The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1881-04-16 00:00:00

SATURDAY, APRIL 16, 1881.

How SHE GOT HER SITUAtIOI4,—JOhn Sherman
was sitting in his office one btht morning last
spring when suddenly a brfght haired, pretty girl
ddsh'eol into his presence. She was appFently six-
teen, a7h.'d had about her an an? of business winch
even the told gaze of the Ohio
tatesman could
not transform into Maiden fright or .41urrY• Deli-
berately taking a se,t4 the girl said : "Mr.
I have come to get A pl*ee, "There '."Sherman,
,Ire none
vacant," was the reply. " kriuw you can give
me a place if you wL,nt to, and I think I am
much entitled to it as anybody. My faCher spent hu:
life in the United States army, and when he died he
left nothing. The responsibility of the family is on
me, and I think I've got as good a claim as'any evic
else on the Government" " What kind of a place do
you wait?" "I don't care what it is, but I must have
work at once." Mr'. Sherman assured her that there
were ten applicants f6'i tiery one place, Ad there
was very little chance. She 4ery deliberately told
him that such an answer lvould not', ek, nlid declared !
that if he would allow her she would' 4_"in6 up
every day and black his shoes, if he coulcin.': do
bettt .for her. The secretary was struck with het
deterniior:tin and charmed by her bright face and
sprightly manner h tem her to come back. In less
than a week she had a e6.,!_ place in the Treasury,
which she still holds. Every Merin'ing she walks to
the department with the step of a f-;•th.7s..gess little !
woman who is proud that her delicate hands ,!^."Tri be
the support of others. She receives 100 dole. a month
and supports in comfort her mother and sister.
A PLAUSIBLE INDUCEMENT. Shoeblack : "'Ere
y'ar ! polish, ear! shine yer boots, ear? Do 'em while
yer wait, ear !"—Fun.
BEAR HUNTING IN RUSSIA.—Two Englishmen have
recently returned to St. Petersburg from one of the
most suceessful bear hunting expeditions ever under-
taken in I.tuSsia; The hunters ; Mr. Evelyn Hubbard
and a friend, were absent three weeks, during which
they travelled 1,506 itdsts in sledges; and 150 in snow
shoes, through dense tangled forests, over frozen
marsh and lake, the thermometer often standing
below zero. In the course of tWelve days actually
devoted to hunting they killed with spear and guarb.no
fewer than twenty-three bears of all sizes, to the great
satisfaction of the peasants, whose crops and lite
stock suffer heavily every year from the ravages f
these animals.

THE CUNNING OF THE RAVEN.—In the narrative
of the Arctic voyage of the Investigator is the fol-
lowing story of two ravens, The raven, it appears,
is the only bird that willingly braves a Polar winter;
and, in the depth of the season, he is seen to flit
through the cold and sunless atmosphere like an
evil spirit, his stilen croak alone brealling the
silence of the deathlike scene. No one of the crew
attempted to shoot the ravens, and they consequently
became very bold, as will be seen by the following
story : "Two ravens now established themselves
as friends of the family in Mercer Bay; living
mainly by what little scraps the men might have
thrown away after meal times. The ship's dogi
however, looked upon them as his especial pee
quisites' and exhibited considerable energy in main-
taining his rights against the ravens, who nevertheless
outwitted him in a way which amused every one.
Obserting that he appeared quite willing to make a
mouthful of ;their own sable persons, theyvised to
throw themselves intentionally in his way, just as the
mess-tins were being cleaned out on the dirt-heap out-
side the ship. The dog would imrne.diately run at
them, and they would just fly a few yards.; but by an
inch and so on, until they had tempted and protolted
him to the shore, a considerable distance off. Then
the ravens would make a direct flight for the ship,
and had generally done good execution before the
mortified-looking dog detected the imposition that
had been practised upon him, and rushed back
again."
TERM HINTS TO CONTRIBUTORS AT CHURCH.—We
are ftevently asked regarding the best manner of
dropping money into the contribution box at church,
and after carefully considering the subject we suggest
the following rules :—First, if you feel mean and have
only a penny to bestow, you must keep it well
i
covered in your hand, and when the box s under
your nose you must, with a quick, nervous motion, let
your mite fall so that it shall escape observation;
second, if you have c) quarter or any other silver coin
of a considerable size to give, you may hold it in plain
sight between your thumb and forefinger, and when
you deposit it you must let it drop from a compara-
tively lofty elevation, so that it may make a musical
jingle when it teaches Its destination •' thirdly, if you
contemplate offering a bill, you must not take the
money out of your vest pocket until the happy time
comes, when your neighbours can best me your
unparalleled generosity. The moment the collector
appears at the pew door is the one when you
must fumble for your money, and then having
methodically unfolded the bill and put on your
eye-glasses to ascertain its denomination, you
may slowly put it in the top of the box. These three
rules, we believe, will be sufficient for all ordinary
purposes N.B.—A button should always be placed
in a bliraik envelope. —Mark Twain.
THE MOMENTOUS QUESTION.—Dear little Wife:
Well, Charley is on board by this time, but—oh,
dear! look, mamma, if he hasn't left his life-preserver
behind.—Mamma: By the way, do you know, dearest
—did he pay his insurance yesterday ?—Judy.
" GOING-A-GOODING ! " On "Surrey Folk-lore"
and the term "Going a-Gooding," in particular, a cor-
respondent of Nnt,s and Queries writes :—Thirty years
ago it was the custom In parts of Chertsey and there-
abouts for labourers' wives and children to go a gooding
on St. Thomas's Day, the 21st of December. They
went round to the houses of the gentlefolk and the
farmers, and their professed object was to get the
materials for a Christmas pudding. "I remember it
as if it was yesterday," says a stout old dame to me.
"We used to go with our sacks and our bags- and
mother, she always worked on the farm at hoeing and
couching or anything, and she did have a train of us
children after her Some folks 'ud say, 'Well, and
what do you want?' when we knocked at the door,
pretending as they didn't know; and then we made
our curtseys, and says, 'Please to remember the
Gooders, ma'am!' And some 'ud give money, and
some flour, or currants and raisins, and shovel 'ern into
our bags; there was farmer Johnson, as mother worked
for, he always ground• two sacks o' corn for the
Gooders ' • and he used to stand at his door with a
strike in his hand and give it out. 'Now, then, Nan,
hold up your bag ! ' he used to say to me, a-laughing.
Ah, farmers was different i' them days?"
SCIENCE AND ART DEPARTMENT.—A report has been
issued, as promised by Mr. Mundella last Session, on
the system of circulation of art objects on loan for ex-
hibition as carried on by the Science and Art Depart-
ment, South Kensington, from its establishment to
the present time. During last year 5,217 objects and
5,872 pictures in frames were sent out from the parent
museum to local exhibitions. Private owiiers have
been encouraged to follow the ememple of the South
Kensington Museum. It is believed that not fewer
than 170,000 loans of examples of fine and industrial
art have thus been made by private owners to the
various art exhibitions with which the Depaltment
has been connected since 1854. Detailed information
as to the loans of the Department is given in a number
of appendices to the report.
THE IMPORTANCE OF THE SEAL FISHERY.—OnIy two
kinds of oil can be used to dress jute, viz., seal and
whale oil; nothing else will do (says Land and
Water). Jute is a vegetable fibre which is used most
extensively for domestic purposes. From it are manu-
factured carpets, bags, and hardly any portion of
domestic f arniture can be mentioned without which
jute is not employed. Skins of the seals are also very
valuable for the manufacture of patent leather, and
especially for ladies' boots and shoes of the best
quality; so that, although the skins of " saddle-
backs " and " bladder-noses " are not so valuable as
those of the fur seal proper, they nevertheless form a
very important article of commerce. Seal oil io worth
£5O per tun, including the skins, a tun being 252
gallons. In an average year, forty-five ships would
take.s,ooo tuns of seal oil, according to Frank Buck-
land's estimate, and therefore this fishery alone, at or
about Jan Mayen Island, latitude 71deg. N., is worth
£250,000 per year to European nations, two-thirds of
it coming to Great Britain. The subject of seal pre-
servation is therefore of considerable moment.

To YOUNG MEN.—What an advantage it is for a
young man to be temperate and industrious ! We
once knew a youth who gave up drinking and smok-
ing, and worked like a nigger for seven years ; at the
end of that period he was worth ,125,000.—The for-
tune was left him by a distant relative he had never
seen in his life.—Fun.

REMEMBERING HIS WAGER !—ln Mr. Benson j
Lossing's Story of the United States Navy, for Boys,
just published, appears the following anecdote.
Before the wtti of 1812, Captains Hull, Ameri-
can, and Da*, British, were personal acquaint-
ances, their ships happening to be together
in the Delaware. The captains met at a party,
and had some conversation in regard to the
merits of their respective navies. Hull was lively
and good-humoured. When they spoke of what
would 4aappen if, in the event of war, they should
come in collision Hull said, "Take care of that
ship of yours if I ever catch her in the Constitu-
tion." —Dacres laughed, and offered a handsome
bet that if they ever did meet as antagonists, his friend
would find out hits mistake. Hull refused a money
wager, but ventured to stake on the issue—a hat.
Years after this, the conjectured encounter did occur ;
anti, when after a desperate fight, in which the English
frigate became a wreck upon the water, Captain Dacres
came on board the Constitution and offered hip- sword
to Hull, who was waiting to shake hands with him,
"No, no," said Hull, '• I will not take, a sword from
one who knows so well how to use it; but I will
trouble you for that hat."—" Editor's Drawer," in
Harper's New Monthly Magazine.

TELEGRAPH CLERKS.—The return moved for by Mr
Gray, M.P., of the number of telegraph clerks who
h'ave resigned since 1872, has beep produced. The
numbers were :—ln England—males 1,192, females
636; Scotland—males, 136, females 66 ; Ireland
males 159, females 54; total, 2,343 ; showing that
about one-third of the staff left for more remunerative
employment, or about one-half of those who had
proved themselves to be efficient in their service. The
return does not include deaths or dismi.sal-.
SORROWFUL EXPERIENCES.—The St. Petersb/rg
Correspondent of the Daily News writes :—I have
already informed your readers of the characteristic
fortitude with which the Duchess of Edinburgh bears
her great loss. While herself deeply grieved on her
arrival here, the Duchess did not allow her own sorrow
to prevent her from paying on the morning afterwards
a long visit of condolence to the Princess Urieffskvi.
In like manner the Duchess has interested herself in
other directions during her stay here, and on Saturday
paid a lengthened visit to the Roshdestvensky Hos-
pital for the Training of Nurses. The foundation-
stone of this institution was laid in 1871 by the late
Emperor accompanied by his daughter. It is now
in full and efficient working order. The .Duchess went
through every ward, \and was exceedingly pleased with
all the arrangements, particularly with the sisters, who
are being trained, with every advantage iri the way
of scientific teaching and practical experience, for the
work of nursing in time of peace or war. The depar-
ture of the Princess of Wales was a sore trial to her
sister. The Princess heaself wept, I have no right to
say unwonted tears but it may be hdped she has not
often such sorrowful experiences. The Empress felt
the separation most acutely, and sorely needs such
solace as only a mother or sister can administer.

AVERAGE PRICES OF BRITISH CORN.—The folio wing
I are the average prices of British corn for the 'week..
ending April 9, as received from the inspectors and
officers of Excise :—Wheat, 445. 4d. ; barley, 323.
oats, 225. Od. per imperial qr. Corresponding weolc.
last year :—Wheat, 48s. 2d.; barley, 335. 9d.; oatv,
235. sd.
A HARMLESS CONTEST.—A flour battle was foaght
with great vigour on the last day of the Carniva, in
the Mexican quarter of San Francisco, Spanishtowx.
The combatants were divided into two factions, eacht
headed by a reigning belle, respective Queens of the:
Red and Green flags, and clad in the national colours.
;
onsie party made a fort near the church, the other.
em 1.1%
riched themselves behind a mound of old boxes, ,
and te. air was soon thick with flour,_ the contest.
wcdnte:otly till one faction was driven down the hill
in 4,4,)xlind conditian, and at the foot lest their•
fla. g. qv, the fight. The victors crowned their
fair leade
4f4),,,,,n of the Carnival ball, and with their
antagonms r_,,nmtied in a whitened procession to the
hall, where they
need for the rest of the evening,
eta,
being still so coavo
,with flour that their features could
riot be recognised.
IV CHANGE GivEgi—
-So the motion in favour of
decimal dos weihts aziN O'
measures was ruled out by
large majority 'U as
, gntil Fax) lament can coincide as to
, .
its expediency, wshsll kave..to was for that measure.—
Funny Folks.
PROGRESS IN JAPAI,44..—Amon): the incidents of
f
modern progress in Japan is the c): eation o Minister
of A wbose position andgriculture and Commerce,
duties are defined after the model of t;re sir uilar office
in France. It has been felt for mile time.i past that
the agricultura/ department, whith, re4s heretofore
been dealt with by the Minister of the 'i'l& t, and the
commercial department, which was taken inc harge by
the Minister of Finance, had both become tratcfleit ,ntly im-
portant to form the charge of a special Nikeixtt •r. An
exhibition is to be opened shortly at Toisfo ,by the
di
Mikado, specially intended to bring forwar Iv^ tional
nent
Japanese industries. A society for the encourcvet
of Franco-Japanese literature has alSo been sex* ted,
and commenced its operations with sixty membeirs•
One of its first duties is to be the compiling oif -a
Franco-Japanese dictionary.
SUMMER MIGRANTS.—Dr. D. G. F. Macdon,allif
writes to the Standard, under date 9th inst., from.
Woodfcrd,, Essex :—" In spite of the cold winds, the;
bright sunshine has lured our summer migrants to,
their old haunts, for I was welcomed in Epping Forest
by the sweet notm of the cuckoo and the nightingale
this morning, whilsl swallows and martins fluttersd
over the pretty glades arsel russet slopes with all thA
wonted gracefulness."
LAWYERS AS UNIVERSITY OARSMEN.—The Com—
memoration Banquet will remlnsi4old Blues of the:
many University oarsmen who have obtained distinc-
tion in the legal profession (says the Solicitors"
Journal). The list is headed by Lord Justice Brett,
who rowed No. 7 in the winning Cambridge boat in.
1839; and among many other names which might be
mentioned are those of Mr. Justice Denman, who was;
a member of the Cambridge crews in 1841 and 1842;;
Mr. Chitty, Q.C., who rowed for Oxford in threecon--
tests, in two of which his University was successful;
Mr. M'Naughton Q.C., who was one of the Cam—
bridge crew in 1852; Mr. A. L. Smith, who rows&
twice for Cambridge, and Mr. Mansel Jones, who ie,
an old Cambridge stroke.

STATU Quo.—lt is stated that the statue of the.
late rnomas Carlyle, which Is to be erected on the
Thames Rnbankment not far from the venerable
seer's residencp, will represent the philosopher in a
sitting position. .Seriously, we suppose, he bas been
depicted sitting on pcount of there being so .many
things e couldn't "stand,"—Fun.

MONUMEN4. TO AERONATYIS. —The Academy sa3ra
that an imposing monument has recently been placed,
in the cemetery of Pe-la-Chaise to the memory of J.
Croc6-Spinelli and Sivel, the two unfortunate
aeronauts who fell victims to their scientific zeal when
accompanying M. Gaston Tissandier on one of hie:
scientific balloon expeditions in 18'75. The monument.
consists of a white marble sarcopiragus on a granite,
base, and, above, the recumbent figures of the,
aeronauts in bronze clasping one anotlher by the hand.
The inscription states that they died at the height of
8;000 mares, or under 26,000 feet. (It will be remem-
bered that Messrs. Glaisher and Coxwell, n 1862, in
the celebrated ascent when both lost consciousness,,
certainly attained an elevation of 29,000 feet, wind pro-
bably 37,000 feet, or about seven miles.) The ~nonum-
ent was inaugurated with a speech from M. Paul
Bert, who stated that the svbscription for the farrulles
of the deceased had realised a total of nearly £4,000.

AN UNPLEASANT TI3IE TO Loo c FORWARD TO !—A.
string of appalling predictions for the seven yeam,
1881-7, due to a Transatlantic professor, is detailed by
the Albany Sunday Press. Owing to the four great
planets—Jupiter, Saturn, Neptune, and Uranus—
having been in perihelion in 1880, he prophesies awful
disasters throughout the whole world, chief amongst
which are'the plague, or black d ‘ath, during 188/1-4
and two years of fire to follow, which shall cleanse the
earth from the pestilence. Air and water shdli alike
be poisonous, volcanic eruptions, ,arthquakes, and all
possible atmospheric disturbances will occur con-
stantly, animal and fish food will be deadly, many,
parts of the world will be depooulated by diseask.
while civil strife and every kind of war and anarchy
will prevail. Afterwards the earth will be surrounded
by healthy electricity, and tho whole word will
piosper. The span of life will be twice as long as
now, the ground doubly productive—in fact, the Pill-
lenium will have come.

COOLED ENTHUSIASM?—" Ah, that's what I like P.
that's what I like I" chirped old Mr. WhiEtleblossom,,
as he came carefully down the hill where the boys.
were exercising their sleds. "If Ore's anything I
really love its to see the boys, full ol animal spirits,
enjoying- thee wintry sports." And just at that In-
stant a hundred and fifty pounds of animal spirits
came dashing down the hill on a doubie runner, and
caught the unsuspecting Mr. Whistleblos.som between
the heels. There was a sound of revelry by night,
and when they picked up the unfortunate gentleman,
and had pinned together the ruptured back of his
coat, he remarked in a tone so gentle that it
made him black in the face, that the city I.7.ovrn-
ment who would refuse to pass a law making it a
reform-schocl crime to slide on the streets were a set
of pusillanimous yahoos.—Francisco News Letter.
PRECISELY.—Persons of extremely saving, miseily
habits are said to be possessed by a certain madness;
of course they are, for the disease they all suffer from
is really a money-mania.—Judy.
A COACHMAN' Box.—lt often happens that though
the name of a thing remains unchanged, yet the
thing itself is so materially altered that one is apt to.
wonder how the name could ever have been suitably'
applied to it. A coachman's box may serve as
instance in proof of this statement. For the word
itself does not in these days necessarily imply a case
made of wood belonging to a coachman, for he is now
generally to be seen seated on comfortable cushioss„
yet the time was when his seat was a real leather-
covered box. For carriages were then much more
roughly made than now: use was in strong preference
to artistic beauty. So if there was any need for the
coachman to have a real box, nomodern day considera-
tion would have prevented his having a little storehouse
under him ,had he wished it In old times it was neces-
sary to have something of the sort, for the roads
were bad and full of ruts, and this fact acting
upon badly:built carriages, which were unskilfully
driven, naturally produced many accidents. So the:
coachman, if he were prudent, took in his box such:
things as a hammer and a strap, not forgetting a little'
food when he stirred abroad. To travel even in the
towns at night was a matter of some risk and diffi-
culty, for the lighting of the streets was left to the
care of individuals who, being themselves snugly-
within doors, paid but little heed to Watchman's ex-
hortation from without when he shouted along the
streets, " La,nthorn, and a whole candle light! Hang
out your lights! Hear ! " Such being the state of
things even within the towns, w-,311 might the coach-
man put a few necessaries in re ,diness into his bor
when he was going a nocturnal (1 rive in the country.
But now that the roads are goof,and carriages well
built, and the streets properly lig. ted, the need for the
coachman's box has ceased, so th:. ; now it is generally
found not to exist in realify but wily in name.—Land
and Water.
GOLDEN WEDDINGS !—The clmnpionship for golden
weddings belongs to Krassova. a small town ir2:
Hungary. On last Shrove The: lay no less than ten:
golden weddings were celebrated there. The couples
were accompanied to the town-h. 3by the good and
hilarious townsfolk amidst singing and firing of cannon.
Thence in solemn procession they were taken to the
church, where Deacon Karacskyord delivered a touch-
ing discourse. The youngest "bridegroom "was sixty-
seven, the youngest " bride " sixty-eight years of age,
whilethe oldest couple was eighty-three and eighty-sir
respectively. One couple had lived together fifty-
seven years, another fifty-five, three fifty-three, two
fifty-one, and one couple fifty.years. The ages of the
ten " grooms " amomited to' 7-4, those of the ten
" brides " to 758 years, who together had walked the
common path of life for 539 years.

THE OFFICE OF CHURCH WARDEN.—As Easter i 6
associated not only with holidays but with the electiorr
of churchwardens, it may be seasonable to note that
all householders are liable to serve this ancient office
unless they happen to be peers, members of Parlia-
ment, aldermen, clergymen, lawyers, physicians,
surgeons, apothecaries, or members of a few other less
important classes specially exempted: Officers in the
army, navy, and militia are only excused if there be
other sufficient persons in the parish to serve. It
would be rather hard upon an unwilling victim of the
vestry or ratepayega' choice to discover afterwards
that the appointment was for some reason invalid;
since in that case the legal authorities inform us that
he would be held personally responsible for all acts
done and liabilities incurred in the performance of his
supposed duties.—Daily News.
SINGULAR DEATH OF A LADY.—III London, on
Monday, Mr. S. F. Langham, the deputy coroner for
Westminster, held an inquiry at the Board Room,
Mount-street, as to the death of Mrs. Annie Jane
Godwin, aged forty-eight years, lately residing in
Tachbrook-street, Pimlico, who was found dead there
on Thursday in last week. Mrs. Jane Ayres said the
deceased was a tenant of hers, and had occupied an
apartment on the ground floor for the past three
years. The last time witness saw her alive was on
Tuesday evening, when she was in her usual good
health. She lived quite alone. Not having heard
anything of her on Thursday, witness knocked at her
room door, but receiving no answer she became
alarmed, and sought the assistance of another lodger,
who looked in at the window, and, in consequence of
what he saw, went for a police-officer.—Police-
sergeant Ashwell deposed that he tried to
break open the door, but was unable to. (la.'s°, and
was obliged to enter through the windoW.
found the deceased in a sitting posture near the fire-
place, and all the upper part of her body and clothing
was burnt and charred. She was quite dead. In her
left. hand was a candlestick, firmly grasped, and in her
light hand she was holding a clay pipe (produced). On
the table witness found half an ounce of tobacco.
A considerable portion of the tabtecloth had been con-
sumed by fire. There were some cinders in the grate,
as though there had been a fire. Dr. Pearce, stated
that he had made a post-morte). I examination. 0e
did not think the burns had an Lhing to do with the
death, which he attributed to dis,a,se of the heart.
verdict in accordance with the medical evidencel
"That the deceased died from Vie mortal effect') 01
heart disease," was then recorded.

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