WHY HEARTS DREAE. A Phyiloltn'i Matlei-ot-Kucl Solution of the Vtllnv l-rolilcm. "A healthy man or woman does not die of a broken heart," a well-known physician said. "A healthy heart is only big muscle, and nobody can liavo grief enough to break it. When, therefore, a blooming young widow shows apparently inconceivable grief at the deuth of her husband, and in a short time recovers her equanimity, sho Ought not to be accused of hypocrisy. Neither may it bo concluded that another woman who soon pines and dies has had more affection for her husband than the first The first widow may have even inoro affection than the other, but have been sustain ed by physical health. "It is erroneous to suppose that death by heart disease is always sudden, it is very commonly protracted for years, and exists undetected by most skillful phyiscians only to bo developed by some sudden occurrence. There was an eminent physician of Brooklyn, in active practice, who died within an hour of the time when he was about to lecture. He was so well, that after examination by skillful physicians of a first-class insurance company, he was declared perfectly sound, and a policy for 10,000 insurance on his life readi ed his home before his body was cold- The cause of death was a mystery until the post-mortem examination, by Dr. John G. Johnson, of Brooklyn* Bhowed that a little piece of chalky do posit in the heart hail become loosened and formed an embolism. The man ha<l simply taken some specimens out of his desk, and he died in his chair without any excitement or undue effort. Any little excitement might have done it, and then his death would have been cited as that from broken heart. "So-called deaths from broken hearts may be lrc .1 ntly traced in this way. One exertion as well as another may furnish the requisite culmination. Medical books are tilled with instances of death by heart disease during the performance of pleasurable functions. When a man is nearly dead it is easy to put on him the finishing stroke, but it is inaccurate to give the finishing touch all the blame of his death- When a woman loses her husband, or a girl losee her lover, and by nervous exhaustion, loss of sleep, lack of nour ishment, and grief, weakens the action of her heart, she is said to die of a broken heart, but she has, in fact died of a vefy ordinary disease. "The case of Bill I'oole, living for ten days with a ball in ids heart, is often spoken of as remarkable, but J'r. Flint records a case where a man had a ball in his heart twenty years, and finally died of pneumonia. Both these men hail healthy hearts, and could "not have hail them broken by grief. Vet, In fact, more women than men die of heart disease. Out of sixty-one ol>- aerved cases, thirty-seven were male . Another record showed that in sixty, two eases of ruptureof the heart, them was fatty degeneration existing. In other words, where fat is substituted for muscle, the organ is easily broken- If any of these people had lieen sub jected to sudden grief, they might have furnished illustrations of heart-break" ing. One medical observer records one hundred cases of rupture of the heart where there was no grief to account for it In fact, grief is a very raro cause of heart-breaking. "Disease is the real cause of heart breaking. and the various kinds of dis ease which leads to It are so many that volumes would Ik- neces-ary to describe them. The cause of these diseases arc manifold, and are very much under the control of the individual. There are, of course, hereditary tendencies to heart disease; but aside from traumatic causes, these tendencies may exist for years without fatal result. "It is a curious fact that the least dangerous heart disease often creates the most apprehensions. Frequently patients who have only a functional or curable disorder will not lie persuaded that calamity does not impend, although there may be no real danger On the other hand, organic <Ueaseg may exist unsuspected. There are sympathetic relations Iwtween tho nind and the heart, and disorders of the heart are frequently traceable to mental excitement, either pleasurable or painful. Quick beating of the heart is no certain symptom of danger. It has been demonstrated that the pulse Stay safely range from 100 to 140 per minute for many years.— Alia Calif or nia. Fruit may be ripened by the eleetrl light, but U is said that it is unpalata ble. Stra wiierries grown in this way last year under the direction of Profes sor Siemens were worthless. Horn# melons ripened were of such poor quality that to render them catahb they would need to be strongly flavored with condiments. L I CLIPPINGS FOR TIIE CURIOUS. Twice as many men as women die of pneumonia. There ure 00,000 ministers in our country and 540,000 bartenders. A canvass of the American trades | shows that American apprentices only predoininato in machine shops and printing olllccs. Three factories in the I'nlted States consumo nearly two million eggs a year in making a peculiar kind of paper used by photographers. Tomatoes, not many generations ago, wore known as love apples and considered poisonous. Last fall there were 52,02J,0.V2 cans of tomatoes put up by tho canning establishments of tho United States. Alligators, writes Dr. Henshall to the Forest awl Ntream, muy lie par tially tamed. When he talks to tliein they rise to their feet and keep up a constant hissing and whishing of tails, as if they liked to be talked to. Dr. Romanes mentions a similar fact in regard to them. Samuel Howard,of Mount Sterling, Ky., recently chopped down a big black locust tree, in tho hollow of which grow another tree of a different kind which was ten inches in diame ter and twenty feet in bight. It hud grown in perfect darkness, as there was no opening in the locust. In the Northern Pacific swims a fish which explorers of tho northwest coast call the ortolan of the sea. It is the fattest of all lish, and if a dried specimen is taken, all that has to be done is to light the head of the fish; holding it upright, and it Mazes away liko a sperm candle, giving light with out smoke or smell. The Indians call it tho oolachan. On some statues of the fifteenth century buttons appear enriched with pearls and precious stones, which cor roborates several entries in inventories of regal expenses about that date—as. for example, one in the royal accounts drawn up in 134'J of King Edward HI: "For a gold case of twenty-five buttons, each button consisting of four pearls, with a diamond in the center, bought from Symon de Dampmart." Hospitality In Central Asia Imagine, gentle reader, an isolated tent in sotuo dreary portion of the desert, at whose door I arrive after a tiresome march of several hours in • • —- deep sand and under a scorching sun. without a drop of refreshing water, and without an animating breeze. My salutation, "Ks-salem Aleikurn"—i. e.. "Peace be over thee" —resounds far in the distance, and makes the grazing cattle raise their heads, as if bewilder ed at the unaccustomed voice. At once a young or an elderly woman ap- i pears at the entrance of the ragged and storm-worn tent, the felt piece* of ! which have i>een bleached by rain and snow, while bolts, ropes, and pegs are sadly out of repair. It is a poor tent The male inhabitant is out on some predatory or hunting expedition, while his wife has to tend the flock in close proximity to the dwelling, or is en gaged in spinning or rolling a new piece of felt to l>e laid under the new member of the family whose arrival Is expected soon. On perceiving the pious stranger frotn a distant land she utters a few words of joyous surprise, and soon coines forward with a wooden dish of sour milk, with a piece of cheese, fir with a bundle of sun-dried fish. The visitor partakes of the offer ing with a loud "Rismillah," i. e.. "in the name of God," while his hostess sits opposite shedding tears liecause God has given her the opportunity of feeding a guest. As soon as he has satisfied his hunger she brings before tiini the plain-colored camel-hair, the the material for the new carpet, in order to have bestowed upon it his Messing, as a sure sign of happiness to tier coming child. For a while, the Turcoman woman will remain quite S motionless, her eyes fixed upon the movements of your Hps, every sound of which is most anxiously caught, and it is only after having finished the recital of the Koran, of which she does not understand a single word that she gives vent to her blissful satisfaction, by uttering a sigh from the depth of her heart, or by a tear, of which the poet justly says: "The lip* rosy Iwgulla With dlmpl* or trail*. Hot th* *• ol tffiM-tioe't a tr." I have often witnessed scenes of this nature that were indescribably touch ing, and it may lie easily understood how this comes back to my memory, whenever I have to picture the lights and shadows of life among the primi tive Inhabitants of the desert. No wonder, too, that during my abode among the Turcomans on the Ourgan feelings of admiration were mingled I with the deep aversion and horror that j agitated my heart.— Good Wordt. THE Dill TOKTI'MAH. IntrrrlllMK ! < About it !\olr.il MIIL tnry l*il<ii. W. K. Prentice, an old New York soldier, recalls the following interest ing reminiscences of the old military prison, in it letter to the San Francisco Bulletin: it happened to bo my fortune also to bo sent to the Dry Tortugus soon after Dr. Mudd, though 1 had tho go'id fortune to be relieved from duty somewhat sooner. The place is a queer one, and has seldom been described- The Dry Tortugus (the word, I believe* means turtles) embrace a group of sev eral small coral islands, or keys, lying in the gulf of Mexico, 120 miles west from the southern point of Florida. The largest embraces only a few acres; they are destitute of fresh water, and barren, with the exception of u few small mangrove and cedar trees. They were a part of tho Florida purchase, and a fort was commenced on Garden Key, one of the larger, by the Spaniards. It is now a first-class brick fort, with two tiers of casements, and mounts more than three hundred guns. During the war it was used us a military prison, and many a poor fellow, after a court-martial, heard the words: "Sen tenced to the Dry Tortugus for life,'' These had accumulated till, in the autumn of 18G5, inorc than GOO men of all nationalities and all colors, were gathered tin re, and for all crimes, from some hasty word, most likely true, said to a subaiteran officer, up to robbery and attempted murder. <>ur guard consisted of only about two hundred men, and there was plenty of Work for us to do. The records bad been but imperfectly kept.and the term of sentence of some prisoners had long before expired. These were hunted out and sent home lirst. Then l'o or more of the liett'-r men were recmn mended f.>r pardon, which was freely granted by President Johnson, for he was in a pardoning mood at that time. But the main interest centered around the four conspirators, Mudd, Arnold# sq-anglcr and O'Loughlin. They were supposed to be terrible fellows, ready to < tit all our throats any time on a moment's notice. Dr. Mudd was the central figure. He was a fair-haired man of good sire and rather prejossea sing appearance. His one all-absorb ing thought was that be was the victim of great injustice, and whenever he could gain a listening ear, into it be always poured hi* griefs. He was de tailed a* general nurse in the hxq>itaj and did g<x*| service there, till in an evil day lie attempted t> oscaj>e by se creting himself on board a steamer. Of course he was found, sent hark in disgrace, and afterward kept in solitary confinement Arnold was a young man, not more than twenty-four or t w enty-th e, handsome, highly educated, refine*] and retiring in his manners He said little, never complained, but felt his disgrace most keenly. He was kept as a clerk in the provost marshal's office, and many a descriptive or mus ter-roll in his beautiful handwriting went to Washington. He had the ability, and ought t<*-*iay to be taking good care of himself somewhere. Spongier, the stage * arpenter at Ford's theater, was a jolly German, and, to all appearances, as happy there as mortal man ever is. How well I rememlier his portly form, bustling atiout at his work, the happiest looking man in the fort Lastly was poor O'Loughlin, an Irish, man, I think a shoemaker by trade. He had left a family in Washington, and Could not l>car tip under bis punish ment. He drooped from tho day he reached the place, and dW*l soon after 1 left I have to day a letter from Mudd and one from Arnold, written after I had left the service, asking my aid in procuring some mitigation of their pun ishment. While I did not pity them as I did the more than 150 soldiers sent there for the most trilling breaches of military law, I can still see how they were all, perhaj*. more unfortunate than criminal. The (Most W underfill Thin?. A correspondent asked a Zuni chief who came Last last fall: "What of all you saw in your jour ney impressed you most with the supe riority of the white men over the Indians?" Tho father of the Zuni* turn ed his eyes toward me, and answered slowly: "The ease with which they can get water. The whito man takes the river into the wails of his house. By turn ing a little iron stick lie ran get that which we pray for all our HvcsH' This was to the mind of the Zuni, the inhabitant of the barren, rainless land, the triumph of civilization. I asked him If he wanted to go back to ; the States, and he said: "Yes, I grow strong with anxiety that I may go again."— Chicago Inter-Ocnan. The length of the submarine cable* in the whole world Is estimated at 64*000 miles, And their value to lie t20a.00j.000. PEARLS OF THOUGHT. The brave man carves out bis own fortune. A life spent worthily should be measured by a nobler line—-by deeds, not years. JIo is most to blame who breaks the law—no matter under what provoca tion he act. Nothing can constitute good breed ing that has not good nature for its foundation. Men are sometimes accused of pride Tneroly because their accusers would he proud themselves if they were in their places. By rousing himself, by earnestness, by restraint and control, the wise man may make for himself an island which no flood can overwhelm. Some people are nothing but money, pride and pleasure. These three things engross their thoughts, and take up their whole souL l'ersevcrance can sometimes equal genius in its results. There are only two creatures," says the eastern prov erb, "which can surmount the pyra mids—the eagle and the snaiL" The beginning of hardship is like the first taste of bitter food—lt seems for a moment unbearable; yet, if there is nothing else to satisfy our hunger, we take another bite and find it possi ble to go on. One ought to love society if he wish es to enjoy solitude. It is a social na ture that solitude works upon with the most various power. If one is misan thropic, and betakes himself to loneli ness that he may get away from hate ful things, solitude is silent emptiness to hira. Peace i* bettor than Joy. .Toy is an unea*v gu*-.t, anil is always on tiji-b-*- to depart. It tries and wears us out, and yet keeps us ever fearing that tin next moment it will be gone, Peace is not so. It comes more quietly, it stays more contentedly, and it never exhausts our strength, nor gives us one anxious, forecasting thought. I.EMS FOR THE MONTHS. Tilliinanlr "Innri - Hup* rat I llaua lieTftrnra for Jrtrrla. In more modern times each month has had a gem consecrated to it, and the wearing "fa particular precious stone, an a talisman, by a lady lx>rn in a given month Is supposed to t>e more than usually fortunate. The system of divining applies only to women and theoretically is infallible. She who is Ixirn in January should wear only garnets, which would insure her th friendship anil fidelity of her a*sociat-- and w ill also render her true to them. Those Imrn in February inti*t wear the amethyst, which will make them sin cere with others, and will insure them against poisons and pas-ion* and ear**. Those who-e birthday fall- in March will lie wise, brave and firm by nature, and will Is- assi-ted in these qualitie by wearing a blood-stone. The dia mond Is sacred to April, and will keep her who is born in that month Inno cent till death, while the lady born in May should wear an emerald, which will lie certain to make her a loved and happy wife. Those Imrn in June should wear an agate to bring them health, wealth, peace ot mind and long jife, while the ruby clears away tie doubts, anxieties and pangs of love for th<se born in July. The sardonyx is for those born in August; with it as a finger ring, they are absolutely certain t<> gain husbands and happiness; with out it they are tiound to live alone, ami to die unwept, untmnnred and unsung The sapphire is good to prevent or cure insanity, and is especially beneficial to those born in Septemlicr, while the topaz, an emblem of friendship and love, is dear to those who first saw tin light in November, and the turquoise, the emblem of success, must lie worn by those whose birthday comes In December. Thesuper-t itious reverence with which jewels an- often regarded also apjiears in the habit almost uni vcrsal in the East of naming the more valuable stones. The Kohinoor and the Kohitoor are examples too well known to need more than mention, but there are scores of others. The treas uries of the East from the earliest time have abounded with diamonds,various ly known according to their beauty. There were the .Sea of Fire, the River of Light and the Son of God, the Eye of God and the Star of Gabriel, the Ocean of Love and the Mountain of Beauty, the l)elightnf Women, the Pleasure of the King, the Delight of the Eyes and thePrideof the Treasury* stones were often the Gift of Allah, the Angei of the Mountain, the Boast of the River, tho Soul of the Queen and the Star of the Ocean. Nor were diamonds alone in being named, since ether equally favored In this way, and the superstitious reverence felt for them is quite clearly manifest.—Giob*- Democrat. A CHINESE DINNER. Tlir Plctnra<|u ftmi<|u*t In a *fanrl* rln'ft lluUMhuld. Our party of five English guests, met in (j.'i office, and proceeded in In dian file, ea-h in hia sedan chair threading our way through narrow streets dimly lit with Chinese lan terns, says a writer in tho Pall Mall Gazette deseibing a Chinese dinner. We stopped In a narrow lane on the outskirts of tho town, entered a shab by-looking doorway and mounted a ladder-like staircase. This led into a suite of rooms, where I found myself wishing for Argus' eyes to take in the hundred new aspects. They were not large or gorgeous, like Hidonia's apartr mcnts in Holywell street, but quaint and curiously furnished. A long ta ble of black lacquer, arid square-cut chairs with marble blocks down eith er side, at the end a smoking divan with embroidered silk hangings. This was the ante-rooru. Two doorways led from it into the dining room, and in the space between them was a sort of kaleidoscope pattern of a adored glass, In-low which were rich hang ings, with grotesque dragons in gold thread sprawling over a crimson silk ground. Over the doorway was open arabesque work of ebony, and beyond the dining-room was a veranda with orange trees and creepers. While we were being Introduced, tea was served in Chinese fashion an invert ed saucer is dropped into the cup to keep down the tea leaves (teapots are unknown in China, j ami you sip, or, if you are a novice like myself, you spill, the tluid that finds its way between the two. Then we went to dinner, a party of t wel •> e. (in my right was an old merchant, sagacious and humorous, to judge by his look* and what I could make out of his broken English. On iny left was a young half-caste, edu cated in the government w hool here— fluent, sallow and con cited. Chairs, knives and forks had I provided for the English guests, but we soon discarded the chairs for th<- comforta ble lounges on which our hosts were seated, and also took to chopsticks, with the occasional assistance of a -ji-ion. Those chopsticks were a j-r -fort godsend, and I never should ha\e *ur\iveid without tlior help. But I must explain. The dinner which con sisted of some thirty courses, was all served in teacups. Cup followed cup, each filled with some kind of mince, *oine in broth and some dry, but all satisfying a* raspl>erry vinegar. Now the chopsticks allowed us to ta*te each one in succe*jon, and though we were not skill"-! enough to consume all we might have liked of the few gixxl, we could toy with the many nas ty ones and leave them without giving ofT" n*e. The bird's nest soup with which we began was negative—a sort of stringy arrowroot ; but the shark's lin and fishes maw stewed with ham were as rank a* conger eel. Quail, partridge and lobster are good all the world over, and the bamboo shoots and wood fungus with which they were served were n<> bad substitute for as paragus and mushrooms. But the stewed seaweed and sinews <tf th •leer? Had it not b*-n for the excellent dry champagne, I must have sucruiuti ed. The last course wa* exquisite, and brought back memories of the "Arabian Nights" honey rakes, earth nuts and sb wed lotus seeds in syrup. Dinner over, we lit cigars, and strains of music were heard from the next room. Two young girls, one of them dressed as a lmy, sang alternately, ac companying themselves on a sort of zither, played, however, not with the thumb, but a mallet or rather a min ute halberd. My young Chinaman apologized for what he called our na tional caterwauling: hut. though the notes were thin and shrill, yet instru ment and voire went so well together* and the air was so natively plaintive, that 1 listened with pleasure. There was an opium pipe in the divan, and our host, though not a smoker himself, offered to have a pipe prepared for me. j The serv ant brought s. small pellet of opium, which he held over a tlamo till it Imiled up to a big bubble. It was tlien put all hot into the liowl, and I gave as instructed a succession of short, quick pulls. In a minute it was out, leaving a sweet, sickly taste in my mouth, but producing no effect, pleas, i ant or otherwise, on my nerves. Reg ular smokers swallow the smoke, and no doubt that makes a difference. Taking Ills Father's Advice. An Arkansaw loy, writing from college in reply to hia father's letter, said: "So you think that I am wasting my time in writing little stories for the local papers, and dte Johnson's saying that the man who writes ex cept for money is a fool I shall act upon I)r. Johnson's suggestion and write for money, Send me fifty dot lars."— Arkotuaw Trat*lUr. The Bad Boy (JnlU Work. " Why are you not working at tb livery stable?" the gr<>cery man asked the had hoy. " You haven't been dlt ( charged have you?" And the grooefjf man laid a little lump of eon rent rated lye that looked like mapl- sugar, on ft cake of sugar that had been broken, knowing the bo y vv <uld nibble it. "No, sir ; 1 was not discharged, but when a livery man lends me a kick ing horse to take my girl out riding, that settles It. I asked the ta/ss if I couldn't have a quiet horse that would drive hisself if I wound the lines around the whip, and he let me i have one he said would go all day without driving. You know how It is, wh<-n a fellow takes a girl out rid ing he don't want his mind occupied holding lines. Well, 1 got my girl in, and we went out on the Wbitefish Hay i road, and it was just before dark, and we nde along under the trees, and 1 ] wound the lines around the whip, and i put one arm around my girl, and pat t<-d her under the chin with my other hand, and her mouth looked so good, blue eyes looked up at me and twinkled as much as to dare rne to kiss her, and 1 was all of a tremble, arid th'-n my band wandered around by her ear and I drew her head up to ine and gave her a smack. Say, that was no kind of a horse to give to a young fellow to take a girl out riding. Just as I smacked her I felt as though the buggy had been struck with a pile driver, and w hen I looked at the horse he was running away and kicking the buggy, and the lims were dragging on the ground. I was scared, 1 tell you. I w anted to jump out, but rny girJ threw her arms around my nock and screamed and said we would die together, and just as we were going to die, the buggy struck a fence and the horse broke loose and went off, leaving us in the buggy, tumbled d'.wn by the dash board, but we w< re not hurt. The old horse stopped and went to chewing grass, and he locked up at me as though he wanted to say * phUopeM.' I tried to catch him, but he woUloß't catch, and th< n we waited till dark and walked home, and I told the UvVry man what I thought of such treat ment. and he said if I had attended to my driving and not kissed the girl I would have been all right. He said I ought to have told him I wanted a horse that would not shy at kissing, bdt how did I know I was going to get ftp courage to kiss her? A livery mafc ought to take it for granted that when a young fellow goes out with a girl he is going to kiss her. and give him a horse according. Hut I quit him at once. 1 won't work for a man that hasn't got sense. Gosh ! What kind of maple sugar is that? Jerusalem f Whew, give me some water. Oh, my, it is taking the skin off rny mouth." The grocery man got him some wa ter and seemed sorry that the boy had taken the lump of concentrated lye by mistake, and when the hoy went out the grocery man pounded bis hands on his knws and laughed, and presently he went out in front of the store and found a sign, "Fresh letis, been pi cited inore'n month, tuffcr'n trine."— Peck't •Sun. What to Say. Say "I would rather walk," and not "I had rather walk." Say "I doubt not that I shall," and not "but 1 shall." Say "for you and me," and not "for you and I." Say "whether I lie present or not," and not "present or no." Say "not that I know," and no* .'that 1 know of." Say "return to me," and not "return it hack to me." say "I seldom see him" and not "sel dom or ever see him." Say "fewer friends," and not "leas friends." Say "game is plentiful," and not "is plenty." Say "1 am weak in comparison with . you," and not "to you." Say "it rains very fast." and not "very hard." Say "in its primitive sense," and not "primary sense." -ay "he was noted for his violence,'* and not "he was a man notorious for violence." i "Say I lifted it," and not "1 lifted it 1 up." And last, but not least, say "I take my paper, and pay for it in advance" The American Trotter. In "Science," W. H. Pickering* carrying out a suggestion made by Prof, Brewer, of Yale, constructs the curve of the progreee of the trotting horse In America, and finds that it will cross the tnlle-ln-two-mtnutee Una about the year 190 L He also deduce*, from statistics prepared by the same authority, the conclusion that at the date mentioned there will be not far from 10,000 homes in this country which c*n trot amUa in 2JO or better.
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers