SPINNING.
i a blind spinner in the sun ,
I tread my days ;
2 know that'all the threads will run
Appointed ways ; , < - , y ?
know each day will bring its task , * *
And , being blind , no more I ask. , -
I do hot know the use or name - * .
Of that I spin ;
I only know that some one came ,
' And laid within
My hand the thread , and said : ' 'Since you
Arc blind , but one thine you can do. "
Sometimes the threads so rough and fasU ,
And tangled fly ,
f. know wild storms are sweeping past ,
And fear that I
Shall fall ; but dare not try to find
A safer place , since I ant blind.
I know not why , but I am sure
That tint and place ,
In some grunt fabric to endure
Past time and race *
My threads will have ; so from the first ,
Though blind , I never felt accursed.
I think , perhaps , this rust has sprung
From one short word
Said over me when 1 was young '
So young , I heard
It , knowing not that God's name signed
Sly brow , and sealed me His , though blind.
But whether this be seal or sign
Within , without -
it matters not. The bond divine
I never doubt.
I know He set me here , and still ,
And glad , and blind , I wait His will.
But listen , listen day by day ,
To hear them tread
Who bear the finished web away ,
And cut the thread ,
And bring God's message in the sun ,
"Thou poor blind spinner , work is done. " '
HE BROKE UP 'IflE SCHOOL.
"That is the new school house is it11
inquired Miss Alice Ray , the "new
teachei , " as the farmer's team passed
by a little white house standing end
wise to the road , inclosed in a rather
dilapidated fence.
"Yes , that's where you'll hold forth , "
remarked Uncle Zeko Woodburri , "but
I'm afeered you won't hold out long ,
for we've got the toughest set of boys in
the state , " and Uncle Zeke gave a kind
of cackling little laugh as he thought
of the timid , demure little , damsel at
his side controlling the boys of Bear
.Creek school.
"But don't the directors expel them
when they are "beyond the control of
the teacher ? " asked Alice , her heart
beginning to sink at the prospect be
fore her.
Expel 'em ! no , we never expel no
body ; if a teacher can't boss the school
we just let it boss him ; it ain't our fight
an' the school here generally bosses the
teacher , an' thar's been some pretty
.good men licked in that school nouse
By the boys. "
" 1'did not .know the school was so
unruly , " said poor Alice , wishing heart
ily that she had hired out as a washer
woman instead of trying to teach the
savages of Bear Creek.
"Oh , well mebbe it won't be so bad
this winter ; thar's Jim Turner , he's
one of the toughest of 'em ; he'll be 21
in a month , and you'll get rid of him ;
but thar's the Brindley boys , they're
mighty nigh as bad. "
* Poor Alice listened with a sinking
.heart. The cold , hard duties before
her were dreary enought at the best ;
but to go alomeand unknown into a
i strange neighborhood to teach her , first
school , and to be met at the outset by
such dark prophesies , made her feel
homeless indeed. She was naturally a
: timid , shrinking little , thing , and if she
had possessed anywhere on the whole
Abroad earth a roof to shelter .her she
would have turned back from Bear
Creek school even then. But she had
no home. Her mother had died when
she was 14 , and she had.kept house for
her father two years , when he died ,
leaving her all alone. Before he died
he advised her to expend the little sum
he would be able to leave her in fitting
herself for a teacher , and Alice had ful
filled his directions so literally that
when she had completed her course of
study at the normal school she had
hardly $10 left , and when she paid
Uncle Zeke for hauling her and her
little trunk from the nearest * railroad
town to the district where she was to
teach , she had but $5 left.
On Monday morning as she started
for the school house she felt as if she
was going to the scaffold. Her course
of pedagogics in the normal institute
had included no such a problem as this ,
school oromised to be , and if it were
not for very shame she would have
'given her single § 5 bill to .anyone to
take her'back ' to the railroad and pay
her fare to L. , the town where she had
attended school.
When she arrived at the school house
about .twenty o ? thirty scholars were
grouped around talking , but a spell of
silence fell upon them as she walked
up and saluted them with a "good
morning" which was more like the
chirp of a frightened bird than any
thing else. As she unlocked the door
and entered what she had already be
gun to regard as a chamber of torture ,
two or'tbree slowly followed her into
the room , and depositing their books
upon the whittled desks , took seats ,
and fixed their eyes upon her. with a
stare that did not help to strengthen ,
her nerves.
All the rules and regulations of her
"Theory and Practice of Opening
School Upon the First Day" seemed to
vanish and leave her .head whirling in
dizzv helplessness. She tried to think
of some cheerful remark , but her brain
refused to form the thought and her
tongue clove to the roof of her mouth.
She could see in the faces of her pupils ,
most of whom were now in the school
room * that they were' aware of-her
fright and enjoyed it thoroughly. By a
strong effort she recovered herself and :
bravely resisted the temptation to lean
her head on the desk and * have a good
cry. She felt that she must do some
thing or faint , so she rang the bell ,
though it lacked fifteen minutes to 9.
She began taking down the names and
ages ot her pupils , and by the time this
was completed she began to feel more
at ease. She1 then began "examining the *
pupils in the different branches in or
der to assign them > to their' proper
classes. She had finished the examin
ation in all the branches except the ad
vanced reading class , which was prin
cipally composed of grown girls and
young men , among whom was the.ter
rible Jim Turner , of whom she had
been warned.
Several of the members of the class
had read , and it was now the turn , of
Moses Bradley , a huge , heavy-set fel
low , with small , malicious eyes , and a
general air of ruffianism. When he
was called , upon to read he did not rise
from his seat , but. began ; to read in a
thick , indistinct voice from a book hid
den in his lap.
"Mr. Bradley , will you please stand
up when you read ? " asked Alice.
"I can read just as well settin'
down , " replied the fellow , with a dog
ged air.
"But it is one of the rules in a read
ing class to stand up to read , " said
Alice , her heart quaking with fear as
she-foresaw the incipient rebellion. ?
"I reckon you will have to make a
new rule for me then , " impudently an
swered Mose , glancing sideways at his
companions with a grin of triumph.
"If you do not obey me I shall be
obliged to punish you , " said Alice
bravely , though she could scarcely
stand up.
" 1 guess all the punishment you
could do wouldn't break any of my
bones , " replied the ruffian " , leering at
her impudently. ;
"But I can break your bones for
you in half a minute , and I'll do it if
you don't stand .up and read as the
teacher asked you to , " said a voice at
the other end of the class , and Alice
looked-iri that direction and saw Jim
Turner step from the class and face the
astonished Mose.
Mose's insolent manner abated in an
instant , his face turned pale and he
muttered 'something- about not being
"bossed by other boys , " but he stood
up as he was commanded.
Alice could have kissed her young
champion for very -gratitude , but she
mustered all the dignity she could com
mand , and said :
"Mr. Turner , I cannot allow you to
interfere in the management of my
school ; take your seat. "
The youth obeyed without a word ,
but kept his eye on Mose , as if watching
for any delinquency. After this little
episode the exercises proceeded without
interruption till noon.
Alice had no appetite-for dinner.
She leaned her throbbing head upon
the desk and wondered wearily how
Long she could endure this.
She was aroused "by one of the little
irls running up to her , exclaiming ,
"Teacher , teacher , the big boys _ are
fighting. ! , " She followed the. child" , ex-
claiminffi "Oh , why did I overcome-
into such a den of wild-beasts ? " At
the reat of the school-house stood Jim
Turner engaged in a hand-to-hand com
bat with Mose Bradley and his two
brothers , both of whom were grown.
As .Alice .stepped around.thecorner Jim I
sent Mose reeling to the earth and then
burned like a lion upon his two remain
ing assailants. They rushed at him
from two sides , but Jim was as active
ds a panther , and Bill Bradley feU as
if.1 . shot , from a left-handed blow , and
bis brother Tom followed him in an instant
stantBy this time Mose had secured
a ball bat and rushed upon Jim , but
the latter evaded the blow , and wrenching - ,
ing the bat from his hand knocked'
Mose .headlong with a blow of his fist1.
As the discomfited trio arose , Jim
laughed lightly and asked them "how
they liked it as far as then had got , "
picked up the bat he had taken from
Mose ana , called outi "Come on , boys ,
let's have a game of ball. "
The combat ended so quickly that
Alice had no chance to interfere , but
she felt that it would not do to let this
open violation of school 'rules pass un
punished , so she rang the bell. When
the pupils were assembled she called
the culprits up to the desk , and asked
what -fightwas : about and who be
gan it. The Bradleys" stood sullen and
silent , but Jim answered , "I would
rather not-tell what it was , about , but I
began it by knocking Mose Bradley
down. " Alice knew ; the fight was the.
result ofJim's : espousal of her cause in
the reading class , and her voice falt
ered as she said : "Then I shall have to
punish you ; hold put your , hand. "
Jim obeyed her instantly. She took
up the ruler with a trembling : hand and
began , the punishment. Jim's face
never changed a muscle. The look
upon it was one of quiet obedience in
which there was no trace of either bra
vado or sullenness. As Alice inflicted
the blows upon the hand so quietly held
out to her , the thought rushed upon her
mind that she * was smiting the only
hand that had been raised "to befriend
her. in that lawless region.
*
Her face grew palethe - blows fell
falteringly , the tears began to Tun down
her cheeks , the ruler fell frpmher hand ,
she sank into her seat , buried her face
in her hands , and burst into a storm o *
sobs. ,
Then Jim's countenance changed.
His lip quivered , he dashed his hand
across his eyes to clear them of unnat-
ural dimness , and the great lump in
his throat seemed to choke him. A
chuckle from Mose Bradley recalled
his self-possession , however , and he
took a step or two toward the latter
with eyes that fairly biassed ? with- hot
ion. * * % * Q
findign *
° . . . . .
i -f V- i. - * * S - I"f i " v/'t
Mose.rapidlyjefreajm a.step or-two ,
and his chuckle died an untimely death
and"'for a full miriute silence reigned
over the school room. At last Alice
raised her head and in a broken voice
dismissed the pupils to the play
ground. f , j ,
As the children passed but she heard
some say : "So you got a whipping ,
"after all , Jim , " and Jim's'-reply , * "yes" ;
and I got enough to pass some of it
around if any body is anxious about it : "
'
At 1 o'clock'Alice rang'the hell with
a feeling of utter despair , b'utno school
.ever moved more smoothly than did
-her school'that afternoon. Quiet obe
dience , study , good lessons , tind re
spectful attention were universnl. But
Alice had determined to quit the school ;
she f eltas if she would rather be the poor
esc washerwoman than to be badgered ,
bullied , , and , tortured for , .months at a
time by a set of brutal ruffians , whose
parents employed her for the sole pur
pose of enduring this martyrdom.
So when Alice locked the schoolhouse -
house door that evening it was with a
mingled feeling of relief and humilia
tion that she started to offer her resig
nation to the directors. As she left
the school house she saw Jim Turner a
few yards ahead of her walking rapidly
toward' home.She called his name ,
and he'stopped and respectfully waited
'
until she had over taken 'firm. "Mr.
-Turner " she said "I
- , , am going away
in the morning , and I wish to thank
you for your brave defense of me at the
school to-day , and to ask your forgive
ness for the punishment I so unjustly
inflicted " andin her
on you , - earnest
ness Alice lield out her little trembling
nand , and Jim instantly grasped it.-
"I have nothing to forgive , " he said ;
"you could not'do otherwise and neith
er could T ; but you are surely'not in
tending to quit the1 school' ' ? "
"Yes , " answered Alice , "I would
rather die than , pass through three
months of such' scenes' as I have to
day. "
"But you will have no more trouble ;
there isfco one in the school that would
be at all likely to give you trouble ex
cept the Bradley boys , and as Ipng as
I am ftiere I will answer for'their good
behavior. "
At last Jim's eloquence prevailed ,
and Alice finally consented to teacli a
week longer , and at the end of that
time she decided to stay , for .never did
a school move along more smoothly.
At her request Jini , was allowed "to re
main during the term , and as soon as
it closed , he went to'college. f
Alice taught the Bear Creek school
successfully for three years. , but in the
end Uncle Zeke's prediction was veri
fied , for Jim .Turner came back and
broke up the school.
He married the teacher.
Horace Greeley's Sorrow.
New ; York tribune.
We'publish below' a 'pathetic letter
written by Mr. Greeley on the death of
his little boy. Notwithstanding the
fact that more than thirty years have
passed since the words were-written ,
they will awaken sympathy in many a
heart that has known a similar grief :
'
, 'Mr FRIEND : The loss of my boy
makes a/great change in my feelings ,
plans' anja prospects. The. joy of my
life was comprehended hi his , and I do
not now feel that any personal oliject
can strongly move me henceforth , 1
had thought of buying a country place ,
but it was for him. I had begun to love
flowers and beautiful objects , because
he likedjhem. ; Now , all that deeply
concerns me is the evidence that we
shall live hereafter , and especially that
we shall live Jwith and" know those we
loved here. I mean , to act my.p rfc
'
while life'is spared me , but I ho longer
covet length of days. If I felt sureipn
the point of identifying and being with
our IpveoVbries in the worldrto'.cbnie I.
_ . . .
' t ilf-l " * ' iA 1 * 1 - ± A L. i. ! T
im.r
icly . , , - - < , ,
few , hours " Jo .prepare for our.lqss. " 'He
went to "bed as hearty and happy as
ever. At 5 a. m. he died. . . - ' .His
mother had bought him a fiddle the
day before , which delighted -Him" ; be-
and he * ' induced
yond-measure ; was only'
duced to lay it up at night by his de-
.light at the idea of coming1 up in , the
morning and surprising me by playing
on it before I got up. In the morning
at daylight I was called to his bedside.
The next day , I followed him to his
grave ! You cannot guess how golden
arid lovely'his loug"haif" ( never"Tout )
looked in the coffin.Pickie
was 5 years old last March. So much
grace and wit and ! poetry were rarely
or never blended in so young a child ,
and to us his form and features were
the perfection of beauty. "We can
never have another child ; and.life canr
not be long enough to efface , though it
will temper this sorrow. It differs in
kind as well as degree from 'that we
Have hithertofore experienced.
HORACE GREELEr.
An Old Tar's Health Preserver.
Burlington Hawkeye. . ;
"How do you preserve your health in
a life of such constant exp'osureP'Vthe
young man asked the pldjsailor. "In
alcohol , young man , in alcohol , " re
plied -the - horny-handed-old son of.the
restless sea , and a calm.benignantTightf
overspread his rugged features as he
waited to be asked.ug , ; But the young
man' being merely a tract distributor ,
and not a ubiquitous reporter , only
said : "How strange' " and passed on.
The proposed reform bill in England
will enfranchise about 2,000,000 men.
SKULLS AND SKELETONS.
In the Cappucclnl Monastery at Home
Among the Bones ot O.OOO Monks.
Detroit Free'lPress.
'fAnd then I dived to the caves .of
.death , and drew from wither'd bones ,
tfttd skull and heap'd up' , dust , con-
clrisions nest forbidden. . "
When i was in Rome I di l'us nu hty
few Romans do went to church about
eight times a day. They were , in fact ,
the only places where one could keep
cool. Rome is hot enough in August
to pass for a suburb of Tophet , oven
though thegood Leo lives there ; the
stone pavements become so heated
that the pedestrian thinks he is a mov
able'c'hop in'process" broiling on a
gridiron , Vyhilethe brass angels on the
top of Saint Angelo and Saint ter's
are gradually melting into oblivion , I
am fold , for the want of an umbrella era
a Japanese fan.
It was on such an afternoon that I
took refuge temporarily beneath a
group of trees that stand just opposite
the iBarberini palace , seating myself
iimonga quajntly-attired group of fruit
hucksters , with whom I soon opened up
a trade .to the extent of a pocketful of
apricots and .figs and a few oranges.
Such an extensive commercial transac
tion threw the honorable body of mer
chants into the most intense excitement
until I was compelled to seek relief by
escaping. In the rear of the little
market place .stood a queer looking
church , with such a wonderful archi
tectural design that it 'was impossible
to even locate the frdnt door. There I *
would certainly find rest and coolness ,
and that quiet peace that only a snug
seat in a church pew can
give. At , the head of a flight
of stone steps a huge oaken door ,
studded with rust-eaten nails , barred
the pilgrim's progress knobless , bell-
less , clapperless. I had to resort to
my trusty fcane with which I vigorously
thumped the closed portal. A chain
rattled , "a b'olt was -drawn , a key
turned slowly , the door sprung ripen
and a stooped-shouldered specimen of
antiquityof monkish mien and costume ,
with'shaven head and , bared feet ,
peered through the aperature. I bade
him good day in my best Italian-con
versational-guide-book style , but the
only response that came was the beck
oning of his loug , skinny finger. I
willingly followed , as much mesmer
ized by the finger as actuated by curi
osity. Through corridor after corridor ,
lined with the portraits of hundreds of
holy fathers of the past centuries who
stared ominously at me as my Alpine
boots echoed along the stone floor ;
through gloomy passages and old
doors , 'through chapels and rooms , we
passed , but no church interior was re
vealed. On the contrary , he led the
way down a flight of stairs , where an
other huge key opened another door
which closed upon me with a startling
echo. I was in a cellar , illumined
only by a few streaks of light that
forced1 its way through the narrow ,
dust covered window at the top. A
rapid glance around horrified me. A
night-mare of the most elaborate .kind
seemed to'have taken possession of my
mind , all the spooks and goblins and
gorgpns o'f my childhood faded into
lothingness. The ghost that inhab
ited the garret in our old farm house
ever since the hired man was found
dead was an angel in comparison with
the sight 1 beheld. Right in front of
me , so close that I could * almost touch
the horrible creature , stood a grizzly ,
grinning , grotesque skeleton , its un-
jven , cranium ornamented with little
, ufts of dried and withered
lair , the orbless eyes looking
through and through ; its lines
of moldy teeth standing out in hideous
prominence ; its bony fingers clutching
i string o'f'beads and a bunch of flow
ers withered as itself. Then it dawned
upon me Iihad accidentally strayed into
; hej famous Cappuccini underground
cemetery. It was the most extensive
gallery of skull-pture I had ever seen ,
skulls to the right of me , skulls to the
eft of'me ; skulls around me grinned
and scowled. From graceful arches
aid bedecked altars ; from cobwebbed
walls' and massive columns , hundreds
u dmhundreds of pale , yellow , discol
ored "skulls faced me-some with dis
tended mouths and awry features , as if
heir last struggle had been a paroxysm
of pain ; some gazing with unutterable
lorror'on .then fleshless companions ;
some smiling diabolically as if they
floated over the fact that the world
ivouldhave to follow them. On the
leer were piled cord after cord of neat-
y arranged boues , surmounted by ped
estals of. skulls propped up by the more
distinguished monss , clad in brown
cowls and moth-eaten cassocks. From
; he ceiling were suspended clocks and
chandeliers and hanging baskets made
"
of connecting" bones ; the walls were
covered with curious ornaments more
repulsive than picturesque center
pieces of leg bones bordered with radi-
iting ribs and spinal joints ; arches and
pillars covered with twisted vertebras ;
bas-reliefs of knee-caps and ankles rep
resenting historical and legendary fig
ures. No less than 6,000 good old
monks have contributed their anatomy
; o build up "this bony framework , " as
Eawthorne called it , and one cannot
3lame the inquisitive if irreverent New
Engla'nder who wondered how they
would find themselves and pull each
together when the last trumpet sounds !
After a time the living monk reap
peared. I was glad to see him. I was
losesonie without him. Picking up a ,
dusty old thigh bone that had appa
rently seen a good many years' service ,
but now seemed to be of no practical
use to any one , I asked for it as an ad
dition to my museum. But the dread
ful look of horror that met my propo
sal induced me to replace it instanter.
It was a somewhat stingy operation on
his part as if he coaldn'tspare apound
or two of monk from his stock. I sup
pose if Adam had happened in and in
quired for a ril ? to replace the one he
lent Eve"he , top would have been re
fused. , . * ! , * , , .
Thei Cappuciniiponastery is not 'tho
only place , however , where th. Mun-
fleshed-sk'eleton" may be seen. AUtho
saints of renown are" on view some
where in the old world , nndwith com
mendable liberality the good men have
distributed themselves tvround for the
benefit of humanity. St. Matthew rests
from his tax gathering beneath the al-
tur of the Roman church of St. Maria
Maprgiore , and in a comfortable recess
of tlio Cologne cathedral as well ; St.
Peter makes the great Vatican church -
his headquarters , but finds time occa
sionally to visit Freiburg cathedral in
Switzerland ; 'St. Paul also acts in a
dual manner ; St. John divides himself
between Venice and Rome , while John
the Baptist is even more numerous than
any of his brethren. Cologne cathedral
however , possesses the most valuable
collection a wonderful trio , feeing no
less than the three wise men , each skull
encircled with a crown of jeweled gold.
Ghastly old monarchs they are , too.
The Hog "World.
The following table , showing the
numberof , hogs in the various , nations
of the world , is from tables prepared
aythe Cincinnati Price Current , by
w'hich it will be seen the United States
raises nearly half :
'
United States 43,270COO
Kussia 10,332,000
Germany. 7,324,000
Austro-Hungary 6,995,000
France 5,801.000
Spain 4,352,000
United Kingdom 3,940,000
Switzerland 2,000,000
Italy 1,564,000
British North American Province 1,410,000
Roumania f 857,000
Portugal 717.COO
Belgium 003,000
Australia 507,000
Denmark 504,000
Sweden . 42G.COO
Holland 832,000
Argentine. Republic 342,000
New Zealand . . . . / . 207.000
Greece 18o,000
! apeof Good Hope 132,000
Norway 101,000
Total. . : 91,9 t,000
And by the following table prepared
) y the national department of agricul-
; ure , it will be seen where the hogs are
raised in the United States , Iowa being
at the-head of the column :
States. No. hogs.
! owa 5,107,445
Illinois 3,970,704
Ohio 2,714,112
Missouri ' . .1 - . 3,892,920
Indiana 2,724,383
Kansas 1,984,046
Nebraska 1,526,823
Wisconsin 1,162,238
Tennessee. . 1,988,753
Kentucky. . . . . 1,916,587
Pennsylvania 1,060.856
New York 744,238
Michigan 934,184
Texas 1,953,189
California & "i7,000
Georgia 1,412,604
Nortn Carolina 1,311,821
Alahama 1 223,534
Arkansas 1,250,513
Mississippi 1,076,260
Virginia 733,864
Minnesota 423,057 ! 1
New Jersey 214,788 1f
Maryland 325,513 f
South Carolina 584,604
Louisiana . ' . 564,439
West Virginia 404,406
Massachusetts 80,908
Dakota- . 109,600
Oregon 168,954
Florida 320,000
Vermont 74,864
Maine 71,416
New Hampshire 54,511
Connecticut 62,406
Delaware 46,750
Utah 22,500
Washington Territory 50,300 ' 11
Idaho 23,600
New Mexico 19,309
Rhode Island 14,405
Montana > . . 17,200
Colorado . ' . 12,100
Nevada 12,000
Arizona 6,200
Wyoming ,
Total 43,270,086
Heed of Economy.
One of the hardest lessons in life for
young people to learn is to practice
economy. It" is a harder duty for a
young man to accumulate and save his
first $1,000 than his next $10,000. A
man .can be economical without being
mean , and it is one of his most solemn
duties to lay up sufficient in his days of
strength and prosperity to provide for
himself and those who are or may be
dependent upon him in days of sickness
or misfortune. Extravagance is one of
the greatest evils of the present age.
It is undermining and overturning the
loftiest and best principles that should
be retained and held sacred in society.
It is annually sending thousands of
young men and young women to ruin
and misfortune.
Cultivate , then , sober and industrious
habits ; acquire the art of putting a lit
tle aside every day and for your future
necessities ; avoid all unnecessary and
foolish expenditures. Spend your time
only in such a manner as shall bring
you profit and enjoyment , and your
money for such things as you actually
need for your comfort and happiness ,
and you will prosper in your lives , your
business , and will win and retain the
respect and honor of all worthy and
substantial people.m
m * m
A woman with twenty toes on exhi
bition at the museums is to be married
to a Chicago man this month. Twen
ty toes would not amount to anything
in a fight with a Chicago man. He
would have a revolver , or a sand bag
or some deadly weapon. Those Chicago
cage fellows don't care for toei. Peck's
Sun.
Sun.Do
Do sun dogs ever go mad.