TIMELY TOPICS.
' President Grcvy receives SIBO,OOO
i early in salary and allowances, as head
r of the French republic, so that his seven
years' term will give him $1,200,000.
He is not penurious and manages to ex
pend his receipts in receptions snd sub
scriptions. He gave SI,OOO to the
American yellow fever fund.
Mr. Parnell, the Irish homo-ruler,
) has abandoned his intention of visiting
t America this winter. He lias also de
lelined many invitations received to de-
I liver addresses before various home
-1 rule associations in England, giving as a
iTenson his determination to remain in
(Ireland, and follow up the land agita
tion.
I The glory of Ixvidville is passing
away, says an exchange. Emigration
|to that once marvelous city is dwind
fling down, and the daily departures are
[said to far outnumber the arrivals.
1 Building lots that were lately hold at
! fabulous prices may soon be purchased
for a mule, or any other four-footed ani
mal that the owner can get astride of
and ride ou lei the country.
! The ex-Empress Eugenie has not been
well since her return from Zululand,
and has recently been compelled to re
main in bed, much affected by severe
attaeKS of fever. Her once beautiful
eyes are now said to be dim ar.d fatigued,
surrounded by a dark circle. Her face
is furrowed with the lines of sorrow and
tears. Hardly fifty years of age, the for
mer empress of the French looks as if
she was over sixty-five. Speaking some
time ago to Pere Godard, the chaplain
of Camden House, she told him that she
E| would not remain long in England,
* which had been so fatal to her affections,
nor die at Chiselhurst; and that she
wanted fto breathe her last in a more
Bt'gunny country.
| A woman has carried her point in the
p United States courts. Judge lxjwell
K has rendered a decision in Boston in
r favor of Helen M. Macdonald in her
Kiuit against John ShnparJ. The contest
Bxraa waged over a strip of waterproof
fi material which is designed to be sowed
Hto the bottom of a lady's dress to pro-
Btect it from moisture and dirt. The
E' history of the litigation up to the present
B point lias been interesting and some
|| what unusual, and has also attracted
K considerable public attention from time
g§ to time, as sympathy for Miss Mac
|H donald in her struggle to obtain what
Bifae believed to be her rights has mani-
Kfest'-d itself. The feature that makesthe
H history particularly interesting is that
Hpftis.4 Macdonald has conducted much of
■wiecase itself, examining the witnesses
even arguing before the courts.
B The lines of railways in the five
Hpvisions of the earth cost, in round
Hpnmbers, $10,000,000,000, and would,
to Baron Kolb, reach eight
round the globe, although it is
Hjnit little over half a century since the
Hust railway worked by steam was
Kjlpcr.'d between Ilarlington and Stock-
JT lon, September 27, 1825, and between
■B|a:ich<'3ter and Liverpool, September
fctS, 1830. It is shown that in France,
previous to the existence of railways,
was one passenger in every 335,(t00
t Wiled, and one out of every 30,000
whereas between 1835 and
there was but one in 5,178,800
Ktlir.l. and one in 580,450 wounded, so
j§fibat we may infer that the tendency to
HKccidents is yearly diminishing. Hail-
SpW ay traveling in England is attended
Hprith greater risk than in any other
in Europe. A French statis
ig tlcian observes tliat, if a person were to
Elive continually in a railway carriage
Hpmd spend all his time in railway travel-
King. the chances in favor of his dying
Hokoui a railway accident would not
until he was 'JOO years old.
Laper Divers and Sharks.
I The pearl divers of the Coromandel
■eoa-t. arc not infrequently attacked by
■ground-sharks. As a rule, a shaik will
B)*ft ve * man with a dark skin alone, but,
mvfbcn hungry.it rarely makes a differ-
II? etc*- between a European and a Hindoo.
Hfcnnwing this, the divers of whom 1
Hptpcak frequently arm themselves with a
Hptout bamboo, in the shape of a cross,
the extremities made sharp. With
four-pointed dagger they will dare
Bpny shark to seize them, for. as the mon
■Bter turns on his hack and opens his
for the bite, they dexterously
Great care is taken of the strength
the bamboo; the consequence is tliat
pftthc shark, on closing its Mouth to obtain
first taste of his anticipated meal,
the spike well home between its
Hmws. Fishermen say that when a shark
Hpas a sturdy, well-pointed and placed
cross-fixed in its distended
no efforts ot the creature can rid
Hlte of the wood. Its efforts are described
H|s being often furious and comic. The
■ d ver, as soon as he has impaled his
Keccmy, has to get out of the way as fast
Has possible, as a blow from the tail of
Ban infuriated shark is no joke. As for
K(hc comic side of the picture, it must be
Hk ludicrous sight for little fishes to wit-
to see their dreaded, but now im-
arcb-foe wildly tearing about
Hpdtbcr and thither in the deep, with a
between his distended jaws.
■ A clerk was discharged, and asked the
'• You are so awful slow about
hisremplover. "Yon
■So me an injustice," responded the
about." " I should like to bear
name it," sneered his employer.
HF* Well," said the clerk, slowly, " no-
can get tired as quick as I can." I
FOB THE FAIR SEX,
Fuhlon Rfotaa.
Plaids are in high favor.
Polish caps with tassels arc worn.
Buttons are more artistic than ever.
The dolman visite is the favorite wrap.
Mull fichus and scarfs remain in high
favor.
Flannel balmorals take the place of
felt skirts.
Imported evening dresses have very
long trains.
All very dressy costumes are trimmed
with embroidery.
Both square and round trains are
worn in evening toilet.
Some very small bonnets appear
among late novelties in millinery.
A trimming mucli in vogue is black
net embroidered with jet tieads.
Irish point and church lace trim the
most fashionable mull neck scarfs.
Velveteen, farmer's satin and flannel
skirts bid fair to supersede felt ones.
Bough and shaggy cloaking cloths are
in demand for jackets and sacks.
Sets of buttons are sold with each but
ton bearing a different artistic design.
Tortoise shell combs, both in the am
ber and dark shades, always remain in
vogue.
Short dresses are made up in the rich
est materials for reception and visiting
toilets.
Tourist and Hermit are the names
he two principal varieties of hoods worn
on jackets.
One of the French gowns, imported for
some millionaire's wife, is embroidered
with little fans.
The pinkish drab color, on which the
designs of Egyptian ribbon are printed,
is called Egypt.
Muslin hnlf-handkcrchiefs, fastened
by butterfly bows or rosettes, are used
for breakfast caps.
After .the rage for big bonnets lias
subsided, the medium size will prob
ably be most worn.
Fancy combs, headed with halls of
gold, coral, steel or crystal, to imitate
diamonds, are worn.
Bonnets, mull's and costumes match
when worn by the most fastidiously
fashionable women.
Jet or colored crystal beads enrich all
tfie richest trimmings and embroideries
on dressy costumes.
Watteau buttons are composed ot col
ored stones, interspersed with small cir
cular pieces of steel.
Bead embroidery is used to cover the
seams of brocades, and to hide the small
defects in joining it.
The bearskin plush is as good an imi
tationof fur as the sealskin, but it is only
used for trimmings.
A four-leaved clover in shaded pear
embossed on a gold surface is the design
of some new buttons.
Among novelties are sashes to match
the costume, tipped at the ends with
spikes, tassels or bails.
Crystal beads in iridescent hues, wh'te
and clear as glass, are used to excess in
trimming evening dresses.
Jet, gold, amber, purple, iridescent
and jewel-tinted and crystal beads trim
both bonnets and dresses.
To mulle the throat In several yards
of white or black tulle, a la Sarah Bern
hardt, will be ail the fashion.
White plush bonnets, with the crowns
or brims dotted with medium-sized pearl
beads, bid fair to be favorites.
Plush muffs arc flat, and the plush is
arranged in loose, irregular folds, not
tight or smooth around the muff.
The petals of many of the new arti
ficial flowers are made of soft plush in
most gorgeous and delicate tints.
The " beaded braid" trimming made
of cord, wound with tinsel or fine metal,
is substituted for bead trimming.
The ribbon decoration which appears
on paper hangings and furniture is re
vived from the seventeenth century.
Gilded flexible stems appear on some
of tiie very few artificial flowers that
are used by the milliners this season.
Bonnet ornaments, in the form of
little gilded pigs, spiders, bees and
beetles, ornament tbe new plush muffs.
Plusu muffs to mateh hats are trimmed
with coffee-stained lace and furnished
with gold cords, which suspend them
around the neck.
Black and brown beaver plush bon
nets and hats are frequently lined with
amber-colored yellow, red, blue and
other pale-tinted plush.
The plain skirt, plain corsages of
American costumes have not ns yet made
any impression abroad, but they are
much worn in New York.
Fashionable hair-dressing makes the
head look ns small as possible, but the
curls nnd frizettcs worn make the coif
fure as costly as ever.
Plush Is made into branches of berries
and used to trim bonnets. Plush ieaves
set in the long pile are the trimming of
some plush bonnets.
Many of the handsomest wraps are
trimmed wi.h jut embroideries in ar
tistic designs, set figures, bands, gimps,
cords, tassels, spikes and galloons.
Cir-ulafs will be much worn as the
weather becomes colder. They are in
more graceful shapes than last year, be
ing cut with a slight spring in the back.
Brocades with no embroidery mingled
witli their design are considered rather
tame by the dressmakers, who aim at
having expensive thing' rather than
pretty things.
The mantle collar is the great diff
culty about an outside garment now. If
that be becoming the rest of the cloak
may be even more than moderately ugly
and yet pass muster.
The Duchess de Rem is the new man
tle. It is large and flowing, hut is gath
ered nearly to the waist both in front
and at the back. The skirt is turned up
about one-third of its depth in the
back.
The Haveiock is a long garment in the
shape of a close fitting sack, with nar
row flat kiltings on the side of the skirts,
and a deep, round cape with a velvet
collar. The only trimming is braid of
cord.
Heavy fringes of silk and chenille
sparkle with jet snd are very deep
Spikes and cords and tassels will be em
ployed in every conceivable manner—for
facing dresses, as girdles, to tie around
the neck and to tasten in a large knot on
the left side of the skirt. Horseshoe or
naments of jet, beaded rings and cres
cents will also be features in this sea
son's dress ornaments.
Ain rr Ira i, Vlrli In Knrope,
The lyondon correspondent of the New
York lkrald writes: Nothing is more
striking to an observer of Americans in
Europe, than the steadily-growing pres
tige which they have acquired in the
fashionable world. To be an American
seems to be a passport everywhere to
civilty, kindness and respect. iParticu
larly is this so among our English
cousins. The women most admired and
leted in i-ondon are Americans, like
Lady Mandeville, Mrs. Sands, Mrs.
I'agot Mrs. Simonds, and others. The
Maiq lis of Twceddale, one of the most
cultured and polished noblemen of the
day, gave me the other day a very inter
esting opinion as to the reason why so
many of his fellow noblemen married
American girls. lie said tDcy were
mainly attracted by the greater ease and
liveliness of the American girls, which
were as charming to Englishmen accus
tomed to the sly and timid reserve, and
occasionally even stiffness, of English
girls as the latter were repellant to them.
It is amusing, byway, to observe
bow indignant the ladies of the fashion
able world are at their lucky American
sisters'snatching from them the
I ies and choicest prizes in the matrimon
ial'market. Only the other day I heard the
young and handsome wife of a well
known Irish peer disclaim in the most
offended strain at the scandalous in
novation—which, she declared was a.,
a work the last five years, though,
forsooth! American girls have been
marrying into the nobility ever since
the three Misses Caton, of Balti
more, set them the present exam
ple by becoming the wivescf. sree great
noblemen, one of them no less a person
than the Duke of liceds—of young noble
men espousing American girls.
Irtah larr.
It is in beautiful, delicate needlework,
and in the making of lace ol different
kinds, says a writer in the Argc*y, that
the Irish sisters excel. There are sev
eral houses in the eouthoi Ireland, each
of which is famous for some soeeial
kind of manufacture. Persons who are
learned in such matters can te.! instantly,
on looking at a piece of work, at what
convent it WPS done. The crochet made
nnder the superintendence of Youghai
nuns is exquisite and so tine that it has,
in many cases, been mistaken for other
kinds of lace. I have heard ofa lady who
purchased a quantity of what she be
lieved to bo old Roman point, in Italy
at a great expense. On bringing it home
she took it to her dressmaker in Dublin,
and gave it to her lor a trimming for a
dress, with many cautions against waste,
and with repeated orders not to cut it
unnecessarily. The woman smiled
when she beard the discolored work
called antique point. She got a magni
fying glass and showed her customer
that she had in reality bought Irish
crochet lace, which bad been dipped in
some yellow fluid, in order to give it an
appearance of great age. The clever ex
pert was. moreover, sbie to tell from
what part of the country it had origin
ally been procured. .Some ladies are
very fond of purchasing sleeves and col
lars of this beautiful work, to wear nt
the table d'hote when traveling on the
continent, us it does not require what is
technically termed doing up; when
soiled, simple washing and drying will
| restore it to its pristine daintiness. Be
sides this, it i 3 quite uninjured by any
amount of ptcasing or crumbling.
Children'! Snlia
The fashion in children's suits varies
but little. White dresses richly em
broidered are Almost always used for
babies, with the addition of colored
cloaks. Many garments with sleeves
are of blue or pink Bicilienne or of faille.
Tbey are short enough to show the rich
embroideries on the skirts. " Pelerines "
are of white armure.with long capes and
hoods. Little girls are to wear the "com
fortable" of English cloth, in small
checks. This is belted around the waist
like an ulster. Over the hack of the deep
collar is a pointed hood, lined with silk.
Heliotrope shade, which haa been but
little used for children, is replaced by
dahlia,which is a fins violet, something
like pansy. This color will be employed
for little girls' and boys' dresses, espe
cially when these are of velvet. Chil
dren's hats are of fine plush with a long,
■baggy knap. They have very broad
brims, much taken back.
" I have three children who are the
very image of myself." " I pity the
youngest," replied bis Interlocutor.
"Why?" "Because he is the one who
will haveto resemble you the h ngest. "
Spots on the son are sometimes
freckles and sometimes photographs of
a mother's loving but weighty band.
Chinese Hamblen.
That the heathen Chinese are not to
be done out of their gambling p ensures
by the raids made upon them in their
dens, was clearly seen by a Chronicle re
porter yesterday. Sauntering along one
of the alleys of Chinatown his notioo
was attracted by the unusual amount of
business being (lone by one of the fortune
tellers who locateshis stall at the corner
toaltract passers-by. The rapidity with
which each votary took his departure
struck the reporter as something out of
the common, as the practice with these
professors of futurity is to keep their
victims.in suspense before letting them
know their late. Approaching the stall
he discovered what to a casual observer,
appears nothing but a small box eon-"
taining Chinese writing material, but in
this case the innocent-looking box had
a small slide on the top. The slide being
pushed aside showed a small card, in
scribed with characters denoting an
animal, a hah, or a reptile, also a rude
representation of the subject. Kach
Celestial at the time of paying his stake,
namely, a dime, guesses the name of
the object he thinks will appear on
the face. If another of the objects
appears he loses his stake. Should he
be fortunate enough to hit the right
animal he receives a dollar, hut, as
the chances of winning are so much
against him, the bank rarely loses.
The reporter.having questioned the ven
erable moon-eyed astrologer, fonnd that
this species of gambling was conducted
on a larger scale at an establishment os
tensibly devoted to the sale .of drugs in
the heart of Chinatown, and, having as
certained the name of the shop, leis
urely, proceeded to make some further
inquiries into the modus operandi of the
game. At first, admittance to the back
room where the performance was car
ried on was refused, but a few words
gave assurance and an entry was gained.
Assembled in a small apartment were
about thirty Chinamen. A narrow
counter divided the manager of the
game from the crowd, and, as the pool
was about toopen.the reporter stepped in
and took a hand. Selecting a character
and handing two bits to the lianker, he
received a pierc of red paper upon which
was written the character he had
chosen. Thirty-six cards, each bearing
n particular,designation and correspond
ing to similar characters shown upon a
| red paper about eleven inches square,
| which was suspended from the wall,
were then deposited in an earthern pot.
Diving into the pot the assistant banker,
who was blindfolded, drew a card, and
the fortunate individuals whose, papers
bore similar characters were paid ten
times the amount of the stakes against
the winning numbers. The cards were
i named as follows: Four literary grad
uates. represented by a white fish, a frog,
a goose and peacock. Seven merchants,
represented by a flying dragon, a white
horse, an elephant, a wildcat, a rat and
a hornet. Four Buddhist priests, repre
sented by tortoise, a fowl, a yellow eel,
and afish.
hive beggars,represented by asbrimp
a snake, a caterpillar, a singing-bird,
and a sheep. Five generals represented
byfan] earth dragon, white rabbit, a pig.
a tiger, a water buffalo. Four lucky
personages of the upper world, repre
sented by a monkey, a toad, a kite, and
sea dragon. TwoTnuist priests, repre
sented by a white stork and gold
colored cat. One nun repreiented by a
ravenous wolf.
Should any purchaser of a chance not
happen to be present when the drawing
takes place, he comes to the shop and
inquires not about any gambling ques
tion, but says: "To-day bow is the
great' Sz Maehin!' " meaning one of the
five generals—as he holds a ticket with
the charaters "Wong Che Ko " the
earth dragon, alias "Sz Maehin," the
generals, and this to a novice, who
| might bo in the shop, appears to be
making an inquiry after some person.
The Chinese courtesans arc great cus
tomers. and send their children to pur-
I chase the tickets to avoid notice being
! taken of the game by the unitiatcd.
The game is called "Tsefa," and is
I likely to prove a large source of revenue
to the banker, now that fen tan and
other species of gambling have been
; uprooted in Chinatown.— Sin fYancix o
Chronicle.
The Story of the Apple.
The origin of tlii * very widely-growing
fruit is unknown, though it has been
cultivated time out of mind. As the
apple is mentioned in the Bible, it is pre
sumed to be a native of Palestine,
although at present in Canaan and the
surrounding region it is of no value. It
is now imported into Egypt and Pales
tine from the neighborhood of Damascus.
It was extensivelv raised by the Romans,
albeit the Roman npple is thought by
some to have been very different from
the apple described in the 3eriptures.
Pliny says that his countrymen were
acquainted with twenty-two varieties—
America produces more than 300 varie
ties. The apple Is very hardy. It grows
on all soils free from excessive moisture,
except those of a peaty or very sandy
character. The tree is noted for lon
gevity, often bearing fruit for 900 and
250ycais— the finest kinds of nppies]com
ing from trees from fifty to eighty years
old. The orchards of the republic occupy
about 1,900,000 acres, and their product
s worth some $16,000,000, most of the
product being apples. American apples
are the best in the world, and have a
great reputation abroad, commanding
large prices in Europe.
Maiden aunt to tall young nephew:
" As I stood by you in church, Percy, I
could not help being struck by your
siie." Peroy: " Very sorry, aunt, but
them was such an awfully pretty girl
the other side the aisle, I couldn't help
sighing!"-/to.
Words or Wisdom.
Beauty Is as summer fruits, which ar
easy to corrupt and cannot last.
No pleasure is comparable to the
standing upon the vantage ground of
truth.
Time well employed is Hatan's dead
liest foe; it 1 eaves no opening for lurk
ing fiend.
Tbey that write books on the worth
lessness of glory take care to put their
names on the titlepage.
The slander of some people is as great
a recommendation as the praise of
others.
No man ever offended his conscience,
but first or last It was revenged on him
or it.
That laughter costs Uto much which
is purchased by the sacrifice ol decency
and propriety.
The divinity of charity consists in re
lieving a man's needs before tbey are
forced upon us.
Contempt is like the hot iron that
brands criminals; its imprint is almoßt
always indelible.
In matters of conscience first thoughts
are best; in matters of prudence last
thoughts arc best.
There is no strength in exaggeration ;
even the truth is weakened by being ex
pressed too strongly.
A strong man is one whose passion
stimulates his reason and whose: reason
controls his passions.
A man is great {just in proportion to
his superiority to the condition of life
in which he is placed.
Minutes lengthen themselves out im
measurably when passed through the
rolling mill of anguish.
Isx>k weil to thyself; there is a source
which will always spring up if thou
wiltalways search there.
Opportunities are very sensitive
things; if you slight them on their first
isit, you seldom see them again.
Mrs. Partington said that a gentleman
laughed so heartily that she feared he
would have burst his jocular vein.
The greatest events of an age are its
best thoughts. It is the nature of
thought to find its way into action.
Thought means life, since those who
do not think do not live in any high or
real sense. Thinking makes the man.
They who disbelieve in virtue because
man has never been found perfect, might
as reasonably deny the sun because it is
not always noon.
There are no fragments so precious as
those of time, and none are so heedlessly
lost by people who cannot make a mo
ment, and yet can waste years.
If the flouring mills of Minneapolis
are all in operation, and rur their aver
age capacity during the present crop
i year, tbey will grind 18,(0(1.000 bushels
of wheat.
"Os Chickens bet Dot of a She! I
Take an egg out of a nest on which a
hen has had her full time, carefully
holding it to toe < nr; turning it around,
you will find the exact spot which the
little feilow is picking on the inside of
the shell; this he will do until the in
side shell is perforated, and then the
shell is forced outward as a small scale,
leaving a hole. Now, if you wili take
one of the eggs in this eondition from
undr the hen. remove it to the house or
other suitable place, put it in a liox or
nest, keeping it warm and moist, as near
the temperature of the hen as possible
(which may be done by laying it between
two bottles of warm water upon some
cotton or wool), and lay a glass over
the box or nest, then you can sit or stand,
as is most convenient, and witness the
true modus operandi. Now watch the
little fellow work his way into the
world, and you will be amused and in
structed, as I haveolten been. After he
has got his commences a
nibbling motion with the point of the
upper bill on the outside of the shell,
always working to the right (if you have
, the large end of the egg from you, and
the hole upward), until he has worked
his way almost around, say with one
half of an inch in a perfect circle; he
I then forces the cap or butt end of the
shell off, and then has a chance to
straighten his neck, thereby loosening
his legs somewhat, and so, by their help,
forcing the body from the shell —Ameri
can Farm Journal.
A Strong Expression.
In a copy of the U nihd state* (hueUe,
published in 1770, we have an account of
a flag pres ntation, which may edify
that large proportion of our population
who have latterly "participated in little
affairs of that sort. On the day after
the battle of Fort Moultrie, in 1779, Mrs.
Elliott presented to Colonel Moultrie's
Second South Carolina regimenta ban
ner. Surrounded by the beanty and
fashion of the day, the colonel stepped
forth, and, receiving the flag from Mra.
K., acknowledged it in a very appropri
ate and eloquent speech. In closing, he
turned suddenly to his men. and said:
"My gallant companions, you toe the
reward of courage and fortitude! Yon
have fought, and you have conquered;
and the brave fellows who fell in the
carnage of yesterday are now in heaven,
riding in their chariots like the very
We notice in the Cleveland / lera'd
some versea by Miss Annie Beaufort,
entitlrd, "Why Do I Sing?" We are
not dead certain on this point, Annie,
but it is probably because your pa has
oald abcut Jflon to a music teacher for
spoiling a gxd stocking darner.— Fuck 1
Presence of ■lad.
John Wilkes, says an English paper,
was not a great* general, bat he might
have been one had his tastes led him into
military life. His presence of mind never
deserted him. He held many places of
trust and responsibility' He was alder
man, chamberlain of London, and mem
ber oi parliament, and no man was mora
outspoken and daring in his criticisms
upon thejgovernment. Once upon a
time, when Wilkes had been more severe
than usual, and had reflected keenly upon
the king and his chief ministers in tbs
North Briton, a warrant was issued from
the court of king's bench for his appre
hension, and for the apprehension also
of the poet Churchill, Wilkes' bosom
friend and supporter. The chief culprit
knew that the w.uTant was out, and
that his friend's name was in it, but he
had not thought to speak of it. The
king's messenger, with the warrant in
hand, found Wilkes in his chamber,
Churchill being at the time with him.
"Ah, Mr. Wilkes, I must arrest you—
in the king's name!"
"You have a warrant?"
"Yes; here it is."
"And you've got Charles Churchill's
name down also?"
" Yes."
"Thompson, my dear fellow," said
Wilkes, turning to his companion, "do
run round to Churchill's rooms and tell
him what's coming. Tell him to be off
for a few days and I'll have it all right
for him."
Churchill nodded to his friend and at
once hurried out, the officer of the law
little dreaming how the fish was slipping
from his net before his very eyes.
The Teeth of the Ancient t>reeks.
One of the most remarkable features
of the discovery of the band of Thebans
who fell at Cbaeronea is that, according
to the report, all the teeth of each mem
ber of tire sacred band are sound and
: complete. Either these gallant patriots
were exceptionally lucky, or the con
dition of teeth in old Greece was envi
ably different from that |of later and
more degenerate days. The Romans
were well acquainted with the evils that
attend on the possession of teeth, and
had some considerable knowledge of the
use of gold in counteracting these evils.
If we remember rightly, an exception to
the rule of not burying precious objects
with departed Romans was made in
favor of the gold that had been used for
stopping teeth. We moderns may oom
! pare favorably with the Romans in the
skill of our dentists, but we cannot pre
tend to rival the defenders of Thebes in
I their superiority to the necessity for
these gentlemen. Rare indeed are the
bsppy mortals of to-day who can truly
boast that their teeth are in the perfect
condition that nature intended, and that
| the craft of the dentist has never been
employed upon tbem. It would be *
difficult task to select from our army,or ~
any modern army, 300 men with teeth as
as those of the Theban warriors
.., oiled to be.— ljondon Newt.
Irees as a Check to Fire.
A Sacramento (Cat.) paper bean testi
mony that in that city disastrous and
widespread conflagrations have fre
quently been averted almost solely
through the agency of shade trees. The
trees serve to prevnt the passage of
burning debris through the air— the
embers of which would otherwise be
blown from house to bouse and fiom
block to block, being caught in the
upper branches, and hilling thence
harmlessly to the ground. In the sum
mer trees act as screens between booses
and blocks, moderating the heat of fires
and interposing a barrier which is sel
dom passed by the flames. When we
add to these very practical consider- -I
aliens the value of trees in breaking the
foroe of the wind, enhancing the beauty
of a city and affording a grateful shade
to pedestrians, it will be seen that trees,
planted along ctty streets, pay for them
selves many times over and in many j
different ways. A community which
acts on the suggestions thus enforced
not only ministers to its aesthetic tastes
and promotes culture and the love of
the beautiful, but erects a harrier
against fires and checks the spread of
conflagrations in one of the simplest
and most common-sense ways conceiv
able.
The White Dec Wen.
Nebraska theater Audiences are un
conventional in their oonduct. At Lin
den, while John T. Raymond was pre
seating the trial scene in " Col. Sellers,'
two dogs began to fight in the center
aisle. All attention was instantly di
verted from the stage to the fight. " I
move we suspend proceedings in this
court," said Raymond, "and I'll bet a
dollar on the white dog." " Til take
yon," cried a man in the audience. The
white dog woo, the dollar was passed
across the footligh'a to the star, and the
acting of the play was resumed.
" Slept on their arms all nigfctt" ex
claimed good Mrs. liickcnlooper, look
ing up from the paper in whicu she had
been reading of the English troops in
Afghanistan, and beaming on her hus
band over its top; "why, only last
night I slept on one of my arms only a
few minntes, and it made it so numb I
couldn't use it to get breakfast with,
blept on their arms all night, indeed I"
And the good soul was so aroused that
■he quite forgot her coffee, until the cat
called her Attention o the matter by
whisking across the table and upsetting
| the cup in her lap.—k ~d Chart,r J