The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1881-10-22 00:00:00

alisdiantrats Yntelligena.
HOME, FOREIGN, AND COLONIAL.

A FEW THOUGHTS ABOUT WOMEN—BY A JILTED
MAN.—Women are sadly ruled by the law of com-
pensation. Those who are good are never pretty;
those who are pretty are never good.—To a man,
truth is what he knows ; to a woman, truth is what
she believes.—The only perfect woman a man ever
knows is his mother.—All intimate friendships among
women have the same basis, and always exist between
those who resemble each other in figure—they can
borrow each other's dresses.—Women invariably fear
de..th—and I don't wonder.—Detroit Free Press.
POETRY EXERCISES IN SCHOOLS. Mr. Matthew
Arnold, in his report on schools in Westminster, bears
testimony to the popularity, as well as to the special
value, of poetry exercises, provided they are wisely
chosen. He notes with satisfaction the general disap-
pearance from the class selections of Goldsmith's
Deserted Village," which had came into fashion
owing to a recommendation of the late Lord Lynd-
hurst. Some of the short pieces of Mrs. Hemans are
recommended by him, on the principle that the poetry
chosen should have "real beauties of expression and
feeling such as children's hearts and minds can lay
hold of." Mr. Arnold cautions teachers against pass-
ing over words not in common use, and cites an in-
stance of the word " steed " not being understood by
children in London schools of twelve years of age, In
another school only one in a head class of thirty
scholars was found to know what a "ford " is.
TESTING A WITNESS.—A New York lawyer had
seen the story of the witness who was confident of his
accurate notion of time and was requested to give his
idea of two minutes. 4 watch was held, and at the
end of twenty seconds he declared that two minutes
had elapsed. The New York lawyer resolved to try
the experiment on a sailor in the hospital, whose
deposition he was taking in regard to a collision,
and the time which had elapsed after the vessel
left the wharf. The sailor answered "about
ten minutes." " Man," said the lawyer, " how
long do you think ten minutes to be? ' , "About
ten minutes." Out came the lawyer's watch,
as he said "I'll tell you when to begin and you tell
me when the ten minutes are up." "Aye, aye, sir,"
said the sailor, as sailors always do—in stories and
plays. The lawyer stood with his back to a mantel on
which a little clock was facing the sailor. After three
minutes the lawyer exclaimed, "See here, are you
going to keep up here all day ? " No answer. The
hand of the clock was on the exact notch of ten
minutes as the sailor said carelessly, "Guess the time
mus' be about up." "Well," said the lawyer, "of all
men, dying or alive, that I ever saw, you can measure
time the best."

THE TIMBER DEPLETION IN AMERICA.—Some very
startling facts were recently brought to light at a
meeting of the Lumbermen's Exchanget Chicago,
when it was confidently stated that "owing to the
only
yrmtwouens
twenty
yryoweat o
years
tof tehxehalosumt btehr
business
opioefo t will
riestso take
fthe
United States, and that if the present rate of deple-
tion continue, in the course of five years all of the
black walnut timber large enough for logs will be
used up, and that the enormous consumption of oak
timbers for railway ties, cooperage, and other pur-
poses will, in less than forty years, leave not
one of these noble trees standing." It is wisely
proposed that every man, woman, and child should
plant one or more tree, and without going into
statistical figures, it will at once be seen that the
breaches will be filled in due time. The question
then arises, " What is the best variety of timber to
plant ? " One of the most desirable is the Catalpa
s eciosa, which is indigenous to Ohio, Indiana,
Illinois, Missouri, lowa, and Wisconsin, and grows
to as large a size as our oaks and walnuts. The timber
of this tree will last from 50 to 100 years without
rotting, and is much used for gate-posts, stockades,
&c. Its growth is more rapid thaii soft maple. A
catalpa tree planted in Illinois 40 years ago is now
3ft. in diameter and 50 in height. The catalpa is a
blossoming tree ; its flowers are very fragrant. The
foliage is as large as the sunflower, and, like that
plant, has a tendency to draw the impurities from the
atmosphere. The timber is imperishable under
water, and is therefore valuable for many purposes.—
Land and Water.

AGRICULTURAL EDUCATION.—Meetings have recently
been held by the Bedal3, Northallerton, and Sunder-
land Chambers of Agriculture with a view to the estab-
lishment of classes during the coming winter for teaching
young farmers and others the science of their business.
There is a growing opinion among the leading agricul-
turists of the north that these proposed classes are
greatly needed. The want of qualified teachers is,
however, often a great difficulty in rural districts ; but
as elementary teachers are encouraged to take up the
qualification this difficulty will gradually disappear.
In several places Mr. Buckmaster's visits have led to
the appointment of local committees for carrying out
the details required by the Science and Art Depart-
ment.

THE POPULATION OF SIBERIA.—From the Journal
de St. Petersbourq we learn that the population of
Siberia, including the nomadic tribes and the colonists
(if they can be called so under the compulsory rt,ginze),
is 1,385,000, divided among the provinces as follows :
Tobolsk, 463,000 ; Tomsk, 324,000 ; Irkoutsk, 165,000;
Yenissei, 164,000 ; Transbaikal territory, 141,000;
Amoor, 3,000 ; Maritime Provinces, 13,000 ;
Yalcoutsk, 112,000. The Siberian territory has an
area of 10,709,000 square versts.
AN ELECTRIC VOTING APPARATUS. - Amongst other
exhibits which attract attention at the National Exhi-
bition at Milan there is a rather ingenious invention
appa-
ratus on the fol'owing system. In front of each
i
member of Parliament a metal slab
aof
waonrdltoafliamnendteiopnu.ty,ltMis
annonecleelelit,riwch:,ochtindgesaeprpveas.
s placed with
his name inscribed won it, and which is fur.
niehed with three metal knots, bearing the
words, " Ord," " Non," " Abstention," respectively,
the "nons," and the " absten-
tions,"nnected
reproduces,with i n at printinghcreenetis-aelpara separate
c columns,
uamp pna-
ovenianesgui rnteht
the House.
pHseea.aoruts:e .a legibly
The
certain
advantagen s carmibo e
amount
and
accordingrtThahte:::37buhiiissc'h'c'o to the knob touched by the mem-
bers. A fourth column denotes the absent members.
When the time comes to count the votes, the total fur
the invention, which, in M. Roncelli's opinion, not
unimportant, is that the members of an Assembly can
vanivotesdibalge withoutationsetvearl leaving t of
trouble being thus spared them, and a certain amount
of time saved,

SENSATION HEADINGS.—EngIish journalists gene-
rally announced the decease of the President of the
United States with the commonplace headline,
"Death of General Garfield." The resources of
the American journalist are boundless, and the sad
avent was announoed in headlines three-quarters of a
column in length. Here are a few specimens
"Dawn and darkness at Elberon to-day," "Mrs.
Garfield in agony," "Completely overcome," " Fears
that she will never recover," The whole nation
sorrow-stricken," "The brave man's struggle over
after eighty days' suffering," "His last words, ' " Oh,
what a pain, oh! oh !" " Then he fell into a stupor, and
quietly passed away," "No spasms, no convulsions,"
"Gloom throughout the country," "God rest the dead
and aid the living," "Sad scenes at Elberon," "A rigour
at ten o'clock, succeeded by a painless dissolution,"
"His last words on earth—'l feel great pain here,'
and Garfield's great heart ceased to throb," " After
eighty days of pain and prostration," Death comes
at last unexpectedly," "His spirit leaves its mortal
frame," "After a long and heroic struggle " " At 10.35
o'clock last night—' God reigns, and the Government
at Washington still lives."

GOLD AND SILVER PLATE.—In the year ended the
31st of March last the stamp duty on gold and silver
was £71,198 17s.
A NOBLE EMIGRATION AGENT !—The St. James's
Gazettc reriiarlos :—" The Marquis of Lorne is about
to leave Canada for a -brief visit to England. To
him and to his countrymen it will no doubt be a visit of
pleasure ; but to the Dominion which he leaves for a
little it may prove a visit of real profit. The accounts
of the English tenant farmers who went out to report
on Canada as a field for emigration have done much to
popularize it. But the recent visit of the Governor-
General to Manitoba and the North-West has done
more to make Englishmen acquainted with the wcrider-
ful fertility of the soil than the inquiries of a com-
mission of mere experts could possibly do. The
Marquis of Lorne is an author as well as a traveller ;
and as he must perforce be a speech maker, he will
certainly be the emigration agent the Dominion has
ever sent to this country."
DRINKING IN Russu.—A congress of experts has
assembled in St. Petersburg to inquire into the evilt
caused by excessive drinking in Russia. By im over-
whelming majority they have advised a dimmttion in
the number of publio-houses, while they also passed a
resolution in favour of vesting in the communal autho-
rities the right of opening liquor shops under regula-
tions to be determined by a sub-committee ap-
pointed for this purpose.

HE KNEW His Busmirss.—A Boston paper narrates
the following :--" Can I see the lady of the house ? "
inquired the pedlar. "Well, yes, you can if you ain't
blind! " snapped the woman who had answered the
bell. "Oh, beg pardon, madam; you are the lady
of the house, then ? " "Yes I am! What d'yer
take me for? Did you think I was the gentleman of
the house or the next-door neighbour, or one of the
farm hands, or the cat, or the ioe-chist? " "I didn't
know, madam, but you might be the youngest
daughter." "Oh, did yer ? Well, that was nat'ral,
too," replied the lady of the house. "'What d'ye
want, sir?" Then the pedlar displayed his wares,
and when he left that doorstep half an hour later,
his face was full of pleasure and his pockets were full
of money. He understood human nature and had made
a good sale.

NEWSPAPERS IN ITALY.—Italy at the commence-
ment of the present year possessed 1,454 newspapers
and periodicals, of which 149 were dailies. Milan
headed the list with 216 journals; then come Rolle
with 147; Naples, 114 ; Florence, 101; Turin, 87;
Palermo, 59; Genoa, 56; Bologna, 61; Alessandria,
39 ; and Venice, 32. Of the daily papers 18 appear
at Rome, 16 at Naples, 13 at Palermo, 12 at Milan,
9 at Florence, 6 at Turin, and sat Venice. On an
average there is one journal to 19,281 of the popula-
tion, and 8,000 readers to each journal. The oldest
Italian journal dates from 1797. In 1836 there were
only 185 periodicals in Italy, of which 110 were pub.
lished in Rome.
A NICE DISTIECTION.—Young Lady. "So you're
better again, Mr. Grubbles ? "—Grubbles. "Well no,
miss! No! I can't say as I'm a bit better. Not a
bit. I ain't maybe not quite so had as I was, though.
That's all I can say for it !"—Fun.
A MAN HAVING HIS JAW TORN OFF. Near
Smyrna., on the Western and Atlantic Railroad, there
occurred a horrible accident the other morning (says
squad
wao
Betweensf h
onen dso
sf
ewtv eherenes
these
nnt
dog a
ewhom
tr eopt,
lha ieor
ci nakeg
ctithdheeena
tte
er track ,p
an American paper). Just at this side of the station
peaannd
edit.
modation train known as the " gober " came along,
and as it neared the place where the hands were
working they ceased their labours and stepped
off the tracks in order to allow the train
to pass. Among the force was a white
man who had been handling a crowbar.
When he stepped off he carried the bar in
his hand. After reaching the side of the track
he turned around, and, placing one end of the
bar on the ground, rested upon it looking at the
approaching train. In taking this position the man
placed the end of the bar so near the track that the
engine in passing struck it, driving it against the
man's chin with such force that the entire lower jaw
was torn away, leaving his tongue and the upper part
of his mouth exposed fully to view. The train was
stopped, and the injured man was put aboard and
carried to his home at Vinings, where he was at last
accounts suffering terribly.
ALLEGED DISCOVERY OF AN ISLAND. Captain
Meyer, of the German scliooner Phcenix, at Callao,
reports that he has discovered a new island in latitude
748 deg. south, and longitude 8348 west, about 100
miles west of Punta Aguja, the nearest land. It is
said to be of volcanic origin, about 50 feet high at its
greatest elevation, and is one square mile in extent.
The British ship Kingfisher and the United States
steamer Alaska have gone to verify the discovery.

THE CHANNEL TUNNEL. Apropos of the recent
visii; of M. Lon Say and M. Raou Muval to Calais,
the Echo du Nord gives an account of the progress
being made with the Channel Tunnel. It is no longer
a question of preliminary experiments, says this au-
thority, for the work is being energetically and suc-
cessfully pushed forward, and a section will be ready
for inspection towards the end of next month or the
beginning of December. The boring has already been
effected to the extent of 1,800 mMres from the French
and 1,600 mUres from the English side. This makes
altogether rather more than one-tenth of the entire
distance to be pierced.—The Daily News, in noticing
the progress made with the Tunnel, says :—" Sup-
posing that it is decided to 'go on with the work, and
'that the needed twenty millions can be raised, there
seems little reason to doubt that the tunnel might be
completed in a few years. The original calculation
was that it would only require two years to pierce a i
way of seven or nine feet n diameter from one side of
the , Channel to the other, a machine being worked
from each side. Now that the experiment is proceed-
ing in good earnest there seems every reason to hope
that the task might be accomplished within something
less than that period from the present date. If so,
another four years would probably be required to com-
plete the entire work and render it fit for traffic."
AN INTERESTING DISCOVERY.—It is reported that a
magnificent " trouvaille " has turned up on the banks
of the Loire. A fisherman, while seeking bait, found
in a round hole, excavated in the clay of the shore, a
number of weapons and "bijoux.' Some of these
articles have, it is said, an exceptional value, being
like those discovered in Swiss lake dwellings. The
"find"' comprised axes, hammers, gouges, pendants,
bracelets, rings, parts of necklaces, bosses of shield,
heads of lances and javelins, and fragments of swords
and daggers. These articles seem to have belonged to
a weapon foundry.

A MINER Evn..—A colliery explosion.--Judy.
IT'S STEW BAD !—When a man asks his wife the
reason of her always giving him warmed-up dinners
on the second day of every week, it is simply trivial
to reply, "Because it's stews-day," and then expect
him to understand that she means Tuesday.—Pun.
THE LABOUR MARKET.—The home and foreign
markets in all the staple industries continue to im-
prove, and the balance of trade in our favour is slowly
but surely returning. In Septembers; 1880 we exported
£20,000,000 worth of manufactures, whilst the exports
for September 1881, amounted to nearly £21,000,000.
Business in the coal trade is very active, and prices are
going up. In South Yorkshire and Lancashire the
coal miners are well employed, and the question of
wages is being amicably discussed. The general aspect
of the iron trade is considered satisfactory and encourag-
ing, manufacturers refusing to sell unless at advanced
rates. Mills are in full work, and the operatives are
getting over their loss occasioned by the stoppage.
The chainmakers' strike in South Staffordshire is
ended, the workpeople having obtained an advance of
20 per cent. in their wages. borne large orders are on
hand, which will give full work during the winter.
Woollen manufacturers are obtaining better prices
for their goods. The hosiery and boot and shoe trades
are both active, and there is a noticeable improvement
in the textile and the hardware industries both at
Sheffield and Birmingham. London shop assistants
are holding meetings to obtain the shortening of their
hours of labour. It is believed that the only way to
ensure success will be by legislation, and they have
resolved to ask Earl Stanhope to insert a clause its his
bill limiting the hours of labour of females and chil-
dren in certain specified trades in London, and re-
stricting the labour of shop assistants to twelve hours
per day.
forTt
stout serrated teeth. The whole palate contarins abouol
21,000 teeth, while a full-grown has
slugha 0ve.20,000
a ribbon e
l'k
these silicious spikes. The
.whelk
Iwhich • bores
tongue, contained in a proboscis, with it
ohNtaourEasvaAgNeDm r I
gardensZZ Al tn. —eglulipepecdomwmitohnlssonaroilwaseotfa
holes in the shellsof the mollusks which forms its food,
The tongue has strong, saw-like teeth on the edges,
with rows of finer ones betweethe tongue lesembles a tessela d pavement, with a
tooth in the centre of each lozenge-shaped compart-
ment. But although the palatal system of the snails
tne. In some mollusk
s
forms a powerful and most efficient apparatus for
triturating their food, it more closely resembles the
gizzard of birds than the teeth of quadrupeds, and it la
in the class of fishes that we find the first examples of
true teeth, set in a bony socket and ranged at the open-
ing of the alimentary canal. At what time the fashion
of wearing teeth came in we have no means of ascer-
taining. If, however, the Darwinian theory be correct,
at some enormously remote period of time some luck-1
animal developed the new weapon by a series of fortis-
state variations, and its possession gave to him and
his posterity such a " pull ' over their competitors that
they were able to Bet the fashion, which has lasted to
the present day.-411 the Year Round.

PAPER MATERIALS.—MrR. C. B. Warner writes
from Armfield's Hotel, Finsbury, London, to The
Times :—" Will you permit me through the columns
of The Times to call attEntion to those most interested
to the fact that America proposes to furnish an en-
tirely new material (unknown to chemistry), found in
their son, in the shape of a fibrous stone, which when
ground makes the best imaginable substance for paper,
as also to mix with india-rubber? Of its use in the
manufacture of paper too much cannot be said. AT a
makeweight nothing has ever been known to equal it;
its particles adhere to the mass in the engine (in con-
sequence of its fibre), and do not rut! off in the drain-
ing or settle in the bottom uf the engine. The supply
iq inexhawitible, the ,cost very low, and the freight
entirely in the hands of nglish-shipasvners." .ftv