The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1875-08-21 00:00:00

alisallantous Nteltigente.

HOME, FOREIGN, AND COLONIAL..

CHURCHES FOR THE DEAF. In America
churches arranged for deaf people are becoming com-
mon. The pipes are laid from the pulpit and reading
desk, which have perforated tops. These pipes con-
nect with the pews, to which elastic ear tubes and ear
pieces are attached. The price of one of these tubes is
20 dols. and they are made by Shepard and Dudley,
of 150, William-street, New 'York. Three of these
pipes have been laid in Dr. John Hall's Church, and
others have been placed in Rev. Mr. Mix's Church, at
-Orange, N.J. and the Central Presbyterian Church
of the same place. By this apparatus deaf people are
able closely to follow the preacher. • •
THE SHEKEL OR JEWISH STATER. Several
specimens of the ancient coins of Judea, said to be of
indubitable authenticity, were sold in a collection
known as the Chieri collection, in London last week, by
Messrs. Sotheby, Wilkinson, and Hodge. No. 58 was
described as struck at Jerralem in the year two-144
—l4O years before the Christian Era. It was of.silver,
rudely stamped with Samaritan characters, and on the
reverse a pomegranate twig, with three buds, supposed
to represent Aaron's rod. Its weight was 212 grains
troy. This curious coin sold for £lO. Others, called
Maccabean shekels, of which there were seven, sold at
prices from £3 to £8 each. Five half-shekels, of
which one was pronounced a superlatively fine oin,
brought from £3 to £8 Bs. each, the fine one selling
for 214.
REALISTIC IMPERSONATION !—‘,‘ I say, girls,'
said a little blue-eyed flaxen haired Yankee boy, "let
me take your candy and we'll all play chicken." "Is
it nice? , ' inquired half-a-dozen six-year-olds in chorus.
" Nice ! You bet it is. Let me show you. I'll lay
the candy dowu here on the step, arid you all go down
there, and come up when you hear me call like a
rooster." The girls retreated and gathered in a group
about fifteen feet off, while the boy got on his knees,
with his head over the candy and began to call and
strut and flap his arms like a rooster's wings. "Cluck,
cluck, rat, rat, rap, cluck ! " and all the little girls
came running up, and bent to pick up the candy, when
the little fellow opened his mouth and took it in at
one gulp. "Oh, you mean boy," they cried, "you
have taken all our candy !" " That's 'cause I played
rooster," said the boy, rooster always calls the hens
when he finds a grain of corn, and then picks it up
himself."
STATISTICS OF ACTS OF PARLIAMENT. —The re-
sult of the late Session, which commenced on the sth
of February, and ended on the 13th inst., was the pro-
duction of 96 public, 215 local, and seven private Acts.
In the preceding Session there were, singularly enough,
the same number of public statutes and 200 local and
nine private Acts. In 1873 there were 91 public, 253
local, and two private Acts; while in 1872 there were
98 public, 200 local, and seven private Acts, and in the
previous year 117 public, 206 local, and nine private
Acts. In the last five years 498 public Acts have been
passed.

A STRANGE BEQUEST. —Under the will of
the late James McQuestion, of Plymouth, N.H. the
American Home Missionary Society becomes pos-
sessed of a strange bequest. The residuary estate of
the deceased is left to the society, with a proviso that
it shall be kept until it amounts to 150,000 dols., when
100,000 dols, is to be invested in a business block in
Boston, the remaining 50,000 do's. to be kept until it
reaches 150,000 dols., when 100,000 dols. is to be similarly
invested and so on indefinitely, the society mean-
while enjoying the rents of the buildings so purchased.
RATHER AWKWARD. —Bashftel YOUng Man
(who has scarcely spoken for two hours, to Child). What
a Little Chatterbox you are !—Child (forward). Am
I ?—I sud be Sorry if I didn't find More to Say 'an
you 1 —Judy.
A ROYAL REMEDY FOR SEA-SICKNESS.—IVO
fear that we cannot inspire such sailors with much
confidence, even by giving them the benefit of the
remedies prescribed by Sir Theodore Mayern, the great
doctor of the day, when the Princess Royal was going
to cross to Belgium in 1642 (remarks the Sanitary
Record,) Cinnamon, coriander, anise, ambergris, musk,
and sugar were to be made into long tubes, which she
was to munch from time to time. She was to drink a
warm posset, should there be an access of vomiting. A
plaster made of balsam of Peru; of gum mastich, and
of laudanum was to be applied to the pit of the
stomach. She was also' to smell the comforting va-
pours which arose from the following compound • well
toasted bread, orange and citron peel, rose leaves, dowers
of lavender, and cloves, to be hashed Up together. On
this Canary wine, elder flower vinegar, and cinnamon
water were to be poured; portions to be successively
applied to the nostrils. When she arrived on the
other side she was to have an aromatic plaster applied
to the stomach, and, what was more to the purpose,
she was to have her stomach strengthened with burnt
claret, having in it a sprig of rosemary, some cinna-
mon, and sugar, or with a candle of ale or small beer
made with Canary wine eggs, sugar, and cinnamon!
Such were the ways of comforting that distressed
organ.
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A NEW SEOT.—A new variety of the Men-
nonite, or continental Quaker sect, is gaining ground
in Hungary to an extent that threatens considerable
embarassment to the Administration. These so-called
Nazarenes not only disown all clerical organization and
refuse to take any oath or enter any military service,
but they dispute the lawfulness of taxes that go to sup-
port State Church or army. All assessments made on
them are therefore levied under protest. They are said
to be an offshoot of Calvinism, but have of late been
largely recruited from among the working Catholic
population,. so that their numbers, estimated a few
years since at 6,000 only, are now officially stated at.
30,000, and said to be really much larger.
HARD OF HEARING.—PoIite Stranger (in a
hurry, thinking he had grazed an Old Gentleman's ankle.)
"Beg Pardon !" —04 d "'Eh? ' Polite
Stranger (louder). "I beg your Pardon ? "—Old Gentle-
man (unconscious of any hurt). " Why ?" Polite
Stranger. "I'm afraid I kicked you—"--Old Gentle-
man. "Eh ?" Polite Stranger (shouting). "I kicked
you."— Old Gent(eman (suilvised). "Wha' for?"
Polite Stranger. "It was quite by Accident."—Old
Gentleman (not catching it). "Eh ?—'Beg your Pard.
—" i• Polite Stranger (roaring in his ear). "Acci-
dent I "—Old Gentleman (starting). "Bless my Soul!
You don't say so! Where? Where? I hope no-
body's killed--" Polite Stranger rushes off, and losef
his train I—PIINcH.
EXPERIMENT IN BURGLARY.—According to
the Pall Mall Gazette, an interesting experiment
burglary was tried the other day at Winthrop,
in the United Statez—namely., the blowing up
safes of the National Bank and the Savliaga B
nitro-glycerine. The tigal was so far successful that
all the windOws of the banks were blown out and a
vast amount of property destroyed; but, as regards
employment of this explosive agent for burglarious
purposes, the. general opinion appears to be that it is
almost too destructive to be available on ordinary occa-
sions, when,the plunder requires to be removed with- •
out any disturbance. The explosions, in the first place,
were terrific. There were three of them; and the
robbers thought it advisable to depart ten minutes
after the last explosion—so hurriedly, in fact, that
they did not even take their tools away with them.
The contents of the pain safe of the National Bank
were, moreover, no badly injured that much property
had to be left behind as worthless. The amount+ of de-
posits in the Savings Bank was about 100,000 dole.
and the main safe of this institution was thoroughly
rifled, so that the experiment had its redeeming point,
and will 'no doubt be repeated when arrangements
have been perfected for conducting it in accordance•
with principles based on the experience] of this first
attempt. , „
PHYSIOciNOMY OF THE EYES.—The following
is an extract from an able article in the Pictorial World
on the "Physiognomy of the Eyes" by J. Sill9m4
"0; all the organs of the human body, the eye appears to
be the most•ilearly related to the soul ; the most subtle, and,
unlike flesh itnd blood, the most apt means of communication
with the outer world, both in conveying to the inlnd • intelli- •
gence of what is passing without, and imparting to the world
without revelations of what is going on within. When the
mind is elated and happy, the eye beams with joy; if care
and sorrow weigh it down, the eye betrays the grief even to
the most unintelligent observer. 'I he hard-working heart
and stomach know no respite from their labours, but when
the wearied mind forgets itself in sleep, the eye, as its close
companion, finds opportunity for rep,se. When the direst
of human calamities takes place, and reason is unseated, the
vacant purposeless eye indicates the melancholy fact. The
daily and hourly passing changes of expression are instinc-
tively understood by all: but we invite attention to some of
the more permanent varieties in colour, form position, move-
ments, surroundings indicative of corresponding powers and
inclinations of the soul within."

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