The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1870-02-26 00:00:00

r FIE STOURTMTDGE OBSTCRVEM

what is the fact upon that print? Sine years ago a
friend of mine wrote no me end said, "We are going
to have soma sacred music and lectures, calculated to
I produce in the minds of the people a reverence and love of
the Deity, and to raise up an opposing principle to Intern.
person mid Immorality ; will you send is a email sub.crip-
Con " I sent, biro a small subscription. (Caters I took
no part in that movement; l neither arranged the lectures
nor the subject. upon which they were to address the meet-
icgs. But lay if ally one is asked to support such a move-
ment, Call he be sail to desecrate the Sabbath? Tcose
addresses were of sneh a characters. that, and I repeat, can
It be said that any one could be said to desecrate the Sabbath
when he sends a few pounds towards lectures calculated
to produce In the niin.is of the people a reverence and
love of the Deity, and to raise up an opposing principle
to intemperance ar.d Immorality? (Cheered Now,
gentlemen, I put it to this great meeting I put
it to all of you assembled before me am Ito be told I am
In favour 4,1 a movement to desecrate the Sabbath because I
sent a small subscription to such a movement as that
((leers, and cries of "Na." I make no complaint. stalest
our Comervatlve opponents ft r having issued such a state-
ment, an I have no doubt the circumstances have been mis-
represented to them. (Cries of "No") Now I have been,
gentlemen, for some time before this constituency, and I am
not altogether a stranger to jou. I thnk that when I say I
ani • pposed to these movements no one will doubt what I
say. (Cheers. )

the child with lL and laid hands on her. He further
stated that he could not allow medicine to be given, as
it would grieve the Lord and be against his (witness's)
conscience. His children had been healed plenty of
times before through the past eleven years, and if he
had given medicine to the deceased it would be con-
trary to the word of God. He stated his earnings to
the coroner, and plainly admitted that it was not po-
verty which caused him to neglect having medical ad-
vice, and said if any of his family had severe sickness,
or his wife was in dibour, he should object to medical
assistance. The mother and the person who laid the
body out expressed similar opinion+, and the coroner
eventually adjourned the inquiry for a post-mortem
examination to be made, to ascertain whether or not
the child's life might have been saved, if n.edical
instance had been procured.

HARD TO ACCuMPL,SEL —When, from time to
time, we read in the Court Circa/or that So-and-so was
Introduced to Her Majesty and delivered up his "stick
of office," we invariably find ourselves wishing that
some one would deliver us from those Sticks in office,
still to be found in the Public Service. —Punch.
Dgear CLOSS OS THE IMMORALITIES OF TOE
DAT.- -Preaching in Carlisle Cathedral on Sundsy
I aft.rnoon, the Dean of Carlisle said it was scarcely
possible to take up a daily paper without reading of
some mur, ler, mme adultery, some scandal. No grade
of moiety was exempt, hut everywhere were hundreds
of cases reported ; and mauy camen were glossed over,
verdicts being brouffit in of 'accidental death," when
nine times out, of ten they should have been " drnns
kennels'," Was It not enough to make us sorrow wh-it
we looked round and saw the mass of fraud in trade,
the false weights and false measures, the huge bank-
ruptcies? It was enough to make us cry, "Where is
virtue gone? Where are British honesty and in.
?" Much as he feared for the Churl and the
people from the external circumstances of this Act of
Parliament or that, it was a trifle compared with the
effect of the wickedness, the sins of the people, our
empty churches and our crowded theatres, our places
of amusement thronged and our churches dull and
neglected.

RevisioN or Tam MaLr.—The Spectator has
the foll.wing remarks on the proposal for a revision of
the llible

" We suspect that what Lord Shaftesbury is really afraid
of, is the commercial loss involved in the partial au perannus-
Hon of so many Bibles with which some folks would heal]] to
he dissastisticd. It would be very inconvenient perhaps to have
amendments moved in the Bible Society proposing that in
future they should order the newly revised version, the cost
of which per Bible might be something increased. 'Mese are
the substantial considerations, we imaadne, which induce the
Earl oi Shaftesluiry to apologise for error, and for an amount
of obscurity which makes one tenth part of the Bible at least
a mere riddle to ordinary people. A great capital has been
sunk in Bibles,—the capitalists most he consulted before
reverence to the Divine Speaker can be attended to. His
meaning is nothing like as important as the convenience of
the society got up to publish Gig meaning. What though
most of the minor prophets and mush of the greater prophets
he in the present translation mere enigma? The production
of fifty million copies of such enigma creates a vested latrest
which makes it a grave question whether you can supersede
them, In spite of any claims of divine light. Our Evangelicals
worship an idol called Authorised Version, which claims
indeed, to represent Gad; but which has so many indepen-
dent interests of Its own, that even where it is proved to
misrepresent or obscure Ilim, it Is stoutly support..d against
any proposal to perfect it further.

- -
A SERVANT'S Sordcogor.—A servant girl, who
had just been admonished by her mistress to be very
careful in " washing up" the best tea-things, was over-
heard shortly afterwards in the back kitchen indulging
in the following soliloquy, while in the act of wiping
the sugar-basin :—"lf I was to drop this ere basin, and
was to catch it, I s'pose I shouldn't catch it; but if I
was to drop it, and wasn't to catch it, I reckon I just
should catch it."
IN THE RIGHT DinEcrlow !—The French Official
Journal publishes a report, signed by M. Emile
011tvier and approved by the Emperor, proposing the
abragn` ,rt of the decree of the 12th of August, 1851.
In his report the Minister of Justice says : •

-
It is now an opportune moment to erase from the Statute
Book every trace of our former disagreements and civil wars
arid It Is not admissable that, at a time of peace and under
Liberal reyinte, the Government should retain the faculty of
transporting to Cayenne or to Algeria citizens who have
merely been condemned for belonging to secret societies.'

- -
NEW ARABIAN NIORTS' TALE BY THE IIoME
SECRETARY. —Acabby and his Wonderful Lamp,
Punch.

A DEBT NOT TO BE EVADED 1— A merchant
being unable to live as comfortably as he desired, and
at the same time pay his debts, failed several times in
bueiness, and made assignments of his property.
Finally he died. Among those who had cause to re-
member him was Mr. B —, who, meeting one of his
neighbours, was informed that uncle 0— was dead
--bad paid the debt of nature. "Is that so?' replied
It—; "why didn't he make an assignment ?"
TOTAL ECLIPSE.—M. Leverrier has been dig-
misted from the Imperial Observatory, Paris. M.
Leverrier's star is clearly not in the ascendant.—
Punch.

TEMPERANCE SERMONS. —ln London, on Sun-
day evening, the Sunday special service's in St. Paul's
Cathedral were unusually crowded, in consequence of
its becoming known that the Rev. H. J. Ellison, MA.,
vicar of New Windsor, was to preach the customary
sermon—a circumstance which had the effect of at-
tracting large numbers of teetotallers from all parts of
the metropolis, the reverend gengeman being one of
their principal leaders. In his sermon, Mr. Ellison
spoke with much force of the drinking customs preys
lent in this country, of the waste of expenditure occa-
sioned by them, and of the formidable obstacles which
they presented to the development of religious and
social effort. He spoke of drunkenness, not merely as
it existed in this country, but as it was to be found in
Liverpool, Edinburgh, and other places. Nor WM the
evil confined to home. In India, for every cativo 0.1111-
verted by as to Christianity, we made a thoussn I
drunkards. The drink preceded and impeded the way
of the GospeL He called upon Churchmen to arise
and a-sist in putting down the evil. It was of no use
to establish schools, working men's clubs, and similar
agencies, so long as the influence of the {midi 'house
remained undiminished. Convocation had awakened
to the necessity of something being done, and lie be-
songht his hearers to assist in the good work.—On
Sunday afternoon a similar sermon, under the auspices
of the National Temperance Leacue, was preached by
the Riiv. J. P. Chown, of Bradford, in the Metropoli-
tan Tabertacle, which was densely crowded within a
few moments of the doors being opened. At the close
a collection was made on behalf of the National Tem-
perance League.
MR. Lowa's LIBERALITY ! A " Banker"
writes on the quarterly dividends :

It appear, to me clear that If Mr. Lowe pays the dividends
quarterly instead of half-yearly he most lose three millions
of money. Suppose I hold .ClOO Consols, and now receive
305. in January and 30e. In July. Instead of this lam to get
15s. In April and 155. In July. By this means !gain a I ivarters
interest on 155. The proem I, to Lc repeated in October. I
therefore get half a year's interest on 155., era whole year's
interest on 75. lid. Now, if I am to have the interest on 70.
6d. in perpetuity I am as much pleased an if Mr. Lowe had
elven me 75. 60. That is to lay, Mr. Lowe's propoul gives
I per cent, on the whole amount of the Three per Cents. No
process of reasoning will persuade me that If a man pays me
money before 11 11 due I am not a gainer and he a loser.

A MILITARY D.STINCTION.—The French Army
is injured by the duel system. The English Army suf-
fers from the dual system.—Punch.

COIJOiIk rcs in CHURCH.-011 Sunday afternoon,
in one of the Established Churches in Dundee, there
was a great deal of coughing, which appears to have
considerably annoyed the officiating clergyman.
After hearing the infliction quietly for some time he
stopped his discourse, and told them that he would
allow them five minutes to cough it out. The cough-
ing ceased at once ; but the moment the rev, gentle-
man resumed, the congregation commenced with
renewed vigour. This was more than the pastor could
bear, and, closing the book, he informed his fl,ck that
it was quite impossible for him to proce.d further,
Perhaps, he remarked, they would he better by next
Sunday. With this rather abrupt termination the ser-
mon ceased, and he dismissed the congregation with
the usual devotional exercises.

A THIEF FOUND DEAD INA SAFE !--An extra-
ordinary incident has just occurred at Lerida, Spain.
The banker, Jose Nunez, had two strong rooms, one in
ordinary use, and the other which was only had
recourse to when any heavy payments in gold had to
be made. Originally two keys were provided for the
latter, but some time ago one of them was lost. A
few days ago a necessity &mile to visit this reserved
safe, and, to the intense astonishment of thecashier, he
found a key in the lock. He immediately informed
his employer, and the two together opened the door,
when they found inside the corpse of a man who had
formerly been employed in the bank. Ho bad probably
stolen the key, and visited the depository with the
intention of robbery, but the door had accidentally
closed, and as it fastened with a spring he had died
miserably in the midst of the wealth which he had
desired o appropriate.

MATRINo N IA L ADV EIITIB/04 Eli TB. FLOM the
Manchester Examiner):— _

"C. M. K—A long letter awaits you at the Pont Office, the
contents of whidh ant be very interesting to you."
J. IL—Your letter of the 7th hist , to Stafford Post-office,
is answered to the address given (King Wllliatmstreet:."
"A young man, of pious haluts, thirty-one wishes to meet
with • pious, intelligent female, who 'desires a holism—Ad-
dress,' dm.
"A gentleman, 45 years of age, respectably connected, de-
sires to correspond with a lady, about the same age, with a
view to matrimony."—Address, Ac.
" A widow lady, aged 30, with a good home, and means,
and without incumbrance, is desirous of meeting with • suit-
able husband ; this is bona fide.—Address,"Ac.
"A gentleman of good appearance, aged 45, who is re-
tiring from IitIROMBA, would Itte to open a corrmpondoice
with • well educated and amiable lady, with a view to mar-
riage ; full illtollllNtioll 5101 references will be given to any
IMy of suitable position who may favour him with a reply
and the strictest confidence may he relied upon.—Addrces,'
&a.

A HAUNTED RAILWAY t.—The Boston papers
publigh the following as • strange but well authenti-
cated story:—
The engineer of the freight train on the II:don and
I.lwell Railroad, which leaves Poston about three o'clock in
the morning, has on several occasions discovered a red light
swinging at a furious rate at the %Mourn Station, where the
trans stops for water. The light would sometiim abe in front
and sometimes in the rear of the train. When the eogineer
would stop Ins train and send 50.110 one to learn why the
signal to stop was made, the messenger would he greatly
surprised to tee the light vanish. Investigatida has proved
that no peraon was there with a lantern, and the brakeman
and conductor concurs's° in having beheld the phenomenon,
which, so far as known, is without visible canes Some
labourers living on the line of the above station state that a
few mornings sine they were coming down the road in a
hand car, when they suddenly heard the approach of an
engine and train, and knowing that no train was due in the
vicinity at that hour they became greatly frightened, and,
jumping out of the car, threw it oil the track to await the
train which they thought was coming at a rapid pace upon
them, but which, it is needlesa to say, did not come. The
superstitious regard the affair as a forewarning of seine
disaster, while the spiritualists have the ready theory that it
is the apirit of a man alto was killed there Lout two years
since.

THE FRENCH BUDGET FOR IS7l.—' The scheme
for the Budget for 1871," says La Patric, " prepared
and proposed by M. Magce has been almost entirely
adopted by his successor, M. Buffet, and the Council
of State. The modifications that have been introduced
relate only to details. Thus the number of the con-
tingent for the army to be called next year hai, been
reduced by 10,000—a reduction squally beneficial for
the people and far the Budget. Moreover, M. Mae
proposed to allot for public works the 18 millions left
disposable from tbe accounts of the yoac 18643. In the

modified Budget these 18 millions are divided into two
solos —a SIMI of nine loillions only is allotted for
public works, and the other nine millions being re-
tained as a reserve, unless at a later period the
accounts for the year 1870 should realize the hopeful
expectations that are entertained. This precaution
appears to us rather carried to excess and capable of
producing an effect quite contrary to that which it is
' intended. The ace mute for the year 1869 show results
which render needless this reserve. With respect to
public works, it is difficult to understand the with-
drawal of nine millions from the expenditure for
that purpose, while the country and the Corps Le:is-
latif reckon by hundreds of millions the sums which
they deem to be required."
TOUCHING INCIDENT. A pathetic incident
octurred the other clay at Maude, about six n iles
south of Steiglitz. Two little boys, aged 7 and 11
respectively, eons of Mr. John Richards, farmer, of
Mamie, hail been lent to the Post-office, distant about
• mile from their home, for letters. On their way back
the elder of the two appears to have been seized with a
fit, which immediately pr wed fatal. 'l'heir protracted
absence alarmed the family, and a search was made
for the missing boys. When they were found, a tomb-
ins sight presented itself. By the site of the corpse of
tie elder brother lay his little companion, who had
cried himself to sleep, and whose forlorn sense of
bereavement and loneliness must have been deepened
by the gathering darkness, and by the growing rigidity
and coldness of the mute holy to which he still clung
with an affection that was strong r then fear.
A LONG STEP IT TIIE RIGHT ROAM—PIG/A
boo leave to c mgratulate the Right Honourable
\V. E. Forster on his bold, wise, and comprehensive
Education Bill. lie has taken a longer stride, by that
Bill, towards securing the schooling of every eliild in
England than two leagues— or seveu leagues either.
Punch.

Tlilt CHANCELLOR OF THE EXCHEQUER AND TILE
COMPOSITORS—The compoeitore of Manchester have
memorialised the Chancellor of the Exchequer on the
eubject of the income-tax. The memorial sets forth
the hardships inflicted by asseesing the tax upon
holders of weekly situations, the p--ecarious nature of
the occupation of the memorialists, and that in a
number of cases the average earning, did not amount
to the sum for which they were &seemed.
"The Chancellor of the Exchequer desires me to observe,"
writes Mr Rivers Wilson, In reply, 'that if you and your
fellow-workmen are earning wages equal to £lOO a year,
there appears ire good reafmn why you shouhl be exempt
from Income-tax any more than a poor clerk or curate, who
with equal or greater demands upon them, are earning 111,
more. If at the end of the year you should be in position to
prove that your earnings base not, from any accidental
conic, reached £lOO, you are enabled by the provlsiona of the
Income Tax Act to obtain relief on appeal."

A DECOY BIRD !—A correspondent of a London
paler thus narrates one of the " Tricka of London"

•
I have lately been witness to a piece of street charlatanry
of wide]. I think it would be well to warn your readers
Some weeks ago, while wilking down • quiet street, I came
upon a young woman having all the Ippehrfilioo Of a serving
maid, with a little yellow bird clutched firmly in her hand.
She wan bargaining with some birdsellers. " Well, me and
my mate 'II give coven bob for it. Now !" said one of the bird-
fanciers. "No. I'll not do it," said she; " why, it sings
beautiful all day long." She honied on, “ying her mietreaa
was waiting for her, and the two bled-sellers kept pace with
ine. I hwird one of them say to the other in a confidential
tone, "it's worth two pound if It's worth a penny—don't lose
sight of her:" and on this I was foolish enough to quicken
my pace, and to say to the tie &111 passed her, " Don't sell
it. They say It's worth two pounds." She immediately turned
round and offered the bird to me. I luckily was not in want
of one, and I said so, said passed on. I had quite forgotten
the whole affair, when today the comedy was repeated for
my benefit, and only to-day I saw the snare. The only
variation in this case was, that instead of a 'erring maid a lad
held the bird in his hand. But the some offer of "seven
bob" was made, it was declined In the manse way; and no
limner was the accomplice out of hearing than the bird-
sellers made their decoy-remark about the two pounds in
the name confidential tone. I shall be very glad if this letter
should be the means of saving any unfortunate lady front in-
vesting In what would probably turn out to be a painted
sparrow.

AN AMERICA/1 ADVERTISEMNNT. - Muller's
Brazilian Peeble spectacles have recently been spoken
of by the Emir of Bukhara as Selcatceps elbbep
nailizarb,' which is quite conclusive." The point of the
Enzies remarks is discovered on reading them back-
wards.

TURF& SISTERS BURNT TO DEATTL—On Mon-
day morning at four o'clock a fire broke out on the
premises of a grocer in the parish of Newtonlimavady,
about sixteen miles from Derry. It raged for a long
time, and all efforts to extinguish it were in vain. The
adjoining hones en copied by a draper was als° con-
sumed. Three sisters, named Eakin, who lived with
their father, mother, and brother, in the home which
caught fire first, perished in the flames. Their ages
vary from sixteen to twenty/two. The mother escaped
by a ladder, but not before she was severely burnt.
After the fire had been got, under, no trace of the
bodies could be found, except a bone here and there.
•The decented girls, with their parents., lived in the
upper story of the house, which was divided into three
hate. They were unable to escape, and it is supposed
were suffocated, and their bodiee burnt afterwards.
The girls occupied a good position in society. The
premises were insured, and the damage is estimated at
£3,000. The cause of the fire is unknown.
I

TIIE CONSTRUCTION OF A WlLL.—Judgment
was delivered on Monday in the Vim-Chancellor's court
in " Habergham v. Ridcbalgh," which turned upon
the condi-action of the following words of a will :
.

"Upon trust to my brother•inda-w, Henry Mitchell, and
rev brothers and sisters to enjoy the rents during their
lifetime, and their children at their decease, but in the
evctit of any of them dying without issue their parts to be
divided in equal shares amongst the survivors in equal
shares " Mitchell and some of the brothers and listen pre-
deceived the testator, and the question was whether they
were enti-led to any share in the property, which his
Honour decided in the affirmative.

THE PLACE FOR DOMESTIC SERVOS-TS I—The
Melbourne Argus, speaking of female immigration, soy.
that a single incident will kadlico to exhibit the magni.
tu le of the demand for and the insufficiency of tie
supply of domestic servants in the colony. On the
31st of December it was notified that taventythrae
young girD, who had arrived by the Charlotte Glad-
stone, would be open to engagement at eleven o'clock
in the morning, at the Immigration Depot in Mel-
bourne. Five minutes sufficed to procure situating
for the whole of them, at wages averaging from £2O to
£3) per annum. There were about IGO heads of houst-
holds applying for domestics, and it was stated that at
least 300 female immigrants of the class above referred
to could have met with immediate engagements if such
a number had been forthcoming. The Argus observes
that an a general rule domestic service in the colony is
lesi oneroua, while it is much more liberally remune-
rated, than in Great Britain. Fires are not required
for more than four months in the year, and the winters
are mild and genial. Hence donostin service does not
imply, as it too often does in the mother country,
domestic suffering. On this last expression the Pall
Mall Oa:Me remarks :

We ate glad to hear that servants are in comfortable In
Victoria, but we can assure our colonial brethren that
domestic aerritude In the mother country often implies
domestic suffering to the employers as well as to the em-
ployed.

CONVICTB IN WESTFRN AUSTRALIA.—A good
deal has been mid of late of the advantages offered to
emigrants by Western Australia. Whatever may be
the prospects of free colonists in that part of the
world, there is no doubt that many who have been
carried thither at Government expense have not only
got on well, but have, in some instances, realized large
Fortunes. Robson and Red oath are the proprietors of
a weekly paper called the Horald, at Fre4tmientle. One
of the persona connected with the great Russian bill
forgeries of 1861 has been travelling round the colony
as a dentist, and is said to have given general satisfac-
tion, lie unites with his profession the trade of a
jeweller. But if the convicts have prospered in this
quarter, on the other hand the colony has profited by
them. In 1849, Western Australia was on the verge
of bankruptcy. In her dilemma she petitioned the
mother country for the convicts whom all other colonies
were refusing to receive. The homeauthorities promptly
acquiesced, and in June, 1850, the first batch of con-
victs arrived at Freemantle. From that date to the
present time 9,789 convicts have landed in the colony.
Of this number, about 1.500 are still maintained by the
Government; about 1,900 are ticket-of-leave and con-
ditional-release men earning their own livelihood ; the
remainder have been freed by conditional pardons, the
expiration of their terms, or by death. Conditional
pardons are no longer issued to convicts who have
arrived since the let of January, 1864, and in their
place, the conditional release, which is merely an ex-
tension of the ticket-of-leave system, has been sub-
stituted.

THE SECRET OF ENGLAND'S PROSPERITY.—
Each man has his own opinion on the causes of na-
tional prosperity and adversity, and many people are
dispi wed from time to time to lay especial stress upon
the importance of that particular branch of industry or
science with which they nuay be connected; but we
have seldom encountered a version of the cry that
"There's nothing like leather" more ingenuous and
undisguised than one which crops up in a speech made
by Sir Joseph Whitworth, on Saturday, at a dinner of
foremen engineers. The prosperity of England de-
pends, he says, to a great extent on the number of
self-acting machines she keeps at work. In proportion
to the increase of these valuable accessions to industry,
of which no one is better qualified to speak than Sir
Joseph, has been her increase in wealth and power.
A GOOD ROUND SUM,—A Gentleman has of-
fered a bet of MO that the earth is not rotund, as it
is generally supposed to be in the beat circles, a Fellow
of the Geographical Society has accepted it, and "the
editor of an oil established London paper has been
choien umpire."—The Globe, of course.—FUNCIL

F.,nitioti LOANS. The annual account laid
before Parliament, shows that the surne which the
Government of this country has had to pay under its
guarantee of the Greek loan now amount, after deduct-
ing repayments received from Greece, to £1,178,707.
The payment made by this country in 1869, in respect
of the Russian• Dutch loan, guaranteed by Great
Britain in 1815, amounted to £6996.5; the principal
remaining to be paid is 11,500,000 florins. The sum re.
ceived by this country for interest and sinking fund in
respect of the Wrimean war) loan of £2,000,000 to
Sardinia ir £BO,OOO a year; the principal has now
been reduced to £1,662,048.

A HINT TO RAILWAY DIRECTOIIe.—What would
be the feelings of the half-frozen, hungry, much-incon-
venienced traveller on any of our railways if, on arriv-
ing at one of our refreshment stations, he should find
the md order changed—the food tempting and the
waiters attentive? If Is the place of the present
counter he were to find five small tables neatly laid
out, the first of which should display everythm; to
provoke his appetite in the shape of dried fish, potted
meat, and hung beef; the second tea and coffee, bread
and better, milk and cream ; the third hot soup and
fish of various sorts; the fourthcutlete, steaks, poultry,
and vegetables; and the fifth sweets and puddings,
truffles, and cheese? And if in addition to these deli-
cacies he were to find that sufficient time were
allowed to partake of all of them, and that a notice
was affixed In a conspicuous place stating that the total
charge for all was Is. 7d„ he would probably think that
he was travelling in Wonderland. Such a dream is, of
course, not to be realised in civilized England—but in
poor Sweden, refreshment rooms, carrying out the
whole of this programme, are to be met not only at the
termini of 'the main lines but even at such out-of-the-
way stations as Elmbult, Ramberg, Falkoping, and
many ()theca

CUTTINGS FROM AMERICAN PAPERS
A woman in Chicago recently seized a man, and,
before he could secure assistance, brutally married Mm.
A Southern paper remarks that the mayor of its city
" rarely mina an opportunity of making a mistake'
'

Poetry is well paid in America. John G. Saxe, the
popular poet, receives a dollar a line for his poems ill the
New York jadger--1( he could only write enough of It!
A young woman of Indians keeps twenty-seven
engagement rtegssiung up in her boudoir, the spoils of five
years.'

A dwarf eight inches shorter than Tom Thumb is
attracting eight tuchlen in Chicago.
The march of civilisation is onward onward—
like the el iw but intrepid tread of a jackass toward a
peck of oats !

An American paper says the carriage in which
Prince Arthur rode to Central Perk is engaged for five weeks
ahead by New Yorkers who are anxious to get a rub of
Royalty.

110 "small sewing-machine" which some rascal in
New York sends to those people who respond to his Adver-
tisements by Inclosing him 1 lot, ha shoemaker's awl, worth
about 15 cents.

An Albany man, who had hie new bat exchanged
for an old one in a barber's shop, advertises that unless it Is
returned, he will forward to the wife of the person who took
It the letter found concealed in the limo; ol the old one.
At a church fair in Kansaa city, a IVA si bedrolm
furniture was voted to a young lady, with the understanding
that, If she was not married in a year,4he property should be
returned to the church.

An American j•a•,er rum' ts a c Ilenjainin
Fraaktin, as innstrari.sr the sule.ructe msde of Wu years In
the art of "gettinz on." franklm wrote

'He that by the plough would thrive
Bimieji u.ust rith .r bold or drive"
The Yankee version adapted to the times is

- •
"lie that by his • b's would rise
Must either bust or advertise."

A German lady who hatl been reviilig Fox's Book of
Martyrs, recently attempted to grasp the crown of martyr-
dom by sitting down comfortably in a kettle of scalding
water and darph.g her tteeklugs. Our American corm.
spondeut says she is writing Some Novel Experiences in the
Life of a Darned Fool.