asffifffcJl WTW 'WVJ "?? X S 10 -TEE PZTTSBUEGT DISPATCH. SUNDAY, AUGUST 17, 1890. hand and discharged the tiro barrel) at me with one pull simultaneously. The ballets -whizzed past me Eome ten yards ofE They knocked off the twigs beyond ay precions moon flower. I don't deny that I was astonished. I won't deny that I was frightened. To tell the truth I was never in such a hideous fnnfc belore in all ray lire. I trembled like a jelly my protoplasm curdled. I don't appose the creature intended to fire or had the slightest idea in his dim mind what fir ing meant. No doubt he was only playing with the unknown object out of pare monkey curiosity. He must hare been almost as much terriCed at the result as I was. Bat no matter for that; it was awk ward to find one's self face to face with a gorilla, alone and without one's rifle so awkward that for a minute or two I just gare myself up for lost entirely. The gorilla, however, after his first flush of surprise was over, did not, as I half hoped, fling down the noisy gun and make headlong for the remotest depths of the forest On the contrary, he stood and looked at it for a few seconds in blank dismay. He frowned with his scowling eyebrows; he gnashed his great teeth In raee; he roared like a waterfall. Then he seized the rifle deliberately in his great hairy hands, bent the barrels almost double, as readily as a man would bend a bit of common lead gas pipe, and flung it away angrily among the moss-clad bowlders. After that he looked up and grinned once more diabolically, showing his great canine teeth in the most gruesome fashion. FACE 10 PACE WITH A GOBILLA. "Well, I don't deny, as I say, that I was in a state of blue funk at the creature's gigan tic and almost supernatural powers. But still, the moonflower was at stake and I wouldn't desert it I was so horribly fright ened that I don't believe wile or "child or fatherland or freedom would have induced me to stay one moment alone in such dire extremities. But when it comes to orchidsl Well. I say no more than that I am above all things a scientific explorer; each of us has his weakness and mine is a flower. That touches my heart For that alone can I be wrought up to the utmost pitch of daring conceivable or possible for me. Bo I looked at the huge brute, and I looked at the moonflower. Slowly and cau tiously, gazing down all the time as I went to watch the creature's face, I crept along the branch, took my knife from my pocket, and began to loosen the bark all round the spot where the glorious parasite was all a-growing and a-blowing. The gorilla, from below, stood watching me and roaring. His roar seemed like an invitation to come down and fight I never in my life heard anything so awfully human in "its deep bass roll. It reminded me of the lowest notes of the stage villain in the Italian operas, mag nified, so to speak, 200 diameters. AS AWFUL MOMENT. Presently, as I went on catting away the bark, as if for dear life, and loosening the precious tuber, my gorilla, who still re mained motionlessby his moss-clad bowlder, lelt off his roaring and appeared to grow in terested in the process of the operation. A change came o'er the spirit of his dream. He looked up and wondered, with vague brute cariosity, not unmixed with a certain strange air of low cunning and intelligence. It was as clear tome as mud that he was say ing to himself inwardly: "Why doesn't the fellow cnt and run for his lile? Does he think I don't know how to climb a tree? Does he imagine I couldn't be up there in a jiffy if I liked to choke him or scrag him? What the dickens does he go on hacking away at the bark so quietly like that for, when he ought to be all agog to save his own bacon?" I despaired of explaining to so rude a creature the imperative nature of scientific seed. So with one eye on the orchid and one on the brute, at the risk of contracting a permanent squint for life, I continued to egg out that magnificent moonflower, root and branch and tuber. The longer I went on the closer and the more attentively did the gorilla take stock: of all niv acts and movements. "Well, I declare," I could see him say to himself in the gorilla tongue, opening wide his huge eyes and elevating in surprise his shaggy brown eyebrows, "such an animal as this I never yet did come across. He isn't one bit afraid apparently of me, the redoubtable and redoubted king of the great Gaboon forest." A SECOND DAXIEI But I was, most consumedly, for all that, though I pretended not to be. Nothing but the presence before my eyes of that mag nificent plant would have indnced me for one moment to face or confront the unspeak able brute there. At last I had finished and held my specimen in my handsentirc The next question was what to do with it I walked slowly and cautiously along the branch of the tree. The gorilla, with his eyes now fixed enrionsly on the moon flower, put forth one hairy leg in front of another, and grinning with a sort of dia bolical, brutish good humor, walked step lor step on the gronnd just as cautiously be neath me. I came to the end of the bough, and reached the point where interlacing branches enabled mc to get on to another tree. I did so somewhat clumsily, for I was handi capped by the moonflower. The gorilla, still grinning, looked up, and remarked, in his own tongue, "I could do that lot, I can tell you, a jolly sight better than you do." As he smiled those words I had lost my balance, and clinging still to my moon flower in my last chance lor life, lowered myself slowly hand over head to the ground in front of him. THE XESCUE. With a frightful roar the creature, sprang upon me, and made a wild grab at my pre cious moonflower. That was more than scientific human nature could stand. I turned and fled, carrying my specimen with me. But my pursuer was too quick. He caught me up in a moment His scowling black face was ghastly to behold; his huge white teeth gleamed fierce and hideous, his brawny, thick bands conld have crashed me to a jelly. I panted and paused. Mv heart fluttered fast, then stood still within me. There was a second's suspense. At its end, to my infinite horror, he seized not me oh, no; not me I might have put up with that but the priceless moonflower. I was helpless to defend myself helpless to secure or safeguard my treasure. He took it from me with a grin. I could see through those sunken eyes what was passing in the creature's dim and brutal brain. He was saying to himself, like men at his own low grade of cunning: "If that tuber was worth so much pains to him to get it must be worth just as much to me to keep. So bv your leave, my friend, if you'll excuse me, I'll take it" DEFEAT. I stood appalled and gazed at him. The brute snatched that unique specimen of a dying or almost extinct genus in his swarth, hairy hands those clumsy great bands of his raised it bodily to his month, crushing and tearing the beautiful petals in his coarse grasp as he went ate it slowly through, tu ber, stem, spray, blossom and swallowed it conscientiously, with a hideous grimace, to the very last mortel. I had but one grain of consolation er revenge. It was clear the taste was exceedingly nasty. Then he looked in my lace and burst into b loud, discordant laugh. That laugh was hideous. "Ahal" it said, in effect "So that's all you've got, my fine fellow, after all, for all your pains, and care, and trouble!" I shut my eyes and waited. My turn would come next He would rend me for the nastiness of the taste. I stood still and shuddered. Bat li he meant only to eat the moonflower. . When I opened my eyes again the brute had turned his back without one word of apology, and was walking off at a leisurely pace in contemptuous triumph, shrugging his shoulders as he went, and chuckling low to himself m his vulgar dog-in-the-manger joy and malignancr. It was four days before I straggled alone, half dead, into Tulamba. I never came across another of those orchids. And that is why at Kew they have still no moonflower. the ess. Pltliksrs sod Limit Erie R. K, Xiake Chautauqua and return, tickets good IB days, 5. Oa sals Tuesdays, Pri (Uyiud Saturdays. zhsn A MY OUT OF TOWN. Trip Up the Hudson From Kew York and a Visit at Saratoga. CHAT WITH EX-GOYEBHOR CURTIN. Fashionable Gambling as Free and Open as Any Seen at Monaco, THE HOTELS AND HOW THEICHAEGE rcoBsxsroxsracK of thi dispatch.: New Yoke, August 16. There are more places out of town for a day's recreation immediately accessible to New York than can be found in the vicinity of any other city of the United States. The tired busi ness man can have his choice of seashore, or mountains; of lake or river or rail. From (50 cents to $5 wiilland him anywhere from Coney Island, the Jersey coast and the Alleghenies to Saratoga, Lake George, Lake Champlain and the Adirondacks. I know of no msrs agreeable trip than that afforded by the day line of steamers on the Hudson. Those magnificent palatial steamboats, "The New York" and "The Albany,""ply ing between the metropolis and the State Capital are crowded this season of the year. The fare is but $2 and the scenic treat of the "American Bhine" is cheap at the price. The route is a favorite one for tourists. I noticed while going up the other day that the upper decks swarmed with the same class of people that are seen on the little Bhine steamers between Ma venee and Cologne. The same women with bundles and waterproofs and umbrellas the same men with field glasses slung to them, with extra canes and new traveling bags, crooks and alpine stocks. On the Bhine the boats are not bigger than an American gentleman's yacht: on the Hud son they are floating palaces, with restau rants, immense saloons, comfortable state rooms, orchestras, accommodations for half a thousand guests, and room enough for double the number. BEATS SHINE TRAVEL. The Hudson river travel is to-day nearly that of the palmy days of the Mississippi. The Hudson river itself is in volume and dignity as far superior to the Bhine as our boats are to the old-fashioned pointed barges of Germany. When it comes to scenery there are points along the Hud son equal to anything along the Bhine, though lacking the wild and weird romance of the latter historical stream. The creature comforts of travel are, of course, with us. I could not help but contrast the meal served me in the splendid restaurant of the Albany, where at least 200 guests were being served at once, with the miserable, stincy table d'hote dinner set in the little crowded cabin of a Bhine boat Another difference also presented itself in the matter of baggage. Abroad you must sit on your possessions all day, like a sitting hen, or else pay somebody to watch them. When we speak of "The American Bhine," therefore, let the term be understood in the broadest American sense. It is only by contrasting these things with the best ac commodations of other lands that we can realize and fully appreciate our own. A SAT AT SASATOOA. From Albany to Saratoga is bnt a trifle more than an hour and a dollar. You have been just 11 hours, 9 to 8, coming up. By rail along either river bank yon might have made it in about five hours, but yon would pay more money, have less comfort and no enjoyment Lovely old Saratoga I The thoughts of it bring back the flutter of lasbionable wings, the grand hotels, sounds of music, gay turnouts, splashing fountains, brilliantly lighted bazaars, bareheaded promenaders, the festive roulette, wheel, spriogs and daily races and over all and greater than all else the thick, umbrageous shade of elm and maple. Saratoga is one great sylvan grove where fawns and fairies disport themselves for a brief season, poming and going with the leaves and flowers. I don't know what a genuine fairy would do if charged $5 a dav and the usnal extras incidental to hotel life in Saratoga, bnt you cannot even imagine a fairy on the sun-stricken beach on Long Branch, much less even think of such ethereal things at Coney Island, Atlantic City, or other seaside resorts. In fact, by the side of Saratoga all of these places are as a new rough pine fence to a granite wall. KifOW HOWTO CHABGE. The large hotels are more substantial and more closely resemble the continental hotels of the watering places of Germany and Switzerland. But the meals are by no means as good and the prices aremnch higher here. I stopped at one walkine around a block to reach my room from the elevator, sitting down to dinner among acres of tables, and viewing with an in dulgent and not hypercritical eye our American hog aristocracy. For these privileges I paid $5 a day, for one consecu tive day then I moved over to an unpre tentious cottage where I got quite as good for $2 SO. The hotel can seat and feed 800 guests at once, and another about 1,000. The dinners could be duplicated, except in variety, at anv half dollar d'hote dining place in New York. I am a simple diner myself, and abomin ate the Western habit ol two or three meats and a whole litter of side dishes. My waiter bronght in response to my order about four tabl-spoonfuls of soup, two cubic inches of fish, four ounces of roast lamb and mint sauce scarcely fit to eat, a quarter of a squab on toast, four thin slices of tomatoes lost in a big china tureen, and some mashed potatoes. Inordinary quantities and well prepared this would have been a substantial meal; as it was it proved a hollow mockery of a dinner. For this the hotel charges $2. THE PEOFIT XX THE CABYINO. By sending the waiter back and waiting half an hour longer you can supplement your first order and get enough to eat Af terwards yen will know more and order more. The waiting is not disagreeable it the wine is good, and you have an eye for the health and fashion that surround you. This meal reminded me of the Washington landlord's saying, that the profit of hotel keeping is in the carving. Saratoga has long been a famous resort for public men. I met one who has made his mark upon his feneration and who is now in his declining years, retired from a long and useiul public career, loved and re spected bv everybody who knows him. This is the 'Old War Governor" of Pennsyl vania, A. G. Curtin. His friends will be glad to learn that the waters and rest of Saratoga have bronght him a better condi tion of health than he enjoyed last winter. I know of no more interesting talker than Governor Curtin. We sat an one of the broad piazzas one morning after breakfast He was dressed in a' plain business suit, like a Pennsylvania country merchant, bnt his tall figure, as straight as an arrow, and his noble bearing would command attention anywhere, as (hey did here even from those who didn't know him. CUETIir AND HAYWABD. An ex-Conlederate Colonel, William A Hayward, of South Carolina, joined us in conversation. Colonel Hayward himself is a striking military' figure, a man with a his tory. His strong, sweet Southern pronun ciation contrasted strikingly with the vigor ous English of the old Keystone Governor. "There was a time," said the latter, h's keen eyes resting on the blue orbs of tie sturdy Southerner, "when the people of South Carolina would not have welcomed me down there." "But that time has long since passed. Governor," quickly replied Colonel Hay ward. "Xti, happily. X have been there since. I was "never better treated, more cordially received in ay life than by your people. Wherever I went the hand of good fellow ship was extended in a manner I shau never foreet" "Brave men who did their duty atnhey Understood it," .responded the gallant ex- Confederate, "are the same everywhere. Among them there is no North and no South." "True, true. It reminds me of a scene I witnessed at Spotsylvania. Biding over the battle field after that action I came across a wounded Pennsylvania soldier. He was leaning against a stump holding a bloody leg. I dismounted andjasked him how he was. " 'Is the bone broken?' I inquired as he explained his injurv. "'No.saidhe, cheerfully, 'only a bullet through the flesh.' Still, he was faint and thirsty. WHISKY ON THE FIELD.) " 'What would you rather have just now. my man?' said I, 'if you had'but one wish I was thinking of his home in the Penn sylvania hills. . " 'I woul4 l'8 'iaTe R 00 foik f jrennsyivania wniscy, ne repiiea visa a smile. " 'Then here it is,' I replied, extending my flask. You shall have it! "He took the flask, held it in his hands a second, then pointed at a dying Confederate soldier near by. 'Better give it to him,' he said, 'he needs it more than I do, poor fel low. Yes, give it to him.' "We turned to the latter. For all we knew it might have been the very man who shot him. Bnt we propped him up and attempted to pour some of the liquor down his parched throat. He heard every word and seemed to understand the situation thoroughly. It was too late. With a grateful look in his eyes as he turned them a moment on the wounded Pennsylvania soldier, he sighed deeply and fell back dead!" The old Governor relapsed Into a silent re trospect for a brief space, as if he were re callinc tbe scene upon the battlefield. Then he continued: "I have seen that Pennsyl vania soldier since the war. He had nothing to begin life anew with. On the strength of that deed to an enemy at such a time I in dorsed him for a sum of money. He pros pered. He now owns two mills and a couple of farms, and he deserves all he has." "He does, indeed!" exclaimed the Colonel warmly. "There is no war feeling now be tween such men. THE XOBTH AND THE SOUTH. We then fell to the discussion of existing relations between the North and South. "The soundest relations between two peo ples," said Governor Curtin, "is the com mercial relation. It is the same way as between individuals. Hen wlose com mercial relations are close am closest friends. Countries whose business relations are closely commingled are not in much danger of war with each other. The commercial bond between the North and South was very slight beforethe war now it is strong, and it grows stronger every year. With Alabama iron selling in Pittsburg and Northern capital invested in Sonthern in dustries and landed property the ill feeling between the sections is rapidly passing away. It can never be revived." In the marble-tiled barroom of the Grand Union hve or six gentlemen were seated at a table. One was a well-known turfman, another a clubhouse proprietor, the rest gentlemen of middle-aged leisure. Tney were drinking and talking a good deal of both. One was nointed out to me as a man who had lost and won $10,000, $15,000 and $20,000 at a single sitting at laro or roulette. He was dressed in tbe heignt of lashion In pearl gray, his Prince Albert close bnttoned. His mutton chops were accurately trimmed, and were liberally mixed with brown and gray. A WATTEB GETTING BICH. Every time he ordered around of drinks he gave the change to the waiter who served them. Sometimes it was the balance of a $5 bill. No matter what it was he pushed it to tbe waiter. Then I noticed another of the party doing the same. In turn they each shoved the change to the waiter. The latter as promptly shoved it into his pocket He was a colored man, and his shining black face was a curious study. It was as im passable as the face of a sphinx. He stood at a little distance watching. When a finger was raised he approached, deftly wiped the board, removed the glasses, took the orders without hurry, overeagerness or bustle. He simply did it easily and with celerity. I never saw such a perfect waiter. And'I never saw one so handsomely remembered for his services. Half a dozen of his lellows waited upon other people or stood around and envied him. The Saratoga CInb was in fall blast Perhans mv friend's face was well known. At any rate we walked through the wide open front door without any question, and directly into a large, handsomely appointed room full of sporting people. To me it seemed ns public as ever was gambling house in New Orleans. Tbe crowd inside was an exceedingly orderly and well dressed one. It was divided into more or ' less closely packed groups. AS OPEN AS AT MONACO. The sound of the whirling marble, the click of the chips or the rattle of the dice box told distinctly what was goffag on within those groups. You could have heard these sonnds from the sidewalk. Roulette seems to be the favorite game as there were two wheels to every faro layont. You can lose and win more rapidly, and the excite ment is more intense and unbroken in this game. While playing is not to high here as at Long Branch there is pretty lively competition for places at the cloth of green, and a good deal of money changes hands every day. Some excitementwasmanifest.the evening I was present, due to rumors of large losses sustained by a yonng Western swell a man from San Francisco, I believe. It was said that he left $10,000 at the club house within two hours, then lighted a cigar and strolled away like a man who had received the worth of his money. The attendants con nected with such places are very reticent about lasses; they are quite willing lucky plavs shall be given out The latter are i usually followed by vigorous attacks on tbe same "tiger." What struck me most forci bly is the openness of the game. I doubt very much whether anothersuch a scene can be witnessed this side of Monaco. I must mention one more conspicuous feature. This is the great democratic throng that large class of cottagers and boarding house people who are not "in the swim." They can live here jnst as cheaply as they could live at Asbnry Park. Every other lady runs aronnd bareheaded In the even ing, and under the electrie lichts you can't tell whether her costame cost $10 or $100. CHABLE3 T. MUBBAY. , CBEKATmS THE LKSA52. A Committee That Thinks tab FressBtlJsck System Tends That War FhU&aelpbU Inquirer.: Secretary Wetherill, of the Lunaty Com mittee of the State Charity Board, has called the attention of his committee to the character of the locks used on the rooms of inmates in State and private insane hos pitals, and they have seriously taken the matter into consideration, to the extent of advocating the abolition of old-fashioned locks and keys, and recommending the sub stitute of a bolt which is much simpler in form. There have been 17 disastrous fires in large insane asylums during the past seven years, and the loss of life has been attributed to the difficulty in opening the locked doors. The committee recommends the use of a small cylindrical bolt sliding in an outer case ment, which can be opened by a simple torn, and in case of fire will be easily manipu lated, to the salvation' of many lives. SOIKa LOKD0K CHEAPLY. Take Private Lodclnxa and Est at the Bread and Bleat Shops, FhllsdelphU Inquirer. "I didn't like London at all," said a gen tleman who has jnst returned from abroad last night "Don't think of going to a hotel if you propose staying any length of time in the city, but take furnished lodg ings and get your meals at tha bread and meat shops places unknown in America. "By that means you can live very comfort ably on $5 60 a week, while if you stop at a hotel your bill will bo something absolutely '" A GLADSTONE EVENING. The Grand Old Dlan Caught la the Scene of One of 11 fs Triumphs In tbe English. Home of Commons by a Clever Sketch Artist. Fall Hall Budgetl I Jr if Mi Enten From Behind (As Speaker's Chair. A Dtrltive Cheer. Hutting It In. Th$ Old Jfan Etoqnmt. Lsncest Electrie Railroad. A notable Installation is about to be mat between Seattle and'Taeoma, a distance of 43 miles. This will bo the. longest eleotrio UIJ Mi Mtt V4M I 1fSiir A Doze Sjfort tht BattU. hHNH Awake. Getting Tired. Jill .vf THE POWER OF GEMS. Spiritual Influences Ascribed Them by the Ancients. to MAGICAL VIRTUE IN A DIAMOND. Stones That ire Lucky, That Wan Danger and Dely Poison, of GROUND UP AND USED AS MEDICINE rwnrrnx job tot cisrATco. Becords that have come down to us from times most remote bear witness to the uni versal esteem held for gems in the symbol ical and occult sense. Their natural qual ities were supplemented by others of a spir itual nature, which gave them power to bless or curse, according to tbe nature of the particular stone and the character of its owner. Some stones, however, held good or evil influence over all alike, and without reference to the individualities of their wearers. Speaking generally, stones con sidered occultly, may be grouped as lucky or unlucky, friendly or inimical. The fol- flowing items, gathered from various sources, will illustrate the position taken, beside yielding much that is of interest to all true lovers of gems: Beginning with the princely diamond, it was not unnaturally endowed with the most extraordinary powers. The Hebrews de clared it to be so occultly powerful as to de prive all other gems of their influence when ever they were brought into "its presence. It was used in the school of the prophets as an aid to mental concentration and spiritual ecstacy; and, it is believed, it is even yet so used among students of the occult and eso teric. It is a stone, however, whose power worked both ways, its possession giving either great light "and magical virtue, or tile most profound darkness to the soul, accord ing to the use made of it, and the moral status of the owner. To the Greeks it was known by suoh fanciful names as the holy necessity, the ethereal fire, the male of be ing, tbe tearsyof the Gnomes, and the em blems of tbe sun. In its highest sense, it symbolizes truth, and is therefore not inap propriately used as a setting for the be trothal ring troth-plighting and truth plighting, meaning one and the same thing. TTBTTJE 07 THE BOCK CRYSTAL. Bock crystal, although not classed among the precious stones, was and still is re garded by Oriental nations as possessing oc cult virtues similar to those of the diamond. Hade into round balls and properly manip ulated, it develops clairvoyance iu the one who gazes long and steadily therein. In Japan such a ball is said to be in every well-regulated Household, iiept in a room set sacredly apart for that use, the entire family assembl-s around it once a day in order to cultivate the faculty of foresight and foreknowledge, as well as to communi cate with the spirit supposed to animate the crystal mass. Contemplation of the crystal is also said to bring good sleep and pleasant dreams. The sapphire is pre-eminently the stone of intellect and moral power. It impels one to the acquisition of wisdom, justice and pnre love. It insures protection from many dis eases, and will also ward off dangers. An enemy to poison, it will, if put in their com pany, kill all venomous reptiles and insects. Saint Jerome, moreover, asserts tbat it wins for the wearer the favor of princes, pacifies enemies and frees from enchantment The sapphire was sacred to the god Apollo, and was always worn at his oracle. The amethyst has a similar power against poison. It is also a sleep dispeller and a sharpener of the wits, a promoter of dreams and fat; a preventer of drunkenness and an aid to the control of the passions; in fine, it is a strencthenerot the will nower. and ;n excellent stone for the dull, the morally sou piiyBicaur wcait auu sue lean. j.n me days of chivalry 'it was also supposed to render the owner brave and to insure vic tory. THE TTJKQUOISE 13 LUCKY. The turquoise 'is generally esteemedtas a decidedly lucky stone, preserving its owner especially from all contagious diseases. Its peculiar quality, nowever, is its sympa thetic affinity paling when' the wearer is ill, and resuming its natural bnlliancv when he recovers. A story is told of a certain person who let a valuable turquoise slip out of his hands through ignorance of this peculiarity. The stone belonged to a relative, and had lost its pristine splendor during his last illness. Thinking it worth less, the heir-at-law sold it for a mere song, to find later on that it had regained all its former value by being worn on the finger of a healthy man. ' ''Celestial, rosy red, love's proper hue" the ruby is above all others the stone of the affections. It is supposed to draw and to hold the love of others to the owner. The knight of olden time also wore it to keep his honor bright and his constancy true. It is the sacred stone of the Burmese they be lieve it the incarnation of a human soul about to enter Nirvana. Its magnetio sphere is said to quicken and to strengthen the vitality of the body. It is also another sovereign remedy against plague and poison, and drives away evil spirits and bad dreams. The garnet and the jacinth have much the same qualities ascribed them, although in a lesser degree, and with some trifling distinc tions. PEOMOTES DOMESTIC HAEMONT. The emerald ranks hizh in the scale of occnlt power and Oriental esteem. It is pre eminently the symbol of the highest, purest love. It imparts warmth and constancy to friendship. It holds the first place as a stone for married partners having the reputatioufor promoting domestic harmony and happiness. Its greatest peculiarity, however, lies in its supposed power to dis cover treachery and ingratitude in mutual friends increasing dimness of its luster be ing the sign thereof. The Komans moreover believed tbat the emerald had tbe power to make serpents blind, if they but looked up on it; and also of repellinc all objects of detestation and dislike, which would fall overwhelmed in its presence. As a gem it was dedicated to the god Mercury. The following properties were ascribed tne Topaz: it discovered poison by becom ing obscured when bronght into contact with it; it quenched the heat of boiling water, and its powers increased and de creased with the changes of tbe moon; it calmed the passions and prevented bad dreams. Others considered it a cheerful and vitalizing sort of stone, promotive of good spirits and digestion. Amber is said to exert a similar influence, and to preserve children from witchcraft and sorcery. THE PEA BE MEANT PUEITT. Pearls have always signified innocence knd purity and were anciently worn on the arm by vestal virgins and others, as a sup posed guard to their chastity. The occult properties ascribed them, "however, are almost nil. Not so with the opal. This peculiar stone is accredited with a more than ordinary share of supernatural power. Ih the first place, it is said to be tbe sacred stone of Mexico the ancient Mexicans re garding it as the Soul of Truth. It is also the stone of tbe hermits, fatal to love, and the separator of friends. Among the Greeks, the possession of the opal, if used for un selfish ends, was thought to give the ljghtof prophecy and foresight; but used otherwise, it brought nothing but'ruin and disaster. The popular idea that the opal is an unlucky stone springs probably from this same tradi tion. It is believed by many to pale at the approach of danger to its owner, sharing the sympathetic affinity of the torquoise. Speaking of unlucky stones, the onyx takes the precedence of all so considered, as the baleful generator of strife and melan choly. The cause lay in the evil demon supposed to be imprisoned therein; which evil demon, coming out at midnight, also brought bad dreams to its owner, and otherwise disturbed his nocturnal rest Cnl. on the othorlhand.averts the evil era. JjLad defends tht wearer tnm the delations of the devil. For occult reasons not speci fied, it was moreover held sacred to the gods, Jupiter and Apollo. A jet signet ring also possesses a similar power, driving away graveyard specters and ghosts. Among the least valuable stones, the cat's eye was gen erally considered incicy. xne agate was thought to render its wearer invisible; and the Greeks regarded the lodestone as an aid to the concentration of mind. They also claimed that they heard the voices of angels proceeding from'it ' A STONE FOB EACH MONTH. Stones had also an astronomical and astro logical significance, corresponding to the 12 signs of the Zodiac A particular stone was held saered to each month, and was used in connection with astrological prediction!. When worn together as an amulet, they were thought to yield an occult influence either for good or evil, according to the sfgns of the zodiac then in the ascendant They were arranged in the following orderr January ana toe garnet or jacinth, Febru ary and tbe amethyst, March and the blood stone, April and the sapphire, May and the agate, June and the emerald, July and the onyx, August and the carnelian, September and the chrysolite,October and the aquama rine,2Tovemberand the topaz and December and the rubv. The 12 stones in tbe breastplate of the Hebrew high priest, aside from the occult power ascribed them, represent also the 12 tribes of Israel, though in what precise order is not now known- The Twelve Apostles of Christ, however, are represented as follows: Peter, bv the jasper; Andrew, by the sap phire; James, by the chalcedony; 'John, by the emerald; Philip, by the sardonyx; Bar thblomew, by tbe carnelian; Matthew, by the chrysolite; Thomas, by'the beryl; Thad deus, by the chrvsoprase; James, the Lesser, by the topaz; Simeon, by the jacinth, and Mathias, by the amethyst. THEIE USE IN MEDICIKE. But not the least interesting chapter in the history of gems is the medicinal use to which many of ihem were pat The sap phire and the agate were considered good for fevers. The emerald, taken in doses of six grains each, was used as a remedy for various diseases, and also good for the eyes. Seed pearls were, and still are, used by tbe Chinese and other Oriental nations in cases of syncope and flaxes of the blood. Ground ruby and red coral were taken for lung troubles. Coral was also given as an as tringent to new born infants. A piece of jasper hung about the neck, strengthened the stomach. Lapis lazuli was used as a laxative, and rock crystal administered in wine, was erven for dysentery. Amber was, and still is, worn about the neck, as a preventive and cure for certain throat troubles. The remedial power was supposed to lie in the occult properties of the gem administered, and not in the material substance of the stone itself. Mask F. Geiswold. TTTR TELEPHONE TRICKED HTJC. How B Cblcnso Batcher Lost His Trade Thronsh si Subscriber's Joke An amusing story is told of the early days of the telephone by one of the first subscrib ers of the Chicago Exchange, says the New York Sun. One day on answering the call he discovered that the talker at the other end of the line was one of the prominent society ladies of the Southside, who was nnder the impression that she was talking to her butcher. "What do you mean," she said, "by send ing me such a roast of beef as that of yester day?" "I asked her what was the matter with it," says tbe narrator of tbe story, "and she replied that it wasn't fit for a dog to eat I sailed into her right there, saving that I had more trouble about her trade than that of all my other customers combined. I told her that she not only did not know a good piece of beef when she saw it, but that she did not know how to prepare it, and that she didn't know how to eat it after It was prepared. "Of course she rang me off, and I went to my desk and rolled over with laughter. In a few days I had occasion to go into the butcher's shop, and I asknd casually, 'Does Mr. trade here now?' mentioning the name of the hnsband of the lady who had talked to me over the 'phone. 'Mo, sir,' the batcher replied. 'He came in here and said that I had insulted nis wife over the telephone. I tried to explain, but he wouldn't have it So I have ordered the confounded thing to be taken out of here. I was afraid of it in the first place, and told the fellow it wouldn't work. It is a hum bug.' J suppose I ought to have told the batcher the truth, but I couldn't summon the nerve." JIM DUBKEETS WATEBL00. l warrnaf iob thi dispatch, i Jim Sarkee he could arcjfy; they said thet he wnz able To dispute tbe Ten Comman'ments an' the mnl'plcatlon table; He hed slcb a flow uv languldge, slch er heap uv eddlcatlon v Hs would arger with the scrlpter an' reply to revelation i The schoolmaster he argered down, the minis ter he shivered. As' he smashed the doctor's logic so It never hain't reklvered; Once we cacght tha Tillage lawyer an' set Jim Barken on him Jim spread him out flat, Ilka a mat, an' waltzed aroun' upon html , The 'Sqniro wnz s' cat to death uv him; hs terrl- fled the deacon; Wen he argered with the editor he'd make him wilt an' weaken; Ha argered down the pos'master, an' argered down tnu rector. An' argered off one-half his tax f am oar ol' tax collector. Oar silfekmen caved In ter him, the priest he dasent 'spate him. An' ever one wnz scat uv him, bnt dlda't dare to shoot him. Bat once a quiet stranger moved Into our com munity. Jim captered him at Dixon's stork the earlles' opportunity. An' Jim he tried to pester him. an' tried to rlt Aim frothin'; ' The chau-t-Jack Sennet wax his name hs didtv say much er nothln'; We all thought Jim had conqaersd him the very thing we dreaded Wen Jack he jest unhitched his jaw an' went Ier him baldheadedt With tbe wisdom uv the ancients did he heat an' belt an' bat him; He jest pelted hlm'ltn schoolhooks an lie threw tbe Bible at him; They fell as gratefully about his chunks nv cvclopedy El er storm uv twenty-dollar bills among the tsAr an' n.Ailv 4 Than all ns chaps jest egged him on, an' Toa an' Dick an' Harry They cheered an' clapped an' hollared w'Ua he flnng tbe dictionary; He Blanc Congressional reports, an' scattered commentators. An' hoed out ol' authorities ez if they wnz per- taters. The S'preme bench he took apart an' threw the fragments at blm, With tbe gospel, law an' prophets he jest terrl fied'an' s'cat bim; He slung roan' all tbe 'ologies an' fired all the lsros. An' all the articles an' creeds an' all the cate chisms. Jest ez a cooper hoops er eask he hooped Mm In with logic. An' we stood roan' an' cheered an' yelled an' helped along tbe projeck; Then be look the party platforms an' threw the pianjcs upon mm, An' toen tossed the laws an' by-laws an' the Constitution on him. Jim wilted, like an August weed, an' hung his head an' started. Like Bonjparte at Waterloo he looked w'en he departed; An' then we balled his conqueror, "we're glad we ever knew yer," An' boosted him high In the air an shouted "Hallelujahr Nel year we chose him Blllckman, an' nex? to the Bute Senate We sent our first an' only choice, the Honora ble Jack Dennett; Las' year be run f er Congress an' the boys all shouted f er him Jim Darkee he went on tbe stamp an' spoke an' spouted fer him I 8. W. Fosa. Obitlnats Indlgrstlos. Obstinate cases of Indigestion, constipation, piles, or liver complaint are easily cored by a few Hamburg Fits, as may be proved at small cost 36 cents. Dose, one fig. At all. drug- BUHi ALACK 0OU,1. X, TOO MODEST BT HALF. The American Bird of Freedom Doesn't Scream Much Nowadays. SEEMS TO HAVE BEEN OVERAWED. Uncle Sam's People Are Paying Too Much Attention to Critics. SXOBBEBT IB A NATIONAL DANGEE rwarnxs voa TOT DISrATCH,l What has become of the American eagle? He used to-be such a proud bird; he had so much to say for himself; he cocked his tail and flapped his wings in such lordly fashion that he was a really delightful fowl to have around in spite of some little foolish ness which afflicted him. But now he is silent and unobtrusive Somethingappears to have gone wrong with him. Instead of shadowing the zenith with his exalted flight he seems to have gone permanently to roost. Let us hope he is only moulting. We need him back again in lull feather as soon as we can get him. Undoubtedly a season of moulting will be good for him. His second plumage, a little soberer than the first, will give him greater dignity and respectability. He will be older when he wears it, and that will be a good thing. He was a young bird when he took the screaming flights which made the world stare. His. foolishness was the foolishness of extreme youth. We can do without that perfectly well, but we want most of his other attributes just as they were. When he first tumbled out of the nest and found that he conld fly, he naturally concluded that he was the only creature in the world that could do that, and therefore no other creature in the world was of very much account Undo Htra Bashful. But he had more sense than conceit which is saying a good deal for his sense and he found that he had made a mistake about the other creatures, if not about him self. The result of that enlightenment is a reaction seyere and deep. In finding out that he is not quite so prodigious a fellow as he thought, he has almost made np his mind that he is no fellow at all, worth con sidering. This mood will be of less dura tion thanthe other; at least it is to be hoped so. It will not last beyond the moulting time. With his new leathers on, our bird will come forth from his retirement Then we may expect him to fly away straight in the eye of the sun. And this time, if he has gained as much wisdom as he ought, he will pav less heed -to the birds and beasts of other nations than he has done hereto fore. He will not scream defiance and con tempt at them, as at first: and he will not curb his flight or waver in it, as seems his present disposition, because those other birds and beasts have a somewhat different movement. The time is about ripe for another decla ration of American independence. This one need not be formulated in preamble and resolution, nor engrossed on parchment, nor be voted on by Congress. Tbere should not be in it a word of defiance addressed to any potentate or power in the world. There should be in jt no touch of unfriendliness or discourtesy. It should embody simply the sentiment and practice of absolute manly and womanly independence American in dependence. Some Fast MIstaKes. There ib greater need of this than many of us think. There is necessity that we begin to apply the Monroe doctrine to oar national manners and to tbe ordering of oar daily national life. In the kindest and friendli est tones possible we must begin to sar to outside people: "Hands off, if you please. No intervention!" It is commonly charged that we Americans are a very bumptious lolk. Perhaps we are in a certain way. But certainly that does not keep us from being more sensitive to criticism than any other nation on earth. We always were so, althongh at different times our sensitive ness has had different ways of manifesting itself. In the'davs of Mrs. Trollope and of Dickens their criticisms (is they were criti cisms) put ns in a rage. But we are of a sort that don't stay in a rage very long. After a little we began to admit to ourselves, and to each other, that the things those foreigners said were partly trne. There were men on this side of the ocean who did sit with their feet on the table or the mantelpiece; there were also men who did make of themselves islands snrrounded by tobacco juice; there were men, and women, too, who were so far gone in barbarism that they ate with their knives. These things being true, it seemed to follow tbat anybody from abroad, no matter what his own standard of breeding might be, wis at perfect liberty to come witbin onr friendly eates, accept our most hospitable welcome, and then repay us for it with contemptuous abuse or patronizing advice. And the proper thing for us to do was to keep quiet under the infliction. Indeed, we conld hardly do otherwise without being as ill-mannered as onr critics. So in marvelous meekness of spirit we accepted the tongue-lashings ad ministered, and tried to mend our ways. Hast Slndy Oar Critics. How to be tolerant of criticism, even of impertinent criticism, is one thing; and to be subservient to criticism, even courteous criticism, is quite another tbing. In this, as in other matters, toleration indicates strength, and subservience indicates weak ness. Jnst now we are at tbe subservient stage. We are still sheepishly ashamed of the knife-swallowing part of our career, and are prone to think that anything .about us which other people object to must necessa rily be wrong. The sooner we get out of that way of thinking tbe better it will be for us. It is well enough to be told of our faults. It is still better to tell ourselves of them, and pretty sharply, too. But we must reserve to ourselves the final judg ment We mnst get into an independent frame of mind respecting our critics and what they have to say. We must decide for ourselves whether our ways are wrong ways or not Perhaps they are, but the mere fact that somebody with different ways says so dop't make them so. If they are wrong, of course, we ought to repentof thep. Whether our duty lies in repenting or in not repenting is a point we shonld inquire into.' It is exactly the point we don't inquire into now. We answer the call to repentance without question. We are told by one visitor that our general de portment is at fault; by another that our manner of eating is but a little removed from barbarirm; by another that our forms of speech are atrocious; by anotner tbat our social customs are absurd; by another that what we call our culture is ludicrously crude. A Foreign Standard Then the critics of our own household pipe up and sing a song with the same plaintive burden. "Tes," they lament, "America has a long way to go yet before she even comes in sight of the proper stand ard of cnltura and refinement We have been all around, you know, and we are quite qualified to Judge. America is a nice place, but it needs civilizing." The rest of us listen in meekness and promise that we will try our best to reform. Only tell us what te have done that we ought not to have done, and what we have left undone tbat we oaeht to have done, and we will try to et things right We are as anxious to be civilized as other people are to have us civilized. The list of needed amendments is hope lessly long. Wo drink ice water; nobody "over there" drinks ice water. We live in very warm and comfortable rooms; nobody "over there" thinks of living in very warm and comfortable rooms. We dance a cer- His mij wo hlue a certain ji o i our muk U a ttrteU wsyj we train ow 1 - , children in a certain way; we build our houses in a certain way, and so on. And these ways are all wrong "wavs, because the ways for all those things are very differ ent "over there." Perbap our ways are not the right ways. Undoubtedly some or them are the wrong ways; but not for any such reason as that given. Conformity is not the way of salva tion for us. It is assumed that the standard ol our critics is necessarily the correct one. Why? Why may not our standard be right and theirs wrong? Probably neither of them is the best Then we must set one up for ourselves tbat is the best, and try to reach that It is just as much in order for us to say to those of other nations, "you are absurd, because you don't do things onr way." as it is for them to say to us. We don't say it; and we won't, having too much courtesy for that, but the temptation is very strong sometimes. Flnnkeylsm Onr Peril. But whatever we do it is jnst as well to remember that we were set off here on a con tinent by ourselves expressly that we might not be flunkeys. Flunkeyism is the dis tinct peril of (democratic independence. Never mind about the Frenchman or tha Englishman or tne German or the Congo, man. We are quite as likely to be right sj any of them. There is no danger that any of us, in any country, will go too far in tha right direction. We are not likely lobe come too cuItivated.too refined, too civil ized In any way. Bnt when we find our selves in a wrong way let ns forsake it, be cause it is wrong, not because somebody elsa happens to be wrong in a different way. And let us try to get into the better course because it is better, not because it is tht course somebody else has chosen. But that is the wrong spirit, the con formists assure us. We are a young nation yet; necessarily crude and immature. Wo must take advice from those older peoples and chasten our spirits to accept and sub mit to their criticisms. They speak to ns with authority for our own good because they are older. The present generation of Americans is precisely as old as the present generation of Englishmen or Frenchmen or Chinese. As to the generations that went before thisoae, we are joiat heirs with all the rest We inherit just as much as they do from Shakespeare, and Goethe, and Moliere, and Dante, and Confucius. The world is not so big as it used to be. The treasurers of the past that once belonged to one little corner of the earth now circulate freely over all its surface. Even the Pharaohs are on their travels. And America takes toll of every country and of every age. She shares the best with all the others. And she has as much capacity as any of them to make the best use of the best CrlllcUIaa- the- Critics. She is not a day younger than her critics, and she is not necessarily inferior to them because she is different in some of her ways. Perhaps some of her ways are better than theirs if she were not too ready to concede the contrary; and she might criticise some of the criticisms if she felt disposed to "talk back." One of the most eminent and merci less of onr foreign censors took a comb from his pocket at the dinner table and calmly combed out his whiskers in the presence of his other guests. Of course his personal habits had nothing to do with the abstract doctrine he preached; bnt tbat action weak ened the effect of what he had to say I Another, a critic of forms of speech, said: The Americans all 'guess that this or that is thus or so. None of them speak auita cor rectly, I fancy." And every American present forebore to inquire how "fancy" was any better than "euess." Bnt all that has nothing to do with tht case; any more than the patronizing im pertinence we sometimes have to endure, or the unfairness which compares the whole people of one nation with tbe most favored class of another. The point is that this country is quite qualified to set up a standard of manners and customs for herself, and is not bound to consider whether it is the same as any ether standard nnder tht sun. Let other countries do as thrr iImm and we will do as we please. If we find, oa careful consideration, that pia three times a day is desirable, let ns eat pie threo times a dayl If we enjoy ice water, and can get tha ice to make that seductive tipple, whv, that is our affair, and why should we not' drink it? If our climate makes furnace-heated rooms the thing needlul for us, let us con tinue to live comfortably in furnace-heated rooms; and all tbat without any uneasy misgivings as to what other people are say ing about it Take the American eagle off bis perch! Jaiies C. Pusbt. MUST HATE BEEH PAHTLESa. Case of a Man StraeU by LIshtalsK CItt4 Apropos of Kemmler. Hew York Frets. 1 A Kansas City gentleman, Edward B. Wilson, who is frequently a guest of tht Fifth Avenue Hotel in New York, told me here tbat he had been following Kemmler's case with deep interest, because of an ex perience of his own in which a friend was killed by lightning. The incident occurred in July, 1882, in a thunder storm on tht prairie. The thunderbolt struck his friend on top of the head as he was riding on horseback and passed downward to tha earth, killing him instantly, as well as his horse. His hat was burned so that it fell to pieces. The electricity separated on top ol his bead and passed down on either side, meeting again at the neck, which was dis located, one current being stronger than tht other. Iu leaving the body the fluid tors a hole in its victim's trousers at tbe knee of one leg, and tore a hole through the boot on the other leg. The collar buttons at tht neck of his shirt were fused into a shapeless mass of metal. A gauzt undershirt was literally burned to ashes fine powder. A (2,000 diamond shirt pia was also destroyed, tbe setting being re duced to a mass of shapeless metal, and the only reminder of the diamond being a black streak of carbon on the shirt front "My friend's face beean to get black shortly after he was killed," said Mr. Wil son. "''Then the body followed snit, and be fore I could get it home it was in such con dition that we conld not let even his friend look on the dead man." 0HLY G00SEBEBBY WTSZ. Mocb of lbs Ckampaans That Tlolilss JTsaa plr's Palmes Isn't Cbampacns at AIL PbUadelphla Inquirer.: "Not a little of the alleged champagnt now sold in this country as tbo genuint French article." said a prominent wine im porter yesterday, "is simply ripened goose berry wine, bottled and labeled to represent well-known brands. It not only looks but also tastes like champagne and has its sparkle and foam as well. Very few cham pagne drinkers in this country can tell tha difference when ripened gooseberry wine is palmed off upon them. It is an exceedingly palatable beverage and has the merit of being wholesome as well as inviting. "Another point in its favor is that it can be sold at a comparatively cheap rate and still afford a good profit to the dealer. It is jar preferable to the manufactured cham pagnes which used to be sold here so largely and which were simply poisons in disguise. A Resemblance. SewYorxWorld.J Chappie What do yon think of my mil tache? Cynicus It reminds me of a remark X heard at the ball match yesterday. Chappie What was that? Cynicus Down in front A Good Thine for Chlldraa. "For summer complaint," says Ben L. Bear, a prominent druggist of Los Angeles, Cal., "I know of no remedy so sure and saft to use as Chamberlain's Colic, Cholera and Diarrhea Bemedy." Mr. Bear is not alona in entertaining that opinion, as, wherever known, tht remedy is praised by all wot ut it ZkMjf
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers