THE FAMILY DOCTOR.
Parenorto.
If I were disposed to curse any moth
er, by the "crossness," of her children,
I might advise the free use of this
fashionable article. It is used with
the false idea that it will aid the moth
er in keeping her babe asleep, or in
quieting. Now, it will do no such
thing, on the whole, but the contrary.
No ono ever saw a babe that had taken
* much of it, that w its not unusually
"cross," fretful, peevish and very un
amiable! To give it, is like borrowing
money at an exorbitant rate, then at it
higher rate to pay the ilrst, and so on
till one is bankrupt. The sleep sup
posed to be obtained, is not sleep, but
stupor, which must so "unstring the
nerves" as to increase the irritability
and wakefulness. It constipates,
locks the whole powers up, so to speak,
so that natural action is impossible. It
produces general disorder in the sys
tem, including costiveness, which is
relieved by physic, which as certainly
aggravates the ditliculty, growing
worse and worse by each application.
(How long will it take to recover at
that rate?)
Hut, what shall be given? That de
pends on what is the disturbance. If
the babe is wakeful from pain in the
stomach, let that organ rest for a time.
If there is a pain in the bowels give
an injection of warm water. If it is
hungry—and you are sure, very sure
of it, which may be doubtful, as chil
dren cry from pain as well as hunger
—nurse it. Remove the cause of un
rest but do not stupefy a babe just for
the purpose of having quiet, a chance
to work! It is better for tho mother
to sleep. If the babe h;is common
sense, it need not sleep all of the time.
It has a right to play and look about a
part of the time, as well sis adults.—
l>r. J. If. Hanaford.
Scrofula.
Mrs. E. X. L. writes to know what
is the trouble with her little daughter
six years old. The glands about her
neck are swollen and very red and ten
der, she has several abscesses in other
parts of the body, and behind the ear,
her eyes and nose are running all the
time, she catches cold very easily, the
eyelids are red and thh k ned, her head
is covered with dandruff, there is a
greenish discharge from the ears; has
been affected this way for several
months.
The disease is undoubtedly scrofula
and is to be treated by feeding the
child on the most nutritious diet possi
ble, giving plenty of nourishing food,
milk, graham bread, Indian meal
bread, fresh vegetables, rare tender
meat, fruit, etc. For medicines a little
sulphur will be found to help her.
I'ut a sjHionful of sulphur in an
ounce of alcohol; shake it up and al
low the sulphur to settle, then pour live
drops of this into a glass of water, and
take a spoonful three times a day.
This treatment must be kept up for a
long time.— Dr. George 11. Talbot.
To Flood Sahara.
Fount de I.esseps has explored the
route for himself, and he declares that
the construction-of a canal to tlood the
great African desert with the waters of
the Mediterranean is feasible. There has
been doubt as to whether tho surface
of Sahara is higher or lower than the
surface of the sea, but his triumphant
communication from Tunis indicates
that he has obtained information that
to perform his feat it will not l>e nec
essary to make water run up-hill. It
is proposed to cut a channel through
the narrow neck of land which separ
ates the salt marshes south of Tunis
from the gulf of Gabes, and thus pour
an ocean into the vast basin of sand
whose farther rim is the border of the
Soudan—a land of the riches of India
ami the population of the l*nitod
States. France has been eager to bring
the heart of Africa to the light of
civilization and the wealth to the pock
ets of Frenchmen, and Colonel Flatters
expended three years of toil and $lOO,-
000 of treasure in the attempt to fulfill
his ambitious prediction: "I will cross
Africa with a railway." Since his
slaughter by Arabs the scheme to pene
trate the heart of the "dark continent"
with a railway lias dropped from pub
lic attention, and Count de Lesseps,
the great uniter of the earth's waters,
has laid his stupendous project before
his admiring countrymen, with sule
limc confidence in his ability to secure
** % $15,000,000 for the work by merely
asking. The count is now nearly
eighty years of age, and in his long
and romantic career he has accom
plished prodigious achievements, but
if he restores to the burning sands of
Sahara the waves which in a remote
age rolled over them, the creation of an
ocean and the civilization of a contin
ent will 1 the climax of his career
and the chief marvel of his fame.—
New York Hull and Sjcjtreu.
SMOKING OFIUM.
A Urilei'a Vivid ft- tret Ktpetlrm r with
til* Terr I ll r Ihiiu.
The boss—"Smokee, John?" (John
is the Christian name of all pale faces,
so far as the Chinaman is concerned.)
The writer—"Yes, if you'll give me
a moderate dose."
The boss Kvel smokee sometime
alleady!"
The writer—"Once. A long time
ago."
The boss—"Alice lightee. Fixee
you."
Tho writer—"Don't put more than
a pound and a half in."
Tho boss (with a grin that looked
as if the side of tho house was
coming in) —"Me llxee all lightee.
Getteo up."
The writer took possession of a
private stateroom, while the bias-eyed
son of the sun manipulated the
gummy mass and tilled the pipe.
"Now, smokee," said he; "blow
through nosee."
The writer inhaled several—more or
less—puffs, and then began to experi
ence a heavy, depressing sensation
across the chest.
At this commencement the ears
were thrilled by softly wierd strains of
such music JUS no mortal ever heard
before, and at the same time the writer
was led to a large gilded or golden
platform, which towered aloft in the
upper portion of the room, nnd was
reached by stiiirs that dazzled the eye
at first, but afterward soothed it and
seemed to entrance the visitor.
Ascending, the summit was reached,
and, looking down to tho tloor lie had
just left, a sight presented itself which
tlio writer must acknowledge himself
unable to portray. It was a hundred
thousand fairy lands combined in one
vast picture of loveliness and supreme
beauty. Seated on a divan, and sur
rounded by ;i bevy of bewildering
beautiful minxes, whose ;mgelic voices
and merry laughter made the brain
whirl, the writer prayed that he might
never again see the outside world,
but that he might live to eternity
amid ttiose scenes. His every wish
was gratified on the instant. A request
was scarcely made but it w.us fulfilled.
He hesitated to give voice to his
wishes lest they might offend, his
every thought was interpreted even
liefore it matured, and his desires were
answered,and the rare wine and costly
jewels were brought him and laid
before him before he hud dared even
hope for their possession.
llelow me was a scene of dazzling
beauty. Fountains of golden waters
gladdened the eye at intervals about
the room, while the perfume of rare
exotics filled the atmosphere and en
ervated tho br;iin. Thousands up>n
thousands of pretty girls in Oriental
costumes flitted here, there and every
where, nud rante and went ;it the
writer's command. Xo wish was un
gratified, no desire unfulfilled. Jf was
a paradise on earth. There was no
male present hut himself. The China
man had disappeared and the writer
was alone in his glory. <>h, for the
pen of a Dante! Oh, for the descrip
tive powers of a Hyron !
Suddenly a shadow came across the
room, and the pretty girls lisap|>eared
one by one. Even those upon the dias
withdrew. The Chinaman reappeared
and informed the writer that a terrible
storm was approaching, and that they
must return at once. Even as he
spike, the distant mutterings of
thunder could he heard, and then the
lightning flashes darted across the
r<*>rn. It was a terrible storm. The
attendant tore the costly lace from the
writer's body, und at his command a
hundred or more hideous looking
creatures gathered around and aided
him in tormenting the writer. They
took off the top of his head w-itli ham
mers and chisels, and picked his brain
out piece by piece, grinning hideously
the while. Then they began to tear
the fb-sh from the lsines. and one more
vicious than the rest grasped his
tongue and kept pulling it out inch by
inch, fisit by foot, until he could feel
the very soles of his hoots give way
arid start on their upward journey
through his marrow. They then
placed his head between two large re
volving stone cylinders, and he heard
the skull being crushed, as he was
drawn into and between tho grinding
wheels that appeared to he turning at
the rate of one revolution in a million
years. Each inch of diaphragm was
subjected to years nnd years of this
crushing process, and the prayers to
he put to instant death brought forth
maniacal laughter and jeers from the
torturers. If the iirst scene was para
dise the second was worse than Hades.
Not for 100,000 worlds would the
writer pass through the horrors of
that torture again. Then came a noise
like the bursting of hundred thousand
bombs.
"Look there !*' said one of the mon
sters, pointing to a corner of the room.
The writer slowJy opened his eyes,
*
looked in the direction pointed out,
and saw the man with the 'cross
country grin and the banjo head fea
tures, sitting by tho tiro, sewing a but
ton on ids trousers.
It was nut until after tho expiration
of nearly half an hour that the writer
could fin/l tongue to speak, and then
the words cams thick und husky.
Upon asking how long he had been
there, the man pointed to tho clock.
It was twenty minutes past 10. When
ho began smoking it was a few min
utes past 8. Rolling from the shelf,
(lie floor appeared to shelve upward,
and he became Impressed with the
idea that he was in danger of being
cut in twain by the sharp corners of
the room, which whirled about him
with a dizzying speed. It was some
minutes before be trusted himself on
bis feet, and then his head pained, and
the very blood in his veins seemed
boiling. Kidding the proprietor of the
place good-night, lie left tho den, de
termined never again to participate in
tiie luxuries of the bowl.
Taklnir Tea with the Japanese.
Says a traveler: "The great peculiar
Ity of tliis tea drinking ceremony con
sists in tho exactness with which every
thing is dune. A spoon, cup, or what
ever is handled, has to ho taken hold ol
in a particular way, set down in a par
ticular place, and touched in a particu
lar part, and everything is done with
the same strange precision. What 1
saw was part of the ceremony of 'thin
tea drinking,' and part of tho ceremony
of 'thick tea-drinking,' hut the whole
is simply a lesson in those laws ol
politeness which were formerly so
rigidly exacted In every mansion and
on every state occasion; and which
arc still largely kept tip in the houses
of the old aristocracy. Originally, the
ceremony was of a secret character, and
no servant entered the house in which
it took place—-the master kindling the
lire, (toiling the water, making the tea
and, in short, doing everything for the
guests; hut in later years it has become
a mere ceremony t an extremely fash
ionable character. One or two things
in this service struck me as especially
strange. Thus, both host and guests
knelt from the time they entered the
building till the time they left it; and
even when the master tiad to go to a
little hack room to fetch water, cups
or whatever else he might require, he
shuffled on his kness to the slide which
served as a door, and then, having
open/si it, shuffled through the opening
till he was well on the other side, when
he rose to his feet; but this he must
nut do while in the presence of bis
gui-ts. The chief guest, moreover, is
the spokesman for the company, and
no word is uttered save by the chief
guest or h'-st during the service, be it
ever so long. The / hief guest also de
mands everything thus he asks f r
tea and refreshment-, but the particu.
lar moment at which , ich request has
to lie made i- arranged by the code of
etiquette. At opportune moments the
chief guest also asks if he may look at
t he tea-cuddy, a sjn*in, a how 1, or the tea
pot. Receiving the necessary permis
sion, he shuffles on his knees to the
place where the object demanded Is,
takes it, IMIWS his forehead to the
ground, then rising, touches his fore
head with the object received, and
begins to examine it. Looking at the
tea-pot, he asks if it is silver; then,
who made it; then opening it and
smelling the tea, what tea costs per
pound; after which inquiries he passes
it to the next guest, and makes a re
mark to the host which should, if pos
sible. lie at the same time a compli
ment and a pun. After each gu/*t has
duly inspected the object, the chief
guest shuffles again acr/iss the floor,
and returns it to its place. Object
after object is brought, examined and
returned in the same manner."
Prophecies for the Crednlnn*.
Hardly bad people recovered from
the nerve-shattering soothsaying of
Mother Shipton when the weird words
of wind-compelling Wiggins is well
rubbed from recollection, two ancient
prophecies have heen unearthed for
the present year. One is from the
writings of Nostradamus, a French
astrologer of tho sixteenth century,
which may lie thus rendered ;
"In eighteen hundred and eighty.three,
When wooda in vernal green shall tie,
Againat misfortune and mischance
A lame man alioll protect our France."
The Comte de Chamliord is lame,
and may lie taken to represent the
"boiteanx" or "lioiteux."
The second hlood-curdler is :
"When Kaaier (alia in nnr Cady'a lap
To England ihall crime S great nii.hap "
Now. Faster SumWV this year fell i
for the first time in nliout a hundred
years, on f Lady Day," March 15.
We rtow manufacture another
prophecy :
Wlicji in one week tali Sundays two,
t'luA-tic thymes may chance come tree.
LADIES' DEPARTMENT.
Oftrar N<|iae lr liril.
A Washington letter says that Miss
Huyard is not only very pretty, hut ex
tremely bright. She was the young
lady who astonished Oscar Wilde by
her keen repartee to his patronizing
remark : "Are you going to the Ger
man, Mr. Wilde?" "Yes," drawled tho
esthete, "if my lecture doesn't, fatigue
me too much. Are you going, Miss
Bayard?" "Yea, if your lecture doesn't
fatigue me too much."
Court Ktl/juatta.
A Home correspondent of the Phila
delphia Hull.tin writes : "JJut which
of us escape criticism ? I hear now that
the fact of Mrs. Aster's having sent
cards of invitation for her reception to
certain diplomatic and noble ladies,
whose acquaintance she has not been
able to make personally on account of
her delicate state of health, instead of
it being taken as it was meant, as an
act of courtesy and civility, was re
sented its an insult. Strictly speaking,
1 am assured that Mrs. Astor has com
plied with the ordinary forms observed
hy people in iter position ; hut say
that It were otherwise, and that some
trilling lapse of strict etiquette had
heen necessitated hy her delicate
health, it is quite evident that she
evinced courtesy and offered hospital
ity to these scornful ladies. I regret
to add that those who complain the
loudest and make the most fuss about
these minute points of etiquette are
Americans, married either to Italian
nobles or persons in an official position
about the court. It should be very
gratifying to their husbands to observe
how completely they cast aside th/ ir
nationality and all old habits when
they choose the occasion of Washing
ton's birthday to mark their contempt
for a gathering nt regulated, as they
assert, hy the strictest court etiquette."
Old I.are.
Many Indies do not know wtiy old
lace is often so much more valuable
and generally so much more beautiful
than new. The fact is that the valua
ble old lace is ail woven in "lost" pat
terns. It Is frequently as fine as a
spider's tilm and cannot la-reproduced, i
The loss of patterns was a severe
check to laee-making in France and
Belgium, and was occasioned by the
French Revolution. Before that time
whole villages supported themselves'
by lace-making, and patterns were j
handed down from one generation to
another. They were valuable heir- |
looms, for the mo t celebrated weaver- !
always had as many orders as they
could execute in a lifetime, and they
wi re bound by an oath taken on the
Four Gospils to work only Tt certain
•balers. When the Iteign of Terror
i gan, all i usiness of this sort was in
terrupted for a time. After the-Knii
subsided the dealers and workers wer*
far apart tome dead, some lost, and j
some escaped to foreign lands; and
such of the women as remained were
Ixiund hv their oath to w >rk for but
one. And this oath, in spite of Holies
pier re's dodrinesi, was held hy the
poorest of them to be binding, and j
there are instances where they suffered '
actual want rather than break their
word. Some, however, taught their
children and their grandchildren, and
many patterns were in this way pre
served. Some of t! • daintiest and
finest patterns were never recovered,
and to-day specimens of those laces are
known to |e worth their weight in
diamonds.
Athlon
Chip bonnets are worn.
Mitts have very long wrists.
Spanish laces are no longer fashion
able.
F.very kind of plaid and check is
worn.
The newest coiffures show more of
the forehead.
Long jersey gloves of finest wool
are much worn.
In milliner/ flowers are almost su
perseded by leaves.
Chenille bids fair to hold its own a
a popular trimming.
All the Oriental laces an/1 darned
laces are much worn.
A new shade of velvet Is railed
"llight of Fancy Blue."
Pongees, plain, printed, and em
broidered. are worn again.
New hosiery comes in all the now
colors to match the dress goods.
Handkerchiefs are knotted about the
throat in the "Pretty Peggy" style.
Lace and embroidery Is as much the
rage this season as it was last summer.
As manyns forty-twodiflerentcolors
hnd shades appear in the new spring
{loves.
Cock's-cnmb ribbons of two contrast
ing colors arc used for corsage and
heck liows.
Ombre or shaded effects appear In
some of tho new French millinery and
dress goods.
The lon# wrists of mitts and gloves
have a fanciful finish of shirring, puffs
and ribl/on.
The loveliest shades of galmon, roue,
corn blue and water green are seen in
the new China crapeg.
Cheviots come in plaids, checks, hair
lines, wtripeg and mixture. Tho col
orings are line and subdued.
Hunt leg and crinolettes grow larger,
while skirt draperies are made more
ample to accommodate them.
As many as eight different colore/1
ribl>on cocka/les with cock's-cornb ends
are seen on some new bonnets.
Jet sequins form the ornamental
fringe of black tulle tabliers and dra
peries /in bla/:k evening toilets.
The mingling /if two or more laces
in one fichu, ruche or collarette for the
neck has become quite common.
Mack silk stockings with gold
thread chicks an/1 embroidery are
among importations of fancy hosiery.
Cockades /if ribbon in two contrast
ing colors, the ends of the loops cut
into cocks' combs, trim many lionnets.
A late fancy is to use many jet
gold, silver, or jewel-beaded pins to
decorate bows of lace or muslin for
evening wear.
Sot s Model Witness.
"Do von know the prisoner well?"
asked the attorney.
"1 never knew him sick," replied the
witness.
"No levity," said the lawyer sternly.
"Now, sir, did you ever seethe prison
er at the bar?"
"Took many a drink with him at the
liar."
"Answer my question, sir," yell.-d
the lawyer. "How long have you
known the prisoner?"
"From two feet up to five feet ten
Indies."
"Will the court make the—"
"I have, j/iige," said the witness,an.
tidpating the lawyer; "I have answer
ed the question. I knowed the prison,
/•r when he was a boy two feat long
and a man live f-• ten."
"Your honor—"
"It's fait, jedge, I'm under oath,"
persist/si the witness.
Tii/- lawyer arose, placed Iwith hands
/<n the table in front /if him. spread his
legs apart, leaned his body over the
table, and said:
"Will you tell the court what you
know aliout this case?"
"That ain't his name," replied the
witness.
"What ain't his name?"
"Case."
"Who said it was?"
"You did. You wanted to know
what I knew about tins case. His
name's Smith.
"Your honor." howled the attorney,
plucking his lieard out by the roots,
•*vs ill V' I make this man answer?"
"Witn/-ss," said the judge, "you muat
answer the questions put to you."
"Land o't, ,*hcn. j/slge, hain't 1 lieen
doin' it ? led the blamed cuss fire
away. I'm all ready."
"Then," said the lawyer, "ilon't beat
around the hush any more. You and
the prisoner have be/ n friends?"
"Never," promptly responded the
witness.
"What! Wasn't you summoned
here as a friend ?"
"No. sir; I was summon/si here as a
Presbyterian. Nary one of us was
ever Friends. He's an old-line baptist
without a drop of Quaker in him."
"Stand down," yelled the lawyer, jn
disgust.
"Hey?"
"Stand down."
"Can't do it. I'll sit down or stand
up—"
"Sheriff, remove this man from the
Ikix."
Witness retires, muttering: "Well, if
he ain't the thick-headedist cuss I ever
laid eyes on."
How Boa Constrictors are Fed.
The feeding of boa constrictors at
museum is thus described : Two ral>-
bits were placed in the cage, or were
throw n rather uisin the mass of snakes
coiled up in one corner. There were
a few momenta of uncertainty ; then
with wonderful rapidity one of the
snakes colled its folds around the ani
mal an/1 crushed it to death. A few
seconds later and the second animal
shared the same fate. The ihonsters
held their prey tightly in their folds ;
then, turning their heads around and
distending their Jaws, began to swal
low their prey whole, inch by inrh. In
less than a quarter of an hour the last
trace of tho rabbits had disappcar/sl.
(Inly two of the reptiles wore fed.
A German at a hotel had some Llm
burger cheese sent to him. A little
boy who sat lioside htm turned to his
mother and exclaimed: "Mamma how
I wish I was (leaf and dumb in my
nose.'
CLIPPIK6M FOB THE CUBIOUft.
Texas has a million acres of land fit
for sugar culture.
A large number of Naalirille boy
and girh are going Into nilk culture.
The national debt of France, < |4,G83,-
mi, i i , three times as large as ours.
Twenty-eight mining explosions oc
curred la-t year, of which fifteen were
fatal.
The winner of acorn-raislng content
near liome, Gn., raised thirty-seven
bushel* on a half acre.
The Romans began their day at mid
night, the Athenians and Jews at sun
set, and the northern nations at dawn.
Figures were used by the Arabian
Moors about 900, and were introduced
into Spain in 1000, and Into England
in 125.'!.
The pension list of the United
States is eight times as large as that of
England and ten times greater than
hat of France.
The first systematic attempt to
instruct the deaf arid dumb was made
by l'edro de I'once, a Spanish Benedic
tine monk, alout 1570.
A chicken ventriloquist is one of th®
curiosities of Concord, Ky. lie crowa
with clarion no tea, and then makes
echo-like repetitions of thern, gradually
dying away as if at an Increasing dis
tance.
William Campbell, a young farmer
of Mexico, Mo., won a wager of fIOO
and received 2\ cents a bushel besides
for his labor, at a corn-shucking bee.
In eight days he threw over his
should' r 512 1 ushcls of corn.
Tin i- frequently mentioned in the
Iliad, and it would seem that the Greeks
were very familiar with it. It was
used for the raised work on shields
and for greaves, and it was also em
ployed for domestic purposes.
It has been said that a blind man
named Benson, w ho has been an inmate
of the Wetherslielil (Conn.) town liouso
for more than fifty years, has such a
remarkable memory that he can repeat
almost every word of any sermon ho
hears.
The demise and obsequies of a
Brunswick (Me.) cat gave a hint to
the long-named society. The family
physician nursed the animal in its ill
ness, the. undertaker composed its re
mains in a 112.50 casket, and its mis
tress cabled her husband in Europe
that the end had come. .
Catechisms were compiler! in th®
eighth <r ninth century: Luther's
w>r published 1520 and 1529. The
cat. hi-ru of the Church of England at
first < ordained < nly the baptismal vow.
the creed, the ten commandments and
the Lord's prayer with explanations,
but an explication of the sacraments
w as added by the bishops in olifldienc®
to an order made by .Tames I.
Trainwl horses have shown in Eng
land that they are capable of jumping
great distances. Chandler clear**!
thirty-nine feet over a break at War
wick; Calverthorpe, thirty-three feet
over hurdles at Newport PagneU;
King of the Valley, thirty-five Let over
the Wissedine brook. Leicestershire;
Lottery, thirty-four fet at Liverpool;
Peter Simple, thirty-seven feet at Bos
ton.
A Honest Man.
A gentleman stopped his horse at a
tollgate, and not seeing the gate-keeper,
went into the house. Finding no one,
he began a general search and finally
discovered the gate-keeper out in the
field at work. Although the old man
was quite a distance away, the gentle
man went into the field, approached
the old man and said:
"You are the tollgate keeper, I be
lieve."
"Yes. sir," the old man replied, turn
ing and leaning on his hoe handle.
"Well, I want to go through th®
gate."
"Ain't the gate open?"
"Yw."
"Well, why don't you go through?
It's my business to be there."
"Because I wanted to pay you."
"And you came all the way out her®
to pay me five cents?"
"Yes. sir." said the gentleman, proud
ly looking the old man In the eye.
"Couldn't you have left the money
on the table?"
"Yes. but I wanted you to know
that 1 paid you."
"You are an honest man."
"Yes. air." replied the gentleman,
while a pleased expression spread over
his face.
"You would have walked three times
as far to have paid me that five cents,
wouldn't you ?" ,
••Yes. sir, I would."
"Here, John," the old man called to
a hoy that lay in the shade, "call th®
d< and go along and watch this fellejr
till he gets away. Bet a hundred dol
lars he steals something 'fore he leaves
the place."— Arkanmu Tratxllv.