Nebraska Newspapers

    THE PAST 18 MINE.
0 Memory ! O Memory I
Adown thy paihs I love to strar.
And view , now Lore , some lovely"flower ,
Dow there , a bramble by the way.
For who may pierce , with backward glance ,
The vista of-tne perished years ,
And not discern some olden ill
That fills tho eye with bitter tears !
With vines that trip and tLorna that wound ,
The br : inb5e well may typify
Those errors of Impulsive youth
That cause old age the burdened sigh.
But then tbere comes the Image fair
Of one who blessed our early days ,
Whose presence seemed a spirit sent
From those who wulk celestial ways.
The soft caress , the gentle voice ,
That wooed the wea'ricd soul to rest-
Ob , hov they thrill the elder life
Now swiftly sinking to its west !
Bo bare of ill , so filled with good ,
Thy paths , though long , appear to me ,
1 fainwould linger in them of c ,
0 Memory I O Meiriorv !
H. H. NtwliaUt in The Current.
ASTOflY OF A BOOK.
1 should like to tell my story , for
it seems to mo that in the great mul
titude of companions which pour into
the world every year , little ones like
me are forgotten.
Every one knows what the outside
of a book is red , yellow , green or
purple in color , lettered in silver , let
tered in red , oblong and square , fat
and thin. Every book has some shade
of difference , which may distinguish
it. It is true we come in tribes by
hundreds after one pattern and lately
the most popular cover or dress a book
cun wear is paper lettered with black , I
and the letters stretched across the
pover , and are not at the back of the
volume , as used to be the case.
Where do we all come from ?
Whither are we going ? are ques tions
which I think 1 may ask , without run-
nine : the risk of being thought vain.
1 know where I came from that is ,
the heart and core of me ; and I wish ,
as I said before , to relate my history.
I must go back some way to get to the
beginning of things , and that begin
ning takes me to a dull , dreary lodg
ing in a dull , dreary back street in
London. I was born there. When
the baby was asleep in the cradle ,
when the husband was away at his
work in the postoflice , when notice
this the lastlstocking was mended
my author would get out an old case ,
open sundry sheets of lined paper ,
and with a smile on her lips , dip"the
pen into the ink and let me grow
under her hand.
She was very happy when she was
making me the vehicle inher thoughts
pure , bright thougts they were
and whatever merit I possess came
from her , who told out her thoughts
on the lined paper , and made me. *
She kept this work of hers a secret.
Sometimes I heard her telling her
bab\T that mother was writing a story
that , perhaps , when it was published ,
it would make her fortune and then ,
oh ! tbo joys that would come the
country home instead of furnished
rooms , the flowers and the brightness ,
"like old old home "
my , , baby !
And little by little I grew , and the
old case was full , and at last I was
finished. Rather this first part of my
life uiy best part was over. Then
came many a journey for me. As I
was born in London , from whence
books are all sent out intothe world ,
I was not committed to the post , but
my dear author would tie mo up neat
ly , and tuck me under her arm an d
set forth with me.
She would wait patiently to see
some great pundit who was to pro
nounce on my merits. She was so
anxious about my fate that I could
feel her heart beating , as she waited
with me , and even when sie received
me back a tear dropped upon me , and
I often heard her say :
"I must give you up , my poor little
book ; you have no chance among
thousands , of course not. I was KO
Billy to think so. I will not try any
more. "
But she did try it again , and I was
received. I had been received before ,
but now I was unrolled and read.
When my dear author came back to
hear my doom , the man who had me
laid his hand upon me'and said :
'
"Th'is is i nice story ; it is not a
novel audyetL t is full of interest. I
will undertake to publish it. "
"Will you pay for it ? " she asked.
"Well , no ; I will bring it out , and if
you deposit thirty pounds. I will share
the profits if it succeeds' "
"I ' can not pay you any money , "
was'the answer in a low tone , "for I
have none. I want money from you. "
The publisher stroked His beard ; he
had along beard , for it tickled mo as
he bent over me.
"My dear young lady , that is always
the cry of young authors ; but the har
vest is not reaped directly the seed is
sown. You must bo patient. "
"Give my story back to me , " my
author said in a trembling voice. "I
can not let you have it for nothing. "
I was being rolled up , and a thick
elastic band clicked over me , when an
other voice was heard :
"Mr. Best , let me speak with you a
moment. "
Then I was laid down on the table ,
and I could hear the sighs of my dear
author as she sat near me.
After a few minutes , the gentleman
with the beard came back , and a
younger gentleman with him.
"We think , madame , we will under
take to publish this book , and pay
you ten pounds on the day of issue.
The truth is my partner thinks highly
of it ; forgive me , more highly than 1
do , and bv " his desire I make you this
t offer. "
So I was left on the table , then
thrown into a deep drawer , from
whence I was taken one morning and
torn assunder.
A small part of me was sent off to
the printers , being first marked by the
hand of some one who read me.
Very soon after my arrival at the
printer's office my fair pages were
imeared with black fingers , and 1 was
net up before a man with a pair
of keen eyes , and I heard liiru
mutter :
"Plain writing for once , that's a
mercy a woman's too. "
Then another voice called out :
"You are lucky. I have been puz
zling over this sentence for an hour ;
can't make head or tail of it , " while
another grumbled :
"These proofs are so scrawled over ,
I'll just send them back to' Mr. Best.
I ain't going to spend my life over
'em. "
From first to last I heard no grum
bling about myself. All went smooth
ly , and my dear author would smile
and sing over me as tho proofs of my
progress came by the post to her twice
a week.
The great day came at last. After
I had been punched and flattened anc
stitched , I was inclosed in a modes :
gray binding with silver letters , anc
was published !
Ah , me ! with what crowds of other
books did I make my debut into the
wholesale publisher's ware-house ,
where we were all ranged on shelves
waiting for orders.
Some were sent for review , some to
the trade ; one , with ten pounds , to my
dear author.
Who of all the people that glanced
at me guessed tho labor which had
been bestowed on me in my creation ,
and the joy which I gave when
I lay complete on tho breakfast
table one dark December morn
ing ? How proud was the young hus
band ! How ho took me up and ad
mired my binding , my silver letters
and my title. By tho b"y , I have never
told you my name. It was "Bright
Days. "
_ "This is a bright day to me , dar
ling , " said the husband , hugging mo
and the baby and my author in one
fervent embrace.
Then tho ten pounds were examined
the crossed check ! "
"Payable to you , " she said , "so you
must take the money. I am only a
woman , so I can't take my wage. So
nice that it is yours ! "
How happy they were ! how full of
bright plans and schemes ! That ten
pounds was an El Dorado thai check ,
signed by Messrs. Best & Crowe , like
a banner of victory.
And now 1 must go to less pleasant
subjects. I was not a succe s com
mercially hardly a failure , but not a
success.
Thousands passed me in the race.
Books full of dark deeds cheating ,
murder , and the like sold. Books
full of affected flights of aesthetic
culture and lofty agnostic teaching ,
sold ; but I was passed by. ,
I must speak as a noun of multi
tude , for a certain freemasonry is
established among us as a tribe , "and
we know pretty well by results what
has happened.
'Bright Days , " the appearance of
which caused such pleasure in that
dull little London lodging , was lent lo
admiring friends and read ; it was lent
to others , and dismissed with faint
praise.
A great critic in literature called it
goody , another dull ; a third laughed
over it with his clever wife , and wrote
what ho thought a stinging piece of
satire only a few lines. "Bright
Days" was"not worth more !
"Will you take another story ? " my
author asked of Mr. Best.
"Well , I am afraid" and the beard
was stroked thoughtfully "I am
afraid not at our risk ; we must wait.
Autumn sales may effect 'Bright
Days. ' But , to tell you the honest
truth , there is not a spice of wicked
ness in the tale to insure its success
with novel readers , no very startling
interest , no tragic incident pray for
give my candor and then , for the
stricter folk , there is not enough said
of religion. Though some call you
goody , others think you worldlv.
Your heroine goes to a dance , and
once even to the theater , and , ridicu
lous as it may seem , that is enough to
check the circulation in some homes. "
"So you think I had better never
write another book ? " my author said ,
in that sweet , low voice of hers , which
I well knew was the sound of repress
ed tears.
" 1 would not go so far as that.
Your story is true to life a little too
true ; it is well-written ; there are beau
tiful passages in it ; but , to sum up in
a few words , 'Bright Days' is not a
success. "
Well , there are different notions as
to success , but it seems to me that I
did not altogether fail when a letter ,
like the one which I.heard my au
thor's husband read to her , was writ
ten about me.
It eame the very next day after the
interview with Messrs. Best & Crowe ;
it was addressed to their care , and
duly forwarded. My dear , author
trie'd to read it , but the baby snatched
at it and tried to thrust the crumpled
page into her mouth , and the young
mother handed it to her husband , say
ing :
"Do read it for mo ; I can not imag
ine who wrote it. "
"It is about ' ' "
'Bright Days , her
husband said , and I , lying on tho
writing table , heard my name , and
was all attention.
The letter was as follows :
"WooDCHESTER MANOR , May 18.
' DEAR MADAM : Will you forgive
me for addressing you ? I am a
"
stianger to you , or "rather I was a
stranger a week ago. Now I feel as
if I had found a friend in you , and I
must needs tell you so. 1 am a pris
oner to a sofa ; all nnanly exercises in ;
which others of my age delight , are
denied to me. I have lound my con
dition a sore trial of patience , and 1
know 1 have been a sore trial to the
patience of others. A few days ago a
box of books came from Mudie's. My
servant unpacked the volumes a"s
usual , and at my request read me the
titles.
"At last he came to 'Bright Days.
One Volume. By Cara Cameron , Best
and Crowe. '
"The very title seemed a little in
appropriate. I tossed the book aside ,
and , for a day or two , greedily de
voured the novels in three volumes , ;
which took precedence in your story ,
dear madam. But at last , sick with
tho repetition of the samp incidents , . '
tragedies , flirtations , and even worse ,
I took up 'Bright Days. ' I read it
once , and read it again , more careful-
ly. The prison doors seemed to open
by its power ; a now life was kindled
in me by your words. Words of en
couragement to endure , of spirit to of
take up the work God has given , not
to flinch from service , even service like >
mine , poor and faint , the power of en
durance , not gloomily not grudgingly
given , but lightly and cheerfully *
Your heroine lives for me. I hear hoi t < j
.voice and see her smile. 'Bright Days1
indeed she makes for those about Lor ,
and in making them she makes her
pwn. Beautiful is the influence she
exercises over the most unpromising
husband the sunshine of the little
home , where she faithfully fulfills her
mission !
"Dear madame , go on and prosper
in your work. Doubtless you have
reached many hearts beside mine ,
though others may not have been so
bold as I in daring to tell you what
you have done. May God reward you
a hundredfold for 'Bright Days , '
which has pierced the clouds and
gloom of a self-seeking , self-engrossed
life , and has made me ever your
faithful , grateful friend ,
"ARTHUR PlERPOINT.
P. S. May I hope for one word in
reply , to show you are not angry with
mn , and to tell me that you are writ
ing another book ? "
"After all then ' '
'Bright Days' was a
success , " the husband said , as ho re
turned the letter. "My darling , you
should laugh and be glad , not let
tears fall on the poor baby ; give her
to me. "
"Oh ! they are happy tears and to
think after all , that my poor little
book has not altogether failed. 1
really think I will begin again this
evening when all is quiet , and I will
write to my unknown friend and tell
him the title of my new story shall bo
Hope Fulfilled. ' "
I think , in conclusion , I may ven
ture to say that I , the book who has
hero related its own'history , was not ,
nay , is not , a failure , but rather that'
"Hope will be fulfilled , " and that
Cara Cameron will bo known before
long as tho successful author of
"Bright Days. " Emma Marshall.
Ways of Lawyers.
A young attorney was accosted by
an acquaintance yesterday with the
common-place salutation :
"flow do you do ? "
"As there is nothing to do , " was
the nonchalant reply , "it is immaterial
as to how it is done. "
"Does the depression in commercial
circles affect the law business gener
ally for the worse ? I should suppose it
would give it an impetus. "
"The business is not so very bad , ex
cept among young attorneys. Depres
sion in business is not the solo cause
of our ill-luck. Older attorneys , and
some of them having a lucrative prac
tice in the higher courts , are getting
in the habit of descending to justice
courts even in matters of small ac
count. It is true that some older law
yers make a practice of turninjr over
petty suits to younger men , but they
are few. "
"Are collections from clients becom
ing more difficult ? "
"Somewhat ; but he is a poor lawyer
who can not collect his fee. There : ire
certain well-known attorneys ret- >
nized in tho profession -model law
yers , able speakers , and good counsel ,
who bind their clients with a rock-rib
bed contract. If money can not bo
paid them , their chattels are accepted
in lieu. A very well known attorney
recently made it a condition of a con
tract of this kind that in case tho
money was not forthcoming , then he
was to receive the seal skin sack which
liis lady client wore. Others will not
take a case without what is known as
a retainer , which is nothing more than
part pay in advance. Not a few law
yers of a certain class are willing to
cake cases making their pay contingent
upon winning the case. Of course the
pay is commensurate with the risk ,
ind is usually half the amount sought
; o be recovered ; but I have known a
case In which three-fourths was allot
ted. These , of course , are desperate
cases which no reputable lawyer
would take , and indeed which no at
torney with but little or no reputation
as such would touch unless constrained
: o do so by tho hope of winning the re
ward and a peal from tho bugle of
: ame. " Detroit Post. 1
1A
Falling Half a Mile. \
The greatest balloon feat I ever
r
witnessed , writes a correspondent in s
The Philadelphia Times , was in Sep
tember , 1858. Upward of 15,000 peo 1
ple were at Lemon Hill and along the 1S 1t
> anks of tho Schuylkill to see M. S
Jodard go up in a balloon along with
lis brother and drop tho latter out t
rom among the clouds in a parachute. a
! t is said that the feat had never been
8
attempted before in the history of r
) allooning ; it was a startling novelty ,
and the people crowded to see it.
When th'e balloon sailed gracefully
upward outside of the inclosuro M.
Jodard and two friends were in tho
> asket , while below it M. E. Godard ,
lis brother , was seated upon a small
> ar of wood attached to the parachute ,
't looked like an immense umbrella.
The balloon went over the Schuylkill
n a southwesterly direction , and
after it had reached an altitude of
about 6,000 feet began to slowly de
scend. Then the par.ichuto be-
ran to expand. When within about
1,000 feet of tho earth the cord was
cut and tho parachute rapidly de
scended , with Godard hanging on to
he bar. The balloon shot upward
again. The descent of the parachute
was keenly watched by the thousands
of spectators , and many expected to
see the daring man dashed to tho
earth in the twinkling of an eye. It
was observed , however , that tho
nearer to earth the parachute came
ho descent was slow and easy. At
ast the man and his big umbrella
aded out of sight over the hills , and
we learned next morning that he came
down all right on his feet , like a cat ,
about a half mile west of the old Bell
avern , on the Darby road. The bal-
oon landed in Delaware county , near
he Philadelphia line. Godard and
lis brother were Frenchmen They
eturned to their native country , and , a
believe , were valuable to their coun-
rymen' during the Franco-Prussian
war. Gambetta sailed out of Paris to
fours in one of their balloons.
The bicycle is to be officially introduced into
the Bavarian army. A number of the soldiers
the garrison of Munich arc at present doing
orderly service for the purpose of trying the
racticability of the "wheel. "
The etudio of Bozl , the painter , was filled
with animals which reminded one ol pictures
of Noah's ark ,
Bill Nye on War.
I dropped in the other day to see
New York's great congress of was
figures and statuary carnival. It i ;
quite a success. The first thing you
do is to contribute to tho pedesta
fund. New York this spring is mostl
a large rectangular box with a hole in
the top , through which the genial pub
lic is cordially requested to slide a
dollar to give the Goddess of Libertj
a boom.
I was astonished and appalled at tho
wealth of apertures in Gotham througl
which I was expectedgto slide a dime
to assist some deserving object. Every
little while you run into a free lunch
room where tbere is a model ship tha
will start up and operate if you feed
it with a nickle. I never visited
town that offered so many inducements
for early and judicious investments as
New York.
But we were speaking of the wax
works. I did not tarry long to notice
the Presidents of tho United States
embalmed in wa"x , or to listen to the
band of lutists who furnished music in
the winter garden. I ascertains
where the Chamber of Horrors was
located , and went there at. once. It is
lovely. I have never seen a more suc
cessful aggregations of horrors under
one roof and at one price of admission.
If you want to be shocked at cost or
have your pores opened for a merely
nominal price , and see a show that
you will never forget as long as you
live , that is the place to find it. I nev
er invested my money so as to get so
large areturn for it , be'causelfrequent-
ly see the whole show yet in the mid
dle of the night , and the cold perspira
tion ripples down my spinal column
just as it did the first time I saw it.
The Chamber of Horrors certainly
furnishes a very durable show. I have
known men to pay out thousands oi
dollars for a collection of delirium
tremens and new laid horrors no bet
ter than these that you get on week
days for fifty cents and on Sundays for
two bits. Certainly New York is the
place where you get your moneys'
worth.
There are horrors there in that crypt
that are well worth double the price
of admission. One peculiarity of the
Chamber of Horrors is that you finally
get nervous when anyone touches you ,
and you immediately suspect he is a
horror who has come out of his crypt
'
to get a breath of fresh air and stre'tch
his legs.
That is the reason I shuddered a
little when I felt a man's hand in my
pocket. It was so unexpected , and
tho surroundings were such that I
must have appeared startled. The
man Avas a stranger to me , though I
could see that he was a perfect gentle
man. His clothes were superior to
mine in every way , and he had a cer
tain relinement of manners which be
trayed his ill-concealed Knickerbocker
high lineage.
! said , "Sir , you will find my fine-
cut tobacco in the other pocket. '
This startled him so that he wheeled
about and wildly dashed into the arms
of a wax policeman near the door.
When he discovered that he was in the
clutches of a suit of second-hand
clothes filled with wax , he seemed to
be greatly annoyed and strode rapid
ly away.
I returned to view a chaste and
truthful scone where one man had
successfully killed another"man with
a club. I leaned pensively against a
column with my own spinal column ,
wrapped in thought.
Pretty soon a young gentleman from
New'Jersey with an Adam's apple on
him like a full-grown yam , and accom
panied by a young lady also from the
mosquito jungles of Jersey , touched
me o'n the bosom with his umbrella
and began to explain mo to his com
panion.
"This , " said the Adam's apple with
the young man attached to it , "is
Jesse James , the great outlaw chief of
Missouri. How life-like he is. Little
would you think , Emeline , that he
would as soon disembowel a bank , kill
the entire board of directors of a rail
road company and ride off the rolling
stock as you would wrap yourself
around a doughnut. How tender and
kind he looks. He not only looks gen
tle , and peaceful , but he looks to me ;
as if he wasn't real bright. "
I then uttered a piercing shriek and
"
the young man from New "Jersey went
away. Nothing 13 so embarrassing to
an eminent man as to stand quietly
near and hear people discuss him. )
But it is remarkable to see people
get fooled at a wax show. Every day
a wax figure is taken for a live man ,
and live people mistaken for wax. I
took hold of a waxen hand in one cor-
of the winter garden to gee if the ring
was a real diamond , and it flew up and
took me across the ear in such a life >
like manner that my ear is still hot i
and there is a roaring in my head that
sounds very disagreeable indeed.
Kew York Mercum.
More About the First Lady.
Miss Cleveland has settled in a com
mon sense , practical way the much
discussed question of who is the first
lady in the land. Several days ago
the necessity for some house cleaning
supervision having arisen , she routed
her social opponents by tying a towel
around her head and in unpretentious
dress personally directed the corps of
servants as to the manner in which the
work had to bo done. It may be as
sumed that there will bo some outcry
by those who attempt to sway polite
society against any such homely argu
ment as this , but it is equally probable
that the masses of the people will up
hold Miss Cleveland for her unassum
ing conduct. The leading lady in the
matter of overseeing housework as
well as in the more fashionable but
less useful occupations of dancing
german or disseminating the latest
society gossip. Somehow there is a
streak of homely common sense run
ning through the Cleveland family
that stamps"them as being very Amer
ican in their ideas. Philadelphia
Times.
Queen Victoria detests smokers , and keeps
np in her palaces the standing order : "Posi
tively no smoking here , " much to the annoy
ance of the Prin aj of Wales , who , as the first "
dandy of the land , not only smokes , but sets
all the fashions , though his reputation as a
raka la exaenetraed.
A Treasury Cireu'ar.
Tho United States treasury has issu
ed a circular promulgating tho rela
tion which will hereafter govern tho
issue and redemption of the currency
and coins of tho United States and tho
redemption of national bank notes
The principal changes made in exist
ing regulations are in regard to ship
ments of silver and to the redemption
of mutilated United States notes. The
new regulations in reference to tho
issue of standard silver dollars is as
follows :
Upon the receipt of currency or gol (
coin , tho treasurer , or an 'assistan
treasurer , will dause to be paid to ap
plicants in cities whore their rnspec
tive offices may be situated standard
silver dollars in any desired amount.
Standard silver dollars are forward
ed to applicants outsidn of cities in
which the treasurer , or an assistan
treasurer , may be situated , at the ex
pense of the government , in sums or
multiples of § 500 :
1. Upon the receipt by the treasurer
of an original ccrtilieate issued by an
assistant treasurer of national bank
depository that a deposit of currency
or gold coin has been made to the or
der of the treasurer in general account ,
deposits with the assistant trcasurci
in New York may be inude by draft
payable to his order and collectable
through the clearing-house , forward
ed directly to him with instructions
to deposit the amounts on account of
standard silver dollars , and lo for
ward the certificates therefor to the
treasurer of gold coins , United States
notes , silver certificates , or natioua
bank notes.
2. By tho treasurer or any assist
ant treasurer , by registered mail free
of charge in sums or multiplies of $65 ,
"
at the risk"of the party to whom sent ,
upon receipt of gold coin. United
States notes , silver certificates , or na
tional bank notes.
The regulation respecting the issue
of fractional silver is as follows :
The treasurer and assistant treas
urers of the United States will pay out
fractional silver coin in any sum de
sired for lawful money of the United
States.
Fractional silver coin will be for
warded from tho office nearest the
plaue of its destination by express at
the expense of tho government in
sums or multiplies of $500 :
1. Upon receipt of nn original cer
tificate issued by the treasurer , an as
sistant treasurer , or a national bank
depository , that a deposit of currency
or gold coin has been made to the
credit of the treasurer in general ac
count. Deposits with the assistant
j treasurer in New York may bo rnadu
by drafts payable to his order , and
collectable "through tho clear ng-
house , forwarded directly to him ,
with instructions to deposit the
amounts on accounts of fractional sil
ver coin and to forward tho certifi
cates to the office nearest the destina
tion of the coin.
2. By the treasurer or any assist
ant treasurer , by registered mail , free
of charge , in sums or multiplies of
$70 , at Fho risk of the party to whom
sent , upon the receipt of currency or
gold coin.
The following is tho regulation in
regard to the redemption of United
States notes :
United States notes , each exceeding
nine-tenths of its original proportions
in one piece , are redeemable at their
full face value in other United States
notes by the treasurer and the several
assistant treasurers of the United
States , and are redeemable in coin , in
sums not Jess than $50 , by tho assist
ant treasurer in New York.
The Great Pyramid.
Mr. J. B. Bailey , of Beading , writes
to The St. James's Gazette as follows
with reference to the desirability of ex-
jlonng the Great pyramid :
Now that Great Britain is dominant
at Cairo , would it not be a good plan
o clear away the sand and rubbish
rom the base of the Great pyramid ,
right down to its rocky foundation ,
and try to discover those vast corri
dors , halls , and temple , containing
) riceless curiosities and treasures , with
vhich tradition in all ages has credited
he Great pyramid ? This wonderful
milding , of such expuisitc workman
ship , was erected many years before
my of the other pyramids , which are
anly humble imitations , built by an-
3ther nation , and also for other pur-
oses ; for neither King Cheops nor
inybody else was ever interred beneath
his mighty mass of stone. The small-
3r pyramids also exhibit neither tho
nicety of proportion nor the exactness
sf measurement , both of which
jharacterize tho first pyramid. From
nternal evidence it seems lo have
een built abont the 3etir 2170 B. C. ,
short timo before the birth of Abra-
lam , more than four thousand years
ago. This one of the seven wonders
31 the world in the days of ancent
5reece is tho only one of them still
n existence. Tho base of this build-
ng covers more than thirteen square
icres of ground. Its four sides face $
3xactly north , south , east , and west ,
t is situated in the geographical cen-
er of the land surface of the globe.
t was originally 48o feet high , and [
mch of its sides measures 762 feet It j
s computed to contain 5,000,000 tons r
Df hewn stones beautifully fitted to- 1
rether with a mere film of cement. 1J
A.nd these immense blocks of stone s
nust have been brought from quarries < 3
ive hundred miles distant from the 3r
ite of the building. Tho present well- o
inown king and queen chambers , with c
he various passages , might also bo o
horoughly illumined by means of tho V
jlectric or lime lights. The astrono-
ner royal of Scotland some years since
11
jarefully and laboriously examined 11p
ill that is at present known of the in- p
"
erior of this "enormous building. Ho
'O a
tates that measurements in the charn-
f
aers , etc. , show the exact length of the
jubit of the bible namely , twenty-
ive inches. This cubit was used in Jj
he building of Noah's ark , Solomon's j (
emple , etc. He also maintains that
he pyramid shows the distance of
f <
he sun from the earth to be 91,810,000 J
niles.
* lit
The number of non-working holidays in ,
b
"ranee , Including Sabbaths , amounts to 100
Thole days 3n each year. In Greece they J
lave 100 days ; in England there are 84 ; ID
Russia. 66. e
PASSING EVEJi'TS.
Bntto , Montana , is to have a grantta
court house.
Washington has 9,355 licensed dogs ,
or more in proportion than any other
city in the union.
Cocoanut fiber brooms are * novelties
for sweeping the hearth. They have a
rich brown tint and are "so odd. '
If all tho railroads of tho world vror
joined one to another they would go *
around the earth on its longestciroum-
ference more than ten times. t
Small-pox has become epidemic in
Tuxpan , Mexico , and tho state board
of health is taking precautions against
it spreading to neighboring towns.
Charles E. Courfney says that the
new patented dry-land rowing-ma
chine will be used in all tho principal
gymnasiums and colleges of tho coun
try before long. There is no percep
tible difference between its movement
and that of a shell boat.
Little 8-ycar-old Kittio Stephens , of
Poughkeepsie , N. Y. , was hurried in
accordance with the provisions of her
"will , " in white , with"her doll dressed
in white , in her arms , tho casket , flow \
ers , hearse , and horses being while , i
and five little girls in white acting as
pall-bearers.
It is noted , says The London Qlobe ,
that in "Whitaker's Almanac" the
only day in the year opposite which
some "event" is not recorded is Juno
10. The space has evidently been left
blank in order that it may bo filled
with tho record : "Tho queen receiv
ed Mr. Gladstone's resignation. " ;
The Hawaiian Gazelle tells how a na
tive of Hilo came to his death while
endeavoring to kill a fish he had just
caught. Ho placed it in his mouth tf >
bite it , according to custom , when it
slipped down his throat , and , as it was
too big to bo swallowed and its ex
panded fins forbade its removal , tho
fisherman was choked to death.
Tho Koran states that each mother
locust lays ninety-nine eggs , and were
the hundred complete they would de
stroy the whole world and all that is
in it. The greatest ravages by locusts
are in Cyprus , where tho government
spends a large annual sum for the ex
termination of the insects. It is esti
mated that the locust slaughter in 1883
must have been 200,000,000,000.
The last report ot the French de
partment of agriculture shows how ex
tensive have been tho ravages of tho
grape-destroying phylloxera in that
country , but comforts its readers by
evidence that the pest is decreasing.
The statistics given show that Franco
has now more than a million less acres
devoted to Vineyards that she possess
ed before the appearance of thid in
sect.
sect.The
The prime warden of tho Fish
mongers' company , London , told tho
Society of Arts , in a recent address ,
that the daily supply received at
Billingsgate , the great London fish
market , amounted to five hundred
tons. A ton of fish is equal to tho
weight of twenty-eight average sheep ;
so that five hundred tons equals
a consumption of fourteen thousand
sheep.
In 1770 Obidiah Hill went from
Newbury to Leominster , Mass. , and
began making back hair combs from
horn , working in his kitchen with rudo
hand tools and without an assistant.
To-day Leominster is engaged in tho T
manufacture of horn combs , chains ,
bracelets , lockets , knives , ornamental
trinkets , and various other useful arti
cles , including horn chains. More ,
than a score of firms are in tho busi
ness , and hundreds of people are em
ployed. More horns of cows , oxen
and steers are worked up in this town
than in any other place.
Tho United States guaranteed In
dian Territory to the five tribes in ex- ]
change for lands in Tennessee , Geor- '
gia , North Carolina , and Alabama.
The government is under obligations
to defend the territory from outside
intrusion , and to maintain the nation I
al independence of tho tribes and tho
security of their lands "as long as
grass shall grow privater run. * ' Tho
title to tho land is not vested inindi- ,
vidual citizens , but is the property of '
each nation , and a man may not pass
a deed to the land he occupies , but
merely convey tho improvements he
has put upon it.
In an address to young men Dr. W.
Pratt , of London , says that married 1\ \
lite is by far the most healthv. In
1,000 married men of 25 to 30 years of , J
age there are six deaths ; 1,000 bachu- \
lors furnish ten deaths , and 1,000 f
widowers twenty-two deaths. In
young men marrie'd before 20 years tho
figures are unfavorable , being fifty per
1,000. In unmarried men under 20
the rate is but seven per 1,000. If
girls marry before 20 a like mortality
befalls them. Married people from 18
to 20 die as fast as people from GO to
70. After 21
marriage should be con
tracted as soon as practicable.
An Arizona paper makes the follow- < <
ing announcementVo will pay 4. .
$10 for a good epic poem of one hun- i !
dred lines on the "Scourge of tho ( |
'
Seventeen-year Locust. " s'aid poem t ;
must be sound in wind and limb , but 2
it must not be all sound , a little sense P
is desirable. AH metaphors must bo jj
new and applicable to the subject. < V
No more than one poetic license to ten
lines will be allowed. Rhyme not ab- '
solutely necessary , but reason a sine
qua non. No parodies allowed. We
reserve to ourselves the right to work
over tho poems of all unsuccessful
candidates into editorials on the need \
of a new navy and tho failure oftho {
wheat crop. " , / { fi
A clergyman out in one of the to'wfcs 1
in Wayne county , New York , wrote la . l !
personal letter to old Commodores t
Vanderbilt , saying he was very poor , *
and wanted to attend a ministers' cori * J1
ference at Syracuse , but could not af- '
tord ' it. He closed by asking lor a free'i \
pass to Syracuse and return. * The ( , 1 !
commodore good-naturedly passed tha " f
letter over to one of the road officials ,
and the dominie was sent a pass good
for one trip until Dec. 31. Along in
January commodore received another
letter inclosing the pass , stating that
the : recipient was much obliged for it ,
but had been unable to attend the con
ference , and "would Mr. Vanderbilt
be so kind as to send in return its
equivalent m cash , § 3.17 ? " (