The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1868-12-10

practising their profession in different parts
of the provinces, trustworthy series OF obser-
vations may be obtained. At Agra, lectures on
the use of the instruments we're given TO the
students Of the Oordoo, and money prizes
were awarded to the most proficient. Any
one wishing to ascertain the temperature AMI
other meteorological phenomena OF the "co0l
season." the time Of the hot winds, the rainy
season, and of the weeks when periodical
changes are taking place, will find them all
clearly set forth in these tables. DIR. Thom-
son hopes eventually to show the connection
between weather aud disease; at present the
data are too uncertain TO enable him to do
more than show an access OF cholera on
sudden fall Of temperature.
On the 1st of November last one of the
most important Dutch lines of railway was
thrown open to the public. 1t runs from
Utrecht to Wsardenburg &, aud forms link of
the section Utrecht-Bois-le-D Duo, leading to
Brussels and Paris. Bois-le- Due was on the
same day admitted into the Dutch railway
| system, and put in communication with the
| railway that now stretches away from Goes
lin Zeeland) to Venlo Gin Limburg). 1t Is
! probable that the section BOis-le-D &c War
| denburg, which now alone remains unfinished
| in this part of the country, will be ready by
the middle or end of next year, so that 1869
will witness an unbroken communication
between Amsterdam and Paris or all the
lines TO be built by the State according
TO the act passed in 1860, this one from
| Utrecht to Bois-le Due is the most difficult
and costly. Three tremendous brides had to
! be constructed over three large rivers-the
Mepse, near Hedel, the WAL, near Zilt-
! Bommel, and the LEX, near Gutenberg. The
last is now open for traffic, and the others are
nearly ready. The bridge near Gutenberg,
half way between Utrecht aud Waardenburg,
is one of the grandest works of engineering
skill 1t consists OF one arch of 492 English
s. f.aA - L.
of 81 feet span each, or 399 feet; total,
2063 English feet. 1t is constructed on the
'fsh-shaped girder" system. The one near
ZAlt- Bommel will measure $3.50 English feet.
There is no end to the grammatico- logical
questions which come before us. A judge,
dischargiDg a man upon his recognizauce to
come up for sentence il called upon, tells him
that if he behave we'll he will probably die
before he hears any more of the matter. At
this "Hibernicism" the newspaper says the
whole court roared with laughter. There as
no bull at all, for two reasons. First man
who fires shottei gun at unofending little
girls may hear of it after DEATH; and most of
those who laughed profess to believe this. But
we will copcede to the laughing audience that
this allusion was not in the mind of the Judge.
Let us turn then to the grammatical view.
The laugh is proof OF the progress which
the logical principle is making; but it does
not always show itself discreetly. The ques-
tion is this-Has that which is never to happen
a before and an after? No after certainly; but
in common minds and common language it
has before. Is it absurd, ungrammatical, or
illogical, to say to person who is attempting
the impractcsble, You will ruin yourself
before you succeed? When a man says, 81
will see you hanged first" he means that he
never will some persons explicitly add,
'and then l won't" The laughing logicians
OF the court had the idea that
before and after are alternatives: this is not
true. The alternative of before is eat or after,
or never." Try it, you will get to the moon
before Christmas, or you will not get to the
moon before Christmas; this seems clear. If
not, then you get to the moon at Christmas,
or after Christmas, or never. The judges
remark left open whether the criminal, not
being called up during life, would be- called up
at death, after death, or never. He did not
explain that the Court does not pass sentence
upon all persons an art,culo mortiS, and does
not summon ghosts; so that never is the only
practical alternative: And probably the re-
mark was suggested by the prisoner being an
old man. A Scotch clergyman was talking
very seriously to parshiener about drinking,
and hoped he had produced some effect. Aud
SO he had, for the parishioner said, "Ye're
right, cir; whisky's bad thing, especially bad
whisky !" And we say that logic is puz-
zlipg thing, especially bad logic.