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