Semi-weekly Louisianian. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1871-1872, 1871-11-26
Interesting Items.

TaE CoSN One Of The most
s'cred privileges Of a compositor ON |
a morning newspaper, 'sed one in
the exercise of which he is seldom !
interrupted by the proof-reader, is
the use of the comma There nre ,
some printers who are not addicted /,
TO the Comma, and who do not
space Iheir lines With It; but no
reader ought to que don their right
to do so. When it becomes reces-
sary to announce that 3,ar. John
Smith has always been a good
Democrat" 3 few ccmmes make
the expression read "Mr. John
Smith, has, always, been q good
Democrat" are ornamental and
never do any linn. There seems to
he IN insane prejudice against
overworking the comma, but time
will probably soften this feeling.
Louisville Journal.
DIFFERENT KIND OF REArISa.-
Keep your view Of men aud things
extensive. and depend upon it that
a mixed knowledge is not q super
fcia2 one. AS fer as it goes, the
views that it gives are true but he
who reads deeply in one class Of
writer's only, gets views which are
almost sure to be perverted, and
which are not oa)y narrow, but
false. Adjust your proposed amount
of reading to your time and in
clination-this is perfectly free to
every man but whether that
amount be large or small, Let it be
varied in its kind, and widely varied.
If / have confident opinion on any
one poin. connected with the im-
provement of the human mind and
faculties, it is on this.-Dr. Arnol".
SOME PCMpE1Ns.-Our old and re-
spected colored friend, Robert Hew-
let, called on us the other day to
view eighteen pumpkins raised Oh
his patch of ground within the cor
porate limits OF the town of St.
Francisville, which weigh S47i lbs.
The heaviest weighed 76i lbs, and
measured 81 inches around. Hor-
ace Greedy, make a note of this,
and when You lecture upon what
you know about farming, please
remember that the soil in West
Feliciana is better than that of your
Chippewa farn.-Fe'iciana RrpuJ-
l,can.
%The following comparative
statements concerning the two great
tunnels of the world are interesting
Mont Gents Tunnel-length, IL, 235
meters, or nearly eight miles; width,
26 feet s inches; height, 20 feet;
cost, sl3,0CO,OOO; time occupied i'll
construction, nine years; number Of
workmen employed, about 2OOO
Hoosic Tunnel-length. 26,O61 feet,
or nearly five miles; width, 81 feet;
height, 81 feet; cost, about $9,OCC,-
OC0; time Of construction, when
completed, nearly twenty years;
number of workmen employed,
about 700 at present, but much less
during most Of tho time the work
has been prosecuted. There is
every reason to Eel'eve that the
Hoosic Tunnel will be completed
before March Is, 1S74-the date
named in the contract.
kg Chicago is not burned up.
While $4,000 houses have been
swept away, $4,000 vet remain ; and
while $4,000 persons have been
rendered homeless, an immense city
OF 245,0OO persons has not been
disturbed. The whole of the i'm.
mense area of tho West Division
with its miles of dwelling houses
stores, school-houscs. churches, and
manufactures, is almost intact
while upon the South Side grea,
many fine residences yet remain
with splendid business blocks
churches, and innumerable manu-.
featuring establishments
~The law which forbids on,
foreign ministers wearing the dress
exactedby court etiquette has caused
no little embarrassment. Mr.. Adams
used to apologize for bis absence on
state occasions by saying that Sun
avoidable circumstances" kept him
away. This led the London public
to nickname black trovaera "nn.