(UK HULL MARKS The True Ones Are the Leopard and the Lion. LEGACY CF THE ftIDOLE AGES The System Invented by the Gold smiths' Company cf London Is a Lasting Index to the Age and Gen uineness of Old Silver Articles. Every uuwk on your old silver means something. r.n.l if • ;i care to be sure about lis age or maker a study of these marks and tin- system is essen tial. A record lias been kept at Gold stniths' hall, Loudon, for live ( < .mturles of all annual date letters and ef the registered silversmiths and tlieir pri vate marks. in 13517 King Edward 111. granted a charter to the Goldsmiths' guild. Dur ing the reign of Edward IV. the Gold smiths' Company of LAmdou, as it came to lie known, invented and put Into practice an alphabetical system of marks, cbangiug each year. There were similar codes in tin- provincial assay offices. This system is one of the few be quests of the middle ages which have stood the test of time practically with out change. By the provisions of this system we have not only a lasting iu- by which to judge the age of gold and silver, but we have a guarantee of genuineness. Neither the date marks nor maker's marks are hall marks, properly speak ing, though all marks on silver are commonly referred to as hall marks. The true •hall marks are the leopard and the lion. The leopard's head was used lirst from 18(10. and in 1.">40 a lion passant was added. These marks were punched into tlie metal with a die, the animal appearing in a shield or oblong field. I'ntil I'mO a small crown appeared over the lion; from 10i>7 to IHBO the puncheon followed the outline of the lion's body; after that the lion appear ed on an oblong shield. These various forms of the hall mark indicate certain broad periods and are sometimes help ful In determining the age of a piece of silver when the date mark is indis tinct. The date letter or year tuurk system seems to have been definitely settled about 1518, for, although there was an alphabetical system more than fifty years before. It is customary to go back to 1518 as an accurate starting point. Charles 11. raised tht* standard of the uietal, ami in 16115 the new quality was given a new mark, Britannia sitting in an oblong puncheon, with a lion's head erased. The standard was found to be too soft for practical purposes, however, and in 1720 there was a re turn to the old and present standard of metal, with the leopard's head uud the lion passant. Naturally these Bri tannia pieces are rare. Makers began to use their private marks about 13U3. At first they used the first two letters of the surname. About 17:t!t tlie initials were substitut ed. For example, prior to this date Paul Lainerie's mark was La. After ward it became I*. L. Thus were four marks on the silver up to 1784—leopard's head, lion, date letter and maker's mark. In 1784 the sovereign's head was added—the gov ernmental customs mark—making live punches in all. There were changes from time to time in the fixed hall mail. < which are worth noting. For example, the leopard's head was set in a puncheon following its outlines until 107 N. when it began to appear In a symmetrical shield of five sides. In if.:it! the head was reduced souie wlia; i.i m;:c. In i 7.0 the leopard lost his i>eard and liW shield became ob long. and in isjo his crown was taken away from aim These were all Lou don marks. There were in addition provincial marks. The Edinburgh hall mark dates iroui 14- 7. It was a triple turreted ca.a!e or toner. The stand ard mark was a thistle, which was substituted for the assay master's ini tials iu 1707. The date letter cycles began In Edinburgh in iObl. Glasgow iiad a curiou- emblem—a tree with a bird iu the top, a bell hang ing from one branch and a tish across the truuk, stamped in an oval punch eon. The Sheffield and Birmingham hall marks were a crown and an an chor respectively, with the Hon passant as the standard mark. Dublin had a crowned harp. Now, togo back to the subject of date marks, 1 < an not do more than barely indicate what there Is iu the subject for those who wish togo into it seriously. Different cities or halls had different year marks. I will deal only with the Londot. marks, as being by far the most important. Each year had assigned to it a let ter of the alphabet, which was stamp ed on every piece of silver made or sold iu London that year. When the alphabet was used up tliey went back to A again, taking usually a slightly different form of letter. These alpha bets stopped at the letter I", so that each of these cycles is an even twenty yeah* in length. One way nf counterfeiting old silver is to make a perfect copy of an old pie< ■ In som • alloy an 1 give It a thick coating of silver by the moderti elc troplate process. Such counterfeits ate treated skillfully. hall marks and all being reproduced. On the bottom or inside of the piece may sometimes be found the granulat ed or crystallized surfaces left by this process, though these are usually tooled over if In sight. Sometimes English hall marks have been cut from a spoon or other small article of great age and transferred to a larger piece of more modern make.—('ountry Life In Anief tea. His Idea of Happineas. At the Players' club in New York some years ago a number of actors were arguing about the meaning of the word 'happiness." In ihe midst <pf the argument Ilenry E. Dixey appear ed, and one of the contestants said: "Dixey, what is your idea of happi ness?" Mr. Dixey smiled thoughtfully. Then he replied: "My idea of true happiness Is to lie on a couch before a bright fire, smoking a large Havana cigar given me by an admirer, while I listen to a woman who worships me reading ! aloud flattering press notices about mf I acting." ARTEMUS WARD'S FUN. How the 'Humorist U»ed to Win Laughs In Hia Lecfcires. However much the audience might laugh. eveu to a tumult of merriment lasting a minute or two or perhaps longer, Ai'teinus Ward stood with the gravest mien and unmoved face. He could not help laughing while writing or planning 11 good thing, but no necro mancer was ever more self poised when he stood before his audience. The greatest fun of the whole was the manipulation of the panorama It self. Things would go wrong every now and then, and the audience would fairly scream with laughter, supposing It was a mistake, v.liiie as a matter of fact Arteiuus was always at the bot tom of it all. I'd' instance, the prairie fire would go down at the wrong lime and then break out again when tlie scene it was to illustrate had wholly" passed, or the sick looking tnoon would refuse to stay down tTi the midst, while the lec turer was apparently almost overcome with vexation and despair. Then the wrong music would lie played, and the house would break out into roars of laughter, as when he touched upon one really pathetic recital and the piano ground out "Poor Mary Ann." l(i the midst of a really Instructive talk on the Mormon question or a truly Impressive description of the mountain hceuery around Salt lake he would stop as if a sudden feeling of distress had come over him which must be ex plained, and, pointing to an absurd animal in the foreground of a picture, lie would tell the audience how he had always tried to keep faith with them, but mistakes must sometimes occur. "I have always spoken of this animal | as a buffalo and have always supposed he was a buffalo, but this morning my artist cauie to me and said, 'Mr. Ward, 1 I can conceal it from you no longer; that is a horse!* " The effect was sim ply indescribable. When quiet came again, lie would seemingly become wholly lost t<J ev erything around him as he described some absorbing and thrilling incident, ! turning it into ridicule the next minute by the innocent and apparently merely incidental remark, "I did not see this myself, but 1 had it from a man just as reliable as I am."—Enoch Knight in Putnam's. POINTED PARAGRAPHS. If you must be frank, lie frank with yourself. Every defeat develops a lot of new excuses. Most men are optimistic as long as things are Coining their way. Pleasing people is like laughing. It has to be done without an effort to be effective. The most sincere person in the world does not mean it when he says,"l don't care." Some people get credit for being pa tient when the fact is they are merely afraid to talk back. Some people who never recognize a rebuff notice the slightest hint that can be construed as an invitation. Down at tiie bottom of their hearts most jK-ople believe a little in fortune telling and spiritualism and the mys terious generally. Atchison Globe. Mine Preserved Bodies. A curious story illustrative of the preservative properties of carbonic acid gas, or "choke damp," comes from China. Iu the province of Xganhwei a party of miners opened an ancient shall where, according to ilie official records, a terrible catastrophe bad oc curred 4no years ago. When the min ers entered they came upon the bodies of 170 miners who had perished ill the mine, lying where they had been over taken by the deadly gas four centuries back. The corpses to the eye were as though of yesterday, quite fresh look ing and not decayed In any way. The faces were like those of men who had just died. On an attempt being made to move them outside for burial they one and all Crumbled away, leaving nothing but a pile of dust and the rem nants of the stronger parts of their clothing. Lalande and Neptune. The astronomer Lalande narrowly escaped being made famous by a dis covery. He accidentally struck Nep tune with his glass on May 8, 1755, but supposed it was a star. He put It down In his notebook as a star and recorded Its exact situation. Two days later he struck It once more and made a record of It. But when he looked over his notes he found lie had it down as be ing in two different places, and as a star cannot move in forty-eigjit hours he supposed he had made a mistake In one of his notes. If lie hail used his mind a little less mechanically, he eas ily might have be> a Columbus. Pociase Stamps. It is often desired to separate post age stamps that are stuck together without destroying the gum. This can be done by dipping the stamps In wa ter for a few seconds only, shaking off the excess ol' water and heating with a match as much as possible without burning. The h> ;ir expands the water between the stamps and separates them, so that tbej can be easily palled apart and are rca.'iy for use. Uncountable. Tourist (to boy fishing) How many fish have you caughtV Boy Oh, I couldn't count'em! Tourist- Why, you haven't caught any, you little vaga bond! Boy—That's why I can't count 'em! A Similarity. Star Boarder There's something wrwfig with the coffee. Boarding Mis tress-Yes. it's like you—slow about settling. How Soldiers Reduce. The army officer who finds his waist growing greater than his chest, thus destroying the symmetry of his uni form. eats for a little while nothing but lean meat and drinks nothing but hot water. Thus he loses two pounds or so a day. He keeps this diet up till he has sufficiently diminished himself—a matter, as a rule, of but three or four days' abstinence—and then he returns to his usual food again. Many anny officers manage by confining them selves to lean meat for three days la the month to keep their figures perfect. —New York Press. THE HUMAN BRAIN. i ft Neither Originates a Word Nor Forms a Notion. Tl;jse physiological and surgical facts which show that brain matter lias itself ni) capacity for thought are j nf such recent discovery that only a | relatively small number of persons • t rostly specialists—have the least idea that the brain neither originates a word nor forms a notion. Anatomy and physiology alike indicate that the brain is never other than the instru- j nieut of what—in the present state of science—must be called the "personal ity." The personality is as different 1 from, as separate from, the brain as 1 the violinist is separate from his vJo lin. It is not brain which makes man.i Man makes one of his brain heml- i spheres human by his own labor. If a ! human personality entered a young chimpanzee's brain—where, by the way, it would tind ail the required cerebral convolutions—that ape could then grow into a true inventor or phi losopher, for it is the great man who makes the great brain and not the great brain which makes the great man. This is another way of saying that we can make our own brains—so tar as special functions or aptitudes arc concerned. Ilumau brain matter does not become human in its powers, indeed, until the personality within | takes it in hand to fashion it. What is (lie ,"he himself" which thus takes the mechanism known as the brain and uses it for thought purpose as a telegrapher would use a ticker and a series of wires for the transmission of messages? In the present state of anatomy and of pathology, replies Dr. Thomson, in effect, we have here the greatest mystery connected with the conscious personality. We know that the conscious personality - or whatever one pleases to call It—has a material organ to think with. The conscious personality does the thinking. The material organ is the instrument of thought, and that material organ exists in two symmetrical halves. It is only one-half of this organ, however, which call lie used for speech or for recogniz ing or knowing anything which is ei ther seen or heard or touched in the sense of the touch which is educated. All acquired human endowments therefore are acquired by modification of Hie material comprising tile speak ! ug half of the brain. This speaking half of the brain did not originally have a single one of these great functions, not a single place in it for them, any more than its fellow hemisphere has to the end of Its life. They are ail stamped, as It were, each in Its re spective place in the speaking hem isphere, by a single creative agency. All words and all knowledge are put in the brain and arranged there for use, like so many books on their brain shelves by the brain's librarian. Where he goes when he locks this library up and leaves for the night—in sleep— we do not know. But one thing is cer tain—nol one of tile books made Lself or put itself where it properly is.— Current Literature. Subdued tlie Teller. There's a young fellow in Harlem who is inclined to "throw a bluff," as ihey say down in Hie B.ivvery. A few days ago lie bad 111 to deposit and decided he'd change his bank. He dropped into a bank that is well known to accept no small deposits and told the teller that he wanted to open an account. "We don't accept small deposits,' said the teller. And his lone was not exactly what might lie called soothing "Who asked you to accept a small deposit?" demanded the youth. "1 did want to start an account with .<.">0.000, Imt I'll go elsewhere." lie got out lie fore he could lie stopped, leaving the teller with a look of pain and chagrin scattered about his countenance.—New York Globe. A Dilemma. It is not always easy to sympathize with tidgety, highly sensitive persons, like the old lady on the train. She said to the conductor as he punched her ticket, "Conductor, is It a fact that the locomotive is at the rear of the train?" "Yes, madam," the conductor answer ed. "We have a locomotive at ouch end. it takes one to push and one to puy to get us up tills grade." "Oh, dear, what shall I do?" moaned the old lady. "I'm always train sick if 1 ride with my back to the locomotive." English Barmaids. At the time of the Crimean war, ! when there was a dearth of young men for civilian employment, an enterpris ing London publican engaged an ex ceedingly handsome girl to serve in his bar. rhe innovation caused considcra i iile sensation and much adverse com ment, but his business went up with a bound, and naturally Ills example was widely followed. Barmaids, hav ing met a temporary want, were after ward regarded as a necessity, and their employment became general. Humoring Him. Bridegroom (to his young wife, over fond of dressi -The dress you have on pleases me greatly. I should like al ways to see you ill it. my darling. Bride- 1 will fulfill your wishes. I will have my portrait painted in it at once, and you can hang the portrait over your desk. Fliegende Blatter. Lapse of Memory. The Count - Valet Penult me to in form you. sir, that in six mouths you have spent ",">,fj|7 francs and !."» cen times. The Count—lteally ? I wonder what I bought for those 4."» centimes?— Sourire. The first English breech of promise action was tried in 1452: the first French action of a similar kind in 1891. Barliera .IRON Ago. The first barbers of whom there la any record plied their trade in Greeco In the fifth century B. C. In Itome the first barbers operated in the third century B. C. In olden times In Eng land the barber and the physician were Identical. Thus a king's barber was also his chief medical adviser. In 1 the tljne of Henry VIII. of England laws were made concerning bi>.rbers, i of which the following Is an extract: j | "No person occupying a shaving or j barbery in London shall use any sur-1 gery, letting of blood or other matter,' •xcept the drawing of teeth " L.ViNG MUSIC. Advantage of Being Able to Play at Least Two Instruments. A member of a musical organization who takes special pride in his skill as u tuba player Is also an accomplished violinist. "Every practical musician," lie says, "who expects to make his living at file business ought to play at least two Instruments—one brass and the other string. It often happens that a man playing two Instruments can secure an engagement where he who plays but one would lie left unemployed dur ing part of the time. Traveling com panies who take their-musicians along often insist on their doubling up—that is, playing brass iu a street parade or in front of tile theater and a string In strument in the orchestra. In the good old summer time tlie demand is for brass. In the winter strings are in re quest, so at the change of season many Cornet and horn players put away their brass instruments, take up their fiddles and their bows and play at balls and dances all the winter long. "Besides this, there is another thing to be considered. Every cornet and born player must look forward to the time when his lip gives out. After years of horn playing the overtaxed muscles of the lips become relaxed. They are strained from the constant demands made upon them by holding them In a certain position. Sometimes a player retains his embouchure for life, sometimes it gives out suddenly, sometimes there is a gradual deteriora tion in strength of muscle and he finds himself playiu)/ worse than be did be fore and is compelled to realize the fact that his lip i* giving way. The infirmity is a kind of paralysis of the lip. somewhat resembling the scrive ner's cramp, which attacks the lingers of the bookkeeper. The lips remain otherwise in good order."—Cleveland Plain Dealer. SOME NEW YORK FIRSTS. Christmas day first became a legal holiday in I(iT>4. The first law proclaimed in New York related to the Sabbath (1647). The lifst surveyor was (16-I2> Andries Iludde. lie received a salary of £SO a year ($-100). The first official interpreter was George Baxter, appointed in 1042 at a salary of 2.">0 guilders per annum. The first court of justice was estab lished in KMT, presided over by Judge Van Pincklagen. the first Judge In New York. The first lot of ground sold was to Anthony Von Fees in 1642. It was 30 feet front by 110 feet tleep and was sold for $O,llO. If was located where Bridge street now is. The first public house was built in 1642 at the company's expense. It was a clumsy looking 'uvern, located at the northeast "corner of Pearl street and Coenties slip. New York llerald. An Alarm Clock For a Cent. I '"l've got I lu* best alarm clock in the business, and Facia Sam provides it 1 for me," said a West Philadelphia busi liess man of irregular hours yesterday. "Two or three days of each week I have to rise early. Our postman al ways rings our doorbell good and hard when In- leaves any mall, lie comes .along regularly as clockwork al 8 a. in., but does nof always leave mail for me, and consequently the doorbell does not always ring. When 1 want to get up I just buy a post card in flie afternoon and mail it to myself. It has never failed to arrive in the early mail, ac companied. of course, by the ringing of the bell by tin- postman. Talk about a cheap system. I can make the most important kind of an appointment for the morning and fill it by the extra ex pendifure of a single penny."- Phila delphia Record. I IT " Charles Kingsley. 1 It has been said that Kingsley s fame as a poet is not so wide as it deserves to lie. Whatever truth there may be in this assertion there can be no doubt regarding bis right to a place in the front rank of nineteenth century novel ists. lviugsley's "Alton I.ocke." the Chartist novel, in which lie eclipsed even Dickens In bis vivid picture of tlie life of tlie poorer classes, some what outshone his later works, but even these betray indications on every page of having emanated from a mas ter mind. As a preacher Kingsley was ' simple aud earnest, and no less so when he preached at Westminster than when he addressed his village congregation at Eversley. l.ondon Standard. Washington's Fourth of July Dinner. Tin- menus run very much the same throughout the books (Washington's accounts), but there is one page which holds the attention In spite of Its simi larity to the others. It is dated Thurs day, July 4. 177(5. It shows what Washington had for dinner on the very first Independence day. The account reads: I.rs of mutton j 3 , 3d. Lo.vn of vi al 7^. Koustine pi to of l«-i u cis. 6<i. I'ahbagc. bents and li,-ans !is. crt. Teas i: a . Potatoes 2s. Blackfteh ami lob.-- r ,ss. Bd. Capital Pur.iahrrer.t. "Mamma, did you love t > flirt when you were young'.'' "1 am afraid I did. dear." "And were you ever punished for it, mamma ?" "Cruelly, dear 1 married your fa ther." Itire. Correct Diagnosis. Patient--Shall I have to give up lieer, doctor? Doctor No; 1 shan't forbid It to you. Patient- It's extraordinary, doctor, what confidence I have In you. —Fleigende Klatter. % Verbal Chiropody. The pastor, who was calling upon a member of his congregation, asked the name of the sprightly little daughter whose winning ways had attracted his attention. "We call her lOlia," said the little girl's mother. I "That Is a good name, Mrs. Donley," remarked the minister. "It has been : made classic by Charles Lamb." "Well, to tell the truth," explained ! Mrs. Donley, "her name is Cornelia, j but It's easier to call her Ella." I"I see," he rejoined. "And she prob j ably likes It better. It Is a painless ' extraction of a Corn." THE SHORT NOSES. Something to Be Said In Favor of Those Who Wear Them. "riiyslognomlsts tell us that the big nosed people do the world's work," suid n short nosed umn the other day, "and they generally add a lot of rub bish about Napoleon's big nose and how he always selected big nosed men to carry out daring undertakings. "That Napoleon story was invented by some one with a nose like Cyrano de Bergerac, who wanted an excuse for his proboscis and therefore pre tended that his nose was but the In troOnction to a massive, imposing character. It is true that a big nose Is sometimes Indicative of firmness and determination, but only when It Is as sociated with a stronir Jaw and lotag chill. A big nose with a retiring chin Is almost idiotic In the expression It gives to the countenance. Every car toonist knows this. Whenever you see a cartoon of a society dude It shows a long nose and a small chin. "But there is something to be said In favor of the short noses. The short nose shows wit, imagination, tact, judgment, discretion. Socrates had a snub nose, and of the lively lpiaglna- , tlve writers in almost any language i a considerable proportion was short nosr-d people. Long nosed men may «io their share of the world's work, but the short noses write the clever books and the entertaining plays. If Shakespeare had had a nose like the Duke of Wellington, do you ever sup- : pose that he would have written the "Merry Wives of Windsor?" lie might have been a successful theater manager, but would never have be come a literary artist. St. Louis Globe-Democrat. POLITICAL SPIES. Thev Are Quite Common All Over th« Continent of Europe. On the continent of Europe It is quite a common thine for royal personages t<> lie subjected to espionage, mainly, of course, for political reasons. In France, Spain, Russia, Germany •and Austria the prnctlce obtains. At one time during the reign of Napoleon 111. a small army of political spies was engaged in watching royal subjects. In fact, the vigilance of the different par ties was so great that there were three or four distinct secret services. The emperor bad his: the empress had hers; the government and the republicans respectively had theirs—all employed to watch the other parties and their spies. Moreover, Bismarck had his spy over the emperor. So that France was over ridden by spies, the most important, however, being Bismarck's, to whom the war was indeed to a great extent due. This secret service agent was a Ger man doctor, whose advice the unfortu nate emperor even preferred to that of his own court physicians, and thus Bismarck knew even better than Na poleon the real state of the latter's health, which was, of course, a very important factor in the political situa tion at those times. Pearson's Weekly. A Great Relief, "I.ady," said Meandering Mike, "do you want any wood chopped?" "No." was the sharp answer. "Nor chores of any kind done?" "No." "lu dat case I feels relieved. I kin take a chauce on siskin' you fur some thin' to eat." Washington Star. Samuel Ogden was the first English owner of the land on which Ogdenu burg, N. Y., is now built _ . JL ' ~~^l 112 The Home Paper i i of Danville. i ' i Of course you read i i mil ? ir jk THE J^EOPLEIS POPULAR .1 APER. i I! Everybodv R,-"ds It. i ! * .. _ _______ i . ;j Publishe. f;very Mor :• i Sijnday c No. 11 E. Mshc.i St. ! Subscrv. ion o ten ;• V/cek. L . ______ .. j BURNING MARTYRS. Cost of the Funeral Pyre» Told In • Curious Old Bill. A bill for the materials with which to burn Cranmer and his fellow mar- ; tvrs Is probably the most curious and - uggestlve document ever presented ! lor )>ayment. Tho execution of I<atl nier and Ridley took place on Oct. 16. 1555, while Cranmer did not suffer until March 21 of the following year. The memorandum of the bill Is In cluded In the book which was found by Strype when he wrote his "Memoirs of Archbishop Cranmer" in 1C93, In which the expenses of the martyrs were entered during . their Imprison ment. This book Is probably some where among the manuscripts of Ox ford university, now a grim, matter of fact witness to the fanatical hatred of the day. The following are exact transcripts from the bills by the person who had charge of the funeral pyres: "Paid for the burning of Archbishop Cranmer and Ills two fellow sufferers, Ridley and Latimer: For one hundred of wood fagots, Os.; for one hundred and a half of furze fagots, 3s. 4d.; to the carriage of them, Bd.; to two labor ers, Is. 4d.; to three loads of wood fagots to burn Ridley and Latimer, 125.; Item, one load of furze fagots, 3s. 4d.; for carriage of these four loads, 25.; Item, a post. Is. 4d.; item, for chains, 3s. 4d.; Item, for staples, fid.; Item, for laborers, 4d."—Scrap Book. Outfits costing from $5,000 to $12,500 are provided for our ambassadors go ing to foreign capitals. This sum rep resents nioviug expenses, etc. IB IE! 1 A Reliable TW SHOP for all kind of Tin Roofing Spoutlne and Ceneral Job Work. Stoves, Heaters. Furnaces, «to. PRICES THE LOWEST! QUALITY TOE BEST! JOHN HIXSON TO. 11# E, FRONT ST. S KlM.the COUCH LUNCS j "Dr. King's ; Hew Discovery r r ._ /"VCr.SUMPTION Price firGH I OUGHS and 50c&$t.00 8 lyrics Free Trial. 1 Surest and Quickest Cure for all I THROAT and LUNG TROUB y LE3, or MONEY BACK. MIL* fe wan! to ilo aii M\ of Printing [ S (]D uUD ■! It's Nit it will Plie. : it's Reaiift A well prir' * tasty, Bill or L \\( ter Head, Post A)l Ticket, . ill; \ Program, >v- - LVJ mein c• la ' ■j w an ad\ iitiseme . foryoui hu inc.':-? t satisfaction to you New Type, lew Presses.. n , , Best Paper, * Skilled Work, A ' Promptness- W'i yrn can ask. A trial wlii make you our customer We respectfully ask that trial. 1 111 B No. ii E. Mahoning St —- * TST"\7"IT .".CJ3B. . 7=> &
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers