TOPICS OF THE DAT.
Miss Jennie Corson went to Mon
tana about .1 year ago and established
a sheep ranch near Oka at an ex
pense of sf 10, (MM) cash. She has man
aged tier business herself, and her
sheep and ranch are said to he worth
|7too more than they cost her. She
Is known ;is "the Montana shepherd
ess.
There is a grim humor about some
of the advertisements in the daily pa
pers. A Philadelphia journal contains
the notice that an undertaker will give
a gentleman with a full black beard of
Impressive proportions, permanent em
ployment at visiting families, which
death has invaded, and taking instruc
tions regarding the funeral. The full
black beard is strictly a business re
quirement, the theory being that a
black beard has a tendency to inspire
Confidence and respect.
Since the large capitalists came into
the business of cattle-raising in Texas,
great bodies of land have been l>ought
up for ranges, and soon desirable free
pastures will be a thing of the past.
Having the money to fence as well as
buy the land, most of the large ranges
are being inclosed with wire. More
than* 100,1 kshmm) would be required to
purchase the cattle now roaming over
the state. Half of this value, accord
ing to the best testimony, is the in
crease of cattle within two years.
In Great Britain and Ireland, with a
population approximating 37,(KH>,fK)0.
there are between 11, otto and 12,000
lawyers. In the United States, with a
population larger by only 15,000, OX),
there are 05,(MX) lawyers; and in New
York state, with a tenth of the coun
try's population, abide a sixth of its
entire body of lawyers. There is a
lawyer to every people in Great
Britain, while in America there is a
lawyer to every 800 people. If this I
does not show an advanced stage of
Civilization, it certainly shows a decid- l
edly litigious spirit.
According to a Montreal paper the
engineer of the Saskatchewan mining
company, while examining the com
pany's coal areas recently discovered
the remains of an ancient forest at a
depth of over 2"M) feet from the top of
ravine. The stumps are plainly visible,
and are about two feet in bight, and
look very much as though the forest
had been laid low by the woodman
In addition, the fossil remains of a
gigantic reptile were found under the
Coal in a stratum of light sandstone.
The leviathan steamship Great East- !
tern is a veritable white elephant on '
the hands of her stockholders. At a 1
general meeting of the directors and
proprietors in London, it was stated
that the efforts to sell or charter the
ship had been unceasing, ami the di
rectors regretted that, although they
were frequently receiving applications
in respect to the steamer, nothing had
resulted. The income for the year
was made up as follows: Transfer
fees, £1; interest, £140; visitors' fees
to ship, £l3. The expenditures for
the year in connection with the ship
had been 14.4""J Is Id. It does not r- !
quire much arithmetic to figure out !
where this sort of business is to end.
There is a fire department In Jeru
salem which is very different from
what is understood by that term in
this country. On the comparatively
rare occurrence of a fire, the news is
leisurely conveyed to a small detach
ment of soldiers, who with great dig
nity march to the scene of the fire,
carrying their guns on their shoulders |
In front of them march four inen with
broad-axes. As there is no water sup
ply in the city, a fire engine wouhj 1-
useless, and certainly would be opposed
to the traditions of the people. In
stead of wasting their time in such
unhallowed efforts, these soldier-fire
men strike picturesque attitudes
around the lire, murmuring, "Allah is
good !" And when it has spent itself
they go back to their quarters con
scious of having done their duty.
We read in a London paper: "We
are, so to say, in a state of siege, cer
tainly under the very strictest military
and police military and police surveil
lance. As night conies on we see all
the public buildings delivered over to
soldiers, gates are closed, sentinels with
rifles loaded with ball cartriges pace
rapidly to and fro, and some large
apartment Is for the m>nre turned into
a guard-room. This has a truly mar
tial aspect, absolutely quite pictur
esque, and worthy of tieing commem
orated by some enterprising R. A.;
soldiers are gathered round the blazing
fire, nnns are glistening In the light,
the toy drummer-lsiy Is wnltlng to Iteat
to arms, and all are on the alert, ready
to rush Into the streets and do some
bloody business there. This, ho It re
membered, in the heart of London In
1883!"
It Is approaching two years since
bieutenant Greely sailed upon his Arc
tic expedition and was put ashore at a
point further north than men have
ever attempted to live, at Fort Conger
or Grinnell Land, within less than
nine degrees of the pole. Grinnell is
opposite Greenland on the west side
of Smith Sound, which is simply the
narrowing of Hall'm's hay. Lieutenant
Garllngton of the seventh cavalry will
command the expedition to go to Gree
ley s relief, sailing this summer ami
going to Smith's Sound. Greely will
start down the co;ist next fall, if
not before, and will liml three caches
or dc-ots <>f provisions stored along at
I intervals of lifty miles, containing '
1-tMi rations. The Arcticians consider
his chances of return good, but everv- i
thing depends on the health of his 1
•neti, and traveling for -' s miles along i
a precipitous coast where there may |
he neither ice nor land that is passu- !
hie. It will he nearly another year i
probably, before anything will be ;
known about them.
The sandstone quarry at Carson, Ne
vada is proving a rich lleld for archae
ologists. In addition to the giant hu- 1
man footprints, I*J inches in length i
and of corresponding width, there have
been found the teeth of the saber
toothed tiger, the horse, the tusk and 1
jaw of the mastodon and a horse's j
jaw. Hut the most interesting find
lately made was a tomb near the !
needles, on the line of the Atlantic j
A Pacific road, at a depth of 17.1 feet
from the surface. In it was found a
huge skeleton in a sitting position,
with its knees drawn up to its h< ad
and clasped in u bony embrace with
its fleshless arms. At its feet were
several Is 1 wis, originally male of red
dish clay, but hardened by the lapse if
ages into a substance resembling flint.
A tablet was insert.si in the wall at
' its head, bearing a long Inscription in
hieroglyphics and coverisi with rude
imitations of some extin<-t species of
creature, half animal, half reptile. A
! number of implements of warfare were
also found. Among them a stone ax.
the handle and head being of stone,
while the edge was formed of iron of
great hardness, morti-ed into flint.
The remains of a petrified forest were
passed through before the tomb was
reachisL
The largest prison in Europe is the
1 house of detention, which has recent
ly l*->n completed at Berlin. This
I enormous •sliflee comprises six separ
j ate buildings, to which has Ixsm trans
-1 f.-rred all the prisoners awaiting trial
1 who have hitherto been conflmsl in
the various prisons of Berlin. Tin
prison for men consists of a ground
floor and four other stories, with 732
separate cells, dormitories for 195 pris- j
oners, liesides forty rooms for turnkeys
and -deeping accomodations for I H * at
tendants. Each of the 732 cells has a
window ten feet high. There are six
cells in the basement for prisoners who
are refactory to discipline, and in the
basement arc also t<> l>c found the
kitchens, the bath-romns, and the heat
-1 ing apparatus of the prison. The In
-1 ternal part of the prison is const ructed
of iron, and is so built that all the cor
ridors look out ii|M>n a central hall,
which commands a view of every cell.
The prison for men, which is separated
from the rest of the building by a wall
sixteen feet high, also contains a chapel
and four large exercise grounds. The
prison for women contains only lib
| cells and fifteen large dormitories, the
latter of which are divided intosections.
j each containing a lied, which can be
locked up every after its occupant has
retired to rest.
The Homan S< >rx thus denrrihes a
forty-four-ton statue for the city of
New York : " Probably the most colos
sal statue yet ordered for the states
has just leen finished in plaster form
by an American sculptor at Florence,
I.arkin G. Meal. There are but two
in America that can even lie compared
with it, Greenough's 'Washington' and
his group of 'Civilization,' which adorn
the capital at Washington. Some idea
of it may lie obtained by a short de
cription. The subject is the -Missis
sippi lUver.'a large, recumbent statue
not unlike in treatment the 'Nile' group
at Home. The figure is represented
leaning against a cluster of risks
whence springs the source of the
Father of Waters, while as a sup.
port to the other arm Is a broken
paddle - wh.-el caught in a snag, a
not uncommon sight on that mighty
river. At the base are represented In 1
bas-relief the various objects character
istic of the stream during its long ,
course, stern-wheeler and side-wheeler, j
sugar-cane and crocodile, and its min
eral wealth In the representation of n
lead mine, while negroes arc seen load
ing and unloading baled of cotton and
tobacco and the sugar cane; crystals, '
too, arc not forgotten, while the giant
right foot rests on a lodge of limestone, j
and in the right hand stalks of that
great product of the Mississippi valley,
Indian corn, are held, one mature, the
other in the shock. A wreath coin- j
posed of tohaeeo and cotton crowns the ;
head of the colossus, while a fishing
net is carelessly thrown across the base.
The plinth or pedestal is twelve feet in
length, and the weight of the marble
no less than forty-live tons. This is to
he presented to the city of New York
by KUiott F, Sliepard, a New York law
yer, a son-in-law of \V 11. Vanderbilt.
Catching Sharks.
Those old piscatorial pirates, the
sharks, often invade the Arctic, no
douht tempted by the carcasses of the
whales or seals or walruses left to rot
by white men engaged in their pursuit.
Natives angling from their skin canoes
in deep water iM-e.-isioiially eateh a slug
gish shark who has engulfed the bait,
but there is no use pulling against such
a mountain of flesh, and relying upon 1
sheer strength to bring him up; and
this the Innuit I/aak Walton fully
knows, and overcomes his streng'.h by
sagacity.
At every brisk pull Mr. Shark, show- •
ing him to be irritated, the line is low
ered to appease him, but cautiously
hauled In again almost Immediately, ♦
the shark slowly rising to this strategic
manipulation, until "like a finny fool"
he rests upon the surface of the water
merely by the aid of the weakest fish
ing line, when with a long knife the
fisherman dexterously* dispatches him
by the aid of a well-directed thrust
through the spinal cord.
From their well-known voracity in
warmer climes it seems singular indeed
that they do not attack the native fish"
ermen in their little skin canoes, but
there is not a record or known Instance
of such attacks even on the west shore
of (ireenland, where they are most
numerous, and where the natives
catch large numbers of them from
10,1 hi to 'JO.Ooh a year, according to 1 >r.
limk. Ifanish inspector of this< oast for
a number of y .-ar-.
The most usual method of catching
these lish i in hardly be said to lie fish
ing at all. Near a hole in the ice a
lighted torch is plac<-d t and two natives
stand on op|M.xite sides of the h b'with
two sharp hand-hooks, like disk-hands
of a steamer at the end of a chute wait
ing for merchandise, until the shark
sticks his ti"sc out, when he is treated
in alMi.jt the same business like manner
as he is hauled on the ice, where their
carcasses often accumulate by hun
ilreils as this shark fishery when once
commenced is gi nerally carries! on
throughout the whole winter. The
cartilaginous tmnes are the f.tvorite
parts for food, as the raw frozen fish
s's ins to have a depressing effect when
long continued, and to it is attributed
the dog disease of the north when fed
to them, and which every few years
carries off vt many of these useful ani"
mala— Forest awl Stream.
A Russian Legend.
The Russians in the I'kraine tell a
queer story almut a whistling rohberof
olden times, who evidently was a jkw*
S"n of gigantic proportions, for he was
in the habit of sitting on nine oak
trees at once. One of the nickname*
given to him was "Nightingale," on
account of his extraordinary whistling
powers. Should an unwary traveller
come across his path, be would whistle
so melodiously that his victim would
quickly faint away, whereujion he
forward and kilbd him out
r'ght. At last, however, a well-known
hero, by name Ilja Marometz, deter
mined to SUIMIUC the robber, and, having
shot him with an arrow, took him pris
oner, carrying him off to the court of
firand I'rinoe Vladimir. Even there
he proved dangerous, for when the
grand prince, merely from curiosity,
commanded him to whistle, the grand
princess and all the royal children,
being present, the man commenced
whistling in such an overpowering
manner that soon Vladimir with his j
whole family would inevitably have 1
been dead had not one of his hrave
courtiers, perceiving the danger, got
up end shut the whistler's mouth.
-(3 c ntlt mn n'n Magazlne.
A Font backing.
"I have brought In a little poem," re.
marked a long-haired individual, "that
I would like to have published. The
sentiment is very fine; hut, tell you ;
the truth, I'm not so certain almut the j
rhythm. There may be a foot want- |
ing here and there." "Oh, that's noth
ing," replies! the poetry editor, raising
his number eleven hv way of punctua
tion; "will you have it supplied now?"
The long-haired inan probably had an
appointment that could not lie delayed;
at all events, he didn't wait for the ap
plication.
liAIIIKK* DEPARTMENT.
i'lv I'olaat* of ftrftitfyt
One of the largest fortunes ever
> ifializod in America, says the New-
York WarM, was made by the owner
of an old fashion" d crimping plri, which
a lady had patented in Washington.
! The woman who can Invent a material
which will closely resemble the skin
of the head, will find millions awaiting
her! Nature generally understands
what is best when she gives a brunette j
black hair, and enlivens a very white '
skin with red locks, hut in foreheads
she really does seem to make mistakes,
and by the judicious arrangement of
hair a homely face ran often lie made
pretty. The French speak of the " five .
points of beauty." When the hair is
combed hack straight from the face and
grows in a point on the forehead they
draw it. to I wo other points in the cen
ter of the temples, ami to still t wo others
► close to the ears, and contend that so
emhcllishtx! no woman, no matter how j
homely her features may he, can fail
to he attractive, lie this its it may,
many a woman owes her reputation as
tu beauty to her coiffure. A young
lady in Washington, who was by
means a remarkable beauty, came
out of a fever with a perfectly bald
head. Her hair did not and would not
•grow. So finally she ordered froin
I'aris three or four wigs of a beautiful
red gold, and these actually transforin-
her from a fright Into a belle. The
same thing may he observed on the
stage, where an ordinary woman eaj>-
tures a whole parquette with a blonde
wig.
How Ihe "Jrrac) " IVai Invented
A London letter says: One of the |
the umst charming and admir -d ac
tresses in London helped invent the ;
"Jersey." Her couipani ui in inven- |
tlon is the wife of an Irish peer. One j
day the actress. Miss lb, with her j
maid called upon inv lady (they are
great friends) and carried with her a
pair of tights she had ju-t ught to
wear as " Rosalind " in "As You Like
It." Miss H. pulled ] art of the elastic :
lilk goods across I.adv l'.'s lx-autiful
arm and said: "Oh, if one could get
a corsage to fit like that!"
"Let me have them one moment,"
exclaimed Lady 11.
She drew the tights amund her
thoubbrs. Miss 11. pinned them to
her dn-ss, and ttiere at that moment
was t>rn the inspiration of the jersey
w- all w ear and never tire of. Lady 11.'s
brougham was ealle I. v he and Miss
11. drove hastily to the theatrical cos
iurm r's. ordered another pair of tight*
is the material could not i>e bought.
Fhe -.kirt and train from Paris was
Used; not s< the corsage. I.ady 11.'s j
maid run it together it was lit'rail} j
town on. and never did costume excite i
lo much admiration and curiosity ns !
this symphony in gray velvet and :
latin, with the lnarvelously fitting rur
i.ge. No woman knew how the rnr
lage was gotten into. There was no j
light or even hint of f.i-teiiing. No
>ne thought of the elastic silk material.
Little by little Lady It. and Miss 11
perfected the jersey, and wore it quite j
three months licfore any one caught
the idea Then a prominent Bond
itreet milliner discovered it and charg-
Ed from thirty to fifty guine
Ihem. Mrs. Langtry was amoi
irst customers, hut she did no
(he Jersey until long after L
ind Miss 11.
I'aahinM
Lace upon day dresses is verj
lar this season.
Braiding appears on costume
►ts and wraps.
White lawn hustle skirts arc
ted to stiff crinolets.
Tucks and pare Is are the f
in dress-making th:s year.
(•old braid is much used, e 1
.rimming morning dresses.
Cupper in various shades is tt
of tobacco or cigar color.
I'ercales. batistes, and zepby
selling rapidly at the moment,
I>ress skirts may Ih very bouffant or !
clinging, whichever is preferred.
Silk-worm grceti Is soberly announ
ced as the latest tint in that shade.
Velvet gauges and brocaded gauges
arc handsome additions todresd fabrics.
Children wear hats and Is
i all the new shap-a just lil
j ciders.
I lain jerseys of red or 1
| much worn with lawn-ter
turns*.
; Valenciennes lace trims
' the handsomest embroldere
' dresses.
Sleeves of dreaaes ami wraps are
worn exceedingly high. and full on the
shoulder.
There is a greater variety in the
styles of bathing suits than was ever
before displayed.
The flower of the moment is the
violet, anil cliintern are used <m bate,
Ismncts and evening dresses.
I lie Chinese driving dunk with
sabot sleeve* linn taken the place thin
season of Ihe French rod in goto.
Kern and hrown brocaded velvet
grenadine wraps are trimmed with
jm-seiiientcrle of the same color.
I ark brown Ottoman silk mantle*
are elaborately trimmed with browri
Hu -ian lace and chenille fringe.
I'l aids in subdued colors are made
for traveling suits, morning drosses,
j for shopping and for the street.
I'on gee dresses will be popular again
j next summer and will be trimmeil with
corn lace or embroidery.
'"oral jiink is a new shade wbieb
• eomes only in Ottoman rep, and soft
| heavy materials for evening dresses.
For evening dr> < the basques
with long ba< k and point's] front or
' the round Jersey has pie are pr< ferns!.
Tinted linen lawns in gray and
ecru grounds with figures In white are
among the novelti'-s for summer wear.
Silk jerseys, gloves in strawberry
red, pale yellow, nun's gray, and black
will be more in vogue this summer
than kid gloves of any sort.
In French im|ortations of costumes
the jiolonaise reappears once and again
in varied forms, and with endless styles
of drapery and garniture.
I'ale yellow and bright geld are the
colors triumphant even in Moral garni
ture. The gaudy sunflower has sunk
into oblivion, but is replaced by prim
roses, cowslips, marigolds, kingcups.
Narcissus, and marshmallows.
Furnished gold, mandarin yellow,
j and the creamy shade of raw silk are
the tints in yellow more favored this
si ason than that of old g' Id or copper
color, so fashionable last year; while
j -age green has given way to a peculiar
h-aden-green known .as porphyry; and
cadet blue is replac<l by nemophilao—
, the color of that flower.
Some Pet Superstitions.
"I think there are more idle, silly
superstition* in the popular mind on
the subjectof physiology than any sub
| J' y 't I know of." s.tid an eminent phy
i sician.
"Why do you say that? Tell about
' some of them."
"Take the popular notion in regard
to hydrophobia If a healthy dog bite
a child and years afterward go inad.
the child will go mad, too. You'll find
that sentiment almost ineradicable.
< nriit to the nineteenth century, isn't
it? So Is the corollary from the prop
osition, that when a child in bitten by
a dog the l>cast must be kilh-d to keep
the- child from going mad. Then
| there is that time-worn but ever new
i scare that cats suck babies' breath*.
• What a cat would do with a baby's
; breath in a deep and unfathomable
mystery to me, 1 suppose they get
into i rallies where there are children
1 ause of the warmth, and supersti
tious people are not in love with cats,
j and especially black ones. They twist
I the vampire story around till they get
the breath-sucking story.
"Another tnodbeval anatomical ro
mance is that a man has twelve ribs
and the woman thirteen, because God
-took a rib from man and made woman
I toad a* a rattlesnake. Million# of
j toad* are killed annually on this ao
| count, when they are really the farmers'
anil frardeners' last friend, as they teed
upon the luigs and worms that destroy
their plants,
i "The most of these suj>erstitions are
! harmless; but one of these wart myths
causa. I coulil (jo tn for hours at a
time on these medical superstitions, if
I hail time to relate them or you hail to
listen to me,"
It is estimated that there are over
i one thousand pearl divers on the coast
j of Lower California.
Forgot a Parcel.
Of all the ills to which flesh Is hellV
forgetfulriesH is the one that furnish*
the greatest number of Laughable epi
sodes; and while many of them are
annoying, the- mirthful feature that la
their almost invariable companion
affords a c. rt.un degree of corrijieris
tlon.
Near one of our Atlantic sea-port*
i there resides an old whaling captain
commonly known as t'ncle Gordon.
To keep from getting rusty, la: made
hi home on the river-hank, where he
could keep a bat. and li.sh or paddle
about as he liked. The place wae
about five miles from the city, and, a*
ii" asion required, I'mle Gordon arid
hi- wife would journey townward for
the pur|scve of shopping. Reaching
the city, the horse and wagon would
be left at tie- water-trough on the
parade, an I each would go in different
directions, carrying tlu-ir bundles to
this common receptacle, the first
through waiting fur the- other. On
one- at these shopping excursion* Un<le
Gordon made several trips to the
i w agon, finding ea< h time that addi
tions had tic-en made to the; store of
bundles—a sign that his wife was
busy, 'fuyirigcompleted his purchases.
In- unhitched bis horse, and the ferry
boat bni..g arrived, climbed into the
wagon and drove e.u board. While
crossing the river one of his acquaint
ances Ktepjic-1 up and asked how he
w as getting on.
"Well, I'ni getting on nicely, but I'm
bothered just now."
"Why, is anything going wrong?"
"So, nothing special; but I came
down to do some shopping, and I've
forgotten a parcel 1 was to get," and
the old gentleman scratched fits head
In a perplexed manner.
"Well, 1 wouldn't worry. You will
think of it next time," said the neigh-
Imr; and the b.at having reached the
landing, Uncle Gordon drove ashore
and went on toward borne.
When nearly half-way there he was
met by another friend, who stopped
to have a chat.
"How do you do to-day, Uncle Gur
don V" he- asked
"Oh, nicely, nicely; though I'm a bit
worried just now."
"Worries!? Almut what?"
"Well, you sis-, I've been to town
chopping, and there's a parcel of some
kind that I've forgotten. I can't
think what it is, and it bothers me,"
'•< )h, never mind it' You will recol
lect what it Is tiefore you go again.
Hy-the-way, Uncle Gordon, how is
your wife?"
"Jerusalem!" cried Uncle Gurdon
dapping his knee with great • nergy #
"It's my wife that I've forgotten!
the went to town with me to do
tome shopping, and I was to wait for
her."
And Uncle Gurdon turned around*
and went back to the ferry for the
parcel that he had left liehind.—l/ar
p>r't J/oyi uiti'.
i—i
Chinese Poison*.
The commonest poison* are said to be
opium, arsenic, and certain noxiou* es
sences derived from berts. But t<esides
those other things are taken by suicides
and given by murderers to cause death.
In some of the southern provinces
there exists a particular kind of silk,
worm, known as the Golden Silkworm
which is reared by miscreants to serve
either purpose as ocraion may requir®
(juicksilver, which is also used with
fatal effect, is either sw allowed, or. like
the "juice of cursed hebenon" which
sent Hamlet's father to his account, is
poured into the ear. The torture nec.
essarily consequent on this lad method
of using it must be so excessive that it
may safely l>e assumed that it finds
favor only with murderers. Sw allow
ing gold, on the other hand, seems to
be the favorite way of seeking death
with wealthy suicides. It has tieea
held by some writers that the expres
sion "swallowing gold" is but a meta
phorical phrase meaning "swallowing
poison" just as when a notable culprit
is ordered to st rangle himselt he is said
to have hail "a silken cord" sent to him.
Hut the "Coroners" Manual" puts it be
yond question that gold Is actually
•wallowed, and it prescribes the rente,
dies which should lie adopted to effect
a cure. Gobi not l>eing a poison, death
is the result either of suffocation or
laceration of the intestines. When suf"
location is imminent draughts of strain,
ed rice-water, we are told, should 1*
given to wa*h the gold downward, and
when this object has been obtained, the
ilesh of partridges, among other things,
should be eaten by the patient to
"soften the gold" and thus prevent ita
doing injury. Silver is also taken in
the same way. But though wealthy
Chinamen thus find a pleasure In seek
ing extinction by means of theprecious
metals, they have never gone the
length of pounding diamonds to get
rid of either themselves or their
enemies after the manner of Indian
potentates.—A'aturv. .. -
idea,
ly de
e jier
ld out
lion is
N-nsi
tlo ail
warts.
0 buy
cut a*
' have
hope
> will
rhann
-1 toad
[line at
, that I
I one in
hi n g a
Ii super
it if a
kll dis
), usual
rhich is
More
by thL*
r other