The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1867-12-10
Val.ietieS.

A school trustee in West Virginia, who
could neither read nor write, was obliged TO take
a census of the children in his district He
accomplished it by filing pocket with red
and white beans. When he met boy he put
a red bean in side pocket, and girls were rep
resented by white beans in another receptacle
When he thought he had got all he counted
the beans.
The King of Prussia has called Baron
Rothscbld of Frankfort to the upper house of
tho Prussian Diet, but in Hungary, as well as
in many parts of Germany, an impassable so
cal barrier is still kept up to the injury OF the
Jews Clubs are closed to them, and they are
snubbed at every public ceremony. In. Russia
they are not murdered as in Moldo- Walla-
CHA, but social equality is altogether refused
them, and amongst the Poles, themselves q
prosecuted race the fate of the Jews is worse
than in other parts OF Russia. King Freder-
ick William has set an example which requir-
ed, despite the peculiar wealth OF the new
peer, no little moral courage, and the Jews lar
and near will profit by it.
Some curious student of language has dis
covered that the ordinations, 30 dear"
Dear me, !" "Alas," &C.. are merely distortions
of the Italian, from which we have borrowed
them the first being o do 20 God;) the see
ond, Dio nsio (my GodD and the third, Al nae
ldsso (Ah, me weary
"A new comic penny weekly has Just been
started in London. 1t is called ''roby," "and is
Illustrated by Percy and George Cruikshank,
nephews of the famous George Cfuikshank
The Boston Traveller has this story: "Cap-
tain Stone, who commands the Cuba, is re-
mark ,ble for his silence, so much so that some
of his passengers have thought him dumb. A
lady who knew his peculiarly in this respect
addressed him, during dense fog on the
banks of Newfoundland, as follows: Captain
Stone, is it always foggy here% Madame, re-
piled the captain, how should know? don't
live here'" -.. 10. --...
The Round Table Association announce
that they will begin on the first Of Januarv
the publication Of journal TO be called The
Week, which will consist exclusively of ex-
tracts from journals of this and other coun-
tries. 1t will be kind of weekly epitome of
public opinion, and il conducted with indus
try and ability cannot fail to be an interesting
and valuable paper to great many persons.
A journal of a similar kind, called Public
Opinion, has been for some years printed In
England.
MIR. Howells, describing a religious cers
monial at Rome, says: each of the cardinals,
as he entered the chapel, blew sonorous nose,
and was received standing by his brother pre-
. lates "a grotesque company of old-womanish
old men in gaudy gowns. One of the last to
come was Antonell, who has the wickedest
face in the world. He sat with his eyes fasten-
ed upon his book, but obviously open at evety
pore to all that went on about him. As be
passed out he cast cleaning, terrible, sidelong
looks upon the people, full of hate and guile
AS Charles Lamb and friend were pass-
ing through the lower purlieus of London,
they saw two women violently scoldng each
other from the upper windows of their respeC-
tive tenements, which happened to be on on
posite sides Of the street. "Why these women
can never agree" remarked Lamb, "they are
arguing from opposite premises"
MIR. John Quill makes the following offer:
Il will walk with any good looking girl who
has fortune in her own right, upon any given
moonlight night, both parties to go as slow as
they please, and neither to hurry back to the
starting point. i will then, ON the word, walk
into her affections, and walk oft with her for
tune"
Queen Victoria has fixed the price of NUT
ton for her family, which is large one, at
sum equal to about seventeen cents per pound
in our money, (spece,) and butchers who can
not afford to sell at this price will no longer
see the color OF tho royal money. Would that
American soyeregns also could dictate the
price of the mutton they eat
The stepmother of Abraham Lincoln ,t;,l
lives near Pennington, Coles County, Illinois.
in one-story log cabin containing two rooms.
Aunt Sally Lincoln, as the villager. call her,
is now eighty years DID, and very feeble She
is plain, unsophisticated old lady, with a
frank, open countenance warm heart, full OF
Kindness toward others, tall and slender, and,
In many respects, very much IKE the Presi-
dent-enough so to be his own mother. And,
MS he was hut nine years Of age at the time of
ber marriage with his father IL is not improb-
ahIo that she had much to do in forming bts
character She still speaks of Abraham a.
her "good boy" and praises his obedience
She says abraham AMI his stepbrother never
quarrelied but once, and that you know. il a
good deal for stepbrothers" About mile and
half from her old cabin is the grave of Thom-
as Lincoln, father of the President. 1t \,
marked by a piece OF clapboard, on which Is
rudely carved only the initials ".r L."
-Lldy NJ rglret Herbert ask ed somebody
for pretty pattern for night-cap "wen.
said the person, "what signifies the pattern of
night-cap?" 80! child" said she, "you know
in case o.. .frel"
Henry Ward Beecher, it is said, reeeivs.
on an average twenty letters day from orthO-
dox clergymen, protesting against the repre-
sentation of of"Norwood" on the stage. They
say they are shocked, scandalized, etc; but Fl.
w d. replies "Be calm, good brother, and
turn to heaven for light" -
The Toronto Leader says Mr.. darcy
MCGEE is in very i'll health. He has an ulcer
ated ankle and will not take the stimuants
prescribed by the physician He will proba-
bly he unable to take any part in the proceed
ings of the Canadian House of Commons this
session. -