B F SCHWEIER,' -'V -, THE CONSTITUTION -THI PRION AND THS ENF0RC1UEST Of THI LAWS. ' v. ?'. ' ' Editor and Proprietor. VOL: XXXL : MIFFLINTOWN, JUNIATA COUNTY; TENXAi; WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 1S77. , XO. 9. - AT THE WINDOW. FXOJt TEX SOBQUAli Or f!CU . . i m. u. s-racnaaD. ' I saw Lim through, the window ' 'The new mfOn was in siht ' Come stealing down the garden. - Om W;tnj sniamer ui ;ht- He tnd cpon the wioJow ; : Give me a kirn." he id : And etraijjhtwaj I wa-l hidden. Like a littie mouse, in bed. One eve above the beJ-ciothus Was oh, so fast asleep Hut the other beneath 'twas lucky He Tvaa not there te peopl le called ajain, as eager As the a lag for cooling brooks, r the bee that in the Uie For golden honey look ! The silence of my chamber It aiutoot made me start For nothing there betrayed me, 1 JJnt the beating of my heart I - - He kMeoked and called, and called me. And Lis TOice, ao clear and sweet. It pulled away the bed-clothes. And stood me on my fuet ! It drew me to the window ; 'He must be gone," I thought ; , I laired the window softly. And, peeping out, was caught! Wis cangbt, and showered with kisses: llow many did be get ? As many as my bluehea. For I am Uuslung yet ! How it Was. "Folds of the silk and cream-colored roses. You will have tlie bats just alike, then " asketl Miss Lucinda Smith, mil liner. "Just exactly alike. It will please Heriuione, aud there is uotliing I like so well as to please my pretty step uiaiiniia," answered Liuly Thetford, lifting her weft eyes for sympathy to the precise countenance of Miss Lu t'iiitla. "Uuipb ! so you are very fond of her, Liuly? " "Yis, indeed ! She is my best friend since poor papa died, and being 80 near of an age we are consUut companions. 1 don't know what I should do if it weren't lor Hermione; Ryelands has . hanged so since papa's death." "You have Mr. St. Charles' company a great deai, I hear." A flash like sunrise dyed the beauti ful brunette face. "Of course; he is Hermioue's cousin, and and like a brother to uie," an swered Linly. stooping over a box of silk violets to hide her confusion. UinpU! yes well, it's all right, of coin se," r marked Miss Lucinda, pinch ing out a brier-leaf, and setting the lit tle rose more firmly ou its stem. "But didn't it ever occur to you that folks would talk:" "About what?" asked Linly, lifting her clear haz'.-l eyes to Miss Lucinda's protlle. "His lacing at Ryelands so much so sm after your father's death. Poor uiaa! dead but six months; I should think your stepmamma, as you call her, would have more respect for his mem ory than to" "Than to what!" asked Lti:ly, her bright oris growing large aud bright with indignaiion. "What have you to say against Hermione against my fat Iter's wife, Miss Lucindar" "Say oh, I say nothing. It's what other people are talking about. But 1 must add that it is strange you are so blind, Liuly. Xw I have knowu you since you were a child used to come to Kyelaiids every spring to make caps in your grandmother's days, aud your own mother always bought her bonnets i.f tue and you were always bright enough about other thing. It's strange you can't see." "What?" with, a thrill In the young voire. "Why, of course, your stepmother married your father for his money, and to have a home and position. She was only a district school-teacher, down in Marslitiel.l, when he married her, and even body knew she did pretty well lor herself w lien she married Dr. Thetford. Hut she wa, dead iu love with her cou sin, Rupert &t. Onirics, and ho with her; but they were poor, aaJ he work ing his way so slowly through college llutl she thought there wasn't much cliance there, and so gave him up for your father. And now he's a promis ing young lawyer, and she mistress of Ky elands, t Lai is so likely ? Lord, you ain't goii.g to faint, are you, Liuly ?" "Faint? No! The day is warm, and your store U close. It is foolish for me fcj stay here li-luiiing to this gossip. 1 do tot let 1 iu the leatit iudobUsd to jou for repeating it tome. Miss Lu riii.U. My U:.iiliti:1 sti-pmother loved my latb.T dearly when she married I. "nil live years .f tittt-r d. vol ion to his iuter'-i, kihI her crushing grief at his death piove.J it for me nor do I believe! she l.'Vi j any o.e t le wheu she mar ried him. And It" she chooses to marry j M r. St. Charles now, she is at liberty, 1 l'..r ai! i:i ii- l. vi!'..-;" and bowing with tire lart chi'.ily to Miss Lu cin ia, Linly lofi the shop. the ci-l air of the village streets .;. 1 Lit l.ur.ning clut-ks; but how l.r li.yal yi'iiiig luart ached in her l.i.rn ng it.-..ti ! .".! lor worlds would sin- hate had Miss I.iu-iiida confirmed iu In r si.piriii that she loved Iiiijert rl. t lisrl.s; but it was the cruel truth. He h:;s -o kind and flue iu his nature, so haiid-.uie and unsfHiiled by his rapid -u. ",n liff, no wonder the girlish lu-art wmhlj.prd him. She had never In-li. -Vfd that th-ie was anything be t i-;: thcc.ii-iu but cousinly kimlness ami Ir. e.io.n. f, jt pertiapn others knew I l;:i r; nut W tin "blind." j A f--liiigif bitter ilolntimi fell upon ' l.-r as sl.e ent r -d the broad gat. s of ; Kti iami, wiiij.ie her behtved lather,! t I. .-t- p. I sLe had aiwat f Iteen, had been j u riv I sv-:,rrrly half a Jear brfore. Sli j l"t. ,1 II, riiiii.ne, and ha believed that li-ri.iiii; h.vtd her ltet of ar.v thing in ' the urn i l, but ll0tt- i' st-uied as though j she tiu.i i... hnfiic in any heart. ; -it. i ; i " , .u;tMi i.. are Sultai - -; I s a :r I'.-r t.e Br tmt !i -: t t .ut'. p.i-i i::.leaJ of e-f. i,ii ti- UtI him, and she turned away from the door and took the garden path. The grounds of Kyeltnds were old and fine. The doctor's large practice and open-hearted hospitality had for merly kept much state here, but of late all w as very quiet. She saw no one, as her path wound among the shrubbery; but.acoa she heard voices, and pausing tu learn what direction they were In,-the"folIowIng conversation forced itself upon her:" "I hardiv know-hai to sav.'f ': "But, Hermlwrte. ?, surely ytu -trust meT" "Yes; enkktix,, But, Rupert, waits year. My hutbaniha been dead Mich a short time, and f shclnk front sui-li a resjKnsIble act, J f "1 cannot wait a year. You know how lonely I hare been, ad now that I love one woman with my whole soul and she is free,mud I can at last take care of a wffe sli'rciyi ;HermIone, you will not refuse?" "Poor Rupert, I love you so much, how can 1?" ' :: . r r "Then you give your consent?" "Ido." ' ' B.eathless and wild with pain, Linly tore htrself from the spot. Site Sought the house now, and Hoeing to her own room, cast herself across the bed, w rith ing with anguish. Last! Lost! They ad all left her ! She had not oue. The tea-bell rang; she did not heed it. Inquiring volot-s called her name; the covered her ears with her hands. Twilight and darkness filled the pretty white room; the whip-j oor-will's call came on the dewy air, aud the piano sounded softly in the room below. It was Hermione's touch, and Rupert Si. Charles was bending happily over "the woman he loved with his w hole soul," no doubt. Poor Linly ! She w Uhed she could creep Into her father's grave, and be out of the sight of their happiness. By-and by, in the stillness, she heard steps on the stairs. Was Hermione com ing? Yes, the doar opened, and Her mione's voice syllabled : Dear, are you here? Why, we thought you had not come from town." She advanced into the room, putting the light she carried under a shade iu the corner. "You have come home with a head ache, I know the day has been so hot; but you ought to have drank some tea. Linly, dear." The graceful fragrant form pressed the couch by the girl's side ; a tender arm stole around her neck. "I am glad we can be quiet. I have something to tell you. Did I hurt you, Linly, with my ring? Why did you wince so?" 'No, Hermione. no," feebly. "Linly, something has happened to day, whicli gives me great hoie and pleasure. Shall I tell you?" There was a little pause such a hard little pause. - "YeV "You have kuown my cousin, Rupert Su diaries, a year, and you feel quite well acquainted with him, do you nut?" "Quite well." "He is all Jie seems to be, Linly, I think you like him." Xo answer. "I hope you do, dear, for he is just w hat a young man ought to be honor able, pure aud steadfast and the wo man who has won his love is fortunate, indeed blessed, if she returns it for he will make a devoted hiksband. She could not have a better fate than be the wife of Rupert St. Charles." Hermione Thetford heard her step daughter's quickened breathing, but could not see her face. "I walked with him this afternoon in the garden, and surely, dear, your head must be very bad. I heard you moan." "Very bad. But never mind, Her mione." "He urged me to a promise which I was reluctant to give." "Yes." 'I hesitated to take the step he urged upon me, because your father has been dead such a short time, and others might think " "You need not care what others think if you are sure of your own feel ings, Hemiione." "It is because I am sure of them, Linly, that I at last yielded. 1 have kuown R'jjMTt from a child, and he is one in a thousand. So, dear, surely you will forgive me if you are averse to tlits " "Forgive? What should I forgive, dear Hermione." . . "I yielded, and gave my consent that he should tell you bis love, aud try to win yours, dear. For nothing could make me happier, my dear girl, than for you to marry my cousin." Hermione's voiee died away. There was no sound In the darkened chamber. She listened anxiously for Liuly' re sponse, but the girl realized nothing but the feelings of her own heart. "Will you speak, dear?" "What shall I say. Hermione?" "Are you pained or pleased by what I have told you?" "Hermione, I have been told that you and Rupert St. Challes used to love each oilier." "I have always lovej Rupert as a cousin nothing more. It was jour father whom I loved, dear, aud so you are next nearest my heart. I have promised Rupert to urge you to give him a little sign of encouragement, ami so he has sent you this blush-rose. If he may speak to you, wear it iu your hair when he comes to-night; if you have no hope for him, you need not see him at all, dear, as it may be painful to yon, and w ill surely dash his dearest hopes to the ground. So I w ill tell him as gent ly as possible." tirte me the rose. IleriniiMie unfastened the cool, frag rant thing from her own dark hair, and in the darkness saw it whiteness lifted to the girl's lips. "I w ill w ear it." Soon at Circleville all knew of Lin ly "a engagement, and this is the way it was. ' Daniel C. French, the sculptor of ...,, r 4M: fet I'Ut.ft'J, IT saw., ui jtt vurk iii V aihi..g:ii on a gn.cp reort n; IVve ami vt ar, lor tl.e St. Li -t. laii'T-. rt-.ii! Ilurse. The S:t(f, ; 14 ft rt hi h iitl, w ill b cut Iu givn'.l. ' 1 Caltrorailm Laaakcr riwnae. Lumber Humes In the Sierras are generally constructed - of planking, thirty inches ' wide and sixteen feet -long. - There are nailed together at the sides, making a shaped trough or box." They are then fixed in brackets, thus formiug a continuous channel for the passage of water which is let into the - flume from a diverted mountain stream. - In the flumes constructed two or three years ago but two brackets were used to a box. In those now build ing by the. Sierra Flume and Lumber Company, three are used, thus adding ti -the- strength of the flume. . The rapidity w ith which the '.lumber -is transported varies of course-with the fall. With a 9owu grade of one inch to the box (sixteen feet, or twenty -seven feet, to the mile, the( lumber travels from two or three miles per hour. With a grade of. two inches to the box, or fifty-five feet to- the mile, the. rate is about trebled, and the increased velccity is in a similar ratio where the grade is augtneitted. Thus grade of live or six inches to the box eusures a velocity of from IS to 30 miles per hour. On the Blue Ridge division the thirty miles from the mountains to the dump on the Sacramento River is made in about three and a half hours. . Ou the Chico branch lumber put in at the Arcade mills reaches C'hico, a distance of 40 miles, in less than four hours. As showing the capacity of this kind of transportation, I may state that during the past season the Chico flume has carried over it an average of. 110,000 feet of lumber daily.- Ot course it is necessary to have men constantly en gaged iu watching the flume to prevent the lumber from bunching, as it is called. For Litis purpose a walk plank is constructed its entire length. But an ingenius contrivance does away with much of the labor formerly necessary to keep the lumber in motion and pre vent its blocking the Annie. It consists of a sluice gate which occurs at inter vals on the line of the flumes, and which is operated by simply moving a handle. The water is thus turned from the reg lar flume into a siding, without any grade, when the lumber is rendered motionless. Men are stationed who take up the lumber which has bunched and throw it over into the regular flume to commence the Jouruey anew. Pan Franciitu HulUtin. Marriage. But marriage, it comfortable, is not at all heroic. It certainly narrows and damps the spirits of generous men. In marriage a man becomes slack aud self ish, and undergoes a fatty degeneration of his moral being. It is not only when Ladgate misallies himself with Rosa mond Yincy, but when Ladislaw mar ries above him with Dorothea, that this may be exemplified. The air of the fireside withers ont all the fine wildings of the husband's heart. He is so com fortable and happy that he begins to prefer comfort and happiness to every thing else on earth, his wife included. Yesterday he would have shared his last shilling; to-day "his first duty is to his family," and is fulfilled iu large measure by laying down vintages and husbanding the wealth of an invalua ble parent. Twenty years ago this man is equally capable of clime or heroism ; now be is fit for neither. His soul is asleep, and you may speak without con straint; you will not wake him. It is not for nothing that Don Quixote was a bachelor, and Marcus Aurelius married ill. For wotaen there is less of this danger. Marriage is of so much use to a woman, opens out to her so much more of life, and puts her in the way of so much more freedom and useful ness, whether she marry ill or well, she can hardly miss some benefit. It is true, however, that some of the merriest and most genuine of women are old maids, and that those old maids, and wives who are unhappily married, have often most of the true motherly touch. And this would seem to show, even for the women, some narrowing influence in comfortable married life. But the rule is none the less certain; if you wish the pick of men and women, take a good bachelor and a good w ife. 1 am often filled with wonder that so many marriages are passibly successful, and so few come to open failure, the more so I fail to understand the principle on which people regulate their choice. I see women marrying indiscriminately with staring burgesses and ferret-faced white-eyed boys, and men dwell In con tentment with noisy scullions, or taking into their lives acidulous vestals. It is a common answer to say the good peo ple marry because they fall in love; aud of course you may use and misuse a wor.'.jts much as you please, if you have the world along with you. But love is at least a somewhat hyperboli cal expression for such lukewarm pre ference. It is not here, anyway, that Love employs its golden shafts; be can not be said, with any fitness of lan guage, to reign here and revel. Indeed, if this be love at all, it is plant the poets have been fooling with mankind since the foundation of the world. And you have only to look these happy couples in the fare to see they have never been iu love, or iu hate, or iu any other high passion, all their days. When you see a dish of fruit at a dessert you some times set your affection upon one par ticular peach or nectarine, watch it with some anxiety as it comes around the table, and feel quite a sensible dis appointment when it is taken by some one else. I have used Uie phrass of "iiiih passion." Well, I should say lliis was about as high a passion as generally leads to marriage. Oue hus band hears after ma rtage that some poor fellow is dying of his wife's love. "What a pity!'' he exclaims; "you know I could so easily have got an other!" Aud yet that is a very happy union. Or again: A young man was telling me the sweet stories of hU loves. 'I like it well enough as long as her sis ters are there,' said this amorous swain ; "but I don't know what to do w hen we're alone." Once more: A married lady was debating the subject with an other lady. "You know, dear," said j the flrt, 'atu-r ten year of ui.irlage, if he i iiothieg el-. . ur l:c.ban-l is, a!:ysuoldirit:td.""I have mary eld ! frici.da." returned theothu ; "butlpre-' fer them to be nothing more." "Oh ! perhaps I might prefer that 'also!" It must be owned the god goes among us with a limping gait and blear eyes. You wonder whether it was so always; whether desire was always equally dull and spiritless, and possession equally cold. I cannot help fancylug most people make, ere they marry, some such table of recommendation as Hannah Godwin wrote to her brother William about her friend Miss Gay. It is so charmingly comical, and so pat to the occasion, that I must 'quote a few phrases. "The young lady is In every sense formed to make one of your UUpo sition really happy. She has a pleas ing voice, with which she accompanies her musical instrument with judgment. She has au easy politeness in her man ners, neither free nor reserved. She is a good housekeeper aud a" good econo mist, and yet of a generous disposition! As to her internal accomplishments I have reason to speak still more high ly of them ; good sense without vanity, a penetrating judgement, without a dis position to satire, with about as much religion as my William likes, struck me with a wish that she was my William's w ife." That is about the tune pleasing voice, moderate good looks, unim peachable internal accomplishments, after the style of the copy-book, with about as much religion as my William likes; and then, with all speed, to church.' To deal plainly if they only married when they fell iu love, most people would die unwed ; and among the others there would be not a few tumul tuous households. ' The lion is the king of beasts, but he Is scarcely suitable for a domestic pet. . In some way, I sus cct ove is rather too violent a passion to make in all cases good domestic sentiment. Like other violent excite ments, it throw s up not ouly what is best, but what is w orst and smallest in men's character. Just as people are malicious in drink and brawling, and virulent under the influence of religious feeling, some are moody, jealous, and exalting when they are iu love, w ho are houest,downright, good hearted fel lows enough in the everyday affairs aud humors of the world. Cornhill Jfagnzine. rearleeat Little Tain-. Life is mainly made up of trirlrs. A pin-hole will in time sink a large ship. A small saving jter day or week will speedily amount to a large sum. An extra production of a small thing, as an extra egg per day or w eek, a good hill of corn in each row, a "bnshel of wheat, or corn, or potatoes, extra per acre, will iu the course of years luakerj oue conifoitably rich, or what maybe better, will bny many convenient or useful thingas oue goes along, and surd extra production is easily secured by trifling thought, care or labor. To il lustrate what the wreklg savin, or the extra production will amonnt to in -a tiitijle year, we wiect the following com mon items: I K;z a we.-k ot 3Te p.'r .lor (ft W kaTRs a wee ai lsv r""rJ ' 1 ii a?at a wrfic al; pt-r i.u 1 IV utst'orn a werk .a( fitjc pt-r bi 1 til 3 qis Torn a week at Sse pr tu 1 1 X qis Poiaities a wet k. at per I.u .. 1 a 4 qis Pt.lau.et a werk. .at per r.u... 1 6i 1 tulil'aei wt-ek at 3c pVr heat!.... 1 M IV qisMllK a week at He per quart.... 1 M nz Butter a week at air per piaind.. 1 as I. pail Out a week at M.X PT U-u 1 v l ti oi wtHMi a week....ai at per corn.... S rt of Wood a week at 2 prr roid X V Sti;ar a week-..at 1' per rmu1 . m Tea a week at S4c -r poiiuti. ut I'ottee a week....at 'iic ;-er pound. 1 iO0tau:p a week" utSceuls.. 1 pir cifc-ar a week.. ..at Scents Tuta! tii 17 A practical suggestion is that any one of the above items savtd or produced extra, will just attout pay for this pa per a whole year which will place be fore your family over fourteen columns of reading, contain rnultitudesof Lints. carefully gathered and prepared, that can hardly fail to lie of use to yourself and others in developing thought, and suggesting modes of doing many things. Would it not be well to pass the above along to your friends and neighbors at this time f Bel ns; Hetl. A great deal of the calling and twit tering and my-dearing have no more real connection with' sociability than the flowers aud feathers on a woman's hat have with her head. They are purely artificial, and tacked on by the milliner. There is a vast deal of social millinery, however, which passes for Nature's hand work; and people are often praised for their fine social quali ties merely because they are adepts in the art of saying pretty nothings by the hour, and exhibiting themselves in other peoples' drawing rooms in an en tertaining way. And on the other hand, those who are eminently social in nature and spirit are often con demned as unsociable because they say little, and do not care to exhibit them selves and turn their hearts Inside out for other people to admire. Perhaps they are deficient iu the graces of cul tivated society; they may not have the gift of rapid utterance or repartee; they may find it hard to intrude their thoughts and feelings upon others whil? more variable natures make the air vocal with their incessant buzz. Be hind their reticence, and beneath the di-guise of modest and unattractive ways, are all the clemunts of the truest sociability, which it requires but the least penetration to discover aud the fit occasion to bring out. Being sociable ' requires something more than ceaseless chattering and gad ding about. It requires the culture and expression in all proper and helpful ways of those thoughts aud sentiments which are unselfish, generous, sympa thetic aud humane. It means a perva. ding interest in others and the general good. It means the lively commerce of mind, aud communication of heart with heart, by listening as well as speaking; by large resiecuvely as wall as generous giving. And this sociability is just w hat is wanted to redeem our social intercourse and make our com ing together helpful, stimulative, and ennobling. twJtlTitied Weancau Sheridan said, leautilully : "Women govern us; let us render them perfect. The more tbeyareeiilightened,so much tne mere anati we nr. va Uie tuuiva-; tion cf the niiml of w omeu dei-end the J w'.adtiu of Dieu. It is by women thatj nature it rites ou the hearts of men " I Hemes for the Birds. Several years since we were so situ ated as to be able to rear from the cest some of our native birds, and the ex perience so obtained gave ns ideas which may be useful and interesting to our readers. The occupation is not only most delightful, but is useful as well. Pleasaut it mast prove to su.ll, and use ful to many. In no way can an incipi ent naturalist better acquire correct idea of the habits of many of onr feathered friends, and aside from its usefulness in this respect, a more pleas ant engagement, and more sympathetic and affectionate pets, it would be hard to fiudT Of coarse, time and place are important factors, which oppose them selves to many who may be desirous to start ob a venture. One must be a ru ral inhabitant, in the first idace; no suc cessful private aviary could le kept op in a city, fiesh air,'eunshine, and near ness of healthy food being requisites. Time to devote to onr birds, particu larly while growing, is especially nec essary. We have sometimes given food to very young birds as often as every hour of the day. , This is, perhaps, not absolutely essential, but the aim should be to follow nature as closely as possi ble, and parent birds in their native state devote almost their w hole day to progeny when quite young, excepting perhaps the two hours of noonday heat. You must remember that you stand wholly in loco parentis to the nestlings, and should make yourself entirely fa miliar to them. As to the cwnetructioo of the abode, naturally it depends on your allotted space. . Of course the larger the better.. The sides and top of the aviary should be of wire netting, that of half inch square much the best; the shape square, built on a wooden platform, elevated an inch or more from the floor of the room, and placed on wooilen castors so as to be movable for purposes of cleaning away the dust which will accumulate underneath it. The platform or floor Bhould extend beyond the sides of wire a foot at least we are speaking of an aviary seven or eight feet square to catch sand and feathers that are scattered about ; Uie floor sliould be covered with sheet zinc, and coarse sand strewn npou this to the depth of an inch. It seems to ns hardly practicable in so small an a Hair, costing not more t'10, to make arrange ments for nesting, and more elaborate provision would be necessary for such an undertaking. No deciduous trees can be kept alive iu an indoor aviary, as the birds will soon strip them en tirely of their leaves. We bhould sug gest a full branched, leafless tree of small size, for a centre piece, aud as many evergreen shrubs, aibor-vitie. spruce, etc., as possible, both within aud without upon the projection of the platform, to give seclusion aud places of concealment for the inmates. A low door, say four feet in height, should be cut ou one side for ingress aud exit. Now, with what birds can we popu late tLeir future lioine. Those most easily reared ate such as we see most abundant about us tiie robin, bluehhd wood tbrusli, brown thrasher or red thrush, golden winged woodpecker, Baltimore oriole, red-winged blackbird, bobolink, and vat ions birds of the finch tribe. All of the above are reared from the nest with little dilticulty. While young, the greater variety of food given the birds the better they will thrive. For the thrushes some portion should be animal food. Worms and miuct-d meat together, with biscuit crackers soaked in milk or water, Indian meal, fruit and vegetables in season, straw berries, cherries, young green peas etc. For the oi ioles,bitsof raisins, figs, green peas and fruits. Prepared mocking bird food can be purchased at any drug gist's, and is a good diet for almost auy bird. During the winter, worms aud fruit are scarce or wanting, and at this season your birds may be fed on minc ed meat, Indian meal, the piepared food and canary seed, for auy finches you may have, as indigo birds or song sparrows; raisins and tigs should never be wanting. The bluebirds, thrushes, hi-hoies, make the most congenial pets, and often in years gone by have we stood the delighted center of an inter esting circle of the above birds, per forming in most approved fashion the olliceof parents to them, woodjieckers creeping up the quasi tree-truDk, our body, bluebirds sitting jauntily on shoulder, head or arm. robins and thrushes clinging to whatever foothold they could reach, and with quivering wiugsand plaintive appeal beseeching for a mouthful of their morning fare. Forest &i Strtant. Buaalaa Hlrontnolds the Bliwk Sea. A contributor ot the Alljremeine Zei tung gives some information as to the fortifications on the shores of the Black Sea. The first of the. naval fortresses in southern Russia U Nioolaieff, and no pains have been spared to make it as strong as possible. The extensive ar senals and ship-building yards are In cessantly employed in producing the requirements of naval warfare, and Nicolaiefl now possesses depots of am munition and a park of artillery which will enable the director of the coast de fences to strengthen auy required poiut at very short uotice. The entrance into the Bay of Kherson, from which one passes into the Bug Linian, and then to Nicolaieff, is defended by two naval forts. The first of these, Oicbakoff, Is ou the Bcssarabian coast, and is tolera bly protected ou the west by swamps; the other Is Kiuburu, lying opposite on the Nogai steppe, and surrounded by creeks and canals. From Otchakoff to Odessa along the coast is about eighty versu. OJessa is surrounded bv a series of fort iti cat ions which extend toAker maun, on the Dnelster. This chaiu of works, armed w ith guns of heavy cali bre, supplemented by submarine torpe does, would make an attack from the sea very difficult. But the line of de fence extending from OJessa to Nico laieff has oue weak point, at Perekop, where the Crimean peninsula is connec ted with the Nogai steppe. The whole of the northern aud western coast of the Crimea is almost unprotected, thongh Russia has little to fear on that side, a-f any invading army which wished to circumvent the line of fortification be. twecu tnl-;s.-a and . L-..!uii IT would be j obliged torro-i the Uiinuus of lVreLop. Wheu the Tartar iu'el nver the Tau- I rian peninsuU tcy blocked thl-i Uth- ' mus with a huge wall, similar to that of Trajau in the Dobrudscha, and forti fied the adjoining hills of Kara-Djanai, Kulla, Utch-Djilga and Urmemskol-ba- zar. This wall has now been repaired, armed with guns, and -protected by in- trenchments. The southern coast of the Crimea has also been strongly fortified. Large sums have been expended in strengthening the works round Sebas topol. Torpedoes have been laid down in the bay of the Teller nay a, and also at Cape Kbersonene and Balaklava, which harbor is protected by a fort. There are other fortifications at Sudak, in the bay of Takkieh, near Feodosia, and on the hill of St. Elias near the lat ter towu, which is als protected by tor pedoes in .the bay above mentioned. Kertch Is. fortified by works the western extremity of the peninsula of Tainan, on the hill of Takil, at Kertch ilself, and at Yenikaleh. , Cape Fanar. on the other ..side of the Kiuuuerian Bosphorus, is also to be fortified. On the Caucasian coast the following named are the principal forts: Djemi ter, Novorosiskaya, Geleudtchik, Ten pinsk, Lazarevsk, Golovinsk, Doucha, Soukhoum, Kaleh, llori, Bebout Kaleh, Poti and Nikolaya. ( An Idle Word. How inadvertently spoken, and yet how frequently with serious aud pain ful results? How many hearts has an idle word severed how many broken ? For true is It that a thoughtless expres sion will make a breach between those that fate, in its visitations, could not divide; hearts that would have strug gled together through the storms of life, that would have clung to each other for strength when its bufietings had almost overwhelmed them that would have braved all the changes of fluctuating fortunes, and still see in their own un changing love a gleam of brightness through the blackest cloud. And yet au Idle word one has separated hearts like these. The breach once made, others step in to make it wider and wider; false pride, mistaken feelings, the sudden bitterness the heart eau feel even toward those it loves, all aid the work of cruelty; the distance increases day by day, until, finding it impossible to return, like the wrecked mariner, they give up iu despair, and sit down to mourn over their fate, careless, it seems, whether they live or die. And this is not the romance of youthful affection, though there is perhaps mori' suffering from the early disappointments of the heart than the more serious ones iu after life produce. No, it is witnessed in the experience of every one; in the friendships of life, iu the family circles, in business; what misunderstanding-, what ruptures, what bickering, strife and irreconcilable differences, have arisen from one idle word; It may have been sokeii in jest, in a spirit of levity, in an attempt to be witty, or it may have been said innocently or inadvertently, with no motive and no intent, and still, for some cause of w hich you were to tally ignorant a certain party applied the remark, and in a moment a fire brand was kindled. Jokes are danger ousarticies to play with; they are a sort of mouth grenades that are apt to ex plode before you are aware of it. A joker should understand their nature, and the naturs of his company well, before he introduces them. lie may suppose they will recommend him to favor, but he is frequently mistaken. The man who labors to be witty, loses his breath and is considered to have rather a weak mind. Never was there a truer sentence written, and oue which view it In every way, must result in the same conclusion, that "A silent tongue showcth a w ise head." Teaching the Baby. Yoit must take your baby jnst where he is now, not much more than a little animal, aud educate his physical nature so rapidly developing. For instance, he Las just reached the climbiug age: every chair and a stool is a worry to you, aud a pair of staits is a perpetual terror. Now show him how to get up and down the stairs, how to place his feet when climbing up into chairs. Lit him tumble a little; it w ill only make him more careful. It is but a foretaste of the hard schooling which experience gives us all our lives. Better a little fall with you close by to stop it at the right place, than a great oue when you are "off guard" some day. (Remember that too, when he is in his teens.) But I beg of you, if you want to see him grow up active, strong-limbed and agile, do not keep his white dresses too clean, nor tie his sashes after the pres ent uncomfortable fashion, so that be isn't conscious of any legs above his knees. Then, let him feed himself. He'll make a miserable mess of it at first, but protect him well with bib and tin tray, and hell soon teach his spoon the way to Lis mouth. Let him burn his fingers a little some day when the stove is not very hot; he wont touch it when it would be dangerous. Scribner. fitftllarlty. There are one or two proverbs that contain more truth than falsehood ; and one of them, unhappily, is that famil iarity breeds contempt. Though mys tery Is a good key, it is a bad lock ; it does very well to open the door of a heart, but it Is by no ineaus well adap ted to keep it safe aud secure. This must be done by sheer strength ; and of sheer strength, ovir-much talk about love and art, and the youthful affecta tions of loug locks aud mild wicked ness, are in no w ise symptoms at least not of the sort of strength that is re quired to hold forever a woman who has opened her eyes to the fact that the good things of the real world are by no means to be despised. Hew Te Makes Fickle. Take your youngest male child when alniul three years old. Let him have everything he wants; let him make as much noise as ever he likes; let him eat and diink as much and whatever he has a fancy for; give strict instructions to his father, his big brothers, visitors aud servants that he is never to be pan ished iu any way for anything he may do, aud never even contradicted in any thing he may say. By the lime be ar-i rives at the sweet g"5 of seven, four j youngest male child wilt be a Yry nU pickie. I freack Laad-Owaera. In France, au areaahcut half as large again as the United Kingdom is owued by nearly 5,5.00,000 proprietor of agri cultural land, of whom 3,fO0,O0rt of of peasant farmers own one third of the w hole area, with what result is every day becoming better know n aud more fully recognized in this country. The industry aud thrift of these peasant owners are marvelous, and spread their effect through the whole society of France. The gross farming produce per acre of France may not be so great as In England, but this is equally observable when comparing the large farms of France, of which there are more than 130,000, w ith the large fainn of this country. - As compeared with the small farmers of France, hiring Ihe land -of titers, the small owners unquestionably are vastly letter iu every respect, and they hold their own even beside the large farmers. There may be some de fects In the system ef smtiil owners; the process may be carried too far iu France; but at least it has raised the status of the lower classes there, has almost abolished pauperism in the rural districts, and has endowed the people with such uni versal habits of thrift as are almost un known in the people of the same class la this country. It is not the fact, as commonly stated, that the peasant pro prietors of France are loaded ith debt; the average mortgages on these farms are known to be no more than 10 per cent, on their value; while the best evidence that they are abletoaceumulate money, is to be found in the tact that the peas ants have been the main subscribers to the great loans w hich have been raised in France, and that at the present time the French debt to the amennt 1000, C00,000 of our money, is held by 4,0tO, C X) of persons, while British Consols to the amount of i.700.000,000 are held by not more than 250,000 persons. It will be said, of course, that the climate and soil of France differ from England so much that no comparison can be drawn between them. This may be admitted as regards the central and southern parts of France, w here the cultivation of the vine and olive is specially suited to peasant owners; but its northern and western provinces are in no way difier en t from the greater part of England. The garden of France Is unquestionably Normandy, the climate and soil of which difier in no essential quality from those of the south of England, and which es pecially resemble such counties as Kent and Somersetshire. Iu Normandy there is a greater variety iu the ownership of property than in any other part of France; large estates with resident owners are numerous, but still more so are small properties ; there are Immense number of pei-ant proprietors, but they do not monopolize the laud as iu some parts of France. "If I had to point out tue happiest part of France," says Mon sieur de Lavergne, "I should not hesi tate to select Normandy." Population there increases slowly in proportion to wealth; while its wealth has increased fo..r-fold since 1TS3 its populatiou has Increased by one-third ouly. In many rural commune's there is not a single pauper. The writers adds : "La phipart tUt Snrnmnd a'oitf pat Iu Halihua, mat Hi pratiiiuent itutiuctiteuttHt sea coMKiU." The case of Normandy is especially in structive, as it shows what Is the result of a happy combination of every vari ety of large owners and small owners, of land farmed by tenants, and of peas ants farming their owu laud. Ia the more northern provinces of France property is even more divided, and gives admirable results, though perhaps the net produce after taking into account the number of cultivators is not so srreat. Fortnightly Eeriew. Taa InsMlat'tua efBreslaa. Yes, many old tilings have passed away even iu Breslau, but many still remain iu this transition period, so that the picturesque and the antique have not wholly vanished. First aud fore most come the hearsts, horses and hearse are still draped in black; a beadle with severe mien and three cornered hat, walks in front; aud such melancholy strains as are discoursed discoursed is the proper term by the musicians, that the deceased, in whose honor the display is arranged, is to be congratulated that he does not hear the sweetly soothing, nerve - exciting strains. The goose still remains the tutelary divinity of the town. It is no wouder that the animal has become grossly conceited, and its countenance is far more prepossessing than that of a New York goose. The Breslau animal is conscious of the fact that he receives extra attentions from the cook, and decks the dinner-table in every variety of form and preparation. The animal is held in such estimation that it is fairly worshipped in winter mouths, and after February the era of stuffed geese begins. Naturally throughout w i liter the streets w ituess many a goose chase, and it is a common thing to see boys, men, and women carrying geese in their arms, or tied to their shoulders; sometimes the animals are secured in baskets, and sometimes they are held tied together In the hand. But in all cases can be heard such a cackling of geese, barking of dogs and shouting of bystanders that the pen is unable to de scribe the scene. The rrekakliiilee at atrkaees. Dr. Reginald Sor.they has recently been delivering a course of valuable lec ture on "Individual Hygiene," iu London, and iu one he introduced a table of "Expectations of Sickness," which he had prepared, and which is S3 follows; At twenty years of age calculate on four days of sickness, yearly. At twenty to thirty, five or six days. At forty-five, seven days. At fifty, niue or tuu days. .At fifty-five, twelve or thirteeu days. At sixty, sixteen days. At sixty-five, thirty-one days. At seventy, seventy-four days. Of course this refers to people of ave rage good health, and not to those w ho may be affected with an irrad cable or llliu.liC SkiitUCllt. It Is fated that t!te Ontr! R-:l-ro.u(. hut expvnded over i .,) during January .u paying itiow-ahuveirt,. H1WS Cf Bsn Wlltlamsport, Pa., is furnishing a colony for settlement In Texas. ' An expert Chinaman iu New York can rattle oft 3,5uOvigars a day. Whalebone which formerly sold for eleven cents a pound, U now worth 2. .The .Jubilee singers whoare- now in England have earued $40,00 Jon the , present trip. ' '. The Schutijic American estimates that the East river bridge will cost twenty millions. There are one hundred aud twenty prisoners in the Charleston, S. C, jail. Only twelve of them are white. - The four hundredth anniversary of the introduction of printing into Eng land is to be celebrated in Loudon next June. The catch of smelt J This winter on the Massachusetts eoast is the best ever known. Some ot these fish weigh as much as half a pound each. The fund for the family of Hay wood, the baak cashier who was mur dered at NorthfiekLMinn.. has reached $17,000. " , . "In a Cambridge, Mass., evening school, is a man of at'tr-seven learning te read, and one of forty working at arithmetic. " The: losses- br fire" ia the United States during 1876 were $tsl,6J0,X. The losses iu Massachusetts amounted to $5,481,400. It is proposed to enlarge the Lou don Zoological Gardens. The collection contiuually increases, and the authori ties contemplate several new buildings. The Minnesota farmers have taken hold of the business of planting trees In earnest. Over ten millions of cuttings were set out during Uie past year, most of which are doing well. Forty thousand volumes Is the esti mated annual increase of the grand li brary of Paris. The whole number of volumes now In the library is, by the latest report, 2,157,571. Minneapolis, Minn., put about l,000,0t0 into buildings last year. Thu flour mills there turned about 5,500,000 bushels of wheat into 1,100,000 barrels of flour. Baltimore's city hall has already cost over two and one-half million of dollars, aud an additional outlay of $300,000 is about to be made for the im provement of one of its fronts. . A nnmber of gentlemen, residents of the Pari tie coast, have formed a com pany with a capital of $10,000,000, gold coin, to get out lumber in Alaska for ship builuiug and other purposes. General Hawley, president of the late Centennial Exhibition, has, accord ing to rumor, been teuderel the presi dency of the American Commission to the l'aris Exhibi:ion iu 1378. Miss Kate Field has returned to the editorial profession. She is regularly engaged upou the staff of that literary aud political Weekly, The Fxumiuer, i i Lonuoti. The executors of Uie late Duke of Gal'iera have paid iu oue cheek the enormous sum of JtlOO.OOn sterling, pro hate duty on his property in France alone. . Lancaster county, Pennsylvania, proOHes to honor the memory of Robert Fulton by making a ten-acre park, and erecting in it a coltssal statue of the in ventor. The Louisiana orange crop of last ye.ir is estimated to have been 32,0OO,Out o. nges, which would represent about 70,000 trees, and worth about $200,001) ou the trees. . A collection of old eltx-ks aud other bric-a-brac made by the late Sylvester Konaflon, of Philadelphia, at a cost of $50,0u0, was recently sold at auriiou for $4,803. Queen Victoria is given to small lib eralities. She recently sent a pound sterling for the pour people ot MelhoM, when the Lancaster estate tttere yields her an income of about ,0"0. But 11 miles of railroad were built in Iowa last year uiue by the C hieagu, Clinton and Western, carrying the line it to Iowa City, and two by the Daveu port aud Su Paul company. J. C. Jacobson, a wealthy Copen hagen brewer, has given a million of crowns to his Government for the pro motion of mathematics, natural science, the science of language, history, and philosophy. John F. Chamberlain, well known to the sporting world as the keeper of a tir-.t-cla.-s gambling house iu New York and also at Long Branch, has gone into bankruptcy. 11 is liabilities are $215,uoo and his assets $1 7,1 X). In the early part of the present cen tury John Alsop, a rich, eccentric Englishman, left his daughters as a legacy, their weight iu oue pound bank notes. When weighing day came the eldest got 151,200, the youngest 150,344 . Joseph Bonaparte had a farm Iu New Jersey, and the descendants of Murat in Florida. Prince Xapuleou sojourned for a time in New York, and Garabaldl kept a soap boiler's shop ou Stalcu Island. Sunday school uewspajiers have be come fashionable at the antipodes. One of these iu China has 3,000 subscribers, twenty-live of whom are mandarins in the city of Nankin, and it is suppose.! the paper is read by Ulty of thalt-lass. The old fort at Marblelu-ad, Mass., built during the war oi tiie Revolution tor the protection of Salem harbor is now garrisoned by a large bull terrier. He never strays beyond the line of earth works, and is so fierce that all w ho ap proach the fort are compelled to beat a hasty retreat. The bride at a wedding recently celebrated iu Wareham, Ma-s., was a first cousin of the bridegroom's dece.tsel first wile, one of the bridesmaids was a daughter of the bride and wife of one,. the grooms, who was a son of the bri I. groom, while the other bridesmaid wa ft daughter of the groom ami w il'e of a sou ol the bride. Tiie I'iryini-J (New) Enterx-mr t Jan. 3., acknow le.gt-s the receipt trout the Mt. Pleasant fruit ami berry rant iit New CasUe, Placer county, Cal., .f -box of fruit coutaiuing luscious straw berries, grow n in the open air, am! rarer still at this season of the tear fresh, ri tomatoes, with the blot.t i still clinging to theut. The J-Airiuil of OtMiMTt-e states thai the largest gold piece iu England is the five sovereign piece. Weighing 2i pwts lti1, grains; tiie largest in France, the ltaj franc piece, weigning i'J7.742 irain, and worth in our money $r..2"JSC; in Germany there Is the Brunswick 2 W il heluts d'or piece, worth 11 ltr(J. but the leu thaler piece, is the largest ia ordinary use. it wtLghji.liiuraint, and is worth iu our money $7.'. The doiibleeagle is tue largest Unitetl Sulfa gold ettin. Gobi guineas (worth 21' ao.l half guineas were in circulatiou iu Eng land many years. The sovereign) (2t-j Um ttL m- . , - is no Bit-re itaut-r iu li e $' ft Ul j ieca thaie iu Ujt $li.s to :! ;.;itlutz prt ocw, ren half eag-i-S bavlug IwU trt-ated iu the same way. -t I I; n J ax. i
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers