B. F. SCHWEIER, THE CONSTITUTION THE PSION AXD THE ENFORCEMENT OF THE LAWS. Editor and Proprietor.
VOL. XXVIII. MIFFLINTOAVN, JUNIATA COUNTY, PENNA., FEBRUARY 18, 1S74. NO. 7.
Bill and Joe.
T 0I4TKB WI.1DU.L I9UU.
Come, dear old comrade, yoa ted I
Will steal an hoar from days gone by
Tfao shining dart when life was new, -And
all wu bright wllh morning df w
The lnaty days of long ago.
When yon wera Bill ud I was Jo
Your BAm nay laant a titlod trail,
Proad aa a cockerel's rainbow tall ;
And mine aa brief as peadlx wear,
Aa Tarn O'shaater'l lackleaa mare ;
To-day, old friend, remember .till
Tbat 1 am Je and yon are Bill.
Tone won the if real world' envied prise,
A nd grand yon look fa people's yee.
With B 0 S. and L. L. 0.,
In big brave letters, fair to see
Toor t, old fellow ! off they go !
Bow are 70s, Bill ? How are 70m, Joe?
Yon'wn worn the J ndge's ermlaed robe ;
You've tanght your name to half the globe ;
You'we song mankind a deathless strain.
Ton' made the dead past lire agaia.
The world may call 70m what it will,
Bat 70a and I are Jos aad BilL
The chafing young folks stare and any,
"See those old buffers, bent and gray
They talk like fellows In their teens!
Mad, poor old boys ! That's what It mean
And snake their heads; they little know
The throbbing heart, of Bill and Joe.
How Bill forgets his hoar of pride.
While Joe sits smiling at his side ;
How Joe, la spite of Tune's disguise.
Finds the old schoolmate la his eyes
Those calm, stern eyes that melt aad All
As Joe looks fondly op at BilL
Ah, pensive scholar, what Is fame!
A fitful tongne of leadiag fame,
A giddy whirlwind's fitfal goat.
That lifts a pinch of mortal dast ;
A few swift years, and who can show
Which dust waa Bill and which was Jof
The weary Idol takes ht stand.
Holds oat hts braised and aching hand.
While gaping thousands come and g
How Tain It seems, this empty show
Till all at once his palses thrill ;
'Tia poor old Joe's "(Sod bless yon. Bill !"
And shall we breathe ia happier sphere
The names that pleased oar mortal ears,
la some sweet loll of harp and song
For earth bora spirits aone too long,
Jast whispering of the world below.
Where tils was Bill, and that wai Joef
Xo matter; while oar home Is here,
2?o sounding name Is half as dear ;
When fades, at length, oar lingering day,
Who caree what pumpoos tombstones say f
Head on the hearts that love as still.
Hie jacrt Joe. U.r jarrt Bill.
31 i sscell 113'.
The Mnsic of the '1 brash.
Tlie thrush is scarcely surpassed by
any other bird excepting the nightin
gale, and pours forth his full wealth of
song in evety varied form, upheaving
his parded breast, and looking out upon
the still laudscajie with bright restless
eyes. We hear him singing in the early
morning before the round sun has
scaled the hill-tops ; he keeps up Lis
roll of music throughout the day, and
closes at night without any apparent
fatigue; there is no diminution of sound;
no feebleness ; he seems more like a
good instrument, which, after being
played on for hours, sends forth a
sweeter sound ; he is no weak traveler,
who, having gone a long day's journey,
drags wearily np the last hill at sunset.
Yon cannot fail to distinguish his
voice from among the warblers of the
woods ; not that his notes are always
alike, but there is some regular modula
tion, or natural sweetness, which, how
ever varied, "still does his touch the
strain prolong," and you know it is his
own, and could not be deceived even if
he had hidden himself in the carcass of
an owL
I recollect well, that nearly one of the
first birds I reared when a country boy,
was a thrush ; he was the pride and
delight of the whole neighborhood ;
even the neighbors forgave him break
ing their slumber so earlv in the mora
ine, for the sweetness of his song. An
old fisherman who arose with the break
of day, and who resided in the adjoining
house, made the opening 01 his music
a clock to get np by ; and he never was
deceived in the time but once, and that
was one really beautiful moon-light
morning, which streamed in brilliant
beams through the opening in the win
dow shutters, and lured the lovely bird
into the belief that it was day. English
Country Life.
Moorish Bride
The condition of women in Morocco
is most pitiable. They are all slaves,
and the lot of those who are so avowedly
and technically is much less miserably
dull, monotonous, and degraded than
that of the ladies who are supposed to
repose on satin divans, sip sherbet, eat
dainty devices in sugar, and string
pearls in the barem, in which their occu
pations are in reality much more prosaic,
and their surrounding much less splen
did. The wedding festivities are ex
ceedingly barbarous, the unhappy bride
being carried to her husband's house in
a box, on a mule's back, with little
boy also shut up with her in durance,
as a happy prognostic of the future. A
box of sweetmeats is also placed in the
box, to while away the time and console
the small boy. A horrible noise, howl
ing, drumming, firing, is kept np the
whole way ; and the female relations of
the bridegroom who does not appear at
all, receive the bride on the threshold
with appalling shrieks of "Ah yee!
Ah yee !" The box is carried in, the
door is shut, the friends disperse, bnt
the musicians remain, and the horrible
din goes on for hours. No religious
ceremony takes place, and the fattening
of the bride is the only preparation on
her part for holy matrimony. "For this
purpose," a.ivs the author of "A Winter
in Morocco," from the time of her be
trothal she is confined to one room, not
permitted to take any exercise, and com
pelled to swallow large quantities of
kesksoo every day. This system, stead
fastly pursued for a few weeks, brings
her into a condition that is considered
in Morocco becoming obesity. 1 have
heard of an intended bride so fat that
she was unable to pick up her pocket
handkerchief when she dropped it, and
who could with difficulty move across
the room without assistance."
Look Well to the End.
Toung man, look well to the end.
Before beginning, look well to the end
to which this beginning is likely to
lead ; and when once begun, have a
care until that end has been consum
mated. Let not intermediate successes
engender a carelessness which will cause
the final accomplishment of the whole
design to slip through your fingers.
The new Turkish Minister, Aris
touche Bey, is very handsome, but Jen
kins says he dances in a style which
can be compared to nothing save the
weep of a whirlwind.
II ASS A VS PILGRIMAGE.
In the city of Bagdad, in the reign of
the good Haroun al Baschid, dwelt a
youth whose name was Hassan. Begirt
with kindred, friends, and all the joys
of home, he yet pined with a vague sick
ness and longing after the great world
which lay beyond the city's walls. A
shadowy hand seemed beckoning to him
from the far-off mountains, and voices
unheard by other ears called softly to
him from the purple distance. Tears,
lamentations, entreaties and reproaches
availed not to detain him, neither the
dark eyes of the fair Zayda, who sighed
when she heard his name.
He folded sacred parchment in his
bosom, the Mufti bestowed his blessing,
and accompanied it with the gift of a
magic staff, upon which, when one
leaned, he never grew weary, and in the
cool morning Hassan passed from the
city, his home, kindred and friends, and
leaning on his staff, addressed him to
his pilgrimage. His dark eyes glowed
with the fire of youth, the wine of health
tinged his ruddy cheek, and the brown
beard of early manhood fringed his
well-formed lips. His step was elastic,
and his soul glowed with noble aspira
tions and the promise of the future.
Sometimes his way was rugged and
toilsome ; sometimes his path lay
through smiling gardens and groves of
date trees, and anon he sat for rest and
refreshment in the broad shadow of
some giant palm until the burning heat
of noonday was passed. The birds
sang in the groves, the laborers tilled
verdant fields, the flowers smiled and
nodded by the wayside, and many days
were born and died while Hassan jour
neyed. One bnjning noontide it chanced that
he suddenly found himself within the
precincts of a charming garden. The
tinkling of fountains was pleasantly
suggestive of coolness, and in the dark
greenness of the shaded walks he per
ceived figures flitting to and fro, All
manner of strange and beautiful plants
flourished around, and the air was vocal
with the music of birds, while distant
voices of men and women mingled allur
ingly with the notes of the feathered
warblers. Hastening onward, he was
met at every turn by groups of youths
and maidens, lightly clad and garlanded
with flowers, who received him with
j acclamations and shouts of welcome.
At length he reached the center of the
i garden, in which stood a spacious pavi
lion adorned with everything which
I could please the eye or minister to the
physical enjoymeut of man. lables
laden with choicest viands, fountains of
many-colored wines, soft conches for j
, repose, amging, dancing, leasting and
t 1- 1 1 - l 1.
uiixiu ncin but? Butts vruipiuj uicuia ui uic
occupants of this delightful retreat.
Hassan cast aside everp restraint, and
throwing himself into the midst of the
gayety with all the ardor of his enthu
siastic nature, soon became the prince
of the reveL Wearied at last with
pleasure, he sank upon one of the
couches for a brief repose, while his
gay companions scattered roses over
him and sang softly to lull him to
slumber.
Long and deep was his oblivion, pain
ful and troubled his awakening. His
conch was a rock, the glowing garden
had become a desert ; youths and
maidens, birds and flowers, hall and
fountains had vanished. Over him
towered a sullen sky, and in the dis
tance shadowy and dim uprose the
waiting mountains. Weary and dis
pirited he arose to continue his journey,
but oppressed by an intolerable languor,
halted at every step. Alas, he had for
gotten his staff I
He reproached himself bitterly for
his late folly, which now appeared like
some hideous fragment of a dream. Bat
from the mountains the shadowy hand
BtHl beckoned, the voices called, and
with a steadfast mind he addressed him
self again most earnestly to his pilgrim
age, when lo ! the staff was in his hand,
and with a joyful heart he went his way.
There were no flowers by the wayside
now, bo laborers tilling verdant fields ;
only the long stretch of desert before
and around, the sullen sky and the far
off mountains-
Still journeying, he found himself
upon a dnsty high road, surrounded and
jostled on every side by a motley com-
Canionship. Bankers, weavers, farmers,
iwyers, jugglers, priests, tinkers, beg
gars, and even slaves mingled together
in active pursuit of a shining dust which
floated in the atmosphere, and he who
gathered the greatest quantity by any
means, was treated with peculiar honor,
and still greater facilities offered him
for increasing his store. All were has
tening onward toward an invisible goal,
where perfect rest and contentment
awaited the fortunate few who should
succeed in reaching it. With the facile
impressibility of his nature, Hassan
plunged into the busy, jostling crowd,
and by ceaseless activity and energy
was soon laden with the precious par
ticles which burdened heavily the shoul
ders of his fellow travelers, causing them
to faint with weariness. But the magic
staff upbore him, and he soon left the
crowd behind.
He still had companions, but they
were comparatively few in number,
careworn, toiling and anxious in appear
ance, and their ranks thinned rapidly
as they neared the goal which now ap
peared on the plain.
Hassan increased his speed, and dis
tancing all competitors, stood at gate
which gave entrance through a massive
golden wall into gorgeous city. The
gate opened into crescent-shaped
court, from which diverged long avenues
of stately palaces adorned with gold,
silver, and precious stones and paved
with costliest marbles, over which rolled
sumptuous carriages, decked with rich
laces and velvets and glittering with
jewels. Groups c: the principal men
of the city were gathered in inis court,
and their regards were immediately fixed
upon Hassan and with reason. Stately
as a goodly cedar, in the full strength
of manhood, with flowing locks and
beard, noble brow and deep dark eyes,
in which smouldered a hidden fire, as
he leaned on his staff and gazel calmly
about him, his was a presence to be
noted in anv assembly, much more so in
this. Amid old, withered, bent figures. 1
with faces marked by narrow passions,
with cautions, stealthy eyes, he by con
trast seemed a god.
They gathered about him and bade
him prepare to accept the highest dig
nity in the power of the Oolden City to
bestow. He who won entrance to the
City ere his locks were white, became
a king with absolute authority, and
flier had never been so youthful a
monarch.
He might resign long before i
a successor came to cause his removal ; j
so they bore him to the Eoyal Palace,
and crowned him with such magnificence
of pageantry as nis wuaes. iniicy uu ,
never fashioned, and ne dwelt in royat
halls, and all the inhabitants of the city
did him reverence.
Surely, it might be thought that he
had reached the summit of ambition,
but all the rivers of joy could flow unto
him and peace and rest remain with him
forever. But alas ! he wearied of mag
nificence, and the bread of royalty satis
fied not his hunger. The voices of
maidens in innocent converse, the laugh
ter and sports of children, the mirth of
the careless and idle were never heard
in this magnificent city ; and no man
called another brother. Over the glit
tering walls which encircled his golden
dominions, he beheld far off the misty
mountains, and his spirit yearned after
their vastness.
An air blew from their commanding
Bights which tarnished his gilded scep
ter. So he arose, shook from his shoul
ders the cloak of authority, and drawing
his pilgrim garments about him, left the
house of his pride and the scepter of
his dominion to another, and in the dusk
of evening passed silently out of the
city. The song of the bulbnl pulsated
through the dusky groves, and the great
stars looked down upon him, tender
and serene, and about him gathered an
invisible Presence, which communed
with him in the darkness. And the
stars waned and brightened many times
while Hassan journeyed.
At length he approached the foot of
the mountains. Bugged and barren
they loomed before him, but upon the
loftiest peak, sharply outlined against
the western sky, a grand and lofty palace
reared its splendid proportions, and
from its towers and walls slender, flame
colored banners and pennons waved and
beckoned. New life entered his veins,
new aspirations stirred his souL On
ward and upward, with eager haste he
mounted, feasting his eves upon the
glittering minarets, slender spires and
massive walls which sparkled pure and
clear in the rays of the sun.
But as he neared the summit his heart
misgave him. The coldness chilled his
blood, and the intense solitude was
unbroken save by the occasional scream
of some fierce bird of prey, which cir
cled over h m far np in the thin atmos
phere. But the shadowy hand still
seemed to beckon, and the airy palace
drew him on. To sit enthroned so far
above the sordid earth, aloof from its
wearying strifes and warring passions,
and behold the world, far and low, lying
at his feet, to rest at last in serene and
untroubled contemplation, lord of a
palace among the clouds the fancy
lent wings to his lagging feet, and on
ward and npward he toiled and aspired.
He reached the goal of his desire.
Vast piles of snow-capped rocks, frozen
cascades, ice-clad peaks, splintered and
shattered masses of ice and snow, great
gaping fissures throngh which the light
was reflected and refracted, making the
pile take on a thousand fantastic shapes,
white caverns in which dwelt awful si
lences this was that into which the
palace was resolved. His staff fell from
his hand, and a great groan burst from
his lips, which she echoes took up and
repeated in ghostly whispers from peak
to peak and chasm to chasm.
Long he lingered among those frozen
solitudes abandoned to liimself. But
at last a light cloud fell upon him from
the heavens, out of whose silvery white
ness came the long-silent voices, and
soft hands guided him gently down the
mountain side. The cloud faded from
him, and he stood upon the bank of a
broad river, whose opposite shore was
concealed by a thick, dark cloud, which
rested down upon the water.
It was noon, and kneeling to perform
his ablntions, he beheld, reflected in
the stream, the image of an aged man,
whose long, white hairs and hoary beard
descended on his bosom. His head was
grand and majestic, and his brow deeply
lined by time and care. It was himself.
All that remained of the beauty of the
youth who left Bagdad one bright
morning was the deep, dark eye which
still glowed with an unquenchable fire.
A deep sadness seized him. Aged and
worn, with the broad river and the dark
shadows before him! Suddenly the
cloud lifted, and disclosed a landscape
of supernal beauty. Swiftly, sullenly
it sank again, as loath to reveal the love
liness beyond. The heart of Hassan
leaped with new desire, and grasping
his staff he plunged into the flood. The
dark cloud received him into its bosom,
and he passed forever from mortal vision
still seeking and pursuing that treasure
which forever eluded his grasp. Praised
be Allah ! he will find it at last in the
Paradise of the Faithful.
A Sew Exploration of the Libyan
Desert.
Two baggage wagons recently passed
throngh Leipsie cn route to Trieste,
the enormous hight and unusual appear
ance of which attracted general atten
tion. They were destined for the expe
dition which has just begun the arduous
labor of exploring the great Libyan
desert Among other odd fittings, the
two vehicles carried some five hundred
empty iron boxes, intended for water
tanks. Each vessel is enameled inside
and has a capacity of alxmt fourteen
gallons, so that a supplv can be trans
ported, sufficient to rentier the travelers
independent of the casual finding of
wells or springs.
The Viceroy of Egypt, it is under
stood, is to defray the expense of the
expedition, and this in addition to the
large sums, amounting to some $500,000
yearly, which he has given for some
time past to aid the labors of Sir Samuel
Baker, the German traveler Schwein
furth, and the zoologist Hoeckel As
to results, it is probable that our geo
graphical knowledge of the eastern por
tion of the Desert of Sahara will be
materially increased, and tbat the char
acteristics of an nntraveled portion of
the globe, as large as the whole of cen
tral Europe, will be made known.
The party left Egypt during the be
ginning of December, starting for Ta
rafieh. The objective point is Koufra,
in the center of the desert, which, it is
expected, will be reached by the last of
January.
Ben Franklin on Official Salaries-
Ben Franklin had, in his time, very
clear ideas on the salary question. He
was the author of the primitive consti
tution of Pennsylvania, while in con
dition of transition from colonial to
confederate government. The thirty
sixth article was as follows : "As every
free man, to preserve his independence
(if he has not sufficient estate) ought
to have some profession calling, trade
or farm, whereby he may honestly sub
sist, there can be no necessity for, nor
use in, establishing offices of profit,
the usual eflects of which are dependence
and servility unbecoming freeman in
the possessors and expectants, faction,
contention.
corruption ana aisoruer
mnnff tliA nAnnla. Wherefore, when
ever an office through increase of fees
or otherwise.' becomes so profitable as
to oocaion many to apply for it, the
profits ought to be lessened by the legis-
iture."
A young lady at Athol, Mass., has a
tame duck, which follows its mistress
about like a dog. It escorts her to
church on Sunday, and remains outside
until the service is over, when it escorts
her back home.
Spanish Life.
Ton cannot think how entirely differ
ent Spanish domestic life is from what
it is in England, nor would you credit
it were 1 to tell you now rough and
rude is the life of the lower how
ephemeral and purposeless the pursuits
of the higher classes.
Let us take a glimpse of family life in
the middle class. The Spanish houses
are built chiefly of the bard but porous
sand or iron stone, quarries of which
abound in the interior ; they have some
ten or twelve rooms, all of which are
paved with stone or large tiles, for in
this country of dust and burning heat
the thermometer has varied from cY
to 95 throughout tne summer no car
pets seem to be used, save just in one
room, in the heart of the winter. The
stable is at the back of the house, and
horses, mules, and carriages, all pass
throngh the hall just as do the inmates
of the house. I have often been taking
a rcfresco with the tenor and his sposa
in the hall, and we have had to move
the little table to let the servant and
his mules pass through ! Every morning
the criada, or Spanish maid-servant,
takes her watering-pot, and carefully
lays the dust, and cools the room with
an abundant sprinkling of aguafrcsca.
At early morn the master rises, and his
little cup of chocolate, an egg, and a
slice of melon, await him ia the sala,ot
large sitting-room to English eyes a
most comfortless place very large,
stone-flogged, with a few massive chairs,
walls painted in the rudest way, and
one large table in the midst. The
rooms, owing to the heat, are always
kept darkened by means of closed shut
ters throughout the day. Some of the
windows have gloss, some not ; but all
are strongly protected, without excep
tion, by a strong cage of massive iron
work outside. The tcnora has her cho
colate in her bedroom, at the open win
dow, enjoying the fresh morning breeze.
All the Spaniards rise, as a rule, at
five or six in the summer, to enjoy the
only enjoyable time of the summer dny;
at one o'clock they have dinner the
comida and after that follows the two
hours' siesta in a darkened room. Eve
ning then draws ob, the delicious night
breeze rises and blows freshly from the
hills, and the ladies go out in groups
to the alamcda for the pasco, or walk.
Such is the Spanish lady's dny. She has
however, her criada to look after;
and, above all, her dresses to make or
superintend, and her graceful mantilla
to arrange. It is quite a striking sight
to pass down the streets from six to
eight at night, and see the graceful
cnrrijitrrt rtf tliA rtaAil anil triA at;ktalv '
nnriirlit wallr nf tliA Knaniuh lotltoa witli f
their long white dresses trailing behind
them in a clond of dust; how they man
age to walk over the rough, uupaved.
nneven streets, without a trip, is a mys
tery. At about ten all retire to rest, to
rise up refreshed for another unevent
ful day.
As regards the master of the house,
he really seems to have but one interest
in life, and that is politics. He may
ride out to view his olive-farm or his
mine ; and yon will certainly meet him
in his shop, his caiino, or his friend's
casa, smoking the inevitable cigarillo,
and chatting or making a bargain. But
there is absolutely no reading of any
sort, not even a book of the calibre of a
three-volume novel. Politics, politics
are every thing to him, and of politics
he seems never to tire. I was but yes
terday talking with a friend here, a pro
fessional man, one who would give np
all for the sake of "his cause," and
during the whole weary evening we
seemed to have nothing in common. At
last I bethonght myself of the unfailing
subject, and said:
"What is your opinion of Senor Cas
telor's enforcing the penaly of death
again ?"
In a moment all was changed : his
look of utter apathy had given place to
the keenest enthusiasm, anJ, knocking
the cigarillo out of his mouth, he said,
with flashing eyes and flushed cheeks :
"Castelar is a statesman, a poet, and
an orator ; he knows and says that, in
desperate cases, desperate remedies
must be applied ; so he does right for
a while to enforce once more capital
pnnishment in our army ; for me, I am
a republican of republicans, and I con
sider capital punishment opposed to the
true spirit of Christianity. 1 desire
nothing for my country but to see her
sons free; free to serve their God as
they like, as their unfettered conscience
tells them ; freedom in their families ;
freedom from slavery in their colonies ;
that is the wibh of Heaven ; that is my
wish also."
You will say, what, then, are the pleas
ures of the Spaniards? I asked that
question, too, and received for answer,
shooting in the sierra ; a picnic in the
campo ; the annual ferias (fairs) ; and
the bano del rio (river-bath).
It was a piping-hot evening in July
last, and we were all in this house
fairly exhausted with the long, unbro
ken drought and heat, when my friend
said, "Let us join the ladies to-morrow,
and get a bath in the river." The
thought of any change to break the mo
notony of daily life, especially by the
coolness of a bathe in the Guadalquivir,
was tempting, and I thankfully accepted
the proposal. We had a long ride
(three miie) across the campo, or open
country, to get to the river, so it was
arranged that we should ride down
thither at sunrise (four o'clock) the fol
lowing morning, the senoras going in a
springless covered cart before us.
Before the sun broke into view we
were in the saddle, after swallowing a
glass of aguardiente, a kind of cognac
and aniseseed, the spirit of the interior.
I shall never forget the wildness of the
ride. The morning was quite gray, and
a chilly air blowing from the hills, as
we passed outside the town-walls, and
entered upon the thrashing-floors. These
thrashing-floors are simply strips of
dusty land where the corn is brought
and thrashed ; day by day, all round
the town, the unmuzzled oxen are seen
treading out the corn; and boys driving
tiny little carriages, with wooden spikes,
among the rich, full ears, round and
round the floor ; as soon as all is
thrashed, it is stored in sacks, and car
ried into the camara, or granary, at
the top of each house ; and the paga,
or loose straw-chaff, piled up for the
horses' and mules' provender, for An
dalusian horses know no taste of hay.
As we passed the floors, the guards,
gun in hand, were slowly rising np, like
ghosts, from their bed of straw, rub
bing their eyes, and lighting their
cigarillo. These men, who are gene
rally old dependants of the owners, live
all day and night on the floors, and one
of them told me his health was better
in the two months of that duty than all
the year round. Huge dogs, too, were
sharing in the duties of the guards,
barking at our early footsteps, but never
presuming so well were they trained
to cross over the boundary-line of their
own "floor."
At last we were at the river ; and for
the first time I stood on the banks of
the far-famed Guadalquivir. Our bathing-place
and our method were as fol
lows : First, we unsaddled our horses,
pnt halter on them, and gladly they
plunged into our bathing-place to enjoy
the bath. I stood still to see the place.
A magnificent view it was. A few miles
in front, stretching farther than eye
could reach, lay the serrated edges of
the Sierra Moreno. In the river-bed
all was fertile and green; and all along
its peaceful banks, and overhanging its
waters, were the beautiful rose-pink
oleanders, the "lilies of the valley" of
well-loved story. An old mill house.
with its clumsy wheel, and a couple of
pomegranates, shaded one corner of
this part of the river, and under their
shade, sitting up to their shoulders in
the water, on the huge round bowlders
01 which the bottom of the river is com
posed, were groups of Spanish ladies !
Truly it was a pretty sight. They sat,
as though on chairs, clothed to the neck
in bathing-gowns of the gaudiest colors
red, gray, yellow and blue and, hold
ing in one hand their umbrellas, and
with the other hand fanning themselves,
they formed a most picturesque group.
Just above them we were fain to un
dress and tumble in ; and we, too, like
them, sat down on the bowlder-chairs,
(the river was not alove four to five feet
deep), and lazily allowed the fast-flowing
yellow stream it is full of iron and
sulphur to soothe our skin and nerves,
and give us strength and coolness.
1 thought the bathing promiscuously
was enough ; but suddenly I heard
shouts on the farther band, and a crowd
of muleteers and mules came down the
rocky incline for their morning's bath.
In a moment two of the men were un
dressed, and mules and men struggling
about in the yellow water. 1 narrowly
escaped being struck with the front
hoof of one of the former. They, like
ourselves, sat in the cool current for
one hour, then slowly left the no. and
crawled np the bank. For ourselves
ladies and men we spread our mania
(rugs) on the sandy bank, and slowly
dressed. Macm illan's Magazine.
lessons of Winter.
There is no season of the year so well
calculated to bind us together in the
ties of a common brotherhood as the
present. Nature claims and receives
our sympathy in all her varied aspects.
In the spring we rejoice in her renewed
activity, and greet with delight her
balmy air and budding beauty. As the
summer approaches, we disperse to be
hold her in new phases and to enjoy her
cool breezes from mountain and sea.
In the fall we witness with tender sad
ness the departure of the gorgeous foli
age and rich bloom, and still linger
lovingly among her shadows. But when
nature puts on her winter's dress, she
bears a different message to us all. With
the bleak wind and stinging frost she
sends ns from her presence for a time,
and bids ns draw closer to one another
for warmth and comfort. She brings
more forcibly to the mind the delights
of home and friends, and at the same
time speaks impressively of the pain
and sorrow, poverty and woe that call
for sympathy and help. Each season
has its appropriate lesson, and that
of winter is surely intended to strengthen
within us the spirit of humanity that
shi.ll blossom into brotherly love and
kindness. As the dusk of twilight calls
the children away from outdoor play to
assemble in the home, and brighten the
family with their cheerful presence, so
winter calls the human family from their
summer rambles into a more intimate
communion and sympathy with each
other.
It is a pleasant task'to learn one part
of winter's teachings, that which relates
to social and domestic union. The fes
tivities of Thanksgiving am1. Christmas,
the long winter evenings, the cheerful
fireside, the lectures, concerts and social
gatherings, the hilarity of the young,
aud the cheerful sympathy of the old,
all draw families and friends together
in closer bonds. All honor to the merry
pastimes, the genial society, the friendly
harmony which winter inaugurates.
Let parents and children devote them
selves more assiduously to each other,
let brothers and sisters" strengthen fra
ternal love by kindly offices and close
companionship, let acquaintances blos
som into friends, and friendly inter
course ripen affection, and, above all,
let the sympathy thus developed serve
to inspire each with higher purposes
and nobler aims, and one part of winter's
mission will have been accomplished.
The Idolatry of the Chinese.
A young merchant, born in China,
bnt educated in this country, has fur
nished some particulars regarding the
Chinese and their religion. He says
that the "mass of the people are what
are commonly termed idolaters, but
many worship heaven, earth, the spirits
of the land and grain, Confucius and
the sages. As to the gods of wood and
stone, Ac, there are confused ideas
among the Chinese, as there are also
among other nations, in regard to them.
Originally the image or picture wis used
only to remind one of the gods, in which
case the Divinity only was worshipped,
who was supposed to be spiritually
present. Afterwards there began to be
an impression amongst many people
that the image was the house or dwelling
place of the god, and, therefore, images
are not regarded as of any use unless
they have been properly consecrated by
the priest with religions ceremonies,
and the presents and in-dwelling of the
god invoked. There are undoubtedly
very many who inconsiderately bow
down before the idols and worship them
without inquiring much about it. The
gods worshipped by the Chinese are
heavens, earth, the sun, moon, and
some of the stars, the spirits of the land
and grain, the dragon of the clouds, of
the sea, and of the earth, and deified
heroes, sages, and ancestors."
retrarrh's Tomb.
A singular ceremony lately took place
at Arqua, in North Italy, where Petrarch
lies buried. The tomb of the poet was
opened in the presence of the municipal
officers of the town and a few invited
spectators that the remains had been
inclosed in an imperfectly-made coffin,
and that the bones, thus exposed to the
effects to the atmosphere, were dis
colored and moist. The skull, of me
dium size, was entire, the development
of the forehead being yet perceptible.
Several of the teeth were well preserved,
and the bones of the body were but
little decayed. From the size of the
skeleton it was easy to infer that Pet
rarch must have been a large, robust
man.
Permission to examine these honored
remains had been given by the authori
ties to certain students of anthropology,
and it was to aid in their researches
that the coffin was opened. These gen
tlemen took accurate measurements of
the remains, which were then carefully
placed in a new coffin. The brief expo
sure to the air, however, had its effect,
and the skull partially fell in, while
some of the bones were resolved into
dust before the eyes of the spectators
of this curious exhibition of mortality.
Wild Horses In Maryland.
The Baltimore American tells us
that there is a colony of wild horses of
the pony variety in the salt marshes of
Chineoteange, an island within ten miles
of the eastern coast of Maryland.
These horses, it seems, have a pedigree
which makes up in age what it may lack
in other qualities ; for tradition ascribes
their origin to a pair of ponies imported
from England by a Virginian of the F.
F. V. sort, some 200 years ago, but
which left a wreck in disgust and were
washed ashore off Assateague Beach.
From these two ponies have descended
the wild horses now careering over the
sandhills in that locality. L ntil within
the present century those ponies were
not considered worth claiming or catch
ing, and they were allowed to graze and
race at their own sweet wilL But, as
the pasture-grounds passed into the
ownership of s class of herdsmen, it
became the fashion to lasso the little
wild horses and brand them with marks
of ownership.
At present the island is said to con
tain about five hundred of those diminu
tive horses, who travel in herds and
bear the brands of various owners.
Some thirty persons live on the island
and claim to own all this wild stock in
lots or herds of from ten to 100 head.
We quote from the American some
interesting details respecting these wild
ponies, their habits, and their experi
ences.
Each herds is governed by a male a
sort of equine autocrat whose authority
is supreme. In former times he fought
his way up to the position of patriarch
by thrashing all his rivals, sometimes
driving them into the sea, where they
were drowned. All usurpers were re
morselessly expelled from the herd, and
if they were not killed they became bold
bandits, and hung about the marshes,
capturing such unwary females as hap
pened to stray too far from their pro-
Erietors. With these they .founded new
erds, and became prosperous patriarchs
themselves.
The great day on the island is"penning
day," although of late it has lost some
of its holiday attractions. Formerly
the women, as well as the men, con
gregated at the Atlantic Hotel to assist
in identifying the ponies, and the island
beauties "came because their fathers,
and mothers, and brothers, and lovers
were there. Tuesday, the 15th inst., was
"penning day," but only a few of the
old ladies were it attendance. A jaunty
little sloop, crowded with young girls,
sailed away from the wharf just before
the penning began. They were going
down to Assateague beach on a picnic
excursion. One of the peculiarities of
these islanders is their singular fondness
for scarlet. They make a red line on
their boats and sloops wherever it is
possible ; they paint the panels of their
cottage doors the same color, and the
women greatly delight in a bright red
ribbon or sash. The girls who went to
the picnic on Tuesday wore white mus
lin dresses, white sun-bonnets, scarlet
sacques, and red morocco mits, with
long gauntlet cuffs. The costume is
picturesque and pretty when seen on
board a trim little sloop skimming over
the water.
It may be necessary to explain what
"penning" means. The owners of
Chincoteagne ponies mark them with a
brand, generally on the left hip. So
many of them look alike that it would
be impossible to identify them without
this mark. Ths colts must be branded
before they leave their dams, and Au
gust is the proper month. In order to
catch the colts and affix the brand the
whole herd must be "penned."
On Chincoteagne Island, the square
in front of the Atlantic Hotel is used
for a pen. but on Assateague a large
pen has been built on the shore of stout
pine logs. Men and boys mount tame
ponies and start ont to bring in the
herds. They gallop to pasture grounds,
and, after much yelling, fast riding, and
some little swearing, they manage to
drive one of the herds down to the
shore. Nearly all the houses on Chin
coteagne are built along the sound, and
the yards in front join each other, thus
forming a continuous fence.
When the herds get started down the
shore the riders press close after, yel
ling and whooping, and there is a lively
chase until the avenue that leads to the
pen is reached. Here s crowd of men
are standing, and they turn the head
of the flying colnmn into the square.
Some of the ponies suspect treachery
and run into the water, but the riders
dash after them, and soon the whole
herd is forced into the pen. The colts
stick close to their dams and in all the
rearing and plunging about throng'u
the pen they never become separated.
A stout man with s pole in his hand,
and a looped rope at the end of it, posts
himself at the mouth of the pen, and
as the ponies run past the drops the
loop over the head of one of the colts.
The little fellow plunges abont and
shakes his head most furiously, but all
to no purpose ; the men haul him out
and throw him on his right side. All
this time the branding iron has been
heating at a fire near by, presided over
by sundry urchins who take delight in
this part of the performance. The face
of the iron sometimes bears the initial
letters of the owner's name, and some
times it is a simple monogram, such as
a circular or square, to which the owner
lays claim.
When the colt has been thrown a boy
brings an iron from the fire, and it is
stamped on the pony's hip. There is
no cruelty in the operation, because
the operation only burns through the
hair and scarcely scars the skin. 1 saw
a 2-year old colt branded while standing
on his feet, and it did not seem to feel
the burning.
By the time the colts in the herd have
been branded, the drivers have driven
another herd down to the shore. The
first are allowed to run back to their
pasture grounds, whilh the next in order
is driven into the pen, and the colts
subjected to the marking process.
Sometimes the colts escape uutil they
are two and even three years old, and
then they are much harder to handle.
The Sword and the Pen.
The sword of the warrior was taken
down for the purpose of beiog polished.
It had not been long ont of use. The
rust was rubbed off, but there were spots
that would not go they were of blood.
The sword was placed on the table near
the pen of the warrior's secretaiy. The
pen took advantage of the first breath of
air to move little further off. "Thou
art right," said the sword, "I am a bad
neighbor." "I fear thee not," replied
the pen, "I am more powerful than thou
art ; bnt I love not thy society." "I
exterminate," said the sword. "And I
perpetuate, answered the pen ; "where
are thy victories if I record them not ?
Even where thou thyself shall one day
be in the lake of oblivion."
Miss Clarissa Petit of Logansport,
Ind., wears a 8300 gold watch on the
strength of being the most popular lady
in the city, according to ballot.
.Youths' Column.
Tahlntt A int.
There were fear little boys
Who started lo go
Forth from the same spot
To make tracks la the snow ;
He that made his path atraightest.
They had ia their plan.
Of all of the foar
Shoald be their best man.
Sow, thew roor little hoys
Were Philip aad Joha,
Aad merry-faced Harry,
Aad sober-eyed Dan,
The best friends In the world.
And fall of invention
In play bat they seldom
Were foand In ountenlioa.
Well, thy Parted logother.
And harried aloag,
Bnt Joha, Don, aad Harry
bomehow wont qnile wrong ;
The fourth made his path
Nearly straight aad th-y wondered.
When all tried alike.
Why they three had blundered.
Then Philip rrpltsd.
"The reasoa, ym see.
Though no harder 1 tried
To sncoerd lhaa yon lone,'
I p shed for that oak,
tjotag forward quite ready.
While yoa straggled on
Without aim, aad aaateady.
Xow, yoa sea, my dear hoys,
Waal sack Iomou teach.
If there is a poiat
That yon wi.h to reach
A p-witioB ia life
At all worth the aamlac.
If yoa gala II 'twill graiiy
Depend oa your aimiag.
The Straits op Magellan. Come.
little ones, get out your atlases and see
if you can find the Straits of Magellan.
Where are you lookinsr. Carrie? all
over Xorth America ? And I declare if
there utn t Eddie with the man of Asia.
as if anybody ever heard of them being
there! Where are thev ? Whv. vou
just all of you give a good look, and
one 01 yon will nnd out presently. The
one who fiuds out first can raise up his
hand.
There goes a hand np already, and it
isn't "his" at all. I believe girls gene
rally do find out things first.
Don't you say a word, Susie, for I see
Charley has almost found them. Well.
Charley, where are they ?
At the southern end of South America.
and there you have been, Carrie, looking
an about ureenland. V hat is that island
which is separated fromtliecontinent by
the straits ? Terra del Fuego, and that
is Spanish for laud of fire. Why it is
called the land of fire I do not know, as
travelers tell ns it is a bleak, barren
ieland, with disagreeable, uncertain
weather aud constant keen winds. This
island is inhabited by a race of Indians
who are most ignorant and degraded.
These Indians build themselves houses
by sticking a few branches into the
ground in the form of a half circle, and
then draw the tops of the branches to
gether and tie them. I am sure I made
as good houses out of branches, when I
was a little girl, to play in. They give
very little protection against the wind,
rain and snow. When a house is fin
ished, a fire is built before its open
front, and then the family crowd them
selves into the hut before the fire and
tiy to keep warm.
The Fnegian Indians have onlv a few
skins to wear in the place of clothing.
Mrs. Agassiz who lately visited this
island with her husband,gave the women
some bright calico to make into clothes,
but she said she donbted if they would
know what to do with it. The men are
very fond of tobacco.
Ihe Straits of Magellan are filled
with islands which make the channels
very numerous. The captain of a ship
has to be very careful, or else he will
get lost with his ship when he is trying
to find his way. There are numerous
high mountains which make the scenery
very beautiful. The mountain sides
are covered with trees and flowers. The
fuschia, like that, Susie, which your
momer tenus wita such care, and is
careful not to leave out of doors on cool
nights, there grows wild, and as abun
dant as the laurel in our woods. Farther
up on the mountain tops snow and ice
are constantly found.
Vessels sometimes have to remain
weeks, and even months, in some of
the safe harbors of these straits, where
the mountains protect them from the
storms, for as fast, perhaps, as they
venture ont, a sudden squall will come
np and drive them back.
They have a peculiar kind of storm in
this region which is called a "williwaw."
The air will be perfectly calm, without
any sign of wind. All of a sndden a
gust of wind will shake the vessel furi
ously for a moment, and then everything
will be qniet again.
Yes, Charlie, just as your teacher
used to shake you when you didn't have
your lessons perfect. For my part, I
think I should prefer to leave the willi
waws in the Straits of Magellan, where
they belong, than to bring them into
the schoolroom to help boys in their
studies. Shouldn't you ? I am sure I
could make little boys interested in
their lessons without playing williwaw.
The Children's Hour.
Girls ant Bots of Germ axt.
Throughout Germany, wherever girls
can be employed to advantage, they are
taken in preference to young men. At
Munich the clerks and book-keepers in
the banks are nearly all young and hand
some girls. At the depots, many of
those who attend the windows for the
sale of tickets are girls, and the cashiers
in all the cafes and restaurants are of
the same sex. They are generally very
expert at figures, aad in mental arith
metic have no superiors. In view of
the fact that so many females are em
ployed in the rougher and hardest de
scriptions of laboring work, it speaks
well for the sex that they are seeking
and securing more desirable and lucra
tive employment. We are under the
impression in America that our young
men are not as steady and staid as they
ought to be ; but they are miracles of
steadiness compared to the average
young men in Germany. The students
at Heidelberg can give them a start of
half a day, and beat them before bed
time. They don't drink strong liquor ;
coffee, beer, or wine being the extent of
their libations ; but they devote the
best part of the day to the cafe or the
beer saloon, reading the papers, playing
billiards, chatting, or studying the
plates in the numerot.s satirical illus
trated papers. How vhe many thou
sands of young men in Vienna obtain a
living and clothing, who are always to
be found in the eoffee-hoLse, is a mys
tery "that no fellow can fin 1 out."
The McLTTPLYrxo Coif. Let tum
bler be half-filled with watei ; put a
sixpence in it ; and holding a pla'e over
the top, turn the glass upside Jown.
The sixpence will fall down on the plate
and appear to be a shilling ; while at
the same time a sixpence will seem to
be swimming in the water. If a shilling
is put in the glass, it will have the ap
pearance of a half-crown and a shilling ;
and if a half-crown were put in, it would
seem to be a crown piece and a half
crown. True friends stand trial.
Varieties.
Vivacity ia not wit.
Men of decision Judges.
Not a poor gift A gift to the poor.
The price of pussy The cat amount,
to be sure.
When are eyes not eyes ? When the
wind makes them water.
Dubuque is preparing to make exten
sive improvements in her harbor.
When is a hotel bell-boy like a broker
merchant ? When he refuses to take np
a note.
Never keep anything from vour better
half. Brooklyn Argn. Quilp says he
never has,and that is the reason he is so
poor.
Dr. Hayes describes an iceberg of his
acquaintance as containing enough ice
to supply the world "with ice-cream and
sherry-cobblers for a century."
Fred Douglass has been presented
with a gold-monnted Malacca cane by
the colored citizens of St. John. They
expressed a determination to "stick
by him.
One thousand English and French
silk makers are reported to have re
turned to the "old country" after giving
jsw jersey a short trial, i hey prefer
the ills they know of.
According to a recent statement, it is
asserted that 25 per cent, of the deaf
mutes born in France are the offspring
of consanguinous marriages, and that
the proportiou increases with the de
gree of blood relationship.
Miss Schurz is said to have her
mother's dark eyes and hair, and some
thing of her father's nervous, uncertain
manner. She speaks French like a na
tive, and plays the piano almost as well.
In fact, every one who knows her sings
the song of the Schurz.
At the foot of every prayer subscribe
Thy will be done," and thou shalt
enjoy preventing mercies that thou
never songhtest, aud converting mer
cies to change all for the best, resting
confident in this, that having asked ac
cording to His will He heart th thee.
An exchange is nngnllant enonsrh to
say that, if the Duke of Edinburgh's
brute is as lovely as the Danish lady
whom Lis brother, the Prince of Wales".
married, the Queen of England may be
proud of the beauty of her daughters-in-law,
if she cannot boast of the good
looks of her own girN, as she certainly
cannot, with truth."
There are four wemen decorated with
the French Cross of the Legion of
Honor, Bosa Bonheur, the painter, Ma
dame Dnbar. Superior of the Convent
of the So3nrs de TEsperance at Nancy,
Lady Pigott, for her devotedness to the
wounded during the Franco-Prussian
war, and Mile. Bertha Rochar. of
Havre, for founding a hospital.
One of the most remarkable facts
connected with the Hoosac tunnel is the
exactness of the work. When the two
parties met it was found that the varia
tion was less than an inch, although
the lines which were the basis of the
operations were several miles apart.
The accuracy of the work is as much of
a wonder as the tunnel itself.
It is related that a jnstice of the peace
in one of the back towns of Lewis
county, X. Y., on being elected justice
of the sessions, was asked what he
thought ought to be done with a man
guilty of arson. He thought gravely
for a few moments, and then answered
he should be in favor of lining the fel
low and then moke him moiry the girL
Fatents of nobility and paU-rts for
inventions appear to be closely allied in
England. Three members of the Brit
ish House of Lords are descendants of
inventors. Earl Dudley's family was
founded by an inventor in iron manu
facture ; Lord Foley is a descendant of
Foley, another inventor of iron making,
and Lord Beler is descended from the
inventor of the stocking frame, Jed
diah Strutt
Prince Bismarck does not like to be
troubled by letters from persons who
have no proper demands upon his atten
tion. Iu a recent issue of the official
journal he published the following no
tice : "I reiterate my request, that per
sons who address private letters to me
during my leave of absence will excuse
me if they do not receive any reply, I
am bound to devote every day, on an
average, several hours to the task of
sending proper answers to communica
tions of a political character, coming
from persons who are known or whose
position authorizes them to write to
me."
The following incident concerning a
young betrothed couple is said to have
occurred at Moscow : The girl was of
great beauty, the lover the son of rich
parents, and on her birthday obtained
leave to celebrate it with fetes to he
given at her father's house. The first
evening at dinner the young man be
came intoxicated, when his conduct was
so violent that the guests all retired,
and he was with difficulty conveyed to
his father's house. 'Ihe next day he
presented himself at the ball he had ar
ranged, and danced with Lis betrothed.
When the dance was ended the young
lady requested the 1 to play a favo
rite air, and retired on the balcony,
whence immediately afterward was
heard the sound of firearms, and the
yonng lady was found to have shot her
self through the heart with a revolver
she had concealed. A letter found
upon her assigned the discovery of her
intendd husband's brutal nature as the
motive for the act.
A strange tory is told of a crazy wo
man who wanders among the mountains
about Partenheim, Bavaria. A short
time ago she was the handsome and
happy wife of a man who had but one
evil habit that of poachiug. One night
he was pursued by a forester, aud turn
ing, he shot the man. The deed was
seen by others, and he was obliged to
fly. With his wife, and two children,
oue of them an infant, Le went toward
the Austrian frontier, and at night,
while all were sleeping, concealed m a
thicket, the sound of hoofs was heard.
Touching his wife's arm, the husband
whispered, " The pen'iuruies I " She
started so suddenly aud so violently
that the infant resting in her arms
awoke and began to cry. The father
ordered her to keep it quiet, and the)
poor woman held the little one closer,
endeavoring to stop its cries, while the
gendarmes had halted and seemed to
be listening. Then her husband laid
his hand on the child's month, and held
it there for the ten minutes that his
pursuers remained quiet. When, at
last, they rode away, the child was
dead. The family went on its way, and
at the frontier the Custom House offi
cers inquired if they had anything to
declare. "Nothing," said the murderer ;
but the unhappy mother, uncovering
her dead infant, told her wretched
atorv. onlv to lose her reason in the
conflict of wifely and motherly affection.