SULLIVAN REPUBLICAN. W M, CHENEY, Publisher. YOL. X. In the reign of Queen Victoria Eng land hail fifteen wars. The enormous growth of the city of London is shown by the fact that its present population is given at 5,670,000, or considerably greater than that of Paris, Berlin, Vienna and Rome com bined. There are 536 authorized guides in the Alps. One hundred and ninety-four of them have taken a regular course of in struction in their profession and have re ceived diplomas. Thirty-five of them are between sixty and seventy years of age and six are over seventy. Equatorial Africa promises another treasure to civilization, announces the New York Press. It is a much scented plant, the branches of which carried about the person will frighten away mosquitoes. The smell of the plant is neither unpleasant nor unhealthy, but no mosquito will venture within its range. To use the phonograph for recording the chatter of monkeys and to attempt from such a record to evolve the lan guage of the simians is something which in the opinion of the Sau Francisco Chronicle out-Darwins Darwin. With such methods as these we ought to get hold of the missing link before the end of the century. Why cannot, asks the New Orleans Picayune, some able designer get up a representation of the eagle that looks something like that glorious bird? The spread-wing idea is unnatural and ab surd. It is only because of its antiquity that it is tolerated. An eagle that would spread its wings and legs ,in an attempt to symbolize peace and w:vr deserves to fee shot. A due design of an American eagle at rest, perche lon a crag or limb of a tree, would not be a bad one for our silver coins. A man by the name of George Ilulce, at New Haven, Conn., was named as au executor in a will. \Vhen the will was probated two witnesses, through an hon est mistake, swore that he was dead, and the court had au order to that effect en tered upou the records. A short time afterward? Ilulce turned up all right, but lie has been declared to be legally dead and is so in law until the record is changed. This cannot be done without reopeniugthe case, which will cost some money. This, Ilulce declares, he will not pay, and as no one else has any in terest in the matter he will probably re main legally dead as long as he actually lives. The depreciation of farming lands in England has gone so far, asserts the Boston Cultivator, that in many localities they are worth only half what they were twenty years ago. Tiie low price of wheat, and competition with other countries in meat and other food products, is responsible for much of this decrease in price, though part of it is due to a succession of bail seasons. The United States now leads all competitions in wheat production. But it is certain that after a few more years American increase in population will take all the wheat we can grow. When that time comes, not only English but other wheat growers will share in the increased prosperity of farming that must every where prevail. ' The census bulletin giving the popula tion of Texas by minor civil divisions shows some wonderful percentages of in crease of population, notes the Louisville Courier. Journal. The increase over 1880 in the whole Stato was 043,774, equal to 40.44 par cent., which is itself a healthy percentage, though quite in significant compared to the growth in population of some of the counties. Only sixteen couutics show decreases. Armstrong County shows an increase of 2045.16 per cent.; Childress, 4600; Collingsworth, 5S80; Hardeman. 7708; Randall, 6133.33, and Floyd, 17,533.33 per cent. The elfest of these magnifi cent percentages is somewhat impaired by giving the figures upon which they are based. Armstrong, for example, had only thirty-one population in 1880 and 944 in 1890—an immense relative but very moderate positive increase. Child ress increased from twenty-five in 1830 to 1175 in 1890; Collingsworth from six to 357; Hardeman,from fifty to 3904; Randall, from three to 187, and Floyd, from three to 529. There are still counties in the State the population of which is put down at 3, 4, 7, 9, 14, 15, 16 respectively. A PARTING GUEST. Dear world, how shall I say farewell to thee As from thy friendly house I go at last? i,et me not like an unloved wanderer bo From thy door cast. No, I have been a little while thy guest; Still there are light and music, down thy halls The laughing recognition of a jest Risos and falls. Thou hast with love and bread my wants supplied. And hurried on my hours in joyous flight; But longer with thee now I cannot bide—• I come to say good-night; But leave not other friends who need thee here— Give me thy hand and I am quickly cone; Thy lamps will light me with their genial cheer Until I meet the dawn. —-Meredith Nicholson, in the Century. A MIDNIGHT ASSIGNMENT. tHEN Sandy On ham, stone mason and bailie, kicked Fergus Cameron stair of his home Road, of Dundee, of onions and a clothes line where his big foot could not reach, he was an unconscious fact or in one of the prettiest romances that ever cast a fragrance over the life of a news paper man. This was the cause of all the trouble. Fergus Cameron was the ten-shilling-a wcek clerk at the salt pans. One and one made two during the day, but one and one m the evening lepresented only one, for while the former might be bags of salt, or pounds, shillings or pence, the latter were the mutually sympathetic hearts of Fergus Cameron and Maud Graham, tho pretty daughter of the Duudee bailie. Now, the average Scotch bailie is a much bigger man, in his own estimation, than the President of the United States. A chief magistrate of our nation might allow his daughter to marry an ordinary book-keeper; but a President of the United States is no criterion in estima ting a man chosen to fill the chair once graced by such illustrious characters as Donald MacTavish and Sandy Jamieson. Shades of Nebuchadnezzar! who so great as a Scotch bailie? You may have heard of the Scotch bailie, but I knew one. It was long ago, but the awe-inspiring influence of a personal acquaintance with him has not yet departed, lie was a newspaperman, so he said, claiming tho title by virtue of part ownership with his wife and Kirsty Buckiey, a crabbed old maid, in a newspaper and magazine depot. All in all, he was a great man iu the town. Exaitiuation day always brought him to school, and on such an occasion he gen erally stood with the Latin book upside down. "Excuse me, Bailie," our teacher would remark in his meekest way, "ex cuse me, you have the book upside down." "Sir, don't you think a bailie can read Latin upside down?" Ilow we prayed that a kind Providence in much love and mercy might make of us bailies and newspaper men. Do you wonder that Fergus Cameron was kicked downstairs, and that a bag of onions and a clothes-liuo hastened his departure, and that three weeks later he stood upou the deck of an Atlantic liner, gazing with tearlul eye on the fast fading shore-line of the laud of blue mist and purple heather? An American youth would have been happier under the circumstances, for he would have had Maud Graham with him; so little respect has an American youth for the exalted office of a Scotch bailie. IIE FOUGHT THE BLAST. Cameron arrived in New York with a few dollars in his pocket and fewer friends by his side. Ho spent the first night in a cheap lodging-house on West street, and in the morning set out to find an old friend of his father. The prospects of employment at his own occu pation were by no meaus bright, but au acquaintance on the part of the old man with the city editor of a morning paper opened for him the door of the newspa per kingdom. Into the humblest posi tion went Fergus Cameron. Naturally bright, well educated, and with no end of capacity for work, he cheerfully and manfully faced his now duties with a calm determination to turn tho battle of lift into victory, and h» a bigger uiuu LAPORTE, PA., FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 1892. than a Scotch bailie. His was the old, old story of success and failure, of fail ure and success, but his application to business and the excellence of his work carried him into the good graces of his superiors in office. The star that ruled his luckless lot might have fated him much that was disheartening, but its ad verse influence did not extend to his busi ness career. *•::** » *. A wild night in January, 1888. Snow had fallen all of two days and nights, aud the States were beginning to feel the deadly effects of the great blizzard • Fergus Cameron was in the West, plow ing his way toward a country village. A midnight assignment had fizzled out, his only horse had stumbled into a ditch and broken its leg, and his choice lay between death in the snow and a struggle toward the village. Every minute was like an eternity; he seemed to be drag ging the world at his heels. Mind weary and body-sore ho fought the bitter, blinding blast until overtaxed nature, gave up the battle, and he sank in the snow. FERGUS CAMERON SURPRISED. Two weeks later Fergus Cameron awoke from the torpor of oblivion and saw the world of light again. From the large heating stove in his bed-room a cheerful fire shot shafts of light over the soft rugs on the floor. The surround ings were strange; what did it mean? He lay there looking drowsily about him, and slowly recalled the incidents of his terrible battle with the storm, wondering to whose hospitality he was indebted lor his salvation. His dream ing was pleasantly disturbed by the en trance of r graceful female figure. Who was it? Cameron rubbed his eyes wondering if it was a new phase of his delirium. Another rub; another look; were his senses playing him false? By his bedside stood grace and goodness personified in his old sweetheart, Maud Graham. ***** s|c They are married now, and all the trials of the past are forgotten in the swoet bliss of the present. Old Bailie Graham's views have broadened consider ably since he failed iu business and crossed the ocean, aud no one is more willing to admit that his handsome son in-law is a much more important person than a Scotch bailie who can read Latit upside down.— I'he Journalist. An Island of the Dead. The captain of a coasting vessel that lately put into Guaymas, Mexico, tells a story of a strange discovery made by him when his vessel had been driven off her course some weeks ago. He sighted an island not down on any of the charts. He sent a boat ashore and the men re turned and said that no one lived there, but there were many houses and evi dences that at one time the islaud had been inhabited. The captain himself then went ashore aud found that the island had undoubtedly been swept by a scourge of some kind, which had carried off every living being. There were nu merous huts showing that at one time the place had been thickly inhabited, but not a living thing could be found. An investigation showed that the former residents had died iu such numbers that they had not been buried, but the skele tons were lying around the island wher ever the people had been when death had overtaken them. In one hut were the remains of seventeen people, wlulo in many others skeletons were found iu great cumbers. They had been dead for such a time that the bones were be ginning to decay. There was little to show what kind of people they were, but it is supposed that they belong to some of the numerous island tribes which were so abundant on this part of the coast fifty years ago.— New Orleans Picayune. A Contractor's Little Scheme. A local contractor has a peculiar method of keeping tab on a gang of Italian laborers working under him. The men are known only by numbers, and to keep truck of the doings of each in dividual is a matter of considerable diffi culty. They are all apt to sneak off when the foreman's back is turnod, and sit down for a rest. The unique plan of the contractor in question is devised to put an end to this lazy practice aud the consequent loss of time. In the morning before the gang goes to work each man's number is printed in chalk on his trousers. When the men knock off work in the evening the chalk marks are inspected, aud if any are found to be erased or blurred, the unfortunate Italian to whose trousers the blurred number appertaius is docked a day's pay. The scherae works admirably, as the men prefer to lorego the pleasure of a few minutes' rest rather thau lose their pay. Heeord, WISE WORDS. It is sometimes hard to distinguish in nocence from bluff. Contentment is not knowing anyone who has anything better thau you have. Every manic trouble feels that his friends are not as indignant as they should be. ' Nearly any man will spend SIOO worth of time to get thirty cents worth of re venge. Men are like littlo boys; they all like to have a great big rag tied around a lit tle sore. The man who can win the reputation of being able to lick everybody saves himself lots of fights. There is one thing you can always de pend on a man doing, and that is the thing ho wants to do. Men and women are tho only things ever created that the nearer you get to them the smaller they get. There is one thing in which the poor man has tho advantage of a rich man; he knows who are his friends. When a girl who is engaged to be married tells of tier engagement, it is a very good sign that she was never en gaged before. Every woman believes that if her hus band could be married to some other woman for a week ho would know how to appreciate her. Marriage seems never so much a fail ure to a man as wheu something goes wrong at home that he can't possibly blame on his wife. It makes no difference how worthless a man is; his mother thinks it no sacri lege to delude the best girl in the world into marrying him. We heard two young men discussing boarding-houses. "At the place where I board," one of them said, "the homo influence is better than the mcais." Young people usually talk so much to each other when they are engaged that by the time they are married they have nothing left to say, and begin to invite others in. A New Story of General Grant. I was told a good story about General Grant, the other day that I never saw in print, writes the Washington coirespon dent of the Courier' Journal. It will he recalled that early in the war the New York Fire Zouaves were a crack regi ment, commanded by Colonel Ellsworth. Every man in the ranks had been a fire mau, and it was confidently believed that Ellsworth's command was able to put down the war without assistauce. Tho Colonel was a young man, hand some, gallant, burning with military ardor and thirsting for military fame. He was as much tne idol of the North as Ashby was a few months later the idol of the South. The Fire Zouaves were the first troops to inarch into Alexan dria, Va. Their Colonel was at their head, aud after the town had surren dered Ellsworth saw a Confederate flag flying from a hotel. Instead of ordering a squad to remove it he bolted into the house, ascended the stairway, went out on the roof and cap tured the fla^; descending he was con fronted by the landlord—one Jackson— who shot him dead. Jackson himself was then shot to death, and the affair created more sensation than considerable battles a few years later. After the war a daughter of Jackson secured an ap pointment in one of the departments here. She was a modest, diligent and capable younsj woman, and discharged her official duties acceptably. In the course of time a super-loyal gentleman was putin charge of the bureau in which she worked. Nosing around, he soon discovered the antecedents of the young clerk aud dis charged her. She was friendless and penniless, and as a last resort went to the White House and called for General Grant. He received her, and she related her story to the silent man. Without saying a word he took a piece of paper and wrote: "The war against men is ended, and my Administration shall not begin one against women. Restore Miss Jacksou to her former clerkship instant ly." This was addressed to tlio loyal bureau official, and the young lady is yet in the public service. That was an ex hibition of chivalry that Duriois or Francis I. might have envied. Twenty Dined Off Ono Potato. George W. Scott has brought into the Telephone office a half-dozen of the largest sweet potatoes ever raised, per haps, in the country. They are '-new issues," and the six weighed fifty pounds. The largest one was given by the editor to a family in which there wero eighteen members—the husband and wife and sixteen children—all of whom wero great lovers of potatoes. Sunday they decided to have it for dinner. It was fried—a part of it at least—and was amply enough for all the family, be sides a married daughter and her husband who were spending tho day there. The remainder of the mammoth potato was made up into potato pone and furnished dessert enough for the whole crowd and to spare.— TMeqwih (Indian Territory) Telephone. "I've lost my situation," remarked a young man who had been working for a Fifth avenue firm. "Is thatso?" "Ye?; fired." "Why; I understood that you worked in a fire-proof building.''— PUUburg Chronicle. Terms—Sl.2s in Advance; $1.50 after Three Months SCIENTIFIC AND INDUSTRIAL. ! Steam pipes are made of ramie fibre. Blotting paper is made of cotton rags boiled in soda. Scientists say that a grasshopper has its ears on its forelegs. A man breathes about eighteen pints of air in a minute, or upward of seven hogsheads in a day. A company has been formed in Chicago, 111., to manufacture a metallic substitute for wooden railway ties. According to a statistician of small things, the human heart in a lifetime of eighty years, beats 300,000,000 times. Tho interesting fact has developed in the case of table glass that the much-ad mired iridescent film is slightly soluble in water. An underground hydraulic power dis tribution plant is being talked of for Berlin, Germany. Such systems have al ready been successfully used in England. A torquoise mine has been discovered near the town of Ibrahim Olga about fif teen miles from Samarcand. This is said to be the third turquoise mine found in Central Asia. The largest animal known to exist in the world at the present time is the rorqual, which averages 100 feet in length; the smallest is the monad,which is only 1-12,000 of an inch in length. There have been many collisions at sea which have seemed wholly unac countable, and it may be suspected that they have proceeded from the not un common inability to distinguish between green and red lights at night. It has recently been discovered that in a cubic centimeter of milk, two hours after removal from the cow, there are 9000 microbes, and in twenty-five hours these have increased tc over 5,000,000. Their number is enormously increased by elevation of temperature. These mic robes are harmless, and by many scien tists are supposed to even aid digestion. Field flasks of aluminum instead of the ordinary glass flasks are being introduced experimentally in the German army. They appear to be scrvicable and strong, and should they fulfil their promise tho whole army is to be supplied with them. In addition to their greater durability the metal flasks are much lighter than those of glass, their weights being re spectively 450 and 500 grams. Arc light carbons frequently posses characteristics of the diamond, to which in composition they strongly approxi mate. The pieces of unburned carbons which are thrown away are very ofter found to contain very hard, sharp ends, which will cut glass, and the mischiev ous street Arabs have discovered this fact and use the pieces for defacing windows and doing other destructive work. A comparatively new system of con struction, the invention of Mr. Monier, is being applied to the building of houses, bridges, fortifications, reservoirs, sewers, etc. It consists of a network of iron rods covered with cement concrete, and tht most remarkable feature in connection with it is the great strength of the con structed material, relatively to its weight. It is also claimed that the material is perfectly fire-proof and cheaper thau any other at present employed aud that space is considerably economized owing to the comparative thinness of material em ployed. A Fine Game Preserve. The Rev. N. M. Jurney, of Lecsville, N. C., has associated a number of gen tlemen with him, aud they have estab lished in Cartaret County oue of the finest game preserves iu North Carolina. The gentlemen who own the preserve are only worth $18,000,000 in the aggregate. They have purchased 8000 acres of l.\nd, and have posted it, to be used exclusive ly for their own hunting. This large tract of land is a vast forest, and it con tains the finest fresh water pond in the State. This pond is three miles long, aud from a hundred yards to a half mile in width, and abounds in fish. In the for est there is au abundauce of deer, wild turkeys, wild ducks, wildcats, quail, squirrels, etc. Forty-fivo deer were killed on this tract alone last season. Mr. B. N. Duke, of Durham, N. C., is President of tho company. The company is erecting a handsome lodge to cost s3ooo,and will stock their preserve with game of all kinds. They will also sow grass, peas and grain for the benefit of deer, turkeys, quail, etc. — Ncio Orleam Times-Democrat. Water Purified by Electricity. The Webster method of purifying waste water by meaus of electricity has been tested by Dr. Fcrrai iu the Hygie nic Institute, at Munich, Germany. During the course of the experiments it was found that the water became purified in about fifteen minutes, the orgauic substauces being reduced by about one half, and the suspended substances be ing precipitated to the bottom. The smell of the water was perceptibly im proved. While the results of the tests sho*v that electricity does not at the present time realize the ideal of water purifica tion, it has two great advantages; first, that very little iron is precipitated and its removal is not so difficult as in tho case of purification by chemical means, and, second, the dissolved organic sub stances, which are not precipitated by any of the known chemical methods hitherto employed, are at least partially removed by the electric current. —Phila delphia Record. NO. 18, Mr MOTHER'S H A.i" u Buch beautiful, ueautiful lian<#i! They're neither white nor small, ( Aml you, I know, would scarcely think That they were fair at all. I've looked on hands whose form and hue A sculptor's dream might be; Yet are those aged, wrinkled hands Most beautiful to me. Buch beautiful, beautiful hands! Though heart were wonry and sad. These patient hands kept toiling on, That the children might be glad. The tears well forth, a?, looking back To childhood's distant day. I think how these hands rested uot While mine were at their play. Buch beautiful, beautiful hands! They are growing feeble now, For time and pain have left their work On hand and heart and brow. Alas! alas! how near the time Of pain and loss to me. When 'neath the daisies, out of sight, Those hands will folded b '. But, oh, beyond the shadow land. Where all is bright and fair, I know full well these dear old bands Will palms of victory bear. Where crystal streams through endless years Flow over golden sands. And where the old grow young again, I'll clasp my mother's hands. HUMOR OF THE DAY. China has a revolution alle samec South American man.— Boston Herald. A locomotive travels better and a man worse with a headlight. Oolumbus Post. The detective, like the dude, should be catchy in his makeup.— Biwjhamton Republican. How could a critic ever become fa mous, if there were no minor poets to flay?— Puck. The successful politician must be sharp enough to cut all the people who expect favors from him.— Puck. "How did your friend become a Col onel?" She—"He married a Colonel's widow."— Boston Beacon. Put a handle to a man's name, even if ho is a crauk. A crank without a handle is of little use.— Boston Transcript. Corporal (at the inspection)—" That fellow looks as plump and lat as if all the cooks in the town had fallen in love with him." It's the woman who hn« a brown plush sacque on who can quickest tell a seal skin when she sees it on another woman. Texas Siftings. The kangaroo is a funny animal. It has four legs in all, but two of its legs arc longer than its fore legs put together. —Elmira Gazette. Some papers make it the "grip," others the "grippe." Still a spell of it I is bad enough no matter how taken.— Philadelphia Times. A—"lf I were a minister I should hate to dine at a banker's table." B— "Why?" A—"Think of three days of grace!"— Yale R:cord. If college men would only tackle the world as they do their foot ball op ponents, the rest of us would never get a goal.— New York Ilerald. How goodlooking some of us would be could we only live up to the photo graph which we regard as a perfect like ness!— Boston Tramcript. "Oh, mamma!" ctied Willie, on see ing a zebra for the first time, "do come here and see this poor little convict pony." —Harper's Young People. Don't pen missives to your best girl on postal cards. She may have a sus picion that you do not carc two cents lor her.— l7nioi County Standard. Marriage seems never so much a fail ure to a man as whon something goes wrong at home that he can't possibly blame on his wife.— Atchison Globe. When Strephon, hearing in the dark A step, gave Bridget Daphne's kiss, He evideutly missed his mark By having failed to mark his Miss. —Fuck. A hermit and a tramp present about the same general appearance; the dis tinguishing feature is that one is a re cluse, the other a wreck loose.— Union, County Standard. "My hair," mused Van Soiythe, as he carefully consigned his two remaining wisps to their appointed places, "re minds me most painfully of a fool and his money."— Life. There are lots of them iu the world at the foot of the procession who believe they are at the head, though they admit that the procession is going the wrong way.— Atchison Globe. "Did you ever notice how sometimes the earth seems to smile at the sun?" said the poetic young woman. "Oh, yes," he answered. "The suu's an old dame of hers, you know." Saidso—"When Joblots made his de but as a star the audience went wild; the encore was terriflc." Herdso—"lu which scene was it?" "The one in which he was beheaded."— New York Jltrald. Tommy—"What is a 'running ac count?' Pa says it's an account mer chants have to keep of customers that arc in the habit of running away from paying their bills." Uncle—"That's one definition of it." Tommy—"ls there another?" Uncle—"Yes. A run ning account is, in some instances, au account that gets tired out running after a while, and then it becomes a standing obligation."— Boston Courier,
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers