l . : V ' ' V " ' -;:ife 111 if ilfg gmiesk' ' 1 HENRY A. PARSONS, Jr. Editor and Publisher NIL DESEIIANDUM. Two Dollars oer Annum. VOL. VIII. RIDGrWAY, ELK COUNTY, PA., THURSDAY, AUGUST 8, 1878. NO. 25. b Milklng-time. "I toU you, Kate, that Lovejoy cow Ii worth her weight in gold; She gives a good eight quarts o' milk, And isn't yet five year old. ' "I see yonng White a-oomin' now; He wants her. I know that Be careful, girl, you're spillin' it 1 An' save some far the eat, "Good' evenln', Richard, step right in;" "I guess I otraldn't, sir, I've Just come down" "I know it, Dlek, You've took a shine to her. "She's kind an gentle as a lamb, Jest where I go she toilers; ' And though it's oheap I'll let her go; She's your'n (or thirty dollars. "You'll know her dear across the farm, .' By them two milk white stars; ' Yon needn't drive her home at night, Hut Jest le' down the bars. "Then, when you've own'd her, say a month And learnt her, as it were, ru bet why, what's the matter, Dick ?" " Taint her I want, it's her I" "What" notthe girl! well, I'll be bless'd 1 There, Kate, don't drop that pan. You've took me mightily aback, But then a man's a man. "SheXyour'n, my boy, but one word more; Kate's gentle as a dove; She'll toiler you the whole world round, For nothiu' else but love. "But never try to drive the lass; Her natnr's like her ma's. Tve alios found it worked the best, To Jest le' down the bars." Philip Morse tn Scribner. Grandmother's Story. This war was in 1812, and, although I was a very little girl, I remember many things about it very distinctly. Oar father at that time lived in the little town of Hampden, on the Penobscot river, m Maine, and one beautiful mom ing in September a neighbor burst into the honse as we sat at breakfast, inform ing us with breathless haste that a fleet of English war ships was coming up the river and making for our wharf, where was moored for .safe-keeping a prize that some of our cruisers had taken a short time before. For a moment not a word was spoken, My father glanced irresolutely about him at the dear, childish faces that looked up into his in silent terror; but a feeble wail from the adjoining bedroom decided him immediately, and he said firmlv, though with quivering lips: "We can not leave them," and he nodded towaid the bedroom; "so well stay and face the 'worst together. Don't cry, Dolly," and he laid his hard band caressingly npon the head of my little sister. " Englishmen are but men after all, and I don't think that there's any danger of their troubling helpless women and children. At that instant the sound of a gun made us start to our feet, and rushing w to the door we could see the stately fleet sailing slowly up the river in the gray morning light, looking, to our childish imaginations, like huge birds of prey ready to swoop down at any- instant npon our helpless little town. As the troops landed and marched up to meet the militia, that were still at . some little distance, a fog arose, envel oping them in ten minutes so complete ly, that a man conld not see his way a a . - yaru Deiore mm. "It's the pillar o' cloud." sobbed frightened Aunt Debby; "but I du wish the Lord d let the bright side slime on them militiamen or onrn. But the fog was as thick for American as for British, Although, owing to their superior knowledge of the locality, the former were muon surer of their posi tion than strangers npon the soil could be. And here occurred the unlucky blunder that gave our enemies the ad- vantage that they could not otherwise have had. Just as the British troops were defiling past our house, some of our men, who were utterly untrained, mere raw recruits hurriedly gathered together for the emergency, commenced an irregular fire npon the enemy, and when their commander ordered them . to desist until the lifting of the fog should enable them to aim with some accuracy, they fell into disorder at the first volley fired in return, broke ranks, and actually took to their heels without stopping to tire a second gun. In a few hours the British bad taken possession of our little town, disporting themselves very much like a pack of mischievous boys out on a "time. They entered all the bouses, unceremo niously ordering the frightened house wives to cook the best for them that their larders afforded, a d if they didn't a - l : Happen wi laucy uinu, uiBposrog oi it on the tearth in the shape of smashed crockery, much to its owner's chaeTin. for earthen dishes were a luxury in those days, and a broken one was not easily replaced. They slyly pulled the bung ' from the farmer's cider barrel, and drunk his majesty s health in rum that his ene mies were forced to pay for; and now and then theyf rightened some anxious mamma pretending to a great fancy for a chicken of her featherless brood, and insisting upon taking him on board ship as a promising recruit in his majesty's ser vice. The frightened people enjoyed these little pleasantries very much as the frogs enjoyed that stoning match that we read about in the old spelling book; bnt a hush cf horror fell npon man, woman and child, when the only two soldiers, who were killed by the unskill ; fully aimed guns of our troops, were buried by their comrades in a shallow trench that they compelled a man to dig in a corner of his door-yard, wrapped in a table-cloth that they took from the table, and laid away. At last, as the afternoon waned, they marched away on the Bangor road, for the purpose of visiting that then inBig niflcant town, and exploring localities in which they evidently felt all the curios ity and interest of strangers and foreign w The good people, relieved of their presence, took time to draw a long breath and congratulate themselves npon coming off so mnch easier than they had eared, while neglected duties of all kinds presented themselves to the now reassured housekeepers. Anut Debby found time to mold and salt her buttert whiie our eldest sister prepared supper, and little Dolly was pent to the barn to feed the cosset lamb, whose hungry bleat had not, for a wonder, betrayed its whereabouts to the mutton hungry marauders, who had unceremoniously appropriated whatever they oared for in that line. As she opened the door, the little girl heard something a rustle, then a half suppressed groan, that made her shrink back, trembling all over; and turning her face toward the bouse, she debated the question of meeting the sly jokes of her brothers on her cowardice, or going boldly into the now dusky barn. The piteous bleating of her pet decided her, and timidly she opened the great barn doors, and slipped in, holding her breath as she tripped across the wide floor slip pery with nay seed to the corner where. behind a pile of unhnsked corn, poor Clover all day kept her hungry vigil. " Poor Clover !" crooned the child, set ting down her basin of thickened milk close to the little creature s eager nose. " I'm real sorry nobody thought of you; but we've had awful thieves round here to-day, lnmmiel" and she patted the animal's woolly coat in her pretty, confi dential fashion. She lnid her curly head lovingly against the lamb's side, forgetful for the moment of every thing, but the safety of her pet, when- suddenly a low voice close to her ear said, in a bantering tone that was not at all calculated in itself to inspire terror: "Hoot, lassie 1" Dolly started, and screamed aloud in her fright, but the sight of the honest, good-natured face looking out at her from behind the corn rick reassured her somewhat, and still clinging to her lamb, she asked, timidly: "Who oro you? and what are you here for ?" The man pointed to his sleeve, all stained and discolored with blood. "A bullet has gane clean through my arm," he said, with the indifference of ono habituated to hardship and suffer ing; but the little girl's face grew sud denly pitiful. " Let me run and get Doctor Rogers to do it up 1" she exclaimed ; but the soldier laid a detaining hand upon her arm. " Nae leech for me," he said. " It's naething but a flesh wound, after a', an' a' I want is a strip o' anld linen an' a bowl o' water; I can mak' shift to dress itmyainsel'. But, my bonnie lassie," lowering his voice, and glancing appre hensively toward the door, " where are the marines, noo ?" " They've all gone off to Bangor," was ihe glad reply. " There ain't one of 'em left here now." The wounded soldier mused for a moment, and then he said, gently: " I hae a wee lassie o' my ain at home, nbflot your age, an' 't wad oe a sair blow to her to ken that her daddy cam' to bis death in this far off land. My wound maun hae time to heal, an' will ye noo, for little Janet's sake, gie me a hidin' place amang the barley riggs up yon ?" " If father be willin'," began Dolly ; but the soldier shook his head deci sively. " Na, na, I'll trust nane but yersel'. A bit o' bannock noo an' then, wi' a draught frae anld orummie doon there in the byre, will keep me alive for the next few days, till I can show my heid wi' safety." Dolly's tender heart was touched, and she consented to the arrangement, not only procuring the bandages and water that the soldier had asked for, bnt a big bowl of bread and milk that, in the ex citement and bustle indoors, she had had no difficulty in abstracting unno ticed from the pantry; and when he was comfortably ensconced in a warm corner of the upper mow, she thoughtfully provided him with horse blankets and a tattered old comfortable that had some times served as a sleigh robe for the boys in their winter evening rides. "May the Faither o' Mercies bless yon, my boirnie," was the whispered benediotion of the grateful man as he received these welcome proofs of her benevolent good will; and all that eve ning the child pondered upon the in compatibility between her soldier's words and his profession. "Father," she asked, at length, "do you s'pose any of these soldiers from the ships can be good men ?" "They're jest like the Amelekites," broke in Aunt Debby, sternly. "Ain't you a leetle hard, Debby? seein' the men are only doin' hat they're obleeged ter do." Aunt Debby's gray head bristled de fiantly. "I don't believe in makin' friends with unrighteousness," she said, with an air of uncompromising severity. "If one o' them Britishers was hungry, I'd give 'im bread; if he was thirsty, I'd give 'im drink; an' then I'd jest hand 'im over to the authorities ter bang or shoot as they see fit." With a child's unquestioning confi dence in the wisdom of her elders, frightened little Dolly took it for grant ed that death would be the penalty if her wounded soldier should be fonnd, and every doubt that she had ever felt in regard to keeping his place of refuge a secret from her family was new decid ed once for all In spite of Aunt Deb by's denunciation, she felt sure that this soldier was no "Amelekite." and she made up her mind that, let oome what would, she would stand bv him to the last. The days slipped bv. and the British ships, after cruising about in the river and doing all the harm that they could to the American shipping, set sail one fine morning, and disappeared down the bay, greatly to the joy of the inhabi tants of the towns npon the shore. roor little uoily just now was having a hard time of it. Aunt Debby accused her of idleness and inattention, while her father threatened to kill Glover, who, he declared, ate as mnoh milk as all the family put together; and even her moth, er, rendered nervous and irritable by sickness and fright, fretted at the long hour's that the child spent out of doors, where, nobody could tell, unless the wounded soldier from his hiding-place in the barn had chosen to solve the rid dle of the little Samaritan's disappear ance. There was a wonderful charm to the home-bred child in those pictures that he loved to show her of the old Scottish home where his little Janet wandered over the heathery moors, and hunted for the "laverocks" nest be neath the grass and daisies of the small meadow beyond, or fished for minnows in the "wimplin' burn" that ran close to the cottage; and long before the last glimpse of the enemy's sails had faded away into the blue horizon, Sandy Mao Olintock had become as much a part of the little maiden's life as if he had been brought up under the same roof. There was a natural affinity between the thoughtful child and the child-hearted that man made long acquaintanceship en tirely unnecessary between the two so far as a perfect understanding was con cerned. Friday evening the " class " met at my father's, for in those days it was cus tomary to assemble at the dwelling of the "class-leader" instead of at the church; and just before the opening of the meeting, the door opened, and in walked a tall, sandy-haired man in his shirt sleeves, but with a sailor's trousers and hat, while one of his arms was sup ported by a rude sling improvised out of what seemed an old calico apron. Everybody stared in utter astonish ment, and only Aunt Debby had the presence of mind to offer the stranger a chair, which he accepted; and dropping his head in a devotional attitude, re ma'ned silent while the opening prayer was made, a hymn sung, and the differ ent members of the " class " proceeded, as they were called upon in turn by their leader, to give an account of their re ligions experiences during the past week. When all had finished, my father turned to the stranger and said, with something of embarrassment: " You are a stranger to us all sir; but it may be that we serve the same Mas ter?" Iu a moment Sandy Mao Clintock was upon his feet, and with tears of joy run ning down his bronzed cheeks, poured forth his long pent up religious feelings in a flood of eloquence that carried every one with him. " I'm nae langer a stranger in a strange conntrie," he cried. "Brithers an sisters are ye all, the night, roond God's aiu hearthstane." Snuggled into a corner, Dolly listened, scarcely daring to breathe; and when, at the close of the meeting, all crowded about the stranger, bidding him wel come among them, she was astounded at the explanation that he seemed ready, even anxious to give of his presence there: " I was aye impressed into the service, an as my heart was nae in the wark, I tnik the time to rid mysel' o' it a'." Nobody's hand-shake was more cor dial than Aunt Debby's; and when, after peace was declared, and our canny Scot, having settled down as a thrilty farmer and nsefnl citizen, was desirous of a mistress to preside over his comfortable home and superintend the domestio edu cation of little Janet, he made c Br tain matrimonial proposals to Aunt Debby, which that worthy spinster had not the heart to say nay to; and S3. roguish Dolly remarked, his being an " Amele kite didn't seem to trouble her a bit Bavarian Superstitions. A large proportion of the Bavarian peasantry, unfortunately, entertain the superstitious notion that fire kindled by lightning is not to be extinguished. When such an accident happens they are discouraged, and do scarcely any thing to check the progress of the dames. A funeral must never pass through a tilled field, not even in win ter, though it might considerably short en the way. The peasant is fully per suaded that a field through which a fun eral has passed becomes barren. Except on extraordinary occasions, no funerals are allowed on Mondays and Fridays. A peasant who is in search of a wife never goes, except on a Thursday or Sunday, into the house where he expects to make his choice. The bride and bridegroom are not to give their bare hand to anybody on the day of their marriage except to each other at the altar, otherwise they are threatened with poverty during the whole course of their union. It is also a very bad sign if, when the bride re turns from church, she finds anybody on the threshold of her door. When a young girl flads a leaf of trefoil divided into four instead of three parts, it is a sign that she will be married within a year; at all events, she carefully pre serves this leaf to her wedding day. On Christmas Eve the countrymen are ao oustomed to frequently drive out in sledges. They think that this will cause their hemp to be more abundant and higher. They do not fail to visit the ale house, and to drink heartily the same evening; being convinced that this is the way to make them look well till the following Christmas. They never de stroy crickets by fire, beiDg persuaded that those which escape will destroy their linen and clothes. When a peasant loses his way in the wood after sunset he avoids calling any person to show him the way, being convinced that in auy such case the evil spirit of the forest would cause him to plunge still deeper into its recesses. The Sauce of Hunger, There is no such sauce for giving a relish to food as the sauce of hunger. The late Amos Lawrence was compelled by a disease of the stomach to eat simple food, and that in small quantities. A pair of small scales stood upon his writing-desk in his private library. On this he weighed his food, that he might not overload bis stomach. He was al ways hungry, and always enjoyed his food. Writing to Dr. Hopkins, then president of Williams College, he thus describes his delight in the small amount of simple food he was permitted to eat : " If your young folks want to know the meaning of epicureanism, tell them to take some bits of coarse bread (one ounce and a little more), soak them in three gills of coarse meal gruel, and make their dinner of them and nothing else, beginning very hungry, andleav ing off more hungry. The food is de licious, and such aa no modern epicure anism can equal." nf a hlftda that mnst v aa vuv wh Ka tli a nw.f nf a trnnA aworL ftildnot the gilding of the hilt or the richness of the scabbard, so it is not ms gnuiueur ana possessions that make a man considera ble, but his intrinsio merit. FARM, 6ABPEN AKD HOUSEHOLD. w ; ' i ' : . j ... j A (load Llqald Manure. A Baltimore florist sends the Boston Journal of Chemiitry the following for' inula for a liquid manure for flowers. The materials may be had at any black smith shop: " Put one bushel of the dippings from horses' hoofs into a barrel, and fill it up with water. Let it stand for a week, when it is ready f t nse. Apply it with a watering pot. , All bedding plants can be watered with this liquid every other day, if they are pot-bound; newly-repotted plants should be watered once a week until they have plenty of working roots to take np the manure. It will also be found excellent for hard-wooded plants if used once . or twice a week. Two or three weeks after the plants have been watered with the manure, the foliage generally changes from green to a golden yellow, moving from the stem down to the point of the leaf, which,, however, lasts only for a few weeks, when it changes to a dark glossy green. Plants nnder this watering grow very strong; the flowers are very large and bright in color. Plants thus treated can be kept in very small pots for a long time without being transplanted. This is especially advantageous to the mar ket gardener, who can sell his plants in three or four inch pots, while he would have to shift them into five and six inch if he used rich soil alone. Flowers wat ered with this liquid manure will bring twenty-five per cent, more than other wise; besides, being in small pots, they are lighter, can be packed closer, and are easier to be handled. The fertilizer is not a stimulant, but a plant food, and plants that are watered with it, if plant ed out, will continue growing and kept in good growth, which cannot be said of guano. It is as powerful as guano, as quick in action, and more lasting. "It will not do the slightest harm to the foliage; most other liquid manures spoil the foliage when they come in con tact with it. It forms no crust on the pots or soil. It is cheaper than any other good fertili zer which is used in liquid form. The chips need be renewed or replaced only twice a year, while the water can be withdrawn every day. I filled a barrel last October, using all the water it holds every jay, and I shall not find it necessary to renew the chips be fore May or June. When liquid guano it used too strong,' it will cause the plants to drop all their leaves. This liquid manure will not, even if used once or twice a day for a short time." Gather the Beat for Seed. Two very importani but widely differ ent theories are entertained by the farm ers of the United States in regard to the influence of domestication or cultivation of plants. One is that the natural result of cultivation is degeneration, and those who uphold it point to every failure of an old variety as proof, never credit ing poor, worn-out soils, or neglect in cultivation, as having any influence be yond hastening the time when the sort under consideration would never fail. A much smaller number of agriculturists, but probably more intelligent, hold that universal progression is a natural law, and that degeneration is but the result of ignorance and neglect We believe that the latter is the more reasonable of the two theories, as in accordance with what is known of the origin and present condition of the various fruits, grain, and other cultivated plants. Therefore, we advise the selection of the best of everything for seed, not only because it is important that the present standard should be maintained, but that a still further advance be made whenever and wherever possible. The farmer who desires to produce better wheat next year than this, will not wait until all the E resent crop is harvested and put in a in, good and bad together, before selecting his seed for the next crop; but he will pick out the best aore or more, and preserve it separately for the pur pose named. It is seldom that a field of grain of any considerable extent is uniformly good. There will be good spots, and very poor ones, and it is easy to gather the best and keep it for seed, while the poorest goes to the mill. The same should be done with all kinds of grain, as well as fruits and vegetables that are raised from seed. By selection there is a possibility of further progression, and not otherwise; and a man who onoe begins to practice it will not only learn to observe, but will eventually become a much better and more careful cultivator. In fact, he will soon become imbned with progressive ideas, and learn that it is just as easy and more profitable to go ahead than to lag behind. New York Sun. An Enailab Experimental Farm.' The famous English experimental farm of Rothamsted, one thousand fertile acres in Hertfordshire, twenty-five miles from London on the Midland Railway, is described by Professor Silliman, who has recently visited it. John Bennet Lawes inherited the property in 1834, a fine old English estate, with its park of oaks and ancient mansion, and for nearly half a century, in company with Dr. J. H. Gilbert and a large corps of assist ants, Mr. Lawes has devoted himself to agricultural chemistry on a large scale; he has also set apart a fund of 100,000 and a section of land for the continuance of these investigations after he is gone. The purpose is to discover what crops are best for different soils, what fertil izers will best assist their growth, and to experiment on such a scale, both as to area and time, that the fundamental principles of farming may be made as plain and sure as those of any other business. In 1855 Mr. Lawes was pre sented with a laboratory by publio sub scription, and there Dr. Gilbert and a considerable staff of assistants have been at work ever since, superintending ex periments, making and applying ma nures, and analyzing soils and crops. Thirteen acres of wheat have been under experiment in plats for thirty-five years, and grass, oats, potatoes and other crops nearly as long. The results of this long and careful investigation have establish ed that barnyard manure can only carry the production of hay to a limit about half the maximum that can be reached with mineral manures alone, which have produced five and a half tons to the aore. On unmannred land the farm yields fourteen bushels of wheat to the acre, but with barnyard manure the yield has risen to thirty-five bushels, whioh is as well as the mineral manures can do. r-t i- i - - Age i "It is hard to grow old gracefully," some authority tells us, and when we see the strenuous efforts made by many to resist the incursions of time, we readily agree to the proposition. But it is like fighting against the stars in their courses, and perhaps the straggle only renders the ravages of years more apparent. . People are constantly grow ing old, and yet no one seems to get nsed to it. Doubtless we ought to accept every change age brings as an incident of the journey merely, as we accept the changes of the seasons, tak ing part in the pleasures peculiar to each without hankering unwisely for those beyond reach and unseasonable. Wrinkles should not appall or gray hairs afflict, nor the loss of bloom sadden, since we would not barter our experi ences, our memories, the fruit of years, for all the beauty youth can .boast. Those who earn their bread have a feel ing that age disables them in the eyes of the world, and diminishes their chances of obtaining a livelihood; others, who have been nsed to being merely orna mental, to being admired and compli mented npon the very charms of which age divests us, can not endure its ap- E roach with equanimity, rebel against eing supplanted by younger people, against being laid on the shell like a book that had outgrown its interest, and they endeavor to repel it by a thousand arts and cosmetics. They are afraid to grow old, and fear is always ungraceful. But has age no advantages, no comeli ness, no attractions ? lias not the old person weathered ' many a dangerous point f . Has she not survived many a vanity, many a heart-ache? Has she not learned to live from day to day, to find pleasures in trifles, to suffer with out whining? Has she not the monop oly of giving advice ? Is not her con versation as interesting as a historical romance? Could any other make the past defile before us as in a magio mir ror! Who can tell us so faithfully as she of the manners and customs of fifty years ago how the hair was worn, the gown cut ? Is she not an encyclopedia of the details whioh go to make up his tory? Does anyone elbow or contra dict her, or tell her that her problems are all unproved, and her enthut iasms only unripeness? No precious possi bilities keep her restless. She is ac quainted with youth no less than with age, and claims the advantage of having seen them both, near at hand and in per spective. Her work is done and bar vested; and though she may regret the time when she bore the burden and heat of the day, yet what has she to dread from frost or blight ? Moreover, does not age have the arm-chair, and the seat jn the horse-cars ? Pazar. How to Act in Case of Fire. In case of fire, it is well to know be forehand what to do, as many a con flagration can be checked by quick and intelligent action. If there is any time in which a person should be cool and calm, in perfect command of himself, it is when he discovers a fire that threatens the destruction of life and property. The first thing to do is to learn precisely where it is; the second, to consider the chances of distinguishing it. Of course in cities an alarm should at onoe be sent out, bnt at the same time a vigorous effort should be made to pnt out the fire with the means at hand, before the fire-engine arrives on tho scene. First, then, do not be alarmed on account of smoke. Frequently there is a great deal of smoke before the fire has made much progress. Remember that cne can pass through smoke by keeping", his head near the floor or by enveloping it in a wet woollen cloth. On entering a room to fight a fire single handed, keep the door closed behind if possible. A Eail of water and a tin dipper in the ands of a resolute person can be made to work a miracle at the beginning. If the fire has progressed too far to admit of this course and it is necessary to de pend entirely on outside help, then see to it that every door and window is closed. By this means it may be possi ble to confine the fire to one room. Every person who stops at a hotel should take special pains before retiring to note the location of the stairways, so that in oase of an alarm he can find his way out, even though the halls are filled with smoke. Never leave a room where there is an alarm of fire without first securing a wet towel, or, if possible, a wet sponge or piece of woollen cloth through which to breathe. If escape by the stairs is cut off seek an outside win dow and stay there till help comes. Above all things be cool and have your wits about you. Your presence of mind gone, all is lost. United States Medals. There are eighty-six medals in all be longing to the national history of the United States, seventy-nine of whioh were struck by order of Congress, and in addition to the historical value of the series, a considerable number of the medals are of very rare artistio merit. Of the eighty- six, seventeen belong to the period of the revolution, twenty seven to the war of 1812, four to the Mexican war, and two to the late war between the States one of the two hav ing been given to Gen. Grant, and the other to the late Mr. Yanderbilt in re cognition of bis gift of a vessel to the government. Five medals only have been given by vote of Congress to for eigners, namely, one in the year of 1779 to Lieut. CoL oe Fleury, a French offi cer, for gallant oonduot in the Battle of Stony Point; one in the year of 1858 to Dr. Frederick Rose, a British naval surgeon, for a deed of kindness to the sick men on an American man-of-war; and three in the year 1866 to Captains Creighton, Low and Stouffer, who went to the aid of an American vessel and saved the lives of about five hundred persons. It has been calculated ihat about 100, 000 boatmen are employed on the canals of England and Wales, that 70,000 wo men live in them, and the children found afloat make np a total population of nearly half a million. No women or children are allowed to live in canal boats in either Scotland or Ireland. TIMELY TOPICS. Germany has a Colorado beetle scare, occasioned by the disoovery of some live speoimens, in an invoice of American peas. It takes three days to get a check cashed at a Turkish bank, and the money is then worth only sixty cents on the dollar. A small flat bug has appeared in Massachusetts, whioh is armed with "a sword, or point about a quarter of an inch in length, with w'aioh it stabs the potato bug, killing him in a short time." A New York physician has made the disoovery that " not one person in three tia. lAfF. r9 nnnol lano-t.h. And that the una logo v. . j . ... a D F number of left legs longer than they need be is nearly aouoie ma oi mo right," ' Prntiiir.1v tliA oldest minister in the world is Rev. Dr. Ingram, of UnBt, in HlintlftiirV nff tha coast of Scotland. Dr. Ingram was 102. years of age, in April last, and enjoys comparauveiy guuu health. The exports of iron and steel and manufactures of iron and steel from the United States for 1877 were valued at $16,659,675. During the year 1876 the exports of iron and steel amounted to $11, 794,743. A bullock, the property of a farmer near Peterborough, in England, tossed a boy six years old, who was teasing it, into a dyke of water. The animal then jumped on the child, and lay on him in the water until life was extinct. The largest flour mill in the world is now being built at Niagara Falls. Its capacity will be about 1,200 barrols per day. The building, including elevator, is 250 feet long and five stories high, and is arched over the railroad which passes under the center, and connects with all the roads for the purpose of ac commodating the freight to and from the mill. A letter-writer in the New York Sun, gives an enquiring correspondent this simple remedy for drunkenness : "About half an hour, or earlier before breakfast let him partake of an orange or two. After a time they have a peculiar and re markable effect on an empty stomach. The patient thenceforth abhors strong drink, because it tastes nauseous to him. The prime source of temptation is re moved, for he does not feel thirst The remedy has proved successful in every instance that has come nnder my knowl edge. . Cremona, an Italian painter of repute, has jnst died at Milan under extraordin ary circumstances. He was a man of the most careless, not to say dirty, habits and in order to save time he discarded the use of the palette, which he deemed unnecessary and troublesome. He was wont, therefore, to spread his oolors on the palm of bis left hand and on his bare chest. The other day while stand -ing at his easel he was seized with strong convulsions, and expired after forty eight hours' agony. The doctors attrib ute his death to the abs option into the system of poisons used in painting. Statistios furnished by the commis sioner of internal revenue show that during the year 1877 nearly 59.000.000 gallons of spirits, 9,902,353 barrels of ale, beer and porter, and 5,723,000 gal lons of imported wines, were manufac tured and withdrawn for consumption in the United States. The number of liquor-dealers who paid tax was 166,000, and it is estimated that the amount of money annually expended in the United States by consumers is nearly $596,000,- ihjii. xnis is at tne rate oi about fifteen dollars to every man, woman and child in the country. It is an odd spectacle to witness scores of women doing the work of 'longshore men on the wharves of St John's, New foundland. When the time arrives for vessels from Southern Europe, Brazil, West Indies, and elsewhere, to take aboard their cargoes of salt cod, herring, etc., files of buxom females, with tucked up gowns, bared arms, and coarse bro gans, may be seen along the wharves, carrying flat barrows of fish to and fro. Each barrow has four handles, and is borne by two women. They perform the same labor as men at this business, but their pay is inferior. Women also go on the "summer voyage" to Labra dor, and act generally in the capacities of "splitters," "salters," and "headers." One of the largest and most expensive light-houses ever erected by the United States is now in process of oonstrnction of Fowey Rocks, on the northeast ex tremity of the Florida Reefs. It is three miles from land, and completes one chain of similar structures around those dangerous reefs. It is a peculiarity of these reefs that they are so precipitous that their locality can soaroely be dis covered by the most careful soundings. This new light-house is oomposed wholly of iron, and its improved methods of illumination render it, perhaps, the most perfect in the world. The light will be visible in clear weather about eighteen nautical miles, and is composed of both glass and metallio reflectors, constructed so as to send a blae of light along the whole horizon of the ocean. It is estimated that this struc ture will lost three or fonr hundred years. Summer Rings. The ancient Romans had both summer and winter rings. That will not seem so strange to you when you ?xnow the size of the winter rings. They are simply enormous. The thumb ring for they wore them there was often fonr inches in diameter. The side intended to go next to the hand was an inch thick, and the other side at least three inches. One can easily see that fingers full of rings like that would be rather uncomfortable in warm weather, whatever they were in cold. One of their writers sings of some one that , " Charged with light summer rings, hU fingers Unable to'tupport a gem of weight" Items of Interest. ' Carpenters do counter-fitting. Volcanoes are not over five miles deep. . The first duty on T Don't forget to cross it. A long-headed man is not apt to be head-long. Water spouts seldom last longer than thirty minutes. What can pass before the sun without making a shadow ? The wind. What kind of tracing-paper does a man nse when retracing his steps ? . The entire sea-coast line of the globe amounts to about 136,000 miles. Although animals cannot speak, we have of ten heard of moose-stalking. ' Why is a dishonest bankrupt like an honest poor man ? Because they foil to get rich. If vonr foot is asleep, do not be alarmed; the poet tells us that the soul is not dead that slumbers. Punctuation was first nsed in lit erature in 1520. Before that time word8andsentenoeswerepnttogethor like this. The power which the toad has of in flating his body is a power of defense, to prevent the possibility of his being swallowed by snakes. The diameter of the sun is 770,800 geographical miles, or 112 times greater than the diameter of the earth; the volume is 1,407,124 times that of the earth, and 600 times greater than all the planets together; its mass is 359,551 times greater than the earth, and 738 times greater than mat oi ail ine pianets. A single spot seen npon its surface has been estimated to extend over 77,000 miles in diameter, and a cluster of spots have been estimated to includo an area of 3,780,000 miles. AT FORTY YEARS. Plying, flying fast Ah, whither have they fled ? Velvet cheek, and dewy lip, And golden head, Rose, and bloom, and blush, Star-eyes, and bird-song's gush A cloud on airs Elysian Flying, flying past : Ah, lovely, fleeting vision, Too lovely to last ! Drearily the waves Of the Dark River flow, Bad their nnder-tone on all The winds that blow. Hose, and bloom, and blush, Star-eyeB, and bird-song's gush When lids are full of tears The heart no longer craves ; For, after forty years, We only tread through graves ! Fashion Notes. The small round turban is again worn by young ladies. Slender gold finger-rings bearing tiny coins are among the latent novelties. The oval neck which is replacing the pompadour, is called tho Agnes Sorcl. The soft willow feathers tipped with gold are intended only for young ladies' hats. Ties, with three very flat bows on the instep, are the prettiest shoe for street wear. Silver jewelry still continues in favor, and the finest of filigree work can be fonnd. Passementerie and all flat trimmings are much in vogue for trimming dresses and paletots. Plaid dresses in those Scotch patterns combining a great deal of green and blae, with a touch of yellow or red, aro much worn ; they are trimmed with gold cord, and have vests of white or buff, with gold buttons. Wide leather belts are very fashion able with all styles of dresses; these have attached to them the small bag, the chatelaine on which hangs the fan, and the small portemonDaie containing just change enough to be of service, whether one is shopping, or at church, or passing toll-gates. In England these belts and their accompaniments are called "passe-partouts." Light colored percale dresses for young ladies, or muslins of any des cription, are made dressy by having square-neck openings filled in with fine embroidery or lace. A more satisfacto ry way is to make a square collarette, finished with ruffle of lace which is ad justable, and that can be worn with any Urese. Very tiny bows of narrow ribbon of the shade of the dresses are used to fasten the collarette. Prince and Sovereign. Dr. Ruppaner, the well-known German-American, and president of the Goethe Club, of New York, was the hero of an adventure in Paris recently that attracted much attention from those who saw it He had hailed a cab. and- as he was about to step in he was sur prised to see another man entering at the opposite side. Dr. Ruppaner de manded of the driver which of the two had hailed him first, and the driver de cided in favor of the New Yorker. He then politely requested the stranger to descend, but the latter answered: I am Prince , giving a known name. Dr. Rupanner replied: "You are a prince, but I am a sover eign a citizen of the United States;" and without much more ado he gently took the prince by the collar of his coat and set him down quietly upon the side walk. The prinoe went in search of another carriage, and the "sovereign" rode on in triumph. Something New. " Got anything new?" inquired a Chi cago reporter of a city oflioial, in the City Hall, one morning, recently. "I should say 1 bad, was the reply, as the official clasped his Lands to his face and rushed off as if in agony. " What is it?" anxiously inquired the reporter, following np his man. "Oh, please don't bother me just now, sir," pleaded the functionary, as be tore around the halL I guess you better let me have it," urged the item vulture. " I wish to heaven I could," muttered the official. , Yea, yes, do; what is it?" said the , newspaper fiend, gaining hope. " Well, if you mnst know, I suppose you must," said the victim, as he buried nis jaws in bis hands again; "I'll tell you what I've got new." "Whatisit?T' "I've got the neuralgia!" And the ungrateful reporter, having learned what it was. said that he did not want it,
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers