The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1870-09-29

toxlcated intervals to the composition. not
OF frivolous rhymes, but of essays upon
| political economy. Washington loved
this exquisite science such names as Ba-
| ker, Beckwith, Judson, Smith, are imper-
ishably linked with it and even imperial
Homer, in the ninth book of the Iliad,
has said:
| Fiat justitia, rust cOelum,
| Post mortem unum, ante belIum,
| HE Jacet hoe ex-parte res,
Poutlcum, e-conOmico est.
The grandeur of these conceptions of
the old poet, together with the felicity of
the wording which closes them and the
sublimity of the imagery whereby they
are illustrated, have singled out that
stanza and made it more celebrated than
any that ever
''Now not a word out of you-not a
single word. just state your bill and
relapse into impenefrable silence for ever
and ever on these premises. Nine hum
dred dollars? Is that all This cheuue
for the amount will be honored at any
respectable hank in America What is
that multitude of people gathered in the
street for 3? How Hooking at the light
| ning-rods! Bless my life, did they
never see any lightning-rods before
Never saw such stack of them on one
establishment did understand you 10
say? l will step down and critically OBJ
serve this popular ebuIlition of igno-
rance"
THREE DAYS LATER.-We are all
about worn out For four-and~tw wenty
hours our bristling premises were the:talk
and wonder of the town. The theatres
languisled, for their happiest scenic IN
ventions were tame and commonplace
compared with my lightning-rods Our
street was blocked night and day with
spectators, and among them were many
who came from the country to see. 1t
was blessed relief, on the second day
when a thunder storm came up and the
lightning began TO ''go for" my house, as
the historian Josephus quantity phrased
it. 1t cleared the galleries, SO to speak.
In five minutes there was not a spectator
within half mile of my place; but all
the high houses about that distance away
were full, windows, roofs, and ALL And
well they might be, for all the falling stars
and Fourth of July fireworks of genera
ton put together and rained down stimuli
taneous' y out of heaven in one brilliant
shower upon one helpless roof, would not
have any advantage of the pyrotechnic dis
play that was making my house so mag
nificently conspicuous in the'general gloom
of the storm. BY actual count the light
ming struck at my establishment seven
hundred and sixty>four times in forty
minutes, but tripped on one of these faith
ful rods every time and slid down the
spiraltwist and shot into the earth before
it probably had time to be surprised at
the way the wonderful thing was done =
And through all the bombardment only
one patch of states was ripped up, and
that was because for single instant the
rods in the vicinity were Transporting all
the lightning they could possibly accomo,
date. Well, nothing was ever seen like
it since the world began. For one whole
day not a member of my family stuck
his head out of the window but he got
the hair snatched off it as smooth as a
billiard ball, and if the reader will believe
me not one of us ever dreamed OF stirring
abroad. But at last the awful seige came
to an end-because there was absolutely
no more electricity left in the clouds above
US within graphing distance of my insa-
table rods. Then | sailed forth, and
gathered daring work men together, and
not bite or nap did we take till ibe
premises were utterly stripped of their ter
Iific armament except just three rods on
the house, one on the kitchen, and one on
the barn-and behold these remain there
even unto this day. And then, and not
till then, the people ventured to use our
street again. will remark here, in pass
ing, that during that fearful time l did
not continue my essay upon political econ
omy. / am not even yet settled enough
in nerve and brain to resume it.
To WHOM IT MAY CoNCERN.-Partfes having
need of three thousand two hundred and eleven |
feet of best quality zinc-plated spiral-twist
stuff, and sixteen hundred and
thirty-One silyer-tipped points, all in tolerabIe
repair land. although much worn by use still
equal to any ordinary emergency, can hear of
a bargain by addressing the publishers of this
magazine.-Ihe GdldrD.