The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1881-12-03 00:00:00

istellantous Yntellignict.

ROME, FOREIGN, AND COLONIAL.

QurrE Too TERRIBLV. —Bertie (to friend of his
heart.)—" I say, Algy, you saw that girl I bowed to
as she passed ? ' Algy.—" Deuced pretty girl, too."
Bertie.—" She—she did, indeed—she actually wanted
_ _ _ _ . _

to shake hands ! ! "—[nisntay]—Fun.
THE EYERIGHT OF READERS.-A writer calls atten-
tion to the danger which readers run of injuring their
eyesight by the use of a bad light. He remarks that
engravers, watchmakers, and all others, who use the
eyes constantly in their work, take extra care to pre-
serve them by getting the best pbssible light by day,
and using the best artificial light at night. The great
army of readers are careless, and have, sooner or later,
to pay the penalty of their carelessnesss by giving up
night wink entirely, and sometimes reading except at
short intervals, and under the best conditions. All
departures from common type, making the matter
more difficult to take in, increase the danger. The
magnitude of the physical labour of reading is not ap-
preciated. A book of 500 pages, forty lines to the
page, and fifty letters to the line, contains 1,000,000
lett.q.s, all of which the eye has to take in, identify
and combine each with its neighbour. Yet many a
reader will go through such a book in a day. The task is
one he would shrink from if he should stop to measure it
beforehand. The best positions and best lights, clear
type, plain inks, with the best paper of yellowish
tints, and abundant space between the lines, afford
the best safeguards against harm.
EXERCISE A NECESSITY.—To gain "abundance of
life" the taking of a requisite amount of exercise is
necessary, and it is a means which is often neglected
(remarks Land and Water). Nothing could illustrate
our meaning better than the oft-heard expression, "I
don't feel very ' fit ' to-day; I have had no exercise
lately." Exercise is indispensable for the preservation
of good health in the young and middle-aged, in man
and woman, and plays an important part in the
development of the body. The human frame consists
to a large degree (rather less than half) of muscles, the
part we are accustomed to call "flesh," and when no
exercise is taken this portion of the body is unused,
and like all organs of the body cannot be left unused
for any length of time without suffering. Every
organ of the body requires to bell action some time or
other, in order to preserve its integrity and function ;
and the more work it has to do the more it will respond
to the call and increase in size and activity. So it is
with muscles. When unused they become weak and
flabby, as is seen in comparing the biceps of the
sedentary man with that of the athlete, or the same
muscle in the same man while in active training and
when leading a quiet stay-at-home life; but, when
supplied with the proper amount of activity, they in-
crease in size, as is seen in the oft-quoted example of
the blacksmith's arm. The breathing becomes more
rapid, in order to get rid of the carbonic acid, which
is being produced in large quantity; and, in fact,
healthy exercise may be regarded as a cleansing
of the body from the effete product carbonic acid.
A LONDON INTERIOR.—OId Lady: "But I want
that box inside the cab." Cabby: "I can't get it
inside; besides, beggin' your pard'n, M'm, our
gov'nor hobjects to hour hinsides a-bein' tore."—
Fun.

BURSTING OF A CANAL. -At one o'clock on
Monday morning a serious breach occurred in the
banks of the Basingstoke Canal, at a point about two
miles below Aldershot, where the canal is carried on
an embankment 50ft. in height. A dam was speedily
constructed lower down at Ash, thus confining the loss
of water to a length of half a mile only, namely,
between the Aldershot Lock and the newly-constructed
dam. The width of the breach is 601 t., and the
channel is washed away for a quarter of a mile to a
depth of 401 t. The water rushed towards Aldershot
New Town with a great noise, and the place soon
became inundated. The meadows were covered as far
as the North Camp.
TERRIFIC WEATHER IN THE BAY OF BISCAY.—
A Lloyd's despatch says :—The master of the Duart
Castle, steamer of the Castle Mail Packets Line, from
London to the Cape of Good Hope, which arrived at
Madeira on Nov. 25, telegraphs to his owners as
follows :—" Terrific weather in bay Sunday to
Wednesday, Wallace, chief officer, killed, 2.15
Monday morning; thigh broken, arm broken three
places; concussion of brain; lived very short time;
buried Tuesday. Carpenter, hip and ribs broken, is
here (Madeira) in hospital; horse, bull, and eleven
sheep killed: both wheels and boxes aft and many
deck fittings carried away." The Duart Castle pro-
ceeded for Cape Town shortly after midnight, having
had no unusual delay. She arrived at Madeira at
eight p.m., and coaled in the usual time before con-
tinuing her voyage.

" NEM. CON. !"—Chatty passenger (on G. W. Rail-
way) : "How plainly you can see the lights of
Hanw ell from the railway "—Silent man (in the
corner: " Not half so plain as the lights of the train
look from Hanwell ! "—All change .at the next station.
—Punch.

TEE TRANSMISSION OF MONEY BY TELEGRAPH.—
A gentleman having written to the Postmaster-
General calling attention to the fact that in Norway
and Sweden money can be transmitted by telegraph,
and asking if the system might not be capable of
adoption in this country, has received the following
reply :—" General Post-office, London, Nov. 22, 1881.
am directed by the Postmaster-General to
acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 17th inst.,
and, in reply, to inform you that the system of trans-
mitting money by telegraph to which you refer is not
in use in this country, and that having regard to the
facilities afforded by the existing postal note and
money order systems and to the rapidity with
which remittances can be effected through the post,
the Postmaster-General is of opinion that its introduc-
tion into this country is not called for.—l am, Sir,
your obedient servant, C. H. B. PATEY."
ADVICE TO ANIMAL PAINTERS.—First sketch your
hare.—Funny Folks.
AVERAGE PRICES OF BRITISH CORN.—The follow-
ing are the average prices of British corn for the
week ending Nov. 26, as received from the inspectors
and officers of Excise :—Wheat, 455. 4d. ; barley,
33a 6d. ; oats, 19s. 11d, per imperial qr. Correspond-
ing week last year :—Wheat, 445. 5d.; barley,
335. 6d.; oats, 21s. sd.
THE DRAMA IN RUSSIA. —A special Commission ha
been appointed by the Emperor of Russia to enquire
into the condition of theatres and dramatic art. The
questions submitted for their examination exhibit
interest even to the minutest details of stage manage-
ment, but the chief object is stated to be that of
determining whether the present state of the Imperial
theatres fulfils the purpose of these institutions,
namely, "that of furnishing spectators with msthetic
enjoyments and exercising a beneficent influence over
the moral development of society." Among other
things the commission are directed to consider whether
Russian or foreign performances should be preferred ;
what ought to be the relations between dramatic
authors and the artists who interpret their works ;
whether the system of benefits is compatible with the
progress of dramatic art, &C.
THE HOWARD MEDAL or 1881.—This medal, of
the value of £2O, offered by the Statistical Society for
the best essay on gaol fever, has been awarded to Dr.
Frederick Pollard, of Liverpool, M.D. of London,
and member of the Royal College of Surgeons of Eng-
land. Dr. Pollard was Chiselden gold medallist and
senior prizeman of St. Thomas's Hospital in 1868.
The prize subject for the Howard Medal for 1882 is
"On the state of the prisons of England and Wales in
the eighteenth century, and its influence on the
severity and spread of small-pox among the English
population at that period." The essays to be de-
livered on or before June 30 next.

DIE GROWING BOY.—Aunt: "Do you know how
to read ?" Boy " No. Auntie." Aunt: "Do you
know how to write?' Boy : " No, Auntie." Aunt:
"Then what do you know ? " Boy: "Well, I know
when I'm hungry."—Judy,
THE WEATHER.—There has been a continuance of
mild open weather (says the Magnet). Heavy rains
have fallen in most districts, and field work has been
hindered in consequence. Farmers are, however,
all well forward. The mild, moist atmosphere
has stimulated vegetation and increased the supply
of green food. The general appearance of agricul-
tural affairs is satisfactory. As regards the American
crop, the latest estimates state that the yield
of wheat this year will be at least 400,000,000
bushels, and that the unsold surplus from last
year is 41,000,000 bushels, making a total of
154,000,000 in excess of the probable consumption.
The corn crop of this year is estimated at 1,157,805,000
bushels, and there must have been left from last
year's harvest 350,000,000 bushels. Wheat that sold
in Chicago a year ago for 99ic. now brings 1 dol. 34c.,
and corn that in 1880 was worth only 39c. now eells
at 60c. At 1 dol. 25c a bushel, the wheat crop this
year will net the producers more than that of last
year, while at present prices the farmers will get
33,250,000 dols. more for this year's corn than for last
year's.

A MYSTERY EXPLAINED.—A New York paper says
that one of the attendants at the Ithaca Telephone
Exchange was awakened the other night by the gong
and he got up to answer the "call." He "helloed"
until tired, but heard no response, and then turned in
again. About fifteen minutes later the gong again
struck, and this time he found two buttons down. He
"hitched" on to each " caller " and asked what was
wanted, but again he failed to get any reply. Mutter-
ing he went back to his couch only to be aroused again
by the gong. Once more he responded to the alarm,
and this time there were five buttons down. The
attendant, after going through this sort of business
once or twice more, aroused his companion, and they
resolved to investigate the cause of the mysterious
"calls." They assumed a position where they could
see what was taking place in the room, and quietly
awaited another "call." They had not been long on
picket duty before the innocent disturber of their
dreams appeared in the shape of a mouse, which little
animal, by running acro,s the key bohrd, caused the
buttons to drop and the loud gong to sound its warn-
ing. The operators straightway set a trap for the
mouse, and soon had the satisfaction of catching him,
after which they tried some practical experiments in
electricity upon him which resulted in his cremation
and undisturbed rest during the remainder of the
night.
STORM WARNING.—The foNowing cable message was
received at the London office of the New York Herald
from the Herald Weather Bureau, New York :—" A
disturbance crossing. Likely develop dangerous
energy. Arrive on the British and Norwegian coasts,
affecting the French coasts, between the 28th and the
30th, attended by south, veering north-west gales-
possible snow, north."
FIRE ENGINES IN PARIS.—The old-fashioned fire.
engine worked by hand still finds, it appear, resolute
defenders in Paris. In the course of rec6nt discus-
sions at the meetings of the Commission charged with
the duty of reorganizing the system of providing
against fires, Colonel Paris declared that the hand
engine is the only practicable machine when a fire
has broken out in a cellar, or bakehouse, or in
narrow and tortuous streets. According to this
authority, the hand engine is to the steam tire-engine
what the musket is to the cannon. The expense of
adopting the latter engine and the greater number
of men which it requires were objections much in-
sisted on, and fears were expressed that the steam
engine would do more damage than the fire itself.
The discussion on this subject has been adjourned.

liIiIMIIMEMI

THE TELEPHONE.—Some time since we noticed that
an invalid member of a Scotch Church had the service
. _

conveyed to him by means of a telephone line from
the pulpit to his bedside (says the Electrician). We
now hear that in the West Free Church, Dundee,

which has just been renovated, a telephone line has
been established from the pulpit to the bedside of a
bedridden member of the congregation. The tele-
phone has been introduced on board the screw steamer
Gloucester City, a vessel of 2,150 tons gross register,
which was launched a few weeks ago at Stockton-on.

Tees, and is now taking in her engines and being made
ready for sea at Hartlepool. The wires extend from
the captain's berth to the chart-house, and there is no
difficulty in gaining the ear of the officer on watch
posted on the bridge ; and the captain, if in the chart-
house, can by the same means communicate with the
ship's company. The cost of the apparatus complete
is £l7 10s. The same appliances were lately provided
on board the Brooklyn City, a sister ship to the above,
FATAL ACCIDENT TO A MINISTEII.—On Friday in
last week the body of a Reading minister was found
lying on the railway siding at Mortimer Station, near
Reading. The deceased was the Rev. J. Barnes, of
Hatherley, Reading, and he had conducted a service
at Burghfield on the previous evening. The deceased
was of stout build, and it is supposed that in trying
to reach the side of the platform in the dark he fell
over the siding, though somewhat out of his way, and
broke his meek. The distance he fell was about four
feet. A verdict of "Accidental death" was returned
at the inquest subsequently held. _ _

-
THE CENSUS OF JAPAN.—The late census of Japan
shows a total population of nearly 36 millions. The
Mikado and his family are shown at the head of the
statistics a 4 20 men and 17 women. Yeddo contains

only 957,121 inhabitants. Kioto approaches it closely
with 822,098, and Ozako comes next with 582,668.
Males are more numerous than females in the propor-

tion of 28 per 1,000.

. .
MISERIES OF LlFE.—Angler (taking a stroll on the
day after the last day of trout-fishing). " There—
ah !—'haven't seen 'em rising like that all the season ; "
—Punch. _ _

Mn. JOHN BRIGHT ON FREE TRADE.—In a letter
to a correspondent, Mr. John Bright, M.P., answer-
ing certain questions put to him in reference to the
recent agitations on the question of Free and Fair
Trade, writes :—" It you keep a particular trade em-
ployed at the cost of taxing persons engaged in other
trades what is it but a system of relief, or like feeding
a dog with its own tail: Our neople are not turned
out of work by foreign imports. How do we employ
and feed the ten millions of increased population of
this island since the Free Trade Era, i.e., since 1840?
They are far better employed, and paid, and fed now
than they were 40 years ago, when they were ten
millions less in number. The present state of things
is one of steady and general improvement. Poor rates
are decreasin gevery where."
THE LATE MISS THERESA LONGWORTH.—A letter
from Pietermaritzburg, Natal, mentions the burial in
the Church of England cemetery at that place of the
late Theresa Longworth, whose claim to be recognized
as the Hon. Mrs. Yelverton excited much interest
some years ago. The Rev. Joseph Rice, curate of
St. Peter's Cathedral, officiated. Vie letter adds :
" Her mind was clear and vigorous up to the last
moment. She died peacefully, and seemed glad to
eavel this world."

PAROCHIAL RELIEF.—The Guardians of the Poor for
the Prescot Union, near Liverpool, have hit upon a
novel method of checking outdoor pauperism. In a
pamphlet of 57 pages the Guardians have just had
printed and circulated among the ratepayers a list of
all persons who have received parochial relief in the
several townships of the union for the past half•year.
It supplies the names, addresses, cause of relief, and
the amount received. In an introductory note the
Guardians explain that the book is issued "with the
view of detecting and preventing imposition," and
they add "any information respecting the cireum-
stances of those who have received relief from the rates
likely to effect that end may be furnished to the clerk
to the Guardians and will be treated as confidential."
HIGH-PRICED SHEEP IN AIISTRALIA.—The Colonies
and India says that recent advices from Melbourne
report the sale by Messrs. Fiskin and Gibson of
colonial-bred sheep at remarkably high prices, 31 of
Mr. J. L. Currie's " Lara " sheep having averaged
over £162 each, and 24 " Canowie " (South Aus-
tralian) rams fetched 144 guineas each ; 15 of Sir
Samuel Wilson's "Mount Bute" sheep averaged 47i
guineas each, while 50 of his " Ercildoune " sheep
averaged 41 guineas each ; 36 sheep belonging to Mr.
William Cumming averaged over 70 guineas; Mr.
Buchanan's " Titanga," sheep averaged over 60
guineas.
THE POLITEST MAN IN BOSTON.—The politest man
in Boston has been discovered. He was hurrying
along a street the other night, when another man, also
in violent haste, rushed out of an alley way, and the
two collided with great force. The second man looked
mad, while the polite man, taking off his hat said:
"My dear sir, I don't know which of us is to blame
for this encounter, but I am in too great a hurry to
investigate. If I ran into you I beg your pardon;
if you ran into me, don't mention it."—and he tore
away at redoubled speed.
A BIEAHOP'S GOLDEN WEDDING.—Bishop Jess's?. T.
Peck and wife, of Syracuse, celebrated their golden
wedding last Thursday (says an American paper). The
Bishop said that several years ago he expressed an
earnest desire that he might live to see four things
accomplished. One of these was that he might live
to be seventy years of age. That desire was gratified
four years ago. The celebration of the fiftieth anni-
verstiry saw the consummation of his third wish, and
he hoped to live until next July, when he will have
seen fifty years of itinerancy in the Methodist Epis-
copal Church. " Not that I desire to die or retire
from the church at that time," said the Bishop, " but,
on the contrary, I desire to live an active life until God
calls me, and I don't want anybody to bury me while I
am alive." The Bishop presented his wife with a gold
wedding ring, which' he remarked, he had not given
her on her wedding day because he did not believe in
the custom, and, he laughingly added, possibly be-
cause he would not have been able to purchase one.

A STRIKE OF INDIAN SHOPKEEPERS.—The strike of
shopkeepers at Madura, in the Madras Presidency, as
a protest against the pressure of municipal taxation,
is described in the Bombay Times as universal. On
Oct. 31 all the bazaars, shops, and stalls, without an
exception, had been shut for three days. Even the
petty vendors, dealing in trifling articles, were pro-
hibited from selling their wares, and not a particle of
salt, not a single leaf or vegetable, could be had except
through a high bid offered in secret. The President
of the Municipality (Mr. Stokes) had declined to re-
ceive a deputation of 300 merchants, who declared
that they will not open the shops till they have
reliable assurance that their grievances will be re-
dressed. Madura, according to Mr. Hunter's
"Gazetteer," comprises a total population of about
52,000 persons, and is. the fourth most populous town
in the Presidency.
SAVINGS BANKS IN IRELAND.—At the annual meet-
ing of the trustees and Managers of the Cork Savings
Bank, the largest in Ireland as regards the number of
depositors and the amounts lodged, which has just
been held, it was stated that the amount lodged in the
bank during the year was the largest since the famine
years. The number of depositors had also increased
by 243, being for the most part farmers. The increase
during the year amounted to £1.0,500, and the tail
sum lodged was £387,480.
THE RECENT LANDSLIP IN SWITZERLAND.—The
Geneva Correspondent of the Daily News says that,
in order to avert the peril that still threatens Elm, it
is proposed to bombard the Risikop with artillery,
and thereby preeipitate in an opposite direction the
loose rocks, which if they should fall towards the
village would complete its destruction. The proposal
is approved by the engineers and the people of Elm,
and only awaits the sanction of the Cantonal authori-
ties to be carried into effect.

HAD A HOLE IN IT.—" Yesterday I bought a
knife of you," began a man as he entered a Woodward
avenue hardware store.—" Yes, sir—yes, sir ; and
now you want to exchange it for a glass rolling-pin?
Come this way, sir."—" I don't want any of your rol-
ling-pins. You gave me a half-dollar with a hole in
it."—" Yes—just so—l remember it. You put a
string through it and now want to ask me whether to
wear it on your breast or between your shoulders.
My forty years of exp---"—" Wear it! What in
thunder do I want to wear a half-dollar for?" ex-
claimed the customer.—" That's it—certainly—just
so. You want another hole in it, eh? Something
new in wall decoration—good idea—put on with gold.
headed tacks. William 1"—" I want you to take this
half-dollar back and give me "—"Two quarters
with holes in 'em? Certainly—glad to oblige. Wil-
liam, look over the change and get the pieces he
wants, and if he finds that two quarters won't answer,
we'll give him five tens with the centres punched
out !"—Detroit Free Press.
PAROCHIAL CHARITIES IN LONDON. A parlia-
mentary return just issued of "the present income
of the parochial charities of the Cities of London and
• Westminster (in continuation of Parliamentary Paper,
No. 24, of Session 1877)," says that the total gross in-
come of the City of London charities in 1879-80 was
£116,960 4s. 5d., against £104,548 18s. 6d. in 1875-7G—
an increase of £12,411 15s. 11d. The gross income of
the charities in the City of Westminster in 1879.80
was £.33,173 13s. 4d., against £28,517 2s. 7d. in 1876-76
—an increase of £4,656 108. 9d.
WOOD-ASHES.—The usefulness of wood-ashes as a
manure for the garden generally is now fully acknow-
ledged on all hands, and, thanks to the laborious
investigations of analytical chemists who have lent
their aid to the practical horticulturist, we also know
that it is more necessary to some members of the
vegetable creation than to others, or, at least, is re-
quired in larger proportion in the soil in which they
are cultivated. A better time than the present for
directing attention to the necessity for making the
best practical use of our acquaintance with the value
of wood ashes cannot be expected to occur for some
time. There are at the present time many thousands
of tons of brandhes of trees torn down by the gale of
last month throughout the country, which would make
most valuable supplies of ashes that would have a
magical effect on gardens requiring just that assist-
ance. Quantities of the debris will litter the ground in
parks, fields, and lanes for a long time, or be summarily
burnt in small heaps in order to clear it away, and the
resulting ashes lost for all practical purposes, if not
systematically collected and carefully burnt.—
Gardener's Chronicle.
How IT PATS TO TAKE A NEWSPAPER.—A Lowell
paper says :—Some papers are not of much account as
to appearance, but I never took one that did not
pay me, in some way, more than I paid for it. One
time an old friend started a little paper away down in
southwestern Georgia and sent it to me, and I sub-
scribed just to encourage him, and after a while it
published a notice that an administrator had an order
to sell several lots at public outcry, and one of the lets
was in my county. So I inquired about the lot, and
wrote to my friend to attend the sale and run it up to
fifty dollars. He did so, and bid me off the lot for 30
dole, and I sold it, in a month, to a man it joined for
100 dole, and so I made 68 dole clear by taking that
paper. My father told me that when he was a young
man he saw a notice in a paper that a school teacher
was wanted away off in a distant county, and he went
there and got the situation, and a little girl was sent
to him, and after a while she grew up mighty sweet
and pretty, and he fell in love with her and married
her—now, if he hadn't taken that paper, what do you
reckon would have become of me? Wouldn't I have
been some other fellow, 01 may be net at all.

CUTTINGS FROM AMERICAN PAPERS.

If time is money, why isn't a note at four months
as good as cash?

Four hundred people are employed in the Phila-
delphia mint, and all are making money.
Wanted—A, story of burglary or ghosts in which
the night is not very dark without and the wind does not
blow in fitful gusts and the old oak in front of the house
does not groan.dismally. On receipt of such we agree to
return the manuscript.

Man born of woman is of few days and full of a
desire to assist some rich father-in-law to squander his
quarterly dividends.

Who says it is unhealthy to sleep in feathers?
Look at the spring chicken and see how tough he is.

A hornet's nest is said to be the best polisher in the
world for glass lenses. But you want to do your polishing
when the hornet is not around to help you. For what shall
It profit a man it he polish a thousand glass lenses in one
day and one hornet catch him at it?

Mr, Strauss of Cincinnati, recently rescued two
friends who fell in the water, thus proving the truth of the
old saying—" Drowning men catch at Strauss."

No man can go into bad company without suffer.
log for U. The homely old proverb has it very tersely. "A
man can't bite the bottom out of a frying pan without smut-
ting his nose.'

A clergyman was once forced to say to a congrega-
tion that persisted in depositing buttons in the contribution
box:—' Brethren 1,,,h0 wish to contribute buttons will please
not hammer down the eyes, for while that process does not
Increase their value as coin it does impair their usefulness
as buttons."

Eighty families were made homeless in Kokomo,
Col., through the playfulness of one pint of kerosene oil. It
was used by an enthusiastic servant girl to kindle a fire, and
the fire it kindled surpassed her most sanguine expectations.
An exchange tells the following story :—A Wis-
consin schoolmistress is to have a medal because she walked
daily to and from her school, through two miles of
dense forest, in which were prowling wolves." That's
nothing. We know a boy who walks through a three mile
forest every day, which is infested with bears, coyotes
rattlesnakes, and circus lions, merely to get to a place where
there is no school.

The farmer who "ran rapidly through his pro-
perty" wore a red shirt and had his brindle bull behind
him.

President Arthur weighs 215 pounds, David Davis,
316. Total, 530. The government is now on a solid founda-
tion.

A New York jury, after the usual amount of due
deliberation, recently found that a marriage without cere-
monies of any kind, either civil or ecclesiastical, was valid
and binding on both parties. If this holds good all over the
land, it will knock off the license and ministers' fees, and
leave the young couple three or four dollars to begin house-
keeping with.