f
- I ; '
r . , r
. .
HENRY A. PAESONS, Ja., Editob and Publisher,
tfXA' COUNTY TUB REPUBLICAN PA ItTT.
TWO DOIXASS fEB AN3"OM.
VOL I.
RIDGWAY, PA., THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 15, 1872.
NO. 50.
J
h
POETRY.
"THE LORD'S HOCSE."
Two children, etandlnjr with y.llow hair
In tho eunV rich, f olden my,
Wlnkln at Sol with their eye. no nn I
And thii 1 what thoy my t
" I com. from orer the Rhine," one raid.
And nulled &" he thought of home i
" It'e prettier there than here ; you're read
' Of oar church with Ite handsome dome,
" Germany's landn are to line," ehe raid.
And we haTe lord' houses there ;"
She glanced at tho cot ace. white and red.
At the landscape, pinln, hut fair.
I America poor?" ,ne asked In pity,
" And have you nothing here.
To compare with the grand old Rhenish city,
And the lords we no much fear t"
Antwerlng then, the American child
Thoughtfully raised her errs.
And m a manner firm but mild.
She Joyouily pointed high.
To the rich Illumined, lofty ppire,
Shining In God'i own light.
All lit with the tun'e rich beama of fire,
And ibe claspted her comrade tight ;
" That In the Ilonse of our Lord," said she.
And smiled at the other's look ;
For the nhenlsh maid said, " Can It be f "
And slowly the meaning took.
Two children, standing with yellow hair,
And their soft, whlto arms entwined ;
Qailng at heaven with eyes eo rare.
And thoughts toward Ood inclined.
THE STORY-TELLER.
TirE WIFE OF DR. FRAMCLIX.
BY JAMES TARTOX.
On a fine Sunday morning in October,
1723, Deborah Read, a beautiful and
blooming lass of eighteen, stood at tho
aoor ot her lather s house in Market-st,
Philadelphia.
Tho city was then forty-throo years of
1 :a a .. : J i
uuu iu uuiituuieu n population OI
seven thousand. Many trees of tho
original forest still stood upon its site
tho houses were built at some distance
apart, with gardens between them ; and
as yet tho street wore oil unpaved. It
was a largo, tranquil Quaker village,
surrounded by tho primeval wilderness,
with groups of Indians frequently to bo
seen in its streets ; ana sucli game as
wolves, boars, wild turkeys, and deer to
bo shot within four miles of tho town.
As tho young lady stood at tho door of
her home it was about church time in
tho morning sho saw in tho crowd of
church-going people a strange figure
that both amused and surprised hor. It
was a stout lad of seventeen, not ill
looking, but dressod in the very extreme
ot shabbmess. lie wore tho working.
clothes of an ordinary apprentice, and
these, by exposure to rain and the wear
and tear of travel, had becomo dirty and
dilapidated. The pockets of his coat
were stuffed out with shirts and stock
ings, and under each aim he had a largo
roll, while he was eating a third. She
gazed at him as long as she could see
him, wondering and laughing at his
ridiculous appearance. If she had any
thoughts upon tno subject, she probably
sot him down as a runawtiy apprentice,
for such indeed he was, one Benjamin
franklin, who had made his way from
Boston by sloop, by barge, and on foot,
to escape tho tyranny of his brother, to
whom he had been apprenticed.
A low days passed. Miss Read learn
ed from her father that a young man
was coming to board with them, a print
er, who worked in one ot the two print
ing houses of tho town. What was her
surpriso when the young man arrived,
nicely dressed, with clean linen, and
very neat in his person, to recognize the
torlorn and shabby youth who had
caught her eye on that Sunday morning,
His chest had arrived meanwhile by sea,
and thus ho was able to present himself
at his new abodo in a becoming costume.
Tho young man proved highly agreeable
to the family, lie was lull ot intelli.
gonoo, amiability, and good humor, one
ot those young tellows who make lrionds
wherever they go, because they are
themsolvos obliging and friendly.
A year glided rapidly by; during
which tho father of tho young lady died,
and was buried in Christ tjhurcn bury.
nig-ground, Philadelphia, where his
irravo-stono mav still bo soon and road.
His wifo, a vigorous and prudent wo
man, carried on tho house as usual, so
that it still furnished a home for the
young printer. . His fortunes had bright
ened during the year. The Governor of
the province, who hod accidentally be
come acquainted with his talents, had
promised to set him up in business as a
printer, and was going to send him to
' London to buy typos, a printing press,
and whatever is necessary for the busi
ness of a printer. With this prospect
before him, the young man was embold
ened to speak to Mrs. Read on a mo
mentous subject. Ho had fallen in love
with her boautiful daughter. He told
her this mighty secret, and of his intend
ed voyage to London, and of tho Gov
ernor s project of establishing him in
business. Finally, ho asked her daugh
ter's hand in marriage.
Mrs. Read was far from disapproving
the match, but, like a prudent mother
as she was, she called the young man's
attention to tho fact that neither ho nor
her daughter were yet nineteen, and
that it would bo most unwise for them
to marry just as ho was going upon a
long voyago, and about to engage in a
new business which might not prove
profitable. How much better to wait
until he was safe at home again, and the
business was well established. There
was no denying this, and he was obliged
to submit. Having thus arranged the
matter with the mother, he spoke to the
daughter, who confossed with her
tonguo, what her eyes probably had
often avowed, that she loved him, and
she promised to marry him on his return.
lie" set sail, and. reached London in
due time. . There he discovered that the
Governor had docoived and wronged
him most sruelly. ' Instead of letters of
credit, the Govornor had given ' him
mere letters of introd action whichjwere
absolutely "worthless." ' The" "consequence
was, that this young printer of nineteen
found himself in London with ten
ponndi in bis pocket, and not ft friend in '
Europe who could bo of tho slightest
help to him. To completo his misfor
tunes one of his Philadelphia frionds,
who had crossed the Atlantic with him,
and had come to London expecting to
live by literature, could obtain no em
ployment, and had no resources but
Franklin's purse. The printer was not
long in getting work at his trade ; but
as there were two to be supported, the
ten pounds rapidly melted away, and
Franklin saw no prospect even of his
boing ablo to get back to Philadelphia
at all, still less of appearing there as a
master printer.
In these circumstances ho should have
written to Miss Read a plain statement
of tho caso, and asked her to wait for
him or released her from tho engage
ment. Either he had not the courage to
do this, or else, absorbed by the wonders
and pleasures of tho town, ho had be
come indifferent to her. He merely
wroto her a short note, announcing his
safe arrival in London, and telling her
he was not likely to return soon. This
was one of tho great errors of his life,
which, ho said, he could wish to correct
if ho were to livo it over again.
Month after month passed, and De
borah Read, anxious and forlorn, heard
no more from hor faithless lover. A new
suitor presented himself, Rogers by
name, who carried on the trado of a
potter. Ho was an excellent hand at
his business, and for this reason Mrs.
Read favored his suit. Other relations
persuaded her to marry him, and at last
she gave her consent and the marriage
was celebrated. Soon tho dreadful
rumor was noised abroad in Philadel
phia that Rogers tho potter had another
wife. Such strong reasons appeared for
crediting this report that Doborah Read,
who had lived unhappily with him, re
turned to her mother ond resumed her
maiden name, a sorrowful and hopeless
woman. Her most sanguine friends
could not have foreseen for her a happy
and honorable future. Soon after
Rogers, who owed money in all direc
tions, tied from his creditors to the West
Indies, whence came soon after a report
of his death.
Franklin remained in London for
about two years, at the end of which ho
returned as clerk to a Philadelphia mer
chant, whom he had met by chance in
London. Upon his arrival ho renewed
his intimacy with Mrs. Read and her
daughter, and doubtless explained his
inconstancy as best he could. Ho la
mented Deborah Road's unhappy con
dition ; and, however ho may havo ex
cused his behavior, ho felt that she owed
the ruin of hor life to his own " giddi
ness unci inconstancy. The mother,
however, insisted that it wasxAf who was
most in fault, bocause sho had urged on
tho unhappy marriage, even against her
daughters inclination, bho still con.
suited Franklin Ivbout her affairs, and
they wore all excellent friends.
Ann so passed three or lour vears :
during which Franklin, through his own
industry ana good conduct, became a
master printer, and proprietor of a news
paper, with the prospect of founding an
extensive business, deeding capital,
ho tried to increase his store by mar
riage, and when that scheme failed, ho
turned his thoughts to his first love,
poor Deborah Read. Her runaway
potter was probably dead ; but ho might
not bo ; and she seemed forever cut off
from marriage by the fact that her
second husband would bo responsible
for the debts of her first. Such was tho
law of the period.
rrankun, pitying her forlorn condi
tion, always reproaching himself as tho
cause ot hor woe, and not less fond of
her than before, at lost proposed that
they should risk a marriage. Nor was
tho match so unequal as it seemed ; for,
bachelor as ho was, he had a son a few
months old upon his hands, which was
good set otf against tho chances ot
Rogers reappearance. In 1730. seven
years after Miss Read had seen Franklin
walk up Market street eating his roll.
they were married. Rogers, it turned
out, was really dead ; nor did any of his
creditors apply to Franklin for payment.
Tho child was taken homo and reared as
though it had been born to them in wed
lock. He was educated, and afterward
became Governor of New Jersey.
Tho marriage was eminently success
ful in every respect One of Franklin's
maxims in Poor Richard's Almanac was
this : " A man must ask his wifo to
thrive." Nothing more true. In vani
shall a young man, without much capi
tal, toil and deny himself, if he has a
wife who squanders his gains, and takes
no interest in his career. Mrs. Franklin
was one of tho most industrious, careful.
and friendly of women. Beside attend
ing her husband's little shop, she bought
rags, stitched pamphlets, folded newspa
pers, tenderly nurtured his child, and
kept her husband from being extrava
gant. He was by no means of an eco
nomical disposition. He was generous
to a fault, and, I am sure, was much in
debted to his wife for the rapidity with
which ho made his fortune. In the ear
ly years of their married life he could
sometimes boast and he did boast of it
that he was clothed from head to foot
garments which his wife had first
woven, and then made. "
It seems, however, that sho was not
averse to a reasonable amount of com
fort and display. Franklin narrates that
for a long time after his marriage he bad
nothing for breakfast but bread and
milk, and ho used to eat it out of a two
penny bowl with a pewter spoon.
"But, be continued, " mark now lux
ury will enter families, and make a pro
gress in spite of principle. Boing call
ed one morning to breakfast, I found it
in a china bowl with a spoon of silver.
They had been bought for me without
my knowlodge by my wife, and had cost
her the enormous sum of three and
twenty shillings ; for which she had no
excuse or apology to make but that she
thought her hiwband deserved a silver
spoon and china bowl as well as any of
his neighbors."
We have another pleasing glimpse of
Jlrs. Franklin, in the early years of hor
married life., in An advertisement.. tub-
lished in Franklin's paper,' 2hi PenneyU
tania Gazette. Franklin advertised eve
rything, and this is one of bis attempts
in that way :
1 " Taken out of a pow in the church,
some months since, a Uommon .Prayer
Book, bound in red, tr;U, und lettered D.
F. (Doborah Frinkhii) on each cover,
The person who took it is desired to open
it and read the ikighth Commandment,
and afterwards return it in the same
pow again ; upon which nofurther no-
tieo wiU be taken.
The first great sorrow of hor married
hie was the death ot their hrst child,
most beautiful and intelligent boy, four
years of age. So engaging was he, and
so rooted in tho hearts of his parents
that Franklin declared, thirty-six years
after, ho could never think of him even
then without a sigh. When the reader
visits tho gravo of Franklin in Christ
Uhurch burying ground ho will observe
nenr it a little stone, not two feet high,
which Franklin placed over tho grave of
his boy. He odded to the usual inscrip
tion these words : " Tho delight of all
who knew him." Their only otherchild,
Sarah, grew to womanhood, inheriting
and transmitting lier mother s beauty.
.During the last hlteen years ot their
married life Franklin spent most of his
time in Lngland, as agent for tho Colon
ies. Such was her dread of the ocean
that she never could be porsuaded to ac
company him or visit him. During his
absence sho took caro of all his affairs,
better, in some respects, than ho could
have done it himself. By almost every
ship sho sent him American nuts, ap
ples, and other products, and he sent her
in return all sorts of rare and beautiful
things in fabric and household furniture,
such as sets of china, articles of silver
ware, table-cloths, tea trays, blankets,
silk for dresses, and any curious house
hold implement which ho thought
might be useful.. On ono occasion ho
sent her a large, handsome beer jug.
" I fell in love with it," ho told hor,
at first sight, for I thought that it look
ed like a lat, jolly dame, clean and tidy,
with a neat blue and calico gown on,
good-natured and lovely, and put mo in
mind ol somebody.
To make the jug more welcome, ho
filled it with pretty little coffeo enps,
packed in salt.
During the Stamp Act troubles of
1705, when tho false report reached
Philadelphia that her husband hod fa
vored the odious measure, tho mob
threatened to sack his house. On this
occasion she proved herself worthy to be
tho wife of Pennsylvania's representa
tive. Gov. f'ranklin entreated her to
take refuge in his own house at Burling
ton, and all hor friends urged her to go.
For nine d;tys, sho says, people kept
persuading hi-r to leave her house. At
length, she le. her daughter go to Bur
lington ; but .or herself, sho would not
budge. -
" I am very sure," said sho, " that my
nusoand nag done nothing to hurt any
body, nor havo 1 given any offense to
any person at all, nor- will I be made
uneasy by anybody. I will not stir, nor
show the least uneasiness. But if any
body comes to disturb me, I will show
a proper resentment."
And, indeed, she armed and fortified
her house, ' stationing her brother and
cousin below with guns and ammuni
tion, and mounting guard up-stairg her
self, prepared to defend her abode. The
storm blow over, and very soon the truth
respecting hor husband's conduct was
known.
For forty-five years Benjamin Frank
lin and Deborah Read were united in
marriage.
She lived to see her husband tho most
honored of Americans on both conti
nents, and sho lived also to see her daugh
ter suitably married to a merchant of
Philadelphia, Richard Bache. Her last
years were greatly cheered by her beau
tiful grandchildren.
She had the happiness of escaping the
anxieties and terrors of the Revolution
ary War. She diod in December, 1774,
with only ono regret, that sho could not
live to see her husband once again. In
deed, she had boon for ten years longing
and piniiig for his return -, but the press
ing business of the Colonies still detain
ed him, and she died at last when ho
was making hie preparations for his
homeward voyage. Her body was borne
to the grave by somo of Franklin's old
est friends, men who had known them
when, 44 years before, they had begun
housekeeping, and ate their breakfast of
bread and milk from Eastern bowls.
There wero scarcely any women at
that period who were what we now call
educated, and the letters of Mrs. Frank
lin show that she was not gifted in the
use of the pen.
But sho was a faithful and affectionate
wife, a friend and helpmeet to her hus
band, who was enabled to devote him
self to the publio service because he had
at home a wife oompetent and willing
to take charge of his affairs in his ab
sence. Woof Household Magazine for
January.
A Railroad Surrey on Snow Shoes.
Tho Green Bay (Wis.) Gazette of the
0th, says : We had tho pleasure of a
call several days since from Mr. Archi
bald McNab, ot the stall of Sanford
Fleming, Esq., Chief Engineer of the
Canada Pacific Railway, a proposed
route from the navigable waters of the
St, Lawrenco River to Frazer River, on
tho northern boundary line of British
Columbia. Mr. McNab left Sault Ste.
Marie on the 29th of November, with a
party of men to go to Nepigon Bay, in
tending to start irom that point to sur
vey. J. hey embarked on the screw
steamer Mineral Rock, and after various
dolays, owing to imperfect machinery,
they were, on Dooomber 13, frozen in off
ltewenaw Point. Here they were on a
bleak point, no money, little provisions,
and destitute of comfort. After much
trudging and hard labor they finally
reached Houghton, and from thonce
they made their way to this point, and
by communicating with the Canadian
authorities, procured sufficient funds to
enable thorn to recommence their jour
ney. Mr. McNab and party left here
on Sunday evening for Duluth, where
they will commence their pilgrimage for
the point originally intended Nepigon
Bay; being compelled to traverse the
entire distant on snow-shoes,"
Hints About Conversation
Spocial conversation, says an English
magazine writer, is work, serious work ;
general conversation should be the diver
sion of our leisure. Special conversa
tion is to ond in a resolve, and inanition.
General conversation ends, as far as any
visible effect is concerned, . with itsolf.
Thus, what is familiarly called " shop"
should be rigidly banished from tho lat
ter.' There aro moments when women
may fairly compare notes about their
servants, their children, their dross ;
when lawyers may fittingly discuss their
suits, thoir clients, their courts, their re
forms ; when artists may properly can
vass the time expended over certain pic
turns, thoir pricn, their technical merits
and so forth. But, be it understood, all
this is business : it is nothing but " shop,"
let tho conversation be carried on when
it may. General conversation needs all
of these indeed, there is no aid that it
scorns ; but it noods them as accessories,
not as principals. They should bo used
as the sido-lights, the timely illustrations
flashed upon tho main theme, at mo
ments when it is threatened with dark
ness or dimness. This main chomo should
be no one's in particular, but should
soom to bo any ono's at times, and in
turns. Thus only can bo reconciled the
two at first seemingly conflicting condi
tions of all good general conversation
that it should not bo mean, common, or
vulgar, and yet that everybody should
havo an intorest it.
It is the humility of some, and the ar
rogance or egotism of others, that pre
vent tho happy combination from being
moro common. Pooplo have only to be
gin with three axioms the first of which
is, that everybody is entitled (indeed
bound) to form his own opinion, quito
irrespectively of anything he may have
read or been told ; the seeond of which
is, that everybody is equally entitled to
declare that opinion ; and tho third of
which is, that everybody s opinion is en
titled to consideration, and that not on
ly on the ground of courtesy, but be
cause it is certain that any opinion hon
estly and independently formed is worth
something, and opportunely expressed,
may contribute in a striking manner to
a current discussion. But for this most
desirable consummation to bo reached,
difference of opinion must no longer bo
thought to verge upon bad manners, and
truth or tho pursuit of truth, not vic
tory, must bo the common quest.
Tho upper ten thousand of this world
prido themselves upon being so vastly
superior to tho rest of the human race,
that they are confidently justified to
thomselves when thoy strengthen the
barriers which separate them from the
common herd. We are not among tho
believers in. the social equality of mon,
but we cannot allow ourselves to be
blinded by the spurious distinctions
which now pronounce them unequal.
Abolish distinction of dress, manner,
aifcl sjech, and where is the difference
betweton many a lady and her maid, be
tween many a gentleman and his valet,
between some peers and .their grooms '
The conversation of the drawiug-room
is, in too many instances, not ono whit
better or more elevated than that of the
servants' halL and the discussions of a
smoking-room are perfectly on a par
with those of the stable. And if we are
to stick to our definition, does it not fol
low that he is the highest man whoso
conversation, i. 1. whose thoughts for,
depend upon it, tho two things are con
vertible is habitually the highest and
tho most soaring 't
A Queer Story of Superstition.
The Berlin (Wisconsin) Journal has
this story : A gentleman who resided
in this city has related to us a strange
story of superstition and barbarity,
which he claimed had happened in this
city recently. Our informant was a
Gorman, and the parties in the story are
Polandors, but their names we could not
learn. Tho story, as related to us, is
substantially as follows : About the first
of Docembor or last of November a young
Polish woman gave birth to a child.
About two days afterward sho diod and
was buried in tho city cemetery. After
about five weeks the wifo of tho brother
of the dead woman was taken very sick,
and it was thought she would die.
It appears there is a superstitious idea
among the Polandors that if ono of a
family dies, unless tho head of tho corpse
is out off tho whole family will bo likely
to follow in rapid succession. However,
if after one has died, another is taken
sick, if somo of the blood is procured
from the dead body and administered to
the patient he will recover. In accor
dance with this superstition, our in
formant alleges, the husband of the sick
woman went to the burying ground on
the night ot January a, nve weeks alter
interment, dug up the body, cut off the
head, and took from it blood and other
liquid, which he administered to his wifo
as a medicine. That shortly after this
the sick woman's malady assumed the
form of smallpox, from which she reco
vered and she is now entirely well. Our
informant claimed that many wirnosses
story, and from what wo learned we are
could be brought to corroborate fiis
to bolicve that there is some foundation
for tho story. .The person who gave us
our information knows the name of the
Polander in question, but would not
discloso it.
Nevada "Ships of the Desert."
Tho Virginia City Enterprise, of the
13th, says:
; A train of over a dozen camels arrived
in this city yesterday afternoon from
the valley of the Carson River, below
Dayton, These "ships of the desert"
wnrn loaded with hav in bnlf.a fn Artama'
" " , 4WU J
hay yard on North D street The huge,
ungainly beasts pieaeuwiu quite a pie-
turHaniiA snnpjirHUofl as tllPV 4!ln! ,nfn
town with thoir oumbrous freight Upon
arpv4ng at tne nay yaro,mu word ot
command, they aii nou aown to be. ie-i
liasod. -of their . loads. These animals
&Trufi.r ti f hriva mita &a wall in l,,a
country as in the wilds of Sahara. There
1 l.. J L- 1
aid au euuuuaiiiio v& uuoui ut liere, II
they are necessary to the comfort of the
beast.
The Narrow Gango In Colorado.
Mr. Samuel Bowles, of the Springfield
Republican, gives tho following descrip
tion of the experimental narrow gauge
railway now in operation for about seventy-five
miles below Denver :
Tho Colorado road, which has been
constructed with groc t rapidity for seventy-five
miles south of Denver, is in
tended ultimately to be built along the
base of the Rocky Mountains to Santo
Fe, thonce to Albuquerque, thence to El
Paso on tho Mexican border, thence to
Chihuahua and finally to the City of
Mexico a total distance of about 1,750
miles. When completed, it will bo ono
of the most important lines of railway
on the Continent It is not likely that
it would havo been undertaken t but for
tho fact that tho narrow gauge plan of
construction involves so much less ex
pense than that'of the accepted system.
Mr. Bowles says that tho cost of build
ing this road has been but $13,000 a
mile, while tho Kansas Pacific, which
traverses a like region of country, cost
$22,000. As to its working, ho says :
" Tho road and its trains, in tho first
place, look like a railway plaything, in
contrast with the broader and heavier
tracks and larger cars of tho accustom
ed lino ; delicate and dainty, thoy Seem
almost too faint and feeble for tho hard,
quick work to which they aro callod.and
especially unequal to the great contest
which they have invited. Yet so far,
surely, they aro performing their task
with ease, with- oomfort, with celerity
and with success. The track-bed of the
narrow gauge is 6 feet wide, as against
9 ; the distance betwoen tho rails 3 feet,
as against 4 feet 8 1-2 inches ; thctiesare
0 to 6 1-2 feet, as against 8 ; the rails weigh
30 pounds to the yard, as against 50 ; the
engines 12 to 16 tons, as against 25 to 30
tons, putting about half the weight on
tho drive-wheels that tho large locomo
tives do ; the passenger cars, with 8
wheels, and carrying 32 passengers,
weigh 6 tons, as against 18 tons, 8 wheels
and 50 passengers ; and tho freight cars
so far introduced weigh 2 tons, run on 4
wheels and carry 4 to 5 tons of freight,
as against cars weighing 9 tons on 8
wheels, and capable of 10 tons load.
Where four passengers sit in tho ordinary
cor, three are seated in the narrow ones,
two on one side and ono on tho other of
the passage way, the car being divided
in the middle by a door, and the seats
for two and ono, respectively, being re
served in tho two sections, so as to bal
ance tho carriage. Tho cars at first in
troduced aro 7 feet wide, and 10 1-2 feet
high from rail to top. They prove a
trifle moro compact than is necessary,
and not quite generous enough in ac
commodations lor passengers ; but this
evil is boing remedied in new cars now
constructing j while sleeping cars and
day drawing-room cars can bo made for
tho narrow gauge roads, which will ac
commodate still more persons, in pro
portion to their size and weight, than
tho ordinary ears of this character now
do."
Building and Loan Associations.
Much has been said of co-operative
associations for manufacturing and for
carrrying on other branches of produc
tive industry, as well as of co-operativo
stores, but what are known as building
and loan associations, representing an
other application of the same mutual
principle, are comparatively little under
stood. The latter offer very decided ad
vantages not only to tho working peo
ple, but to all persons in receipt of
wages or a fixed salary, whether shop
girls or railroad superintendents.
Tho building and loan association is
in the nature of a savings bank, all the
depositors in which are stockholders and
entitled to a pro rata share of tho pro
fits which their aggregated savings earn.
It is a perfectly mutual concern, there
boing no preferred class of stockholders,
and, as usually managed, tho officers for
tho most part serving without salaries.
Tho expenses are exceedingly small.
A prominent feature of such associa
tions is tho privilege accorded to mem
bers of borrowing money, in amounts
proportioned to the number of their
shares of stock, on remarkably favora
ble terms. This enables a poor man to
become the absolute owner of a houso in
from eight to elevon years by paying an
nually but a small sum in addition to
the rent of it
A law passed by the Legislature of
Pennsylvania in 1859 provides for tho
incorporation of building and loan asso
ciations, and prescribes certain general
rules and limitations respecting them.
Somo of the details of their working are
a littlo complex, but tho plan in the
main is very simple, and entirely within
tho comprehension of everybody. A
man or woman either who can save
ten dollars a month, may take ten shares
of stock, which have a nominal or pros
pective value of 200 each. By contin
uing monthly payments of $10 during a
term which varies from eight to eleven
years, he can withdraw the sum of
$2,000 at the end of that time. Sup
posing the association to run nine years
and six months (which is about the aver
age period under good management),
such a stockholder actually pays but
$1,140 in return for the $2,000 which ho
obtains. He thus realizes an average
annual interest of very nearly eight per
cent, on his money, while five per cent,
is the highest ever allowed by savings
banks, and four per cent, is tho more
usual rate.
This example shows the paramount
advantages ot such mutual societies sim
ply as a depository for savings. Of
course a smaller or larger amount of
stock may bo taken with proportionate
results.
Men who desire to borrow, moderate
amounts of money, either for the pur
pose of purchasing or building a house,
or starting in business, find quite as
great au advantage from the possession
of stock in a building and loan associa
tion, though they may be obliged to
pay a considerable premium in addition
to legal interest.. J. hat premium goes
to swell the epnjmon fund, and the larger
the' profits thus made by" the association
the soonor its object is accomplished and
the end of its existence reached, when
the borrower is not only relieved from
further payments' of interest, but his
note and mortgage are cancelled witheut
tho payment of any principal beyond
tho amounts which have been received
from him as monthly duos on his sharc3
of stock.
The stock in these associations may be
transferred at any timo, and always for
more than it cost ; thus there is no pos
sibility of loss, provided honest or ro
sponsiblo officers are chosen. Tho prin
ciples and workings of this plnn cannot
all bo explained within tho limits of a
newspaper article. Several books have
been written concerning it, and amonth
ly journal The Building Association
Journal devoted to tho subject, has
been published in Philadelphia for more
than a year past.
Tho idea of Such associations origin
ated in Scotland about 1815. Tho first
oho in this country was organized in
Frankford, Philadelphia, January 3,
1831. The number now in this city is
estimated at 350, and tho avcrago of
capital invested in them at upwards of
$25,000,000. Philadelphia Press.
Facts About Trichina) in Hogs.
i A Cleveland despatch says : M A well
authenticated and undoubted case of
trichinee spiralis is now undergoing in
vestigation by our physicians. It has
already resulted in tho death of ono vic
tim, and soveral more are in a dangerous
condition. Tho unfortunate sufferers
aro a family by the namo of Martens.
For soveral weeks past thoy have at dif
ferent times eaten of pork, cithor made
into sausages or cooked in the usual
manner, which was to all appearances
in good condition, and there was no in
dication of disease of any kind. A fow
days ago the entire family, consisting of
Charles Martens, his brother Ernst, wifo
and two children, wero seized with
symptoms that baffled at first all at
tempts at discovering their character ;
but an examination of tho pork partaken
of proved r inclusively the presence of
,1,i'i''., .vi tiiohinro in an encysted state,
iii epite of all that was done to relieve
him, Charles Martens died Monday
night. Miss Martens is in a very crit
ical condition, and there is but little
hope of her recovery. Ono of tho chil
dren may recover, but the only member
of tho family out of danger is the broth
er, Ernst Martens, who ato but little of
tho affected meat. A microscopic exam
ination mado of a piece cut from the
muscle of tho arm of the deceased with
an instrument having a magnifying ca
pacity of four hundred times, revealed
the presence of a number of trichinro,
somo of them still alive and active, but
soon dying on exposure to the air.
Their average length - was one-eighteenth
of an inch. Their color was a
light drab, ' marked with shades of ft
darker color. Experiments have shown
that exposure to heat greater than 160
dogroes effectually destroys theso dread
insects. The first cases of trichinosis in
America were in New York. At
Marion, Iowa, in 1866, nine cases occur
red in ono family, fivo doaths resulting.
In the same county, eating raw ham
containing trichinro (proved after R-ard
by examination) caused tho death of six
children at the same timo. An examin
ation of pork in Chicago by a commit
teo of tho Academy of Scionco of that
city proved the existence of trichina) in
one in fifty of the hogs inspected. Somo
of tho flesh contained from 10,000 to 18,
000 of these insocts to the cubic inch."
Buffalo Erjrress.
The Submerged Treasure In Cuinaua
Bay.
The wrecking expedition, (says the
Boston Journal), sent out by the Ameri
can Submarine Company has been for
some timo engaged in tho endeavor to
recover the treasures sunk in tho Span
ish frigate San Pedro de Alcanbara, in
Cumana bay, more than half a century
ago, aro progressing in the work. The
hulk has been cleared, and tho debris
above the ballast removed. The result
shows that tho treasure room was abovo
and abaft tho after magazine, and tho
terrifio foroo of tho explosion scattered
its contents broadcast ovor the bay. An
idea of tho explosion may be gained
from the fact that cannon weighing six
tons were found to have boon hurled
three hundred feet A few Spanish
milled dollars and somo interesting relics
and curiosities were found. Tho com
pany have decided to fit out at once
small vessels suitable for dredging pur
poses, and expect to be able to recover
a largo portion of the millions of coins
which cover the bottom of the bay for
over an area of an aero or more. Mr.
Fuller of Norwich, Conn., is the man
ager of the expedition ; and the brig
Nellie Gay, which has boon engaged in
this work, will, on her return to New
London, be fitted out for another expe
dition of like character.
Children's Eating.
When a parent seos a child come to the
breakfast table, nibble a little, then go
away, death is in tho distance, and may
be near in a great many cases ; in all
there is solid ground for apprehension of
coming ill in somo form or other. This
want of appetite for breakfast may come
on very slowly ; it may be weeks before
it is decided enough to bo remarked ; so
much the worse for the child, because
greator will be the difficulty in righting
things. If children are going to school,
eating should be made compulsory, or
brain disease will follow sooner or later,
for the brain must be nourished, or rest
less sleep follows, and in its train dreams,
nervousness, cold feet and hands, with
severe debility. All school children
should have plenty of meat and bread
for breakfast and dinner, with all the
fruit and berries they can get afterward
for dessert ; if not these, then no dessert
at all. A speedy and easy, way to reuiody
meal-time nibbling is to begin' with a
supper of bread and butter, and. one cup
of hot milk anJ water, and nothing elso.
Allow not ' an atom, o' anything tobe
eaten between meals, and cbmttlein
to be in bed by nine o'clock. Within s
week a hearty breakfast will be tho re
sult, with an increasing vivacity, activity,
life and joyouaneea.
Facts and Figures.
Diamonds in Arizona have advanced
in price. You cannot now purchase
really good ones short of sixty conts a
bushel.
Illinois is the great railroad Stato of
the Union. She lias now in operation
3,725 miles just 705 miles moro than
any other Stato.
A human footprint fifteen inches long
has been found in a slate quarry near
Seneca, Kansas. Tho pro-Adamite man
woro large boots.
A Boston coroner has been accused of
presenting bills for viewing bodies that
he never saw. He gets $4 a head, and
gets ahead about $1 every time.
A woman engaged in passing counter
feit twenty-dollar notes has been arres
ted in Milwaukee, and a large amount
of counterfeit money found in her pos
session. A Cincinnati paper says that the- lo
cation of the Union Pacifio depot
grounds at Omaha, on G. F. Train's
property, will mako Train worth ovor
100,000,000.
Among the literary people who mako
their winter homes in Washington, are
Mrs. Southworth, Mrs. Ann Stephens,
Mrs. Mary Clemmor Ames, Mrs. Mary
A. Dennison, and Mrs. Harriot Prcscott
Spofford.
A prominent manufacturer of wood
working machines in Cincinnati has re
ceived orders from the government of
Japan for shingle and lath machines,
turning lathes, and other machinery for
wood-working.
Somo of the towns in Vermont having
vaccinated most of their population, are
now a littlo inclined to grumble becauso
the small-pox does not come along.
Thcro is a general feeling that all the
trouble has been taken for nothing.
Some of tho quiet villages of New
Hampshire havo a commendable way of
reliving the tedium of thoir long winters.
Two rival towns engage in a spelling
contest, which is carried on without any
of the bitterness which is opt to bo de
veloped in other "wars of words." Antrim
and Bennington have been fighting' it
out on that line all winter. At last re
ports Bennington was two words ahead.
Carroll county claims to havo tho big
gest man in Tennessee, in tho person of
William B. Shaver. According to a
recent measurement he measure around
the wrist eight and one-half inches;
around the arm, eighteen inches ; around
tho calf of leg, nineteen inches ; around
the thigh, midway above tho knee, thirty
three inches ; around tho chest, five feet ;
and around the waist, six feet. His
height is six feet five and one-half inchos.
Boston has had another big swindle.
An enterprising man named Brock
opend a " Commercial Agency " in that
city, through which country merchants
could of course make thoir purchaso at
a vast advantage. So largo was the
concern that it had its own printing
establishment for getting out circulars,
reports, etc., and employed a largo num
bes of men and girls. No sooner had it
got well a-going than tho projector sud
denly conceived that ho would find tho
climuto of Canada beneficial. Ho left
many debts unpaid and carried off some
plunder.
"Aunt Phillis," nn old colored wo
man, who was well known in and about
Rahway, N. J., was burned to death at
Bricktown, near Rahway, the other
night. She was born in New Jersey
about the year 1707, and during the
Revolutionary war, although a mere
girl, is said to have boon of some service
to tho American cause as a spy. She
herself used to say that at one timo she
was in the special service of General
Washington. She had in her posession
a gold snuff-box, which was given to
her by Governor Livingston as a tes
timonial of her. services to the Federal
cause.
An ardent youth of Cleveland, over
whoso romantic head seventeen summers
had passed, blew out his brains tho other
day becauso he was "crossed in hopeless
love" with a young woman somo yoars
older. His mother made the course of
his true lovo exceedingly rough, and
poor fellow he had nothing to livo for,
and so got rid of the small modicum of
brains that nature had lodged in his
cranium. If he had had his wish, and
married the woman, it would only have
postponed the catostropho, for he would
very likely havo awakened from his rosy
dream to discover that he had been a
fool, and had no resort but tho pistol to
end his married woes. He evidently was
marked for woes anyhow.
The suggestion of Gen. Hazen of the
United States Army that Government
should take some means to prevent the
extermination of the buffalo, appears to
be a sensible one ; for there is no reason
why animals so valuable and so cosily
subsisted should bo wantonly butchered
by thousands, and their carcasses left to
rot on the plains, as is now the case.
The buffalo lives upon a short grass
which grows luxuriantly upon the high,
arid plains of the far W est, and while it
is valuable as food, its skin, when dressed,
is an almost indispensable adjnnct of a
sleighing equipage. If any effectual
means for protecting these animals from
unnecessary slaughter can be devised a
great benefit will be conferred upon the
country. .
Mr. C. E. DeLong, the United States
minister to Japan, is a selfTmade man,
who, by his indomitable energy and
ability, from small beginnings has
climbed the path to distinction. In
1856 he was constable in Foster's Bar
Township, Yuba county, California. He
afterwards studied law, and practiced
with considerable success. He represented
that county several times in the State
Legislature. From California he went
to Nevada ' and . acquired a very large
and lucrative practice. He was twice a
candidate before the Nevada Legislature
for tho United! Stats SonAta, bat waa
di-tod botu tiiBw by -ott , hmnW Ma
jorities. He vent to Japan as minister
in 1869; and naa 'heon vary active ad
vancing American interest ia that
country.