davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Minnesota weekly times. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1854-1859, 1855-12-15

DEDICATION OF THE FoRr ST. CHuacH,
DErRoIr.-We learn from the Detroit e e.
ming Tribune that this Church was dedicated
on the 18th ult. The Tribune says" The
sermon WIS preached by Rev.. H. NeiIl. the.
pastor of the church, from the last clause of
the eleventh verse Of the third chapter Of Ezra
And they praised the Lord because the
foundation Of the house Of the Lord was laid {"
The Tribune adds" Without exaggeration,
we may truly say, II was one Of the most fin
ished and eloquent sermons which its author
has ever presented his hearers in this city. 1t
was singularly felicitous in ,yle, alluson, treat
ment and incubation, while the peroraiion was
a fitting climax to so perfect discourse"
The Mr.. Neil alluded to, is the brother of
the Rev. E. D. Neil. Of this city.
TRuE.-We expressed doubt yesterday as
to the truth of the account Published In the
Times relative to Sir John Franklin and his
companions. Those doubts have been remov.
ed by an examination of the instructions from
the English Government, authorizing Messrs.
Anderson and Stuart, Of the Hudson Bay Com
pany, to make the expedition. Mr.. Anderson
is at Selkirk settlement Mr.. Stuart left for
Quebec on Tuesday afternoon. k 49,
Minnesota weekly times. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1854-1859, 1855-12-15

GAsEoUs.-Our facetious neighbor Of the
Free Press, who appears to be exceedingly
anxious for US to write him into notoriety, has
almost burst his boots in several late attempts
at wit. The last effort was on the tail of a rat.
Magnificent subject! He desires TO know
whether or not this is the machine for the
manufacture Of Benzole gass" No, neighbor;
it is the machine from which emanates most of
the gas that daily appears in your columns
The Benzole has a different odor, burns clear
er and gives better light.
Minnesota weekly times. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1854-1859, 1855-12-15

LECTURE THIS EvENISc.-Don't forget the Lee
ture this evening before the Historical Society,"
1t will be read by Rev. E. d. Neill, and those who
attend will be amply repaid.
Minnesota weekly times. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1854-1859, 1855-12-15

"Somc one in Rochester, N. Y, intends
lighting railroad cars with gas, by attaching
two politicians permanently TO each car for me-
terS."
10 The editor of the Free Press of this
city might answer for one, were it not for the
disagreeable odor he would occasion. And
then the Company might suffer damages for
carrying the body of a putre6ed politician, who
died for the want Of energy, and for the wan,
of an ordinary amount of common sense.
Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1855-07-11

repeating everywhere these two words in
Enghsh-but in vain. Everybody heard
of London, none knew Gilbert. Yet the
people were very kind, and gave her
food in return for the sweet songs which
she sung.
AT length, after many months of lone
ly and toilsOme wandering, she reached
England, and found herself amidst the
busy, hurrying throng of London. She
gazed about her bewidered and almost
despairing at finding it so large a place
it would be SO much harder 10 find
him. Yet still patiently and wearily up
and down the long streets she went
through the market place and square
past churches and palaces, singing her
mournful songs, speaking softly and
more sadly the one beloved word-"Gil-
bert"
One evening as Gilbert A Beckett, the
rich merchant, sat at the banquet table
in his splendid London house, entertain.
ing a company of rich and noble guests,
a servant brought him word that beau
tiful Saracen maiden, pale and sorrowful
looking, stood in the square without,
singing songs and repeating his name
over and over. In a moment Gilbert
thought of his beloved Zarina, and
springing up from the table he rushed
out OF his brilliant hall into the street
where poor Zarina stood, with her long
dark hair glistening with the chill night
dew, and her sweet face looking very
white and fearful in the moonlight.
He knew her at a glance. though she
was sadly changed from the fair young
girl he had left in the gardens of NAH
moud, as gay hearted as the birds, and
as blooming as the flowers. He called
her name-he caught her in his arms
and the next time she spoke the dear
word "Gilbert, "she murmered it against
his heart, while his lips pressed her
cheeks and eyes dropped happy tears
upon her brow.
He took her into his princely house,
and it became her home from that hour.
She was baptized and took the christian
name of Matilda-but Gilbert alwavs
called her Zarina, for he said he loved
that best.
The faithful lovers were married and
lived together for many years, happy,
honored and beloved. The Oldest son,
Thomas A. Beckett, was a powerful and
renowned archbishop in the reign of
Henry the Second
And so ends the true story of the
English Merchant and Saraeen Lady.
Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1855-07-11

where a wall of mason work had been
built to break the violence of the wintry
floods to this spot all eyes were direc
ted. The fiery river would fall over it
in an hour; as yet it was distant from it
seventy yards perhaps. Gradually it
rose in height, and swelled out its vast
proportions, and then vast masses fell off
and rolled forward then it swelled again
as fresh mater came pressing down be-
hind, and so it broke, and on it rolled
again and again, till it had arrived at the
very edge. There was a general buzz
and murmur of voices. The royal fami-
ly stood opposite to me, intermingled
with the crowd. looking on with intense
anxiety.
At last it broke, not hurriedly, still
with certain slow majesty. At first a
few small Jumps fell down; then poured
over pure liquid of metal, like thick
treacle, clinging sometimes mass to mass,
from its glutinous character, and last OF
all tumbled over gigantic Jumps of scor-
lac. Then it moved once more in its ST.
lent regular course, swelling up and
spreading over the vineyards on either
side and now there was a rush for the
road which traverses this laval bed.
Houses and the bridge bordered the road,
the carriages had all been ordered off,
and the bridge was being broken down
we were cut of completely. The senti-
nels would not let us pass, and struck US,
and drove US back but we forced our
way, and then found too surely that ii
was impossible to get on.
The bridge was half demolished, and
by the light of the torches we could see
the soldiers above working away with the
pick and axe. We had therefore to re-
trace our steps, and making long cir
cult through the open country and over
walls, came round to the top of the
bridge. Rum" said the sentinels, col
you will be too late" We crossed the
narrow parapet which was stillremaining,
and soon afterwards down went the whole
fabric. In this way it is hoped that the
lava will be diverted from the township:
of Sebasti; no, Massa di Somme, Pollona
which stand on either side, and have a!
yet suffered partially. Cercolo, through
which, however, the stream is rolling,
will be sacrificed.
The expectation is that the lava, should
the eruption continue, will flow down tC
the Ponte Maddaloni, and into the sea
So grand and so destructive an eruption
has not been known for many years, anC
even now we cannot tell how or when i
will terminate The mountain is liter
ally scanned with lava, and mary fear q
violent explosion as the final scene of the
tragedy.
Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1855-07-11
WETTING BRICKS.

AS it is important that every one en-.
gagged in building should be well informed
in regard to the durability Of materials,
we publish the following from an ex-
change paper:
Very few people, or even builders, are
aware of the advantage of wetting bricks
before laying them, or if they are aware
of it, they do not practise it; for of the
many houses now iu progress in this city,
there are very few in which wet brick
are used. A wall twelve inches thick,
built of good mortar with bricks well
soaked, is stronger in every respect than
one sixteen inches thick, built dry. The
reason of this is, that if the bricks are
saturated with water, they will not ab-
stract from the mortar the moisture which
is necessary to its crystalization and on
the contrary, they will unite chemically
with the mortar, and become as solid as
a rock. On the other hand, if the bricks
are put up dry, they Immediately take
ali the moisture from the mortar, leaving
it too dry to harden, and the consequence
is, that, when building of this descrip-
ton is taken down or tumbles down of
IFS own accord, the mortar from it is like
so much sand.-ScientJfc american.
Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1855-07-11
PHYSICAL EXERCISE.

One of the principal causes, if not tie
cause, of the attenuated and pallid ap-
pearance of Americans, is doubtless the
neglect, or rather the violation-the ha-
bitual violation of the rules laid down by
Nature for muscular development. The
class of men in this country whose occu-
pations are such as almost necessarily
lead to the formation of sedentary habits
is very large, larger perhaps in proper
ton than that of any other commercial
nation. And this will account in a mea-
sure for the fact that the various COM
plants, generally the concomitants of
insufficient physical exercise, are more
prevalent here than elsewhere. Our
young men being thus confined TO the
narrow limits of a eounting-room at a
time of life when the open air and con-
slant motion of the body are indispensa-
bic, it is not surprising that they should
be in their manhood so sadly deficient iu
muscular vigor, and exhibit so little of
the athletic development that is looked
for in the sterner sex. With many such
their lot is their fate, or is imposed as
necessity from which there is no escape,
and for these there is some excuse for
the loss of health and life. But what
shall be said of those who make no effort
to ameliorate their condition, or of that
still more culpable class, who from mere
Incidence suffer their bodies to aCaste
away, to sink into premature old age
actually paying a premium for crooked
spines, bumped backs, round shoulders.
atteDuated limbs and dropping head
Such persons are guilty of species of
suicide which, inasmuch as it is more
deliberate, may be equally if not more
criminal than when the ''brittle thread''
is severed in an instant by the victim of
misfortune or delirium.
Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1855-07-11
CHILDREN's DRESS.

The Albany Knieker6oeker thus hits of
the modern fashion of dressing children
Butchers usually kill their victims
before dressing them. Mothers frequent
ly dress before killing them. We noticed
an innocent little girl of about five years,
in the streets yesterday, dressed and
pinched within an inch of her life. For
health and comfort; she might about as
well have been in the embrace of young
anaconda. But then. though the pattern
was scant, it was love of a pattern, and
the little creature wore butterhy's wing
upon her head, and of course it was all
right, and she was a darling. How
could one manage to have a game of
romps, do you think, with such an anat-
omy of silk, lace and ribbons ? One
might as well attempt to romp with
fancy show case. They have passed
law, and very good one it is, to protect
quails. We want snother-a law to p-o-
tect children. If they are afraid the race
of quails will be destroyed, what are we
to say of children? Why, there are
places in this land of ours, where one
can see five hundred epitomes of human
ity, without seeing single specimen of
an old.fashioned. red-cheeked, check
aploned child"
Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1855-07-11
Gboltt MlIstelIang.
THE ENGLISH MERCHANT
SARAC EN- LADY.


In the reign of Henry the First of Eng
land, called Beauclerc. or the Fine Schol-
ar, for he was actually so learned that
he could write his own name-a great
attainment for King in those days
there lived in London rich young mer-
chant, named Gilbert A. Beckett.
He was thought brave and adven-
turous man when he left his comfortable
English home and sailed for the Holy
Land to trade with the rich Syrians for
satins, velvet and gems, wnich he meant
to bring to England and sell at great
profit. He probably calculated by this
speculation TO double his fortune, and
perhaps be able to buy a title, and so
become one of the mobiles of the land,
and live in a castle, where he would re-
ceiye the king and court, and entertain
them in princely style But alas titles
and royal guest were not for him, and
all the castle he was ever able to lay
claim to, was such Is castle in the ail''
as any one of US may build. He was ia
ken prisoner by the Turks, robbed of his
ship, sold as slave, fettered and set at
work in the palace gardens OF Mahmoud,
a terrible, fierce eyed, black.bearded,
big -turbaned Saracen Chief.
1t was very hard fortune, that of
poor Gilbert. He was obliged to toll
from morning to night, digging and spa.
ding, planting and wedding, and all the
while with the disadvantage of not know
ing much about the gardening business,
and of having heavy chain dragging
and clanking at his ankles. You may
depend that he felt that if he could get
safe back to England, he would never
more aspire to castles and titles, nor
trouble himself if the King and Court
never should eat good dinner or shake
their heels at ball again.
But often out of our greatest misfor-
tune comes our best good and happiness.
and hope and JOY often follows times of
fear and sorrow, as beautiful rainbows
are made out of storms that have Just
darkened the sky and beaten down the
flowers. One evening, just as the Muez-
Yin was calling all pious Musselmen to
prayer, Gilbert A. Beckett stood leaning
against a palm tree, resting little from
his daily toll, and thinking longingly of
his country and home. Just then, a
young Saracen lady of marvellous beau
ty, called Zarina, chaneed that way on
her evening walk, and was very much
struck by the appearance of the stranger.
In truth. as Gilbert stood there leaning
so gracefully against the palm, with his
Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1855-07-11
WHOLE NO. 9O93.
THE TREASURE TRoyE.

Mr.. William Willis. Of Portland, has
furnished to the State of Maine lengthy
and detailed account of the gold and sill
yer coins which were discovered buried
IN the earth on Richmond's Island, off
Cape Elizabeth, few days since, and of
the probab time and manner of the de-
posit. He says that they were discover
ed by Hanscom, the occupant of the Is
land, who in plowing turned up circu-
lar iron pot, which appeared to be full of
earth. Being thrown one side, it was
picked up by son ofMr Hanscom, who
began to scoop out its contents, and was
astonished to find that the earth cover
ed gold and silver coins, to the standard
value of one hundred dollars, all regu-
larly arranged upon the bottom, the gold
coins upon one side, and the silver upon
the other. with gold signet ring in the
centre. The oldest Of the coins were sill
yer shillings, sixpences, groats and half
greats, of the reign of Queen Elizabeth,
bearing upon their face the head of the
Queen, crowned, with an appropriate in
scription. The other coins bore dates
corresponding to the reigns of James l.,
and Charles 1. Mr.. Willis expresses the
opinion that they were buried there in
about the year 1851, by man named
Bagnsll, who resided on the Island, car
rying profitable trade withth Indians,
and who was murdered by them in the
autumn of that year. They probably
were buried either by him, by his servant
or by some of the Indians of his time.
Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1855-07-11
Dottrp.
" -
From the Elnira q. Y Republican.
DEATH AND LIFE.


King of dead empires! awful and sublime,
Whose victims nations, whose duration time,
In gloom uncertain is thy solemn throne,
By shadows circled, underlined, unknown:
As some cold peak in heavy clouds immured,
By day in my stery veiled, by night obscured,
Where neither motion, sound nor life pervades,
The realm of silence, emptiness and shades
What fatal form, what shape dost thou assume,
Thou foe to life, thou monar n of the tombl
Swift as the light as it approaches, dumb,
Thy certain shafts from unseen ambush come.
In vain the powerful build the rampant round,
In vain the tim'rous crouch along the ground,
In vain the fearful to the covert fly,
In vain the humble pray, the bold defy,
Nor solid walls can guard if thou assail,
Nor coverts shelter, nor mans prayers avail,
Sure. without triumph, silent, but intenG
Though cages, patient; calm, but no relent,
With equal force descends thy deadly blow
Upon the lefty, or upon the low,
Whatever cline the human eye hath seen,
Or polar SHOWS, or fields pepetual green,
Nor deep ravine, nor mountain steep defends,
There art thou monarch. there thy realm extendsl
The stream flows on, but it will ne'er return
The fame expires, ah, never more to burn!
Life, like a vapor DER the fountain curied,
Melts to thin air. and passeth from the world.
Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1855-07-11
FEMALE EQUEsTRIANISM.

There is not a drop of chivalric blood
in that mans veins, who can look upon
a noble woman, mounted on a noble
steed, with an eye of cool indifference or
passive admiration. The eye that is
delicate in its perceptions of the beautiful
and grand, will flash enthusiastically at
such sight, and the spirit that can un-
dersland and appreciate the graceful, the
noble, the daring, or the skillful in form,
or in action, will swell with undisguised
and irrepressible delight at so glorious a
picture. There is everything in it to ap-
peal to all that is hig h-toned, impulsive,
daring and chivalric in a brave mans ma
ture and almost unconsciously his pulse
quickens, his blood warns, and his
breast swells with high and gallant emo
tions. Let Blair account for it, and
Stewart name this feeling as and what
they will, its effects are as we say, and
the man who cannot feel it, would be
alike untouched by music, unsubdued
by sunset, unmoved by the roll of a
drum, and unawed by the muttered
thunder. Indeed, to be pitied is the
man that cannot love horse, doubly to
be pitied is he that cannot love woman,
and thrice to be pitied is he who cannot
love a woman on horseback.
But we did not intend an essay on
horsewomanship, no more than we ex-
pected ourselves to be so enthusiastic
but we are moi ashamed, if we are guilty
of both. And we cannot help saying,
merely by way of getting at our real in
tent-whieh is quite different thing
that there is most surprising obtuseness
existing among the majority of our Buck.
eye girls in reference to this identical
matter of backing horses. When will
they really learn to love horses and real
ly love to ride them ? When will they
discover that riding Is at once the heal.
thiest, the most exhilarating, the grand
est and most womanly of sports, exercs-
es or accomplishments; when will they
cease gadding about the country on mis-
cradle, lazy, shaggy ponies, on worn out
and broken winded plow horses, on poor
old mares, and mount spirited and high
mettled steeds, and ride at pace and in
style more betting the young blood that
bounds in their veins g? For their own
sakes, for their beauty's sake and for
cur children's sake, we hope the time
will soon come, when a mounted horse
woman will not be the wondrous excep.
tion she now is Ohio Farmer,
'TIS the fancy, not the reason of things,
that makes us so uneasy.
Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1855-07-11
A HEN NURSING KITTENS.


A correspondent of the Charleston
Courier, tells the following story of
Shanghai hen nursing kittens
"Upon entering my fowl house some
little time since, 1 discovered cat COM
fortably ensconced in one Of the nests,
where she had three kittens, as pleased
and comfortably as any young feline
mother might be. A day or two ago,
hearing a great mewing within, 1 open
ed the door, and found that an old Shan
ghia hen, we'll in the mood of setting,
had abandoned the nest with eggs, and
taken possession of the kitten nest, much
to the discomfort of Tom and Tabby, jun
ior, forthey could not be made as COM
Portable under the foster-mother as by
the side of the legitimate mother. The
old cat in the meantime was summing her.
self at the door, apparently satisfied with
the new nurse. Last night the old hen
left her charge for the nest eggs, but
this morning l found her again in pos.
session of the kittens, having again aban-
doned the nest with eggs.
Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1855-07-11
RUSSIAN LossEs.-The Marquis of

RUSSIAN LossEs.-The Marquis of
Lansdown stated in the House of Lords,
during a recent debate, that he knew
from authentic sources, that Just previ-
Gus to the death of the Emperor Nicho-
las, the official report of the Russian los
ses, since the war began, showed the
loss of one hundred and seventy thous-
and men; and that since that report was
made, the Russians had lost seventy
thousand more, making total of two
hundred and forty thousand.
Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1855-07-11
A SPECIMEN OF HUMAN NATURE

A SPECIMEN OF HUMAN NATURE" p"
Last week while man employed at
the sewerage works at Halifax, was
being rapidly wound up out of deep
hole, after having lit the fuse of blast,
the rope, owing to the carelessness of
parties az the top, was suffered to.drop
back again. The man fell close upon
the impending danger, and the sudden
view of almost certain death, fell on his
knees, uttering accents of prayer. A
thought struck him, however, he seized
the burning fuse and pulling it out of the
hole, saved his life. And then-alas,
for his penitence he commenced swear
ing at the men at the wheel for having
let him slip.
Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1855-07-11
EXCHANGING WIVES.

A late number of the Eastern Clarion,
published at Paulding. Miss, gives an
account of swap negotiated in that
vicinity by two of its subscribers, and
vouches for the truth ofthe story. The
chattles which exchanged owners were
nothing less the wives of the parties, who
were on the eve of emigrating, as they
eventually did-the one to Alabama and
the other to Texas. The Clarion refrains
from giving the real names of the faith
less Benedicts, and calls them ''Obediah
and Dick" but records the circumstan-
ces of the transaction-how they went
into the woods, sat down on q log, and
entered upon the business; how they came
near spelling the trade because Obe's
wife was younger critter by dozen
years :" and how, after much chatter
ing, the difference was finally equalized
by the generous proposal ofDick to give
in the way of boot, ga cow and a calf,
two goats, an old gun, and an ox-bell."
The respective children ofthe twomothers
remained with their respective fathers,
and with their. strangely acquired step
mothers followed them to the States Of
their adoption.
Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1855-07-11
From the Home Journal
SONG OF THE SUMMER FLOWERS


We come with smiles of gladness,
Tho we're followed by decay;
And we claim kindly welcome,
For we have'not long to stay.
Grant US a gleam of sunshine,
kiss from summers breeze,
few of heavens dew drops
We ask no more than these.
Then. in your daily pathways
So cheerfulIy wen bloom,
And round your pleasant dwellings
Wen lavish rich perfume;
Your hours of-toH wen sweeten,
Wen smile away your care;
And wen even bid your sorrows
A holy aspect wear.
There are many human blossoms
With natures like our own,
Whose blossom, from earth's fair bowers,
May be so quickly gone.
Such pure. pale buds Of beauty,
Are the angels of Iife's way,
Oh, cherish them with kindness,
While in yOur homes they stay!
Give them plenty of Loves sunshine,
With PHYS gentle dew
And let the breath of tenderness
Their every step pursue.
Then, while they dwell among you,
They'll brighten all your hours
And when they pass to heaven,
They'll go gently, like the flowers.