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B. F. SCII WEI ER,
THE C058TITUTI05-THB TJSI0I-A1D TEE ESTOBCIMEUT OF THE LAVS.
Editor and Proprietor.
VOL. XXXIT.
MIFFLINTOWN, JUNIATA COUNTY, PENNA., WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 9, 187S.
NO. -2.
A
TOO BEAUTIFUL FOR EARTH.
An ansel in the book of life
Wr- ts down an infant's birth.
Then aM-d era he closed the page,
"Too beautiful for earth !"
Ani when fie reaper Death paased by.
He rt-ed the words aud i-miled ;
Theu folded ts hie i j arms
The Iot It little ch 11.
The mother wept, but angels sang
In soft and se-t accord ;
And welcomed the tran-ported flower
In the garden i f the Lerd.
The mother wept. She will not weep
When all her days are run,
Aud at the gates of paradise
She meets her little one.
An infant eonl, all p re and Irijht.
From everv eaitb spot free ;
A babe to bless tha mother's eight
Through all etna-tr.
Theodora.
Mr. Lisle was thought to be a wealthy
man, but in settling up his affairs, after
bis death, there was found to be a mere
pittance left for hi widow and family.
Mrs. Lisle was a lady of culture aud
refinement, and had never before had
to think of supplying her owu want's,
much less to provide for the necessities
of a family.
Poverty is a stern teacher, but it often
develops a ower of bringing out some
unsuspected talent, w hich shines forth
in diamond-like brightness, even as the
uncut gem only fellows its splendor
after it has been subjected to the lapi
dary's art.
So it was with Mrs. Lisle. She had
spent years upon the contineut, and
now in this time of need she drew upon
the store of memory, and depicted in
terse but vigorous language some of the
curious and oft-times touching inci
dents which had attracted her notice in
her travels.
Her efforts were rewarded w ith suc
cess, but wants were many, and her
earnings fell short of the sum which
would have supiortcd them in comfort.
Her eldest daughter, Theodora, watched
the lines of care as they gradually
dee'ieued on her mother's forehead,
and made up her mind that she could
and would help her.
So. one morning, while Mrs. Lisle
was bu-ily engaged in copying a manu
script upon hich depended their liv
ing expenses for the week, Theodora
stole to her side and said, prefacing her
words with a kits
"Mamma can you listen a moment? 1
have a plan."
"Yes, dear, but tell me quickly, for
this article must go to-day without
fail."
Theodore krelt by her mother's side,
and took her h.td caressingly.
"Now, mamma, yon inusu't say no.
Remember, whatever I may do, the
'blue ulood' still runs in my veins."
"You must ie thiuking of something
very serious, Theodora, you prepare
the way so carefully."
"It is just this, mamma. You re
member 1 have been a member of the
'Entre Nous' sociable for several Win
ter's, aud I propose to be a uselul one
now that is, to myself instead of one
of those w ho 'toil not, neither do thajf
spin. In plain English, I want to
apply for the position of pianist. They
pay ten shillings an evening, and that
sum would be a great help to the Lisle
exchequer."
Her manner was playful, but an In
tense earnestness was evidently under
lying it. Her Sister Clara's expression
showed eviden t disapproval of the plan
"Theodora," she exclaimed, "are you
in earnest? What would Clifford Mars
den say ? You know he is expected to
arrive home every day."
A faint blush stole over Theodora's
face at her sister's words, but she said
"It must not make me act differently,
even if my best friend should disap
prove. I feel guilty to lead such an
idle life, ami see our mother weariug
herself out in this weary struggle for
bread. I can do it, and I shall, unless
I am jiositively forbidden by you,
mamma."
"But think of it, Theodora, the girls
of 'our set' would, maybe, cut you."
Theodora replied with a dignity
which silenced Clara.
"My mother's comfort is more pre
cious to me than the loss of friendship
which makes no sacrifices. May I w rite
to the managers of the Sociable mamma?
"Act as you think best, my dear,
only fake time to think w ell of it before
you decide. I know that you will
always endeavor to do what is right."
The mother's eyes had a w istful ten
derness in their expression, as they
rsted upon Theodora's face.
"Thanks, mamma," was the cheerful
answer. "I have thought of it days
and days. I only feared to speak of it
lest you would disapprove."
It was the eveningof the first Sociable.
Ir. Arnold's drawing-room wag fra
grant with flowers and brilliant with
light. In a deep alcove stood the piano,
almost concealed from view by tall
tropical plants w hich had been brought
from the conservatory for that purpose.
The rooms were filling rapidly, w hen
the music commenced in a soft, weird
prelude, which soon held the gay
throng in charmed attention.
After a time it merged into Strauss'
beautiful introduction to the German,
and soon a group of young people were
threading its graceful mazes.
Clifford Marsden had arrived in the
last steamer, and had taken his friends
by surprise by appearing among them,
lie excused himself from dancing on
the plea of fatigue, and stood watching
the changing scene.
He had taken his station by the alcove
in a position where, through the leaves
of a blossoming azalea, he could see the
musician seated at the piano, with her
back towards the guest. Tne alight,
graceful figure, the proud poise of her
head upon the small, round neck, the
abundant hair wound simnly about her
head, all formed an attractive picture.
For some time he had watched her
white lingers fly over the Veys, but be
fore he had caught a glimpse of her
race he was surrounded by a merry
circle of girli, w ho commenced to rally
him upon his abstraction. So he did
not discover that Theodora was the
young musician who had so strangely
interested him.
After while the guests, or rather
several of them adjourned to the music-
room : and, w hen Clifford Marsden en
. i i .'ii ...
n-rcu, ne was sun surrounded oy a
beryof young ladies, and, though he
listened to the soft voice of a lady who
was singing a plaintive ballad, and was
enchanted w ith the brilliant playing of
tne young pianist, he still failed to
wrest himself from those who sur
rounded him or even get a glimpse of
the features or the fair musician, whose
face seemed to be turned persistently
from him as her fingers rolled over the
keys of the superb-toned instrument.
Later in the evenlnga group of young
people were assembled in the dressing
room to put on their wraps. They were
chatting about the events of the even
ing. "Is not Clifford Marsden improved?"
said Susan Dinsmore. "He always was
nice, but now he is perfectly splendid."
"I give you fair warning, Mamie
Livingstone; I shall contest the supre
macy with you next time. You had
the monopoly of him this evening.
'Ail's fair in love, you know."
Mamie tossed her prettv head, and
said, disdainfully
"You are welcome to him. Such an
absent-minded escort never fell to my
lot before."
"Where were you at supper-time? I
missed you from the dining-room,"
asked Durant.
"Mr. Marsden brought mean ice, and
we made believe that that giant acacia
was a rut al bow er, but even that did
not make him thaw, though I did niv
best to captivate him."
"I wonder if he knew w ho presided
at the piano. Did he glance that way ?"
"No, not he; he stood like a statue.
gazing into futurity. It's a shame that
such a handsome secimen of the 'genus
homo' should be so stupid."
"He must have changed, then. Mavbe
he was disappointed at not meeting
Miss Lisle. Report savs he was hard
lit iu that direction before he went
abroad."
"Hard hit!" said Ailie Iurant.
"Susan, I'm ashamed of you ! Of w horn
do vou take lessons?"
"Susan was Allie's cousin and took
the reproor gooil naturetlly. Making a
deep curtesy to Allie, she answered
"I have learned that purely classical
phrase from my respected cousin, Mr.
Miuturn Durant. He acquired it most
probably in the fastidious society of his
club."
At this moment Theodora appeared
at the door, aud her friends clustered
around her.
"You dear, b.-ave darling !'
"You naughty little girl, to keep
yourself so completely out of sight."
"Are those tender fingers completely
worn out?" and other similar exclama
tions saluted the ears of the few
strangers as they viewed the scene.
Theodora was white as Parian marble,
and a suppressed quiver about her sen
sitive lips told of mental suffering. She
had left her position at the piano, think
ing the parlors deserted, but as she
came forth into the glow of light she
found herself face to face w ith him
whose whispered words had once made
her heart's sweetest music.
Instead of hastening to meet her he
had stood like one in a dream. Theo
dora understood the pause to mean re
nunciation of the past, and, without
glancing at him again, drew her slight
figure to its utmost height, and with
all of the dignity of her proudest
days, swept by him and disappeared up
the broad stairwav. This was their
meeting.
And it was for her sweet sake that
Clifford Marsden had thrown off the
fatigue of travel, thinking that one
pressure of her little hand would bring
him rest, even in the midst of the
fashionable throng.
But a trifle light as air had separated
them. A word of explanation unut
tered, and a veil of doubt and mistrust
was woven out of materials as imial
pable as the mist, yet perhaps as endur
ing as time itself.
The understanding between them in
the old time bad not been ratified by an
engagement, so they had not corres
ponded, and Clifford had received Dut
meagre news from home. So he was
still to hear of the Lisle's reverses.
After this disastrous ending to the
first evening of Theodora's experiment.
her life went on shaded by this new
sorrow, but made endurable by a cycle
of faithfully performed duties.
It was Sunday. The soft rustle of
dresses and the sound of entering feet
had ceased. The last note of the organ
voluntary was trembling upou the air
when a voice of marvellous sweetness
took up the strain "I know that my
Redeemer liveth."
With one impulse the congregation
rose and stood spell bound, while the
pure, young voice rendered this won
derful solo.
After the services were ended and
the crowd of worshippers emerged into
the open air, there were many inquiries
as to the identity of the new ly-engaged
soprano.
One member of the church had no
need to inquire. He well knew the
voice as one whose rich tones had
charmed his heart from his keeping in
bv-gone davs, and each note as it rung
out in that sacred place, seemed to re
awaken hope's sweet music in his soul
as he resolved to make another effort to
break through the barrier that had
arisen between Theodora and himself.
He had found out her place of resi
dence, and had called several times
without being able to gain admittance.
This occurred so many times that he
had at last concluded Theodora did not
wish to see him, and chose this method
of showing her indifference. He had
tried to banish her from his thoughts,
but in vain.
Since his return poor Theodora had
fought a hard battle with her wayward
heart. The mere mention of his name
would seud the blood tingling through
her veins tumultously. She knew that
she loved him, but she had succeeded
iu keeping her mother and sister in
ignorance of her weakness.
One day she was seated at the piano,
ostensibly practicing; but the listless
manner in hich she touched the keys
betrayed a mind pre-occupied.
She started as Clara entered the room
suddenly with a note for her. Indirec
tion wag in a familiar hand, which iu
former days she had often seen on cards
attached to baskets of flowers.
Her heart throbbed violently as she
broke the seal and read
"Theodora : Will you grant me an
interview, that I may learn w hy 1 am
ueuieii your iriemisinp? ir anv mis
understanding has arisen betw een us,
ii is my aue mat i mar explain It a wav
If, on the contrary, yon have lost all
interest in one w hose whole future will
be made or marred by his place in your
esteem, it is but just "to let me know the
trutn at once. I will call at eleven
o'clock to-morrow (Tuesday) morning.
anu u you uo not see me, 1 shall know
the worst, and will spare vou the twin
of ever again meeting.
t LIFFOBD MsRSDEX."
If the young lover could have seen
the kisses lavished upon his note, he
would have been spared the long hours
of doubt that intervened between itsre-
ception and the time of the appoiuted
interview.
The next morning Theodora was
awaiting her lover. As she heard his
approaching footsteps the alternate
flushing and paling of her face betrayed
her emotion.
She arose as Clifford entered. One
moment her fingers trembled In his
clasp as eye met eye in a long, heart-
revealing gaze the next she was folded
to his heart.
"My own darling Theodora!" he
murmured.
The talisman f silence, for a few
brief, sacred moments, consecrated the
room; then mutual explanations, sweet
to the long-divided lovers, took place.
After a time Clifford drew Theodora
to the piano, saying
"It was hearing your voice iu that
glorious anthem w hich gave me cour
age to make one more attempt to see
you. A voice said to me as I listened
Theodora loves you !' It was my good
angel ; don't you think so. dearest?"
Theodora answered by seating her
self at the piano and singing a little
Scotch song "I will marrv mr ain
love," as spiritedly as a maiden should
who sees sorrow and mistrust fade
away, and joy and faith take their place
in her happy heart.
The Indians.
The theory that the Indians are
"dying out" hy contact with the whites
has received several "set-backs" within
a short time. One of these conies from
the censuses of the Interior Department,
which show an increase iu their num
bers. Another was brought out by a
paper read before the American Mis
sionary Association at its recent meet
ing. The conclusion of the discussion
accompanying the paper was that, al
though many Indians had perished by
war and disease, and some tribes been
extinguished, yet the number of the
Aborigines were greatly exaggerated,
ind the increase in the remaining
..ribes has made partially good at lea-a
the other losses. Another piece of evi
lence is furnished by an Englishman
ho has lately been visiting the Indian
territories, and made a comparison with
their condition thirty-five years ago.
These tribes the Creeks, Cherokees,
Chickasaws and Choctaws show a
large and steady increase in population,
ind an unexpected advance iu agricul
ture, wealth, good order, education and
religion.
Self-Reliance.
Self-reliance, conjoined with prompti
tude in the execution of our undertak
ings, is indispensible to success. And
yet multitudes live a life of vacillation
and consequent failure, because they
remain undetermined what to do, or,
having decided that, have no confidence
in themselves. Such persons need to
be assured; this assurance can be ob
tained in no other way than by their
own success in whatever way they may
attempt for themselves. If they lean
upon others, they not only become dis
satisfied with what they achieve, but
the success of one achievement in which
they are entitled to but partial credit,
is no guarantee to them that, unaided,
they will not fail in their very next ex
periment. For waut of self-reliance
and decision of character, thousands are
submerged in their essays to make the
voyage of life. Disappointed and cha
grined at this, they under-estimate
their own capacities, and thencefor
ward, relying on others, they take and
keep a subordinate position, from which
they rise, when they rise at all, with
the utmost difficulty. When the young
man attains his majority, it Is better for
him as a general rule, to take some inde
pendent position of his own, even
though the present remuneration be
less than he would obtain in the service
of others. When at work for himself in
a business which requires and demands
foresight, economy and Industry, he
will naturally develop the strong points
of his character, and become self-reliant.
A Fatml Gas.
In volcanic regions springs and wells
of carbonic acid gas are not unfrequent,
forming part of the geological forma
tion, like the springs and wells of pe
troleum in certain districts of tills coun
try. The Dogs' Grotto, near Xaples,
enjoys a world-wide reputation for evil.
It displays the fact that carbonic acid
gas is so much heavier than air, that it
lies on the ground like a pool of water.
The gas flows out over the threshold of
the door, and runs like a brook down
the path leading up to the grotto. In
calm weather a lighted caudle plunged
into the stream near its point of exit is
immediately extinguished.
It takes 8.5UU.UUU yards of muslin
annually, and eight tons of paper daily,
u make paper collars for the American
public.
Children's Acting.
The passion tor dramatic representa
tion is inborn in human beings. The
most savage tribes tepresent in their
dances the feats of arms by which they
have overcome their enemies, and chil
dren's plays are often little more than
a representative imitation, with a good
deal of make-lielief, of the real actions
of every-day life. The "dressing up"
in which thev delight is but a more ad
vanced stage of their plays; and no
doubt some children, whose imagina
tions are vivid, are, for the moment, in
their own thought, the persons whom
they represent.
It is not the acting of children w ho
are being regularly trained for their
profession that we now wish to refer
o. with them the dramatic instincts
has been seized upon and is being de
veloped in order to furnish the means
of earning a livelihood. There is a
good deal of acting new done by chil
dren, who certainly are not destined to
appear on the public stage, but whose
dramatic instinct is being cultivated for
their own amusement and benefit aud
for the edification of their friends and
relations. The question which has
been raised in the minds of a good many
people is whether this acting by chil
dren is a good thing to be encouraged
or a bad thing to be put down.
Those who are' the friends of the
practice dwell for justification of their
opinion on the undoubted existence of
the desire for and power of making
such representations. Further, they
insist on the good effect w hich accurate
learning of a part has in strengthing the
memory, and they say that when the
plays represented have been written by
good authors the acquisition of the
actual words of an etniueut writer is a
real nient il gaiu. Moreover they Insist
that the appearanceof children asactors
in a drawing room is no more a matter
of display than the singing of a song or
the performance of a piece of music,
and no one objects to these being done
before company, aud they maintain that
the results iu improved carriage of the
body, in increased readiness and pres
ence of mind, anJ in cultivated power
of action in concert with others amply
repay all the trouble w hich the prepa
ration costs.
On the other hand, those who object
to allowing children to act seem to tear
chiefly the encouragement of self-con
sciousness and love of display in the
children, and further to be afraid of
cultivating in them a love of acting
which may afterward grow into a pas
sion for theater going, and for all the
dissipation which, to some minus, is
represented by that word.
We confess that our own leanings
are toward the first rather than toward
the second of these parties of opinion.
We have seen dramatic representations
given by the children of a household,
and by the pupils of private schools,
before audiences of parents and inti
mate friends, and of these we do not
hesitate to say that they were so con
ducted a to le entirely pleasurable and
productive of good. Nothing could
have been prettier than a dance of
fairies which illustrated some scenes
from the 'Midsummer Night's Dream ;'
nothing in better taste than some
groupings in tableaux, for the arrange
ment of w hich an artist had made the
designs; nothing more graceful than the
delivery of the speeches which the
young actors pronounced.
We grant that there are difficulties
involved, and thai In unwie hands,
and with an unwise selection of the
author to be rendered, much mischief
might accrue. But then the same thing
may be said of any other source of
amusement overdone or unwisely
done, it had better be left alone. For
our part, we think that in neglecting
the dramatic powers of children we are
casting aside capabilities of amusement
nay, even of education which ought
to receive development. The training
of faculties called forth in acting would
show young persons how high the qual
ifications of good actors are, and through
what work they must have passed to at
tain the "art ot concealing their art."
Such training wonld, we think, have a
tendency to produce an appreciation of
good art and contempt and dislike for
its false imitations.
The Mexicans In San Anionic
Everywhere about the outskirts of
the town are Innumerable low huts
built of sticks and mud and any old
drift, roofed with thatch coming almost
to the ground, and presenting an appear
ance ot the utmost rquallor. These are
the Mexican jacals. The chimney and
its ovens are usually in cone of baked
and blackened mud a little removed,
and under a rude awning or tree the
whole family is usually to be seen, with
mules, donkeys, chickens, and a horde
of dogs, among the latter a hideous,
hairless animal, promiscuously inter
mixed. Dogs are largely In the major
ity of the population In Sm Antonio,
and their baying divides the noises of
the night with the cockcrow ing that
resounds from house to jacal, from
farm to ranch, and rises on the ear in
broad surges of sound like the waves of
the sea. If you should glance into one
of these jacals, you would find an earth
en floor cleanly swept, a bed neatly
made and brightly covered, and a place
garnished after its sort; and although
the general idea Is that It is a nest of
filth, to the casual eye it seems clean
and orderly, but poor to the last degree
of poverty. Yet the Mexican here can
live on less than any. In the summer
the corn and onions and peppers of his
garden patch meet his needs: in the
winter, even when he owns his bit of
land, a flvepenny soup bone and one
sweet potato comprise bis usual market
ing. But poor as he may be, his daugh
ters do not go out to service ; his mother
wraps her ribosa that remnant of the
Spanish mantilla about her with a
grand air; and he himself, although In
rags, salutes you on the street with the
grave courtesy of a Spanish don. Mak
ing exceptions of the proud old Mexican
families- of lineage and repute, who live
In seclusion, it is not possible to feel
that these people who are known as
Mexicans have any claim to the name as
we use it. They are simply a gentler
Indian, accepting a sort of civilization,
now and then w ith a fairer tint, now
and then witn a wave in the hair that
tells of darker blood, and alwiys w ith a
high cheekbone, following them to the
tenth generation. The proud Castilian
has but small part in them, the gentler
Montezuma race perhaps has less. One
having tuese two stains in bis vein
the Spanish, with his hemisphere of
poetry behind him; the Monttzuman,
representing the ancient and rightful
mpireoi the continent shi uld wear, it
would seem, other than these low
browed laces stamped in -their dumb
and sullen ignorance, whether you see
them on the woman rqnttting on the
brick floor of the catledrtl, or on the
men lounging iu the pu-za against any
thing which will uphold them, darker
and more sullen for the shadow of their
huge sombreros.
Sin Antonio is, in fact, a Spanish
town to-day, and the only one where
any considerable remnant of Spauisb
life exists in the Lnlted S ates. Har
per' Wettlw.
Exportation of Wives.
In the early settlement of YirginU,
when the adventurers where principal
ly unmarried men, it was deemed neces
sary to export such women as could be
prevailed to quit England, ai wives for
the planters. A letter accompanying
the shipment of matrimonial exiles,
dated London, August 12, 1612, illustra
tive of the milliters of the times and the
concern then felt for the welfare of the
colony and for female virtue. It is as
follows : We send you on the ship one
widow and eleven maids, for wives for
the people of Virginia; there bath been
especial care had in the choice or them,
for there hat's not one of them been re
ceived but upon good commendations.
In case they cannot be presently mar
ried, we desire that they may be put
w-,h several house holders that have
wives, till thev can be provided with
husbands. There are nearly fifty moie
that are shortly to come, and sent by
our honorable lord and treasurer, the
Earl of Southampton, and certain
worthy gentleman, who, taking into
their consideration that the plantation
can never flourish till families be
planted, and the respect of wives and
children for their people on the soil,
therefore have given this fair begin
ning; for the reimbursing of whose
charges it is ordered that every man
marrying them give 120 pounds of leaf
tobacco for each of them. Though we
are desirous that the marriage be free
accordii.g to the laws of nature, yet we
would not have these maids deceived
aud married to servants; but only to
such freemen or tenants as have the
means to maintain them. We pray,
you, therefore, to be fathers of them in
this business, not enforcing tnem to
marry against their wills."
Proverbs.
Get all the credit vou can, but never
trust any one. By this process you can
speedily acquire a fortune.
Always put ff till to-morrow what
you can do to-day, for by that meant
you will have time to think bow to do
tbest, and w iih the least inconvenience
to yourself.
Never do a man a favor. You will
thus avoid being pestered with that
superfluity of false professions of eter
nal friendship, gratitude, and all that
is balderdash.
Take care of the cents and dollar
will take care of themselves, provided
you can get them. Never neglect to
pick up a dollar in preference to a cent.
Don't pick up either if you can't find
Ibem.
If you borrow any money never jay
it. You can console your conscience
by the belief that il the lender had
really needed it, you would not have
got it; ergo, this money was of no use
to him, and if you had not b irroweJ It,
he would have spent it foolishly.
The Proclamation to Persona Who Smoke.
In a proclamation auuretsej " to the
smoking public," by which we do not
understand that it is meant to lie inti
mated that the public Is j ist now in a
smoking condition, but merely to con
fine the address to those persons who
use cigars, an association of cigarroakers
have made it pretty plain that a good
many of the cigars which are sold in
the shops are chemically flavored coun
terfeits, a good many others are un
wholesome, and a good many positively
nasty. As the buyer and smoker ol
cigars Is left In pleasing uncertainty as
to what cigars are properly to be avoid
ed as counterfeit, which are un w hole
tame aud which are nasty, the present
app ars to be a particularly good time
for a general "swearing off." Wise
smokeis will abandon the use of cigars
and ado pt the pipe instead, as the Scotch
man refused to drluk wine, preferring
whisky the more, he said, because
there is nothing against it in Scripture.
Perhaps still wiser smokers will aban
don the habit altogether, as one which
is in itself uncleanly and unwholesome.
A Cnrtoas Case.
A curious case as to the rights of the
finder of lost property, whose owner is
unknown, is reported from Rhode Is
land. The plaintiff bought an old safe
and offered to sell it to the defendant.
The defendant would not buy it but
agreed to take it and sell it if he could,
using it himself in the meantime. While
it was thus in his possession, he found
a roll of bank bills inside the lining.
No one knew to whom they belonged.
The defendant therefore concluded to
keep them. The plaintiff, upon learn
ing of the discovery of the money, de
manded the return of the safe just as it
was when delivered. The defendant
returned it, but without the bank bills;
whereupon the plaintiff sued for their
value as money found. The Supreme
Court held that the finder was entitled
to retain the property as against the
party who put the safe in his hands for
sale; and the authorities generally
maintain the right of the findei , in this
class of cases, as against nil persons
except the real owner.
Japanese Laws.
The severity of the Japanese laws is
shown by the fact that death is the pun
ishment for every offense. Iu the fate
of the offender his family is not nufre-
quently involved.
Death by decapitation at the hands of
the common executioner, or by instant
self-murder, is the usual punishment;
and nothing short of death is considered
an atonement for the slightest breach of
the law, or of public tranquility, or of
disobedience to any order or instruction
of government.
Apparently they have no condensed
written code of laws. Tbeir laws con
sist of edicts issued in the name of the
Emperor from time to time. They are
said to be exceedingly simple in their
construction, and to possess the some
what rare merit of being intelligible to
the commonest capacity.
On the issue of everv new edict, the
magistrates, in the first instance, assem
ble the people, and proclaim, by word
of mouth, the will of the Emperor.
Next, the edict is extensively circula
ted in a printed form, and, as nearly
every man or woman in the Empire is
said to be able to read, the law must thus
become well known. But they have
yet another method of giving it publi
city; the edict is placarded, for a per
manency, in a public hall or place ap
propriated to the purpose, in every city,
town aud village throughout the Em
pire. Decline of the Quakers.
Mr. Barclay inform us that there are
at present only 17,000 Quakers in Eng
land and Wales, while In 1700 they
numbered 60,000, and that their greatest
losses took place in the period of their
greatest moral triumphs. Was Cole
ridge right, as Maurice seemed to think,
in supposing that the life is out of the
tree, and only its bark is left Various
causes have been assigned for its de
cline, such as birthright membership
not an original principle of the system
which led to the wholesale admission
of nominal members, either careless
about religion or hostile to Qnaker ideas
and traditions; the system of disown
ing members for slight deviations from
"the Unwritten Law" in such trifling
matters as dress and language; but.
more important still, from marrying
outside the Friends; the silent meetings
w hich were very rare In the early
history of the sect, and the absence
of singing and reading the scriptures in
public. It is hard to conceive, indeed,
how a christian body can exist without
some regular provision for religious
teachings; and the fact that one of the
greatest secessions from its ratk arose
out of a persistent refusal to supply a
larger religious instruction seems to
oiiit to the inevitable extinction of
Quakerism at no distant day.
Fleet Street A Famous London Locality.
Just within the sight of Temple Bar,
on the right of the street, is Child's
Bank, which deserves notice as the old
est banking-house in England, still
kept where Francis Child, an indus
trious apprentice of Charles I's. time,
married the rich daughterof his master,
William Wheeler, the goldsmith, and
founded the great banking family.
Here, "at the sign of the Marygold"
the quaint old emblem of the expanded
flower, with the motto "Ainsi mon amc,'
which still adorns the banking-office
Charles II. kept his great account and
poor Nell Gwynne her small one, not
to speak of Prince Rupert, Pepys, Dry
den and many others. Several other
great banks are in this neighborhood.
No. 19 is Gosling's Rank, with the sign
of the three squirrels, represented in
irou work on the central window,
founded in the reign of Charles II. No.
37 is Hoarse 's Bank, which dates from
lt580; the sign of the Golden Bottle over
the door represents the flask carried by
the founder when he came to London to
seek his fortune. Fleet Street retains
its old reputation of being occupied by
newspaper editors and their offi.-es, and
is almost devoted to them. But it also
contains many taverns, where lawyers
and newspaper writers congregate for
luncheon, and which are more frequent
here than almost anywhere else in Lon
don, and many of these, of great anti
quity, are celebrated in the pagesof the
Rambler and Spectator. It was next
door to Child's Bank that the famous
"Devil Tavern" stood, with the sign of
St. Martin and the Devil, where the
Apollo Club had its meetings, guided
by poetical rules of Ben Johnson, which
began
"Let none but puess or clubbers hither come;
Let dunces, fools an! sordid men keep home;
Let learned, civil, merry men be Invited.
And modest too; nor be choice liquor slighted;
Let nothing In the treat offend the guest;
More for delight than cost prepare the feast."
We hear of Swift dining "at the
Devil Tavern with Dr. Garth and Ad
dison," when "Garth treated," and of
Dr. Johnson presiding here at a supper
party in honor of the publication of
Mrs. Lennox's first book. In Shire
Lane was the "Kit-Kat Club," (which
first met in Westminster at the house of
a pastry-cook called Christopher Cat),
where the youth of Queen Anne s reign
were wont to
"gleep awar the days and drink away the
nights."
Thither it was that Steele and Addi
son brought Hoadley, Bishop ot Bangor,
on the anniversary of William III., to
drink to his immortal memory," and
thence, as Steele dropped drunk under
the table, the scandalized Bishop stole
away home to bed, but was propitiated
in the morning by the lines:
"Virtue with so much ease on Baniror sits,
AU suits he pardons, though be none commits."
The members of this club all had
their portraits painted by Sir Godfrey
Kueller for Jacob Tonson, their Secre
tary, and the half size then chosen by
the artist has always since caused the
term "Kit-Kat" to be applied to that
form of iortrait. The pictures painted
hereby Knellerare now at Bayfordbury
in Hartfordshire. Hard by, also in
Shire Lane, was the tavern the "Bible
Tavern" which was inappropriately
chosen by Jack Sheppard for many of
his orgies, because it was possessed of a
trap-door, through which, in case of j
pursuit, he could drop unobserved into
a subterranean passage communicating
witn Kelt l ard an alley w hich is as
sociated with Pope, w ho used to come
thither to visit his friend Fortescue,
afterwards Master of the Rolls. Oppti
site the fi rst gate of the Temple, No. 201
in Fleet Street, marked by its golden
bird over the door, is the Cock Tavern,
one of the few ancient taverns remain
ing unaltered internally from the time
of James I., with its long, low room.
subdivided by settees, and its carved
oak chimney-piece of that period. It
was hither that Pepsy, to bis wife's
great aggravation, would come galliva-
tiDg with pretty Mrs. Knipp, and where
they "drank," ate a lobster, and sang.
and were mighty merry till almost mid
night." Tennyson begins "Will Water
proof's Lyrical Monologue, made at The
Cock," with the lines
"O plump bead waiter at The Cock,
To win. h I moot reenrt.
How gem the time? Tie S o'clock.
Go fetch a pint of port."
As we pass the angel of Chancery
lane we must recollect that the gentle
Isaak Walton lived as a hosier and shirt
maker in the corner house from 1727 to
1647, and that just beyond, in the bow-
windowed house, which is still standing
(Nos. 184, 185), lived the poet Drayton,
next door to St. Dunstan's Church. In
a house close by, now demolished,
Abraham Cowley was born in 1618, be
ing the son of a grocer, and studied the
large copy of Spenser's faery Queen
which lay on his mother's window-sill,
till he became, as he h;mself tells, "ir
recoverably a poet." Good Words.
How a Man takes Care of a Baby.
First, he must have one to take care
of It isn't every man, you know, that
Is fortunate enough to have one; and
when be does, his wife is always want
ing to run over to a neighbor's only five
minutes aud he has to attend the baby.
sometimes, she caresses him, and
oftener she says, sternly, "John, take
good care of the child until I return."
You want to remonstrate, but cannot
pluck up the courage, while that awful
female's eye is upon you ; so you pru
dently refrain and merely remark:
"Don't stay long, my dear." She is
hardly out of sight before the luckless
babe opens its eyes, and its mouth also,
and emits a yell which causes the cat to
bounce out of the door as if something
had stung it. You timidly lift the
cherub, and sing an operatic air; blithe
does not appreciate It, and only yells the
louder. You bribe him with a piece of
sugar; not a bit of use, he spits it out.
and tries to put his foot in to your mouth.
You get wrathy and shake him. He
st. ipsa second, and you venture another ;
when, good heavens! he set sup such a
roar, that the passers-by look up in
astonishment. lou feel desperate;
your hair stan Is on end ; and the pers
piration oozes out of every pore, as the
agonizing thought comes over vou
what if that luckless child should have
a fit! You try baby talk; but "litty
litty lamby"
has no effect; for he
stretches as if a red-hot poker had been
laid on his spine, and still he yells,
You are afraid the neighborhood will
be alarmed, and give him your gold
watch as a last resort, just in time to
save your whiskers; though he throw
dow n a handful of your cherished mus
tache to take the watch, and you thank
fully find an easy chair to rest your
aching limbs, when down comes that
costly watch on the floor, and the cause
of all the trouble breaks into an ear-
splitting roar, and you set your teeth,
and prepare to administer personal
chastisement, when in rushes the hap
py woman known as your wife, snatch
es the long suffering child from your
willing arms, aud sitting down, stills it
hy magic, w hile you gaze n.ournfully
at the remains of your watch and cher
ished mustache, and muttering a male
diction on baby-kind in general, aud on
the image of his father in particular,
vow- never to take care of a baby again
until the next time.
The Danger of Old Tobacco Pipes.
A cae of so-called "nicotine" poison
ing has recently happened in England
which is attracting considerable atten
tion. A child of about seven years ot
age amused himself by blowing soap
bubbles in an old wooden pipe which
had become foul by long usage. Shortly
after, vomiting and convulsions ensued
and the child died. The circumstance
was put down as a case of "nicotine
poisoning," but the Chemist and Drug-
gut very cogently points out the impos
sibility of such being true, Inasmuch as
nicotine only exists in the uu burnt leaf
or juice, aud the Jieat of combustion
splits it up into other compounds. The
cause of the d-.-ath is therefore rather to
be sought for in these compounds.
Rank pipes are aluvt as dangerous
as loaded pistol? to leave about the
house where there are young children.
At the same time, they seem to offer
not only the most disagreeable but the
most deleterious method of smoking, as
the user is sure to swallow some pro
portion of the poisonous alkaloids with
which they are charged, and conse
quently to risk serious injury to the
health, e-tcially of those who have not
become habituated to them. Snentie
American.
Best for the Mind.
When the daily occupation is monot
onous and unengrossing, a full supply
of excitement for the leisure hours may
be desirable; but where the mental
powers have been taxed to their utmost
through the hours of labor, it is abso
lutely necessary to health and happi
ness that they be entirely released for
at least a portion of the time that is
left. It is not enough that the usual
amount of time be spent in the absolute
rest of sleep, if every waking hour be
filled to the brim with eager serious oc
cupation. It is not enough that certain
hours be secured, free from absolute
work, if they are still permeated with
energetic thought, intense feeling or
exciting pleasures. The mind needs
rest from effort in its waking hours, a
time when it may rightly lay aside i s
activity and enjoy being acted upon by
calm and gentle Influences,
St. Petersburg;
On a first view of St. Petersburg a
stranger, looking upon the imposing
edifices and wide streets, ask where
all tne poor people live. He will find
them in the cellars or iu wretched buil
dings on the outskirts. It is a city of
palaces, and stands on several islands,
carved out by streams that diverge
from the river Neva and by artificial
canals, .Bridges are therefore numer
ous, spanning these streams in every
direction. Ths site of St. Petersburg
w-as originally swampy, but its found
er, Peter the Great, in the beginning
of the last century, seeing the commer
cial and political advantages of the lo
cation, ordered piles to be driven for
the stone foundations of buildings. The
country around is Hat and the soil is
sandy.
St. Petersburg is in latitude SO de
grees, 56 minutes. At the same alti
tude on the American continent snow
is almost perpetual, but at St. Peters
burg the warm or inilddaysof the year
average 194. The thermometer during
July and the beginningof August often
rises eighty degrees above zero, and
sometimes ninety degrees. In winter
it sometimes falls thirty or forty de
grees below zero, averaging about
twelve degrees below. Preparations
for winter, by means of double doors
and windows, are made toward the end
of September, although the double
doors and windows are only casually
needed before November. The gigan
tic stoves of stone or bries, coated with
porcelain, and rising in various archi
tectural devices nearly to the ceiling,
are also put in order in September.
Fuel is cheap, and the d welling have an
internal temperature of summer. Great
care is taken in regard to winter cloth
ing and the air beingciearand bracing.
colds are almost unknown. Consump
tion of a scrofulous nature is, however,
common.
Snow usually falls in the latter part
of October or early in November, and
sometimes as late as the first week in
May. The Neva and its branches are
usually frozen before the middle of No
vember, and the ice breaks up about
the middle of April. At this there is a
ceremony. The commandant of the
fortress, rowing in state across the riv
er, under salvos of artillery, visits the
Emperor in his palace, and gives him
a cup of its water in token of restored
navigation. The ice disappears by the
beginning of May, and the vegetation
becomes rapid. During June and July
the days are very long, ane the sun is
only a short time below the horizon.
Those who can afford to, betake them
selves to the island and villages of the
suburbs.
A feature of M. Petersburg is the
equestrian statue of Peter the Great,
erected in 17f2. The horse, having
rushed up a steep rock, is rearing at its
precipitous brink, with its fore feet in
the air. His height is seventeen feet,
and that of the Emperor eleven feet.
Falconet, the artist, told the Empress
Catharine that he couM not proj-erly
model a horse and its rider iu that po
sition without seeing models. General
Melissino. a bold and extiert rider, then
offered to ride a horse upa steep mound
prepared for the purpose. He did so.
and accustomed the horse to halt at the
brink -and paw the air. After the hore
became trained the General rode upthe
mound rejieatedly for the study of the
artist.
The Winter Palace, when occupied
by the Emperor, contains 6,0n0 ersons.
in different w ays connected with either
his court or his household. The in
terior is filled with pictures and rare
ornaments. Connected with the palace
isthe Hermitage, built hy Catharine II.,
which contains picture galleries, a mu
seum of arms, statuary and curiosities,
and a large theatre.
The principal street is the N'evskt
Presjiekt, four miles longand one hun
dred and fifty feet broad. In it is the
Cathedral of Our Lady of Kazan, richly
adorned in the interior with gold and
silver gems. Another Greek church is
similarly domed. The great bazaar,
with its 10,000 merchants, is also in this
thorouhgfare; also the military head
quarters, the palace of the Archduke,
that of the metropolitan of headquar
ters, the palace of the Archduke Mi
chael, that of the metropolitan or head
of the Greek Church, and the convent
and church of St. Alexander Nevskol,
the latter of which contians a sarcopha
gus of pure silver, in w hich the body
of the saint is preserved. In the cita
del is the Church of St. Peter and St.
Paul, with a tall, slender, richly gilt
spire, 298 feet high, which towers above
its surroundings aud is seen from every
part of the city. It contains the Rus
sian monarch since Peter the Great
inclusive. The population of St. Pe
tersburg is about 750,000.
In Peter's museum in the Academy
of Sciencts is the effigy of Peter the
Great in wax, habited iu a court dress
that was worn by him and shoes made
by his own bands. The wig is from his
own dark hair, clipped after his death.
His eyes were black and his statue
about six leet three, according to a roil
shown, which is said to have been ex
actly of his height. The stuffed skin
of his horse, ridden by him at the bat- -tie
of Pultowa, is also exhibited.
Why Flower Have IM He-rent Honrs for
Blooming
Sir John Lubbock alludes to the fact
that at certain particular hours flowers
close. The reason for it, however, is
obvious, for flowers which are fertilized
by moths and other night-flying insects
would derive no advantage by being
open by day, and on the other hand,
those fertilized by bees would gain
nothing by being open at night. The
closing of flowers, be believes, has re
ference to the habits of insects, and it
must be confessed that the opening
and closing of flowers Is gradual and
that the hours vary greatly according to
circumstances.
All habits grow by nnseen degrees