The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1879-06-21 00:00:00

ntistitianeuns 4ntelligtut.

HOME, FOREIGN, AND COLONIAL.

USEFUL RECIPE.—How to keep your silk umbrella.
—Only lend your cotton one.—Judy.
A BEE DRESS. —A very simple bee dress is advo-
cated by a correspondent in response to the inquiries
made respecting the "Bee Dress" recently mentioned
in "Rural Notes" (says The Graphic). He suggests
a large loose bag with sleeves, made out of some old
thin dress material and slipped over the head, which
should be covered by a hat with a large brim so as to
expand the bag, If possible the material of the bag
should be nearly transparent, and it should be drawn
tightly round the waist. This contrivance has proved
effectual for years, according to the correspondent,
and is certainly simple enough. India-rubber gloves
should also be worn as the bees are able to withdraw
their stings from the india-rubber.
A SOFT ANSWER, &c.—Coster (to Swell, who has
accidentally knocked up against him). "Now, then,
d'per year, who a' you a-shovin' of ?"—Swell. —Swell. "My
good man, what a preposterous question! Aw—how
the deuce do I know? "—Fun.

THE ALHAMBRA.—The Lealtad, a Madrid news-
paper, reports that the Alhambra fa in imminent.
danger of destruction, It states that during the last
days of May the hill upon rhich this choicest relic of
Moorish art stands showed signs of an approaching
landslip, and since then the appearances of collapse on
a colossal scale have increased. The Alcazaba also, a
splendid and extensive pile, lying at the foot of the
hill, is in great danger of being involved in the catas-
trophe.
A STEAM JURYMAN.- The other day, a summons,
commanding Thatcher Magoin to present himself for
service in the jury box was returned to the- Commis-
sioner of jurors with the information that it had been
served upon tho wrong party (says an American
paper). The Commissioner said to the bearer, !` that
settles it as far as you are concerned, but Magein
must come here and show cause why he should not be
a juror." "He cruet," was the reply—" he's toe busy.
It he did come, he would make things hot for you.
Besides, you would have to send a derrick and a truck
to bring him. He turns the scales at 5,000 pounds."
The commissioner was incredulous—worse, he made
remarks not complimentary to the speaker's condition
with respect to sobriety. Then the summoned man
explained. "I am telling you facts, Mr. Commis-
sioner," he said. "Thatcher Magoin is a steam
engine, and is located at the foot of Fletcher-street.
lam Nicholas Morris, Stevedore. Years ago I was
employed by a man named Thatcher Magoin. I
named my engine, on pier 19 East river after him,
When the Directory man came to the dock to get
names, he saw the name of Thatcher Magoin on the
engine, and, thinking that he was the boss, pat it
in the book. You'd see it on page 949,"
A LADY'S DANCE Mo,ops.,—Fiho whiles to waltz, in
the (h) )p-tative mood. She is led out by a young-
°Meer, in the sub-junctive mood. Mamma strongly
objects, and says they must go, in the impcwative
mood. She reluctantly complies in the potential, or
put-on-shawl mood,—J,
MARWAGE RY TELEURAVH,--The Mt/Waukee &Mina
gives an account of a recent marriage ceremony,
"extending from that city to Owatonna,' in Minnesota,"
where the bridegroom was detained on buisness. He
was very desirous that his brother, a clergyman, chould
conduct the ceremonial, and as the rev, gentleman
could not stay any longer at Mil waukee he attended with
the bride and a party of friends at Milwaukee telegraph
ottice, sent the essential question by telegraph to the
bridegroom, who was awaiting for it in the Owatonna
office, and having received the usual answer" by wire"
and the bride' it eonsent in person, put a ring on her
finger and pronounced the two to be man and wife. A
letter to the Sentinel from a lawyer points out that the
statute in force assumes the presence of both parties at
"the place of tbc marriage," and provides that the
declarations of both shall be made in the presence of
the minister. It is, therefore, suggested that this
lady and gentleman should be warned "that they are
not yet very much married,"

DC) MONKEYS SWIII.—A correspondent of Land and
Water answers the inquiry, •11.)o monkeys swim?"
the writer says, " I was always under the im-
pression that they did not like wetting their
or or hair, but at Saugur, Central India,
when I was stationed there, I had a little mon-
key that was exceedingly fond of swimming and diving.
One day on taking him to the pond at the bottom of
my compound, he jumped off my shoulder and dived
(like a man) into the water, which was 31t, or 4ft.
deep ; he had his ehain on at the time, and when he
dived in the chain caught in some grass or root
usattatthlee
bottom and kept the monkey down; he w
to come to the top of the water. Feeling his Qh ain
had caught, he dived down, undid the chain, Suck con.
tinned his swim with the chain in hie hand. Re swam
just like a nean au far as I could are from the motion
of his arms. Several of my brother officers came to
see him swimming, of which he was very fond, swim-
ming very quietly, and cunningly trying to catch the
frogs that lay floating on the top of the water.
OPPOR•TIINE.—Haying appointed a governor for
Eastern Ronmelia—who, by the way, has created
some consternation at Constantinople by refusing to
wear the tut or to hoist the Turkish flag—the Sultan
is reported now to be looking about for a national air
for this portion of his dominions, Bearing in mind
the great importance attached to the question of the
governor's bead-gar, ftseenis probable that the tune
selected will be a fez-toon,—Judy.
AN OLD CUSTOM.—The cui,tom of crowning a
,siere, still a frequent ceremouy in the suburbs of
Paris, is over Law years old. The first rosiere in
Vranee was crowned in 525 by the famous St. M6dard
—the St. Swithin of France—who, as at the present
time, chose the most deserving maiden for the recom-
pense, but further required that her family should have
ben highly respectable for four previous generations.
The rosferc was ionducted to church by twelve maidens
and twelve youths, and, after receiving her rose crown
and her dowry of £25, was entertained at a frugal ban-
quet, consisting of twe tsaliards of claret, a jug of
water, two halfpenny loaves, and a cheese costing three
half pence. Tile table was laid with a cloth, dinner-
napkins, two diehee and two glanee, and at the end
of the feast the iine and dlehss became the property
of the rosi4re, who was further presented with two
tennis balls, a horn whistle, and an arrow. The cere-
mony fell into disuse early in the eighteenth century,
but came into fashion awain in 1774, probably revived
by GreStry's opera of La RosUre, brought out in that
year..—Graphic.

1•0&

DISASTERS AT SEA.—There were 15 British and
foreign wrecks reported during the past week, making
a total of 735 for the present year, or an increase of 69
as compared with the corresponding period of last
year. The approximate value of property lost we,
£260,000, including British, £230,000.

THE AMERICAN FOOD SUPPLY.—The quantity of
fresh meat lauded at Liverpool last week from the
United States and Canada was about the emallest that
has arrived this season, being only 1,7* quarters of
beef, 700 carcases of mutton, and 150 dead pigs, which,
compared with the previous week, shows a cecreaee of
over 4,000 quarters of beef, with a corresponding
falling off in the quantity of mutton. Live cattle were
also landed in reduced numbers, while the arrivals of
sheep were some 2,000 head in excess of the preceding
week. The figures were 752 head of cattle and 2,433
sheep
COULEUR DE Rom—There is one article on ladies'
toilet tables which is always of the same colour—a
pin (k)ceshion. —Fun.
WEATHER FORECAST.—The following cable message
has been received from New York at the London office
of the Neu) York Herald :—" Disturbances will arrive
on the BALM and Norwegian Coasts' affecting the
French Coasts, between the 21st and 23rd inst., at-
tended by rains, gales, and lightning.
How SEA-LIONS ARE CAUGHT.—Sea-lices are caught
in large numbers on the coast of St. Paul's Island,
Alaska (says the Graphic). The island, unlike its
fellows in the North Pacific, has a low coast line,
atil on one particular spot the seals congregate in
flocks. As they are-very shy and cannot be approached _
in daylight, the hunters—some twelve in number—
gather at a neighbouring hut and wait for a cloudy
night with the wind in &particular quarter. They then
creep down to the beach on all-fours, surround their
prey and suddenly start up with loud yells, flourishing
their arms. The frightened sea-lions charge in what-
ever direction their heads may have been turned when
sleeping and nothing will divert them. Those looking
seawards are of course lost, but the others are pursued
in the direction of land, where a pen has been made.
This pen consists of a succession of small poles stuck
at wide intervals over a circle in the ground, fluttering
strips of white calico deck the poles, and light ropes
are lightly stretched from one to the other. The
foolish lions make no , fort whatever to escape from
their slight prison, although roaring violently, and
they are watched by a few men until their numbers
have been increased to a drove of 300 or 400.
SYMPATHL—LittIe Girl. Mamma, dear, I do so
pity you.—Mamma. Why, dear 2—Little Girl,
Btecalise Nurse says you have to go out and ea
another great big dinner after all the mutton chops
and tapioca pudding we had in the middle of the day,
and Nurse says you must pretend to like it or they
would be very, very crosee—Judy
IN A LITTLE DIFFICULTY !—The prayer was con-
eluded, and the congregation resumed their seats.
After a couple of seconds he darted a furtive glance at
his charmer, and was astonished to see her still on her
knees. He looked closely, and saw she was much
affected; trembling in violent agitation no doubt from
the eloquent power of the preacher. Deeply sympa-
thizing, he watched her closely. Her emotion became
more violent; reaching her hand behind her, she
, would convulsively grasp her clothing, and strain, as it
were, to rend the brilliant fabric of her dress. The
Bight was exceedingly painful to behold, but he still
gazed, like one entranced, with wonder and astonish-
ment. After a minute the lady raised her face,
heretofore concealed in the cushion, and with her hand
made an unmistakable beckon to our friend. He
quickly moved along the pew towards her, and in-
clined his ear as she evidently wished to say something.
"Please help me, sir," she whispered, "my dress has
caught, and I can't get up," A brief examination
revealed the cause of the difficulty • the fair girl wore
fashionable high-heeled boots; kneeling down on both
knees, these heels of course stuck out at right angles;
and in this position the highest hoop of her new skirt
caught over them and thus rendered it impossible to
raise herself or straiten her limbs. The more she
struggled the tighter was she bound; so she was con-
strained to call for help. This was immediately, if
not scientifically, rendered ; and when the next prayer
was made, she merely inclined herself upon the back
of the front pew—thinking, no doubt, that she was
not in praying costume.—Court Journal.

THE GREAT DUKE OF MARLBOROUGH.—Monday
(16th) was the 157th anniversary of the death of John
Churchill, first Duke of Marlborough, the celebrated
military oommander, who was born at Ashe, in
Devonshire, on May 24, 1650. and died at Blenheim
Palace on June 16, 1722. His fame as a military
commander began at the accession of Queen Anne,
who appointed him Captain-General of all her forces
both in England and abroad, his first great campaign
on the continent being in 1702, when he was created
Duke of Marlborough. Two years afterwards, in 1704,
he won the great victory of Blenheim, which has ha.
mortalieed his name, in recompense for which he re-
ceived the grant of the Royal manor of Woodstock,
'in Oxiordshire, and the palace of Blenheim was
erected for his use and that of his posterity. Marl.
borough's other principal victories were those of Rib.
millies, in 1706: Oudenarde, in 1708; and Me,lpla.
quet, in 1709. On his death the title passed to his
daughter, Henrietta, as Duchess of Marlborough, at
whose decease the honours and estates devolved on
her nephew, the fifth Earl of Sunderland, from whom
the present Duke of Marlborough is lineally de-
scended. A peusion of £l,OOO per annum is settled
on the bearer of this title for ever.—Daily Chronicle.
THE HUMAN HAT.—A full-grown man without a
hat of some sort is a luaus naturoz. His appear.
ance in conventional garb in a public thorough.
fare without this excrescence will produce almost
as much sensation as a runaway horse. How in-
separable the thing is from our daily thoughts
and actions is evident from the multitude of common
colloquial expressions referring to it. One phrase
—" As mad as a hatter," hae often puzzled inquiring
minds; but it is probable that its explanation may be
found in the scientific theory with which we set out.
If madness ie traceable to the malformation of brain.
cases, then it 13 directly traceable to the work of hat.
makere. There is this curious anomaly about the
Human Hat, that, while it is inseparable from
man, who seizes it as one of his most precious in-
eritances, pressing it closely on his head when
abroad, and clinging tenaciously to it whether in the
.company of friends or enemies, yet its shape and colour
and quality may be changed at pleasure. There
are some men whose vanity enables them always to
cultivate successive crops of new glossy bright hate,
others whose vanity enables them always to maintain
a supply of very bad old ones. Thera are some men
who are always cultivating new hats, and some
who never change their first growth
The Human Hat is a capital index of charac-
ter, as well as an infallibly professional indicator.
Who, for iaetanoe, can mistake the Clerical Hat, the
Sporting Hat, the Treevelling Hat, or the Miller's
Hat? Snails° in the &ten close assimilation of the
female toMie male head-gear in shape and material,
we have striking evidence of that tendency whose aim
is to equalise the sexes. it is idle to speak of the
supremacy of man when he is fast loosing even the
distinction of his own head-gear I—Chambers's Journal.
THE CROWN PRINCE OF SWEDEN AND I\3.`ORWAY.—•
Monday was the 21st anniversary otte birth of his
Royal Highness Oscar Gustavue e!edolphum Duke at
Wermland, Crown Prince es Sweden and Norway.
now on a visit to Eneend, who was born on June 16,
1858, and has therefore just attained his legal majority,
The Crown Prince is the eldest of the four sons of
Oscar 11., the present King of Sweden and Norway,
by his marriege with Queen Sophia, daughter of the
late Dc4lo Wilhelm of Nassau.

CURING BLINDNESS BY ELECTRICITY. Recent
American papers report a case of catasact in the
human eye having been cured by the application of
electricity. A Dr. William B. Neftel, of New York,
subjected the patient—an old lady 63 years of ages
with incipient cataract—to repeated applications of
electricity in the neighbourhood of the diseased eye,
with the result that the cataract has been entirely
dissipated.

CHARLES DICKENS'S Holism—So long as Dickens's
works continue to be read—a term which synchronises
with the duration of the English language—so long
will Crad's Hill Place, the house in which he died, be
associated with his name. Mr. Dickens, it is said,
gave £1,790 for the property as it originally stood; but
he afterwards practically rebuilt the house, and added
considerably to the land originally pertaining to It.
Amongst many other things he did for the house wail
to make a well, the progress with which was a some-
what serious matter to him. He used to say—" It is
quite a railway terminus: it is so iron and so big,"
He also made underneath the famous tunnel which
connected his lawn with the shrubbery, in which was
placed the still more famous chalet presented to him
by Mr, Pechter. The last thing he did was to build a
oonservatory, and it was only on the Sunday before
his death that he had the great satisfaction of seeing
this cempleted. He said to his daughter—" Wells
Kathy, now you see positively the last improvement to
Gad's Hill." There used to be in the late Mr. Dickens 'a
time an illuminated scroll, which stood on the first.
floor landing, by way of greeting to all visitors. /t
ran thus—" This house, Gad's Hill Place, stands on the
summit of Shakespeare's Gad's Hill, ever memorable
for its associations with Sir John Falstaff in his noble
fancy—' But my lads' my lads, to morrow morning by
four o'clock, early at Gad's Hill There are pilgrims
going to Canterbury with rich offerings, and traders
riding to London with fat purses. I have visards lot
you all, you have horses for yourselves."

NOT IN THE BIIBIA—A resident in Brndi.,:strest who
had a horse to Pfeil was directed to a thizen of Ninth.
avenue who wanted to buy, stnd alter a little talk the
two made a trade. Tha Ninth-avenue man gave an
old horse and 28 dole. in cash for the other, and every-
thing seemed perfectly satisfaetory. In a day or two,
however, the Brustreet man returned and said:
"You and I made a trade the other day ? " "Yes,
replied the other, " You are a member of the church,
I understand ?" "I am." "Well, that horse youl
traded with me has a spavin, and you never said a
word about it, What sort of trickery is this for A
Chriattan man to engage in 1" The other entered be
house without a word, but after a minute reappeared
with the family Bible and said : "Mr. Blank, here fa
my guide and consolation. I have read this book
through and through, and if you will take it and find
where a Christian man is required to point out spavista
in a horse trade, I'll buy you a better horse than you
ewer owned I" The Bzush-strest man wenthonae with
new thoughts in his head, and he has said no moze
about the exchange.—Detroit Free .Press.

THE RBTITEN OF Tng Pgonvaexi I—The old Strip
al t -
of the prodigal is not always verified in
atuctrualeo:pyarience. People read the Bible and then do
as they please. A young man who was anxious to sea
the world, ran away from home, and for three weeks
enjoyed he romances of the thing hugely. Curiously
enough, however, his friends and his money gave out at
the same time—a fact which is corroborated In she
experience of many others,—At last he can to the
concluglioa, since he could not go anywhere else, to go
home. again. Perhaps visions of a i.trictly biblical
ception crossed his mind, and he may have imagined
a large party in commemoration of his arrival. UII
experiences muo; Lave been a little peculiar in tbill
directioZ, for when a friend met him some days after
and anxiously inquired, "Was your father glad to Bea
you, John, " he answered "Well I had rater A
warm reception. " "And did he kill the fatted calf?"
"No, but ho came pretty near killiDg Ue prodigal
illAtOad.4