davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1871-09-28
A Chapter on Crabs.

Nature seems to have taken into con-
sideration their warlike disposition, for
she has certainly endowed them with
the power of renewing their arms and
legs. 1t is also asserted that they are
almost, if not quite, insensible to pain,
for celebrated naturalist states that he
once saw crab eating another which it
had just killed, while larger one was
picking off and eating bits of his body
Thus crab number three was eating crab
number two, who went on feeding as if
he did not mind his big brother treating
him as he had crab number one. There
is another fact equally remarkable, and
that is, that some crabs-the spider, for
instaDcc-throw away their limbs with
apparently as much ease as an old soldier
could his wooden leg. When pursued
they are probably aware that their enemy
wants something to eat, and therefore
fling him leg to appease his appetite
and to save the loss of more. [ once
had spider crab sent to me, and 1 was
very much vexcd to find that he had lost
a leg, and blamed the person who had
put him into basket, for having, as /
thought, done it carelessly. l put him
by himself in glass OF fresh seawater,
and next morning, on looking at him,
you may guess my surprise at finding
that he had but one leg left to his body,
the others being strewed about the bot
tom of the glass. l presume that he
felt so annoyed at being captured and
imprisoned that he threw away his legs
in fit Of despair, or perhaps it was an
act of spite against me for being the
cause of his capture. At all events, he
paid the just penalty of his folly, for
after trying to hobble about on one leg
for day or two he died. Before we
return, l must tell you that the shell of
the crab does not grow much larger,
although his body increases in size,
When he begins to find his jacket too
tight to be comfortable, he has a natural
desire to take it off. This is not an easy
task to perform because he has so many
claws and legs, the covering of which is
so attached to the jacket He therefore
crawls beneath heavy stone, which
holds his shell tight, and then wriggles
himself out of his shell clothing. As
soon as he has undressed himself he
becomes much bigger than he was before,
and could not possibly re-enter his shell.
His body is then as soft as your hand ;
and, therefore, well knowing that if he
met any hard-coated crab, he would GER
tainly be killed and eaten, he hides him.
self until his skin hardens and forms a
new suit of armor to protect him from
his foes.-LWe Folks.
Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1871-09-28

The ANIMAL KNGDoM.-The number
of species of animals known to be now
living is thus given by Mr. Bentham.
The number of mammalia is estimated
at between two and three thousand
species; birds at about ten thousand
reptiles and amphibians, under two thou,
sand fishes at about ten thousand
insects at above one hundred and sixty
thousand ; crustacea and arachnida rather
above ten thousand /; mollusca about
twenty Thousand; worms, radiates, and
sponges and infusoria, under SIX thou.
sand; while there are about hundred
thousand species of plants. He thinks a
"Genera Plantarum" is still within the
capabilities of single botanist, while
such a work on animals would have to
be accomplished by division of labo
among biologists.
Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1871-09-28
Progress of Cooperative Industry.

People are slowly learning the advan,
tages of combination in industrial pro,
duction, both in profit of result and in
escaping from the worst drudgeries OF
toilsome labor. Even the farmers, who
are usually the last to move in any
cooperative direction, are beginning to
see the benefits Of this policy, and tc
reap its advantages. The production Of
cheese in factories by neighborhood com.
bination has now become an established
business, and not only turns out to be q
real economy, but in removing a labo.
rious branch Of manufacturing industry
from the household, it has proved one
of the greatest domestic beons to over.
worked women in many farmers family
This industrial improvement is not only
extending in this country, but the English
farmers are beginning to copy the Ameri
can system with satisfactory results
The report Of the Derbyshire associated
diaries, shows that their first years
experiment has been fairly successful, SC
that there is every probability that the
plan of operations will not only be con
tinued but extended. The "Food Jour-
mdt says that the manufacturers of mill
have realized good prices for their pro
duce, while the quality of the chees,
made has decidedly improved, and wha
is a hopeful feature in the transaction
everybody seems satisfied.
Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1871-09-28

The TERRIBLE SUFFERINGs IN PERSIA.
The accounts in the Levant Herald of
the terrible sufferings of the people of
Persia, which, though not unlike many
of the similar stories published, shows
that the days of famine have not yet
passed away. The Persian army has
been disbanded, business has stopped,
and the people are camped in the noun.
tains. No such terrible famine is recorded
in history, and we fear it may continue
for months. While contemplating these
horrors it is pleasant to hear that the
march of the cholera has been stayed.
But this should cause no cessation of
the sanitary measures in this country
against the disease. The misfortunes
of other countries ought to teach us the
lesson Of providence and prudence.
Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1871-09-28
1919 29S

OF the injured, % subsequently died,
making 157 deaths during the year.
Nearly one-half of all these casualties oc-
CURED in August, September, and Octo-
Der, the three months of fresh work,
following the resumption, The fall of
Coal and Rock caused nearly onefourth
of the casualties, 94in all, and explosions
of Gas, of Powder of Blasts, and boil
ers caused 146, or more than one-third.
The deaths by fall of Coal were 80, by
Explosions 10, by fall of Slopes 26. The
loss of life and limb in 1870 was much
in excess of that for the year previous,
and is stated as follows, in figures repre-
senting the number of thousands Of tons
to each person killed or injured
Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1871-09-28
Suggestions About the Baby.

As for the baby, whatever rudimen'
tary arts he may develop, he does not
show the slightest possible glimpse OF
the development of moral sense. His
notions of sleep are simply inordinate.
His times for awakening are the small
hours, when all conscientious babies are
asleep. He then displays a capacity fol
yelling, which otherwise could hardly be
expected from so minute an insect. Al
other times he reclines sucking his
thumb in dim yearning after piple, OF
doubling his fist in lively anticipation OF
life's coming struggles. A baby is gen.
orally born looking extremely old. One
almost begins to speculate whether the
Platonic theory of Renaissance may
not be true, and whether this alleged
baby may not be some extremely old
gentleman who has acted rather badly
in another sphere of existence, and has
another mundane chance given him.
Babies look awfully old and wrinkled
when they are born. Sometimes they
look ninety but | have seen them look
as young as eight-and-forty In few
days they throw off the old existence,
and are fairly embarked upon this real
sea of human life, where they will have
rocks and shoals and quicksands enough
before they can come into any sort OF
haven. Yet there is something mad
dening about baby. Boswell is re-
ported to have once said to DIR. John
son "Sir, what would you do if you
were shut up in tower with baby ?"
| forget what the response was. Sir,
you are fool" suppose, or some.
thing equally laconic and straightfor-
ward. The suggestion is an awful one,
probably an impossible one but still
the dread idea recurs, "What would &
man do if he were shut up alone with 6
baby ?"-LondOm Society.
Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1871-09-28

REVENGE. remember once says a
novelist, hearing of lady who had mar
ried out of sheer revenge. The right
man had omitted to propose or had pro-
posed to somebody else. Whereupon
she took man who was simply ugly, old
and stupid. In advanced life she can
didly owned how it was that she had
made such a marriage 1t was simply
done out OF spite. She had sort of idea
that the man she loved would be grieved
at her marriage, and she wanted to grieye
him. l believe after all, that she found
very tolerable husband.
Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1871-09-28

The NORMAN TABERNACLE at Salt Lake
city, is an oblong, $50 feet in length by
$50 in breadth, and was first opened for
worship in 1867. From the ground rise
forty-six pillars of red cut sandstone to
the heighth of twenty-five feet, on which
rest the arches which support the roof,
The roof is a single oval span, eighty
five feet high. with the ceiling sixty-fve
feet above the flooring. The space be-
tween the outer and inner shells of the
roof is nine feet. The inside is very
plainly furnished-the seats and wood
work being implanted. In the west END
is very fine organ, constructed here,
second in size to none in the Union. The
entrances are on the East and West sides.
The gallery, which extends nearly around
the ediice, is not attached to the walls,
but rests upon two rows of pillars. The
entire building is capable of seating thir,
teen thousand persons. tscost was about
$3.50, 900; being built by the Norman
church from the tithing.
Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1871-09-28

AN EXTRAORDINARY SoN1NAMBULIsT.-
In Mt. Vernon, Indiana, there is an in.
teresting sold citizen" of whom Local
paper says He will attend a church and
listen to sermon, and that night he will
repeat the sermon in his sleep rerbatim
Ell Hteratim. He has been known to listen
to lectures on scientific subjects, that he
knew no more about than hog, and
would repeat the lecture in his sleep, Sc
with public speeches. He is an illlterate
man, using commonplace language, yet
when under the influence of somnambu
lism, uses the most chaste language.
Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1871-09-28

RAINY SEASON. three months
New York and the surrounding country
were visited with an unusual amount of
rain, making the season the wettest and
most variable we have had for long
time. Prof. Draper, of the Central Park
Meteorological Observatory, reports that
during the month of June there were
ten rainy days, nineteen in July, and
thirteen in August, making an aggregate
of forty-two rainy days for the three
months. The actual time during which
the rain fell in these months was nine
days, two hours, and forty-five minutes,
and the rain which fell amounted to
ISL inches. This is certainly an ex-
traordinary rainfall for this season of the
year, and more than makes up in amount
for the protracted spring drouth. As a
set-off to this excessive moisture, Michi-
gan and several of the Northwestern
States are reported to be suffering from
drouth,
Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1871-09-28
The Lazy Man.

A lazy man is always good-natured.
He never flies into passion. He might
crawl into one, if that were possible but
the idea of his flying into one is prepos-
ferrous. Who ever heard of lazy man
breaking into a bank where a crowbar
had to be used, or drilling into safe
Not but that he might covet his neigh
boris goods contained therein, but the
horror of handling crowbar and drills
would always deter him from actually
committing burglary. He never runs
away with his neighbours wife, simply on
account 1.-THE horror he has of running.
If he is ever known to run, it is to-run
to seed. He rarely lies about his neigh
bors, for it would be too much exertion
but he lies about bar room all day. He
is of inestimable service to a billiard.
saloon, keeping the chairs warm and
watching the game, for few would care
to play where there are no spectators.
The fact that he does this without pay,
day in, day out, shows the unselfishness
of his nature. The lazy man never gets
up revolutions, Instructions, and other
popular excitements, and don't make O
nuisance of himself by training around
the country making incendiary speeches
to promote public discomfort. In his
own neighborhood he is never busybody
in other peoples affairs, for the very idea
of being busybody at anything would
drive him out of his head. No lazy mar
ever ran mad. If he went crazy, it was
because he couldn't go anywhere else
without walking. Lazy men don't dis.
turb the quiet Of peaceful neighbors by
putting up factories, furnaces, and Other
denominations. Exchange.
Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1871-09-28

DECIDED. The Paris GauloiS gives, in
a paragraph signed Gun Domino" the
following anecdote about Sir Walter
Scott "When the celebrated romancer
had finished Quentin Durward, he
offered the youngest of his daughters, on
whom he had not yet settled a dowry,
CA, 900 or his last novel. Miss Scott re-
piled, blushing, that before taking a
resolution on the subject, she wished to
read the manuscript. Hardly had she
received it before she ran to her fathers
bookseller, who Immediately gave GA, 800
for the novel. The young lady returned
to the house enchanted, and said to her
father, blushing, that she preferred the
novel to $4,000, and the poor man, Gre
dulous as poets and fathers are, wept
with emotion in the arms of his daughter,
who blushed anew"
Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1871-09-28

The casualties in the mines Of Schuyl-
kill County for nine months of 1869
were 81 killed and 81 injured, or at the
rate say of r. killed for the year and 1l5
injured. This was an average of 81, 800
tons for each death, and 42,400 for each
person wounded. In 1870 the casualties
in the three districts were as follows:
Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1871-09-28

FIGHT BETWEEN GUESTS AND WATERS.
The united railway directors of Ger
many met recently at Berlin, and having
completed their deliberations, gave
themselves grand dinner. Long before
the guests had become merry with wine,
the walters exhibited an hilarity at vari-
ance with their natural occurrences, and
the waiting became somewhat slack, if
not grotesquc. In shcrt, the guests were
not seated many minutes when it became
but too patent that the whole waiting
peySounel was dead drunk. But instead
of temporizing with the merry crew until
they had quietly been got away, one of
the railway magnates, accustomed to rule,
violently demonstrated with one Of the
worst offenders, and the latter answered
by terrific box on the directors ear.
This scandal, of course, WAS not to be
borne the whole company arose like
one man, crying for vengeance, while
the rebellious walters took their daring
colleagues part Blows fell thick and
fast, and the skirmish was not termi-
mated until posse of constables came
to rescue the millionaires from the host
of walters.
Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1871-09-28

III ET1S1HH1, III ToOJ, tHU HVCTHgV on
casualties was one death to 81, 226 tons
of coal raised. In the worst district the
average was one to As, 900 tons.
Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1871-09-28

Nor So FUNNY.-The other day one
j. w. Ashburn called at telegraph of
flee in Portland, Me-, and sent an inno-
cent dispatch of inquiry about his wife
to Halifax. An hour later the worthy
Collector of the Port was astounded at
the receipt of a telegram from Halifax
which read, "To I. Washburn, Port
land: Your wife sailed for Liverpool
Yesterday with young man "
Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1871-09-28

A SINGULAR STORY. On the authority
of two persons of veracity, cores
pondcnt of the Albany Journal tells
this "They saw wasp riding on q
green worm one and half inches long.
How far he had ridden they did not
know but after they saw him, they
watched him until he had ridden all Of
twenty-five feet. Occasionally the worm
would stop, lie motionless as though he
was dead, when the wasp, after a
little while, would spur him up, and then
the worm would go on. The wasp would
keep the worm in as direct course as
he could. After q while the worm stop
ped, and the wasp dismounted and
quickly ran and removed little stone
or piece of ground about two inches
from where the worm lay, and then
Selling the worm by the head drew it
into the hole. Presently the wasp came
out, put or the gravel top over the hole,
covered the stone over, and seemed to
be getting ready to fly, when they killed
him, and then dug down about two
inches and dug out the worm, which was
dead
Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1871-09-28

A BOY in Philadelphia, playing with a
gun, shot and fatally wounded his sister,
a girl sixteen years old.
Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1871-09-28

Frogs steal honey from the bee hives
in Jamaica, West Indies.
Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1871-09-28

NEEDLE WoRK.-A very ingenious
method Of reforming needle work-styled
photographic embroidery-has been in
vented by an English mechanic, and the
affair is altogether curious device. A
number of jointed frames are employed,
each carrying tambouring or sewing APP
paratus. They are so arranged and con-
nected together that the needles they
carry may be made to traverse in any
direction over the surfaces of the fabrics
to be embroidered and that the move
ments of the several needles shall be
simultaneous and similar The needle
frames are also connected with a penta-
graph having tracing point capable of
being led by the workman over the lines
of pattern which it is desired to copy,
and when this is done the needles will
each travel in and work along a path
similar to that passed over by the trac-
ing point. Thus each needle will pro-
duce embroidery resembling the pattern,
though not necessarily of the same size (;
usually it is preferred that the pattern
should be on somewhat larger scale
than the work that is accomplished by
its means.
Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1871-09-28
A from beautiful maidens, and

inquired il he wrote ii or who?
There were raptures of praises from writer's, Of
the smooth and melfiuous school,
And one of his rivals last papers, informing
him he was fool;
There were several long resolutions, with
names telling whom they were by,
Canonzng some harmless old brother who
had done nothing worse than to die
There were traps on that table to catch him,
and serpents to sting and smite him.
There were gift enterprises to sell him, and
bitters attempting to bite him;
There were long, staring "ads" from the city,
and money with never one,
Which added, "Please give this insertion, and
send in your bill when you're DONE"
There were letters from organiaations-thei
meetings, their wants and their laws
Which said "Can you print this announcement
for-the good of our glorious cause"
There were tickets inviting his presence to fcs-
tivals, parties and shows,
Wrapped in notes, with "Pease give us no.
tice, demurely slipped in at the close
In short, as his eye took the table, and ran DER
its ink-spattered trash,
There was nothing it did not encounter; cx-
cepting, perhaps-it was Cash.
The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1871-09-02
Letter from Saratoga, N. Y.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N. Y, |

August %, 1871.
EDITORS UN1oN:-For two weeks Saratoga has been
very crowded and very gay with its visitors
1t is said tina. there were never so many visitors here
at any season previous to this The Grand Union
Hotel has had many 1870 guests at time. It
requires three thousand chickens per day to supply the
Union and Congress Hotels. The wine bill at the Con-
gress Hotel table for day has been upwards of fifteen
hundred dollars, besides what was drunk at the bar.
Last year the wine bill at the Union averaged one
thousand dollars PER day for one hundred and twelve
days, besides other spirits which amounted to about
forty thousand dollars more The amount this season
has doubt exceeded that Of last year. Most Of the
hotels and hundreds of private boarding houses have
been filled to overlooking.
1t is reported that several large new hotels will be
erected before the next season. 1t is estimated that
from twenty to twenty thousand visitors have been
here at one time, and that over one hundred thousand
people come here during the season. Multitudes
departing and are arriving every day.
Real estate here advances at the rate of ten per cent
every year. Many beautiful private residences are in
course of erection. Hon. Fernando Wood has pur-
purchased lot of ground on Broadway at a cost of
over twenty thousand dollars, upon which magnih-
cent residence will be erected before next summer
Carriages and omnibuses constantly running to the
Geyser or Spouting Spring one and ahalf miles dis
tan to Saratoga Lake, four miles distant on beauti-
full macadamzed avenue to the White Sulphur Spring,
and ahaf miles distant where there is large bath
house establishment for ladies and gentlemen the water
at any temperature desirable, and to Glen Mitchell.
about mile up Broadway, where there is fine hotel
and trotting race course.
new spring has just been opened on Philadelphia
street, called the New Congress Putnam" Hops and
masquerade balls are all the go every evening.
Some persons say that the firing, knew how the races
would go before the running, as some of them had
whispered it in the morning, and as the pools sold five
to one in favor of Longellow, the rng" made all the
money when he was defeated.
Prominent among the Baltimore visitors here are
John S. Cuttings and s. II. Taggart at Congress Hall
John K. KelsO and Geo. N. Keerl and family at the
Grand Union, and the Hon. john W. Garrett, at the
Clai endon.
1t is said that mammas and others not over-hush in
funds, borrow money and hire jewels to make their
q Ofr' f0 adv ntapn q he
chops and balls Five to ten dollars per day for hotel
fare requires some Funds" N.
The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1871-09-02

LUxURIEs.-A snug marble building in City
Hall Park, New York. OF moderate size and capa-
city, for the accommodation of the county Off
GERS and courts-the city and county being under
one jurisdiction-has cost the taxpayers of the
American metropolis neat little sum within he
last two years for REPAIRS &C. For repairs by
carpenters 81, 1913, O24 80 have been paid These
carpenter repairs have been done to an edfice Of
stone For carpets, shades and blinds for this
edifce, New York has paid S673, 1852 40 in two
years These carpets were furnished for floors Of
marble For repairs and altering plastering ST.
294, 684.13 have been paid And these repairs
have been put on building not yet finished
The chairs alone that have been paid for to fur
nsh this building could scarcely he stored in it
and would make row. each chair touching,
seventeen miles long Gas fixtures enough to have
Illuminated Berlin at the Prussan jubilee, have
been paid for the bill aggregating $749, 224.8l !!
This in two years The entire cost Of these
repairs for two years was Sc, 997, 1913 "a This is
Democratic economy under the dominion
of the Tammany sachems. These are luxu-
ries that the people of New York are made to
support and these the rulers whose power they
are destined to feel for some time to come.