Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1872-11-02
miscellaneous Items,

A boy being asked what name was given to
residents Of the United States, promptly an
swered: "TaX payers"
A New York manager advertises a new play
by letting loose from the roof Of his theatre sew
eral thousand toy balloons, with a circular de-
scribing the play attached TO each.
A little Nashville boy was asked few days
since how old he was, to which he responded:
'Well, sir, Pm mighty old; Pm four years old,
sir"
The centenary of the death of Linneus, the
Swedish naturalist, will be celebrated at Stock
holm on the 10th Of January, 1873, when a statue
of him will be unveiled.
A poor but honest young lady, who earns
living by working on hoop skirts, in reply to an
enquiry, stated that she had spent the summer
cat the springs"
At fashionable balls now days, the dresses
are worn so long that they are literally on the
floor, leaving little room for gentemen's feet.
The customary railroad caution about not step
ping upon trains while in motion must here be
strictly observed.
The mandarinS of Hanchow China, have is
sued orders for the arrest of all natives who
have eyer sold land to foreigners. Most of them
have been arrested and are now in prison.
A curate in the English diocese of Peter
borough-the Rev. Peter Robson-vared the
service few Sundays ago by challenging an
agricultural laborer to fight. After good deal
of proyocation, the latter accepted, and several
rounds were executed in presence of the con-
gregation, who could not get into church. The
curate has been reported by the bench to his
bishop.
Italian newspapers, instead of fighting edi-
tor, after the Arkansas fashion, employa person
who, Tor a tritiing stipend, undertakes to be re-
sponsible in the courts for all the paper con-
tains. The VeSpa of Rome, whose freedom of
language often exceeds the bounds of deeency,
protects itself in this way and, when lately sum
moned to respond for one its indiscretions, was
represented by feeble old creature who could
scarcely read and write, and had never read
word in the paper of which he was the nominal
proprietor. For two francs week he bears the
penalties of his employers transgressions
The Buddhist and Tauist nunner.es in China,
it is said, are not the abodes of immaculate vir.
tue. On the contrary those in the province of
Iu Chang have been suppressed on the charge
OF corrupting the morals of the people, most of
the Tauist nuns managed to make their escape
in disguise, but for the Buddhist young ladies
this was not so easy, since their rule requires
their heads to be closely shaved. Some twenty
of them, from eight to twenty-six years old,
were arrested and the mandarin issued procla-
nation, calling upon their relatives to take
them home, or they would be disposed of to
any eligible persons who were willing to take
them as wives.
An ingenious plan for preventing explosions
in mines that are caused by the carelessness of
tobacco smokers, has been devised by a phi
lanthropist. Miners, he says, will smoke, like
railway travellers, whatever regulations may be
framed TO hinder Them from so doing 1t is
therefore proposed to enable them to enjoy their
pipes without danger. To effect this object,
earthenware Jars of tobacco are to be deposited
on the surface of the ground, near the pits
mouth, the smoke from which can be inhaled
through india rubber tubes running inside the
mine, Tobacco smoke is, in fact, to be laid on
10 the mine as gas and water are laid on to
houses. The jars being lighted from above, the
tobacco may be smoked in perfect safety, and
the miners will no longer be tempted to carry
luciier matches in their pockets.