B. F. SCHWEIER, THE CONSTITUTION THB TJHION AND THE ENFORCEMENT OF THE LAWS. . . ' Editor and Proprietor.
i , i.i
YQL. XXIX. MIFFLINTOWN. JUNIATA COUNTY, PENNA., MARCH 10, 1S75. NO. 10.
X
rOETBT.
BITTKatSEfcS.
Is it true I have built insecurely ?
Do do foundations remain ?
Were th structures I planned no sorely
Fonnded mod built in vain ?
Have tli wave, no madly careering.
No pity for wrecks laid bare ?
Ah ! why are they ever appearing.
To uiock me in my destoor ?
Just aa if my hnpcs wore their vassals.
They have felled them in their strife ;
And the last wan the lordliest of castles,
Ilejikt witl( the drcanm of mj life.
I watched, from my rampart and towers.
The strains sweep over the main ;
And. scorned, in my daintiest of bowers,
. The fury of wind and rain.
I Haw the stars pale in tlieir splendor.
And die out in darkness alove ;
While mtirtic, entrancing and tender.
(V as soulless beside my lore.
I!nt my caetlcs wore crushed on the morrow-
My hopes that were life to me ;
I was mad in my first wild sorrow.
And cnrsed the relentless sea.
I paw with powerless emotion.
The wrecks strewn far and wide ;
A nd I watched the foam-crextcd ocean
Hear tliem away on its tide.
lleroemembranee and life are yet left me
Memories of sorrow alone ;
Of the rest hat the sea bereft mn,
i'lainting my all as its own.
isrt:i.!..txT.
Slav Wbrrr You Are.
One of the greatest drawbacks fo
prseiity is the festive, roving, ami
untitled spirit of the people. Each
one imagines that tlicrcis an Kl Dorado
somewhere, or that some Motion is
more prosperous than his own, anil
that In must get ti it licfore In- ran ac
complish anvthing. The idea unsettles
' him, ami if in; iIihk not "pull up" ami
migrate at once, lie is forever thinking
nlxmt it, and neglects to improve Lis
present liomi' ami farm. The delusion
lias liecn wide-spread since the war,
and inneli individual disaster lias been
I lie result. The curse of Bcuhcn seems
to rest uiHin the M-ople. The terrible
"Texan fever," which so raged a few
years ago, caused untold families mis
fortune, and ruined many excellent
farms and good fanners.
It is a great mistake. Contentment
is the great secret of life. Old Horace
struck the right key when lie said:
"Happiness depends not npoii place nor
rlimate, but, umiu the state of one's
in i ml." "Ilolling stones gather no
moss," and the exicriiiient of wiling
mt and moving, in the hope of licttcr
ingthe comlit ion, often ends in bitter
disappointment and irretrievable loss.
Thousands in the South can testily,
from exiK'rience, to the truth of this
assertion.
Setter stay -where yon are. If you
are in a gMd community, and your
lands have IhiUoiii, drive down your
pegs and locate. Kemem'ier that
"there's more in the man Than the
land," as old Jones said on returning
from Texas, after terrible sailures, to
the old worn-out homestead he hail
sold, and found it blooming like a
garden. Bight-lip the old dwelling,
renew the out-buildings, palings,
fences, and barns; spend a few dollars
in white paint, and give the premises
. an air of cheerfulness. Cultivate less
ground, and make it richer every year.
.Make plenty to eat and some to sell,
and let your cotton crop be clear profit.
I'lant fruit trees, have your rye, oats,
liarlcy, w heat and clover patches, tine
horses, fat cows, and rich butter, Give
your wives and daughters flower gar
dens, and assist them in, collecting a
good assortment of roots and cuttings.
lo these simple things nnd,oiir word
for it, your houses will take new hold
(ton your affections, and, instead of
the rickety, dilapidated establishments
and solemn, hungry-looking counten
ances so common in our country, we
will find comfortable and inviting
homes, w here all is love, contentment,
and happiness. It w ill le like a t'ol
chian enchantress infusing new juices
into the veins for the prolongation of
life and youth. Try it. Turn over a
new leaf and liegin anew. Fear God,
love your neighbor, your wives and
children, and don't try to get rich in
one year. Teach your little ones to
love their homes. There is a world of
- mclodv and sentiment in that immortal
old lull lad,
"Mnl I'U-vnro snd iialarv. wher-r-Vr we may nnm,
Ike 11 cler mt Iiiuuum, tilt-re's 10 jiUre like litHiie.'
Delirious Hit f I'renrli W it.
Arse tie Ilnussaye's last Paris letter to
the New York. Trilunf, contains some
delicious bits of French wit. M. de
Villetiiessiint, the editor of the Fiyro,
passes for a lucky man in I'aris, and a
man of wit His iersonaIity is very
useful to his paer, and with his t0,ooo
suliseriliers he knows how to manage
the public. Lucky he h:w leen at
every game of life except trrntc rt qwtr
mitcand baccarat; witty lie always is.
ltecently in the green-room of the
Theatre Francais, Mile, Favart ran up
to him. "M. de Villemcssant 1 how can
you jHTinit such caltiniiiies? Your
Fi'inro says I am forty years old."
"Well," answered Villeinessant, gaily. ;
"k iss me as many times as that esti- j
mate slandered you." Mile. Favart
threw herself on "the neck of M. de
Villemessant and kissed him ten times,
distributing the favors equally on his ,
two cheeks. "Very well," said M. de
Villemessant, 'hereafter the Fiyirv
will tell tlie truth, and instead of forty
years will give you fifty." And all the
actors in the green-room stood laughing
about the burly journalist and the
great coquette.
The wits are still vieing with each
other in describing the leanness of Mile
Sarah Bernhardt She has gained a
great triumph at the Theatre Fran
cafe, and has spent so much passion in
tragedy that there is little left of hrr
but soul; so the paers have begun
anew the pleasantries in regard to this
imalabu body. One says she can
walk in the rain without an umbrella,
liecauseshe can pass between the drops.
Another replies that this is an exag
geration, but he adds that one evening,
when some one tried to run away with
her. she escaped by hiding behind her
riding whip.
Shew The flan.
s'.mw na tfin man who is ever ready
to pity and help the deformed ; show
ns man who covers the faults of
others with a mantle of charity ; show
na a man who bows as politely and
give the street as freely to the poor
aewing girl as to the millionaire ; who
values virtue, not clothes ; who shuns
ti,a Mmnanw nf snch as irather at public
vuv ivuijw. wj m
places to gaie at the fair sex, or make
unkind remarks of the passing girl ;
show ns a man who abhors libertine ;
who soorna the ridicule of bia mother's
sex, and the exposure of womanly rep
utation ; show ns a man who never for
gets for an instant the delicacy due
women, as a woman, in any condition
or class and yon show ns gentleman.
THE MAID OF DAMASri'S.
In the reign of the Greek Emperor
tteraclins, when the beautiful city of
Damascus was at the height of its
pplentlor and magnificence, there dwelt
therein a young noble, named Deme
trius, whose decayed fortunes did not
correspond with the general prosperity
of the rimes. He was a youth of ardent
disposition, and very handsome in per
son ; pride kept him from bettering his
estate by the profession of merchandise.
yet more keenly did lie feel the ob
scurity to which adverse fate had re
duced him, that in his lot was involved
the fate of one dearer than himself.
It so happened that in that quarter
of the city which faces the row of palm
trees, within the gate Kesian, dwelt a
very wealthy old merchant, who had a
very beautiful daughter. Demetrius
had bv chance Been her soncs time be
fore, and he was so struck by her loveli
ness that, after pining for some mouths
in secret, he ventured upon a dis
closure, and to his delighted surprise
fonnd that Iahelle had long silently
nursed a deep and almost hopeless
passion for him also; so, being now
aware that their love wr.s mntnnj, they
were hs happy as the bird Unit, all day
long, sings in the sunshine from the
MiojmiU of the cypress trees.
True is the adugn of the poet, that
the course of true love nf ver did run
smooth ; and in the father of the maiden
they found that a stumbling block lay
in the way of their happiness, for he
wns of an avaricious disposition, and
they knew that ho valued gold more
thau nobility of blood. Their fears
grew more and more, as Isabelle, in her
private conversation, endeavored to
sound her father on this point ; and al
though the suspicions of affection are
lwavs more apparent than real, in this
they were not mistaken ; for without
consulting his child and as if her soul
had leen in hi hand he promised her
in marriage to a rich old miser, twice
as rich and nearly as old as himself.
Isabelle knew not what to do ; for,
on lieiug informed by her father of the
fate he bad destined for her, her heart
forsook her, and her fpirit was bowed
U the dust. Nowhere could she rest,
like the Thracian bird that knoweth not
to fold its wings in slumber clond
had fallen for her over the face of
natnre and instead of retiring to her
couch she wandered abont weeping,
nnder the midnight stars, on the terrace.
on the hbnsetop. wailing over her hap
less fate, and calling on death to come
and take her from her sorrows.
At morning she went forth alone into
the garden ; but neither could the
golden glow of the orange tree nor the
perfume of tr.e roses, nor the delicate
frsgrancs of the clustering henna and
jasmine, delight her, so she wearied for
the hour ot noon, having privately sent
to Demetrius, inviting him to meet Ler
by the fountain of the pillars at that
time.
Toor Demetrius had for Bnrai time
observed a Bcttlcd sorrow in the con
duct snd countenance of his beautiful
Isabelle : ho felt that some melancholy
revelation was to be made to him ; and.
all eagerness, he came at the appointed
hour. He passed along tuo winding
walks, unheediDgof the tulips streaked
like the ruddy evening clouds of the
flower betrothed to the nightingale of
the geraninm bLizng in scarlet beauty
till, on epproaching the place of
promise, he caught a glimpse of the
maid he loved and. lo ! she sat tbrre
in the snnlight, alsorbed in thought, a
book whs on her knee and at her feet
lay the harp, whose chords bad been
for his ear so often modulated to
harmony.
lie laid hia hand gently on her
shoulder, as he seated himself beside
her on the steps, and seeing her sorrow
ful face, he comforted her, and bade
her be of good cheer, saying that
Heaven wonid soon smile on their for
tunes, ami that their present trials
would but endear them the more to
each other iu the days of after years.
At length, with tesrs snd sous she told
him of what she had learned ; and,
while they wept on each other's Ikwoius,
they vowed over the J5ible which Isa
lelle held in her hands, to be faithful
to each other to their dying day.
Meantime the miser was making pre
parations for the marriage ceremony,
and the father of Isabeile had portioned
out his daughter's dowry ; when the
lovers, finding themselves driven to ex
tremity, took the resolution of escaping
from the city.
Now it so happened, in accordance
with the proverb, which saith that evils
never conic single that.at thiB very time.
the city of Damascus was closely in
vested by a mighty army, commanded
by the Caliph Ahiibekcr Alwokidi, and
iu leaving the walls, the lovers were in
imminent hazard of falling into their
cruel hands ; yet having no other re
sonree left, they resolvl to put their
perilous adventnre to the risk.
Twns the Mussulman hour of prayer
Mspgrib : the sun had just disappeared.
and the purple haze of twilignt rested
on the hil!s, darkening all the ctdar
forests, when the porter ot the gate.
Kcisan. having been bribed wittt a
brile, its folding leaves slowly oiened,
and forth issued a horseman closely
wrapped nn in a mantle : and behind
him, at the littie space, followed an
other similarl v clad. Alas ! for the nn-
Ineky fugitives, it bo chanced that
Derar. the captain of the night guard, j
was at that moment making his rounds,
and observing what was going on, de
tached a party to throw themselves
between the strangers and the town.
The former rider, however, discovered
their intentions, and called back to
his follower to return. Isabelle for
it was she instantly regained the gate
which had not closed, bnt Demetrius
fell into the hands of the enemy.
As wont in those bloody wars, the
poor prisoner was immediately carried
by an escort to the presence of the
caliph, who put the alternative in his
power, of either, on the instant, re
nonucicg his religion or submitting to
the axe of the beadsman. Demetrins
told his tale with a noble simplicity ;
and his youth, Lis open countenance
and stately bearing so far gained on
the heart of Abubeker, that on his re
fusal to embrace Mahometanism he
becaod of him seriously to consider of
his situation, and ordered a delay of
the sentence, which he mnst otherwise
pronounce, until the morrow.
Heart-broken and miserable, Deme
trius was loaded with chains, and
carried to a gloomy place of confine
ment In the solitude ot me nignt ne
cursed the hoar of his birth bewailed
his miserable situation and feeling
that all hia schemes of happiness were
thwarted, almost rejoiced that he had
only a few hours to live.
The heavy honrs lagged on toward
daybreak, and quite exhausted by the
intense agony of his feelings, be sank
down npon the ground in a profound
sleep, from which a band, with cres
cented turbans and crooked sword
blades, awoke him. Still penisting to
reject the prophet's faith, be was led
forth to die : bnt in passing through
the camp, ths Boubachis of the caliph
stopped the band, as he bad been com
manded, and Demetrins was ushered
into the tent, where Abubeker, not yet
arisen, lav stretched on his sofa.
For awhile the captive remained re
solute, preferring death the disgrace of
turning a renegade ; bnt the wily caliph,
who had taken a deep and sudden in
terest in the fortunes of the youth.
knew well the spring by the touch of
which his heart was most likely to be
affected. He pointed out to Demetrins
prospects of preferment and grandeur
while he assured him that, in a few
days Damascus mnst to a certainty sur
render in which case his mistress mnst
fall into the power of the fierce soldiery,
and be left to a fate full of dishonor.
and worse than death itself, bnt, if he
assumed the turban, he pledged his
royal word, that especial rare should
be taken that no harm should alight on
her be loved.
Demetrins pansed, and Abubeker
saw that the heart of bis captive was
tonehed. He drew pictures of power
and aflluence and domestic love that
dazzled the imagination of his hearer ;
and while the prisoner thought of his
Isabelle, instead of rejecting the im
pious proposal, as at Cist he had done.
with disdain and horror, his soul bent
like iron to the breath of the furnace
Uame, and be wavered 'and liecame ir
resolute. The keen eye of the caliph
saw the working of his spirit within
him, and allowed bim yet another day
to form his resolution. When the
second was expired, Demetrius craved
a third ; and on the fonrth morning,
miserable man, he abjured the faith of
bis fathers and became a Mussulman.
Abubeker loved the youth, assigned
him a post of dignity, and all the
migbtv host honored him whom the
caliph delighted to honor. He was
clad in rich attire and magnificently at
tended; and to all eyes Demetrius
seemed a person worthy of envy ; yet
in the calm of thonght, his conscience
npbraided him, and lie was far less
hsppy than he seemed to be.
Fro yet the glow of novelty Lad en
tirely ceased to bewilder the under
standing of the renegade, preparations
were mode for the assault ; and, after
a fierce but ineffectual resistance, nnder
their gallant leaders, Thomas and
Herbis, the Dam scenes were obliged
to submit to their imperious con
queror, on condition of being allowed,
witum three days, to leave the city un
molested.
When the gates were opened, Deme
trins, with a heart overflowing with
love and delight, was among the first to
enter. He enquired of every one he
met of Isabelle '. but all turned from
him with disgust. At length he found
her out, but what was the grief and
surprise in a nunnery 1 Firm to the
troth she had so solemnly plighted, she
had rejected the proposition of her
mercenary parent I and, having no idea
but that her lover Lad shared the fate
of all Christian captives, she had shut
herself, fiom the world, and vowed to
live the life of a vestal.
The surprise, the anguish, the horror
of Isabelle, when she beheld Demetrius
in his Moslem habiliments, cannot be
described. Her first impnlse, on find
ing bim yet alive, was to have fallen
into his arms ; bnt, instantly collecting
herself, she shrank back from him with
loathing, as a mean and paltry dastard.
"Xo, no," she cried, "yon are no
longer the man I loved ; our vows of
fidelity were pledged over the Bible ;
that book yon have renounced as a
fable, and he who has proved himself
false to heaven can never be true to
me !"
Demetrins was conscience strnck ;
too late he felt his crime and forsaw its
consequences. The very object for whom
he had dared to make the tremendous
sacrifice, bad deserted him, and his own
soul told him with how much justice;
so, without nttering a syllable, he
turned away, heart broken, from the
holy and beantifnl being whose affec
tions he had forfeited for ever.
When the patriots left Damascus Isa
belle accompanied them, lletiring to
Autioeh she lived with the sisterhood
for many years and, as her time was
passed between acts of charity and
devotion, her bier was watered with
many a tear, and the hands of the grate
ful dnly strewed her grave with flowers.
To Demetrins was destined a briefer
career. All conscious of his miserable
degradation, loathing himself and life,
and mankind, he rushed back from the
city into the Mahometan camp ; and
entering, with a hurried step, the tent
of the caliph, he tore the turban from
his brow, and cried aloud.
"Oh, Abuieker I behold a God-forsaken
wretclu Think not it was the
fear of death that led me to abjnre my
religion the religion of my fathers
the only true faith. No, it was the
idol of "love that stood between my
heart and heaven, darkening the latter
with its shadow ; and had I remained
as true to God, as I did to the maiden
of my love, I had not needed this."
So saying, and ere tho Land of
Abnleker could arrest him, he drew a
poniard from his embroidered vest, and
the heart blood of the renegade sixintetl
on the royal robes of the successor of
Mahomet.
An I'ulmppy Attachment.
A painfnl scene occurred in a church
in Ilncks Township, Ohio, a few Sun
days ago. The ehnrch Lad .lately un
dergone repair. Among other improve
ments a new coat of paint was placed
on the pews, followed by a coat of var
nish. The result was most pleasing to
the eye ; but, nnfortunately, the var
nish had been applied so late in the
week that it had not had time to be
come hard before Sunday, when the
congregation flocked to their seats. No
apparent inconvenience was suffered
until the clergyman was abont to de
liver the benediction, when the congre
gation were horrified to find that they
were nnable to stand np ; they were, in
fact, glued, or rather varnished to their
seaU. Their spasmodic efforts to rise
were most distressing to witness ; in
vain did the clergyman exhort them
from the pulpit to resignation. They
were seized with a kind of panic, all the
more frightful because they were for
the moment powerless ; at last, by what
seemed to be a simultaneous and her
culean jerk, they managed to tear
themselves from their sittings ; bnt at
what a sacrifice 1 The pews were liter
ally covered with fragments of Sunday
apparel. Shreds of silk, lawns, calico,
broadoloth, and eassimeres were left as
souvenirs of the Tarnish used in beauti
fying that church, and the hapless con
gregation, rushing from the doors,
harried homeward with an expression
on their faces as though their hearts
were even more severely rent than their
garments. '
A bronze statue of Robert Burns,
costing twelve thousand dollars, is to be
placed in Central Park.
A Girl ! Stairs.
The next clear evening, when the
moon is on the other side of the sky.
and onr side is full of stars, ask your
papa or mamma, or your teacher, to go
out of doors with yon and show yon
some of the beantifnl star-pictures that
the wise people call constellations.
Very likely yon have often noticed the
Great Bear, which looks so much more
like a dipper than a bear, that ordinary
folk call it the Great Dipper, and have
learned to trace the line of the point
ers np to the small glittering Morth
Star in the end of the Little Bear's
tail, or the Litter Dipper's handle,
whichever yon please to call it If yon
have never fonnd this star, be sure to
ask your teacher to show it to yon, for
yon need to Know where it is, as yon
need to know where the North Pole is
on the globe.
The sky is to ns like a vast globe,
only we seem to be in the center of it,
and to look np into it, instead of down
npon it. Around the North Star as a
center, - each of the twinkling fixed
stars seem to move in a circle ; bnt yon
will not see this unless yon watch them
a long while, for it is not really their
motion, but that our own little earth
that causes this appearance.
The nied stars always keep tho same
relative places with regard to each
other. If one of them is eight degrees
east on one night, yon will always find
it in the same dnection and distance
from its neighbor, in whatever part of
the sky you see them.
The heathen people who lived many
hundred of years ago and who worship
ped tho gods ami goddesses of (rreeco
and Rome, used to see very strange
things in the starry sky. To them,
gods and goddesses, heroes and hero
ines, and animals, great and small,
shone where we see myriads of. mighty
worlds. .
It is one of the star-heroines that I
wish to tell yon. Ask your teacher to
point ont to you the constellation
called Andromeda. Yon would never
dream, to look at it, that it was meant
for a girl, bound by crnel chains to a
rock on the sea-coast ; bnt if yon look
on an astronomical atlas, yon will see
t very plainly.
There is an almost straight line of
four brilliant stars, beginning with a
very beantifnl ne called Almaach,
about fifty degrees from the North
Star. (Be sure to find out abont de
grees.) Almaach is in- Andromeda's
foot. The next one, Miracb. with two
others north-west of it, makes her
girdle. The third bright one of the
line marks her breast, and makes a lit
tle triantle, with two dimmer ones
south of it, and a straight line with one
of these and another north of it. The
last star of the four is a little farther
north than it would be if the line were
perfectly straight ; it is called Alphe
ratz, and is at the same time the chief
star of Andromeda's head, and the
comer of a beautiful great sou are.
which is clearly seen.
The stars which I have mentioned
are easily traced ; and, if you look very
sharply, yon may see the triangle in
her right'arm, the star of her right
hand, the one in her left arm, and
many others, for there are sixty-six
stars, which bright and patient eyes
may see iu tuts cuusieiiauon.
Now, I suppose you wonid like to
know why poor Andromeda was left
chained to a rock. Well here is the
story.
She had a very vain mother. Cassi
opeia (whose star-picture, according to
astronomy, is also in the sky, north of
herdanghter.) She was beautiful, and
foolish to boast of it. That was what
made the trouble. She began to say
that she was more beautiful than Juno
and the sea-nymphs. The nymphs had
no idea of letting her talk in that way,
and they went straight to Neptune, the
god of the sea, and told him all abont
the matter. The sea-god was very
sngry, and determined to avenge the
insulted nymphs.
Terrible was the punishment that
overtook poor Cassiopeia. A great
flood began to pour its torrents over
the fields and homes of Ethiopia, the
kingdom over which her husband
Cephens was king. What was the poor
queen to do ? Her pretty face was dis
torted with horror and drenched with
tears. She sent to the oracle of Ju
piter Ammon to ask counsel.
When the ignorant heathen people
of those old times and lands were in
trouble, they nsed often to send to con
sult certain oracles. There were ora
cles at various places, where they
thought that gods talked with men, and
told thera of tilings that would come to
pass. Very nnsatisfactory the answers
often were, but then human creatures
must pray. Those people heard the
voice that the dear Heavenly Father
has put into all His children's hearts,
telling them to come to Him for what
they want ; bnt they did not under
stand to whom they were to go, and I
how very near he is, so, as I told yon, I
they sent to the oracles.
It was a fearfni answer that was
hronght back to the waiting queen. .
Neptune was not to be satisfied unless 1
the Princess Andromeda should be
given np to a horrid sea-monster that
had come with the flood. It seemed 1
very hard that an innocent girl must
snffer so cruel a death ; but as the
choice was between the loss of her one
life and that of the lives of many people
she was taken ont to a rock by the sea,
and left chained there, to be killed by
the monster.
Just as he was abont to seize her,
gallant youth, named Perseus, came ,
along through the air, and, seeing the
beautiful maiden, fell in love with her. '
He Lad just succeeded in very dan-
gerons experiment, which was no less
than that of killing a dreadful gorgon,
who had snakes in her hair, and who
had had a very disagreeable habit of
turning every one that she looked at
into stone. Perseus didn't dare to look
at her when he killed Ler ; Le looked at
her reflection in the bright shield that
he carried.
Yon may imagine that be felt very
brave after this feat. He had the gor
gon's head still in Lis band when he
came to the place where Andromeda
was. He bad on winged shoes, and
this was the reason that he could go
through the air as well as on the ground.
As I said, he fell in love with the
beautiful Andromeda ! bnt be was a
business-like yonng man, and be was
determined to have the bargain clearly
made before he released the lady. He
said he would save her if ber father
wonid promise to give her to him for a
wife. Of course the King said "yes."
for be felt badly enough to have the
prinoess in so piteous a plight. So
Perseus gave the seamonster a good
look at the gorgon's head, which, not
having lost its petrifying power, turned
him stone-dead.
Andromeda was already engaged to
ber uncle Phinens, who was in a great
passion when he fonnd thst be was to
lose her. He had fight with Per
seus ; bnt what was the use of fighting
with a man who had a gorgon's head at
into
Perseus and Andromeda was married
and "lived happy ever after;" and
when they died, they were turned into
stars and put into the sky.
Some people don't believe this story.
but there are the stars 1 SY. Xichotan
for March.
Tw Ways ! Hysnpatblslns.
Mr. Goldthwaite was much surprised
npon enteriug his comfortable sitting
room one bitter cold evenintr. to find
bis wife wiping the corners of her eyes
w nn the daintiest of cambric handker
chief9 Had she !een reading a novel
he could readily have accounted for
this, but she was only intent upon the
uaiiy paper, ami as mat uoes not usu
ally appeal to the tender emotions his
curiosity was excited, and he asked:
"Lucretia,dearest, what is the matter!
Don't you feel well this evening f
With along-drawn sigh Mrs. Gold
thwaite replied, I have just been read
ing of a family starving to death out in
Nebraska : its terrible ! The govern
ment ought to do something for the
relief of the sufferers."
"Perhaps we could do sometliin? for
them ourselves." said the gentleman,
reflectively. "But then there's no
knowing that it would ever reach
them."
"And even if it did. the little we
could give would amount to nothing
among so many. Oh! it a dreadful to
think of so much destitution. It will
drive me crazy if I don't have some
thing to divert my mind.
So saying, she took up the latest novel
and soon forgot the real sorrows of the
world in imaginary ones.
That sameeveiiingJohii Smith, sittimr
with his wife and children around the
evening lamp, read aloud tho same
heart-reiHling account of starvation and
suffering in the west. Before he was
half through Mrs. Smith exclaimed with
her usual energy :
"John, those jieople mnst not starve
while wo have plenty of everything;
something must lie done right away.
We can give something ourselves :uid
get others to help ns."
John replied, more cautiously, "We
are not rich. Mary ; 1 am afraid we can
ilo very little "
"No, we aren't rich, but we can share
what we have. I will get nil alpaca
dress instead of the silk one you prom
ised me, and put my name down for ten
dollars."
"Spoken like my own brave little
wife," said John, smiling. "I will make
my old overcoat last anothei winter and
put my name down for ten dollars
more."
Then twelve-vear-old Charlie canelit
the infection and sjHike up. "John lilake
offered to trade his new skates for my
old ones ami a dollar to boot, but I'll
keep the old ones and give you the
dollar." And licfore he had finished
Alice chimed in, "Mamma, mayn't I
give the fifty cents I earned hemming
Uncle Frank's handkerchiefs X"
There was something more than ap
proval in the mothers smile, as she
glanced from the elder children to the
little four-year-old in her lap and
asked :
"And what will Freddy give to the
poor little boys and girls out west t"
The little hoy looked first at his slip
pered feet ami then at a pair of new
Isiots on the floor which he had owned
for a whole day, and choking back a
sob hesaid manfully, "Mamma, wouldn't
they like to have Freddy's new boctsfr'
'I here were tears in her smile as she
kissed the eager, npturned face in re
ply, for though hoots would lie a poor
substitute for a breakfast, there was no
mistaking the generous heart of the
little giver.
Bnt Mrs. Smith did not stop there;
she talked the matter over with three
or four neighliors, then a meeting was
called and a committee appointed to
canvass the township. They worked
with a will, and at the end of two weeks
a large box of good, thongh half-worn
clothing (including Freddy's boots) and
three hundred dollars in money were
sent to the western sufferers. If every
eastern ncighliorhood would but do as
much no man woman or child in Kansas
or Nebraska need die of cold or hunger.
.uxorious Editorial Itoonis.
The Figaro each day is an epitome
of the most readable gossip. It seeks
to be nothing more and it fulfills its
mission admirably. It is a sensational
paper in a country of sensations. The
Fisaro is one of the best lodged, and
perhaps one of the best organized
newspapers in France. Its office in
the Rue Dronont is a miniature palace,
in which no appliance of comfort or
convenience is wanting. It stands
wedged in between the odd houses of
the street, a veritable gem of rmai
ance architecture. Yon enter' under
its frescoed portals and find yourself in
a vestibule that might for any diflerenee
in its arrangement lie the entrance to
some elegant private mansion. A mag
nificent stairway, half covered with
growing plants and statues, ascends to
the second story, where are the editorial
and the private offices of M. de Yille
messant, the presiding genins of the
paper. And such editorial rooms ! No
barnlike makeshifts such as I have seen
in America. Quiet little nooks for the
editors, stnffed arm-chairs for the re
porters, plate-glass, gildings, tapes
tries, and paintings everywhere. And
here, too, is the fencing-room, an ele
gant apartment hnng with jute tapes
tries ; it is an armory with as many
swords as there are editors, and here
each day from 3 to 5 o'clock a professor
of fencing comes, and each editor has
hia lesson. Boaton Adverl'mer.
How
I.ithography
wast ni-
covered.
' After the first triumphant performance of
M oiart's opera "Don Juan," at Munich, the
theatre was deserted by all except one man.
Alois SennefelJer had still much to do.
After seeing carefully around the stage,
that no sparks had ignited about the thea
tre, he retired to his little room to stamp
the theatre tickets for the following day.
As he entered the room he bad three things
in his hand a polished whetstone for
razors, which be fca'L purchased, a ticket
stamp noistened with printer's ink, and a
check on the theatre treasury for his weekly
pay. He placed the check on a table, when
a gast of wind took it, swept it high up in
his room for a moment and then deposited
it ia a basin filled with water. Sennefclder
took the wet paper, dried it as well as he
could, and then, to make sure ef it, weighted
it down with the whetstone, on which he
had before carelessly placed the printing
stamp. Returning to bis room on the fol
lowing morning, he was surprised to see the
letters of the stamp printed with remarkable
accuracy npon the damp paper. He gated
long at the check; a sudden thonght flashed
throaga hia brain ; he wondered if by some
such means be could not save himself the
weary trouble he continually had copying
the songs of the ehorns. That very morn
ing be west eat and purchased a larger
stone, and commenced to make experiments
and, as we all know, finally succeeded in
discovering the art of printing from stone
lithography.
The stem of the American wild rice ia
coming extensively into use aa a mate,
rial for paper pulp. The shores of the
Canadian lakes alone will furnish 100,
000 tons annually.
his service ? Fbinens was turned
stone, too, at sight of it
Talzar People.
Mr. James Parton, in his lecture be
fore the Liberal Club New York, said
Shakespeare was evidently a tory of
the old school, as he likened the clown
and the farmer to fools fitted only for
the jest of kings and princes ; and even
the common people, such aa the tailor,
shoemaker and baker, were treated
with marked contempt skilled work
men though they might be. They were
vulgar people in his esteem, aud he
made frequent use of them in his plays.
The late Horace Greeley used to think
differently. He thought that manual
labor was no disgrace. Lord Chester
field considered loud laughing one of
the worst features of vulgarity. Scott
thought it was vulgar to belong to any
chnrcn but the .bstabiisned Church.
uigaianty was to be noticed in a
thousand forms. Some women were
rude in their manners and especially
in their dress. At an evening party
yon may see them often decked ont in
what one would suppose were costly
trinklets jewels everywhere ; the set
complete and how much did the set
complete, cost ? the large sum of $11.
Well known German writers had con
demned shell-fish simply because they
Had understood the American people
ate so many of them that they lost tlieir
wits, and finished up their clam-bakes
th wild speeches, dancing, shouting.
and gouging ont each others' eyes.
Vulgarity could be seen every after
noon in Central Park. Dashing and
vulgar eqnipages could be seen there
after the style of Fisk and IlelmboM.
Some people had been guilty of many
acts ot vulgarity, it nothing worse, by
municipal gifts ; one in particular
William M. Tweed. He gave one
winter $10,1100 to the people of his ward,
after taking a ranch greater sum from
them. Such charity was very vulgar.
Then again there were some vulgar
clergymen, who, likeTyndall or Tlniley
or Carlisle, could teach yonng children
what they did not believe themselves.
For instance, be himself went into a
country church one day. and there the
clergymen was talking to a nura'ier of
children aliont the dclnge, as if ho be
lieved it This Illinois pastor knew he
was lying, and yet what should those
children think when they grow up ? A
gentleman not to be vnlgar, mnst be
pure, temperate and honorable. A
short time ago New York was nearly
swallowed np by foreign vulgarity
snch a time was never known before.
There were foreign politicians men
who wore diamonds here, there, and
everywhere, nntil diamonds were not
worn by any one else who did not wish
to be considered vulgar. New York
was turned upside down. The great
event was the Aaiericna Club ball.
There could lie seen miles of carriages
carrying vulgar people to that halL
Indeed it might well be said New York
was then at its lowest for the lowest
were at the top.
Parton evidently don't consider him
self vulgar, wherein be differs with a
great many.
A Vood Pleader.
"May it please Your Honor and gen
tlemen of the jury, the case is as clear
as ice and sharp to the point as "no'
from your sweetheart. The Scripture
saith, 'Thou shalt not kill ;' now. if you
hang my client you transgress the com
mand as slick as grease and as plump
as a goose egg ou a loafer's face. Gen
tlemen, murder is murder, w lift hcrconi
mitted by twelve jurymen or by an
humble individual like my client Gen
tlemen, 1 do not deny the fact of my
client having killed a man, but is that
any reason w hy you sliixild do so No
such thiug.geutlemen. You may bring
the prisoner in guilty, the hangman
may do his duty, hut will that exoner
ate yon f No such thing. In that case
yon will .111 lie murderers. Who among
yon is prepared for the brand of Gain
to lie stamped u)Mn his brow to-day f
Who, freemen who in this land of
lilierty and light I Gentlemen, I will
pledge my word not one of you has a
iMiwie knife or a pistol in li is pocket.
No, gentlemen, your pockets are odori
ferous with the Jicrfuniesofcig-ir stumps
and tobacco. Von can smoke the to
bacco of rectitndeiu the pipe of a peace
ful conscience; but hang niv unfortun
ate client, and the scaly alligators of
remorse will gallop through the inter
nal vvrtebra-, tiutil the spinal vertebne
if yonr anatomical construction is
tunied into a railroad for the grim and
gory gobiins of despair. Gentlemen,
beware of conimittingmiirder f lie ware
I say, of meddling with the eternal
liemgati ve ! lieware, I say. Kenienils r
the fate of thl man w ho attempted to
steady the ark, and tremble. Gentle
men,! abjure you by th manumitted
gliost of temporal sanctify to do no
murder! I abjure yon by the name of
woman, the mainspring of the ticking
timepiece of Time s theoretical trans
migration, to do no murder! I abjure
yon, by the love you have for the escu
lent and continental gusto of our native
pumpkin, to do no murder! 1 abjure
ywu, by the stars set m the Hying en
sign of your emancipated country, to
do no murder! I abjure you hy the
American eagle that whipM-d the uni
versal gamecock of creation, ami now
sits roosting on the magnetic, telegraph
of Time's illustrious transmigration, to
do mi murder ! And, lastly, gentlemen,
if you ever expect to wear long-tailed
coats, if yon ever expect free dogs not
to bark at yon, if you ever eicct to
wear lioots made of the free hide of the
Rocky Mountain buffalo, ami, to sum
up all. if you ever expect to Ink anything
but a set of sneaking, loaling, rascally,
cut-throated, braided small ends of
humanity, whittled down to indistiuc
tibility, acquit my client aud save your
country.''
The prisoner was acquitted.
A Pout-Owe Romance.
In 18P.5, in New York, a yonng woman
nsed to call every week for a letter ad
dressed "Miss Mary IL Kuasel, Post
Office." The regularity of her visits,
and her apparent unwillingness to give
any account of herself, elicited mnch
curiosity among the clerks, but their
inquisitiveness was never gratified.
Years passed, and gray hairs appeared
on the woman's head, but she made her
calls as regularly as ever, and the ex
pected letter always awaited her.
Nearly ten years have elapsed since her
last visit, but the letters still come ad
dressed to her, although the intervals
between them are longer than in the
old time.
The letters have been opened, but
they contain no cine to the identity of
either the writer or the recipient Kach
contains a five-dollar bill, with a few
lines of writing, to say when the next
remittance would be made. No address,
no date, no signature. The handwriting
is that apparently of a man feeble with
age, and another letter, with the usual
superscription, is at the present writing,
lying unopened at the post-office. Mary
H. Russell, an elderly woman ten years
ago, ia probably dead, the letters with
their contents are sent to Washington,
bufnoone can guess who theaunoy
mous writer is who so faithfully main
tained bis correspondence,
I said Happy New Year to the JuiTge
"And did he give you anything V "Yta
five years." Charivari.
Torrnv mi.rxv.
What Is the I'm ?
Whmf Ui th. n-. of trimming a Tamp
11 ym ifciat mlail to bKbt it
What m tlie nut- f enpi-ltiitf a wrong
it jihi ntTTer mleut to ntbl it f
WtaU Is th nse of rmorio Trmr hat.
If Ton in't miml U tarry
WriMi m th aMof wiMiin a nuM.
if y o nevrr intend to marrj
What is the use of birrim? a mat. ' ,
ll rt-u ! Q't intent) to war it
W hat ki the nm -i a hum. for two.
It you nwver tnteutl to .hare a r
What ia the ns. of yitherinr eohl.
It Ton do n4 intend to Iiti it
W hit i. then of punting a nll.
ll you never luUtutl to reap it t
What Is the ne of bnvirur a boor.
If yon ilon4 intriol to r-ml tl?
W hat m tin net of a cradle to you.
If you never etiet to use it
Skfino Mother. A lady was riding
one day in her carriage, among the
mountains, when they came najini an
old woman, with funny little hood on
her head and a stall in her hand, walk
ing all alone. She was neat and clean.
and her skin was soft and delicate, bnt
her hack was bent and she was barefoot.
The ladv saw she was shoeless, and
stopped the carriage. "Here is some
money," said the lady in a tender tone.
"What for ?" said the woman, look
ing np pleasantly.
"lo bny shoes for yonr feet Do
yon not want a pair of shoes ?"'
Ibo woman laughed a little low laugh
which seemed to come from a heart
tilled with simple, happy thonghts.
"I s'pose I do." said the woman.
"but I never didn't tbiuk of anybody's
erivinf Ik.m a ma "
"lake this bill, please, and buy yon
pair," said the lady.
"God bless and reward Ton I" an
swered the woman, heartily.
j. be carriage drove on. and the ladv
sank bank on the scat with tears in her
eyes. "Oh," said she, "I thonght 1
saw my own mother in that dear old
lady. She had inst such a sweet face
and pleasant voice. You don't know
now 1 felt when 1 thonght of m v mother.
old and feeble, walking with bare feet
over this rongh, rocky road."
If we all saw futheru and mothers,
brothers and sisters, in the poor, the
cold, and the hungry, what a world this
wonid soon be.
Tnn Dormouse. The sonirrel has a
distant relation, a kind of a third cou
sin once removed, well known nnder
the title Dormouse, and often seen in
cages, bnt not very frequently in a wild
state. This little creature is also one
of the hibernators, and has its warm
nest in a thick bush, mnch as a squirrel
has its domicile in a tree, where it
sleeps its time away throughout the
Winter.
Like the squirrel, too, it has its store
of food, not gathered into the earth,
but tnoked away into sundry nooks and
crannies in the neighborhood. The
amount of food which the dormouse
takes during the Winter, and the fre
quency of its awakening, depends al
most entirely on the severity or mild
ness of the season.
In a very sharp Winter the drowsy
creature wakes bnt seldom, and very
little of its store is consumed, and in
deed, even if the season should be mild
the inroads on the larder are bnt few.
The provisions are not gathered so
much for the Winter as for the first few
weeks of Spring, when the animal has
at last shaken off its long Wintry sleep,
and returns to its own lively habits,
natnre not yet having supplied it with
a sufficiency of food whereon to live.
Oru Boy's Own. Some time since, a
little boy, while at play in an orchard,
fonnd a scall owl which was disabled
so that it could not fly. ne brought it
carefully home, placed it in a large
cage, gave it plenty of water, and fed it
on various kinds of food, but princi
pally meat, of which it was very fond.
The owl was not much larger than a
pigeon, and of a yellowish-white color,
with rings of brown feathers round the
eyes. The beck seemed hardly large
enongh to admit a small cherry, yet
when a dead mouse was given him, he
swallowed it whole without apparent
effort I had often heard the saying,
"He looks as wise as an owl," but never
realized its truth before, lie wonid fix
his large, round eyes on me with a
steady, searching glance, which seemed
to read my inmost thoughts, and would
wink now aud then, in a most knowing
manner. He liked very much to have
his Lead scratched with the back of a
case-knife, and it was a comical sight
to see him enjoying the luxnry. He
wonid sit on the perch in his cage, with
bis big, rouud head bent forward to get
the full benefit of the scratching, and
would slowly open and close his eyes,
as a cat does when you gently stroke
her Lead. I paid him several visits
and became mnch interested iu him.
Fiirmvo Ftsn. In the East Indies a
species of fish is fonnd known as the
"lighting fish," and nsed by the natives
for sport much after the manner of
game cocks. It is said that when two
are placed in separate glass vessels and
brought near together, they will at first
watch each other closely from a dis
tance, "then, changing color and be
coming almost black, the gill covers are
opened ont and form a sort of collarette
round the Lead, giving the fish a most
curious apiiearance. The tail and fins
become phosphorescent in celor, as well
as the eyes, and are tinted with the
most beautiful hues." The fish then
try to get at each other, hut are pre
vented by the glass. When they be
come sufficiently angry, they are put
into one vessel, and tight fnrionsly,
striking one another rapidly with their
tails and fins until one or the other is
conqnered, when be turns a sort of
grayish while color and nses every effort
to get ont of the way of his conqueror,
often jumping ont of the water in his
endeavors to escape.
I worxp rather be the author of one
original thonght than conqueror ot a
hundred battles. Yet moral excellence
is so mnch snperior to intellectual, that
I ought to esteem one virtue more valu
able than a hundred original thonghts.
H'. .. CluU.w.
Hardfthipa.
A great many men, whatever may
have been their experience in life, are
accustomed to complain of the usage
they have received in the world. They
fill the ears of those who have the mi. -fortune
to be their friends with iaww
tations respecting their own troubles
But there is no man who is born Into a
world of trouble; and no man has ever
attained to anything like the full stst
nre of manhood who has not been
gronnd, aa it were, to powder, by the
hardships which he has encountered in
Ufa Tuis is a world in which men
were made, not by velvet, bnt by stone
and iron handling ! Therefore do not
grntnbft but conquer yonr troubles.
Eiorrr pounds of oxyg gas and enc
pound of hydrogen are combined in
nine pounds of water. -
TAKimKS.
No churc'u is too weak to take up a
collection.
Broken China. A eivil war is impend
ing in the celestial Empire.
Every pound of cochineal contains
70,000 insects, boiled to death.
Whalebone is reported scarce, and
the dress reformers are correspondingly
happy.
The worth of a State, in the long run
ia the worth of the individuals com
posing it
A man never gets hold of the real
gist of life till he begins to appreciate
his own company.
An eminent foreign doctor asserts
that the drinking of coffee invigorates
and preserves the sight and so pre
vents the use of spectacles.- Chocolate
is considered injurious.
It is said that a little coarsely -cut
gentian-root, well masticated, the aaliva
being swallowed, taken after each
meal, will soon take away all desire for
the chewing of tobacco.
Some of the poor-house authorities
in London have discovered a new
method of utilizing paupers. The
more picturesque are let out as models
to artists at 2o ceuts per hour.
In Belgium it is now no longer
necessary, when taking an oath before
a magistrate, "to invoke the saints and
angels." This relic of the medinval
ages has existed in that country nntil
now.
The great decline in railroad build
ing during the last two years, amount
ing to a difference of .I'.OiXr miles be
tween 1S72 and 1S71, involved the
throwing ont of employment 100,lK0
men.
Tn London they think more of onr
"Pub. Docs." than we do ourselves.
The solemn publications of the Govern
ment printing office bring very high
prices there ; as for instance, the Ite
ort of the Bureau of Statistics is sold
at- .". i" ; the report of the Commis
sioner of K.lm-ation $7.50 ; United
States Digest Sri.SO. These hooks cost
from "i cents to $l.2T in Washington.
Speaking of law books, a recent
lecturer on the subject said : "Another
peculiarity of these books is. that none
bnt a lawyer ever reads them. All
other books have readers outside the
class for whom they are specially writ
ten ; and we have accordingly, amateur
men ol science, amateur physicians.
amateur artists, and even amateur the
ologians, bnt no one ever heard of an
amatenr lawyer."
In 1775. the superficies of Paris was
about thirty million metres ; it is now
seventy-eight millions. A century ago
there were in the city at the most a
tbonsand streets, places, boulevards
and lanes ; there are now over three
thousand. The population in 1775 was
.V),000 and the inhabitants occupied
l'J.OOU nouses. To day it amounts to
nearly two millions in round numbers,
and there are 60,000 houses within the
municipality.
When spectacles were first introduced
it was considered fashionable to wear
them, even by people who were not in
the least near-sighted. In Spain they
formed part of the costume cf every
well-bred person. This absurd nse of
glasses was meant to increase the
gravity of the apearance, and conse
quently the veueration with which the
wearer of them was regarded. The
glasses of spectacles were proportioned
in size to the rank of the wearer.
Those worn by the Spanish nobles were
as large as one's hand. The Marqnis
of Antorga, viceroy of Naples, after
having his bust sculptured in marble,
particularly enjoined the artist not to
forget his beautiful spectacles.
The first Roman journal, over 2.IXK)
years ago, appeared only once a year.
This paper, intended especially to lie
read by the public, was known by th
title Aanalr. M'isimi. The editor of
this paier was the Pontrifex Maximns.
whose duty it was to chronicle all im
portant events of the year. The news
was written on white wooden tablets,
and attached to the residences of
citizens. But the thirst after knowl
edge and the curiosity of the people
grew rapidly, and in such a measure
that the government the only issuer ot
the journal, found itself obliged to
issue a daily. It is very interesting to
know that some of these journals, hav
ing reached 2,011 years, are still in ex
istence, A piano 'should be tuned at least
four times in tho year by an experi
enced tuner. If yon allow it to go too
long without tutiinr, it nsnaliy be
comes flat and troubles a tuner to get
it to stay at concert pitch, especially in
in the conntry. Never place the in
strument agninst an outside wall, or in
a cold damp room, particularly in a
conntry house. There is no greater
enemy to a pianoforte than damp.
Close the instrument immediately after
yonr practice, by leaving it ojien, dust
fixes on the sound board, and corrodes
the movements, and if in a damp room
tho strinrs soon rnst Should the
piano stand near or oppooite to a
window, guard, if possible, against it
lieing opened, especially on a damp
or wet day ; and when the sun is on the
window, draw the blind down. Avoid
pnlting metallic or other articles on or
in the piano ; such things frequently
cause unpleasant vibrations, and some
times injure; the instrument The
more equal the tcmpatnre of the room
the better the instrnmont will remain
in tune.
Amongst certain persons and the
class is rather a numerous oms thst
which is comfortable is unconsciously
considered to lie wrong, and objectless
self-mortification assumes the character
of a virtue. Such persons never wear
a topcoat, never hive a fire in their
bed-room, always shave with cold
water, break the ice in their tub of a
morning in order to bathe. They are
apt to boast of these feat , and to look
down npon their weaker fellow-creatnrea)
who do not imitate there. There is
probably a remnant of old ecclesiasti
cal terrorism in this, a trace of the
"hair shirt and no shoes" of the pil
grims, which is singularly ont of place
at the present day. In the matter of
the morning tub alone the absurdity is
well shown. Our boasting friends
loudly rejoice that they are not as other
men are the seasons makes no differ
ence to them as regards their morning
tub. Now, granted that the cold water
bath is a good thing, it must be re
membered that whereas in Summer
they immerse themselves in water
abont 2il deg; or 30 deg. cooler than
their blood, in Winter the difference of
temperature may amount as it has
dr ne. lately, to no less than SO deg. or
CO deg. Fahr. To be consistent they
sbnnUl raise the temperature of the bath
in Winter to that which it has in Sum
mer. As they are inconsistent they
suffer very often from mnscnlar rheu
matism. Lancet.