The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1875-12-11 00:00:00

Misteitancous 7iir'cll;ilaytt

HOME, FOREIGN, AND COLONIAL.

A " RUSH " FOR A BOWL—The following
story, related by the London correspondent of the
Australasian, may be given here, as being of interest
to Scotland as much as to England (says the Pictorial
World, in "Notes from the North ") :—Some time ago
a volume entitled " Conversion " was written by the
Rev. A. Saphir. It did pot " moNe," and the pub-
lishers could do nothing with it. Mr. Spurgeon com-
mended it highly in the Sword and Trowel, but without
any sensible effect on its sale. The author sent a
copy of this. book to Mr. Moody, who spoke pub-
licly of it in one of his sermons as the most spirit-
stirring and heart-searching productions within his
knowledge. The result of his recommendation has
been such a " rush " upon the book that the pub-
lishers cannot get it printed fast enough to supply
the demand, and their premises are besieged by book-
sellers' messengers and throngs of female candidates
for the volume which has been rendered famous by
the imprimatur of the great American revivalist.

BURNT AT SEA.—The ship Favorita which
arrived at Boston, Massachusetts' from Manila, on
the 20th of November, reported as follows :—" Oct. 1,
lat. 17.50 S., long. 71 10 W., saw a large vessel on fire;
ran down to her, but she sank in about five minutes
after we reached her; cruised around the spot for two
hours, but could not discover any trace of the cEewnr
learn anything to establish the ship's identity."
A CLEAN SWEEP.—Mrs. Gamp concludes that
the Government has solved the great Drainage diffi-
culty, now it has invested so largely in the Sewidges
CanaL—Punch.
A FAMILY REGISTER,—There is a family is
Bolton that have a Bible containing all their names,k
entered by their father and grancliatherovhccrseti
dispense with dates to the following plan :—"Ea
Jem wur born th' great war. (1773.) Eawr Meat
wur born in when th' great frost. (1776) Eawr Bi
war born when th' ostler wur kilt i' th' delph. (1777.
Eawr Sally wur born when Gorsey Madow wur mown
, (1778.) Eawr Peggy wur born th' great wind, (Nov.
1780.) Eawr John wur born when Holland wur hun-
(1789.) Eawr Robert writ. born 'when-
' niv mother i' th' Hedges-lones. (1790.
wur born when Longworth wur
penny pieces wur made. MK)"
, THE RAGE FOR Auroon.APHs.--When Charles
Illckens went to America the drain on Ma far Ml*
graphs was quite unprecedented (says the Pit
'World). A living dignitary of the Church r
iü his bachelor days that the ladies of his congregation
must have thought that he was a centipede, so assiduous;
were they in supplying bias with slippers. If Charles
Dickens had changed hands with Briareus he could
!scarcely have satisfied the Trtmsatlantic claims upon
his handwriting. The author is put in an unpletrant
predicament. He does not like to grant. He does not
like to refuse. If every applicant is satisfied, the great-
man's paper is flying on all the wings of the winds, and
he gets a credit for vanity which, perhaps, he does not
deserve. But if he refuses he is surly or morose.
he has the satisfaction of knowing, however, that his
autograph goes up in the market. There is an author
now living who resists all importunities, declines eveif
invitation, and evades every ruse to obtain a bit of his
manuscript. A bookseller in London had an old school
atlas of his son's years ago. It belonged to the big
man when he was but a little boy, and was enriched
more puerorum, with his opinions of his schoolfellows,
praiseworthy rather for the_extreme candour of their
statements than either for the grace of utterance or
the charity of criticism. The bopk, at a book, was
worth perhaps a crown, but it sold for a very large
sum on account of the schoolboy scribbling.