davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1872-07-03
A Parents PRAYER.

At this hushed hour, when all my children Sleep
Here in thy presence, gracious God, kneel,
And while the tears of gratitude weep,
Would pour the prayer which gratitude must ieei
Parental love- set thy holy seal
On these soft hearts, which thou to me hast sent,
Repel temptation, guard their better veal,
BE thy pure Spirit TO their frailty lent;
And lead them in the path their infant saviour went,
ask not for them eminence or wealth,
For these, in Wsdom's view, are tri1ing toys
But occupation, competence and health,
Thy love, thy presence, and the lasting joys
That now therefrom; the passion which employ
The breasts ofholy men, and thus TO be
From all that taints, darkens destroys
The strength of principle, forever free
This is the better boon, God, ask of thee.
This world, know, IS but narrow bridge,
And treacherous waters roar and foam below
With feeble feet we walk the wooden ridge,
Which creaks and shakes beneath US as we go
Some fall by accident, and thousands throw,
Their bodies headIoug ia the hungry stream
Some sink by secret means, and never know
The hand which struck them in their transient dream
Till wisdom wakes in death, and in despair they
scream.
fthese soft feet, which no,s these feathers press
Are doomed the path Of ruin soon tread,
II vice conceard, on her unspotted dress,
Is soon TO turn 20 her polluted bed
If thy foreseeing eye discerns thread
Of sable guilt impelling their doom,
spare them not-in mercy strike them dead,
Prepare for them an early welcome tomb
Nor for eternal blight ut my false blossoms bloom
But if some useful path before them lie,
Where they may walk obedient 70 thy Laws.
Though never basking 10 ambitions eye,
And pamper'd never with the orld's applause,
Active, yet humble, vrtuous too, the cause
ttFr trrs
still following where Thy perfect spirit draws.
Releasing others from the bands Of he'll
II this be life, then let them longer live, 'us well.
And teach me, Power supreme, in their green days
With meekest skill thy lesson to impart,
To shun the harlot. and 70 show the maze
Through which hefhoneyed accents reached the
heart;
Help them o learn without the bitter smart
OF sad experience, vices To decline;
From treachery, falsehood, knavery may they start
A from a hidden snake from woman, wine,
From an the guilty scenes with which such snarc-
combine
How son they sleep, what innocent repose
Rests on their eyc-, from older sorrows free
sweet babes, the curtain ! would not unclose,
Which wraps the future from their minds and me
But heavenly Father, leaving them with thee.-
Whether high or low may bc their lot,
or early death OF lIie await them,-bc
Their Guardian saviour, Guide, aud bless the spot
Where they shall live Or die, 'tiu death. f5r-4ke
them not.
/ Though persecution arches DER them spread,
/ or sickness undermine, consuming slow,
Though they should lead the life their saviour Tel.
And his deep poverty be doomed 20 know.
Whatever thou shalt order, let them 90;
/ give them up % thee, they are not mine.
/ And could call the swiile-t winds 90 blow,
~ rfsa
Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1872-07-03

the sun would become as unwieldy as an
or rathar would be crushed by
her own weight Her airy head alone
woDld weigh as much as a stout man. near
ly two hundred and fifty pounds.
The intensity of the suns temperature
may be deduced from the most elementary
principles of the science of heat. Many
attempts have been made to reduce it to
an exact measure but although the ex-
periments are simple and uniform in their
results, we can place little confidence in
the numerical conclusions. But while the
temperature Of the sun IS uncertain, the
quantity of heat emitted can be determin-
ed with considerable accuracy. The meth
DDS are various, but the principle Is the
same. They are all based upon the
measurement of the elevation of temper
ature produced in given quantity ofwate r
by the action of a sunbeam of known d.
ameter in a measured sime. By expert
ments of this kind at the Cape of Good
Hope, Sir ohm Herschel discovered that
the heat received by the surface of the
earth from the sut.-in the zenith would be
sufficient to melt layer of ice one inch
thick in about two hours and twelve min
utes. But as no more heat falls upon the
earth than upon any other surface of equal
size at the same distance, it follows that if
the sun were surrounded by a complete
shell of ice having the same diameter as
the earth's orbit, ard one inch thick. ii
would all be melted in the same time. The
same result in substance has been arrived
at bv several observers. Christian Tatelli-
qencer.
Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1872-07-03

IHE CORAL TBADE-We fud the fol
lowing interesting facts concerning the
traffic Ia the Pail NAL Gazette
Coral Is found in more or less abuu-
dance along the coasts Of the Regency oi
i IuuI>, Algeria, and the Mediterranean
shores Of Morocco, a well as the neigh
! borhOod Of SARDINIA, Naples, Leghorn and
/ Geneva, and the coasts OF Catalonia and
! Provence. Between Bona and Biserta
there are certain banks rich ia the product
which are regularly trequented by the
cora. boats. There are also many Others
I banks well known 10 the fishermen at from
fifteen to twenty miles from the mainland
I but those furnishing the best quality OF
/ coral are Of tue island 0, GalIta Ii grows
/ on ROCKS embedded ia the mud. and never
on those IyIng on sandy and clear bottoms
/ The coral found on tue Barbary coasts is
| principally red, but black aud White, as
well as the much-prized pink, also exist.
/ The latter Kind Is most frequently obtain
ed on the Gallta and Erate.l rock banks.
The price of coral varies from lis 70 II
Is. the pound but the light pink or rose
colored coral. being extremely scarce and
IN great demand. Is often sold for fifty
times Its weight in gold Coral is chief y
worked into articles Of ieweIry and beads
at Tore del Greco, LeghOrn aud Genoa.
Formerly MarSei,les was a center for its
manufacture, but now not more than three
hundred OF four hundred workmen are
employed on il AZ that port Europe
takes comparatively small share of the
yearly supply OF coral, the South American
states, the interior of Africa, the East
Indies, China and Japan being the best
markets for it, The dredgo by which coral
Is collected Is formed OF two pieces OF
olive wood each about SIX and one-half
feet long, firmly nailed and lashed to-
gether crosSWiSe, q weight, generally
stone of fifteen pounds or twenty pounds,
being attached at the point of iunctuTe.
Tne crosswoods are suspended with a kind
Of net made of hempen ropes, apparently
unrayeiled. and forming branches resem-
bling ship swahs From sixteen to twenty
of these nets hang round the woodwork,
four or five others being attached to long
rope trailing from the center weight. while
u third rope with nets is fixed to one Of the
extremitIes OF the cross. The tow Inc Is
tied TO the center OF the dredge, which Is
dragged along the bottom of the sea, the
boat being either under oars OF sail. When
the dredge is felt to have become fixed to
a rock the boat is brought Immediately
over the spot, and the dredge IS hauled up
to a certain height, by hand in the small,
and by capstan on the large craft, and
then allowed to fall again on the rock, and
so on until it Is perceived that the nets
and cordage have lost their hold when the
whole apparatus is drawn on board and.
cleared OF whatever pieces of coral may
nave been broken off the rock and become
entangIed in It.
Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1872-07-03

MANAGEABLE BALLooN.-The advocates
of the possibility of utilizing the balloon
for the everyday purposes of life have been
greatly encouraged by the result of a
series of experiments lately made in Paris
by NJ. Dupuy de LONE, and recently com
municated to the Academy of Sciences.
This gentleman is an eminent French en-
gineer, and well acquainted with both the
theory and practice of his profession and
his attention was especially called, during
the seige of Paris, to the Importance Of
having a balloon which possessed some
power of steerage.
He has completed the first construction
according to his new plan, and made, as
he claims, entirely successful experiments
with it, The balloon is in the shape of an
enormous egg, the longer axis horizontal,
with an oblong car suspended from it.
The total length is lis feet, and its dame
ter at the point Of greatest circumference
40 feet. The rudder by which the balloon
is steered is a plain triangular surface,
made deofunvarnishedc calico, and so construct
ed az to turn easily on its forward extrem-
ity. The car is of wicker work, containing
windlass for the screw, eight men to
manage it, and is capable of carrying
fourteen persons.
The rudder Is fixed to the balloon itself,
and the screw is below it and Immediately
attached to the car, and having only two
blades, so that when the ground is touched
they can be placed horizontally to escape
injury. The windlass which turns the
screw is worked by four to eight men.
The envelope of the balloon is composed
Of white silk
The constructor does not pretend to be
able TO make a direct movement against
the wind, but only to deviate from its
direct set when running before it. He
expects to be able to tack to the right or
left, but does not hope to be able to beat
to the windward There is a second bal
loon attachment to the bottom of the main
balloon, forming kind OF compartment,
occupying about one-tenth Of the cubic
space Of the balloon, and serving to keep
it stiff and of the required shape.
In the experimental trip of NJ. De LONE
half gale was blowing, and the result
answered entirely to his expectations.
The screw drove the balloon about five
miles an hour quicker than the wind was
blowing, and by the use Of the rudder the
course Of the balloon could be altered
eleven degrees, either way, from the set Of
the wind.-EdHor's Scientific Record in
Harper Magazine for July.
Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1872-07-03

FREARs or a PANrHEB.-A disagreeable
incident seems to have in some degree in
terfered with the comfort of three hundred
passengers on board the vessel GIenaTvney,
ouits voyage TO Calcutta. One night, when
they were slumbering tween decks in the
Straits of Malaeca, they were disturbed
bv the gambols Of a black panther, who
had escaped from a cage in which it was
confined, and amused itself by making
springs over their PROSTATE bodies Their
screams having attracted attention, every
available means of exit were thrown open
and all the passengers reached the deck IN
safety. One man alone appeared to have
suffered from the claws of the animal,
large strip of skin and flesh being torn off
his back. As the panther could not be
found, it was concluded that he must have
Jumped out of the port into the sea, and
the next evening the passengers settled
down in their quarters as before. During
the night. however, the panther turned up
again. Some boatswain's stores being re-
auired from forward, one Of the Chinese
lascars was sent down to get them, when he
presently returned, exclaiming in trembling
accents. " Tiger gottee down there 2" The
CAPTAIN. determined to stand no further
nonsense, Immediately sent for his breech
loading rife and cartridges and went
down the hatch by himself, and ordered
it to be closed after him, for fear the beast
should again get on deck, and cause further
annoyance and alarm to the passengers.
On reaching the deck of the store-room
and looking around, the large, yellow-lit
eyes of the animal glared down on him
from the top of some spars slowed along
the ships side Taking advantage of the
dim light admitted by the port, the cap
tain took a steady aim at what he cOnsid-
cred the center of the animals body, and
fred. Still the yellow eyes glared on, un-
til a second shot being fred, the panther,
measuring seven feet eight inches in length,
rolled dead at the captains feet, to his
grea. relief, and, no doubt, that of his
passengers also,-APpleton's Journal
Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1872-07-03

A PERmoUs PosITIoN.-A Man N THE
JAWS OF A LION.-Lengel, the lion tanner,
has achieved notoriety by the number of
times he has suffered laceration by the
claws and teeth of Gagged animals lie was
at Portage City, Minn., few days ago,
exhibitingi his " lion tanning" abilities in
a circus. One Of his cages contained three
partially tanned brutes, two lionesses and
lion. He had found, contrary to usual
experience, that the male lion was the
most crafty Of the three, and on two occa-
sions before the one at Portage City, he
had detected this huge fellow in the act of
sneaking up to seize his leg. During the
afternoon exhibition at Portage City the
tanner was going through his usual perform
ance IN this cage, with two men stationed
outside with iron rods between the bars of
the cage to assist, if necessary, IN warding
offattack. The lion had somewhat puzzled
him, as manifesting different nature from
that of any with which he had dealt, and
for that reason he kept his eye upon him !;
but al one point be was obliged to turn
and face the two lionesses as they passed
him, leaving the lion to be watched by the
attendants But the attendants failed to
see the monster sneak along the floor
The audience were watching more closely.
the danger was seen, and a cry of alarm
was raised, but it was too late, the monster 5
laws had closed on the calf of Lengel's
right leg the teeth met, and Lengel fell to
the floor Of the cage. His club few from
his hand as he fell, and was beyond his
reach; The moment was one Of terrible
suspense ; the spectators were terrified, and
the two attendants paralyzed at the result
of their carelessness. But Lengel's pres
ence Of mind did not desert him. The
lion, even in his rage, could not forget the
power of his fallen antagonist and loosen
ed his hold for moment, and before the
lioness could gather for an attack, the
tanner was on his feet, seized bis whip and
attacked his foe. lashing him into the cor
ner. Leaving the cage Lengel walked to
his dressing box, across the ring, where
he sank faint from the loss of blood 1t
was found that no bones were broken, but
the wounds were 50 large ard deep that
the surgeon who dressed them prObed them
with his finger and failed TO touch the end.
Lengel has been FIVE times before bit
ten by his pets, and shows a SCARED body,
but in every case before his wounds have
been from lionesses. This, he thinks, is
the second case in which he has been in
tentionally bitten, the other four being
accidents when in their snarls among them
selves, they have seized him by mistake.
Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1872-07-03
SnOn@e Fishing.

From the account given by Nice-Consul
Green of the Tunisian sponge fishery IN
his report to the Foreign Office, which has
lately been issued, it would seem that to
fish for sponges requires as much if not
more skill than to fish for salmon. The
sponge fishery is most actively carried on
during the three months Of December,
January and February, for at other sea
sons the places where the sponges exist
are overgrowD with seaweeds. The storms
during November and December destroy
and sweep away the thick marine vegeta-
tion and leave the sponges exposed to view.
The fishery is divided into two seasons,
namely, summer and winter the former
commencing in March and ending in No
vember, and the latter as noted above.
But the collection Of sponges is not very
productive in summer, and it is confined
to the operations carried on with diving
apparatus, which can only be used on
rocky and iirm-bottomed places, or to the
success of native fishermen, who wade
along the shores and feel for sponges with
their feet among the masses Of seaweed
The sponges thus collected by the Arabs
are also of an inferior quality, owing tc
the small depth of water in which they
have grown As, nevertheess, calm wealth
er and a smooth sea ere essential for the
success Of the fishermen, the winter season
although lasting three months, does not
generally afford more than torty-fve work
ing days. The Arab inhabitants OF the
Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1872-07-03

The SUN.-Less than twenty Years ago
there was an error Of more than three per
cent in the universally received computa-
tion Of the suns distance. The number
was then stated to be about ninety-fve
millions Of of miles, but it is actually less
than ninety-two. This is the average dis
tance, although the sun is three millions
OF miles nearer on the first of January
than on the first of June Still there is a
large margin of possible error, perhaps
half n million OF miles one way or the
other. Hence astronomers are looking
forward with great interest to the transit
of Venus in 1874 and 1882 a. the means
of adding to the precision of our knoWl-
edge on the subject.
The mass of the sun, in weight, Is about
325,O00 times as much as the earth. But
as it is I, $50 600 times as bulky, it
follows that bulk for bulk, it is as much
lighter taan the earth; that Is to say,
say, its density Is only about one quarter
that Of the earth, and about one aud half
times that of water. Hence the solar
gravity, or the force which attracts bodies
to the surface Of the sun Is nearly twenty
eight times rs great terrestrial gravity.
A weight let fall on the earth drops about
sixteen feet in the first second, on the sun
it would fall four hundred aud fifty feet.
The ponderous swing of the pendulum of
an astronomical clock would at the sun
become quiver more rapid than the vi
bration of the most delicate watch balance.
A lady whose 1.-the form would here weigh
hardly one hundred pounds, if carried to
Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1872-07-03

coast, Greeks, principally from Kranidi,
near Nauplia (Napoli de Roumania,) and
Sicilians, are chiefly employed in the sponge
fishery; the Greeks, however, being the
most expert fishermen, while the Arabs are
the least skillful. SPonges are either OBJ
tanned by spearing with trident, diving
with or without the assistance of an appa-
ratus, and by dredging with a machine
somewhat similar to an oyster dredge. The
Arab fishermen, principally natives of
Markenah and Jerbah, employ boats called
sandals, manned by four to seven persons,
one OF whom only Is the harpO0ner or
spearman, while the others manage the
sails, &c. The spearman watches for the
sponges from the bows of the sandal, and
the boat is luffed round on his perceiying
one, so as to enable him to strike it. Toe
depth Of the sea in which the Arabs fish Is
from fifteen feet to thirty-fve feet. Al
though the Greeks are most expert divers,
the majority Of them use the spear. They
employ small and light boats, Just sufficient
to carry a spearman and an oarsman. The
boat Is rowed gently along, while the spear
man searches the bottom of the sea hy
means of tin tube of fourteen inches in
diameter by nineteen inches in length, at
one end of which is placed thick sheet OF
glass This tube is slightly immersed in
the water, and enables the fisherman TO
view the bottom uniisturbed by the oscil
lations Of the surface The spears used
by the Greeks are shorter than those en-
pioyod by the native aud Sicilians, but
with wonderful adroitness they are enabled
TO reach sponges covered By sixty feet of
water. They hold in their hands from
three to four spears, and dart them 50
quickly and wiki such precision, one after
the other, that before the first has time 10
disappear under the surface the second
strikes its upper extremity, and thus gives
it additional impetus to reach the sponge
aimed at The SiciIians. also, fish with a
spear and in small rowing boats, but DO
not understand the employment Of the
tube, and have not acquired the knack Of
the Greeks IN using three or four spears
they consequently seldom secure an equal
quantity OF sponges. although they are
always more successful than the Arabs
The produce OF the fishery Is, it IS stated
susceptible of considerable augmentation
bv an increase in the number of fishermen,
and a new sponge Is reproduced within a
year wherever one has been removed
Pal Nal Ga-ette
Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1872-07-03

THE STRENGTH OF THE LAw.-You have
thousands of readers writes a correspon-
dent at Nashville, Tennesseel who appre-
ciate a good thing at the expense even OF
that " bulwark of our liberties" the trial
by jury. The Hon. N B, for
many years before the war, and at present,
our highly respected circuit Judge, while
perhaps as good a aiSi priLS Judge as has
ever worn the judicial ermine, is at the
same time one of the most genial of men,
No one enjoys or can tell good story bet.
ter than he. This one think well worthy
preservation IN your treasury of good
things, the Editors Drawer. Not many
years ago, the Judge says, a man was on
trial at Waynesborough, in this State, on
charge of murder. The evidence for
the State in-of itself fatally detective
the defendant on his part, by the testimony
of several unimpeachable witnesses, estab-
lished perfect " alibi" The Judge and
every one else supposed the prosecuting
attorney would thereupon give up the
case. But no; he was an obstinate fel-
low, whom the Defendants counsel had
made mad, and, moreover, he had no use
for the defendant any way, and argue
the case he would. Court adjourned till
the next morning. Meanwhile our attor-
ney-general spent good portion of the
night in ransacking the books for ' bloody
cases. more especially those in which the
judges had INDUCED in a vast deal of rhet-
oric in their descriptions of the horrible
nature of the crime of murder. These
extracts he read to the jury in his speech
/ the next morning, quoting also freely from
the Old Testament as to the proper dispo-
sition to be made of the murderer, and
closed up in perfect confagration of Eng
7 lish adjectives in giving his own notions as
to the Undesirable heinouSneSs of the
crime of murder. The Court then charged
the jury briefly, who, after few moments
retirement, brought in a verdict of " Guilty
of murder in the first degree!" OF course
/ a new trial was at once granted. Defend
+ ants counsel, however, was naturally curl
Gus to know how the jury could have found
that verdict, and so, walking up to one of
the most intelligent Of the twelve, be said
to him, " How on earth did you find that
verdict on what eUidence did you base
|it2"
oh said the iuryman; " thar want
nothing in the erldeace that tecbed him
but. you see, tie lq1c 1Cas so-strong :"
/ I-Editor's Dralcer az Harper's Magazine
+ for JuHe.
Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1872-07-03
atli5tellanu.
Tnlckeray. the Snowman.


Years ag1. when Ihaekeray was deliver,
tb.- o..lres on Inc Georges ana
,-4 Llz.s1 Us a'i1 iiu'iio' -,
--.- audiences IN southern city nc asked asked
1-tr-l l-aei A.e--ly i,ah "D4' 0u.''.e
O.. success t-.-1 "Vl.o ~ ~
-as- ..-v Tot many miles aist@ ut
freshly dom know, VT. nAcAeIay'
so. r-a re.oaieT- ! never suooee1'u
-s Bat i -m nobody anu you are
.-ss. sla # seems to me yol ougal 70
-l. s-ers. Nl..' 1 clluO. cons.
srt.4 aiF'-e y1l 10 'A3S' 'u' .l.Iip -..I'pp 2.
a-u.-.- possibly Jam, ana lay ,lo IAN
A.-at --e 41'i5ol1olr ~ 41-oI
Perhaps i YOU we're 10 HliA1 sP9o'4i
G-. .auglallel OF the O''' aHI iii'7'
i..r.rE rLr-- VI two or more oI your
series yll might drl" ''.a.ao.y So
house. b-' "- H'-
ching
Ta-l,el4g thought gus H4--1i O'1i'
eer--1 --- ---1---9a. Ha-- 49, ,- ~.
pound e---Ie- a-'efti-sl- ''-'
town. and went over
On h5s return hi friend met ana a.. 'he
slrs. -nl. aI-eF ne Usual =L15.-ns S'i,i'
w Ell -'i' NO." u..' y W '-iiA'
On -.'1 -NaeAeIay me-
I'VE been paying tue lioaii'oOAuA -oI
I1ence.
" hai 40 you mean W tl41 /,
lle LISat' you Know was "Ie'CHed
--- iac -l-.en55 was 'u'u, Hot aoo'e
.A't f-' az 49, i-'-' -.
-' I n. q -,.'1-l- - - 80, ~