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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,