The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1875-09-04 00:00:00

AN ASSES' BRIDGE.—Mr. Matthew Arnold,
1 in his report on school work in 1874, has to describe
the grammar papers of candidates for admission at the
training schools as very disappointing (says Th.,: Tim").
The candidates are in general picked scholars from
our elementary schools, have been there till 18 or 19.
1 and have taught there as a-sistants, and the grammar
paper is eminently a test of mental activity and re.
source. The ignorance or the mistakes sometimes
showed originality, or were monstrous enough to be
amusing. Among specimens Mr. Arnold gives the
following :—" The candidates were asked to distin-
guish between adverbs and conjunctions, adverbs and
prepositions, adverbs and adjectives. One of them
answered,--` If a word is used to connect sentences, to
govern nouns and pronouns, to point out any queliti
or circumstance respecting the noun, it is clearly not
an adverb; there is, however, a rule which says that
if a word is not wanted in a sentence for any of the
above ways it shall be thrown into the common On!ro
Vihich is adverbs." Thrown into the common '
which is adverbs,' has really a kind of merit."
TERRIBLE RAILWAY DISASTER IN CHILI.--" 4
letter addressed to a merchant in Birmingham, .
Valparaiso, says :—" A sad accident has taken Place
on the Santiago and Valparaiso line of railway. The
10.30 train from here, on the night of the 7th jullt ,
went over the bridge this side of Limache. Only the
engine and tender escaped ;:all the rest went into the. •
Ester, .the bridge breaking- with the weight. The
train took fire, and, in the darkness and confusion al
the people who could not get out were burned,,
destruction being most complete; even the bridge 7:
itself took fire and was burned. There were fourteen
freight -and three passenger cars consumed, together
with a 'red' or luggage van. No foreigners were
either killed or injured." • From this it will be seen
that the loseof life, which, In all probability, musl
have been heavy in the extreme, was confined to natives.
—Globe. • .
THE PLAGUE OF RATS IN CEYLON.— The-4,41
'
Ceylon Times mays that amid the complaint i which gel
being presently made regarding the ravages of rats
the Central Province, we may mention a hint which'
Mr. Betham, of the Indian Forest Department, WI
thrown out for the protection of valuable plants, sue'
as Chincona. It was found in the Eitchunhallee plan.
tation in Dharwar, that rats did considerable damage
to the young Australian seedlings that have lately bee!
planted out there. However, lately, the foresters WO'
succeeded in keeping them off from every one of the
plants by simply putting round the foot of each sonits -
five or six pods of the cowhage (Mucuna prurionTh
The cowhage is a pod covered with stiff bristles, and
should any of these touch the hand or skin they usage
the place touched to itch violently. It is generalll
known to Europeans in India by the name of "covr
itch," which is most probably a corruption of its proper
name.
THE DISASTROUS BALLOON MUM/Mir. —The
body of the reporter Grimwood, who ascended the bet:
loon with Donaldson from Chicago in July, was follll°
on 'the 17th init. on the beach of Lake Michigan.,
twelve miles north-of Montag% It was fully identr
fled by the clothing, watch, letter book, and other
papers of the unfortunate reporter. In his note bcgA
were the introductory paragraphs giving an account ot
the ascent. They are of a facetious nature, and refer
to his presentiment that he should rise in the wo1ld!.
and, while complimenting his companion, the aeronsn
Donaldson' Grimwood regretted that there were 130° ,
more than two, as he would like to belong to the UPPer
Ten. The notes, after describing an hour in the airs '4
conclude with the words :—" If we fall, we fall like n
Lucifer out of the heavens, and that upon our arril.
upon earth, or rather upon water—as we are now
the middle of Lake Michigan—we would be literalll
dead." The body was found by a mail carrier. It vie:
badly decomposed, the hair and a portion of the
being gone. It was buried in a cemetery near 141'
plaoe where it was discovered.
THE LEGON OF HONOUR IN FRANCE.—The
following' vial give an idea of the abundance of deu°'
rations and decorated parsons in France. The Order
of the Legion of lienotu. numbers 94,965 meraberlo
who receive epoluments, and about as many who SII
not salaried. , Of the paid-members, 40 are decorate°
with the Grand Cross, and receive an aggregate pensio°
of 120,000 f. per year; 196 are grand officers, thl
total payment amounting to 392,000 f. There are
' commanders, receiving altogether 1,003,000 f.;. ,I *l-''
officers, who are inscribed in the Budget for 14,0Uut,'
4,932 officer; who are annually paid the aggregate au'
tff 2,466,000 f/ ;, 213 chevaliers, or knights, who colleo;,et
• tively receive 74,5501.; 31,04 knights, whose tot'''. _
pension amothiteto.7,7s2,9oof. ; and 57,559 Other wok '1
bers who wear the, medal of the order and receive
5,755,9001. per year. The annual expetidfttite of the A
State for the "red ribbon" is therefore 17,577,4501. ;
'rho
THE TREATMENT OP HYDROPHOBIA.
French Journal des Connaissances Medicates relates
that a man 43 years of age having been bitten bY s ,
mad clog, Was cauterised with a red-hot iron four *
hours later. I A month passed without any distressing
symptoms, Mit at the end of that time he beFen t°
complain of epigastric and pharyngian constrictiont
and was very much cast down. Recourse was bad t°
chloral at a dose of three or four grammes, which sue"
ceedecl twice in affording a good night's rest; but tbe
third time it remained without effect; the patient
perienced great anguish, his voice was hoarse, be lisl
tetanic contractions in the arms, neck, and breast, 9•13'
expressed great fear, aecompanied with hallucination
In the morning he was utterly discouraged. T _Oll6l ,
then administered four grammes of bronide of Pul4w. )
slum, which gave a quiet night, with great improve:
ment on the following day. Another dose of fi" in
grammes was given with equal success; all convulsive
notions had disappeared. The medicine being sq.:
pressed, they began again a week later, when bromic,' ‘•-i'l
was again administered to the amount of six gramraess -
which completed the cure.

A LE FOR NON-PUNCTUALITY.—We aeldoin
meet an American in Paris who is not full of eeer
plaints about the want of punctuality among trades'
men, for it is a rare exception to find one who keer/
his promise to the letter (says the Hour). Those vls°
have reason for complaint in the future can try Prin9,e,
Bismarck's plan, and if that does not succeed we wu.'
try and look up m
another. The Chancellor's shoeaker_
in Berlin was notorious for breaking his promises. op!
morning he was aroused at daybreak by a servant, vvr
asked if Herr von Bismarck's boots were ready. ,Y 1
receiving a negative reply the servant went away
in ten minutes another came to put the qucstion3
"Are Herr von Bismarck's boots ready yet? ' "N 0 I
thundered the shoemaker from his bed. Just ten
minutes later the bell rang again, and another voie?,
cried, "Are Herr von Bismarck's boots ready yet
'I he same thing was kept up all day long, and wou 4!
have gone on throughout the night if the boots had no!
been finished during the evening. Since that tiino
Bismarck has never had to wait for his boots an bone
beyond the promised time. •
SAFETY WHILE BATHING.—Mr. W. H. Morrie,
Cli4denhouie, near Brentford, writes to The Times :-- ''
The lamentable bathing accident at Rhyl will, I doubt
not, induce ;both schoolmasters and parents to make
more adequate provision for the safety of their b9l.
while bathing. Permit me, therefore, to call attention
to the seaman's belt, invented by Captain Ward, &IC',
and sanctioned by the National Lifeboat Institutiora. .
I have had this belt in use for ten years, and being LIC- di
customed almost daily during the bathing season t 2 i.
take from 30 to 40 boys of all ages into deep water,
can testify to its value and efficiency. 'lt is
from the objections commonly urged against swirataieg is
belts, since it cannot slip from its place, is veryclurable,
and costs only ss. I find, moreover, that
(especially the timid) learn to swim more rapidly
the belt than without it. The only precaution re- 4
quired is to see that the belts are properly adjusted be-
fore allowing the boys to enter the water. By thia, /
simple means, bathing, now the dread of many school-
masters, may be rendered both safe and enjoyable."
TERRIBLE SUFFERING FROM COLD.—A Neg. * ,
Hampshire paper has this account of terrible suffer-
ing :—" Five years ago last winter George Malehani•
a lad of a "dozen years, living in the north part a_.
' Wolfboro', went to Water Village one evening to skate
with some boys of that village. He got into the water
and then walked home—a distance of nearly two
miles—his clothes freezing on him. His folks were
abed on his arrival home, and he slipped off his Wet
clothes, and in this wet and chilled condition went to
bed. At first he did not feel the effects of it, but after
wehort time he experienced a slight lameness, and after
a while hisjoints began to dislocate, and continued
until nearly every joint in his body was dislocated'
his shoulder joints, elbows, wrist, and finger joints. -
while the lower limbs were all unjointed even to hie
toe joints. We saw him a year ago; then we could,
clasp our hand around his leg above the knee, while
the knee joints were enormous in size. To add to hie .
other sufferings, several large sores broke out upon Lie ' •
body a short time before his death. He was confined. '
to his bed for nearly three years previous to death,
whi..l occurred July 25."
INTERESTING DISCOVERY.—In making the or'.
cavations for the foundation of some new buildings in
the Vertilam-road, St. Alban's, the workmen engaged
.have jultt dug up 6 =timber of ancient urns, whioh have
attracted considerable interest in the iseighbbilibOod.
n penetrAtftig About two feet below the stirfaee. en ,
first of th4se vessels 'Cr urns *was disoovered, and is ~ )
quick auccbasion several others were. afterwards turned,
,up. They were found to be 'very rZAten, and on corn-
ing in contact with the air several fell to pieces. Two
, Lave, how+ever, with care, been tolerably well Pr•
envied. The best specimen'is an urn made of common
clay, 7iiniin height, and Biii. in diameter.- There his
no ornani a tation except at the mouth.? 'which has ate
everte(d•li with two shallow 'grooves. The 'Contents '
of the urn were "fragments of boric and one' Milian . .- .
patella of 'heiright knee. Another of 'the' urns, whio4oos
is made.of a light-colottritd, ' clay, wits found to contaloV
fraglients of a human. Ikull;' so far as could be asoes3;,.'
tamed, together with fragments of gray glass sea 0 - -
small iron nail. Each of the urns was about half filled : gt.l
with.-bols iithalipper part of their contents being ,de
mould: he almost • entire absence of ornamentation.
renders it somewhat difficult to say whether these
,1
m
5
funeral s are British or Saxon, although the balance A,
is in favour of their being British, in which-
case the claw of their, construction must be before ,i.
~..%44$ I : ./_.:• •
. -P4'
MIMES 'FOR ritra NEW FRENCH POSTAGE
1113T4MP.-Ilitiebli3tietiticiii of 'designs for a new postage
stamp. has been brought to an end. Three hundred
and sixty-six drawings have been received, asci one
"description" from the prison of Sainte Magi&
The artist had no pencils, so he expressed his idea iri
four pages of writing. A great number of jokers take
the opportunity to show their wit. One, an artist Of
'evident skill, forward a charming sketch of Punch;
another of M. Thiers, full length, spectacles and all,
attired as a Roman Emperor. This drawing also
attracts great admiration- A represents a postman,
In blue blouse and red facings, handing a letter to the
housemaid at a cottage. All the old Republican em-
blems are brushed up and offered again. Several
suggest a Ounrise behind mountains, afrer the fashion,
of American Republics. The word Septennate, le
various cOmbinations, is offered. The first prize or
1,500 f. was awarded to a design representing Peace
and Commerce, with the outlines of a map of tke
world between the figures, bearing the value of the
stamp: :The second prize of 500 f. falls to a cornucopis
resting on an escutcheon, which bears the postal vele'? ;
and the third prize to a figure of France with a torch LI!
her hand. A mercury mounted on Pegasus ban
tamed honourable mention.

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