The Massachusetts spy, and Worcester County advertiser. [volume] ([Worcester, Mass.]) 1825-1831, 1827-09-19


of 90 years old, and two young women, IN
the same family, not two furlongs from our
office, on the 10th inst. spun % skeins of
woollen yarn, each skein containing 10
knots. OF this respectable days work,
Mrs. - did S skeins, and the young wo-
men 10 skeins piece.
In performing her task, las man of a
rlthmetic assures us) the aged matron had
to walk 1920 steps, which on calculation
are found to make about ttOelre ana hdy}
males. Here, them we have no small de-
gree of industry in the feet, as well as the
fingers-especially when it is considered
that, in spinning, a stop is to be made at
every third step, and that half the steps
are to be taken backwards. Where, we
ask, is the yol,ng man, who would under
take to travel twelve miles and half in
day, one half the distance backwards, and
stop on the way 14,400 times?
The young women, of course, had to
travel a greater distance; but they arc
doubtless some 40 years younger than
Mrs. -, and find it mere pastime
'To trip it as they go,
On the light fantastic toe
At all events, we cannot do less than re-
ommend them to the particular attention of
those who are in pursuit of wives, as better
calculated to make a man happy, than If
they had span thousand miles of street
Berkshire american.
"REMINISCENCES. When the Secretary
of the Navy ordered Commodore Porter, on
duty to Key West, what route we had
raised by the enemies of the Administra-
ton against the order, and especially a
gainst Mr. Southland, for sending so valua-
bic an officer to so sickly hole, to die of
the Yellow Fever. The Commodore him
self alleged it as one of the grievances at
which he complained so loudly. The post,
however important to the country, was IN
manner abandoned by the Squadron, IN con-
sequence of the representations made a.
gainst it by the Commodore & his partlzans.
No sooner has he command in a Foreign
Navy, however, then he seeks of his own
accord this very port, and however horrl-
bly unhealthy he had before experienced it
to be there, there he kept his Squadron
The Importance of the port is demonstrate
ed by the use he makes of it. As to its I'M
heathiness and all that, why the case is
somewhat altered. 1t was formerly muir
dering him to send him there. Now when
it depends upon his own will, there is no
getting him away.-.Md. Republican.
REWARD OF INGENUITY. Mr.. Thornton,
3 of the Patent Office, Washington, relates
the following anecdote.
Mr.. Gilbert Brewster very ingenious
artist from Connecticut came to the Patent
Office about the middle of October, 1923,
and requested permission to examine the
models. | informed him they were depos-
tied for public inspection, and that he was
at liberty to see and examine them as often
and as long as he pleased. Instead of
spending q few hours, he visited them daily
for about six weeks then thanked me for
the qualification he had enjoyed, declaring
them worth millions of dollars, or that they
were of incalculable value to real me-
chanic. He said he saw movements and
combinations of which he had before no
idea, and that he was now enabled so to
to reduce the price OF spinninS from e;o6f
cents to one cent per lb. He went away and
returned in about three months, with two
, models, declaring, on his return, that he
had perfected what he had contemplated,
and that he could then spin wool at lower
price than the English, who could not effect
it for less than four cents per lib. issued
three patents for his machines, and gen
tleman who accompanied him from New
York and who had engaged to buy these
machines for manufacturing company in
Connecticut, laid him down ten thousand
dollars inmy presence.
EFFECTS OF WAR. 1t is remarked in a
statistical article i'll French journal, that
the effect of the wars cf the revolution has
been TO diminish the stature of the human
species in that country. This is explained
in the following manner: Soldiers are
formed only of men who, for their physical
formation, are the elite of the youth of the
country. For the space of thirty years,
there was an immense consumption of such
men; and in the mean time the care of re-
peopling the country was left, in a great
part, TO those men who were not large
enough, strong enough, or well enough
formed, for soldiers. The large proper
ton of men who are of a short stature
is proved hy the following facts: Ac-
cording 20 the report of the operations of
the conscription in France for the year
1926, III the number Of 1,033, 422 young
men who were examined by the officers of
revision, 380,2l3 were rejected because
they were not four feet six inches in height.
The French foot is about three quarters
of an inch longer than ours, and consequent
| ly four feet six inches French, are equal to
about four feet nine and half inches of
our measure. After the rejection of the a.
bove proportion of men for the French ar
my 1t is ascertained from the inspections,
that thirty-seven in hundred are under
five foot ono inch in height, and only fnrtv
tlve IN hundred, over FIVE feet two inches.
From these facts it would seem, that after
rejecting in the proportion of one third, for
want of sufficient size, one half the soldiers
OF the French army are under five feet six
inches, OF our measure, in-height.
Boston Daily .AdrertiSer.