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Forest republican.
VOL. XXIII. NO. 15. TIONESTA, PA., AVEDNESDAY. AUGUST G, 1890. Sl.50 PER ANNUM.
The railroads of tliis country have
killod only C823 persons during tbo past
twclvo months and injured 2(5,309.
The Chicago Sun avers thnt tho erec
tion of electric light plants is of such
common occurrence in tho South as to
ccaso to bo of general interest.
There are more social clubs in Denver,
Col., asserts the New York World, than
in any other city .of tho country, not
withstanding tho fact that Philadelphia
h.is been" called the city of homes.
Steps have been taken to establish in
St. Petersburg, Russia, n society for tho
insurance of crops against climatic mis
haps. Tho Agricultural Society of the
metropolis has initiated the movement.
An Internal iopfll beauty show was
opened oU Home, Italy, lately, with im
posing ceremonies, but, tho beauty not
being up to the standard, tho ladies were
savagely hisscdf and tho exhibition had
to be abandoned. '
. The National Horse Breeder thinks peo
ple who are talking about tho coming of
tbo twe-minute troltcr will be interested
V in leatniugthnt to trot a mile in tho time
v named a-.norsc must get over tlie ground
t the rate of forty-four feet in a second,
vnicn is a trmo last lor a tiotting gait.
T " '
"The business tact of women has again
been demonstrated," says the New York
Sun, "in tho matter of taking the ccn
us. "Women who were appointed as
enumerators arc said to liavo done their
work better and moio carefully than tho
males. When another census comes to
. bo taken tho women will havo a better
cbaaco."
Tho Hartford (Conn,) Time remarks:
Horses don't last loDg in New York city.
. Tho pavements arc very trying to their
feet. Somo give out in six months,
while others lust as many yeni. Tho
average life of a street-car horso is about
two years. Many partially disabled ani
mals find their way into tho country, and
often recover nnd become of good service
on farms.
It is noted by tho New York Sun as
something remarkable that a Maryland
colored man dreamed ho was to dio tho
next day, and suro enough he died.
''When a Pacific Islander wants to die,
he sits down and dies himself: Just
naturally, dies by force of will. Ho is
more likely to be three days about it
than one day. Then ono of the difficul-
"t.es in bringing African slaves to tho
. coast is that they will turn their tongues
back into their throats and go off like
iambs." '
Tho Tonquiu pirato who recently
cleaned up $ 50,000 as ransom for the re
lease of the three captive Frenchmen has,
observes tho San Francisco Chronicle,
evidently bccoino enamored of the lucra
tive business. He now offers a standing
reward of $100 to tho native who will
i t- . i i i
uciivcr a rreuciiiuua into ms nanus or
$20 to oue who will warn him that troops
are approaching. In a country where a
coplio works the whole year round for $3
this noble reward ought to insure tho
nnArnriuinrr nlrfifn a rush nf niminlwa
i" --a i - - -
t until he has made llviug iu the interior
of Toniia too expensive for the Euro
pean. Tho Boston Cultivator believes that
"men of purely scientific training are of
less assistance iu practical u Hairs than
their .cducution would suggest. Tho
man of science lias littlo faith iu new
methods or now inventions. lie is sel
dom au originator. I lis knowledge is
that of tradition. He frequently scouts
at new ideas us impracticable, because
they are not recognized in books. The
invcutor. seldom travels in the same roud
with the scicutist. The inventor ueeds
to,lcavo the beaten path' and press on to
the uucxplored forest of possibilities.
He is often handicapped if he endeavors
to conform to rules already laid down
by pure science. Few college-bred men
have proved inventors. Original
thought, bold action, patient persistence,
kuowledgo of natures laws are prime
factors in tho successful career of the
inventor.''
The Philadelphia Press enumerates
these instances to . prove that modern
.commerce has curious elfects ou price
ud on the lives of animals: Camphor
'has goue up iu this country from tixty
fo ninety cents a pouud because it is
wanted iu Europe for smokeless pow
ders. Rubber has udvuuccd from fifty
five to ninety cents a pouud because so
much of it is wautcd iu electrical opera
tions. Copper, besides being wauted iu
telegraph, telephone and electric light
i 3 1 .
wires, nas uuvuuccu uccuusu uipuuiu ui
copper has been found to bo the only
sure cure for phyloxeru. Young male
' elephants are being hunted out in Africa
because their tusks make billiard balls,
and this, faster than any other demaud,
is likely to extinguish the elephant. The
faacy for alligator leather is making alli
gators extinct; tho muskrats multiply
and honeycomb the levees, and hence a
great Mississippi flood.
MEMORIES.
When twilight's hush la drawing nigh
And thwart the blue the .barlows lie,
Fond mem'ries cluster thick and fast
Around the dear old buried past;
'Tis then I droam of rosy hours,
Faith, hope and love in wooded bowers.
And merry voices low and sweot.
And converse fraught with Joy complete.
Still brighter visions round me aling.
When song birds brown are car-rolling.
How that we pledged our hearts' pure vows
Beneath the apple' crimson boughs,
And strolled the voodlands through and
through
For clovers red and vl'lets blue.
And smiling, laughing lily bells.
The pride of moss entangled dells.
These vanished yoars they come and go,
Like spectres gliding to and fro.
Across my weary, songless path
That lies along life's aftermath;
But soon, beyond the sun-kissed hills.
When freed from earthly cares and Ills,
I'll meet the loved and brave of yore,
And yearn the perfect past no more.
Philadelphia Telephone.
THE LINEMAN,
ST EMMA A. OrPER.
"The liucman's coming!" shouted
Sammy.
"Yes, air, it's the lineman!" cried
little Molly, in wild glee.
And their Aunt Eunice, who had come
to the door quickly and with heightened
color, saw Sammy's bare legs and Molly's
red stockings flying down the road.
"What is it, Eunice?" said Eunice's
brother's wife, Mrs. Abncr Lane.
"Th children saw the lineman, Mr.
Miles," said Eunice, rather faintly.
"Do tell 1 said Fiducia, smiling.
The lineman lived in the next State,
when ho was not on the road. Two or
throe times a year bo and his associates
passed through Ridgcville, inspecting
the telegraph wires, and repairing them
If need be, and he always put up at Ab
ncr Lane's.
He was an old friend now; Fiducia
put out her best preserves for him, Ab
ncr talked politics with him, and Eunice
Eunico put on her best dresses and
rickrncked aprons for him, and with
them n sweetly-welcoming manner.
It was more than remored that tho.
young lincinun put up at Abncr Lane's
because of Abuer'i pretty sister, Eunice.
Tho lineman arrived, with Molly on
his shoulder and Sammy grasping his
coat tail.
"Ileal glad to sec you, Mr. Miles real
glad I." said Fiducia, warmly.
"Eunice!"
Then Eunico came and shook hands,
with a conventional observation no
matter what, since it was faintly uttered,
and since the lineman grew red to his
blcndo hair and struggled ineffectually
over his reply.
"Abncr '11 bo pleased enough," said
Fiducia. "Much work to be doue here,
you find?"
"Considerable," said the lineman, get
ting his anxious blue eyes as far up as
Eunice's collar-button. "Stoke's at
work a'ready, down street."
"Have you shot any more wild turkeys
down home?" said Sammy, between his
knees.
"How's that littlo girl that had
measles and whooping-cough together?"
said Molly.
"Heal glad I made that raised cake
yesterday ! I recollect how you like it,
Mr, Miles," suid Fiducia.
Among all of which the lineman con
trived to murmur: "Miss Lane, you're
well !" and Eugeno to admit that she was.
Indeed, she looked so, with her bright
dark eyes and raised color.
Abner came just before supper. Ho
was not alone. The tall, stout, black
haired, florid faccd-mun who followed,
him appeared to fill the doorway solidly.
"Surprises don't como singly!" cried
Fiducia. "Silas Baldwin! Mr. Miles,
Mr. Baldwin. A sort of cousin of mine,"
Fiducia explained to the lineman.
Mr. Baldwin sent a great laugh into
the room apropos of nothing, kissed
Fiducia, and took Eunice by both hands.
"Blooming as ever!" he said, with
blunt gallantry.
Abner was glad to see thodiucman.
"You generally get around with the
ground-hog, don't you?" ho said, not
poetically, but heartily, as he helped the
lineman to ham and eggs.
"Before I'd stand being coupled with a
ground-hog!" said Mr. Baldwin jovially.
He was oue of those humorously jolly
persons who make irresistible jokes,
keep a roomful of people in good spirits,
and carry all before them without an
effort. All the Lanes liked him.
All. And for that reason the lineman
did not like him.
Mr. Baldwin who, it seemed, lived
five miles away, and had run over for
the fun of it sat next to Eunice, and
had a familiar and proprietary air.
"You get handsomer every day,
Eunice," he avowed. "Don't know what
you're coming to." The lineiuau had
thought so, but would he have dared to
say it to Eunice? Never! "Now, I'm
gettiug old old and fat. Too fat to be
reul captivating."
The lineman agreed with him. But
did Eunice?
"How are you getting along over there
in your bachelor's hall?" Abner inquired.
"Oh, I'm lonesome as a dog," suid
Mr. Baldwin, emphatically. "Lone
gomcr!" He handed Eunice the biscuits, looking
at her. The lineman grew red and white
by turns.
"Possess your soul in patience," said
Abner, jocularly.
The lineman could only stare. He had
hoped that Abner liked him, and liked
the thought of him in a certain connec
tion. Ah, he had hoped that Eunice
did, too. Now he was all at sea. Worse,
he was racked by sharp fears. For it was
Eunice who most bewildered him.
AVhy had she so confident, so familiar
a maimer with Fiducia's cousin, Mr.
Baldwin laughing at his joke aud re
sponding to his sallies?
With the lineman Eunice had always
been shy, as the lineman had been with
her. There was one explanation. Some
secret understanding, then, was between
her and Fiducia's fat cousin,
"Got the new cider-mill done yet?"
said Mr. Baldwin, shoving back his
chair. "Supposing you and I take a
walk down that way, Eunice? Come,
get your bunnit!"
The lineman's heart thumped, and the
color rose in his boyishly fair face in im
potently rebellious misery. He lifted
piteous blue eyes to Eunice.
Sho returned his look like a sympa
thizing angel though she was somebody
clso'a angel she said, with dropped
eyes:
"Won't you go, too, Mr. Miles?"
"Go 'long!" said Abncr.
But Mr. Baldwin stood tall and black
and all-pervading and formidable. He
was taking Eunice's shawl from the
lounge and putting it yes, putting it
around her, with some bold pleas
antry. Tho lineman had got timidly to his
feet, but ho sat down again, a little
pale.
"I'm feeling kind of tired," he mur
mured. "I guess I won't."
And Eunice nnd Fiducia's cousin went
off together, the tones of bis jubilant,
heavy voice floating back.
"Real good, jolly feller, Silas is,"
said Fiducia, picking up the dishes,
" now ain't he?"
"Seems so," said the lineman, mechan
ically. "Yes," said Fiducia. "Good luck
hain't spoilt him. He's made out of
that grocery over there well, goodness
knows how much; but I guess he's
rich !"
Yes, Mr. Baldwin wore the air of
prosperity; the lineman had noted it.
And ho he was a lineman.
"Yes, wo think considerable of Silas,"
Fiducia concluded. "Eunice, now he
and Eunice are real cronies."
"So they be," said the lineman, husk
ily. Once, somewhere back in that brightly
hopeful past of which nothing now re
mained but cold ashes, he had felt cer
tain that Fiducia favored him.
Nobody fnvored him now ; he supposed
the truth was that nolody ever had.
Ho was forlorn, miserable, sick at heart.
Ho had not fully known the depth of his
uffectiouate, big heart till now; and
now he had guaged it only to feel that
sudden death say from lightning or an
explosion would be quito welcome.
Everybody waa not against him.
Sammy and Molly were sitting on his
lap, and pulling his chin hither and
thither aud chattering; and while Ab
ner did the barn chores and Fiducia
washed the dishes, the lineman told in
teresting anecdotes to the children in a
forced and hollow way. But escaping at
last, he put on his hat and wandered out
iu the early dusk.
Ho felt that to witness the serene re
turn of Eunice and the fat grocer would
be more than he could .calmly enduro at
present.
no walked up the street; Eunice and
Fiducia's cousin had gono down.
Tho edge of the spring evening was
pleasantness itself The cherry trees
made white clouds in the air; tho yards
ho passed gave forth flowery odors; a
robin poured out 'is cheery evening call.
In another mood the lineman, who was
warmly appreciative, would have thrilled
with happiness; but with his sod, honest
blue eyes on a far tree top, he lagged
along without a clear realization of any
thing. He found himself presently at the spot
where Stokes had commenced work that
afternoon. His ladder was leaning
against the high pole, und his portable
tool-box, on wheels, was standing near
it.
It was locked, but the lineman had a
key, aud rather aimlessly he unlocked it.
The condition of the pole and the tools
lying ready in tho box made clear the
amount of work Stokes had done, and
what he intended doing next.
His colleague reflected. He had as
great a dread of going back to Abner
Lane's and encountering Euuice and his
rival as his manly heart had ever known.
If he found something to keep him
if he could tell them he had been at work
he might stay here till pitch dark and
then go back and go to bed, and get the
repairs finished to-morrow aud leave
Hidgeville to-morrow night Hidgeville
till his next trip and Eunice forover.
Yes. With something remarkably
like a sob iu his throat, the young line
man put on Stokes's spiked "climbers,"
filled his pockets with hummer aud nails
and glass insulators, aud climbed the
ludder.
Ho wot not feeling very clear-headed,
somehow or other, aud it was gettiug
dark. What was the matter with the
"climbers?" They did not seem to
"bite."
But he left the ladder and mounted
the pole. Even before he hud held tho
possibility of falling in keen dread,
which his muscular agility, however,
rendered most remote; but now he felt
as though, a fatal tumble would be rather
pleasant thau otherwise. The liucmuu
wus in a desperate mood.
What next occurred, though, was not
tho result of recklessness. How did it
happen? The lineman could not have
told them then or after.
Ho ncared the lowest crosspiece und
threw his right leg over it. The grasp
ol his bands might have been uu
wittingly a weak oue, for the lowering
of his body as he hoisted his leg over
powered it.
His hands slipped, with a stinging sen
sation, and his head begun to reel. He
wus fulling fulling in awful truth, as
he had once seemed to fall in a night
mare; and in half a minute he lay sense
less and motionless on the green gross of
the roadside.
It was to the lineman like the scheme
of a sarcastic fate that tie first sound he
should heur, on rcguiuiug consciousness,
should be the loud voice of Mr. Bald
wiu. "Hello!" Fiducia's cousin was shout
ing. "Just us I told you I He's coming
to already, chipper as you please!"
"You call that chipper?" Fiducia's
agitated tones demanded.
She was rubbing the liueaman's fore
head with camphor. He saw that th
lamp On the table Was lighted. J
"Wal, he ain't hurt bad that's thl 1
point," said Abner. "It's that tunk on
his head knocked him under."
"He'll come round," said Mr. Bald
win, cheerfully. "You've been keeled
over for half an hour," he lemarked to
tho lineman. "You can be thankful you
arc here. A man going along there in a
wagon saw you lying there dead that's
what he reckoned and picked you up
and brought you back, knowing this was
where you was putting up. Land alive!
You might a' laid there all nrght. Eunice I
I do believe that girl's a sniveling.
Eunice, march yourself hercl Your fel
ler's nil right right as a trigger I"
Fiducia remonstrated; but Eunico
came.
That was all the lineman was conscious
of.
Was it"by prcconcertion? Abncr and
Fiducia and Mr. Baldwin somehow got
out of the room Fiducia gracefully,
Abner awkwardly, the fat grocer lum
bcringly; and the lineman was alone with
Eunice.
In spite of his jarred lameness he sat
up sat up and groped for Eunice's
hands. Yes, Eunice had been crying.
"Eunice," said the lineman, "let me
hold yonr hand just this moment, while
I I tell you. It was my own fault get
ting my head bumped, and I deserved it.
I was just a coward, Eunice. I wasn t
man enough to face wbut I knew I'd have
to face. I didn't want to come back
here nnd see you and him together. I
didn't feel as though I could stan' it. So
I went to working on tnat pole and fell
down, just as I'd ought to. There 1 I
wish you well, Eunice. Ho s a good
man and he's rich, and and you'll bo
happy. I know you will. There, I
won't say no more. I was kind o' des
perate, Eunice; but I wa'n't trying to
kill myscly. No, I I'll live right along!"
Though she was crying again, Eunice
did not take her hands away. They
seemed to nestle in the lineman's.
"What do you mean?" she cried, half
indignantly. "Do you mean Silas Bald
win?" "Why, yes," the lineman stammered.
"Silas Baldwin!" said Eunice, with
amazed eyes on the lineman's upturned
face. "I vc kuown him all ray life.
He's about forty, Silas is, and he's a
married man, but his wife's off visiting
her folks in Illinois. He runs over here
oftcner now 't he's all alone."
Then Eunico removed her hands to
wipe her tears.
"Wal," the lineman gasped, dazed.
humiliated, strangely happy, "I've been
a tarnal fool!"
The lineman got well, though it was
discovered that he had fractured one of
his ribs. He said he was glad of it ; bo
took it for a judgment upon him. Besides,
being nursed to recovery by Eunice was
far from being an unpleasant state of
affairs.
He and Eunice were married as soon
as ever he was able to be, aud Sammy
and Molly, in high feather, stood up with
them.
Tbo tall, silver lamp, presented by Fi
ducia's cousin, Silas Baldwin, and his
wife, was the finest of tho wedding pres
ants by all odds. Saturday Night.
Stanlej'g Wooing.
The story of Stouley's wooing is grad
ually being disclosed. He first met Miss
Tennant when last in England, and for
awhile was received with the same cool
ness which usually characterized the
lady's reception of attentions from gen
tlement. But tho indomitable courage,
energy and wonderful powers of descrip
tion possessed by the explorer gradually
won the heart of one who possessed sim
ilar traits in so marked a degree, and
when Stanley managed to pluck up suf
ficient courage to propose she fainted
with mingled delight and excitement.
She promised to wait until he returned
from his next African trip, and insisted
that their engagement should be kept
secret.
The letters which have passed between
"Stanley Africanus" and Miss Tennant,
if they ever see the light of publication
love-letters of eminent persons are now
included in the printer's prey will be
truly curious stories, for no doubt the
explorer told more to his lady love than
he will ever confess elsewhere of tho
awful tribulations of his march through
the African swamps and forests. His
brother explorers were aware of their
commander's love story, and many a tree
in tho strange lands visited has "Dolly"
deeply cut iuto the bark. The natives
used to think it tho sign of the white,
chief's fetish and often prostrated them
selves before it. In one of his letters
Stanley wrote such a harrowing account
of the sufferings of his band and gave
such a vivid picture of the death of a gi
gantic negro slowly swallowed by a huge
serent that Miss Tennant swooned after
reading it. CommereuU Advertiser.
Smuggling Jewels From Mexico.
Commenting upon evidence in a re
cent smuggling case tried in San An
touio, Texas, District Attorney Evans
told his experience in the trial of men
charged with bringing goods across tho
border without having paid duty.
"The Government," he said, "might
as well abolish the duty on jewelry and
precious stones, so far as its value along
the Mexican border is concerned. Great
quantities of such are brought iuto this
couutry, but it is very seldom that duty
is paid upon them. Of course, tho
smaller an article is the easier it is to
cschik) detectiou. Fine jewelry aud pre
cious stones are safely smuggled on this
account, and quite a number of the
smugglers are known to the Custom
bouse officials, who, however cannot bo
detected.
"Men and women almost known to
have jewelry in their possession are
stopped and searched, but nothing duti
able is revealed. A thousand dollars'
worth of precious stones might be hid
den under a plaster. False pockets in
clothes and wearing apparel are common.
I do not believe that as many precious
stones as formerly are brought from
Mexico, but there is plenty of Mexican
jewelry smuggled into the United States."
Chicago Herald.
SCIENTIFIC AND INDUSTRIAL.
The Avenge speed of elevators is 22
feet per minute.
Carriages to be run by gasoline wll
soon be seen iu London.
Lithographic stone and lead arc being
found at Marble Falls, Texas.
Plumbago in large quantities has beet
found near Hoffman's Mills and Higl.
Bridge, Huntertod, N. J.
An electrical fan, to keep dp a lively
circulation of air in cars lighted by elec
tricity, has been invented.
Two noiy cotton mills have just been
projected in South Carolina, ono of them
to be operated by water power.
A London genius has invented a hoi
water apparatus to warm piano keys, so
that dainty fingers may not be chilied.
Wood pulp is now being used as the
basis of a plastic compound to serve as a
substitute for lime mortar iu covering
and finishing walls.
Lead poisoning among Jacqtiard weav
ers in a Swiss factory has been traced to
dust from leaden weights used to carry
the thread of the yarn.
An improved brontomctcr which indi
cates "the instant of each lightning flash
and tho beginning nnd duration of a
thunder clap" is on exhibition in Lon
don. English experts having found thnt
forced draught is straining the boilers to
an alarming extent are now turning their
attention to improving the natural
draught.
Rich and plentiful deposits of tin and
silver have just been discovered in Chero
kee County, east of Canton, just forty
miles from Atlanta, Ga. The tin ore, as
does tho silver, assays very rich.
A Swedish inventor named Thomson
has make a quick-firing gun which can
dischurge twenty-four shots n minute. At
tests made recently a target, nino inches
long and six inches wide was hit by every
shot.
Tho adjustable steam dock at Key
West, Fla., has been finished, but so far
the contractors have not found a suitable
vessel for docking, and as this was part
Df the contract final payment has been
withheld.
The Pennsylvania Railroad is experi
menting with a - shaking giato ou its
freight engines, and the result is said to
be satisfactory. An engine equipped
with a grate ran over five days without
clogging, nnd tho fire continued brisk.
No blower was needed.
From a report of tho meeting of the
Berlin Anthropological Society it is
gathered thnt the cat is called in Chinese
"Mao," which seems an excellent ono
matopoeic word. The cat is also called
"Woman's Slave," which goes to show
that the celestial old maids are as fond of
their furry friend as their European sis
rs. In China soapstono is lugely used in
preserving structures built of sandstone
and other stones liable to crumble from
the effect of atmosphere ; and the cover
ing with powdered soapstone in tho form
nf paint, on some of the obelisks iu that
sountry, composed of stone liable to at
mosphcric deterioration has beeu the
means of preserving them intact for hun
dreds of years.
The use of nitro-glyccriue in cases of
emergency instead of a'.cohol is recom
mended by an Euglish physician. A
drop on the tongue rouses a fainting man,
ind it may restore life in case of appar
ent death, as from drowning. It has
quickly relieved headache, heart pains
and asthma, and stiengthened weak
pulses in fevers. It should only be used
under advice of a physician.
A locomotive working under a pressure
of 140 to 105 pounds to the squure inch
may move a railway train at a velocity of
lixty miles per hour, which one is apt to
think of as a wonderful speed. But it
is slow compared with the rate of motion
of the projectile from a modern great
gun. Such projectile flies at the rate of
1365 miles per hour, impelled by a pres
lure of 35,000 to 40,000 pounds per
square inch.
A Frolic of Fashion.
A prominent dealer in leather, from
London, says that never before was there
such a craze in London for queer leather
is at the present time. He says also :
"All kiuds of skins, from the tough,
thick hide of au elephant to the thinner,
iendercr frogs, are pressed iuto service to
meet the demands of tho fashionable.
Some of our shops are stocked with a
mpply of fuuey articles that are made
from the skins of all sorts of beasts, rep
lies and fishes. These singular objects
are exhibited in the windows, where
;heir appearance proves a great attraction
to the crowds. Made up into various ar
ticles are yellow pelican skins, lion and
panther skins, buffalo skins fish skins,
monkey skins, and the coverings of al
aost every living thing known. They
are tanned and sometimes dyed with dif
ferent colors. 1 think it looks hideous
to see a pretty girl walking along the
itreets swinging a porte-monuaie made of
the scaly skin of a boa-constrictor. But
it's fashion, 'ou know, and reminds one
Df the old story of beauty aud the beast."
Commtrrial Advert iter.
Famous Old Giants.
At all times and in all countries, says
die IrUh 1'imei, kings and noble had a
fancy for including among their retainers
either a giant or a dwarf, sometimes both.
Frederick the Greut had his corps of gi
gantic grenudiers; and iu the Tower of
London may be seen a luuce aud some
enormous armor of sixteenth century
work, which, doubtless, belonged to some
giant, knight or trooper of the king's
body guard. James I. had attached to
his person a porter named Walter Par
sons, comuiouly culled tbo Staffordshire
giant, a handsome, brave, und strong
young man, who hid begun life as a
furrier. His height was seven feet, seven
inches, and his portrait exists, engraved
by Glover. Parsons lived ou iuto the
reign of Charles I., and was succeeded
by another giant, William Evans, tw
inches taller than his predecessor.
WONP'ERS OF FIREWORKS.
JAPANESE LEAD THE WORLD IN
MAKING PYROTECHNICS.
Families Thnt Have I)otii Nothing
El mj for a Hundred Yearn Hal
loons of Many Kinds.
The use of firework of all kinds be
comes moro universal every rrr in this
couutrv. Exhibitions nre common at tlici
winter resorts in the South, while iu the
North fireworks nre used at toboggan
and snow-shoe carnivals and by summer
excursionists. All the tirCi'rnckers used
in this country come from China. They
are shipped in tailing vessels that land
at New York.
Although wo surprise the Oriental
races id our knowledge of chemistry and
mechanics we havo never been nblo to
compete with them in practical pyro
technics. In this fiyld they have de
veloped skill that is well nigh mir
aculous, and are as much our masters to--day
as they were at the time of the in
vention or introduction of gunpowder in
Europe. Long before that event the
Chinese were enjoying firecrackers, from
those no larger than a match to the mon
strous ones which weigh five prunds
apiece bombs, Roman candles and
Bengal lights. At the same time the
Japanese were developing their wonder
ful system of day fireworks into a fine
art.
Of tho two races the Chinese were by
long odds the first in point of time.
Their annals show that the familiar fire
cracker was known to the people of the
Flowery Kingdom at least 1150 B. C.
On the other hand there is no direct proof
that the Jupuucse wero able to manu
facture fireworks of any sort prior to
1040 A. D., some twenty-ono centuries
aftcrwarl.
But tho Chinese seemed satisfied with
what littlo progress they made iu the
early age, and have never gone beyond
what they then accomplished. The Jap
anese, on the contrary, have kept up ex
periment and research to the present
moment.
In discussing tho remarkable success
of his countrymen in this industrial net
a member of the Jupaneso Embassy at
Washington said recently: "The se
cret of our prosperity is not as simple as
might be supposed. In the first place
we have a trade system something like
the guilds of Europe A good fireworks
maker briugs up one or more of hie sons
to follow him in his profession, and
teaches them every littlo trick or discov
ery he has made or that has been handed
down to him by his ancestors. There
are many families at home that have been
firework makers for more than a cen
tury." The baloons are always of moderate
size, the great majority being about six
and but few exceeding ten fee .u length.
They are made of a strong and durable
tissue paper, are printed iu colors nnd
usually retouched with the brush by the
artisans of the East before they are al
lowed to leave the workshop. So fur as
shapes are concerned there is almost end
less variety. The commonest kinds nre
those which imitate the domestic animals.
Next to these in popularity are the shapes
of birds, fish, fruits, reptiles and dragons.
Beyond these nnd much less economical,
if not less popular, nre human figures.
These are of ull sorts, ranging from a
duimio to a grotesque head.
It is difficult to estimate the number of
shapes turned out by Japanese pyrotech
nists. One concern in Yeddo keeps over
twelve hundred different kinds on hand,
while another house in Yokohama has a
stock of two thousand varieties. These
balloons are so weighted as to always
keep a natural position. Iu some cases
they are specially weighted with fine
pieces of metal held by a slow burning
fuse. As the latter is consumed it re
leases from time to time, a weight. As
this is liberated the balloon will spring
upward as if alive. With two leaded
(uses the movements of a fish arc beauti
fully imitated.
Corresponding to these five trails are
what may be called smoko trails. The
trail is charged with some inflammable
substance like pitch, which is so treated
as to give out great volumes of heavy
dense black smoke, which fall slowly
away from the balloon and leave a long,
wavy line in the air to indicate the vary
ing currents and eddies in the atmos
phere. Some very expensive balloons
have trails so arranged as to give lines of
smoke in two, three, and even four colors.
New York Preu.
A Lucky Shot.
A few duys ago as Jumes Knight, of
Shelter Point, near Nunuiuio, British
Columbia, was working in the woods
close to bis own house and barn, he heard
a series of squeals from a litter of littlo
pigs which were running about tho gar
den. Going in the direction of the sounds
he discovered a pauther of very largo
proportions carrying off oue of the pork
ers. Running to the house with all pos
sible speed, he secured his gun, his dog
in the meantime chasing the marauder,
which took to the trees. Taking aim at
the beast, whoso glistening eyes shone
through the foliage and whose growls
made it impossible to mistake bis where
abouts, he brought the animal dow n, pre
venting him making a dying charge by a
well-directed shot iuto his bruin. This
brute, aud several others of his kind,
with the assistance of the bears in tho
neighlMirhood, have latterly made consid
erable havoc among the smaller domesti
cated animals, and it is proposed ere long
to urguniea shooting party with the ob
ject of exterminating them. Yietvria
(i. C.) Coloniit.
Adjusted the Gift to Her Mouth.
Ahmed Effendi, the former Turkish
Embassador in Berlin, when entertaining
company, was in the habit of distributing
sweets among tho ladies present. Oi
one occasion he gavo a certain lady tw
or three times as much as the rest. She,
vain of her triumph, gut an interpreter
to inquire the reason of bis preference.
"Because her mouth is twice as large aa
that of the other ladies," was the reply.
Argonaut.
SYCAMORES IN BLOOM.
Like flame-wing'd harps tho s!cd blooms li
Amid the shadowy sycamores!
The music of each loaflet's sigh
Thrills them continually,
The small harps of the sycamores;
Small birds innumerable find rest
And shelter 'midst tho sycamores.
Their aongs (of love in a warm oft nest)
Are faintly echoed esst and west
By the red harps o' tho sycamores.
The dowfall and the starshina make
Amidst the shadowy aycainorcsi
Sweet delicate strains; the gold bmims shaks
The leaves at morn, and swift awaka
The small harps of the sycamores.
O sweet earth's music everywhere,
Though faint ns in tho sycamores:
Sweet whin buds hurst, birds pair;
Sweet when as thus there wave in tho air
The red harps of the syr:imor..
Will mm .S7i(ii-j, in Ilitrptr't Magazine.
HUMOR OF THE DAY.
The ground-floor Sawdust.
A good buy-law Collect on delivery.
A drawing-room The dentist's olfice.
A two-foot rule Stand oa your own
pins.
An old flame The light of other
days.
Everybody's business is nobody's busi
ness except tho busybody's.
Do not think you can cultivate a man's
acquaintance by giving him an occa
sional dig.
The paper that says something mean
about you is never lost in the mails.
Atchiwn Olvle.
Poor Fishing. First Boy "Did you
latch anything?" Second Boy "Not
until I got home." San Fmncinv Watp.
Onn thing of Noah must be sail
Nor will the truth lie strained;
Without a doubt he knew euou'.i
To go iu wh-n it rained.
I la u V-.i.i.
Bobby "How did you manage to get
the bowl of crcim?'' Tommy 'Told
ma I saw the cat put her nose in itV''
Kpoeh.
Or.eof the healthiest professions in tho
world is that of signing wills. Expectant
heirs will readily confirm this statement.
Puck:
When you come to consider the drunk
ard, there isn't much differences between
tho ideal and tho reel. Binglutmtoii
Leader.
Do not try to tako off your hat to a
woman on a rainy day ; if sho carries nn
jmbrella sho will take it oil for you.
Boston Bulletin.
Tho men who becomo suddenly rich
remind us of the whales. They no sooner
get to the top than they commence blow
ing. State fnan.
"Now, Johnny, you know what a
noun is, do you?" "Yeth nm." "What
Is Jerusalem?" "An ejaculation, mum."
JIarjer's JJazaar.
The young mun just out of school ad
vertises for a "position;" but after six
months of hustling he is mighty glad to
get a "job." Puei.
The latest distinguished horse on tho
turf is named Semicolon. It must bo
rather difficult to bring him to a full
top. Boston Herald.
"All that's bright must fade.
The brightest still the fleetest."
All we wear is frayed
Just when we would be neatest.
fW.
Hostess (to young Spriggins, M. D.) -"Dr.
Spriggins, will you have soma of
the tongue?" Dr. Spriggius (absent
mindedly) "Oh cr let me look at if, "
please." Chatter.
It is nonsense to say that thcro is ,
nothing new under the sun. Tho man
who owns an ordiuary fountain pen find
ome new trouble with it every week.
Somenillc Journal.
Polite Passenger "Pardon me, sir I
Can I sit down iu this seat?" Old Sour
boy "Well, I presume you can if you
try hard enough. I didn't have uuy
trouble." Boston Times.
She (enthusiustically) "Oh, George!
don't you think the greatest joy in life is
the pursuit of the good, the truo and the
beautiful?" He "You bet! that's why
I'm hero to-night." Burlington Prec
ipes. Littlo Ethel went to church with her
gruudmother, and for the first time put
ten cents in the contributiou-plute.
Leaning over she whispered very audi
bly, "That's all right, grandma! I paid
for two." Judge
One morning in a garden bed
The union aud thu currot buid
Unto a parsley group:
"Oh, when shall we thrre meet aai:!.
In thunder, lightning, or in rain!'"
"Alasr" exeluuned iu femes of iuiu
The parsley "In the soup."
l'hilaiUljfhut IW .
The basebullist's business is pickin.
up, tho foot-ball player's is rushing, the
H-ronaut's is iu thu air, the dry -goods
seller's is rip-tearing, the huckmau's is
driving, the washerwoman inat.ages to
scrub along, and the bunco-man tlndi
plenty to "do." Pud:
Tho bucket shop known ns "Tho
Sockdolager" failed yesterday for tho
seventeenth time this mouth. The causo
of the suspension is stated to have been
that a customer was, by an oversight of
a clerk, allowed to win $3.50, aud de
manded his money. Judge
Odd Souvenirs.
Many capricious New Yorkers uru hav
ing souvenirs, such as ladies' slippers aud
locks of hair, covered with a luiu de
posit of silver and displayed iu their
homes as mementoes. The substances of
the articles thus treated uie uot injuriously
affected, and they attract considerable at
tention wherever shown. Argonaut.
A Curious Ear of Corn.
An car of corn ou exhibition at Pan
Luis Obispo, Cul., is described as being
iu tho exact form of a humau hand; tho
wrist, pit I in, thumb and lingers being ull
perfect. It is covered with small grains
to ueur the tips of tho lingers, which uro
bare prongs of cob, giving the hand thu
appearance of being clad iu a mitt.