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HENRY A. PARSONS, Jr., Editor and Publisher. NIL DESPERANDUM. Two Dollars per Annum.
VOL. VIII. RIDGWAY, ELK COUNTY, PA.r THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 1878. NO. 32.
ft
F
V
A
"Forget Thee F'
"Forget thee?" If to dream by night, and
maae on thee by day t
If all the worship deep and wild a lover' heart
ean pay i
If prayers in absence, breathed for thee 'to
heaven's protecting power
If winged thoughts that flit to thee, a thousand
: in an hour i
If busy fanoy blending tbee with all my future
" lot,-
If this thou caU'st "forgetting," thou indeed
Shalt be forgot.
"Forget thee?" Bid the forest birds forge
their sweetest tune.
"Forget tbee?" Did the sea forget to swell
beneath the moon )
Bid thirsty flowers forget to drink the eve's
refreshing dew ;
Thyself forget thine own dear land, its waters
deep and blue
Forget each old familiar face, each long-remembered
Bpot,
When these things are forgot by thee, then
thou sholt be forgot.
Eoep, if thou wilt, thy maiden peace, still calm
and fancy free ;
For God forbid thy gladsome heart to grow less
glad for me ;
Yet while that heart is still unwon, Oh, bid no
mine to rove,
Bnt let it keep its hnmble faith and uncom
plaining love.
If these, pressrved for patient years, at las
avail me not,
Forget me then bnt ne'er believe that thou
canst be forgot.
OFF NAXOS.
"Tea. We are almost islanders,"
Dora said. "Hero we Lave our triangu
lar island. The bay on one sido and
the river on the other side, and the
creek skirting the third side. Isn't it
pretty, Ada?"
"Lovely. Blue sky and blue water,
and the nice picturesque old houses."
The two had olimbed to the top of the
ancient Port Royal State-house to see
all this. Dora, peeping over the rail
ing, tried to make out her husband
who was a lawyer, and had a case in
court that dny among the crowd of
men standing in front of the courthouse.
Ada gazed out upon the glancing, shin
ing waters of the bay.
Presently, to them a third person ; a
man lean, gaunt, as yellow as parch
ment, but with a look of self-gratulation
at present in his eyes which lighted np
his ugly face.
"I saw you ladies, as you turned into
the State-Louse. 1 was two blocks off."
Ada laid the ends of her fingers in
bis. Dora phook hands cordially. But,
in spite of Dora's warmer greeting, he
seated himself by Ada, and Dora return
ed to her post of observation. There
was a high wind, under the cover of
which (he two tulked.
"I might have known you would not
bo glad to see me," began the young
man. "I am surprised at myself for
coming,"
"Yesl"
"I conclude that I was overcome by
tho suicidal instinct of the moth."
No answer.
"It is a year to-day since I first saw
yon, Miss Ada."
Still no answer.
"A year which has not proved alto
gether propitious to our acquaintance.
1 wonder why it is that I can not please
you? I fnnoied I do not think I was
entirely mistaken that we used to be
very grnnl fritnds. I should like to
know why it is that you dislike me now,"
he purtued, plaintively.
"Do not let us discuss it," Ada said,
brusquely. Have patience with her.
Her harshness and selfishness are not
without parallels in others of her sex
and age.
"I would do anything to please you.
I sometimes think it is my manners that
offend you. I know that I am awkward.
I assure you that my man ners give me
more concern than my salvation."
This had au irreligious sound, as Ada
vaguely felt; she was therefore called
upon to bestow upon him a look of
orthodox reproof. "Of course they
do," he continued. "The one matter is
entirely my own personal responsibility;
the other is not.
Ada gave over the theme. She had
no theological opinions. She merely re
marked, calmly: "You surprise me. I
should have said you were a very self
complacent person."
" On the contrary, I always feel as
though every oneyou especially were
laughing at me. If you would only give
me a bint now and then "
" Thank you, but I do not feel equal
to carrying on your education,"
" And I give you so muoh 1 ' A pres
ent for a mighty king.' "
Ada, with hot cheeks, remembered
where George Herbert says that ",Love
is a present for a mighty king." In a
sentimental mood, such as she now no
longer experienced in her intercourse
with Professor Luce, she hod once made
the full quotation herself. She said,
fretfully, " I was having such a peaceful
time up here before you came."
"And produced discord. If you
would only say how or why?"
- "I think it is your clothes," Ada re
joined, recklessly. She longed to add:
"And your hair," but refrained, on the
possibility that Dora might overhear
and denounoe her afterward for her rude
ness. It seemed to her intolerable that
a man should approach her. basking in
the beauty of this perfect day, with that
crop of long, lank, light hair, so nearly
the shade of his complexion.
Professor Luce drew a long" breath.
He who had hitherto professed to hold all
outside shows in lofty contempt had con
descended to dobate the external of his
manners; but to be quarrelled with for
Buck mere superficial considerations as
coat and trousers He had gone on en
during Ada for some time past, as some
women are sometimes endured by some
men. Now be wanted to get up and
leave. Only he did not know exactly
how. That wretched awkwardness of
his was in the way of a dignified depart
ure. Ada spoke next, quite cheerfully,
sinoe she had silenced him, the least in
the world afraid that she had gone too
far.
" I love the bay. One never knn.
what new shape it may bring in from the
sea from day to day. It la like life,
freighted with surprises."
He rose and folded his hands. A more
graceful man would have folded his arms,
but his hung limp at his side.
"I tremble to think what life may
have in store for me. ' Prophet, said I,
thing of evil,' " declaimed Ada.
" Yes. Of discipline. Some natures
would seem to demand purgatorial fires
before they rise to their highest possi
bilities." " Thank you for yonr good opinion."
"Yon well may. I have a most ex
cellent opinion of you. Have I not paid
you the highest compliment a mau can
pay a woman ?"
" You certainly are fully sensible of
the honor you have done me." Nor is it
to be denied that there, was a self-assertion
in Professor Luce's tone which
most women would have resented under
the circumstances. Dora now sauntered
toward the pair. She did not approve
of the intonations of voice. Professor
Luce said " Good morning " stiffly, and
left.
"Ada. you treat him abominably."
Dora said; "and yon certainly encour-J
" I liked him at one time. How is
one to tell one will change one's mind?"
" He is a genius," Dora commented;
" every one says so. Papa says he will
make his mark. He discovered two new
stars last year. So of course he is eccen
tric But I rather like that; and you
did too when he first oarae to the college.
You are so aontrary. You set yourself
against him now because he shows his
devotion too plainly. All the same, you
led him on."
" Well, I might have liked him."
They clambered down the dark, dusty
stairway and came out into the spacious
entrance hnll of the State house.
"Why," Dora said, "there's John."
Her husband was showing off the
architectural featnres of the hall to a
stranger. He presented Mr. Vane to
his wife and her sister. The two girls
wore fresh white dresses, Ada's with
a green bordering, and their blonde hair
and bine eyes were shaded by pictur
esque palmetto hats. Mr. Vane viewed
them with the spontaneous admiration
of the man and the artist.
"Mr. Vane brings me a letter from
my friend Stevens, Dora," John said.
Then, to his sister-in-law; "Ada, Mr.
Vane is fresh from Borne, where he has
been painting for a year or so. You
can talk art to your heart's content."
"When I talk art it is to my heart's
discontent," Philip Vane said, as they
walked awny, he and Ada together.
Dora, of course, put her arm through
John's. She bad not seen him for three
hours, and fifty things had happened in
the interval she must tell him about.
"Because yonr ideal eludes you?"
answered Ada to Philip.
"No; for a more commonplace reason:
because I am luzy. I work fast euough
when I am once at it, but I hate to get
to work. I am on inveterate procrasti
nator." "What a pity 1" Ada said, seriously.
"I can't understand that If I were an
artist with a gift, I should be breathless
until I had reached my goal. There is
always the possible immortality."
Philip was impressed. Ada was noth
ing if not in earnest. In this instance a
breath of her enthusiasm passed into
her susceptible companion. He looked
eagerly into the depths of her steady,
clear blue eyes with his liquid dark ones.
"There is oxygen in your voice and in
your words," he said. He passed hie
hand over his brow. "You have put
backbone into me."
She laughed. She was accustomed to
act as a kind of mental tonic. But the
stimulus took effect with unwonted sud
denness upon this new patient. How
unconventional he was !
Ada followed in the wake of Dora and
John down one of the queer little dark
alleys, of which there were many in Port
Royal, and which served as short-cuts
from street to street.
"Where are we!" laughed Philip.
" Ah I I see "as they emerged at the
other end. " ' O strange new world that
hath such people in it 1" (this with a
half-deprecating, lingering infection
and a little smile). Your quaint little
city is a tangle of labyrinths, in which
you play the part of Ariadne to my The
seus." His companion slightly started and
blushed, and gave a low, odd laugh.
" What is it ?" he began ; but she put
him off with a gesture, and he contin
ued : " But what skies you have I And
what an atmosphere I When I woke up
this morning I thought I had sailed into
Paradise during the night."
"Sailed ?"
" Yes. My friend Sinclair brought
me here on his yacht. There she lies
now. I ara to pitch my tent on shore,
while he cruises in and out of the har
bor for a while. I want to make some
sketches of your old houses.
Ada had deserted the college, and her
own housekeeping for her father there,
and was spending a few days with Dora.
They all had dinner in the middle of the
warm, sunny May afternoon ; then they
ransacked the garden beds for violets.
Violet Bank waa famous for these. They
bloomed early and lingered late. Dora
Eicked a great bunch, and divided them
etween Philip and Ada. Philip held
his thoughtfully, and smelled them ten
derly. He had a habit of theorizing
about people ; he waa thinking now that
Dora was full of unselfish womanly
traits. There was something even in
her way of doing little things which
pleased him, rested him.
Dora said: "Violets are my favorite
flowers. We have such quantities of
them here 1"
And Philip answered: "It would
seen to be their native soil. They al
ways suggest to me, with their subtle,
penetrating perfume, the most precious
thing in ife sympathy."
' There were more in this than the mere
words, but it escaped Dora. Ada, how
ever, as she said " Yes," smiled softly,
She laid great stress upon sympathy,
She was always talking about it or the
absence of it. It was a pleasure to her
to infer that Mr. Vance felt in sympathy
with them with her.
. They saw muoh of him after that. He
waa easily magnetized, although the lm
pression waa apt to wear off soon, and
Ada had magnetized him in a fit of ener
gy. He took a fresh departure in his
more diligently than be bad done for
years. In truth, that was an eventful
epoch in his art life. The pictures he
painted then laid the foundation of his
future success,
Ada's secret ideal had always been
man whose life should be dedicated to
the interpretation of beauty, to whom a
sunset should be of infinitely greater im
portance than logarithm or a title deed.
The men of Port Royal all gravitated
either toward the law, like John, or
toward science and letters, like her
father and Professor Luce. Ada made
no secret of her pleasure in her new
acquaintance. Dora liked him too.
John, to be sure, insisted that he was a
bit effeminate. But he was a lithe,
active, strongly built young fellow, with
a manly air, in spite of his faultless fea
tures and golden hair and mustache.
This blonde delicacy contrasted peculiar
ly with a akin so dark that it might be
called olive, and splendid dark eyes.
Moreovi r, his tailor had done as muoh
for him as Professor Luce's had failed
to do for that gentleman. So a month
went by. Philip and Ada went rowing
almost every afternoon in ner uttie boat,
exploring sunsets and woods, and bring
ing home stacks of laurel. The woods
were bowers of laurel then.
" I should like to transfer some of
this loveliness to canvas," Philip said,
breaking off a bough that hung down
into the water ; " but I despair. It is
maddening that one has nothing more
ethereal than mud to work with."
" Mud ? Oh, you mean yonr paints."
He laughed. "I mean my paints.
How literal you are 1" Then, as her
face changed: "I like it; I applaud it.
You never let me wander long off the
track; you are my friendly Ariadne, as I
told yon the first time I saw you. What
is it ? You smiled in that same odd way
then."
"I was only thinking No, I won't
tell you."
He was all curiosity now, teasing, in
sisting. "If I must, then : It's someth ing I' ve
always been ashamed of, childishly,
since I had nothing to do with it. Bnt
wasn't it aggravating of my sponsors in
baptism to give me such an outlandish
name as Ariadne ?
"Really ?"
"Really I"
Ho laughed. They both laughed.
"So you are undoubtedly she. The
coincidences have it. It is charming I
Ariadne I It has such an unusual sound
that one might call you that and not feel
that one was taking a liberty with your
Obristian name. Do you know I wish I
might sometimes?
"Very well, you may."
Occasionally after that he did so. And
the name, hitherto detested, became
musio to her ears.
I wish you wo&ld paint this laurel,'
she said, " this particular bough. Call
it a sunset study. It looks as though it
had been dipped intoa rose-colored sun-
set."
"I should have to engage in a sharp
tussle with my Minotaur of laziness if I
were to paint that bofore it fades."
She sat in the stern of the boat hold
ing the laurel. " I wish you would,"
she said, seriously. She was making
his doing so a sort of test in her own
mind. He saw through her, and col
ored, but not from annoyance. Ho was
always pleased to inspire a woman's
interest. "I'll do my best," he said,
" since yon ask it." In reply to which
she looked np to him with shining,
happy eyes. The earth was transfigured
for her. That was no longer Tort Royal
in the distance ; this no longer the pla
cid stream she had known all her life ;
it was a land of romanoe : the same
land, let us say, in which the fabled
Cretan maideu strayed with her beauti
ful Oreek and listened to his fleeting
vows.
"It is all of a piece," Vane laughed,
presently. "You Ariadne ; this island
you live on ; the laurel. Quantities of
laurel grew on Naxos."
" But Ariadne lived on urete.
"At Naxos afterward. Don't you
remember? It was there she parted
from Theseus."
" I had forgotten that she had parted
from Theseus."
" Oh, certainly. She was not for the
false Athenian youth,' but for ' Bacchus
bright a god in place of mortal.' "
It suited Ada to compare Philip just
here to this latter personage ; although,
drolly enough. Philip hailed from the
modern Athens, as it happened. Row
ing home, he sang an exquisite Venetian
gondola song that filled her eyes with
tears.
She held out the laurel branch at
parting. " You have no time to lose,"
she said. " You had better take it."
"No. You keep it for me. I'll come
and sketch it to-morrow morning, if you
will give it and me house-room. Shall
we say ten o'olock ?"
But the next morning Philip met a
friend, who beguiled him into taking a
stroll about town. The clock struck
noon, and he remembered his engage
ment, and hurried to the college. He
found Ada's bright face clouded for the
first time. " I beg ten thousand par
dons," he began, his own oountenanoe
kindled with eagerness, in the way Ada
found so irresistible. " Have you thrown
awav the thread. Ariadne ?"
Her brow cleared. " No. Of course
it was business letters. It always is
with business men. Those liornd bust
hard letters 1"
"You know all about them, don't
you ?" he rejoined, neither affirming nor
denying. Then he made a few marks
with his pencil. Then Dora came in and
said :
Th students are to have a band
here on the campus to-night, and the
town are invited to stroll about in the
moonlight. Ada, I want you ana sax.
Vane to dine with John and me, and
tii An wa ran all come back together."
Agreed. On their way to Violet
Bank a stylish woman, unknown to our
sisters, walking, however, with a Port
Royal acquaintance Mrs. Bmith
Stopped Wim au exciuwuuu v buiujv,
ami iTif. nnt her hand to Philip. Mrs.
famiVi tvmn presented Mrs. Forsyth, her
guest, adding ; : "Mrs. Forsyth iwanta to
come up ana see " ,
i.. k.tViAF who ) in college. Shall
we find him in to-morrow morning I
Ada said yes, she thought so ; and they
"Mrs. Forsyth's stunning, isn't she?"
innnired Philip. At which Ada was
stupidly displeased.
Somehow there was a lack in the
moonlight concert on the campus, and
Ada went home less gay than she had
been of late. But Philip had promised
to come the next morning, and when the
time came she proceeded to make her
self lovely for him. One of the students
had brought her some fresh laurel, and
sue pinneu vrigu w v i. u uer umr
and at her throat. She should always
associate laurel now with the one per
son. Then she seated herself in a deep
window-seat. Steps came np the walk ;
stopped at the door; the bell rang.
Talk and laughter came in to her
through the open window. That was
surely jars, muu , c, uuu mat noma
Mrs. Forsyth wa with her, saying;
Mr. Vance "ah I so Philip was there
too : they had met on the way. nodonbt
"did not go to the promenade concert
last night?
And Philip replied, carelessly, in his
delicious flute-like voice, " Yes, worse
luck. It was a stupid affair."
A mere passing speech ; but Ada
sprang to her feet, and confronted her
flaming face and angry eyes in the mir
ror close at hand. Sue pulled out the
laurel blossoms she had adorned herself
with, and stamped on them. She hated
them ; she hated herself. A stupid
affair I And they had been together;
and when they parted he had kissed the
rose she gave him. The next moment
the three gueBts were announced, and
she cooled down, as we all must on such
occasions. The morning went by aim
lessly. Philip lingered a little behind
Mrs. Forsyth, as she was leaving, to
say, " I notice that our laurel is begin-1
ning to be worn about the edges. Hard
ly worth while to attempt it, is it ?" And
Ada answered, "No, it is only worth
throwing away." Then Philip followed
in the wake of his stunning friend, care
less, charming, idle. His fit of work
was over for the present. Ada, for her
part, tossed away the laurel bough with
icy fingers and a silly head and a stupid
heart that ached in unison.
And actually that was the end of a
foolish dream that only lasted four
weeks, after all. A morning or ho later
Philip called at Violet Bank to say
good-by. Ada was again staying with
her sister for a few days. Mrs. Ray was
indisposed a bad headache so could
not see him. She sent him down, how
ever, a cordial little pencilled note of
farewell, begging him to wait a few mo
ments for her sister's return. Ada had
gone out for a little while. Philip was
sincerely sorry not to see Mrs. Kay. It
seemed to him now that he had always
preferred her to her sister ; she was less
Eositive. He looked at his watch. Yes,
e wonld wait awhile. He picked np a
book, bnt had not turned over a page
before Ada entered. I am inclined to
think that it was Ada's fault, upon the
whole, that the meeting was cold and
constrained. But on parting . Philip
smiled a golden ranilo and said, "lam
delighted to have seen you. They told
me you were out, but 1 wouldn t be
turned off. I insisted npon waiting till
you came in. To do him justice, this
was the way tne case presented itseii to
him at that moment.
"Ah. darling," Dora annotated to this.
five minutes lator, " I am glad you were
in time to see Mr. Vane. I sent him
word to be sure to wait for you."
Our Ariadne 'seated herself by an
open window and looked out at the shift
ing water without replying. That shift
ing water was to her still like life as
inconstant. A parting equivocation ! A
vorv trifle, yet still the "little flaw
within the lute." Then she looked up
at the clear blue sky with gathering
tears. "I am glad there are some things
that do not deceive," she thought.
After this episode Ada was gentler,
more tolerant even of Professor Luce's
clothes. However, he marked an era in
his life jufat here by purchasing a new
suit. He also put himself into the
hands of a bnrber ; perhaps some one
suggested to him that his hair was too
long ; not Ada, however, I am positive.
The result was marvelous. It is incred
ible what an effect the outward man has
npon the interpretation of the inward
man. But I am convinced that it was
for some cause still deeper than this that
when Ada and he next met she felt that
they had both undergone a transforming
power. Professor Luce, for his part,
mentally and with contrition revoked
those harsh remarks I quoted above
about purgatorial fires. Ada was once
more the girl with whom he fell in love
at flrtt sight in the good old-fashioned
way.
People thought it was a strange match.
He might be brilliant, bnt he was unde
niably uncouth. However, Ada told
Dora : " He may not have the outward
making of an ideal lover ; but no one
else has such a true, true heart."
Moreover, he gave her abundant cause
to be proud of him in other ways. In
fact, there is no telling what reflected
honors may not be in store for her
through him. Some new planet mayyet
be called by her name. Harper a Bazar.
Decidedly Demoralizing.
David Doldrum dotingly desired Dol
ly Doubleohin. David devoted days
decorating, doubting Dolly's devotion
David's deeds delighted Dolly, dear
duck. David dubiously dogged Dolly
daily, devouring doughnuts desperate
ly, drinking deeply, disgusting dainty,
delicate Dolly. David decided diner
ent doings, dutifully digging ditches
dirty, diffionlt duty. David's doleful
demeanor depressed Dolly dreadfully.
dictating dreadful dreams, disturbing
digestion. developing dyspepsia.
David drove doctor down, diagnosing
disease, directing divers doses, discreet
diet, diluted decoctions, domestic drugs.
Dolly demurred, desiring danoing.
driving, diversion. David dismissed
doctor, delightedly devoting double de
voirs, directly dispelling Dolly s dole
ful disposition. Dolly deprecated
David's dubious demonstrations, dis
approving dillydallying. David, dainti
ly dressed, demanded Dolly's deoision.
declaring definite devotion. Dolly, de
siring delay, aisoussed dinners.
danoing. school, Dick Digworthy's
dram -drinking, diverting David's
dangerous direction. David, doughtily
determined, dissuaded Dolly's diffuse
dissertations. Duioet dealings dis
arming Dolly, Dominie Dryasdust de
ciarincr David Doldrum. Doll v TlnnViln.
chin definitely doubled, Philadelphia
n. .11 -it
TIMELY TOPICS.
Prussia his what is said to be a sure
exterminator of the Colorado beetle.
The well-known steamship Great
Eastern the largest in the world is to
transport cattle from Texas to England.
It is estimated that 5,000,000 sheep.
valued at $12,500,000, perished in Aus
tralia, last year, in consequence of the
drought, which cut off the pasturage.
The largest piece of belting in the
world is to be seen in the American de
partment of the Paris Exposition. It is
seven feet in width, and is made from
130 hides,
The cultivated land of France is held
by 5,500,000 owners. Five millions do
not own to exceed six sores each. A
similar state of things exist in Belgium.
Bnt in Ireland one-fifth of the soil is
held by 110 persons.
Mr. W. F. Parker, of Nashua, N. H.,
puzzles the doctors with an annual
attack of the measles. For twenty
years they have broken out upon him,
on the same day of the year and at pre
cisely the same hour.
A Chinaman found a nugget of gold in
the Dunolly district of Australia weigh
ing over twenty-two pounds. A rush of
miners to the place was the result, but
thus far none of them have been lucky.
Australia's yield of gold has been steadily
declining for years.
The enemies which the British soldiers
encounter in Cyprus are deadly fevers,
mosquitoes of the most numerous and
pertinacious kind, wasps of a remarka
bly energetio character, and huge centi
pedes that have a sociable way of in
sisting on sharing their camp beds with
them.
Of Longfellow's five children, Ons
low, the eldest, is married and in
business in Boston; Ernest is a rising
young painter, studying in Europe;
Alice, the eldest daughter, is a pleasing
writer; Edith is now Mrs. Richard H,
Dana third, and Anna is decidedly liter
ary in her inclinations.
Frank Palmer, who was in the fight in
which Custer was killed, tells how those
who buried the bodies discriminated.
They carefully interred the remains of
the officers, piled stones over the graves,
and inscribed them; but the privates
"were not buried at all, only covered, a
little earth being thrown on them, and
their bones are now strung from one end
of the prairie to the other.
LaBt year in Massachusetts 12,737
couples were joined in the bond of wed
lock. Of these there were 9,915 bache
lors who chose maidens to be their wives,
and 608 who chose widows; while 1,396
widowers married maidens and 818 mar
ried widows. From this it appears that
709 more widowers than widows were
married again, and that 1,396 maidens
married widowers, when only bU bache
lors married widows.
The Pioche (Nev.) Record has this to
say of Red Kenner: " He was a wild
and reckless 'sport,' and has lived in the
mountains for a number of years; he
never forgot his old mother back in the
States, and after selling his mining
property down at Silver Reef for some
$55,000 or $00,000, he took a trip home,
purchased his mother a nice and com
fortable homestead, and gave her nearly
840,000 to keep her from want in her old
age. then returned to his wild mountain
home with a light heart, knowing that
his mother was well provided for the
balance of her days on this earth. No
matter how many Red's sins may be, his
kindness to his mother will obliterate
them all in the eyes of the people."
The Home and True Society.
True society begins in the home.
When two yonng people love each other,
and marry, they restore the picture of
the Apostolic church. They are of one
heart and one soul; neither do they say
that anything they possess is their own.
but they have all things in common.
Their mutual trust in each other, their
entire confidence in each other, draws
out all that is best in both. Love is the
angel who rolls away the stone from
the grave in which we bury our better
nature, and it comes forth. Love makes
all things new: makes a new heavens
and a new earth; makes all cares light,
all pain easy. It is the one enchant
ment of human life which realizes For
tunio's purse and Aladdin's palace, and
turns the " Arabian Nights" into mere
prose, in comparison. Think how this
old story or. lovo is repeated lorever in
all the novels ana romanoes ana poems,
and how we never tiro of reading about
it; and how,' if there is to be a wedding
in a church, all mankind go, just to have
a look at two persons who are supposed,
at least ,to be in love and so supremely
happy. But this, also, is not perfect
society. It ib too narrow, too exclusive.
It shows the power of devotion, trust,
self-surrender, that there is in tne Hu
man heart; and it is also a prophecy of
something larger that is to come. But
it is at least a home, and before real
society can come, true homes must
oome. As in the sheltered nook in the
midst of the gieat sea of ice whioh rolls
down from the summit of Mt. Blano is
found a little green spot, full of tender
flowers, so, in the shelter of home, in
the warm atmosphere of household love,
spring np the pure affections of parent
and child: father, mother, son, daugh
ter; of brothers and sisters. Whatever
makes this insecure and divorce fre
quent, makes of marriage not a union
for life, but an experiment which may
be tried as often as we choose, and
abandoned when we like. And this cuts
up by the roots oil the dear affections
of home; leaves children orphaned, de
stroys fatherly and motherly love, and
is a virtual dissolution of society. J
know the great difficulties of this ques
tion, and how niueh wisdom is required
to solve them. But whatever weakens
the permanence of marriage tends to dis
solve society: for permanent homes are
to the social state what the little cells
are to the body. They are the com
mencement of organio life, the centers
from whioh all organization proceeds.
Btv. Jamet Jirteman Ularke,
An Aeronaut's Ilorrible Death.
Considerable has been said of late con
cerning the time, place and manner of
the death of Prof. LaMountain, the
(sronaut. Notwithstanding it has been
only about five years since his death
occurred, and notwithstanding the fact
that his death was simply horrible to
think of and was given great publicity
at the time, scarcely any person could
remember it. This illustrates how
quickly important events even pass from
the minds of the people,
On the fourth of July, 1873, rroi. iia
Monntain made an asoension from Ionia,
Mich. The arrangements of the ropes
before the balloon started were thought
to be wrong, but tho professor thought
everything was all right. There was a
tremendous crowd present. Immedi
ately after leaving the ground the mouth
of the canvas began to flop around with
great violence. When half a mile from
the earth, the balloon slipped between
the ropes and was instantly inverted.
The car and its occupant dropped like a
shot With the most terriflo velocity
the unfortunate man descended, cling
ing to the basket. That he was con
scious was evident from his struggles.
He strove to raise the basket above him,
evidently hoping to use it as a parachute.
He succeeded in his object, but when
abont one hundred feet high, he loosed
his hold, folded bis hands and arms be
fore his face,and, feet first, struck the
ground with a dull heavy thud. Then
ensued a panic among the multitude
almost indiscribable. Women fainted ;
men wept, and to add to the confusion,
the canvas came flying over the crowd
like a huge bird. Home one erica to
get out of the way, as it would fall with
crushing force. At this a general rush
was made for safety, in which many were
injured, and some for life.
lia Mountain was crushed into a literal
alp. Not a sign of motion of life was
visible when his body was reacnea.
Medical examination disclosed the fact
that hardly a whole bone was left.
Many were ground and splintered to
powder. His jaws fell upon his arms
and were pulverized. Where he struck
there was an indention made in the hard
gravel ground of several inches deep.
The corpse was laid out in the pubiio
square and was viewed by thousands.
"Renaissance."
The word " renaissance." much used
by newspapers when discussing about
art, is thus explained by the New York
irtbune :
Renaissance is the name of a style of
architecture whioh originated in Italy in
the first half of the fifteenth century,
under the influence of the awakened en
thusiasm for classical literature and art,
and which, in the following centuries,
wholly superseded the gothio style all
over Europe. After the fall of the
Roman empire, many western artists
retired to Constantinople, and founded
school, the great features of which ore
the circle and dome, the round arch,
and the various details of form which
are derived from the lily, the cross, the
nimbns, and other symbols. This style
is called the Byzantine, the culmination
of which may be seen in the mosque of
St. Sophia at Constantinople and the
church of St. Mark at Venice. The
gothio nations in the west introduced
modifications into the style of architec
ture they found, whence arose the
Romanesque order of architecture. Be
fore the age of Constantino, one style
pervaded the whole empire east and
west. After a period of transition, the
gothio stvle emerged, and reached its
culmination in the thirteenth century,
when the most beantiful buildings were
erected that the world hns ever seen.
Then, after a pause with the dwin
dling oi the old faith, the reformation,
and all the elements that made the six
teenth century a period of revolution
came another great change in architec
ture, which is called the classic revi
val, or tho renaissance. In Italy and
France, the architecture of the renais
sance produced its most splendid fruit.
The chief monument of the renaissance
in Italy is the church of St. Peter, and
in London the church of St. Paul.
Russian Female Duellists.
A good deal has lately been heard of
the progress of female emancipation in
Russia, but it is somewhat of a novelty
to find the Russian ladies figuring in the
character of duelists, as was the case not
long since with two belles of Petigorsk,
a well-known fashionable resort on the
northern slope of the Caucasus. A
dispute arose between the rival beauties,
springing out of the attentions paid to
eaoh in turn by a handsome yonng cay
airy officer quartered in the neighbor
hood. The quarrel ran so high that one
of the Amazons at length dispatched
her maid to the other with a formal
challenge, which was instantly accepted.
The belligerents met without seconds in
a lonely place outside the town, each
armed with a brace of loaded pistols.
Before, however, they had even taken
up their respective positions, the trem
bling of one lady's hand caused her
pistol to explode prematurely, sending
a bullet through the dress of the other,
who shrieked and fell down in a swoon.
The assailant, frightened out of her wits,
flung away her weapon and rushed to
raise the supposed corpse; but her un
grateful antagonist, recovering her sen
ses as suddenly as she hod lost them,
clutched her by the hair with one hand,
while boxing her ears with the other in
the mest energetio style. The firing
having now ceased, the battle proceeded
hand to hand. Locks of hair, ribbons,
and shreds of clothing flew in every di
rection, and bnt for the timely advent
of three or four policemen the affray
might have ended like the some
what similar combat of the Kilkenny
oats. The military Lothario's only re
mark on hearing tne story was, "It's
lucky they took to clawing each other
instead of me."
In herbivorous animals, which have
to grind down their food by constant
trituration, tne jaw is fixed to the skull,
so as to allow the former to have a rota
tory movement; but .such a movement
would be useless to carnivorous animals,
where the grinding operation is not required,
Items of Interest.
A smashing business Hail stones.
The raw material Underdone steak.
There are 216 bones in the human
body.
Balloon races are the latest Western
novelties.
By chemical meai'8 linen can be made
into sugar.
How much of the landscape can a
bird's eye view ?
"You are very pressing," as the wal
nut said to the nut-cracker.
Laplanders can travel a hundred
miles a day with a pair of deer.
Says a Chinese pi overb: The inquis
itive man thrusts his head into a bee
hive.
Snodgrass, speaking of a very tall ac
tor, aays he is tall enough to act in two
parts.
The best way to spell a Russian or
Polish nome is to sneeze three times and
say, "ski."
A patient is undoubtedly in a very
bad way when his disease is acute and
his doctor isn't.
The pressure of the sea, nt the depth
of 1,100 yards, is equal to 15,000 pounds
to the square inch.
The Atlantic, if drained, would be a
vast plain with two mountain ridges
crossing each other.
There are on the earth's surface 147,
000,000 square miles of water to 9,600,
000 square miles of land.
Wlien a woman sees a flock of birds
sho cries, "How beautiful I" A man
invariably says, "What a shot!"
Let there be an end to the palpable
falsehood that figures won't lg. Sew
Haven Register. Yes, figures will stand
on their heads. They will also
Norristown Herald.
Two superfluous thumbs were cut
away from the hand of the child of Oliver
Metty, of Monroe, Mioh., when it was
but a few hours old. This is the young
est victim of the scalpel on record.
In 1817, when President Monroe visit
ed Plattsburg, N. Y., the corporation
used up all the money that hod been
appropriated for a new fire engine in
entertaining him, and went without an
engine till the next year.
A man may be brave enough to face
dire danger, even at the cannon's mouth,
but let him "pop the question," to a
merry maiden, and he'll wilt like a
paper piccadilty on a hot summer day.
Hackemack Republican.
Dew forms most abundantly on cloud
less nights, since the heat which is radi
ated by the earth does not return to it.
Tho temperature of the earth, and the
air immediately upon its surface, is
therefore lessened, and dew is formed.
A dashing miss dropped in nt a print
ing office, the other day, and inquired
of the diffideut foreman if he could
print a kiss. He replied that he could
if she would allow him to lock her up.
She thanked him for the in-form-ation.
Two nervous duellists, having dis
charged their pistols without effect, one
of the seconds proposed they should
shake hands. The other second de
clared this would be unnecessary, as
they had been shaking for a half hour,
'lis now the spirit of beauty dwells
Sereuoly in the "flowerlul closes;''
The blackbird Hies from our fragrant dells
To languish in Southern fields of roses.
Tis now new styles of hats eclipse
Anything heretofore worn by women;
'Tis now that the schoolboy puckers his lips,
As he sinks hiB teeth in the vague persim
mon. Xtw York Graphic
The Tomb of Daniel OTonnell.
A letter from Dublin says : The
stranger in Dublin seldom fails to pay
a visit to the tomb of Daniel O'Connell,
in the cemetery out Sackville street.
The attention paid to the graves of de
ceased friends is a feature that is very
generally observed in Irish cemeteries.
Widows, mothers, sisters and daughters
can be seen wending their way with little
baskets of fresh flowers to the graves of
their hopes and their loves, and with
tearful eyes strewing over the sod or
hangiug to tombstones and monuments
wreaths and garlands. In winter wreaths
of immortelles are substituted, of yel
low, pink or blue, with a cross of sol
emn black suspended. Shortly after en
tering the gate a finger-board is observed
with the words " To the tomb of O'Con
nell," which leads to about the center of
the cemetery. Looking through the
door of the vault, the crimson coffin of
" the great agitator " is visible under a
canopy. The number of pilgrims to
this tomb is credible ; and it is a touch
ing sight to see many a poor Irishman
with a orownless hat raise his shabby tile
and exclaim, "I'oor Dan ! Xhe monu
ment to O'Connell is a tower lG5.feet
high, designed after the model of the
famous round towers of Ireland. The
remains of his single-hearted friend
" Honest Tom Steele," also lie close by.
Curran, Hogan and many other intel
lectual Irishmen are also buried here.
County Fairs.
The fair, as a pretext for bringing peo
ple together, has for twenty years taken
the place of the ancient political mass-
meetings of the Worth, and the barbecues
and camp-meetings of the South. All
the tribes of the farm districts go np to
it. Not the fancy-stock raiser alone,
with his fashionable clothes, high
crowned hat, shining sulky and thor
oughbred mare, or his neighbor, the
Squire, solid and keen-eyed, in his muddy
" Jersey, " the broad back of his coat
sunburned a dozen shades ; but their
wives and their daughters also, the store
keeper with whom they trade in the
village, the lawyer who expounds green
backs or the labor question to them in
the drug shop of an evening, the editor
of the country paper, and hiB young
college-bred man-of -all-work, who writes
leading articles, guma wrappers and
mails the paper by turn. Specimens of
all the farm stock join the great cara- '
vans ; monster oxen and enormous pigs,
dainty Alderneys and miniature bantams,"'
famous imported ewes and bulls, heavily
insured before they go, and sent witn a
corporal's guard of watchers. Then
there are marvelous cheeses and butter,
crystal jellies and homemade wines,
invariably attended by their anxious
owners, sbarpoyed matrons or prettj
but loud-voiced girls. N, Y, lYibune.