WWWM JSsSa, www
B. F. SCHWEIER, THE CONSTITUTION THE VNION ASD THE ENFORCEMENT OF THE LAWS. Kditor and Proprietor.
VOL. XXVIII. MIFFLINTOWN, JUNIATA COUNTY, PENKA., APRIL 8, 1874. NO. 14.
Poetry.
The Lady Claire' NeereU
Tn tij Claire Jied rastaralfnt;
Indeed it wns a sorry eight
To eee her look eo pale ;
Her face ee pallid, yt eo fair.
And all her wealth of foldea hair
G littering 'neath her Tell.
What killed her? Well, we dare eot tell ;
It wae a sodden atretic apell
That tuned her roeee white
The bright piak roeee ia her face.
That daily lost their tinted (race,
Tntil they faded quite.
Her pladsosne etep grew aad aad alow.
Her laagbter loet tte silvery f ow.
Her eye were foil of tear,
and yet ahe aerer let them fall.
Eat Mill emiled sweetly on u all
Despite her crashing fears.
Ah me ; It waa a sorry thing
The way she drooped her snowy wing.
Our dore with pinions white ;
She might hare eoared to realma of blis.
Made etrong by love's dirlaest kisa.
And reached a heavea bright.
Dear generous eoal, ahe gave her all.
And only asked m pittance small.
Just for her hunger sake ;
The heavenly manna aerer fell,
the starred for lore ; ah 1 well, ah '. well,
I fear her heart did break.
We mast act speak of this too toad,
5or tell it to the gaping crowd.
For women stiire te hide
These mournful secrets ia their breast,
Scarce even to themselves confessed ;
For snch is woman's pride.
And if we spoke this matter load,
I think she'd move within her ehrond,
And blush for very shame;
These women are each foolish things.
Jest as if hopeless love e'er brings
Clouds on a woman's fame.
Miscellany.
A I'lopiaa Metropolis).
So complete are the reforms lately
effected that the metropolis of Utopia
is now the one city in the universe
where the sun shines without oppressing
summer revellers; where the wintry
rains fall to clean, not to soil, the
streets ; where mud is never formed,
because the materials to make it are
not permitted to collect ; where the
smoke of chimneys, instead of polluting
the homes of the rich, helps to comfort
those of the poor since the consequent
economy of its methodical consumption
has reduced the price of coal ; where
there is a government to role localities,
not a wrongly constituted local board
to misgovern ; where the vestrymen are
the only occupants of the workhouses
they once helped to fill ; where the
poor-rates aid the poor, for there are
many poor, though only the deformed
in body or mind are paupers. Sanitary
legislation, which once only consisted
in providing comfortable sinecures for
an army of "inspectors," now penetrates
the homes of the multitude ; nearly four
million souls, who once dwelt in ignor
ant security over a volcano of sewer gas
and boiler steam, now court the breath
of life instead of battling with the poison
of death ; the most extensive system of
town drainage in the world has been
systematically ventilated, yet not before
the disadvantages of non-ventilation
were successfully proved by the death
of many innocent persons, because,
although ventilation was theoretically
known to be a necessity, nothing used
to be accepted or discarded by Utopian
society until it had been practically
tested. To be one of a dinner-party
now is an agreeable treat, since the
guests no longer sit on each other's laps.
nor, in the absence of other air, inhale
the contents of each other's lungs ; the
clubs are now places for the social en
joyment of the members, not for the
exclusive profit of speculative proprie
tors ; the courts of law still disinfect
the land from moral plague, but they
are no longer plague spots themselves.
In the church the worshippers can see
and hear, and understand both "storied
pane and animated bust ;" and since
IeopIe have gone there exclnsively to
obtain spiritual consolation they nave
ceased to take interest in the dissensions
concerning stoles and chasubles, cha
lices and candles, tables and baldae-
chinos. Ltmdon Jsuilder.
Liszt Leadiag aa Orchestra.
This week has been one of great ex
citement in 'Weimar, on account of the
wedding of the son of the Grand Duke,
All sorts of things have been going on,
and the Emieror and Empress came on
from Berlin. There have been a great
mauv rehearsals at the theatre, of dif
ferent things that were played, and of
course. Liszt took a prominent part iu
the arrangement of the music. He di
rected the Ninth Symphony and played
twice himself with orchestral accompa
niment. One of the pieces he played
was Weber's Polonaise in E major, and
the other was one of his own lthapso
dies Hongroiscs. Of these I was at the
rehearsal. When lie came out on the
stage the applause was tremendous, alul
enough in itself to excite and electrify
one. I was enchanted to have an o
lortiinitv of hearing Liszt as a concert
player. The director of the orchestra
here is a beautiful pianist and coiniser
himself, as well as a splendid conduc
tor, but it was e;isy to see that he had
to get all his wits together to follow
LLszt, who gave full rein to his imagi
nation, and let the fcuii) fluctuate as he
felt inclined. As for Liszt, he scarcely
Wttl at the keys, and it was astound
ing to st his hands go rushing down
the piano and erform passages of the
utmost rapidity and difficulty, while his
head was turned all the while towards
the orchestra, and he kept up a running
fire of remarks with them continually.
"You violins strike in sJutrp here,"
"You trumjiets. not too loud there,"
etc. He did everything with the most
Immense ajtlouib, and without seeming
to pay any attention to his hands, which
moved of themselves. He never did
the same thing twice alike. If it was a
scale the first time he would make it in
double or broken thirds the second, and
so on, constantly surprising you with
some new turn. While you were ad
miring the long roll of the wave, a sud
den spray would lie dashed over you,
mid make you catch your breath. No,
never was "there such a player! The
nervous intensity of his touch takes
right hold of you. When he liad fin
ished everybody shouted and clapped
their hands like mad, and the orchestra
kepc up such a fanfare of applause that
the din was overpowering. Liszt
smiled and bowed, and walked off the
stage indifferently, not giving himself
the trouble to come back, and presently
he quietly sat down in the parquette,
and the rehearsal proceeded. Atlantic
MnnUdy.
r Whatever it is that the soul in distress
does offer to Qod in promise, be not
slack to perform, for many times an
swers of prayer may delay till we have
performed our promises. 1
CII4R
"Sixth of January Twelfth-night, is
it ?" said Mr. Robert Kennedy to his
a r i i . . . ..
inena Air. unaries (jracKsnoc, as tney
were taking their ease in as snug a little
country hostel as one would wish to
find, after a stiffish day's campaign with
the snipe, in the pleasant County of
Hants. "Whiskey punch, ashen fagots,
motley characters, fine old English cus
toms, and all that sort of thing. Sup
pose we have some I mean the punch."
The proposition was one which Mr.
Crackshot did not care to controvert.
It was, he said, a thoroughly orthodox
and seasonable beverage; and the sooner
tney Had it the better, as he (Mr. Crack
shot) was fatigued, and did not feel at
ail like sitting np into the small hours.
The landlord of the Kennedy Arms
(Mr. Kennedy's family had long been
considerable proprietors in that part of
Hampshire) formerly in the private ser
vice oi ine late lamented Mr. Ondling,
Mr. Kennedy's uncle, was no mean
hand at a hot brew. Having manufac
tured the punch to the best of his ability,
he brought in the china bowl, depo
sited it on the table, and was about re
spectfully to retire, when Mr. Kennedy
suggested that he should taste a glass
of the compound that he had himself
so cunningly devised.
"My respects to vou. sir." said the
landlord of Kennedy Arms ; and he
made an obeisancethe to both the gen
uemen Deiore nun.
"And Rood luck to von. SDi-iem. and
Mrs. Spriggs. too : and manv happy
years may vou have in your house ; and
never again such a Twelfth-night as
that which you had how loner? Six
years, isn t it, ago ?"
"bix years exactlv. sir. It was not
pleasant at the time, sir ; but I owe
what I have now to it that is. to vour
1 , t , I 1 . H
ainaness, air. itonerc.
"A good fellow that." said Mr. Ken
nedy meditatively, as the discreet
Spnggs left the room ; "a good fellow,
and a devilish useful one, I can tell you.
And this is decent punch ; and, on the
whole, I am as comfortable as I wish to
be."
"How about that mysterious Twelfth
night six years ago A.D. 18G7 it must
have been. Bob ? What was it ?" asked
Mr. Crackshot, who had pulled himself
together, and acquired sufficient energy
to charge his pipe once more and his
glass.
"My dear Charlie," was the reply.
"yon will pardon me if I tell yon that
yon are the most inquisitive man I ever
met, I don t say this in disparagement
of your many excellent qualities :
simply mention it as a fact. I will back
yon to ask more questions in the course
of ten minutes than I ever asked in my
life. However, I don't mind answering
you on this occasion, and I will tell you;
only I shall have to bore you for about
tventy minutes.
Mr. Crackshot settled himself con.-
fortably down, and said, "Go ahead ;
and Mr. Kennedy commenced his nar
rative
"You see, six years ago matters did
not stand exactly with me as they stand
now. I was myself more or less depen
dent well, we willsayon circumstances.
My nncle George had not yet abiti ad
plure : and, not to put too hne a point
npon it, the principle of habeas corpus
was not observed so strictly in a certain
class of lawsuits as it is in this era of
social and legislative reform. Candidly.
I was down on my luck ; and unless cer
tain relatives exerted themselves, I
clearly foresaw a disagreeable amount
of personal notoriety, not altogether
unconnected with the Insolvency Court,
awaiting me in the immediate future.
My uncle, Mr. Gridling, had disap
pointed me. He said I had disappointed
him. Still I managed to preserve a
fairish front, and consoled myself with
the philosophical reflection that matters
might have been much worse. I might
have been residing by compulsion in
the neighborhood of Chancery lane, or
an exile across the sea ; might have had
to take np my quarters at Boulogne.
The prospect which I had to face was
not a lively one, I was down and I was
dull. I had eaten my Christmas dinner
at the club. Ever dined at the club on
Christmas Day T No ; take my advice,
then, and don't. You go there, we will
say, about half-past four, and find the
hall-porter, who has gorged and drunk
two hours previously to something
more than repletion, asleep in his box.
He wakes, more or less, at yonr inquiry
for letters, and resents your appearance
as an intrusion. As you cross the hall,
en route for the morning-room, you see
two or three small page boys, with very
flushed faces, and a couple of waiters,
talking and laughing in a manner which
argues neither sobriety nor intelligence.
Of course, beyond the domestics there
is not a soul in the club. It is just
possible that as you sit down to your
dinner, Mr. MacGrowler, who has quar
relled with his wife, and who is not
tolerated by his family, takes the table
at the farthest end of the room. Tepid
soup, iced fish, lukewarm entree;
fuddled servants ; shrieks of wild laugh
ter from the subterranean regions of the
still-room and kitchens ; fires allowed
to go ont ; aulkiness ; discomfort gen
erally that is what dinner at the club
on Christmas Day means.
"However. I survived the ordeaL It
was two or three days after the new
year had corse in that I had a letter
from my respected uncle Gridling.dated
from what he was pleased to call his
country house in the Surrey hills, some
twenty-five miles from Cheapside. Its
contents formed an agreeable oasis amid
the desert of, to speak euphemistically,
'business communications,' which lay
two or three feet deep on my table.
Why had I not come to him 7 v ouid x
not come? Did I forget that I was his
nearest relative ? Surely this was not
the season at which uncle and nephew
should keep apart from each other. I
had been foolish, but then I had been
young, rue errors oi youm were par
donable, if they were not confirmed.
And he had heard with much satisfac
tion of the manly efforts 1 had made to
pnt myself right That was all he
wanted. Nothing conld be better than
the accounts which had reached him
from Mr. (his solicitor) of my ef
forts at retrenchment and reform. For
himself, each Christmas as it passed
caused him sensibly to feel the fact that
he was not so young as he had been.
This was the kind of letter, and s plea
sant surprise it was, as you may imagine.
To cut a long story short, the epistle
wound np with a request that 1 would
come to Fairfield as soon as I could.
He t my nncle) was alone, and was an-
xiona to see me before the Christmas
season had altogether passed away. On
the morning of the 6ui of January, the
day which I had fixed to arrive at Fair
field, I received a aocumem oi am ex
ceedingly disagreeable character, it
intimated that unless certain sum oi
75 9s. d. were paid by noon that
day the law mnst take its course, and
raw Demon mnst satisfy claim for
which my purse was unequal. Messrs.
Moss & JUofuz, oi Jermyn sireei, were,
TWELFTH-SIGHT
ACTER.
I knew, men of their word, but I was in
too good spirits to think mnch of the
threat. Besides, before the shades of
evening fell I knew I should be twenty
five miles removed from their clutch,
and in a position not impossibly of com
parative solvency. As I got into the
train at Charing Cross, I certainly did
observe an exceedingly suspicious-looking
individual who had watched me
get out of the cab, bestow npon me a
glance which seemed to indicate that he
took a personal interest in my physiog
nomy and my welfare. But I thought
no more of the circumstance, and as I
sat down to lunch at Fairfield, exactly
two hours after I had left my own
chambers, I felt fairly master of the
situation and completely happy.
"Cordiality and affection characterized
my reception by my uncle. And aa the
day wore on, there was, I found, some
thing more than his manner with which
I had reason to be pleased. The only
other guest was Mr. , his solicitor,
of whose friendship and good services I
was assured. Mr. Gridling was fond of
his siesta after lunch, and Mr. and
myself took a stroll.
"As your uncle's professional adviser,
Mr. Kennedy, I am not at liberty to be
explicit to you; but this I may say, that
there is at least reason why I should
congratulate yon. It is more agreeable
to me than you may suppose to be able
to inform yon that the impression which
once existed in his mind as regards yonr
habits and tastes has been effectually
dissipated. As an earnest of his inten
tions I should not wonder if you were
to find on your dressing-table this eve
ning something that mar not be unac
ceptable as a New Year's present. There
is one thing 1 would warn you. That at
the present moment there may be claims
upon you, to an amount in excess of
what yon can conveniently liquidate. I
am well aware. I think it will be im
prudent, however, to insist too much
npon this in any conversation which you
may have with your uncle. Your best
plan will be on mv return to London to
call on me in Gray's Inn, and I will see
what can be done. It would be a thou
sand pities that your chances and I
tell you, Mr. Kennedy, they are bright
ones with yonr uncle should be in
jured, possibly lost, in consequence of
any nnanciai effects of which the causes
are no longer ia existence. Mr. Grid
ling has the idea that you have touched
terra Jirma. I am not acquainted suffi
ciently with vour affairs to feel it my
duty, or indeed, within my power, to
inform him otherwise.
"If Mr. had not been lawyer.
he ought to have been a Jesuit. A
pleasant surprise on my dressing-table ;
my chances more than bright I Certainly
my star was in the ascendant ; and as.
for Moss k Mofuz they might go hang.
Why, I should probably be able to set
tle their claim myself to-morrow. It
was getting dusk, and we were turning
our steps towards the house, I lingering
on the .jravel walk outside a few min
utes, to finish a cigar. 1 huard tha
sound of a horses hoof, and presently a
man, riding np at a brisk trot, inquired
whether I was 'Kennedy Esquire.' It
was a letter sent by train, with instruc
tions for 'special and immediate deliv
ery, from the man who superintended
my chambers. The fellow had done me
really good tnrn. The note stated
briefly that Messrs. Moss & Mofnz had
been as good as their words that the
writ of ca, a. was ont ; that the repre
sentatives of the Sheriff of Middlesex
had been at my chambers that day ;
and that it seemed they knew my present
whereabouts. He therefore thought it
his duty to inform me as soon as possi
ble of this. I don't think that in my
life I ever felt more completely upset
than by this brief epistle. Still I at
tempted to assume an air of indiffer
ence.
'This I suppose,' I said to the mes
senger, 'came by the 3:40. Do you
know whether any London passengers
arrived by that train ?'
' 'Two, sir, said the man. 'and they
wanten a fly to come to Fairgeld. But
as this was the only 'oss that Mr. Mea
dows had in, they couldn't have it till I
returned. They did say, sir, as how
they would take the letter to you them
selves ; but the station-master, he didn't
know them, and he wouldn't hear of it ;
and curious customers they look, sir,'
'My good fellow. I replied, 'if that
is the case, ride as slowly as you can to
Stagford'- the station some four miles
distant 'and here's half a sovereign for
you.'
"There was no doubt who the two
passengers from London were. A pretty
dilemma, in truth, I was in. I had
probably about an hour yet before me,
and at the expiration of that time, so
far as 1 could see, I must be inevitably
arrested, and that in my nncle's house,
and taken back to London to spend my
1 weifth-nigbt in the charming vicinity
of Cursitor street. I walked into the
passage and up-stairs into my room.
There Spriggs was unpacking my port
manteau. Very glad to see you here, sir.
again,' was his greeting, 'and to know
that all this right, between master and
yourself. And master said I was to
come to his study in a couple of hours,
as he wanted to send to you or see you
I forget which, sir.
"In a couple of hours ! Why, in that
time I should be Heaven only knew
where. I suppose my countenance be
trayed signs of distress, for Spriggs
asked me whether I was unwell.
"The truth is. my good Spriggs, I
said, 'I am in the deuce of a mess ; and
plunging in mcdias res, I told him the
whole complication.
"Spriggs listened attentively, and
gave me his opinion that matters were
very serious indeed. Would it be im
possible, he asked, to 'square' these
emissaries of the law, or at least to in
duce them to wait at Stagford till next
morning ? Quite, 1 told him. it was
not a quarter to five, and at best there
were only twenty minutes to spare. It
is no exaggeration to say that on the
tactics which I adopted in that brief
interval entirely depended my future
chances, so far as my nncle's will was
concerned. Anything like an arrest for
debt, and that under his own rooftree,
Spriggs agreed with me in thinking that
Mr. Gridling would not tolerate for a
moment, and would effectually ruin me
with him. Spriggs meditated for some
minutes, and at last he spoke.
" 'Mr. Kennedy, he said, 'sir, you
have always been a good friend to me.
You say that, to the best of your belief,
these bailiff fellars don't know you by
sight, sir, but that you fancy some one
did watch you as yon were leaving
Charing Cross this morning. That was
no doubt a man sent to identify you ;
some understrapper who would describe
your appearance to the pair who have
come to Stagford.' (I wondered what
was coming.) 'Now, sir, you and I are
about the same height, size, and figure ;
you shall lend me that light greatcoat
which you wore this morning, sir, and
for the next twenty-four hours I will be
Robert Kennedy, Esq.
"I asked Spriggs to explain himself
still farther.
" 'What I mean is this, sir. I will
walk down the drive to the lodge gate,
and wait till the fly with this lot comes.
They will see me stop. "Mr. Kennedy,"
they will say, we want a word with
you :" and off we shall eo to London.
The mistake won't be found ont till we
are twenty-five miles off, and then there
will be no more trains to-night My
belief, sir, is that the letter which yon
will receive from master in an hour's
time will make you able to settle this
matter a good many times over the first
thing to-morrow morning.
"It was a sufficiently startling pro
posal. I did not know what to say to
it, but there waa no time to hesitate.
In five minutes I had accepted Sprigg's
oner, and bpnggs had left disguised as
Bob Kennedy. For some little while I
sat meditating matters. I took ont my
watcn ; it was twenty minutes past nve.
By this time Spriggs must have oome
np with my pursuers. I reflected
again ; again I took ont my watch. It
was now close on six, and by this time
Spriggs must have been on the point of
entering the railway carriage of the last
train to town, unless, indeed, by some
accident the stratagem had been dis
covered, and the officers of the Middle
sex Sheriff were again on their road to
Fairfield. In the midst of these medi
tations I was interrupted by a knock at
my door. My worthy uncle entered.
with a letter in his hand.
'Robert,' he said. 'I did not know
you were here, and had intended to
leave this on yonr dressing-table. I
told Spriggs to take it, bnt I can't find
him. I suppose he has gone ont There.
my boy, open it presently.' And so
Baying, my nncle departed.
"The envelope contained a check for
500.
"As for the confusion which Sprigg's
unexpected absence created in my
uncle's household. I will say nothing
of it We had a convivial evening
enough, bnt I own I rather expected
the door to open every moment, and
some myrmidon of the law to lay his
hand npon my shoulder, informing me
that Spriggs had been arrested by
mistake. Let me pass over this. By
eight o'clock next morning I was at
Stagford Junction four miles nearer
London than Stagford terminus. Before
nine I was in London. At ten minutes
past nine my uncle's check was cashed ;
and after that, swiftly as hansom conld
take me from the Strand to Chancery
Lane, I was with Spriggs in his tem
porary confinement in Cursitor street
Strangely enough, so admirably had
Spriggs filled his role, the mistake had
not been discovered. 1 paid the sum,
with expenses, and at eleven I was at
Fairfield once more. Spriggs contrived
to explain his absence to my uncle's
satisfaction. Later in the day I went
into business matters with my nncle's
solicitor, and an arrangement was soon
after arrived at Since then I have
been able to thank Spriggs in the
substantial manner he deserved. I set
him up in this hotel a slight recom
pense enough for the Twelfth-night
character which he assumed in my
interest
"Is this a true story. Bob?" asked
Mr. Crackshot, knocking the ashes ont
of his pipe.
"True, every word of it." was the
reply. "Ask Spriggs, if you doubt"
And the landlord of the Kennedy
Arms, who that moment entered to see
whether the two gentlemen required
anything further, confirmed, in a few
emphatic sentences, the narrative.
liclyravia.
Etiquette at Foreign I'anri.
The objection on the part of several
British ambassadors to perform the Ko
tou, or personal prostration before the
Emperor of China, on the reasonable
ground that it would be a tacit acknowl
edgement of the superiority of that
,, Brother of the sun and Moon," led to
difficulties, in 1792 and 1817, which have
only lately terminated by the Emperor's
consenting to a reception of diplomatic
representatives withont any such degra
ding ceremonial. The King of Siam, as
was recently announced, has abolished
the prostration of his own subjects, and
in this followed the judicions example
of the Mikado of Japan. As yet, the
Sovereign of the Burman Empire has
made no such concession. The rule at
his court is, that all who enter into his
presence shall have their shoes removed,
and shall kneel down. Perhaps the
arrival of a French diplomatic mission
may lead to a modification of this hu
miliating etiquette. If not, it may be
fairly anticipated that the French em
bassy will leave Monchoboo (the Bur
mese capital), withont seeing his "gol
denfooted majesty," for France, whether
republican or imperial, is sensitive on
such points. The first Napoleon, how
ever, declared in 1817, on the return of
Lord Amherst British ambassador to
China, who positively refused to sub
mit to the Ko-tou, that he should have
followed the same etiquette as was prac
ticed by the princes and the chief man
darins before the Emperor of China, in
Pekin, and that his Majesty had a right
to requira it He ridiculed the idea of
attempting to regulate the etiquette of
the palace of 1'ekin Dy mat oi U James.
"In negotiations as well as in eti
quette," he said, "the ambassador does
not represent the Sovereign, and nas
only a right to experience the same
treatment as the highest grandee ot tne
place." This, it should be noted, was
spoken in St Helena by a discrowned
Emperor. In the Tuileries, it may be
safely conjectured. Napoleon L would
have held different, views and used dif
ferent language.
Vealre Its (ommrire.
Rome is not the only city which has
lieen awakened from the sleeo of a sen.
and is putting on the garments of mod
ern civilization. It has taken longer to
stir np old euice than it took to stir np
old Koine; but even therity of thedoges
has taken a start, which is surprising to
the city of the iopcs. A recent letter
from Venire gives an interesting ac
count of the changes that are in pro
gress there. Vast basins have Ix-en
constructed for the largest vessels,
whirh are brought close to the cars, so
that their rargnes can le discharged
and immediately sent to the interior.
New docks have been built; ship-building
is flourishing; costly improvements
are in progress at the railway station,
and there is a prospect of a branch rail
road which will bring the city in imme
diate communication with the Brenner
pass. The commerce of Venice has al
ready greatly increased, and she is se
curing, at h-ast in some measure, the
commercial relations she had with the
Oriental world during the middle ages.
Through the city at large numerous
chamres are in process of execution;
and those who have gazed on the glory
of St. Mark's will lie glad to hear that
the miserable little shops which have
clustered alsmt the Campanile for cen
turies have just leen torn down. If
the unification and liberation of Italy
lie offensive to the Pope, they bavecer
tainlv been the means of elevating the
condition of the Italian people.
Samethlag tm Wear.
The St Louis Globe is brave enough
to print the following:
We have studied the woman of the
future in many.of her aspects,and have
realized to ourselves with tolerable de
finiteness the details under which these
aspects will present themselvesjbut one
important question a question which,
so to speak, covers the whole subject,
the qnestion of what dress the woman
of the future will wear remains as vet
chaotic, or, at least nebulous. We
know that nothing short of the most
perfect equality will mark the happy
era; that in addition to the blessed
privilege of standing np on the horse
car, woman will take her place on the
platform, and be avenged for many
wrongs by yelling through an inch of
front door-way, to unoffending man in
the remote corner, "Say, pnt yer fare
in that box, will yer." It will be hers
to mount the swiftly gliding dray, and
fleck the persuasive black-snake around
the ears of the recalcitrant mule. She
will be the terrible Judge, tha gentle
manly and accomplished conductor.the
urbane and popular policewoman. Her
place will be neither above man nor
below him, bnt by his side and as his
equal, and in these capacities she will
clear the forest, build the bridge, steer
the ship, and ship the steer, play bull-
whackee, teamster, and all through the
game of life make the honors easy.
Bnt what dress is she going to wear
while engaged in these varied and de
lectable occupations? a riddle more
dangerous than the sphynx's, which a
few men and many women have tried
to solve, but guessing wrongly, have
endured worse than death in bomba
zine trousers and tunics of amorphous
cut, and yet it is a riddle which must
be solved; the breeches which separate
woman from her full sphere of useful
ness will never be closed up until a full
and satisfactory system of clothes phi
losophy has been elaborated, and the
world of advanced thinkers is now
waiting for the master mind which can
grasp the whole subject, lay bare its
first principles, and build up on scien
tific grounds by the aid of reason, en
lightened by genius, a philosophy of
woman's dress, fixed, final and abso
lute. This may be called not only a
desideratum, but a ne plus ultra, and
even a tine rpia non and an e plurihut
unum. It is evident at the first glance
that the present garb of woman will not
permit of that free development at
which she aims, and going back to last
month or to last year, we fail to see
anything more promising. Who would
respect a policeman with a pannier )
What judge could calmly weiuh the evi
dence of the witnesses when he had the
evidence of his senses that his chignon
was coming off? Would any one en
gage a wood-chopperess with a Watteau
wrapper on her; and if he would not
what are we going to do about it ?
Before woman can do her work she
must put on her clothes, and before
she puts on her clothes she mnst make
them, and before making them she
mnst know what they are going to be.
She cannot stand, like the Englishman
in the fashion-plate, attired in only a
bolt of cloth neatly turned over the
left arm. she cannot continue the ec
centricities which make the rortunes of
milliners and linen-drapers, the bifur
cated integument which has been
adopted by the other sex will be ever
fi aught with memories of the oppres
sion of bygone days. What course re
mains to choose ? The more we study
it the more appalling becomes the con
viction of onr insufficiency. The his
tory of costume throws no light on it;
it only tells ns what woman has found
convenient and becoming and elegant
to-day, she has pronounced frightful
and rejected with scorn the day after.
The only thing which has pleased her
in any costume has been the conviction
that it was the newest thing out nd
that her dearest friend had not yet got
ten one like it The one thing constant
has been the constant change, and her
only function as a clothes-wearing ani
mal is such as would justify a mathe
matician in calling her a function of a
variable. Where she has already
achieved equality, she has only walked
up to the edge of the gulf over which
she mnst leap. In what attire can she
best clear the interval ?
In the daring feats of the "pcrchc
pcrillcuse," in the inimitable imperson
ations of "Mazeppa and ot the
'French Spy." and in the lighter walks
of the burlesque drama, woman has as
serted her equality to man, but this as
sertion has been accompanied by an ap
proximation towards the costume of
the common mother of the hnman race.
against which we must protest for the
sake of the vested interests imperiled
by it It would destroy at one blow
the manufacturing industries connected
with weaving, spinning, bleaching,
dyeing and other operations of that
nature; it wonld deprive all seam
stresses of their livelihood, and it
wonld be likely to give a very bad in
fluence to those who adopted it and a
bad influence to those who merely
looked on; as a costume for every-day
wear, it would not answer, and yet it is
all that woman has produced towards a
selution of the dark riddle, "What
shall we wear? We take a lower view
of the subject yet when we read in the
papers how practical and eminent wo
men have taken hold of the snbject,and
how little they made out of it The
Dress Reformers of Yineland, N. J.,
held a meeting a few days rgo, and the
boldest effort at conquering the difli
culty was that made by a Mrs. Butler,
who suggested that tney should ail
take off their corsets and cut off two
inches from the ends of their skirts.
Bat even this bold spirit was cowed by
a voice, which said: "Why, Mrs. But
ler, you have on an overskirt I" Mrs.
Butler endeavored faintly to deprecate
the impeachment "It was not for
vanity, dear knows; it was for saving,
not for fashion." But this miserable
explanation failed to go down, and
when the chairwoman brought forward
for inspection two young women from
Vineland who had cut two inches off
the ends of their skirts, and whom she
introduced as having never worn cor
sets, the others, thought they had seen
enongb, and wanted to go home. Five
Dress Reformers did, indeed, sign a
promise to "wear onr dresses from the
ground, provided twenty-five or more
ladies can be found to co-operate with
us in the reform;" bnt it is safe to say
that if they find twenty-four they will
not be anxious to find the twenty-fifth.
Mrs. Butler will find excuses for wear
ing overskirts (the best goods are al
ways the cheapest in the end, my dear);
the young womei who never wore cor
sets will get corsets,and (we hope) hus
bands; but the question, What will the
woman of the future wear? will remain
unanswered.
An English baronet. Sir St George
Gore, worth half a million per annum
and Btill unmarried, is waking the
echoes of the Tennessee forests with his
shot-gun. Forty or fifty of the Mem
phis belles are thirsting for gore.
Brooklyn Argtu,
Qaeea Tirtsrl Isaawlmiows.
"The Queen of England rules over
234,7l'.!,59:t souN; her people dwell in
44,l-t2,ii.l houses; the area of the lands
they inhabit is 7,760,44! square miles."
These are the stupendous figures dis
closed by the "imperial census'' of the
British dominions taken in 1871, but
only now fully tabulated. How insig
nificant apiear the extent and popula
tion of our republic compared with the
territory and the people over whom
Queen Victoria, or the clique of gentle
men who rule in her name, reigns su
preme ! We have an area of 3,0:M4.9
square miles, she has more than twice
as much; we have a population of 40,
000,1100, she is the ruler over six times
as many. Her dominions are in Lu
rope, iu North America, in Central
America and the est Indiesan Africa
iu the Indian seas, iu Australasia, and
in Asia. Less than 40,000,000 of the
Queen's subjects are Christians; there
are ,0U0,0110 Mahometans; J8,0I0,(NI0
Hindoos, more than 2,000,000 of Budd
hists, and 58,wu,ni0 of "others"
"heathen" of this kind or the other
kind, for the sects of heathendom are
as niimcreus as the divisions of Chris
tianity. Imperial Rome, at the summit
or its glory, exercised dominion over
l,i00.000 square miles of territory and
130.000,000 of people yielded oln dience
to her sway. But Victoria rules nearly
twice as many people, and is the
sovereign of a territory more than six
tunes as larjre. ao count the people in
England ami Wales alone on the third
day of April, 1H71, required 33,543
census-takers, who were supervised by
2,105 rcj-'istras and 620 superintendents.
They did their work in a single night,
and it was so well done that not a man,
woman, or child esraiicd them. 1 Int
romited a iMmiilation of 22.Wi.ltU. and
they found to the indelible disgrace of
the Englishmen that while 30 out of
every 100 men Ix-tweeu the aes of
twenty-five and thirty were unmarried,
there were U40,000 womenn-tween the
ages of fifteen anil twenty-one were
unmarried. The "professional class"
in England comprised 60,U00 imtsoiis;
the "domestic class," wives, mothers,
hotel and lodging-honse keepers, and
servants, more than r,000,0tH); the
"agricultural class," 1,000,0(10; the "in
dustrial class," 5,l::T.IN: the class of
"rank and property," lis,ouo, and there
were 7,51)0,000 children.
Crossing theChanncls to Europe, the
Queen's subjects are found in Heligo
land, in tiibraltar. and in Malta: but all
of these niimliering only ??, Ml sonls.do
not amount to as many a are counted
in an English town of the second class.
In annda anil the lieroiudas there are
y.TSi.tKHJ British sulje'ts, with plenty
of clliow-ruoiii, since they inhabit an
area of :.:t7K,!i25 square miles. In the
1..:;.... r .i 1 . .1
l.llll.-MI limi ini.lIIIIS till It" illlT
ilxiut 1.0m 1,1 UNI. t in theroiitineiit there
are lintisli Honduras aud linlisli
tiiiiana. with a. population of 2is,noo
souls. Coming to Africa and the ad
jacent islaiids.Quecr1 Victoria finds her
self the ruler of 2:!ti,MJ square miles
and of l,si:i,450 imtsoiis. These dwell
111 Ascension Island, St. Helena. Sierra
lone. the tiambia settlements, the
liolil Coast, ihe CaM', Griqualanil. and
Natal. In the Indian seas she has the
Mauritius, will. 9.4l people. West
Australia, with yTS.nno square utiles
of territory, has onlv 24.7S5 inhabitants;
South Australia, with 70,oim square
miles, lias lsti((N people; Victoria, w ith
only NS.IWO square miles, has 7:!1,52S in
habitants; New South Wales, oil its
:!2:!,4:!7 square miles, has 50:!.!isl resi
dents; Queensland lias l-1i.li!; I as
iiiaiiLi !K),:j2S; aud New Zealand has 2!Ks-
Finally comes India, the greatest and
mitst splendid division of the British
empire. There are twelve provinces in
llritisli India over which the Queen
Viceroy rules supreme. These provinces
number 101,:!O7,070 souls; they occupy
an area of 'j.x.:W square miles, ami
they live in 4s7,fnil towns or villages.
The provinces of Bengal and lU-har
have a population of 5,io0,i"0. and it is
here that the famine is raging: the
northwest proviuccs have :n,Ti!).(Nitl
people; Ouile has 11.22,i: the l'uii
.jaiih. 17,5!ti;,(NN; the ccntral.proviiices,
iMNiii.OI: Kiitish Biirmah, 3.503.S25; the
Madras Presidency, 31,000,000; liomhay
andSiiid. 1 l.ooo.noo. And the islands of
Ceylon and Hong Kong, the peninsula
of Kow-looii. SingaMre, Wellesley,
IVming and .Malacca, have together a
population of 2.s:tT.2s7.
A Fight with a Lyax.
Some few miles east of East Hampton,
Mass., is a large and lonesome tract of
land covoring over an area of eight or
ten hundred acres, and is familiarly
known aa the Perkins woods. On the
east side of these woods runs a large
stream ; near this stream two persons
recently discovered a lynx in the top of
a large hickory. Ono, a lad who has
not seen sixteen summers, bold and
daring, never known to flinch in any
emergency, and with the conrage of a
Putnam, volunteered to climb the tree.
Both being destitute of guns, it was a
bold undertaking to venture to capture
this large beast of the forest Young
Dan, buoyed np with the hope of killing
this beast with a club, quickly ascended
the tree ; the density of the limbs al
most placed the beast ont of his sight,
bnt by the help of his knife he succeeded
in lopping a few of the branches, which
placed the animal in full view of him.
Its back was inched up, the froth drip
ping from its mouth, its tail though
short was elevated, its eyes flashed,
pawing with its fore feet one after
another, bark and splinters flew. On
the side hill Dan's companion managed
to make a desperate pass with his club
at the beast ; at the same time the ani
mal made a spring, landing on the
ground in his stunned condition. Hoad
ley grappled with the maddened animal,
and they struggled together down a
declivity. Both plunged into the water.
The eagerness of the lynx to press
through the water and the young man's
unsuccessful attempt to drown it created
such a splashing noise as fairly echoed
through the ravine. At length the man
and animal reach the opposite shore in
an exhausted condition. Oar young
hero was already there, and had the
satisfaction of completing the destruc
tion of the savage beast
A WaasJerral Art.
The manufactory in Rome where
pictures are copied in mosaic, heing
thus rendered almost everlasting, or
time-proof, is the most celebrated es
tablishment of the kind in the world,
some of its productions being little less
than miracles of artistic genius, beauty
and skill. The mosaic is formed of tiny
bits of opaque colored glass of various
shades, amounting, it is said, to the
almost incredible number of 30,000 dif
ferent and distinct shades, themselves
so arranged as to form a picture perfect
in every detail in light, shadow.shade
and color. It is described as corres
ponding, in some measure, to the pic
tures formed in Berlin wooL The
various pieces of colored glass are
placed in their pre-arranged order on a
table covered with a sort of cement, and
when this tedious process is over for
there are many thousands of pieces in
each picture the surface of the picture
is then smoothed and polished. These
are the main features, mechanically con
sidered, of this wonderful art
Cord makers feel the string-ency severely.
"Vou tlis' Column.
Thb Beooab Boy of Lccersb. More
than half a century ago, before the
walls were built about the old city of
.Lucerne, certain Austrian noblemen
formed a great conspiracy to conquer
town and land for Hapsbnrg. Now the
emerald-green waters of the Reuss
flowed swiftly past the town. They
nave had a long journey from their
home among the awful glaciers that
bolt and bar the glones of the Alp-land.
They have bounded over barren rocks.
sprinkled the moss and heather above
the realm of beast and bird, leaped
fearless down the black Devil s uorge,
dashed over and around the boulders
with which the giants used to play, and
so ever on and ever down have held
their course, till the Wonder Lake, the
Lake of the Four Cantons, has received
the panting fugitives. She has washed
them clean of the earth-tint with which
they were born. Her depths, the color
of daintiest robin's eggs, quietly hide
the wanderers' imperfections and send
them on their way, glad in their purity,
loudly singing their untranslated song.
Down by the bed of the Reuss there
stood an old arcade, dim and obsenre,
fit place for murderous council. Here
the scarlet-sleeved conspirators met in
the darkness of night After much
consultation it was finally determined
that with the swords and daggers with
which they were armed, the mayor and
councillors of the city should be slain.
Before day shall break the doomed!
town shall be in their power.
Silently starting on their deadly mis
sion one of the noblemen discovers a
poor boy lying npon a bench in the
darkness of a corner. He is only a
beggar boy, and he has no home, no
friends. So the hand of the heavenly
Watcher, whose glance pierces the veil
of night, had led him here to guard the
town, lie bad listened to the treacher
ous plot and determined to reveal it
as soon as he couM escape undiscov
ered. Bnt suddenly he is seized by the
desperate men. They declared that
they will instantly kill him. The sword
is raised, bnt the boy. wild with terror.
entreats their meroy, and promises he
will never reveal to any man what he
has heard. Believing the promise,
with many threats they let him go.
uut into the dark the boy dashes.
He sees far off the light in the eot of
the village butcher and hastens toward
it There is careless feasting and mer
riment here, and a group of men are
telling stories of daring in the olden
time. The boy, with breathless haste,
rushes into the room. The tears are!
rolling down his cheeks. He looks not
into the face of any one, bnt harries to
the great stove and cnes :
"O stove! what 1 have promised
never to tell to any man I must quickly
tell to thee ! O dear, good stove ! 1
was compelled to swear ; but listen well
while I show to you the danger of the
beloved ci ,y. The murderous are has
tening even now to slay the rulers aid
to conquer Lucerne once more. They
!"
Bat not only the stove is there to
hear the story of the bright, sly boy.
The strong men have quickly taken the
alarm ; very soon the conspirators are
seized and hastened to justice. The
foes of the good town are driven ont
with strong hand, and still Lucerne is
free.
They sought for the child whose
loyal canning had saved them, bnt they
never found him. Even to this day the
Switzers tell the story with admiring
gratitude in their toues, bnt no man
knows his name. The senseless stove
that heard the warning is still preserved
in the old hall where the butchers'
guild was wont to meet
What think you of the bravery and
artifice of the nameless beggar boy of
Lucerne ?"
A Whoms Day to Do Norniso. "If
I could only have a whole day to do
nothing no work and no lessons, only
play all day I should be happy," said
little Bessie.
"To-day shall be yonrs," said her
mother. "Yon may play as mnch as
yon please ; and I will not give you any
work, no matter how mnch you may
want it"
Bessie langhed at the idea of wishing
for work, and ran out to play. She was
swinging on the gate when the children
passed to school ; and they envied her
for having no lessons. When they were
gone, she climbed np into the cherry
tree, and picked a lapful for pies ; but
when she carried them in, her mother
said :
"That is work, Bessie. Don't you
remember you cried yesterday because
I wished you to pick cherries for the
padding ? Yoa may take them away.
No work to-day, you know."
The little girl went away rather ont
of humor. She got her doll, and played
with it awhile, bnt soon tired. She
tried all her toys, bnt they didn't seem
to please her any better. She came
back and watched her mother, who was
shelling peas.
"Mayn't I help you, mother?" she
asked.
"No, Bessie ; this isn't play.
Bessie went into the garden again,
and leaned over the fence, watching
the ducks and geese in the pond. Soon
she heard her mother setting the table
for dinner. Bessie was quite cheerful
dnring the meal ; but when it was over,
and her father away, she said wearily :
"Mother, you don't know how tired I
am of doing nothing. If you wonld
only let me wind your cotton, or even
sew at that tiresome patchwork, I wonld
be so glad !"
"I can't, little daughter, because I
said I would not give you work to-day.
Bnt you may find some for yourself, if
you can."
So Bessie hunted up a pile of old
stockings, and began to mend them ;
for she could darn very neatly. Her
face grew brighter ; and she presently
said:
"Mother, who do people get tired of
play?"
"Because God did not mean ns to be
idle. His command is, 'Six days shalt
thou labor.' He has given all of ns
work to do, and has made ns so that
unless we do just the very work that he
gives us we can't be happy. He has
very hard work who has nothing to do."
"Papa," said a little philosopher,
"I've lost my place in class I"
"Ah I" said papa, "where were you ?"
"Down foot; and Minnie missed a
word, and I spelled it and lost my
place 1"
"What was the word ?" asked papa.
"Scratch," said Frankie. "Minnie
forgot to put the g in !"
At a dinner party not long since, a
gentleman accidentally knocked the
foot of his orroosite neighbor, who
made an exclamation of pain. "I beg
your pardon," said the first gentleman.
"was that your foot V "So apology ia
necessary, renlied the other, "I ac
knowledge the corn.'
arieties.
Undue speculation leads often to
peculation.
Truth sometimes tastes like medicine
but that is an evidence that we are ill.
The tears of our misery often prevent
our eyes from seeing the mercy close at
hand.
Repentance, withont amendment is
like continually pumping without mend
ing the leak.
Respect to age, and kindness to chil
dren, are among the tests of an amiable
disposition.
Who prolongs his work to as great a
length as possible, and still completes
it in time ? The rope maker.
Be anxious to search ont the narrow
est path to Heaven, rather than to seek
how far you may go without condemna
tion. Waynesborongh, Pa., boasts of a
haunted distillery ; which is juBt the
place where one wonld naturally look
for spirits.
One who wishes the world to know
what he knows abont farming, says that
the best way to raise strawberries is
with a spoon.
Somebody got a breakfast on the
Bowery for five cents and thought it
cheap. But you can get a roll on the
grass in the park for nothing.
Whiskey can be obtained at an Edin
burgh temperance hotel by asking for a
seidlitz powder. It is astonishing how
the systems of the guests need clearing
out
A matron objects to the present system
of sleeping cars on the ground that it
forces yonng ladies to become "familiar
with that unattractive object, a sleepy
and unwashed man."
All our sufferings are ordered by a
Father ; 'tis the portion our Father
gives ns to drink ; and whatever bitter
ingredient there is in it still it is of a
Father's procuring, and why suspect it
to be poison, and be afraid of it ?
Louisiana paper rejoices that its
judges will be kept at home and the
members of the Legislature will not be
absent from their post hereafter, in
consequence of the railroads determin
ing to charge full fare for each traveler
The Boston Transcript said recently:
"When the late X. 1. Willis wrote
his fine hymn for the dedication of llev.
Dr. Beecher's church, in Hanover
street, in 1H2C, who thonght it wonld
be sung at the dedication of a new
church for the BrattI stret society in
1873, npon a spot then half a mile ont
in the water from the eastern shore of
the Back Bay ?"
A writer in the Atianfie Monthly
says : "One is pained to dud that the
most exclusive folks have frequently
passed th-ir early manhood in selliug
tape or West India goods in homne
pathic quantities. This is not an im
moral thing in itself, bnt it is certainly
illogical in these people to be so intol
erant of those less fortunate people
who have not yet disposed of their
stock."
The experiment of tea growing in
California is said to promise success.
The climate of a large part of the tea
district of China finds a parallel in that
of the central Southern States, and
them seems to he no reason why Hyson
aud Bohea should not come from cotton
and old rice fields. The necessity for
ocean transportation would be done
away with, aud the native fragrance of
he leaf would thus be preserved.
The pianoforte (or rather harpsichord)
on which Ronget de ITsle's "Marseil
laise" was first heard, as also Chenier's
"Chant da Depart," and other patriotic
songs, has been placed in the library of
the Paris Conservatoire. During the
Oerman war the Prussians broke open
the instrument under the impression
that it concealed treasure, bnt the in
juries have been repaired and the heir
of Chonier has made it a present to the
nation.
The English woman, according to
Kate Field, "is rarely bien mine, for
the reason she neglects details. She
will pnt on a good gown and then spoil
it by a hideous bonnet, or her gloves
will be the wrong color. Her boots are
often frightful and her walk nngainly.
Id England always ask yourself what is
appropriate, and then put on the re
verse. This is a rule with few excep
tions. English women always wear long
skirts, because their feet are ugly. If
American women had as mnch percep
tion and sense as they have beauty, they
wonld wear their walking skirts mnch
shorter than French modixte dictate."
Bayard Taylor says, in an obituary
notice of Johann Fried rich Strauss :
"With all his destructive tendencies in
the sphere of dogmatism and history, it
must be acknowledged that he clung to
the ideal elements in human nature,
and yearned for something more posi
tive and substantial than the sugges
tions of denial, and doubt, the mono
tonous echoes of the 'Everlasting No.
In his political relations he was emi
nently conservative ; he bad no sympa
thy with the blind radicalism of many
European reformers ; and, if he reposed
a deeper trust in science than in theol
ogy, it was because he found in it a
more sovereign remedy for human
woes."
Late news from India shows that in
averting the famine in Bengal the
British Government has acted with
consummate wisdom. The direct dis
tribution of alms has been avoided, and
except in extraordinary cases the usual
channels of trade have been used for
the distribution of food. The result
attained has been the warding off of
famine and the geneial supplying of the
people with employment, and conse
quently with food. In a few instances
wandering fakirs and mendicants may
starve, owing to the fact that their
nomadic habits keep them out of the
range of Government supervision ; bnt
there is no doubt that the timely aid of
the English authorities has saved at
least a million of people from absolute
starvation.
The local scenery which surrounded
the childhood and influenced the early
culture of poets is always a matter of
interest A writer in Sfarmiltan't
Magazine describes Somersby, where
Mr. Tennyson passed, with little inter
val, the first twenty-five years of his
life. It is a quiet, wooded village, of
which the laureate's father was rector,
and is pleasautly situated at the foot of
the South Wold. The country about it
is soft and pastoral, with small villages
lying close together. "To the north
rises a long back of Wold, with its
steep, white road that climbs the hill
above Thetford : to the south the land
slopes gently to a small, deep-cnanneiea
brook, which rises not far from Som-
ersby, and flows jnst below the parson-
age garden." This home scene is said
to be pictured to us in the "Ode to
Memory," written very early in life,
and first published in 1830.
"2rlPsra