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IMITATIVECHILDREN.
They take a rieaaara Trip mad Keti
Greatly Improved la Health.
Colonel Yerger, accompanied by Mr.
Yerger, has just returned to Austin,
Texas, rfrom his trip to New York.
They have enjoyed themselves very
anuch, nd their health is vastly im
proved, although they seem to have
contracted rhoumatism that has settled
in the back of the neck. When Colonel
Yerger' s friends greet him the stiffness
of his neck prevents him from return
ing the salutation with his former cor
diality. Mrs. Yerger is similarly
affected, and is utterly unable to bow
when she meets a friend or neighbor
from whom she, previous to her North
ern trip, was in the habit of borrowing
parched coffee.
In the Yerger family circle nothing
was talked of except the parental trip
to the North, and what a small-potato
place Austin was comparod with New
York. Colonel Yerger's two children.
Tommy and Molly, listened attentively
to the talk of thoir parents about the
glories of New York. They are bright,
imitative children, hence it occurred
to them that they, too, ought to take a
trip off. They could not well go to
New York that was out of the ques
tionbut they could take a ride on the
street-cars that ran in front of the Yer
ger mansion.
"I am so worn out with tho cares ol
business," said Tommy, holding his
hand to his head after tho manner ol
his father; "mv poor brain needs a
ixst."
This keeping house." said Molly,
fanuing herself languidly after the
manner of her mother, "has ruinod my
nervous system. The children and
servants worry mo so that I will have
to tako a trip North to recuperate."
"Let us play gofcig to New York. We
can go on tho street cars. We can ride
to the end of the line and back," said
Tommy.
The little jokers actually got on tho
next, street car.
"Traveling is very expensive." said
Tommy, as he dropped a couple ol
nickels in the box.
"Yes: but what's the use of money il
you have not got health?' replied Molly,
imitating her mother.
-What a relief it is to get away from
one's parents." said Tommy.
"It is indeed. I feel like another
woman already," replied Molly, de
murely. The car reached the terminus of tho
line, and the young tourists got out and
bought a nickel's worth of peanuts.
".Since I left Texas I eat twice as
much as I did. I have gained twenty
JJUl.iAUS SWI.v5 J- lUlb IIUUIV. &!! S niitik
ma aid to Mrs. Peterby," put in Molly.
As soon as Tommy and Molly boarded
the car to return home they began to
put on airs. The car halted in front of
the Yerger mansion. The children had
.been absent almost an hour.
"Where have you been?" screamed
"Mrs. Yerger.
"Just been taking a little run up to
Europe and Saratoga and them other
places," replied Molly. "Dear me, this
town h;isnt grown a bit since I left.'
"And the people are so common and
-vulgar, remarked Tommy, turning up
"his nose.
"Those children talk as if they didn't
have any sense,' said Colonel Yerger.
"I dou't believe they have," replied
Mrs. Yerger.
lint they had, all the same. Texas
J3tj lings.
m
BUILDING SOCIETIi
The 3Iost KelUMe Savln?a Institution
for Salaried Men.
It is not many years since building as
sociations were looked upon with strong
distrust by workmen. They could not
understand tho methods upon which
the associations were based, and be
cause they could not or rather would
not, they refused to tako advantage of
the opportunities they offered. All
this is being changed. The first build
ing association in this country was
organized in New York, but before
it. was in successful operation ten had
been organized in New York, but be
fore it was in successful operation ten
had beeu organized in Philadelphia,
.-and the members were reaping the
"benefits by building homes. A paper
published in the interest of building
associations gives the following statis
tics: In New York there are 2.000
associations; in Philadelphia, 2,700:
Boston, f30; Chicago. 300; St. Louis,
7!'. In St Louis, in the past five yoars,
it is estimated that 8,500 homes have
"been built by members of building as
sociations. That these associations
have done a great work in inciting
salaried meti to build thoir own homos
there can be .no doubt. Manufacturers
ought to encourage thoir men to build
homes. It is safe to say ihat any work
man who owns his own home will be
more attentive to his work .and more
faithful to his employer. In furnish
ing nn employe an opportunity and a
motive to save, the employer would
foster a feeling of mutual interest be
tween him and his mon that would
work to Ms interest. This has beer
done successfully in Philadelphia, and
there is no reason why it can not be
dne just as successfully anywhere
lsc. Stoves and Hardwire.
Out of the Way.
Bobby had reluctantly kissed his sis
ter good-night and was off for bed.
"Don't you go to bed rather early,
, Hobby?" inquired young Mr. Sampson,
' .iit"b- Int.littl6 past eight."
J tofcTeVto go to bed early on the
"t8youcall on. sister." explained
I. ..-i I 11 v t- c...
"SIIC JUUKca uiu.
?A New Jersey couple were recently
trndfMWl. after a courtship of twenty,
'four-oars.. Twenty-four years of ah
solute bliss is more tnnn most mortl
oan expect. New Haven Newt
CANADIAN INDIANS.
Their Home Mfe Described by aa Observ
ing Americas Traveler.
The inmates of this Indian home
were the strangest part of the scene.
The tidy women were squatting on the
floor, some cross-legged like Turks,
others sitting on one foot as a cushion.
or oa their toes turned inward under
them or on their knees and heels.
Thej w-re quite erect, yet easy, in
these attitudes, as comfortable as wo
are upon luxurious furniture.
One of them changed her dress by
detachments at my elbow. Tho mon
were waiting for dinner; one slept
curled up in a heap near the wall;
another sat flat on the floor by his
wife; and the other two lay stretched
across the opposito end of the lodge.
The children showed a rcmarkablo
capacity for stowing themselves away
in grotcsquo shapes in nooks and cor
ners, whence they stared at me with
black, bead-like eyes as expressionless
as those of animals. Meanwhile the
people kept up a general conversation
in their own tongue; their voices were
low, even in laughter, and expressive
of a kind and considerate nature. You
notice a good deal of abruptness in
their talk, but this is due to their lan
guage, in which you hear many inar
ticulate grunts, short, brusque inflec
tions, and long, disjointed, unmelodi
ous words. But when they talk French,
which the most of them understand,
their speech is quite agreeable. I
tried in many ways to engage the
squaws in conversation in this tongue,
but they turned to me a deaf ear, or
else their husband's. It seems that the
missionaries advise the tribe to have
but little intercourse with whites; they
will often pretend not to understand
you, or will grant your request without
replying to your speech.
The dinner meanwhile had been pre
pared by one of tho squaws. She set
out a number of plates on the floor,
and Louis invited mo to cat of their
stewed ducks. 1 accordingly settled
from the chest where I sat to the floor.
Only the men came to the meal; for it
is a custom among them to servo the
men first; the women, having less ex
posure and travel to endure in winter,
consider their needs as secondary; they
will absolutely fast when provisions
aire scarce. And yet, notwithstanding
their extra nourishment, in times of
starvation the men always succumb
first. We helped ourselves from the
kettle; ana when we had finished, two
of the men rolled up into heaps and
went to sleep. The women, children
and dogs then gathered about tho
dishes. Each one had an attendant
dog at her elbow, ready for any emer
gency. The meal was social and
pleasant, with good-natured talking,
and manners quite deferential. But tho
dogs were an aggressive clement. They
were eager and unscrupulous; if a
hand remained too long away from the
plate a dog captured the contents.
Now and then a yelp, or a crescendo of
ire on the word "ahnis." broke the
the calmness of the conversation. The
dog of the prettiest maiden kept ad
vancing his nose toward her plate, and
she kept pounding his head with her
spoon till ho concluded to retreat.
Another cur sat very quietly for some
time beside a child; but at last he rose
in open rebellion. I rushed to the
plate. The child screamed, spoons
flourished in the air, and screams re
sounded; and finally the dog settled
back on his haunches with a revenge
ful snarl. When the women had finished
thoir meal they sat still and let the
dogs struggle over their laps, and take
possession of the entire culinary de
partment. After setting things to
rights the women resumed their sewing
on the floor, and I left them chatting
awuy the afternoon, more happily than
many of our care-worn house-keepers
in their palaces of taste and educated
discontent. C. H. Farnham, in Har
per's Magazine.
SPOOKS AND
SPECTERS.
Anecilote.i
Wtileh i:xplnln the
Cative of
Their Departure.
Men now living can remember when
every town in New England had sov
eral haunted houses and a score of
ghosts. But some night the ghosts
went away never to return. Perhaps
these anecdotes, taken from the "His
tory of Weare, N. II," may explain the
cause of their departure.
One night John Hodgdon. a strong
nerved, clear-headed man. was riding
home on horseback from Hillsborough.
The night was dark and windy, and as
Hodgdon came near his farm, he looked
over into a cornfield, and saw, standing
upon a knoll, something that for a mo
ment made his flesh crawl. It stood
still for a moment, then it disappeared,
with a weird sound, and again returned
to the knoll. The farmer soon recov
ered from his foolish fright, dismount
ed, climbed over tho fonce. and walked
to the knoll. He found that his men
had left a large basket in the field,
which tho wind blow up from a small
hollow upon the knoll; then when there
was a lull it would roll back.
An old shanty in tho town was
troubled with ghosts. Rappings were
heard in an unfinished room over the
family living-room, "A strong-minded
woman. Mary Peaslee, visited the
shanty to hear tho ghostly rappings.
Shortly after her arrival, she heard,
overhead, bump, bump, bump, then
nip. nip. rap. She placed a ladder and
.vent up into tho unfinished room, where
she found an old hen. whose feet and
legs had been frozen. It could not walk
without falling, and the fulls made the
bumping noise. The raps were caused
by its picking up something to eat.
That ghost wjis laid by carrying tho
hen to tho room below.
In another haunted house there were
queer noises and strange objects were.
een flitting by the window. After sev
eral days, these wondors ceased, and
then some ono ventured into the uniiH
habited house. He found a dead cat.
left alive by the former occupant. Tho 1
cries and the efforts of this cat to get
out had suggested ghost. 1'ouUdz
Companion.
GO SLOW, YOUNG MAN.
It Is Those TTho Can Walt and Work Who
Succeed In I.If.
'Give to each proportioned thought
itsact." Hamlet. Which simply moans
go slow," and when in a hurry wait
until your hurry is over.
A "proportioned thought" is a clear
thought. It is the plan which one sees j
perfectly outlind in his or her mind, as
you may seo on paper the architect's
plan for a building. To carry out this
"proportioned thought" in the mind
with the body, it is necessary to go
slow in order to get ahead fast.
Let us, then, learn to imitate Nature.
The sun never hurries while sotting.
Neither does a hen. Both set in bar
raony with Nature's laws. Were the
sun in as chronic a condition of hurry
as are one-half of us miserable sinner.
we should have sunrise half an hour
after sunset and no night to sleep in;
were hens in as great a hurry about
setting as we are about living, there
would soon bo no broods of chickens
brought to light, and with the failure
of chickens there would soon be failure
of eggil
What if Mother Earth hurried her
orbit 'round the sun, and completed a
year in six months? Would she be any
better off or we be any better off with
rent doubling up on us?
Go slow. It's the old hunter who
kills the most ducks, because he waits
for hours where they come to feed in
stead of rampaging over miles of coun
try like the young man searching for
ducks to shoot and showing the
ducks himself and his gun and what
he's after. Hurry roveals lots of
secrets which, from a business and
most practical point of view, it pays
better to keep to yourself. Hurry
shows your opponent your cards and
your "hand" in your face. What is
time good for but to use to think in,
and isn't time money? .
Go slow. It's the little touches, tho
merest "dabs," the finest possible
shadings of tho picture that produce
the "effect," and these, on the artist's
part, are the result of study, time, re
pose, deliberation. The artist paints
his mood of mind as well as the picture.
He must not even move his brush or
mix his colors in a hurry. There's a
thought in every shading and an idea
in every hair's touch of his bruoh and
these can't be transferred to canvas at
at 2:49 break-neck pace.
(Jo slow. Ideas are not hatched by
straining anjLffrabbing for them. They
come tflTyou when the mind is in a
mood to receive them. You would call j
a larmer a rooi to tnrow his seed on
unplowed ground a month before the
proper season for planting because ho
was in a hurry for the crop. There's a
vast amount of human effort made
about as sensible.
Go slow. Many of the things a man
hurries after are not worth the hurry
ing for. A young man was once in a great
hurry to get married. Ho got married.
Within a year's time he was in as great
hurry to get unmarried. Soon he was
in as great a hurry to get married
again, nut tnis is no way to rush in-
to such a serious and important busi- I
ness. Had he gone slow at the start !
he would probablv have saved himself
lots of trouble, expense and sad ex-
perience. Prentice Mulford. in X. Y.
":'-"
Mar. j
TWO GREAT SOLDIERS.
Field Marshal Von .Vnltk ami Itlu
menthal at a Railway Station.
At the height of the munching of
sandwiches and the quaffing of beer, an
old man. with a face like shriveled
parchment, a spare figure, and a be
nevolent smile, tottered through the
door-way. It was Moltke. The in
stant he appeared every military man
in the room shot to his feet as though
blown from a gun. Officers of the
highest rank stood at attention as a
common soldier does at tho appearance
of his commander. The famous Field
Marshal saluted in return, but with an
! d'V 4sft Ikikltl V .ftb ft rf wft 1 m mm m Tt a.
hand comprehensively around the
room, smiled and nodded in a cheerful
and suggestive way. The pantomime
said as plainly as words could have
done: "Thanks. Sit down. It is
very warm." Then Von Moltke laid
his famous Field Marshal's baton
which is not such a gorgeous bauble
after all on one of tho tables,
straightened his back, and, seizing a
glass of beer that was held out to him,
drained it to the dregs. A man of evi
dently high rank in the army stepped
forward while Von Moltke was drinking
the beer, and, raising the baton from
the beery table, held it reverentially to
him. He ovidently regarded the em
blem of too exalted a nature to permit
of its contact with a beer-soaked table,
but Moltke had apparently forgotten
all about it, for when ho boarded the
train half an hour later, the officer still
walked behind carrying the symbol of
the highest post of the greatest army
in the world.
The only other Field Marshal in the
Gorman army. Blumenthal. exhibited
a like disregard for his own baton,
which, by the way, was given to him
by the Emperor immediately sifter his i
accession to tho throne. Blumenthal
had handed his coat to oheof his aides,
his hat to another, ami his baton to a
third, when he entered tho restaurant
for a glass of beer early in the day.
From thattime nepaid not the slightest
attention to his three- aides, but sat
solemnly in the corner wagging his
head in a melancholy fashion, and
pounding the table vigorously as he
whispered in the ear of irn Austria."
Prince.: Bothithe great Field Ma
shals wanderefWf when the train came
into the' station, but the instant they
left the dining room they found guards
of honor in every direction, and passed
through long files of officers in tho cus
tomary pose of military homage.
Blakely HaWs Berlin Letter.
muratiiiMuy uii.-.wiiiiK siiiuuiwiiu wi .s0rt. the probabiutv is that the re
his two fingers to his forehead. Then I inahjiier of the foot will be in good or
sat down like the rest, bared his head tjel.. 'nj!ere ,nay ,u an exception to
for a breath of air, and, waving his ' ti.i "n ;. .,.. nf-i ud.iin hmwhnv-
FKRM AND FIRESIDE.
Fresh lard is recommended as a
remedy for wart3 on horse3. Three
applications, it is claimed, will cure
any case.
A lot of guinea fowls are as good
as a watch dog. Tho appearance of a
prowler about tho premises sets tho
whole brood to chattering, and
thereby the family are roused to the
fact that something unusual is going on.
Nothing better aids economy than
keeping an exact account of the ex
penditure. It is surprising how really
well it is possible to dress on a small
amount, provided tho little things aro
looked after, and nothing is bought
unlos9 !" fot Jlt " time,
i To disgust rats and mice
awav
from a building make a strong solution
of oxalic acid and soak newspapers in
it until thyy are in a pulpy condition:
cram this into the holes through which
the rats or mice pass, and they will get
such sore mouths and feet that they
will give tiie holes a wide berth.
Pans of water placed in fruit and
berry patches will keep birds from eat
ing the fruit. An English naturalist
claims that the reason birds eat cher
ries and strawberries is because in the
blazing heat they get dreadfully thirsty.
If the" birds can e:isily get at water
they soon leave off taking the fruit.
An easy way to prevent horses
from jumping fcnc&s is to put a strap
with a ring on it around the near fore
leg. above the knee, and a surcingle or
belt, with a ring, around the body.
Then bv a short strau or niece of roue
attach the two rings so :is to make a
harmless yet perfectly effective hobble.
The successful larmer must be a
good business man. There is as much
in tho selling of Harm products as in
the raising, so far as the profit is con
cerned, and. in order to sell well, tho
farmer must understand value, and bo
reasonably well posted in business
matters. Home, Farm and Field.
Manv :i "nod fm;l niih:iti1 lms f
been injured because a few worthless
. rj i-j - -. --
wild cherry treys were permitted to
grow and provide headquarters for the
caterpillar. In every community where
the authorities have enterprise enough
to demand the destruction of weeds.
the roadmaster should bj made to de
stroy all wild cherry trees.
There is nothing more highly
relished by hogs than charcoal. Thev
will help themselves to it. and it will ' -'I'u ; "'. V"'1 -prevent
disorders of the bowels. The j niake the ,!eathef ,n0rc P1,il,bIe ?nd
best mode of giving it is when it is
fresh, and if placed in a fire and heated
occasionally it will be more servicea
ble. It corrects the acidity of tho
stomach, and as it is cheap a supplv
should be kept constantly in each pen.
Potted Ham: Take one-half pound I
of lean ham, one-half pound of fresh '
butter, a pinch of ground nutmeg, a
little cayenne pepper and a pinch of
white pepper. Pound the ham smootli
in a mortar, add the pepper and nut
meg, rubbing them well into the ham,
th?n add the butter, rubbing them well
together. Next place in the jar and
run melted butter over the top and
seal.
The small moth millers appear in
i Ma aim :aI0r- :,u -v aimm mkZ
! P"e to deposit i. The e soou
... ... .
hatch
and during the summer tne
l-rn
i.r . it'
I furs on which eggs are laid. In the
fall they go into the pupa state, from
which they emerge as moths in due
j time. Some very particular house
keepers whip carpets both spring and
fall. But in rooms little used one beat
j :::g. or a careful examination and use
of preventives around the edges, should
sumce.
PRESERVING THE FROG.
How to Take Care of Cttnhlnns
Ileneath
the Feet of llre.
If. in seeking a horse, we take up tho
foot and find the frog well-prescrvod;
the cushion, so to sneak, wide, full and
. b . .
ing been turned out to psisturc for a
period long enough to permit tho frog
to take on new gro'.rth. If the frog be
fully protected and well maintained,
the hoof will be found but little, if at
all contracted, for the very good reason
that the hoof can not readily contract
if the frog lie up to its normal size in
every way. But it is the smith, the
horse-shoer. who ruins the frog; that is,
very many of them do this. During the
many years that the writer has driven
horses, he has always made it a rule to
be present during the shoeing, and has
never permitted more than the slightest
trimming of the frog, nothing more
than the trimming off or insignificant
arts. already nearly detached. The
smith can mutilate and seriously dam
ago the hoof by the use of the rasp;
but. fortunately, tne frog is proof
against attacks by this instrument, and
even the knife requires to be sliarp,
else the peculiar nature of the frog will
resist. Fever in tho feet is a prolific
source of injury to the frog, and should
be overcome at the earliest possible
day. Confinement upon a dry. plank
floor is damaging by keeping up too
complete a state of dryness. Cutting
ihe frog away at the time of shoeing,
then setting the foot upon caulkins. in
such manner as to prevent tho frog
from pressing upon the ground, will.
sooner or later, interfere with its ue
vclopment and usefulness. Tho most
important function of the frog is to les
sen the shock to the foot in its contact
with tho ground. This being the fact,
it. should be so maintained, and the
shoo'be so constructed that af every
a'tep the frog can come in for a fair
share of the pressure upon whjitever
substance the horse is required to tread.
Rural New Yorker.
MISCELLANEOUS.
"This is a nice box to be in.M ns
the fellow safd when ho found himself
locked up in the refrigerator. Dan
ville llreeze.
A country editor wrote at consid
erable length upon "The Future of Hog
Raising," and a rival editor advised
him not to be so anxious regarding his
descendants. Texas Siftingi.
A first class spread at a Chinese
restaunint in New York, cost.- $50, but
it includes about forty courses and
takes two days to get through with,
and is set for a dozen jwople.
" A Georgia man has a mule that is
driven to school of week days, and to
church on Sundays, and is so intelli
gent that if given the reins he will go
straight to his destination according to
the day.
Nine years ago a Mrs. Manning, of
Paris. 111., vowed that if her son mar
ried a certain young lady who was ob
jectionable to her she would go to bed
and stay there until she died. Tho
marriage took place, and the mother,
true to her resolution, never left her
bad until she was borne to her coffin.
Wanted to Take a Hand. Coun
tryman (in front of Stock Exchange)
"What's all that yellin' and shoutin in
there, mister?" Citizen "Bad break
! among the 'grangers'; they're being
knocked all to pieces." Countryman
(whipping off his coat) "Whoop!
lemme git in there an' I '11 do some
i panilyzin'.
I m a granger myself!"
A'0'""-
i The Scotchman
has long been
noted for his fondness for vowels, a
1 peculiarity in language illustnited by
j tho Tcllowing story : Going by a
draper's shop a man noticed a coat
I and asked : "Aw' oo?" "Aye. aw
I oo." replied tho shopkeeper. "Aw
a
aw'
o?" was the next question. "Aye.
a 'oo," was the reply. In English
, the dialogue would have referred sim
, ply to the fact whether the coat was
all wool and all one wool, the answer
, , ,,., ...
ocin c IO DOin Questions.
I An experienced shoemaker says
i in;i1 ",i, greauy snoriens tne lire
' of shote- As Madcins can't very well
1 ne dispensed with, luougn. ne advises
! that the shoes, or rather those parts
which arc polished, be liberally rubbed
with oil. Such treatment, about once
I every two weeks, or thereabouts, but
I after the blacking has first been
i:uiie'iiR:iuiv easier on uiu iooi. mil
materially curtail the shoemaker's bill.
A traveler from Iceland asserts
that the people of that country are so
! honest that crime is almost unkno.vn.
They never lock their doors, and but
two e:ises of thieving are known to
have taken place within many years.
One was an Icelander who had broken
his arm, and whose family in the winter
were suffering for food. He stole sev
eral sheep and w:is finally detected.
He was at once put under medical care
for his injury, provisions were fur
nished for his family, and in time he
was given work. This was his punish
ment. The other case was a German
who stole seventeen sheep. He was in
comfortable circumstances and the theft
was malicious. His punishment was to
sell all his property, restore the value
of his thefts and leave the country, or
be executed. He left at once.
ODD WEDDING RINGS.
IIow 'th Natives of the ITpper Comgm
Country Diitpoae of their Saving.
Lieutenant von Francois, the African
explorer, has recently described a
strange custom among the Uayanzi,
who live for many miles along the Up
per Congo. The custom would seem
to make life a good deal of a
burden to their married women.
Brass rods, which are the fa
vorite currency in the country, are
welded into great rings around the
necks of the wives. Many of these
rings worn by the women whose hus
bands are well-to-do weigh as much as
thirty pounds, and this burden must
be carried around by the poor women
as long as they live.
"Frequently," says Lieutenant von
Francois, "one sees a poor woman
whose neck is raw and sore under the
heavy weight, and in places the skin
is rubbed off by the ring. This is a
sure sign that the ring has been re
cently welded around her neck, for
after a time theskin becomes calloused,
and then the strange ornament pro
duces no abrasion. But the weight is
an inconvenience. They never get
used to it, and it is a perpetual tax
upon their energies. In every crowd
of women may be seen a number who
are supporting the ring with their
hands, and thus for a time relieving
their weary shoulders, of the havy
burden. It may be said that with every
movement of their bodies the rings
give them discomfort.
"A ring is never puc around a wo
man's neck until sha is believed to
have attained her fu'd physical devel
opment. Once on it is no easy matter
to get it off. The natives have no such
thing as a file, and though they can
hammura lot of brass rods into one
it is vary difficult for them to cut the
thick mass of metal in two. Womon
who increase largely in flesh after the
rings have beou fastened on their necks
are in danger of strangling to death,
and instances of this sort have beeu
known to occur.
'Yet these women regard the cum
brous ornament with pride, imagine
that it enhances their importance and
beauty, and wear the harden with
light hearts. Brass is the money, of
the country, and by putting it around
their wives' necks the men are pretty
certain that it won't be stolen or fool
ishly expended. But it is an odd and
orusw iert of a savings batik.'
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SCIENCE AND INDUSTRY.
Anmng recant achievements in
photography is a portrait -opy taken
by the light of a Cuban fire-beetle j
thirty seconds, and a photograph oi
the aurora borealis. To obtain the lat
tsr had beeu declared an utter imnosi-
bility.
In England, a fashionable fabric
called "imitation Indian muslin" has
been found to beso highly charged with
arsenic as to render it dangerous to
health and life when Us,d either for
dresses or other attire, or for curtains.
Several seamstresses have been made
very ill by working upon it.
Milk Ltultered both in tate and
appearance by the character of tin
food supplied to the cows. It Ls colored
by madder and saffron, scented by
plants of the onion tribe, and changed
in taste by such articles as turnip-,.
Certain food may give it medecinul
properties, and milk thus medicated is
proposed as a method of treating dis
ease. As illustrating the part that labor
plays in enhancing the value of niw
materials, it is estimated that from
seventy-five cents worth of iron ore
may bo developed $5.50 worth of bar
iron. $10 worth of horse shoes. :?1S:
worth of table knives. $5,800 worth of
fine needles. 2l).47t) worth. of shirt but
tons, fc00.000 worth of watch springs,
or $2,500,000 worth of pallet arbors
(used in watches.)
It will probably surprise most peo
ple to learn that both cessation of re
spiration and of movement of tho heart
are rejected as signs f death by a
French lecturer, in considering the pre
cise moment when life ceases. Heart
beats have been known to continue for
an hour after the body was beheaded,
while, on the other hand, they may
temporarily cease in fainting.
A new alloy discovered by Hcrr
Keith, of Brockenhoim. can lo used
very advantageously in the laboratory
to replace vessels or fittings of ebonite,
vulcanite or porcelain, as it praetieally
resists tho attack of almost all acids
and alkalino solutions. This alloy is
a bronze, with the addition of lead and
and antimonv. its composition being
as follows: Fifteen parts copper. 2.34
parts tin. 1.S2 parts lead, and 1 part
antimony.
Any odd pieces of silver may Ik
utilized, if for plating metallic arti
cles, by placing them in an ounce of
nitric acid, boiling them for an instant.
The acid having dissolved the silver,
throw in a good handful of common
salt to kill the acid, then make into a
paste with common whiting. The paste
is tc be applied with wah leather
dampened in water. The silver sur
face will be maintained for years.
American Stationer.
SPONGES AT DINNER.
P rlnaltlve Creature That Are AH Month
and How They Feed.
The sponge has an advantage over
the coral polyp in its method of feed
ing. The coral has a large mouth in
fact, like a frog, its head is all mouth.
While some fish are greatly gifted in
the matter of mouth. tTie sponge bents
them all in being nothing but mouth.
Highly organized sponges have hun
dreds of mouths, or pores, which, draw
in the water, and thus feed the plant
on the organized matter, each hole an
swering for the purpose of a mouth,
while the sponges of low organization
have no fixed pores, but possess the
curious property of being able- to open
a mouth or pore at anv point where a
particle of food appears and attracts
the animal. There is no indication of
when or where a pore is about to open,
for the creature is all mouth, and,
whenever its appetite is excited at any
Mint. it simply opens itself and takes
in the food that happens- to be handy;
then shuts up its temporary mouth
again until another occasion offers, a
state of being which undoubtedly, to
the sponge, has its advantages.
The kinds of sponges of commerce
are numerous. There sire the- rough
grass sponge, the coarsest variety
known to commerce; the Key West
sponge; the hedge-hog sponge, found
covered with prickly points, whence
its name; the wine-colored sponge. the
bouquet sponge, so-called probably be
cause its odor when brought up from
tho bottom is not that of a bouquet; the.
finger sponge, the .smallest sponge, and
last and most costly of all, the delicate
cup sponge; all o' which maybe seen
for sale, some in stores where tho
sponge is a specialty and others.
only in the curiosity shops. In the
West Indies the method o! sponge-fishing
is uniform, a water glass or a large
tube with a place of glass in the bot
tom, locating: the spcaiges, then a
pole armed with a hook being employed
to detach arcd bring them to the sur
face. In socie parts of the world .
divers find sponge fishing a profitable 'A
industry, aad descend to considerable
distances, bringing up the sponges, in
their hancU and under their arms, but
in general the method already de
scribed is that employed both in the
West and East Indies.
Tho sponge is not yet cultivated,
only because tho natural supply is as
yet great, and probably will always
continue so; because the sponge is &f
very quick growth, and in tropical
seas found everywhere on the bottom.
Over 5,000,000 sponges of all sizes and
all vurieties are every year shipped
from the Bahama Islands, bringing in
an annual income to the islanders of
over $500,000. Should the natural
supply ofi,aponges diminish, there is
no reason why they should not be
raised artificially, as oysters are, and.
perhaps, in future, should the demand
increase or supply fall off. sponge
reservations will be emploved. for the
uses of the sponge are manifold, and
the demand is constantly enlanrins. .
vum VKJVZ'iSCUWCTUL.
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