KXES FOB THE BLIND.
An Old Optician's Chat About Spectacles ana
Those Who Use Them.
A man who makes a good living ,
and perhaps some wealth , in aiding
people to read should contribute some
thing for them to read. Thus reason
ing , a Tribune reporter entered the
store of a prominent optician in Broad
way for some information about spec
tacles and oye-glasses.
"I hardly know where to begin an
swering your long list of questions , "
said the optician. "Spectacles have
to bo worn by some children of 5 years
and by persons in all ages. It Is diffi-
ciilt to state when sight is likely to
fail , for sickness , accidents , certain
professions , excessive or careless read
ing , and the natural decay of strength
all tend to one result. By careless
reading I mean reading in unsteady or
* - - dim light. Reading while traveling ,
especially in fast trains , is a tempting
rt pastime , but it sadly strains the best
of eyes. A man should not , as a hab
it , smoke and read at the same time.
The blur of the smoke imposes unequal
\vorfc npon the two eyes. One should
not raise his eyes suddenly toward a
strong or vivid light after intently
pouring over printed matter. The
shock is severe. A number of trades
and duties wear heavily upon the eyes.
Engravers , jewelers , watchmakers ,
proof-readers , compositors , and per
sons who have to handle shining metals
\ \ all suffer in some degree from poor
eight. The sewing-machine has proved
a great saving for women's eyes. In
former times constant sewjng with the
ordinary needle upon white fabrics or
narrow-striped goods of any color
had a damaging and sometimes blind
ing effect.
"Yes , I've heard that -tight lacing
and tight shoes spoken of as bad for
the eyes , but I guess the old surgeon's
remark 'that anything unnatural is
bad for anything' about covers this
case.
"It is an unsafe plan for people to
select glasses from the stock of ped
dlers or other irresponsible venders. 1
am willing that everyone should make
a living , but the eye is too delicate
and valuable to bo trifled with. Some
of these venders may know something
of the optician's profession , but as a
rule I have noticed that their custo
mers have need to be both purchasers
and scientists. Now , when you kave got
your shoes you do not allow the shoe
maker or seller to make your feet fit
the shoes. And I assure you feaere can
be as badly fitting glasses as shoes.
"What is a positive indication that
sight is weakening ? The fajlure is
most noticeable in reading ; when one
finds himself throwing back the head
and contracting the brow or stretching
out the arm , so as to be surer of de
ciphering the print or scrip he. holds
there , is unmistakable evidence of the
need of optical assistance. The de
fect , however , may not be' permanent ;
in person. , under 85 years of age , I
have known a case where the normal
sight has been restored by the timely
use of correct glasses. It would be
good economy of vision if many were
to begin wearing the glasses early ,
under the advice of tv skillful and ex
perienced optician. People go to the
dentist quite regularly about their
teeth and to the physician abour trif
ling complaints , while few seem to
consider the importance of helping or
protecting nature's great gift of sight.
The waning action , however , in the
most instances so gradual that people
' trouble themselves until
don't com
pelled to.
"You will here get a good idea of
the care required in our work when
fittingglasses for steady usu. You
have noticed how many times the fo
cus of an opera-glass has to bti adjust
ed to suit a group of lookers-on at a
performance. Well , the same varia
tion of eye-power occurs on a multi
tude. By the way , protracted use of
an opera-glass is unfavorablu to the
eyes. Ladies often object to the wear
ing of glasses for fear of appearing ad
vanced in age ; then , again , there are
some of both sexes who w ar them
simply because they are becoming or *
give an intellectual cast in their faces.
So you see , whimsical pride visits our
trade aa well as others.
"How far does our scUnco date
back ? China , I believe , is tLe oldest-
known nation having the ingenuity to
prepare glass to aid defective sight.
They have not advanced beyond their
first ideas. The artists of Europe and
America have developed wonderful
improvements within the la&t half-cen
tury.
"The most expensive lenses for
frames or springs are made from 'peb
ble , ' a white , transparent rock-crystal
found in Brazil. I have known some
of these hard-pebble lenses to be pol
ished with diamond dust. As to their
being better than the best white glass ,
that is a matter of caprice. Some of
my wealthiest customers prefer glass ,
and ife js the opinion of some opticians
that the int.ense polish of the pebble is
cot favorable to the wearer. Fine
emery-ground glass is good enough.
Our glasses are largely imported.
Grinding glass is a great industry in
France and Germany. Eugland also
turns out some tine work. They can
be ground here , but it is rarely neces
sary , as the sizes well assorted can be
had cheaper from abroad. Lenses for
r myopia or near-sightedness arc ground
concave in shape and for longsighted
ness convex.
* Most of the newspapers in this
country are trying to the eyes , owing
to narrow columns and small print.
The Tribune is a valuable exception ,
with its broad columns , clear type and
fairly heavy paper.
Any eye retaining natural functions ,
"
though weak , can be assisted" by our
art. Why , in my time ( I'm 73) , I have
known individuals who had never
been sble to perceive the outlines of
animals , buildings , or trees , to be sup
plied with glasses that enabled them
to see with ease. New York Tribune :
A Pair of Shoes.
A great naturalist said : "Show mea
*
a scale , I'll drawthe fish. " Had he
been a shoemaker ho might have said :
"Show me a shoe , I'll tell the wearer. "
The sandal of the Arab , the tiny shoe
of the high-bred woman of China , the
wooden dancing shoo of the Dutch ,
the high-heeled court slipper. r the
sensible walking shoe of the English
and Americans , proclaim their nation
ality to the tyro. An amaturo might
not readily recognize the 'characteris
tics of different districts within a single
nation but the practiced designer must
know that in the United States , for
instance , your northerner wants his
shoo comfortable , neat , and stylish ;
the Southerner asks for something
fancy and handsome ; the agricultural
west demands solidity , fullness , and
an article stout to break the land for
a coming population. "A pair of
shoes" is one of the most typical pro
ducts of modern industry. To make
them the animal kingdom contributes
from the herds roaming on western
plains or South American pampas , or
from the barnyards near at home ; the
vegetable , from dotted groves of hem
lock and oak , or from great forests
still left to us. Great textile manu
factories supply cloth and thread ;
mines , furnaces , and forges combine
to furnish nails or wire. A hundred
machines have been invented , one of
which has changed the whole course
of a great industry , and produced
large cities. Through scores of pro
cesses , the forty-four pieces of a pair
of shoes require to bring them together
the co-operation of fifty men , women ,
andchildien ; the division of labor is
pursued to the utmost , demanding in
turn for its successful maintenance the
dispersing of product the world over ;
until , as a result , you , well-shod read
er , can buy for § 3 what would have
cost your forefrthers § 6. As the read
er buys a pair of shoes his next pair
may at the same moment be dodging
the lasso of the "cowboy" on some far
away plain , or perhaps be in process
of slaughter at Chicago. The perish
able beef promptly reaches the market ,
and one day soon you dine from a fat ,
juicy roast , little thinking as you
smack your lips after dinner that the
fine pliable skin which once protected
the delicate morsel may at some time
contribute to your outward comfort.
Stranger things have happened. The
skins or hides meantime are salted ,
and the buyer of salted hides sends
part of them , say , to Peabody , Mass. ,
to be tanned for upper leather , and
the rose to central New York , to bo
tanned for sole leather.Harper's
Magazine.
Selecting a Church.
On the question of selecting a church
a question of deep interest as affect
ing church growth Tfie Advance has
the following : "Some Christian men
look mainly to the effect which the
decision will have on their business.
A lawyer , physician , or merchant ,
entering a new place , is strongly in
clined to go to the church that" has
the largest numbers and the greatest
influence. It will give him a large
circle of influential acquaintances who
may be helpful to him in his business.
The temptation is to select a church
with an eye to business. Some dis
tinctly avow this as a reason for
choosing the strongest church. Others
are almost unconsciously influenced
by this motive. Some Christians de
cide the question on the basis of social
surroundings. They gravitate to the
church where there is the most wealth ,
culture , fashion , and society influence.
Of course these are generally found in
the central or first church. Another
class is drawn to the church where
the crowd goes ; where they can hear
eloquent preaching and artistic music.
This , 0s a rule , takes them to the cen
tral , strong church. The eloquent
sermon may bo full of the gospel , or
it may be a very thin dilution of it ,
but this matters'little to them , pro
viding it is smart and popular. These
are self-indulgent Christains. Others
consider , not , like the first class , what
will come into the pocket , but what
will go out , and they prefer the church
where their Sunday entertainment will
cost tkem little or nothing. Generally
this is the wealthy , central church ,
where there are many to bear the
financial burden. As a rule then , all
these motives operate to draw new
comers to the largest and wealthiest
church of their denomination. But
these motives are selfish. They are
unworthy of a Christian man. They
surely are not such as our self-denying
Lord"would approve. Doubtless there
are sometimes good reasons why new
comers should go to the largest and
strongest church , but they are not
such reasons as above. The newcomer ,
or the new convert , should settle the
question by honestly asking and in
telligently answering these questions :
Where can J est help in building up
Christ's Kingdom ? Where am I most
needed ? ' '
A Remarkable Woman.
Mrs. Alice Le Plongeonnow in
New Orleans , is a remarkable woman ,
scientist , and linguist , says The New
Orleans Picayune. She has accompan
ied her husband in all his travels , and
is a devoted and learned archaologist.
She is an English woman , quite young ,
with a spiritual rather than a hand
some face. During their journeys in
Yucatan forests Mrs. Le Plongeon
wore always a bloomer costume and
carried her rifle and revolver. She is
a dead shot and expert hunter and
horsewoman , and can cook quite as well
as she can talk , write , or make photo
graphs. She is in manner shy , mod
est , but with that admirable and ador
able self-possession without which the
charms of the most charming woman
are imperiled. At the time Dr. Le
Plongeon and his wife discovered the
statue of Chaacmal , now in the mus
eum of the City of Mexico , their In
dian guards revolted , being super
stitious , and did not want the statue
to be removed from its hiding-place.
Mrs. Le Plongeon , with rifle and re
volver , kept the Indians at bay until
help could be summoned. This lady
is a correspondent of The Field and
Country Gentleman , and a constant
and valued contributor to The Scientif
ic American , to several illustrated
papers of Madrid , and to scientific
publications generally. She is a grace
ful speaker.
The suspicion exists that the Crown Solicitor
In Ireland , the notorious Bolton , * galnet whom
atrocious crimes bare been alleged , trill be
left to grmmander Ireland after hlj own
ewect
A NATIONAL MAUSOLEUM.
The Crying Need of the Times Where the
Post Presidents Are Burled.
It would bo a good idea for the
United States to have a national mauso
leum , like Westminster abbey , in
which presidents could be buried , and
statues of them erected. At present
some of them have neither a slab nor
a monument to mark their graves.
Gen. Harrison's body rests in a brick
vault on the top of a little hill fifteen
miles west of Cincinnati. A big , flat
stone lies on its top , but there is no in
scription , and the only beauty about
the grave is the pine trees which sur
rounds it with their perpetual green.
John Tyler's body is buried in the
Hollywood cemetery at Richmond ,
Va. , and has not a stone or bust to
mark its resting-place. Ten yards
away is President Monroe's grave , but
he was not buried here until after the
centennial anniversary of his birth.
Monroe waited twenty-seven years
for an appropriate tomb , and he now
rests in a vault over which is a large
granite sarcophagus , and on it an in
scription testifying that it was erected
"as an evidence of the affection of Vir
ginia for her good and honored son. "
Van Buren's grave , notwithstanding
his wealth , is now bleak and bare ,
without a flower or shrub , at Kinder-
hook , and a year or two ago the little
granite shaft which stood over the re
mains of Thomas Jefferson had been
mutilated and its inscription destroy
ed by relic-hunters. Its gates were
rusty and its appearance that of a ruin.
George Washington has been twice
buried , and Henry Clay showed one
day in the senate a piece of his first
coffin. Mount Vernon is now his
tombstone , and the sarcophagus in
which he lies is a brick vault overlook-
'ng the Potomac. It has but one word
on it , and that is , "Washington. "
The two Adamses are buried in the
Uniterian church at Quincy. When
John Adams died his son , then presi
dent , obtained a deed to a burial lot
in the cellar of the church fourteen
square , and in this he built a granite
tomb for himself and his father. Here
lie the two presidents and their wives ,
and on the walls of the church above
are long inscriptions commemorative
of their lives and worth. John Quincy
Adams' inscription commences : "Near
this place reposes all that could die of
John Quincy Adams. " And it c.oses-
A son worthy of his father.
A citizen shedding glory on his country.
A scholar ambitious to advance mankind.
This citizen sought to walk humbly in the
sight or God.
The inscription devoted to the first
Adams and his wife Abigail ends in
the following verse of advice , headed
"Pilgrim : "
From lives thus spent thy earthly duties learn 7
From fancy's dreams to active virtue turn :
Let freedom , friendship faith , thy soul en-
gag
And serve , live them , thy country and thy nge.
The most expensive of the presiden
tial monuments are , I suppose , those
of Lincoln and Garfield. Lincoln's
monument at Springfield cost $206,550 ,
und the ground devoted to that of
Garfield is said to be worth $100,000 ,
and the monument is to cost $150,000
more.
There have been a number of stories
published in regard to the graves of
President Taylor , in that he was first
buried at Washington and his body
afterward moved about from place to
place. The truth is he has never been
buried , but was brought immediately ,
on his death at the capital , to his
father's oid farm in Kentucky and there
put into a vault. His body has lain
there ever since , and there is a gray
granite monument , surrounded by a
marble statue of the general , near by.
Prank Pierce has a monument of
Italian marble at Concord , and , strange
to say , the name engraved upon it is
Francis Pierce , instead of Franklin
Pierce , as he was known to the coun
try. It has no inscription , and is , like
the monument of Millard Fillmore at
Buffalo , simple to an extreme. James
Buchanan lies in a vault in the Lan
caster cemetery , and chronicles his
life in the dates of his birth and death
and the fact that he was the fifteenth
president of the United States. It
takes twenty-three lines to write the
inscription on Polk's tombstone , and
it lies in Nashville , twelve miles away
from that of Andrew Jaokson , a much
greater man , who sums his record up
In three. . Jackson's body lies in his
garden at the Hermitage beside his
wife. The monument above them is
of Tennessee limestone , and Jackson's
life is given in these words : "Gen.
Andrew Jackson , born March 15 , 1767 ;
died June 8 , 1845. " Cleveland Leader.
Inhospitable New York.
A Western man who has settled in
Sew York declares that it is the most
inhospitable town on the face of the
earth. He is from Omaha , and two
years ago bought a $40,000 house on
thirty-sixth street and settled down.
He says : "We are not country people
by any means. Both of my daughters
and my wife spent five years of their
life prior to 1880 in traveling about
Europe , and the girls are bright and
rather pretty. Ibe neighbors own
iheir houses on either side of us , and
the block is tilled with people who
iave" lived there for many years. I
am acquainted with several business
men who reside on the block , and al
together I felt that I was" moving into
a decidedly pleasant neighborhood ,
[ n the course of two years not a soli
tary neighbor has called on us. Men
[ have met down town have visited me
in one or two instances with their
wives , but the acquaintances have
never ripened into friendship , and if
either of my daughters should give a
party to-morrow it is doubtful if their
mother could ask a score of present
able people to the house. " Boston
Journal.
Foreign Papers in the United States.
There are 623 newspapers and peri-
> dicals published in foreign languages
n the United States , the New York
World says , and of these 483 are pub-
ished in German. Next in number
come the French publications .with 41 ,
he Scandinavians with 88 , the Span-
sh with 25 , Bohemians wifli 12 , Hol-
andish with 11 , Italians with 6 , the
iVelsh with 4 , and the Poles and He
brews with 2 each. There is one pa-
) er published in the native Irish , one
Gn Cherokee and one ia Chinas * .
HEW YOBK 134 YEARS AGO.
do City Slave Trade Queer Advprtlsments
An Old-Tlmo Theater Notice.
In the. year 1751 New York was a
queer little place , with a slave market
at the foot of Wall street , and public
notices of runaway slaves , or of the
public sale of men and women , wore
posted in the streets. Hero are some
notices from The New York Gazette of
1751 :
Run away on Sunday night , the 3rd
instant , from Judah Hays , a Negro
Wench , named Sarah , aged about thir
ty years ; she is a likely wench , of a
mullatto complexion ; was brought up
at Amboy , in Col Hamilton's family :
and has had several masters in the
Jerseys. She dresses very well , and
has a good parcel of cloaths , and
speaks good English. Who ever takes
up the said Wench and brings her to
her said Master , or secures her in any
County Gael , so that he may have her
again , sliall receive 40 shillings reward
and all reasonable charges.
The Public Whipper of the city of
New York being lately dead , if any
person inclines to accept that oflico ,
with 20 a year , he inav apply to the
Mayor and be entered.
_ A very valuable ntfgro fellow , get
ting too much liquor , got into a canoe
in the harbor , and after paddling
about a little , tumbled over and was
drowned.
This is to give notice that Elizabeth
Boyd is going to remove next door to
the Widow Hog's , in Broad street ,
near the Long Bridge , and
will continue as usual to graft
pieces to knit jackets and breech
es , not to be discerned ; also , to foot
and graft stockings and gentleman's
gloves , mittens , or muflatees made
out of old stockings , or runs them in
the heels. She likewise makes child
ren's stockings out of the old ones.
Among the articles advertised to be
sold by Ebenezer Grant , in Hanover
square , are ; "Jamacia rum , by the
five gallons , Common Prayer Books ,
Week"s Preparation for the Sacra
ment. " Here is an editors appeal :
Kind readers , you have now had
gratis three supplements running : O
that it would excite such of you who
are upward of two , three , four , and
five years in arrears to renember the
printer.
An Irish servant maid , who has two
years.of her time ; to be sola. Inquire
of the printer hereof.
The Albany Post sets out on Satur
day next ; letters may be left at Mr.
McEvers , near the city hall , or at the
North Eiver , at the house of the said
Post.
Last Monday night several of the
glass lamps put up about this city
\Yere taken down by persons unknown ,
and left whole in the meat market.
It is thought to be done by some daring
rakes in order to convince the owners
how easy those lamps might be de
molished without discovery.
All our common water carriage be
ing so long stopped has occasioned a
vast rise in the price of firing in this
city , to the great distrss of the poor , as
well as others.
A likely negro wench and sucking
child to be sold. The wench about 19
years of age ; can do all sorts of house
work , and very handy.
An Irish servant man , aged about
28 years , to be disposed of for four
years'.servitude ; he will answer either
country worker gardening.
The Posts for Boston and Philadel
phia will set out on Monday , the 30th
inst. , at 3 o'clock in the afternoon ,
precisely , to perform their stages week
ly during the summer season.
In an obituary of 1752 of Isabella Mor
ris "Widow and Relict of His Excel
lency Lewis Morris , Esq. , late gover
nor of the province of New Jersey , "
she is described as "liberal without
prodigality , frugal without parsimony ,
cheerful without levity , exalted with
out pride , in person amiable , in con
versation affable , in friendship faith
ful , of envy void , " .
In an advertisement of a race to be
run at Hempstead Plains in 1752 , there
is a notice appended : "If any Foul
play , the judges of the race may give
the money to any horse they please ,
as is expressed in the written articles. "
A city paragraph runs as follows :
"We are desired by several gentle
men , well-wishers of the city , to en
treat the respective inhabitants to use
their utmost endeavors , during the
warm weather to keep the streets
sweet and clean , as it is everybody's
concern , being the most efleetual
means , under God , for our perserva-
tion from sickness. "
It appears that the theater-goers of
1751 had some of the same causes of
complaint that exist now , as may be
seen by the following :
"Whereas , Several reports have
been unkindly spread that Mr. Kean ,
for his benefit night on Monday last ,
had caused a greater number of tick
ets to be printed than the house would
hold , this is to certify that , according
to the best of my knowledge , there
were but 161 pit tickets , 10 boxes , and
121 gallery tickets printed in all , and
it is well known that a larger mumber
have been in the house at one time.
JAMES PARKER. "
N. B. Tho' it was then determined
not to receive any money at the Door ,
it was afterward found to be a meas
ure impracticable to be followed
without Great Offence , and such
whose Business who , could not permit
them to come in time have since had
their money returned.
Whereas , it has been reported that
Mrs. Taylor , in playing her part in
my Benefit , endeavored to perform it
in a worse manner than she was capa
ble , and that itas done on account of
a falling out between us ; This is to
certify that there was no such differ
ence between her and me , and I be
lieve her being so much out in her
part was owing to her Hot getting the
Part in time. THOMAS KEAN.
In an official account of the laying
out of new streets for the city in 1807 ,
signed bv Gouverneur Morris , Simeon
DeWtt"and John Rutherford , com
missioners , the following paragraph
occurs :
To some it may seem a matter of
fnrprise that the whole island has been
laid out as a city. To others it may
be a subject of merriment that the
Commissioners have provided space
fora greater population than is col-
lected at any spot on this side of China.
They have in this respect been govern
ed'by the shape of the ground. It is
not improbable that considerable
numbers may be collected at Harlem
before the high hills to the southward *
of it shall be oailt upon as a city , and
it is improbable that ( for centuries to
come ) the grounds n rlh of Harlem
Flats will be covered with houses. To
have como short of the extent laid out
might therefore have defeated just
expectations , and to have gone further
might have furnished materials to the
pernicious spirit of speculation. New
York Sun.
Freedmen's Rights.
Hon. J. Milton Turner , ex-minister
to Liberia and agent to the freedmen
in the Indian Territory , is in receipt1
of a letter from his clients requesting
him to go to Washington-and present
the claims of the frcedmen before the
congressional committee. Mr. Turner
says he is an authorized agent of the
freedmen in Indian Territory , where
as Phillips , who drew a $25,000 bonus
for a sale of Cherokee lands , had no
legal right to act as agent , the United
States statutes requiring that before a
white man can contract for the Indians
he must have a permit from the secre
tary of the interior and the juclcro of
the nearest United States court. When
the Cherokees received § 300,000 lor
the sale of their lauds beyond the 96th
"
meridian they divided" pro rata
among the native-blood Cherokees ,
and refused to give the freedmen of
the nation , who were entitled , under
the treaty of 1866 , to the same rights
as the full-bloods , a cent in the divide.
The freedmen are now asking that
they be paid out of this sum , the same
as the Indians. The sum claimed is
somewhere in the neighborhood of
$50,000 or $75,000. Last summer
Senator Dawes' commission were ex
pected to visit the Indian Territory
and investigate this and other ques
tions in dispute , but they failed to go
on account of the presidential election.
Mr. Turner thinks that the questions
can be explained to the committee seas
as to save them from the necessity of
visiting the Indian Territory. Under
the the treaty of 1866 , it was provided
that the western portion of the terri
tory be retroceded to the United
States for the purpose of placing
thereon other Indians and. freedmen.
By a subsequent act of congress it was
provided that other Indians be placed
on this territory , and under the treaty
the freedmen could be the only occu
pants. It has -been held by the people
of the territory and the courts that the
freedmen alluded to in the treaty in
cluded only the former slaves of the
Indians in the five civilized nations.
Mr. Turner takes the ground that
according to the meaning of the treaty
that provision embraces any freedman
in the United States outside the Indian
Territory , for the reason that provis
ions are made in the treaties for giving
the freedmen in the several Indian
nations the same rights and privileges
as the native Indians. It is therefore
concluded that , as the former slaves
among the Indian tribes are provided
for , the treaty does not mean them ,
but "other freedmen outside the terri
tory , the same as it applies to other
Indians. "
Judge Parker held the former view
in relation to the interpretation of
the treaty , but now , according to Mr.
Turner , the judge agrees with him ,
and in a subsequent decision the treaty
was construed by him as meaning
freedmen outside the boundaries of
Indian Territory. Under this inter
pretation , Mr. Turner claims he has a
perfect right to go inx > the territory so
set apart "for the Indians and freed
men. " He said that the so-called
"Oklahoma colonists" were excluded
under the treaty , but he informed
Capt. Payne how he could get in there
and not be legally liable to expulsion
as an intruder , but Capt. Payne was
obstinate , and could not see in that
light. The plan was this : Mr. Tur
ner proposed that if Capt. Payne
would furnish the means , he ( Turner/ /
would take a colony of negroes into
the Oklahoma tract , in which case they
would not be disturbed by the mili
tary. Then , after they had effected a
settlement , Capt. Payne , with his fol
lowers , would come in , effect a joint
settlement with the negroes , and
should they ( the whites ) be disturbed
or threatened with removal by the
military forces , they could legally ,
under the constitutional amendment ,
claim the same rights as the negroes ,
for these rights were reciprocal , and
no power could legally remove them ,
and the courts would so decide , should
an issue under such circumstances be
made.
The theory , to say the least , is an
ingenious one. St. Louts Republican.
General Grant's Peril.
The latest rumor regarding Gen.
Grant is that he is suffering from a
swelling of the tongue that threatens
to develop into.a cancer. It will be
remembered that the late Senator Llill ,
of Georgia , suffered from this terrible
malady. Gen. Grant's family physi
cian , Dr. Fordyce Barker , was asked ,
recently , if the report is true , and said :
"Well. I won't say whether there is
danger of a cancer or not. I can not
state , either , whether the trouble was
caused by smoking , but Douglass and
I thought that the smoking irritated it
and made it worse. By the use of the
new local anesthetic , muriate of
cocaine , the pain of the tissues has
been greatly controlled and the whole
appearance as to swelling and to red
ness has improved. I can not say
about the similarity of the general's
case to that of Senator Hill , because I
do not remember what Senator Hill's
trouble was. "
A Gun of Prodigious Power.
Experiments nave lately been , made
by the French government with a new
kind of siege gun of prodigious power.
It is described as made of steel and
nearly thirty feet long , and the tube is
strengthened with ten coils of plated
steel wire one millimeter , or .039 inch
in diainetre. The composition is such
that the cannon , after a few discharg
es , becomes elongated by three milli
meters. The weight of the gun is 50
tons , and it projects a shell weighing
297 pounds , capable of penetrating
armor plates nearly six inches thick
at a range of 7 } miles.
FACT AD FANCY.
There were thirteen homicides in
Maine during 1884.
Springfield , Mass. , put $700,000 Into
buildings last year.
In Tucson , Arizona , the restaurants
are conducted by Chinese.
Portland , Mo. , fish-dealora packed !
3,000,000 lobsters last year.
Jeremiah Austin , of South Coventry ,
Conn. , says ho is 102 years old.
Six to ton tons of mail matter passes
the Augusta , Me. , postofllco daily.
A citizen of Pittsfield , Mass. , lately
invested $400 in an African gray par
rot. , ' j
Vermont has 118 Baptist churches ,
with 9,826 members and 106 ordained
ministers. ,
A New Haven oysterman found an. ,
old rubber boot upon which were 2-
500 young oysters.
The Agricultural society of South :
Carolina will cclebrare its hundredth
anniversary this year.
, A Connecticut genius has been
granted a patent on a machine for
harvesting potato bugs.
At Hill , N. H.j a man makes a busi
ness of extracting skunk's oil , for
which he gets $4 per gallon.
Fruit trees and vines arc rapidly
taking the places of the redwood for
est in the vicinity of Guernevillo , Cal. ,
Mrs. Ira Jenks , of Lanesboro , Mass. . |
has a pork-barrel , fifty-four years old i
which has preserved 27,000 pounds of *
pork.
The frightful condition , of'many of
the tenement-houses ot Boston is
arousing the citizens of the Hub to the .
necessity of immediate and radical
sanitary measures.
A piece of paper placed between two
blankets is recommended by a physi
cian for a light and warm bed-cover
ing. Paper is a poor conductor of
heat , and obviatetho necessity of undue
weight of clothing.
A trout taken out of the water com
pany's reservoir at Virginia , Nov. ,
has two heads and portions of two
bodies , these bodies ending in a sort
of a bladder , and the bladder culmi
nating in a sort of tail.
The erection of cotton-mills at the
south has not been stopped by the '
general depression. The year willj
show a considerable increase in both
spindals and looms , according to The
United States Economist.
In a recent letter to a well-known
Torontonian from a friend residing a
few miles from Los Angeles , Cal. , it is
said : "It took four ef the largest
steam thrashers four and a half mouths '
to thrash the grain on his farm. "
More suicides occur in San Francisco - '
co in proportion to its population says f
TheAlta California , than in any other } .
city on the continent. The number of i
suicides in that city for the year ending - }
ing with June last was over two and a
half times as many as occurcd in New
York in 1880.
At an egg-eating match at Peter
borough , Canada , a short time since ,
one man ate 41 eggs and the other 40. '
The eggs were raw and taken from a '
basket in a grocery store. The basket v
was emptied , and the winner said ho.
could eat a dozen more.
Ants will forsake any food for lard ,
and they can be exterminated by
greasing a plate with that substance
and placing it in their vicinity. When
the pl.-jfe is well covered turn hot
coals upon it , and a few repetitions of
the process will clean them out.
News letters , in manuscript , were
sold before newspapers were printed.
The Italian name gazette was first ap
plied to these letters , and afterward
to the printed copies. Dr. Skeat says
the word is either a diminutive of
gazza , "a magpie , " meaning a chat
terbox , or else derived from gazeita ,
a small coin perhaps paid for the
privilege of reading the news.
"What are you doing , pet ? " "lam
studyin' my Sunday school lesson. "
"Is it hard ? " "It's awful hard.
Hero's a question I can't answer. It
s'ays , Who was it said all men are
liars ? ' Do you know who it was , pa ? "
"Yes ; it was David. " "David ! How
did he come to say that , pa ? " "Well ,
I don't know , pet. Maybe he was run
ning for office. "
Little boy has been swearing , and
mamma , to punish him , washed thor
oughly the inside of his mouth with
soapsuds , "to , " as she explains to him ,
"clean away the nauty words. " A
few aays later , while passing the bath
room , she sees the youngster with his
face one mass of suds , and his mouth
so full that she barely understands his
spluttering exclamations , "Getting
them all out , mamma ! Swore five
times yesterday ! "
The New York correspondent of
The Troy Times , says the king of so
ciety reporters in that city is a natty
little Hebrew , who is facially as handsome -
some as a doll and as stylish as a Paris
fashion-plate. He has entree to the
best society and can describe with
rare fidelity all she details of feminine
toilets , social innovations , and.gastro-
nomical delights. He also has a fac
ulty of distinguishing a genuine aristo
cratic belle from 'an imitation one in
any assemblage.
It is claimed that England and
France can make a better grade of fine
paper than this country on account of
the quality of water , which is here
injured for paper-making by frequent
changes in temperature. Acting upon
this idea experiments are about to be
made in Florida , > where the tempera
ture is more equal. If successful , it is
said a large mill , especially for the
manufacture of finer grades of stock ,
will be built there by Massachusetts
capitalists.
The late Dr. Macadam used to tell
of a tipsy Scotchman , making his way
home on a bright Sunday morning ,
when the good folks were wending
their way to the kirk. A little dog
pulled a ribbon from the band of a
fady who was leading it , and as it ran
away from her , she appealed to the
first passer-by , who happened to be the
inebriate , asking him to whistle for her
poodle , "Woman ! " he retorted , with
that solemnity of vissage which only a
Scotchman can assume : "Woman , t. " '
is no day for whustlin' ! "