)
was born at Kandern, Baden, tebruary
15, 1803. He was educated in Switzer
land. and emigrated to this country in
1834. After many adventures in the far
West and along the Pacific const, en -
gnged in the fur trade, he settled on a
grant of land which included the present
site of Sacramento. Cal., calling Ids fort
New Helvetia. The Mexican authori
ties appointed him governor ol the
northern frontier country; and, subse
quently, undrr the American authori
ties, he was justice of the peace and
Indian agent. He acquired great in
fluence and wealth, but was ruined in
1848, when gold was discovered on his
property, near Coioma, El Dorado
county, in February. Hia laborers de
serted him, and his lands were overrun
by the gold diggers. During recent
years he has received an annual allow
ance ol $3,000 from the State of Cali
fornia. In 1873 he removed to Litz,
I-ae.caster county, Pa.
Many Americans think that the to
mato, now in season, originated in this
country because it is so freely used here
and that it has become quite recently an
article of food. The origin of the vege
table, or fruit, as some claim that it is.
is not positively ascertained, though
there is reason to believe that it was
first found in South America, nnd that
it was cultivated centuries ago in Mex
ico and Peru. Several varieties were
known in England toward tne closo of
tbe sixteenth century, and Gerard, the
surgeon and botanist, spcakt of it. we
think, in his " History of Plants," hav
ing himself introduced it into the king
dom as an exotic. Dodoens. the Nether
land herbalist, mentions the tomato ns
early as 1683 as a vegetable to be eaten
witli pepper, salt ana oil. It belongs to
the nightshade family, and was used in
cooking by the Malays more than a
century and a hali since. It is exten
sively raised in Southern Italy, and em
ployed there as an accompaniment to
nearly every dish, particularly to maca
roni. Rut neither there nor anywhere
else in Europe is it commonly eaten, as
it is here, separately and in quantities.
In England it is sparingly produced,
requiring a hot-bed in the epnng, and is
in consequence high priced. The Ital
ians formerly called it golden apple, and
now call it love apple, as it was once
designated in this oountry. The ap
pearance of tbe tomato on the table has
greatly increased in Europe within s
few years; but in no land is it s regular
dish—much ns it is used for a sauce
abroad—as in the United States, where
it is also pickled, preserved and con
tacted. ______________
When a dog eat* grass It is said to be
a sign of rain. It certainly is an omen
of something when the brute gets a long
spear stack in bis throat, and tber.
crawls ander the table when the family
hnve company at sapper, and heaves
hit shoulders and howls and kicks with
his hind legs and screams horribly In a
foreign language, and Is lifted oat of tbe
r> urn by his tail by tbe hind girl. It
U the sign ola storm. — MocJUami
Courier.
KELIUIOUH NEWS AND NOT EM.
There arc now sixty Protestant
churches in Spain, wiiose congrega
tions aggregate 90,000, and are rapidlv
growing.
The Northern Methodist church lias
seventeen churches in New Orleans,
with 3,600 members and church property
valued at $131,000.
The Methodist church is making
steady progress in Denmark. Ten years
ago there were hut two churches of that
faith, now there are five.
The American Baptist missionary
union will begin mission work in Li
beria this year, with the object of cstab
ishing ultimately a mission in the
ntcrior.
The Presbyterian church of England
has 268 churches organized into 10 pres
byteries. Its ministers number 249,
and its communicants 64,259. It has 350
Sunday-shools, with 67,148 scholars.
The Primitive Methodist missionary
society of England lias 79 mission sta
tions in the United Kingdom, and in
Canada,9oin Australia, and 3 in Africa,
with 318 missionaries and oolonial
ministers.
I.<argo accessions from the Mormon
population have been made to the Pres
byterian church at Salt Lake City, Utah.
In Ran Peto county fifty or sixty have
been received into the Presbyterian
church there.
The Presbyterian general assembly'
lately held at Madison, adopted resolu
tions against the reading of secular
papers on Sunday, and airainst the in
vestment of money in enterprises carried
out on Sunday.
The last religious census in France
shows that there are 35,387,703 Roman
Catholics, 467,581 Calvinists, 80,117
Lutherans, and 33,119 of other Protes
tant denominations. The Jews number
about 50,000, and 90,000 are attached to
no church.
The late general synod of the Reformed
chueli reports an increase of 10 churches
in the year, making now 510; a loss of
two ministers, now 544; a loss of 1,061
families, giving a total of 43,289; a de
crease of 20 communicants, giving an
aggregate of 80,208. The number of
baptized members not in full com
munion, 29,648. Number of infant bap
tisms not given.
During the four and a half months'
labor ol Messrs. Moody and Sankcy in
St. Ix>uis, Mr. Moody averaged from
ten to twelve sermons every week. The
meetings were a success; to what de
gree eternity alone will reveal. It has
been estimated that the number of pro
fessed conversions reached 8,400. The
additions to the various churches from
November 1, 1879, to May I, 1880, were
about 700.
Mr. E. Payson Porter, of Philadel
phia, has collected with great labor
statistic* of Sunday-schools of the Uni
ted States. He finds that there are
82,261 schools, 886,388 teachers, and
6,683,124 scholars, making a total of
7,509,452. In Canada there are 5,400
Schrxilg, 41.719 teachers, and 340,170
scholars. These figures include of
course only Protestant evangelical de
nominations. There are in the world
1.460.881 teachers, and 19,340,316 schol
ars. ____________
Re Thai of Snfclde.
It has been remarked that a signal
revival of suicide has occurred during
the last hundred years. Its rate, calcu
lated as an average on the entire popu
lation ol Europe, without distinction
of nationality or local variations,
seems to hnve more than quintupled
since the middle of last century. Exact
returns are not obtainable from every
country, but the information is suffi
cient h? complete to enable us to perceive
that Europeans are now killing them
selves at an annual average rate of one
in 5.060; and, that consequently, a
total of somewhere about6o,ooo persons
are dyine by their own hand each year
on the continent and in the British
isles. One-fourth of them, in round
figure*, are mad, the rest act know
ingly, with a view to some presumed
advantage. And it must not be forgot
ten tbat tbe numbers are constantly and
regularly increasing, and also that they
include only the suicides which are
officially known and those which suc
ceed: neither those which are concealed
by families nor the unsuccessful at
tempts are counted anywhere. Conse
quently, if we wish to correctly value
the force ofthe present distinctly marked
reawakening of tbe suicidal tendency,
we must add a good deal for undetected
cases and for failures. Ineffectual ven
tures especially would seem, from
private information, to be considerably
more abundant than is commonly im
agined. It would probably be quite
safe to suppose tbat these two unap
pended elements increase the European
annual total by one-half, so carry
ing it to about • 90.000. The rates
vary, however, very largely in different
countries, with local conditions, with
rac®. with latitude, with education'
Tht figures are immensely higher, as a
general rule, in the North (excepting
only Russia) than in the South, and in
towns than in the country. It is not
easy to collect absolutely reliable ;e
--turns from each separate land; but if
we may trust M. Maurice Block, who is
the safest statistician of our time, the
Danes kill themselves the most, andthc
Portuguese the least, the difference be
tween the two extremes reaching the
scarcely creditable proportion of thirty
five to one. Baxony, Prussia, Prance
and Norway follow next to Denmark,
and after these come successively Ba
aria. England, Belgium, Austria, Rus
sia, Italy and Spain. Throughout tbe
continent, with few exceptions, the rate
of suicide diminishes with latitude, 'lbe
causes of this unconformity have been
keenly discussed, and their inaib out
lines have been approximately traced;
but the subject is so full of complications,
of details, and of intermixing and coun
teracting agencies, that we are still far
from a complete general view of the
laws which guide it. Wa do know pos
itively that climate has nothing what
ever to do with it, but that ia only a
discovery. No author has yet collected
data as 'o tbe comparative influence on
the suicidal disposition of the special
conditions of lile, of health, of character
in each district of Europe, so as to en
able bim to point with certainty to tbe
precis* reasons why a good many of the
Inhabitants of one province should elect
to kill themselves, while almost all
those of another province should pre
fer natural deaths.-- Blackwood 1 1 Maga
ttne.
Lady Mary Wortley Montagus intro
duced inoculation into England, from
Turkey, about the year 1718. It was
tried first upon criminals, until its suc
cess was carefully tested.
Reporting by Telephone.
The London Timet gives an account
of a method of reporting late debates in
the house of oommona by telephone
lately adopted in the office of that jour
nnl. A type-setting machine has for
some time been used in the office, to
which, it iM staled, a fair workman can
attain an average Hpeed of one hundred
lines an hour, even when composing
from manuscript which he has to read
for himself; and this speed can be
doubled, or nearly so, when the oper
ator is assisted by a reader, and thus
composes from dictation. The mode in
which the telephone has been brought
into use in connection with this ma
chine is thus described: The conductors
of this journal, having obtained permis
sion from the metropolitan board of
works to lay down the necessary wire*
in the subway of the embankment,
formed a new connection between the
house of commons and the office, and
placed one of Edition's loud-speak
ing telephones at either end. The
immediate result of this arrangement
has been to bring the compositor at the
machine into direct communication
with the parliamentary reporter at the
house ana to enable the debates to be
reported and printed from half to three
quarters of an hour later than had pre
viously been possible. The notes made
by the reporter can be read direct.y into
the telephone-receiver in a room adjoin
ing the gallery either by the reporter
himself when relieved or by another
person employed for the purpose, and
the compositor at the machine in the of
fice sits with his ears in juxtaposition
with the other terminal of the instru
ment. The plan which has been found
the most efficacious for the purpose of
shutting out distracting sounds ofother
kinds is to place the disc of the telephone
above and behind the compositor and
then to arrange two tubes, each with
two trumpet-shaped extremities, in
such a manner that these extremities
are applied at one end to the two sides
of the telephone disc and at the other
end to the two ears of the compos
itor. The compositor is also furnished
with a speaking instrument, with a key
for ringing a bell, and a bell which is
rung from the house —a simple code of
bell signals, consisting of one, two or
three strokes, sufficing for the ordinary
requirements of each message. The
compositor announces by the bell that
lie is ready, receives a sentence, strikes
the bell to indicate that he understands
it, sets up the type with his machine,
strikes the bell again for the reader to
continue his dictation, and so on until
the work is carried as far as time will
allow. If there is any doubt or diffi
culty abont the words, a bell signal will
cause them to be repeated, or explana
tions can be sought and received by
direct vocal oommunic&tion. In this
power, indeed, resides one of the chief
advantages of the method, and one
which ought to lead to greater accur
acy than has ever previously been at
tainable. The names of people, places,
etc., can be spelled out letter oy letter if
there is any doubt about tnem.
Courtesy:
Courtesy is not merely an observance
of the conventionalities of society; it is
a reality founded on common sense and
manly leeling. An unoourteous man is
one of the greatest bores in the world.
He offends everybody, and instead of
being treated with kindness and con
sideration by his neighbor, he is gener
ally intensely disliked, and no language
is sufficiently strong enough to express
his demerits. To be courteous is simply
to pay a proper deference to the feelings of
others. A well educated man is generally
courteous. The fact of his mind being
liberalised teaches him the necessity of
exercising this virtue. Benevolent men
are always courteous; the desire to give
pleasure to others is sufficient induce
mcnt for them to cultivate this great
quality. It is just as easy to be cour
teous as the reverie. The time has gone
by when bluntness is taken as a sign of
honesty. It lias been found that dis
honest men can be blunt and rude as
well as honest men; and compliments
or deference to the feelings of others has
ceased to be considered a mark of insin
cerity. A person who is habitually
discourteous, generally possesses but
little sensibility, and he cares nothing
about wounding the feelings of others,
excusing himself by saying that he only
speaks what he thinks. No mm is
bound by ant law to speak what he
thinks; uiat is. to put forth his own
private opinion whatever it may be, no
matter whether it wounds the feeling of
his dearest friend. Of oourse, if a per
son's opinion is requested, he must tell
the truth; but even that can be done in
courteous language which will wound
no one. If courtesy were more generally
practiced, it would be eonducive of the
best results. Mutual civility among nil
classes of society would be found a
potent remedy tor more than half the
social evils that now oppress us.
Pat LUe late Tear Werk.
A young man's interest and duty both
dictate that he should make himself in
dispensable to his employer*. lie
should be so industrious, prompt and
careful that the accident of his trmpor
.ary absence should be noticed by his
being missed. A young man should
make his employer his friend, by doing
faithfully and minutely all that is in
trusted to him. It is s great mistake to
be over nice and fastidious about work.
Pitch in readily and your willingness
will be appreciated, while the "high
toned" young man who quibbles about
what it is snd whst it Is not hisjplaoe
to do, will get the eold shoulder. There
is a story that George Washington onoe
helped to roil a log that one of his cor
porals would not handle, and the great
est emperor of Russia worked at a ship
wright in England—to learn the bon
nes*. That's just what you want to do.
Be energetic, look and act with alacrity,
take an interest in yoor employer's suc
cess. work as though tbs business wo
your own and let your employer know
that be may place absolute reliance in
your word and on your act. Be mind
ful ; have your mind on your business,
because It is that which is going to help
you, not those outside attractions which
some of the " boys" are thinking about.
Take a pleasure in work; do not go
about it in a listless, formal manner,
but with alacrity and cheerfulness, and
remember that while working thus tor
others you are laying the foundation of
your own sueoess In life-
There isn't quite as much reading
matter oo a promissory note as there k
on a theater programme, but a man will
ponder over it much longer.— Faffee
lmn?f|lC*C. (
The politeness of tbs man who Is not
kind at heart is like the brill.ant veneer
which ooTsts a piece of rough nod
perhaps knotty pine.