EfK COUNTY THE REPUBLICAN rARTY.
VOL II.
RIDGWAY, PA,. THURSDAY, OCTOBER 24, 1872.
rso. 34.
POETJt T,
Original.
REST.
BT MISS 1. I. 0W1S.
Though the earth be bright nd guy,
There re souls that ever say.
Give na peaeo, O Rive ns reit i
Tht It 1. that seemcth but I
Though the Idly floatlnc air,
And the irllded sunliirht fair,
Scented ferns beneath tho shade,
Violets wllhtn the glade,
Twining iiiojioi bathed in mint.
Flowers blooming amethyst
Whlsp'rlng pines, that dreamily
Murmur legends of the sea,
Fleecy clonds with golden edges,
Tinkling rills among the sedges,
Sunset fading from the sky.
Twilight softly drawing nigh,
Fill tho soul wltn sweet relief,
Hushing Us tmpassion'd grief.
Htlll it quickly wakes again
To its conflict strife, and pain,
For thongh nature breathes of calm
Soothes as kindly with her balm.
Yet tho spirit doth protest
That 'tis quietness and rest
That alone can satlxtr
Its nncenstng, earnest cry.
Wearily It waits to know
If this rest will como below ;
And it hears an angol voice,
Bidding waiting hearts rejoice ;
For they yet sweet reel shall find,
Then they leave the storms behind.
When thev from earth's shadows go,
Then they rest and peace shall know.
THE STORY-TELLER.
SAUL KETCIIUM'S BEQUEST.
A feverish excitement was experienced
by the young men of our town npon the
announcement that Miss Effie Ketchum,
tin heiress, was to visit her friend Miss
Knowell.
Barrenville contained no heiress to
any considerable wealth, and, as we had
never seen a real live woman with lots
of money at her command within its
borders, it was not surprising that a stir
should be visible among the beaux who
were candidates for the matrimonial
halter.
Upon inquiry it proved a difficult
matter to ascertain who circulated the
report of Miss Ketchum's wealth, for
Miss Knowell emphatically declared she
had not imparted the information to
any one; but at the same time she ad
mitted that her friend Effie had assur
edly inherited the possessions of an old
undo who had died childless in Missou
ri. The amount she had received she
knew not, but report said that Miss
Ketchum dressed expensively, and it was
presumed she could not do so unless she
had means to back it.
It was, therefore, agreed that Miss
Ketchum was wealthy, and that Mary
Knowell was possessed of more informa
tion on the point than she was willing
to admit, for she did not intend her
friend to be sacrificed to the fortuue
hunting young men who would buzz
about her like bees around a sweet
flower.
Such studying of attitudes in mirrors,
arranging cravats and practising steps
was never before seen in Barrenville.
The conversation incessantly ran on Miss
Ketchum until the subject was talked
threadbare.
At length she came, and the anxiety
for an early introduction was painful.
The hearts of the young men of Barren
ville throbbed and burned, and their
heads grew dizzy calculating interest on
large sums of luoney.
Jack Starbuck and Zenas Mahan were
the two best-to-do young men in the
town. They both pursued the calling
of lumber merchants, having saw-mills
on the opposite sides of the river. There
had always been an emulation between
them, and their desire was to distance
each other not only in business but in
affairs of the heart also.
Jack Starbuck was never known to
set his affections upon any particular
girl, that Mahan did not appear upon
the scene and ultimately spoil Jack's
pleasant schemes, whatever they may
have been, for Zenas Mahan was a
splendid-looking fellow, and, in point of
Eersonal appearance, Starbuck was not
is equal.
But Mahan never evinced a desire to
marry, so it fared badly with the girl
who was ready to transfer her affections
from his rival to himself, and no one
pitied the dupe after the little game had
been played to an end.
Now, when Miss Ketchum arrived in
Barrenville, it was generally conceded
that either Jack or Zenas would win
her j for her wealth forbade the sup
position that the latter would scorn the
alliance, despite Lis well-known pro
pensity of deserting those whom he had
won.
But before proceeding further let us
take a look into the interior ef Missouri.
At the time we write of there was a
lawless set of men who inhabited some
of the inland towns. It required a stout
heart for immigrants to settle in certain
localities, but they nevertheless were not
wanting.
Among the few who took up their
abode in C. was Saul Ketchum, from
the State of North Carolina. There
was much to be said about him. He had
very little money, but was possessed of
a most passionate temper, it was not
long after his arrival in his new home
that he gave such evidence of his prow
ess and readiness to do mischief that the
neighborhood stood in awe of him, and
few ventured to oppose Wis known wish
es. This man, though lazy by nature,
had the good luck or good fortune, or
whatever you may call it, to make money
out of every thing in which he engaged,
lie had no children ; his wife was the
only inmate of hii house, and she, poor
sickly thing, came to Missouri shaking
with fever and ague, and only lived a
year after her arrival. Her death pro
duced no further effect upon her hus
band than to make him empty the whis
key jug more often than he hitherto had
done, and to growl more savagely when
things were wrong with him.
He left behind in North Carolina two
brothers named Timothy and Mark.
Both had a daughter born to them
about the same time, and unconsciously
named them Effie, after Saul Ketchum's
wife.
When Saul heard of it he smiled grim
ly, and, speaking to his wife, said :
" And now, old woman, what are you
going to do about this 'i Here you have
two nieces bearing your name ; which
are you going to make your heir if you
outlive me V I don't like to divide a
cherry, and we may not have enough to
make both rich."
" There's time enough to talk of that,
Saul," replied the woman. " When we
are done with our means it may be dou
ble what it is now, and it will bear a di
vision very welL Women shouldn't bo
too rich, you know."
Timothy Ketchum (who was the fath
er of the visitor at Barrenville) took it
into his head to visit his brother Saul,
and carried his daughter with him.
Had he loft her at home it might have
fared better with him. The child was
bright and uncommonly precocious for
her years, and one day, observing her
uncle apply a jug to his lips, she watch
ed until the process was completed,
when she asked him what he was drink
ing. " Whiskey," he replied, with a laugh.
" Ah," said Effie, " now I perceive why
they call you 1 Whiskey-jug Saul.' "
" And pray, who calls me so ?" in
quired her uncle, coaxingly patting her
head.
. " O, papa, mamma, and all the rest."
" Who do you mean by all the rest
asked her uncle ; " did you ever hear
your Uncle Mark make use of such language!-"
"O, no," innocently answered the
child ; " Uncle Mark told them one day
they ought to be ashamed to speak 69,
and they only laughed at him."
" They did," responded Saul Ketchum,
slowly surveying his niece, and inward
ly chuckling at his secret thoughts.
In due time whiskey slew Saul Ketch
um, and it was rumored in the house of
Timothy Ketchum that Saul had left
him his fortune. Poor -ilark never re
pined or grudged Timothy his good luck.
By-and-by there came a letter from
Saul's lawyer, stating that the estate
had been divided between the brothers'
daughters, but in a rather eccentric man
ner, for the will bequeathed the daugh
ter of Mark Ketchum all the money and
lands, while Timothy's was to have her
uncle's whiBkey-jug.
There was sorrow and mortification in
the house of Tim Ketchum, for it had
been the general belief his daughter had
come into possession of all her uncle's
wealth.
Effie had, in the first flush of the ex
citement, conveyed the news, to her
friend Mary Knowell ; but when the real
state of affairs was known, she was glad
to absent herself from town and wait for
a season until the discomfiture of herself
and father's family was less keenly felt.
Accordingly she came to Barrenville,
but she either forgot or did not deem it
of sufficient importance to correct her
first letter to her friend.
Tim Ketchum, as soon as he heard the
good news, had gone to the shopkeeper's
and given extensive orders for his daugh
ter's wardrobe, and they were only too
happy to sell him upon credit. Effie
certainly obtained a dashing outfit, for
which her Uncle Mark generously paid,
besides giving her a purse of gold.
Thus equipped she came to Barrenville.
Jack Starbuck was first on the ground,
and sailed in with flying colors to win
the rich Miss Ketchum ; the lesser lights
followed in his wake, but of course re
ceived nothing but politeness and smiles,
while tender glances and moonlight
strolls were tt served for Jack Star
buck. While this happy state of things ex
isted, Zenas Mahan, with his handsome
face and splendid figure, appeared upon
the scene. Moreover, he drovo two
magnificent bays, finer by far than Jack
Starbuck's sorrel mare. Effie was per
plexed, and went for advice to her friend
Mary Knowell.
" What shall I do '" she exclaimed ;
" Mr. Mahan has asked me to have him,
and he is so handsome !"
' Then why don't you have him ?" re
plied Miss Knowell.
"Because I am already engaged to
Mr. Starbuck, but for pity's sake don't
mention it."
Mary Knowell laughed. " What do
you propose, Effie ?" she asked.
Tell me candidly," said she, becom
ing very sedate, " which is the rishest of
the two ?"
"Mr. Mahan is the most wealthy,"
replied her friend; "but suely you would
not make that the motive '"
" Yes, I would," responded Effie.
" Why, you are positively mercenary,"
answered her friend, with a smile,
" after your writing me all about your
uncle leaving you such a splendid for
tune, what on earth can you desire more
money for '("
Miss Ketchum quailed beneath Mary
Knowell' a look. The remembrance of
the letter she had written made her feel
uncomfortable. Whatever she did must
be done in a hurry.
At a subsequent meeting with Zenas
Mahan she confessed to him that she
was engaged to Mr. Starbuck. Zenas
beard the confession with more compos
ure than Effie thought he would, but he
nevertheless determined not to despair
so long as Effie gave him opportunities
to meet his rival. And he succeeded.
Quietly one evening Zenas Mahan took
Effie Ketchum riding; on the way he
picked up a couple of friends, and then
drove to the house of a neighboring
clergyman, who made them man and
. rr 11" , "1 1 1 1 111
Witt). enas iook nis oriuo 10 toe noiei,
and went to the home of Mary Knowell
for her trunks. Poor Jack Starbuck was
almost struck dumb when the truth wm
announced to him.
A few weeks later, and Zenas Mahan
and wife were sitting in their room at
the hotel, and there was no one by to
hear their conversation, except the
chambermaid, who had her ear to the
keyhole.
" And now. Effie, dear," said Zenas,
" tell me something about your proper
ty. You have given me no information
on the subject yet, and I have been wait
ing in hopes you would do so. How
much do you possess '("
" Possess 1" exclaimed Mrs. Mahan,
with a look of feigned surprisp, " why, I
am not worth money. What put that
in your head f I am suro I nover gave
you to understand any such thing."
.N ot worth money I gasped .en as
Mahan ; " do you mean to say I have
married a penniless wman r"
" Pretty nearly so," replied Effie.
" Pray, tell me," continued her hus
band, with remarkable cosiness, " how
did the report grt abroad that you were
wealthy Y
"Why, you soo," answered Effie,
" when we first got the news of Undo
Saul's death we thought he had left me
his fortuno, but, unfortunately, he gave
it all to my cousin, who bears the same
name as myself."
" And he left you nothing i"
" O, yes, he did."
" Well, what was it you inherited V"
" I can't help laughing when I tell
you. Uncle Saul was an eccentric man
he bequeathed me his whiskey-jug."
"His w-h-i-s-k-e-y jug!" gasped her
husband. " And I have married a wo
man whose sole possession is a whiskey
jug!" From that moment Zenns Mahan be
gan to stay out late at nights and have
urgent business in a neighboring city.
He couldn't ' bear the mischievous look
in the eyes of Jack Starbuck when they
met. Jack frjtsnkly told Zenas he didn't
bear him any ill will for " cutting him
out," whilo Zenas, with equal frankness,
told him that he wished to heavens ho
hadn't succeeded.
Jack Starbuck married Mary Know
ell, and was quite happy and prospered
abundantly. Zenas Mahan moved away
from Barrenvillo, and the last beard of
him was that his wife and himself were
occupying different houses.
Legalized Slavery.
That portion of the fair sex who clam
or so loudly for their rights, should be
thankful that they did not exist several
hundred years ago. It waR not until the
tenth century that women obtained'the
privilege of choosing or refasing their
husbands. Often they were betrothed,
as children, the bridegroom's pledge of
man iage being accompanied by a "se
curity," or "wed," whence comes the
word. Part of the wed always consisted
of a ring, placed upon the maiden's right
hand, and there religiously kept until
transferred to the othorhand at the later
nuptials. Then, also, were repeated tho
marriago vows and other ceremonies,
out of which those now prevailing have
grown. The bride was taken " for fair
er, for fouler, for better, for worse, for
richer, for poorer," and promised to be
M buxom and bonny " to her future hus
band. At the end of the final ceremony,
the father. of the bride gave to his new
son one of his daughter's shoes, in token
of the transfer of authority which he
effected, and tho bride was at once made
to feel the change by a tap or blow on
the head given with the shoe. Rather
a forcible earnest of future happiness,
one would imagine. However, tlie hus
band took an oath to use his wife well.
If he failed to do bo, she might leave
him, but by law he was allowed consid
erable license. He was bound in honor
" to bestow on his wifo and hit) appren
tices moderate castigation." We have
nothing to show tho exact amount of
castigation held moderate by the Anglo
Saxons ; but ono old Welsh law decided
that three blows with a broomstick on
"any part of the person, except tho
head," is a fair allowance, and another
provides that the stick be no longer than
the husband's arm, nor thicker than his
middle finger. Prior t tho seventh
century a wifo might at any time bo re-
Eudiated on proof of her being either
arren, deformed, silly, passionate, luxu
rious, rude, habitually drunk, glutton
ous, very garrulous, quarrelsome, or abu
sive. An Insect Samson.
In preportion to its size, tho strength
of the beetle is enormous. A well known
entomologist gives un instance of its
power, no says, "This insect has just
astonished me by its vast strength of
body. Every one who has taken the
common beetle in his hands knows that
its limbs, if not remarkable for agility,
are very powerful ; but I was not pre
pared for so Samsonian a feat as that I
have just witnessed. When the insect
was brought to me, having no box im
mediately at hand, I was at a loss where
to put it till I could kill it ; but a quart
bottle full of milk being on tho table, I
placed the beetle for the present under
that, the hollow in the bottom allowing
him room to 6tand upright. Presently,
to my surprise, the bottle began to move
slowly and glide along the smooth table,
propelled by the muscular power of the
imprisoned insect, -and continued to
perambulate tho surface, to the aston
ishment of all who witnessed it. The
weight of the bottle and its contents
could not have been less than three
pounds and a half, while that of the
beetle was about half an ounce, so that
it really moved a weight one hundred
and twelve times its own. A better
notion than figures can convey will be
obtained of this fact by supposing a lad
of fifteen to be imprisoned under the
bell of St. Paul's, which weighs twelve
thousand pounds, and to move it to and
fro upon a smooth pavement by pushing
witiun.
Remedy fob Sc ratches. Thomas J,
Graves writes to the Western, Rural that
he has treated hundreds of cases of
grease-heel or scratches as follows, and
never failed to cure if treated before the
foot commenced to come off: "Wash
the parts affected thoroughly with soap
suds in order lo take off all the grease,
dirt, &,o. Wipe dry; then take the
groase on the tire wtnis boiling and
throw it on immediately. Apply this
way about every other day, for three or
four times, sometimes of tener ; be your
own judge as to how often from the ap
pearance. Keep out of dews and mud
as much as possible. Do not keep
stabled or tied up, and allow the animal
as much exercise as will be taken of its
own accord. I give this of my own per
sonal knowledge and experience."
Tale-Bearers.
"Tho tale-bearer is lust as bad as the
tale-maker," echoes Mrs. Candor, with
uplifted hands and condemnatory look ;
yet, in the same breath, she proceeds to
tell somo scandalous anecdote, and,
with a laugh, trifles away the repnta-
tation of an unfortunate acquaintance.
A fair representative is this lady ol a
certain class of evil-doers, who may
justly be termed firebrands. Their sole
desire seems to bo to niuke miseniet all
around them. In presence of the tale
bearer it is unsafe to make the most in
nocent remark, if affording as much as
tho mere end of a thread that can be
twisted and " snarled." For one of his
characteristics is his want of exactness
in report, and a certain. loose idea of
verity not conducive to general moral
ity. You say good-naturedly, meaning
no harm not a bit of it that your
friend John is an eccentric fellow (so he
is
i), and cares very little for what peo
lo think of him ; that he is thoroughly
P
independent in mind, has his own ideas,
and follows no traditions. The tale
bearer goes to him with tho pleasing
intelligence that you have called him
an atheist, a socialist, a radical, and
other dubious things which no conven
tional, easy-going gentleman who dress
es for dinner ana wears clean linen de
sires to be called. In the lieat of his
anger at your supposed treachery, John
gives vent to a dubious expression con
cerning yourself perhaps quoting the
well-known passage concerning the
moto in your neighbor's eye. Back
comes the tale-bearer, with a long story
concerning John's unflattering opinion
of you, rendered more forcible by vari
ous hints of dark meaning concerning
his hypocrisy towai-ds others, tor whom
he professes friendship. As a natural
consequence, a coolness springs up be
tween you and John, and a pleasant in
timacy is forever blighted. To be sure,
if there were no credulous beliovers in
evil stories, tho tale-bearer's trade would
be at a discount ; ho would get tired of
scattering sparks it they did not set fare
to the tow ; and it is only credulity,
backed by that wretched desire to find
more to blame than to praise in our fellow-creatures,
which makes the tow so
inflammable. But the mischief-maker
is to blame in the first place, and is the
principal culprit. When you admit
into your family a firebrand, all things
go ill. lou search in vain tor the
ause, but it is as it a spell had sudden
ly been cast over your establishment.
one to which you have neither key nor
the counter-charm. Your wifo is un
complying and ill-tempered ; quick to
take offence; on the smallest occasion
bursting into tears, as an ill-used
Griselda, or firing out into a rage as, a
woman ot spirit bound to defend her
self. Your children, who once were
manageable and affectionate, now dig,
pute your will and justico; your ser
vants are insubordinate and discontent
ed ; they strike for higher wages, and
object to the work assigned them to do :
they bemoan themswlves. as tlaves, or
what is next thing to slaves, and give
warning on slight provocation. You
find yourselt regarded as a tyrant, and
conscious that you aro wholly un
changed, wonder what has sent the cur
rent of opinion against you: so skilfully
does the misehief-maker perform, his
Work, that a long time elapses ere vou
detect his finger meddling in the family
pie ; when you do, it is too late to
wholly remedy tho mischiet done, and
the chances are that you never will get
back the high place of trust you have
lost. So it is wherever the pest of hu
man intercourse appears. Mischief fol
lows on his steps as surely as night fol
lows on sundown. When he appears,
tho wisest thing to do is turu a deaf ear
to his words, with a cold shoulder to
follow ; for if you listen to his plausible
tales, mischiet ana unhappiness will
surely come ot it.
Sea Sickness.
If naval nausea were inevitable, liko
death, the common lot of all mankind,
you might bear it without grumbling,
though you might not like it. What
makes you savage is, that somo people
are never sea-sick at all. Nor can you
guess, before a trial, who enjoys this
blessed immunity. People who can
waltz all night without giddiuess, or
swing and see-sa x all day without feel
ing sick, or ride in a close carriage with
their backs to the horses, may count on
a tolerable chance ot freedom. Sex,
strength, and florid health, are no cer
tain guarantees. A frail, thin, delicate-
looking girl will delight to ride on the
dancing waves, while her riiddy cousin,
a lad of fourteen stone, will beg for his
lii'o to be set on shore. A great lady
who kept a yacht, was said, when her
husband did not please her, to propose
a trip to sea for the benefit of his health
and the correction of his disobedience.
Urazy folk are reputed to defy the
stomach-searching movements of the
sea, making one ask which is the worse
of the two, the bodily or the mental
ailment. Physicians who have tried the
experiment, in the nope ot curing
crack-brained patient, have brought
horibie sufferings on themsolves, while
their invulids enjoyed perfoct ease and
comfort. There is a legend of a doctor
who excursioned, a la Cook, an insane
party out to sea in the hope of curing
them by a marine emetic. They were
not ill, but the doctor was ; so, for fear
of catching the disease, they threw the
doctor overboard. Age may have some
thing to da with a liability to the vim
tation. Young people, as they grow up,
often get over the qualms brought on
by riding backward in a coach. We
knew a person, a capital sailor from bis
boyhood upward, obliged to delist from
taking runs out to sea soon after passing
three-score years and ten.. The stomach
had no longer the same powers of resis
tance. On a long voyage, some recover
from sickness after a couple of days,
others in a week, others never, bo long
as they remain at sea. All tit Year
Round.
A lady about to marry, was warned
that her intended, although a good man.
was very eccentric Well, she said, if he
is very unlike other men, he is more like
ly to be a good husband,
Growth of British India.
More and moro every year does the
East call upon tho West to witness its
rapid growth and cresoent prosperity.
The maxim that " Westward the star of
empire takes its way," must find its limit
at last ; it looks as if the empire of com
merce at least would, in no long time,
once more find its seat in what we are
wpnt to regard as the far Orient. Asia
and the Australasian islands seem deter
mined to prove that they do not propose
to yield as yet to young republics in tho
setting sun. The progress of China and
Japan in modern arts and ideas is a fact
which thrusts itself upon us with every
mail which reaches us from those an
tique lands ; and the splendid results of
British enterprise in India are appear
ing just at a time when people are be
ginning to doubt whether the British
dominion over India has not entered
upon its period of decay. India has, in
recent years, begun to add new sources
of wealth to the world's commerce.
Camels'-hair shawls and Oolconda dia
monds, beautifully-worked fabrics and
delicious fruits and spices, treasures of
temples and of mines, no longer consti
tute even her chief claim to the admir
ing consideration of mankind. In the
cultivation of coffee she is beginning to
rival Java, Mocha, and Jamaica; in that
of tea, China ; in that of cotton, our
own Southern States ; in that of silk
and its manufacture, Lyons and Hong
Kong. Her exports of teas, which are
grown along the mountain-slopes of
Kangra and Looshai, have increased ten
told in as many years, and have now
reached a value of some $5,500,000; the
exports of silk have doubled in the same
period, and the same may bo said of cot
ton, dyes, and coffee, while the exports
of hides and skins have tripled. Fifty
million dollars worth of opium is sent
from Bengal and Bombay annually ;
and the increased value of the sugar, the
wool, the seeds, of jute and its manufac
tured products, proves that the advance
continues to bo made along " the wholo
lino." The total of Indian exports, which
was $175,000,000 in 1862, reached $270,-
000,000 in 187 1. Tho English claim that
this material improvement in their splen
did Oriental possession has been accom
panied by a corresponding economic,
sanitary, and moral improvement, of
which a rose-colored impression is given
by the reports of the Indian Govern
ment. The building of canals has, it is
said, in a measure checked the ravages
of tever, which finds a congenial home
in a country at once hot and moist, and
amid a slovenly race ; and the cultiva
tion of the cinchona-plant, which is re
garded as the best febrifuge, has been
directly encouraged by the authorities.
The building ot railways and the estab
lishment of schools are now occupying
the attention ot tho viceregal govern
ment, and much is hoped from these
agents of civilization.
Lapis Lazuli.
This mineral, which is called azure
stone by tho vulgar, is of a magnificent
blue color, sometimes spangled with
beautiful gold spots, from flakes of sul
phuret of iron throughout its mass. It
occurs in shapeless blocks, or rounded
pebbles, or, at times, in prismatic firms.
having four sides, obliquely set. It is of
a compact grain, opaque and hard ; will
cut glass, and strike hre troin the steel
It is found principally in Persia and in
the neighborhood of Lake Baikal, in
Siberia, and is highly prized for jewelry
and ornamental work. The purest
specimens are reserved to cut for gems,
and to make those rare t lorenhne mo-
saics, so much admired. A quality less
rich goes to the decoration of tho houses
of tho wealthy. The halls of the Orloff
Palace, at St. Petersburg!!, are papered
throughout with lapis-lazuli from the
lirand-Bankharrie. The coloring mas
ter of this stone gives that beautiful
blue which is called ultra-marine, not
because it is beyond a sky-blue, but that
it was wrought trom beyond the sea,
namely, the Levant. It is procured in
a sort ot soap-niakmg process, by the
use of chemical agents. Exposed to a
strong fire, the mineral mass melts to a
yellowish-black paste. Biinply calcined,
it is deprived of its color by strong
chemicals, and leaves a pot of jelly.
There exist some massive fragments of
lazuhts, but the mineral is usually com
bined with foreign matters, so that a
specimen quite pure and bulky attains
a high price. The French treasury has
a magnificent lazulite cup, shaped like a
sea-shell, and worth two hundred thou
sand francs, or forty thousand dollars,
There is also a bowl, or hand-dish,
valued at sixteen thousand dollars, which
were cheap if it gave French rulers
clean hands ; and there, too, you may see
a sabre, with a lazulite hilt, worth twvlve
thousand dollars, the gift of Tippoo Saib
to Louis XVI.; and three cbaplets, ot a
thousand francs each, on whose beads of,
lazuli the royal nobs said their prayers
lazily when the Red republicans were
not utter them.
Intemperance.
In a late number of the Contemporary
Review, Herbert Spencer combats the
idea that inebriety is on the increase.
He describes the time when men took
drugs to increase their desire for wine
when glasses were so shaped that they
had to be held until emptied ; when a
man was reckoned as a "two-bottle
man," a " three-bottle man," &c. ; and
when (Mr. Spencer might have added)
one of the first of Scottish nobles em
ployed a domestic whose sole duty it was
to sit under the table and loosen the
neckcloths of the guests as they fell from
their chairs, in order that they might
not suttocate in their drunken sleep. In
toxication used to be a mark of honor,
It is now a disgrace. Education has
driven the evil from one class after an
other. It is now almost exclusively con-
fined to the lowest. As Mr. Spencer
says, the remedy for it in England is
not a " Maine-law," but the introduction
of the education that has banned it else'
where.
A printer recently made " Be ye there-
i lore steaaiast, me text oi a minister
I sermon, " Be ye there for breakfast."
Reynard on the Watch.
Nature has made the fox sly, adroit
and cunning, giving him those qualities
to secure food where she has given
others brute strength. Ho has thus be
come in all lands a type of malice and
cunning, and is the great character in
the fables of every nation.
The fox appears to be tho same crafty
animal in all countries, there being
quite as many American tales of vulpine
sagacity as we can find in England.
There are so many stories ot this nature,
that it is impossible to give even a hasty
account of them. We therefore select
one of the shortest :
On the banks of tho Kentucky River
rise huge rocky bluffs, several feet in
height. A fox that lived near this river
was constantly hunted, and as regularly
lost over the bluff. Now, nothing short
of wings would have enabled the animal
to escape with its lite down a perpendio
ular cliff. At last, a hunter, being de
termined to discover the means by which
the animal baffled them, concealed him
self near the bluff.
Accordingly, in good time the fox
came to the top of the cliff, and looked
over. He then let himself down the face
of the cliff by a movement between a
leap and a slide, and landed on a shelf,
not quite a toot in width, about ten tect
own the cliff. 1 he fox then disappeared
into a hole above the shelf. On exami
nation, the shelf turned out to be the
mouth of a wide fi- sure in the rock, into
which tho fox always escaped. But how
was he to get out again ' He might
Blide down ten feet, but he could never
leap ten feet froin a ten-inch shelf up
the face of a perpendicular rock. This
impossibility struck the hunter's mind,
so he instituted a search, and at length
discovered an easier entrance into the
cave from the level ground.
The fox was too wise to use that en
trance when the hounds were behind
him, s he was accustomed to cut short
the scent by dropping down the rock,
and then when all the dogs were at the
edge of the cliff, he walked out at his
leisure by the other entrance.
An Alarming Fact.
An ever-increasing craving for stimu
lants is among the crying evils of the
times. In additon to the large quantity
of liquor consumed yearly in the United
States, opium-oating is bocoming popu
lar with a large class of people, so much
so that, if tho practice be not checked,
we shall have more than one " John
Jasper " in our midst. In Kentucky, the
Opium evil must have assumed alarming
proportions, for the legislature of that
btate has just passed a bill providing
that, on the affidavit of two respectable
citizens, any person who, through the
excessive use of opium, arsenic, has
heesh, or any other drug, has bucouie
incompetent to manage his estate, may
he confined in any asylum and placed
under any guardianship, as in the case
of habitual drunkards or lunatics. Tho
act says nothing about snuff-dipping,
tobaeco-chewing, or smoking. And
while on the subject of narcotics, it may
be well to add that the medical journals
of the country complain of the alarming
increase in the consumption ot hydrate
of chloral. Indeed, one periodical al
leges thut it is being used in the most
reckless manner. It is said that even in
Europe it is superseding absinthe, opium,
and alcoholic stimulants, while its man
ufacture has increased enormously. Lie
hin says that a single establishment in
Germany produces half a ton per week,
while in Jbinglaud, according to a Lou
don paper, taking chloral is the new
and popular vice, particularly among
womeu, utid is doing at least us much
harm as alcohol. The drug is said to
be kept in thousands of English dress
ing cases, and those who begin to use it
ofren grow so addicted to it that they
pass their lives in a sort of contented
stupefaction.
Coffee Urowing.
Not many years will elapse before
California will buuomeono i-f the coffee
growing countries of tho world. Tho
Sancelito Herald status that a party of
Costa Ricaus, with a former President
of that country at their head, have pur
chased a tract of land near Sau Rafael,
and among other employments designa
ted to be followed by the colony is thtit
of raising coffee. Coming from a coun
try where coffee is raised with success,
these Central Americans ought to know
some of the requisites of a country for
the business. Whether San Rafael is
the spot to inaugurate the new enter
prise is doubtful until demonstration
has determined the question, but that
there are portions uf the State in which
coffee can be grown, has long been be
lieved. The southern part ot the State
has many localities where the experi
ment may be tried with high hopes of
success, bull, it is not impossible that
San Rafael and other places in the mid
dle regions of the State, may be adapted
to coffee culture. A tew years since,
the general idea was adverse to the pos
sibility of growing oranges in any but
the southern portions of the State ; but
actual demonstrations have proven that
they can be cultivated as far North as
Chico, and in several of the gorges in
the Sierra Nevadas. The capacities of
the country are growing upon us year
after year, and the apparently bold ex
periment of growing coffee near San
Rafael may be based on superior judg
ment.
Never get angry. It does no good ;
and those who indulge in it feel no bet
ter for it. It is really a torment ; and
when the storm of passion has cleared
away, it leaves one to see that he has
been extremely silly, and has made him
self si.ly in the eyes of others too,
Who thinks well of an ill-natured, chur
lish man, who has to be approached in
the most guarded way'r' Will a bad
temper draw customers, pay debts, and
make creditors better natured 'i An an
gry man adds nothing to the welfare of
society. Since, then, anger is useless,
needless, disgraceful, without the least
apology, and found only in the bosom
ot fools, why should it be indulged at
au r
Some one bus defined polite society as
being a place whi re milliners pass for too
much and morula for too little.
A Chicago court hs decided that it is
imperative upon an insurance company
tri cHva niit.ien wlion ft imlicv PXIiireM. A
lawyer has just recovered the loss of his
library under this decision.
Economy is wealth. A woll-regulated
Newark family ate hash tor breaklat in
365 different styles last year, Bnd the
mother is, in consi quence, enabled to
display a $90 lace handkerchief.
In proof of tho fact that tho cotton
manufacturing' interest of the South is
rallying from the effects of tho war, The
Neie OrUanit Pkny e notes that the con
sumption last year ws 1'20,()M) bales,
against 91,000 in 1870 and 80,000 in
18(iJ.
" I say, Pompey," said one frecdman
to another, " dis chile has trit-d lots ob
gift fares and tings for a prize, but neb
ber could draw anything nt all." " Well,
Jim, I'd vise you to try a hand-cart ; de
chances are a tousand to one dat you
could draw dat."
One hundred and twenty-five ox teams
were in procession at the forty-ninth
fair of the Merrimac, N. H., Society, .
" attached to large farm wagons filled
with handsome farmers' daughters and
extensively and beautifully deoorated
with flowers, evergreens, and the fruits
of tho earth."
A minute criticism, in the British
Quarterly Review, of the commissioners'
report on the British coal-supply, re
duces the available amount, from the
"practically inexhaustible" total esti
mated by the commission, to a deposit
which, at the present rate of consump
tion and increase, will be exhausted in,
seventy-three years.
Emmet Wells estimates the American
hop crop of 1872 at from 00,000 to 70,
000 bales', loaving a deficiency of 45,000
bales to supply the yearly demand. He
thinks there aro 25,000 bales of mer
chantable old hops in the country. Tho
crop in England and in Germany turns
out better than was expected.
It is stated that thirty of the best
European engravers are employed in
New York in mauufacturing counter
feit plates of European bank-notes.
Fifty persons travel between New York
and Europe, carrying over the counter
feit bills to the Old World, and as many
moro act as agents in the larger cities of
Europe for tho circulation of spurious
currency.
The story is told of. Ben Butler's
earlier days that a Yankee obtained his
legal opinion how to recover the value
ot a ham which a neighbors dog came
along and ate. Ho was advised to pros
ecute and recover for damages. " But
tho dog was your'n," said the eh irp
Yankee. Butlor opened his eyes a lit
tle, asked him what the ham was worth,
was told five dollars, paid the money,
and then demanded a ten-dollar fee of
the astonished, native for legal advice.
A murder has been committed in Bal
timore, which ought to rouse tho indig
nation of tho entire human race, for it
was a representative of thoir remote an
cestry that was stricken down. Sisjnor
Baccagelleppo is a wandering uii.i -trl
of the city of monuments, who whi!. un
earned about a haud-or,-an ornaui-. iit tl
with a plaxful monkey, oneof the patri
archs of t he infant world ; but t b is ven
erable being so firt'urgot his tiiui'.v and
his relation to the fcueet-tovs as to rite
the blind of a looV-r-on who mel'l'-d
with the pendent eviJli-noo of his anti
quity. The mini in Ms r,i?;- lima ui-j
pamcid ii hand ana slew t'nt inoui.i.'y.
Signor Bacci, et, was wroth tmrl hrt
him arrested, and some wn notilil riio
coroner, who empanel ed .m muUig-.'iit
jury, but refused to hold an inqu-t,
when tho loi'iu oi ino aoeeaseu was un
covered. There was a worse class of men took
part in our hut war than tiio D iald
Dahiettvs. These were the noted bor
der ruin ins who "javhuwiied " the, un
fortuiiiter States of Missouri, Arkaiit-as,
and Kentucky. They were itru like
lshuiael. Every man's hand was against
them, and their haiids were against eve
ry man. They robbed and murd.-red
with impunity. One of the most brutal
of these characters was Frank Burton,
who had his hiding-place in the Oz irk
mountains, rive thousand dollars was
offered for his capture. He is said to
have murdnred over a hundred persons,
both Southern and Northern, and when
his cave was examined, after his death,
there were found in it a largo pile of
arms of all descriptions, a number of
watches, a largo tunl of money, and
over fifty suits of clothes that Burton
had stripped from the bodies of his vic
tims. The following instance of "adipocere,"
a peculiar form of decomposition which
dead bodies sometimes undergo, is given
in the Tribune, of South Bend, Ind. It
appears that about two weeks ago, a
lady of that city, who died from over
exertion, was buried thera, and that re
cently the grave was opened tor the pur
pose of transferring tho remains to an
other resting placo. The persons em
ployed found themselves unable to move
the coffin on account of its great weight.
arising, it was supposed, from the petri
fication of the corpse. On raising the
coffin from the grave it was opened, and
although petrification had not taken
place, the corpse was as perfect as the
day it was placed in the coffin. After it
had boen brought to this city, a more
careful examination was given it. It
was estimated to weigh about two hun
dred pounds. The whole body was per
fectly preserved, even to such parts as
the tongue, which could be moved back
and forth in the mouth. The expression
of the face was retained, and the color
of the face was natural, except for its
waxy appearance. The shroud, when
exposed to the air, fell to dust. It was
an instance of that kind of conversion
of the flesh of a dead body into what is
called " adipocere," which looks very
much like spermaceti. Similar cases,
though rare, nave been known to occur
in Philadelphia aad ekevrhere,