HENRY A. PARSONS, Jr., Editor and Publisher. NIL DESPERANDUM. Two Dollars per Annum. YOL. III. HIDGWAY, ELK COUNTY, PA., THURSDAY, DECEMBER 18, 1873. NO. 42. Winter's Herald. Forth from tlio ic-king's palace ride His snappish Bcrrant, Frost ; HJS charger is the cold, keen blast u With which the loaves are toBBed ; And he calls with a loud and piercing cry, s f' 'Tis time earth's boautios fade and die ! " Come flowers, now put away yonr prido, And bow your heads at last ! Your day of reign is well-nigh o'er ; Our chains shall bind ye fast 1" And tic flowers shudder unto death, Xud full beneath the herald's breath. Then onward hies the chilling front : 1 HaBte, Btatoly treos, to yield our treasured leaves ! Behold, my breath BhaU spread them o'er the field 1" And the trees are standing desolate, Their leaves hurled downward to their fate. Btill faster speeds the herald o'or The sighing, trembling earth s The meadows darken 'neath his feet, The brooks forget their mirth, Until, beneath the ice-king's sway, The earth, with grief and woe, turns gray. MAKRTIXi WELL, "And so, my dear," said Mrs.Waring te- her.beautiful niece, Fanny Lovering, "you are about becoming a bride." The aunt spoke tenderly, and with a manner that instantly broke down all barriers of reserve. "And a happy bride, I trust," re turned the blushing girl, as she laid her hand in that of her aunt, and leaned upon her confidingly. "Tray Heaven, it may be so, Fanny." Mrs. Waring's manner was slightly serious. " Marriage is a very important step ; and in taking it the smallest error may become the fruitful source of unhappmess." "I shall make no error, Aunt Mary," cried the lovely girl. " Edward Allen is one of the best of young men ; and he loves me as purely and tenderly as any maiden could wish to be loved. Oh, I want you to see him so much !" " I will have that pleasure soon, no doubt." " Yes, very soon. lie is here almost every evening." " Your father, I understand, thinks Very highly of him." "Oh, yes! He is quite a pet of father's," replied Fanny. " He's in business, then, I suppose ?" - " e n-MjapjTS a fancy dry goods I 1 1 1 1 1 ', dull7&tainlv well. BU I1B H.1VH ' ' . Mrs. Waring sat silent for some tifffpi. atartey.U " ' ftjueetion, suddenly yon tMLB2TO pj,- fr, ' ijjmiHi - ' Mrs.Waring smiled, as she answered : " People at my age are easily led into serious thoughts. Indeed, I never con template the marriage of a young girl like yourself, without the intrusion of such thoughts into my mind. I have seen many bright skies bending smil ingly over young hearts, on the morn ing of their married life, that long ere noon were draped in clouds." "4ou't talk so,, dear aunt !" said the fair young girl. "I know that life, to all, comes iii shadow as well as sun shine. But, while the sky.is bright, why dim its brightness by the thought s of the time when it will be overcast. Is that true philosophy, Aunt Mary ?" " If such forethought would prevent the cloud, or provide a shelter ere the storm breaks, it may be called true philosophy. But forgive me, my dear, lor thus throwing a shadow where no shadow ought to rest. I will believe your choice a wise one, and that a happy future awaits you." " You cannot help believinfj this, when you see Edward. He will be here to-night ; then you will be able to esti mate him truly." As Fanny had said, the young man called in after tea, when Mrs. Waring was introduced. Allen responded to the introduction somewhat coldly. In fact, he was too much interested in Fanny herself, to think much, or care much for the stranger, even though named as a relative. But, though he noticed but casually, and passed only a few words with Mrs. Waring, that lady was observing him closely, and noting every phase of character that was pre sented for observation; and, ere he left her presence, had read him far deeper than he imagined. "And now, Aunt Mary, tell me what you think of Edward," said Fanny Lov ering, as soon as the young man had de ported, and she was alone with Mrs. Waring. "I must see him two or three times more, ere I can make up my mind in regard to him," said Mrs. Waring, with something evasive in her manner. ".First impressions are not always to be relied upon," she added, smiling. "Ah ! I understand you," Fanny spoke with a sudden gayety of manner " you only wish to tease me a little. Now, confess at once, dear Aunt Mary, that you are charmad with Edward." " I am not much given to quick pre possessions," answered Mrs. Waring. " It may be a defect in my character ; but so it is. Mr. Allen, no doubt, is a most excellent young man. You are sure that you love him, Fanny?" "O Aunt Mary I How can you ask such a question ? Are we not soon to be married ?" " True. And this being bo, you cer tainly should love him. Now, can you tell me why you love him." " Why, aunt !" " My question seems, no doubt, a strange one, Fanny. Yet, strange as it may appear to you, it is far from being lightly made. Calm your mind into re flection, and ask yourself, firmly and seriously, why you love Edward Allen. True love ever has an appreciating re gard for moral excellence and knowl edge must precede appreciation. What do you know of the moral wisdom of this young man, into whose hands you are about placing the destinies of your being for time it may be for eternity ? Again let me put the question why do you love Edward Allen ?" Fanny looked bewildered. No search ing interrogations like these had been addressed to her, even by her parents ; and their effect was to throw her whole mind into painful confusion. " I love aim for his excellent quali- j ties, and because he loves me," she at length said, yet with a kind of uncer tain manner, as if the reply did not spring from a clear mental perception. " What do you mean by excellent qualities ?" further inquired Mrs. War ing. Tears came into Fanny's sweet blue eyes as she answered, " A young girl like me, dear Aunt Mary, cannot penetrate very deeply into a man's character. We have neither the opportunity nor the experience upon which, coldly, to base an accurate judg ment. The heart is our guide. In my own case, its iiiBtinets, 1 am sure, have not betrayed me into a false estimate of my lover. I know him to be good and noble ; and I am sure his tender regard for the maiden he has asked to become his bride, will lead him to seek her happiness, as she will his. Do not doubt him, aunt." Yet, Mrs. Warring' could not help doubting him. The young man had not impressed her favorably. No word, had fallen from his lips during the evening unmarked by her nor had a single act escaped observation. In vafH had she looked, in his declaration pf sentiments, for high moral purposes for some thing elevated and manly in tone. In their place, she found only exceeding wordliness, or the flippant common place. " No basis there, I fear, on which to build," said Mrs.Waring, thoughtfully, after parting with hor niece for the night. " Dear, loving, confiding child I the heart of a maiden is' not always her best guide. Like the conscience, it needs to be instructed ; must be fur nished with tests of quality." On the day following, Mrs. Waring went out alone. Without seeming to have any purpose in her mind, she had asked tlie number of Mr. Allen's store, whither she went with the design of making a few purchases. As she had hoped it would be, the young man did not recognize her as the aunt of his betrothed. Among the articles she wanted to obtain was a silk dress. Sev eral pieces of goods were shown to her, one of which suited exactly, both color aud quality. "What is the price of this?" she asked. The answer was not prompt. First, the ticket-mark was consulted ; theu came a thoughtful pauce ; and then the young storekeeper said, "I cannot aftord to sell you this piece of goods for less than a dollar thirteen." " A dollar thirty, did you say ? " Tasked Mrs. Waring, examining the silk more closely, iuvs. war ma raised iier eyes and looked steadily, for a moment or two, into the young man s face. "A dollar and thirty cents," she re peated. " Yes, ma'am. A dollar thirty," was the now assured answer. " How many yards shall I measure off -for you ? " " I want about twelve yards." " There isn't a cheaper piece of goods in market," said the young man, as he put his scissors into the silk " not a cheaper piece, I do assure you. I had a large stock of these silks at the open ing of the season, and sold two thirds of them at a dollar and a half. But as they are nearly closed out, I am selling the remainder at a trifle above cost. Can I show you anything else, ma'am ?" " Not to day, I believe," replied Mrs. Waring, as she took out her purse. " How much does it come to ?" " Twelve yards at one dollar and thirty cents just fifteen dollars and sixty cents," said Allen. " Shall I send it home for you ? " ho asked. " No I will take it myself," said Mrs. Waring, coldly. " What have you been buying, aunt ?" inquired Fanny, when Mrs. Waring re turned home with her purchase. "A silk dress. And I want to know what you think of my bargain ?" The silk was opened, and Fanny and her mother examined and admired it. "What did you pay for it, sister?" nsked Mrs. Lovering, the mother of Fanny. "A dollar and thirty cents," was an swered. " Not a dollar thirty ?" Marked sur prise was indicated. " Yes. Don't you think it cheap ?" "Cheap!" said Fanny. "It isn't worth over a dollar, at the outside. Mr. Allen has been selling the same goods at niuety and ninety -five." " You must certainly be in error," re plied Mrs. Waring. " Not at all," was the positive asser tion. "Where did you get the Bilk?" A somewhat indefinite answer was given, to which Fanny returned " I only wish we had known your in tention. Mother would have gone with you to Edward's store. It is too bad that you should have been so cheated. The person who sold you the silk is no better than a downright swindler." "If it is. as you say," replied Mrs. Waring, calmly, " he is not an honest man. He saw that I was a stranger, ignorant of current prices ; and he took advantage of the fact to do me a wrong. I am more grieved for his sake than my own. To me the loss is only a few dol lars ; to him, alas ! by what rule can we make the estimate ?" Mu2h more was said, not needful here to repeat. In the evening Edward Allen called to see Fanny, who spoke of the purchase made by Mrs. Waring. Her aunt was present. The silk was produced in evidence of the fact that she had been most shamefully wronged by some storekeeper. " For what can you sell goods of a similar quality ?" was the direct ques tion of Fanny. The moment Allen saw the piece of silk, he recognized it as the same he had sold in the morning. Turning quickly, and with a flushing counte nance, to that part of the room where Mrs. Waring sat, partly in the shadow, he became at once conscious of the fact that she was the purchaser. The eyes of Fanny followed those of the lover, and then came back to his face. She saw the o'ermantling blush, the sudden loss of self-possession, the quailing ef his glance beneath the fixed look of Mrs. Waring. At once the whole truth flashed upon her mind, and starting up, she said, in a blended voice of grief and indignation : "Surely, surely, Edward, yon are not the man !" Before Allen could reply, Mrs. War ing said, firmly : " Yes, it is too true. He is the man !" At this Fanny grew deadly pale, stag gered toward her mother, and sunk, sobbing wildly, upon her bosom. Too much excited and confused for coherent explanation, and too clearly conscious of his mean dishonesty to ward a stranger, Allen attempted no vindication nor excuse, lest matters should assume even a worse aspect. A moment or two he stood irresolute, and then retired from the house. As he did so Mr. Lovering entered the room where this little scene had just tran spired, and was quite startled at the aspect of affairs. " What's this ? What has happened ? Fanny, child, what in the name of won dea is the matter ? Where's Edward ?" Mr. Lovering spoke hurriedly. As soon as practicable, the whole affair was related. "And is that all?" exclaimed Mr. Lovering, in surprise. " Pooh I pooh ! I'm really astonished ! I thought that some dreadful thing had happened." " Don't you regard this as a very serious matter?" inquired Mrs. War ing. " Serious ? No ! It's a thing of every day occurrence. If you are not a judge of the goods you attempt to pur chase, you must expect to pay for your ignorance. Shopkeepers have to make up their ratio of profits in the aggregate sales of the day. Sometimes they have to sell a sharp customer at cost, rather than lose the sale ; and this must be made up on some one like yon." " Not a serious matter," replied Fanny's aunt, " to discover that the betrothed of your daughter is a dishon est man ?" "Nonsense! nonsense! you don't know what you are talking about," said Mr. Lovering, fretfully. "He's very shrewd and sharp, as every business man who expects to succeed must be. As to his trade transactions, Fanny has nothing to do with them. He'll make her a kind husband, and provide for her handsomely. What more can she ask ?" "A great deal more," replied Mrs. Waring, firmly, " What more, pray ?" " A husband in whose high, moral virtues, and unselfish regard for th9 right, she can unerringly confide. One who will never, in his eager desire to secure for himself some personal end or fiJuaa.-JWw ,u xj'li 'iu ins guardian ship. Brother, depend upon it, the man who deliberately wrongs another to gain an advantage to himself, will never, iu marriage, make a truly virtu ous womon happy. This I speak thoughtfully and solemnly; and I pray you take it to heart, ere conviction of what I assert comes upon you too late. But I have said too much. Forgive my plain speoking. From the fullness of my heart is this utterance." And so saying, Mrs. Waring passed from the room, and left the parents of Fanny alone with their weeping child. Few words were spoken by either Mr. or Mrs. Lovering. Something in the last remarks of Mrs. Waring had star tled their minds into new convictions. As for the daughter, she soon retired to her own apartment, and did not join the family again until the next morning. Then, her sad eyes and colorless face too plainly evidenced a night of sleep lessness and suffering. By a kind of tacit consent on the part of each member of the family, no allu sion whatever was made to the occur rences of the day previous. Evening came, but not as usual came Edward Allen. The next day, and the next went by, without his accustomed ap pearance. For a whole week his visits were omitted. Grievous was the change which, iu that time, had become visible in Fanny Lovering. The very light of her life seemed to go out suddenly ; and for a while, she had groped about in thick darkness. A few feeble rays were again becoming visible; but from a quarter of the heavens where she had not expect ed light. Wisely, gently and unobtru sively had Mrs. Waring, during this period of gloom and distress, cast high truths into the mind of her suffering niece and from these, as Btars in the firmament of thought, came the rays by which she was able to see a path opening before her. When, at the end of the tenth day of uncertainty, came a note from Allen, in these brief words : " If it is Miss Lovering's wish to be free from her engagement, a word will annul the contract " she replied, with in ten minutes, " Let the contract be annulled; you are free." Two weeks later, and Mr. Lovering brought home the intelligence that Allen was t be married in a few days to a certain Miss Jerrold, daughter of a man reputed wealthy. " To Miss Jerrold ! It cannot be !" said Miss Lovering, in surprise. " I will not believe it, father." Fanny spoke with quivering lips and a choking voice. " Who is Miss Jerrold ?" asked Mrs. Waring. "A coarse, vulgar-minded girl, of whom many little things have been said," replied Mrs. Lovering, indig nantly. " Buc her father is rich, and she is an only child." " He never loved you, dear," said Mrs. Waring to Fanny, about a week later, as the yet Buffering girl laid her tearful face on her bosom. The news had just come that Miss Jerrold was the bride of Allen. The frame of the girl thrilled for a moment or two ; the all was calm, and 6he replied, "Not as I wished to be loved. O aunt! what an escape I have made! I look down the fearful gulf on the very brink of which my feet were arrested, and shudder to the heart's core. If he could take her, he never could have ap preciated me. Something more than maiden purity and virtue attracted him. Ah! how could my instincts have been so at fault?" "Dear child," said Mrs. Waring, earnestly, " there can be no true love, as I have before said to you, without an appreciation of quality. A fine per son, agreeable manners, social position in a word, all external advantages and attractions are nothing, unless virtue be in the heart. It is a man's virtues that a woman must love, if she loves truly. If she assume the possession of moral wisdom, without undoubting evi dence, she is false to herself. To marry under such circumstances, is to take a fearful risk. Alas! how many have re pented through a long life of wretched ness. Can a true woman love a man who lacks principle ? who will sacrifice honor for a few paltry dollars ? who will debase himself for gain? whose gross sensuality suffocates all high, spiritual love? No! no! It is impos sible! And she who unites herself with such a man, must either shrink, groveling, down to his mean level, or be inconceivably wretched." Two years later, and results amply justified the timely interposition of Mrs. Waring, and demonstrated the truth of her positions. Her beautiful, true-hearted niece has become the bride of a man possessing all the ex ternal advantages sought to be obtained by Mr. and Mrs. Lovering in the pro posed marriage with Mr. Allen ; and what is more aud better, of one whose love of truth and goodness is genuine, and whose appreciation of his wife rests on a perception of her womanlv virtues. As yeors pass, and their knowledge of each other becomes more intimate, their union will become closer and closer, until affection and thought be come so blended, that they will act in all their mutual life-relations as one. Alas ! how different it is already with Edward Allen and the woman he led to the altar, where each made false vows the one to the other. There were no qualities to be loved ; and to each, person and principles soon grow re pellant. Through Bharp practices in business, Allen is rapidly adding to the fortune already acquired by trade and marriage ; but, apart from the love of accumulation, which keeps his mind active and excited during business hours, he has no pleasure iu life. He does not love the woman who presides in his elegant home, and she affects nothing in regard to him. They only tolerate each other for appearance sake. Sometimes, Fanny Lovering, now Mrs. , meets them in public ; but never without an almost audibly breathed " Thank God, that I am not in her place !" as her eyes rest upon the countenance of Allen, in which evil and selfish purposes have already stamped their unmistakable meanings. A Chill aiid Fever Destroyer. -Jt.-nxvtmTf'naiin.iiEiy litVtl BUUrBSSed to the French Academy ofJ3ciences by a M. Gimbert, who hn been long en gaged in collecting evidence concerning the eucalyptus globulus, a tree of ex traordinarily rapid growth, which attains huge dimensions, and appears to pos sess an extraordinary power of destroy ing miasmatic influence in fever-stricken districts. It has the singular property of absorbing ten times its weight of water from the soil, and of emitting antiseptic camphorous effluvia. When sown in marshy ground it will dry it up in a short time. The English were the first to try it at the Cape, and within t wo or three years they completely changed the climatic condition of the unhealthy parts of the colony. A few years later its planta tion was undertaken on a large scale in various parts of Algeria. At Pardock, twenty miles from Algiers, a farm situ ated on the banks of the Hamyze, was noted for its extremely pestilential air. In the spring of 1867 about 13,000 of the eucalyptus were planted there. In July of the same year the time when the fever season used to set in not a single case occurred, yet the trees were not more than nine feet high. Since then complete immunity from fever has been maintained. In the neighborhood of Constantine the farm of Ben Machydlin was equally in bad repute. It was covered with marshes, both in winter and summer. In five years the whole ground was dried up by 14,000 of these same trees, and farmers and children enjoy excel lent health. At the factory of the Gay de Constan tine, in three years a plantation of eucalyptus has transformed twelve acres of marshy soil into a magnificent park, whence fever has completely dis appeared. In the Island of Cuba, this and all other paludal diseases are fast disap pearing from all the unhealthy districts where this tree has been introduced. A station-house at one of the ends of a railway viaduct in the Department of the Var was so pestilential that the officials could not be kept there longer than a year. Forty of these trees were planted, and it is now as healthy as any other place on the line. We have no information as to whether this benefi cent tree will grow in other than hot climates. We hope that experiments will be made to determine this point. N. V. Paper. Benedict Arnold. Benedict Arnold, after his escape to the British, was allowed to retain in the British army the rank of brigadier general, which he had held in that of the United States. He afterward was sent with an expedition into Virginia, where he committed great devastation. After this, he made a still more destructive incursion into Connocticut, his native State. Having taken Fort Trumbull, near New London, he barbarously put the unresisting garrison of the Fort to to the sword, and sot the town on fire. He served afterward in Nova Scotia and also in the West Indies, where he was taken prisoner by the Frenh, from whom, however, he made his escape. After the conclusion of the war, he took up his residence in England. In July, 1784, a duel was fought near Kilburn Wells, between Gen. Arnold and the Earl of Lau derdale, in conse quence of certain 'expressions which the latter had used at apublio meeting, and would not retract. Arnold was at tended by Lord Hawke. and Lord Lau derdale by Mr. Fox. His lordshirj de. clined to return his adversary's fire, but said that if he was not satisfied he might fire on until he was. On this both parties separated. Arnold died in lilouoester Place, London, in 1801. The Lively Local." Few men appreciate the delicate duties of an editor, and especially of a local editor of a newspaper. Thoy have a great many obstacles to contend with, a great many obstacles to overcome, and once in a while they are talked to death. Jenkins was a man who fell a victim. He was a faithful worker, but met a most horrible fate at last, after fighting bravely the battlo of life. He lived in a Western town, and earned a precarious subsistence by writing for the papers. He worked early and late, and tried to amuse and instruct people, young and old, by his chronicles of passing events. The man who chronicled his demise did it in this manner, and in this touch ing illustration : Sometimes this little local editor wrote things about some rough or row dy, and the next day he would meet the rough and get all battered up, and go to bed for a week or two till the swell ing came out of his nose and the cuts in his face healed up. One time he told some unpleasant truths about the big moukey king of the country, aud the next day the big monkey king came and shot the unfortunate local through the right lung, and he hovered between life aud death for several weeks. Another time Jenkins took occasion to remark that Squire Tompkins, who was County Commissioner, had robbed the county and built His Darn out ot bridge timbers. Tin n Squire Tompkins waited on the local and gave him a cow hiding, so thot he could neither walk, run, stand, nor lie for three days. Four times they put the local in jail for what he said, and twice, when he pitched into the police, they arrested him when he was on his way home at night, put him in the calaboose, and next morning swore he had been drunk and had him fined, although he did not drink. An irate landlord, because he said the landlord's house was not well kept, kicked him around three blocks one morning, and still he recov ered sufficiently to sit in a chair and re peat the charge with more particulars that night. So eager was this little local editor afterwards, that when, one time, he heard there was to be a steamboat ex cursion, and there were a leaky boiler aud a drunken engineer aboard and a tine prospect lor an explosion and a terrible loss of life, he went along for an item, and the explosion took place and the little local was on hand, and, although he had one ol his eyes blown out, he saw enough with the other to - 'at ltuouie time ne climbed to the top of a new Court House they were build ing, and the scaffolding, 100 iect from the around, gave wav. from the care lessness of those who built it, and pre cipitated them to the ground. Jenkins, in tryiug to get his note-book out, when on his way down, had his arm broken, and had a serious time with it for many weeks. Many more sad accidents befel our hero, because he was ou duty, and always enterprising in the pursuit of news. But at last our hero met his fate, aud this is how it happened : He had written something about a lady of the city, aud the next morning a lady came to see him. She asked if ho was the local editor, and with a polite bow he said ho was. She then said she was Flora McFlimsey. " In the paper this morning, in your account of the party lost night, you say that I was ' beauti fully arrayed in a pink silk dress, with a white Swiss overshirt.' Now, every body has been ridiculing the idea of ray being either in an overshirt or un der a shirt, and I have eome to demand an explanation." And with that Mrs. McFlimsey commenced such a tirade as man never heard before. She swore that it took nine tailors to make a man, and it only took one local editor to un make one. She t.aid it was well the local had to do so much of his work at eight, for his deeds were those of dark ness. He had to nose around into everything, and make everybody's busi ness his own ; had to study impolite ness and impudence, and make a reg ular hog of himself. She kept at him, talking louder and faster as long as she continued, until, at the end of the first hour, you could hear her tongue snap like a whin-cracker every time she ar ticulated the letter " R." Now, our hero could have explained the matter if he could have got a word in edgewise, but he couldn't do it. Ho had written : " Miss McFlimsey was beautifully arrayed in a pink silk silk dress with a white Swiss over skirt," and the printer, proof-reader, or somebody hadn't corrected the mis take. Uses of Kawkide. The skin of au animal, whether cow, calf, colt, or horse that dies on the farm, is worth more at home than at the tanner's. Cut it into narrow strips, and shave off the hair with a sharp knife before the kitchen fire, or in your work shop, on stormy days and evenings. A rawhide halter-strap, an inch wide, will hold a horse better and last longer than an inch rope. It it stronger than hoop iron and more durable, and may be used to hoop dry casks and boxes, and for hinges. Try it on a broken thill, or any wood work that has been split. Put it on wet and nail fast. Thin skins make the best bag-strings in the world, A rawhide rope is a good substitute for a chain. It is valuable to mend a broken link in a trace-chain. For some pur poses it is best to use it in its natural state. For other purposes it may be dressed soft. Suffering in Iowa. Reports con tinue to come here, says a dispatch from Des Moines, Iowa, of great Buffer ing among the homesteaders in Osceola county. Hay and seed grass is the only fuel that nine-tenths of the people have, while their food and clothes are insufficient for the necessities of life. Several women have died in child-birth from want of proper food and exposure to cold. Many families are leaving on foot, having sold cattle and horses to keep them alive. The Homesteaders Association of tint oounty appeals for neip, or many must perish by Btarya tion and cold. The Grangers. Circular From the Secretary ot the New York State Grange. The following circular from George Sprague, Secretary of the State Grange of Patrons of Husbandry, has been is sued: To the larmers and Horticulturists of the State of New York : Owing to the general interest mani fested by agriculturists in the Ordct of Patrons of Husbandry, and on account of the numerous inquiries from all parts of the State being daily received by me as to the objects of the order and the benefits to be derived therefrom, it seems to me that somo general state ment covering most of these inquiries is proper for the general information of the public. This letter is intended for that purpose. The aim of the order is to benefit the ogriculturist socially, intellectually and financially. It is a fact that people who mingle little with the world and go little in society are not possessed of that ease and grace of manner and conversation which is acquired by others who go into society more. Many of our farm ers enjoy all these advantages ; others do not to so great an extent. By our order we establish a social organiza tion which extends for miles around, where the advantages of society are ob tained, where by mingling in social en joyment we wear off much of the diffi dence aud awkwardness of manner which are natural to persons who live in au isolated condition. The farmer's son or daughter who is brought up without seeing much of so ciety acquires a sort of diffidence or bashf ulness in their manner which is frequently a Bource of embarrassment during their whole life-time. The an tidote for all this is supplied by the so cial features of the grange. Besides there is much real pleasure and enjoy ment in social intercourse ol the grange. "'Tis not all of life to live. ' Intellec tually, it is the aim of this order to educate the farmer up to a full and parfect understanding of the responsi bility that rests upon him as a citizen. to keep him posted upon all matters that affect his business. It requires more education, more knowledge, more science to prosecute the business of ag riculture successfully than is required by any other business. To perform nil the duties ot a citizen and a farmer in. telligently, the farmer should be thor oughly posted in political economy, science of government, and science of agriculture. Tt is .fftBtv-.tpftliis order duties as a citizen. The diversity of uil uud climate, and ai. i. j "1 l: i me great variety oi prouuciious uuu their relative value, give a wide range for thought, and require an extensive knowledge of the experience of others added to his own investigations, and experiments to make a successful farm er. By an interchange of experience in our agricultural operations in the grange, we gain much valuable information, which would be difficult to be acquired in any other manner. In this way we acquire not merely the theory of farming, but the practical experience of our best farmers who are operating in the same climate and upon the same kind of soil, and who have the same obstacles to overcome. To become good and intelligent citizens it is necessary that we 3hould nave a thorough under standing of our system of government, and the principles upon which it is founded. Also a thorough knowledge of political economy. These are proper subiects for discussion in the grange, So, also, would be any question of prin ciple or government policy ; but an at tempt to pledge the order to any politi cal party or candidates would be highly improper, and could not be tolerated for one moment in the grange. While it must be distinctly under stood that this order is not a political organization, and political discussions will not be tolerated in the grange, yet it will undoubtedly exert a powerful influence upon political parties by edu. eating the citizen up to be an inde pendent thinker and actor in his own political organization. In the manage' ment of political parties, as conducted at the present time, the politician is master of the people, but through the influence of this order we hope to set the people again master of the poli tician. This will be accomplished by the general diffusion of knowledge through correspondence between diner' ent granges, and by a general inter. change of thought in the grange. We can also have libraries in which all can have access. It is expensive for each farmer to purchase a library for himself alone extensive enough to cover all the subiects which he might wish to inves tigate, but in the grange he can be sup plied. It would take too much space to enumerate all the advantages that would accrue under this feature of the grange, but enough has been said to show the general objects in this line, The benefits to be derived from this feature of the order are bo extensive. that 1 shall attempt only to give an utline of the way in which the grange operates to benefit the farmer financial ly. This is accomplished by combina tion in making tneir purchases of sup plies, such as fertilizers, mohinery. Btock, &o., and in Belling their pro ducts. By means of this order we are enabled to bring the producer and con suraer together, and by this means to save between the two classes the large profits of the middlemen. We do not desire to db away entirely with mid dlemen, but we do think through the grange we can dispense with the ser vices of a large class of drummers, and who are the drones in the great hive of industry. It is estimated that the farm. ers belonging to the granges in. the State of Iowa, during the present year, have saved in the purchase of reapers alone the large sum of $350,000, and that in buying their supplies and sell. ing their products they have saved over $1,000,000 in the same time. To secure these advantages to the farmers of this State during the coming year, it is necessary that we should be thoroughly organized in every oounty by the middle of the winter, so that orders lor ma chinery may be made, up at an early date, so as to give time for negotiation with the dxtterent manufacturers, It is desirable that manufacturers ave the orders as soon as possiblo.that they may bo supplied without delay. Mowers and reapers, sewing-machines, drills, wheel-rakes, cultivators, and all that class of machinery, and fertilizers, can be purchased to great advantage through the grange. It should be borne in mind, also, that none but members of the order can avail themselves of this advantage thronghthe grarfge. Un doubtedly this order will exert a powerful'iufluence in solving the great question of transportation, and in break ing down the great monopolies of the country ; but 1 have no space nere ior comments on those questions. It is desirable that at least one or two granges be organized in every town in the State, and that the granges should be as full as possible, iu order to give them a strong, vigorous, and healthy existence. The larger the number of members, the larger the benefits to bo derived financially, as the order3 for machinery and Bupplies will be cor respondingly larger. Granges should no be organized withiu three miles of each other, except in very thickly-settled districts. It requires not less than nine men and four women and not more than twenty men and ten women as charter menbers, to organize a grange. Parties wishing to organize a grauge will please send me a list of the names proposed for charter members, and I will place the matter in the hands of the proper officers, who will at once in stitute the grange for them. The fees for charter members are 3 tor men ana fifty cents for women. Initiation fees for members after the organization of charter members are $5 for men, and $2 for women. All ceremony is dispensed with in the organization, and the char ter members are instructed in the work. All persons who are interested in agri culture are eligible to membership. The next meeting of the Jew loik State Grange will be held in Albany on the third ednesday of March, and it is desirable that every town should be fully organized by that time, 'as the officers then to be elected will hold their offices for the term of two years. The press of this State will confer a favor by giving this letter the benefit of their circulation. George Speague, Secretary. Items of Interest. Rents have fallen 30 per cent in Chi cago. Tnrontr.fiva minora xperA killed bv an explosion in a colliery at Wigan, Eng- diesA muff and boa alone cost as high as 200. A Doniphan County. Kansas, preach er thrashed three fellows who were dis turbing the services, and the congrega tion increased his salary fifty dollars per year. Bv a vote of 209 to 54 the printers of Chicago have reduced the price of com position ten per cent., and also aban doned the claim for extra compensation for holiday work. What was intended for a mock mar riage at a Fond du Lac evening party has been found to bo a legal one, and the funny pair are having a heap of trouble about it. The expense of running railroads iu Italy is enormous. Every ton of coal is bought in England, costing 10 (gold) per ton, and transported at an enormous cost to Italy. The editor of a Minnesota paper has a buffalo robe which was once the prop erty of the Sioux chief Son of the Sun, whereupon are pictured all his battles, scalps, and other trophies. He uses it as a means to frighten delinquent sub scribers. A man with a pistol bullet in his left side, an inch above his heart, a six-inch cut on his head, and a fractured leg, called at a Bangor doctor's office to get fixed up, the other morning. He said they had been having some fun " over the way," but he refused to tell where. The Chicago Tribune has been care fully examining the hotel system in that city, and declares that the extravagance and waste are outrageous. Every first class hotel employs at least one servant for each boarder, une noiei costing S120.000 made in ten years $500,000 profits. Conversation in the horse car: Firet Young Lady Father says that we girls must be economical, for the panio has struck him. What does your father say? Second Young Lady Oh, ho don't say much ; you know pa is so slow that I don't believe he'll hear the panio is in town till it has most gono away. The Society of Shakers at Shirley, Me., number about eighty ; one-third are males, and two-thirds are females. The society was organized in 1790, and now owns 2,000 acres of timber, pas ture, and tillage land. Ten thousand firkins of apple sauce have been put up by them this year, besides several thousand cans of fruit. An unfavorable year should always be a profitable one for a good farmer ; then he is to make money, if ever. In favorable years crops are abundant and firices are low. With rich, deep-plowed and, drouth need not be feared, and average crops can be grown, which will bring two prices, it is the good farm er only who ever makes money. The question whether a man can talk or not after his tongue has been cut out, has been recently decided in the affirmative. The Lancet describes a case to the point, occurring in the Royal Free Hospital in London. In order to remove an ulcer, the patient's tongue was wholly cut out, leaving the floor of the mouth entire. Within a week he was heard to say distinctly, " I should like some more beef tea." The libel suit brought by William Murphy to recover $25,000 from the publishers of the Cincinnati Enquirer was deoided in favor of the defendant by default, the plaintiff not appearing whereupon the Enquirer remarks : " We have no objection to libel suits' but when a man asks for damages he ought not to expect us to eret ont a search-warrant for him on the day of trial. This thing is getting entirely too common." J
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers