davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1873-04-03
longevity.

To have good chance for longevity,
an originally good constitution-that is
a sound internal mechanism-is of i'm
mense advantage; though to this primary
excellence we must need add carefulness
In the art of living. Even philosophy
does not wear men out, unless when their
constitutions are naturally weak. Vol
taire, who, at his birth, was put into a
quart.pot, could never, by any other mode
OF life than the one he chose, have been
floated on to eighty-four; whereas no one
was surprised to see Theophrastus tod
ding about the Agora at hundred and
seven, or Democritus enjoying his last
laugh at Abdera, when time had wreath
ed his brow with the laurels of hundred
and nine years. The lives of such men.
always active, and therefore always pleas
ant, may be regarded as worth more than
a thousand years of such vapid and worth
less existence as those of the Yoghis, even
though it should be true that they some-
times reckon up two hundred anniversa-
ries of their birthdays. They do nothing
to adorn or soften human life, but instead
grovel in self-torture, and the hideous
qualification of vanity, as long as they de-
form the earth. If there be a secret of
long life, it is nature only that holds pos
session of it. Man neither knows nor can
know how it may be fabricated but
when the germ of longevity has been con-
ceived in the frame, it may either be suf-
fered to spring up, flourish. bear fruit,
and then in obedience to the hidden law
which originally gave it force, decay, and
become extinct, when that force has been
expended, or, by previously contracting
the designs of nature, be cut short of its
career, so that the vitality originally
meant to endure possibly for hundred
and eighty-five years, may at any inter-
mediate stage be forcibly quenched. Like
clocks, the machinery of our frames may
be wound up for this or that length of
time, and 60 on ticking for that period,
if left to itself; but lis no doubt possible
to put spoke in the works, and stop
them by vice or folly, whenever our mad
ness may prompt us to such deed. 1t is
within every ones experience that hun
dreds of their acquaintances, with good
chances oflongevity, have literally thrown
away their lives through sheer perversity
of conduct. They would die, and their
wish has been gratiiied.- Chambers Jour
nal
The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1873-04-03
Activity Of the Mind In Sleep.

~, Undoubted proof has been afforded that
the energy of the intellect is sometimes
greater during sleep than at other times,
and many problem, it is asserted, has
been solved in sleep which has puzzled
the waking sense. Cabanis tells us that
Franklin on several occasions mentioned
to him that he had been assisted in dreams
In the conduct of many affairs it which he
was engaged. Condillac states that while
writing his Course of Studies he was fire.
quently obliged to leave chapter incom-
plete and retire to bed, and that on awak-
ing he found it, on more than one occa-
sion, finished in his head. In like manner
Condorcet would sometimes leave his
complicated calculations unfinished, and
after retiring to rest would find their re-
suits unfolded to him in his dreams. La
Fontaine and Voltaire both Composed
verses in their sleep, which they could re-
peat on awaking. DR.. johnson relates
that he once in dream had contest of
wit with some other person, and that he
was very much mortified by imagining
that his antagonist had the better Of him,
Coleridge in a dream composed the wild
and beautiful poem of Kubla Khan, which
had been suggested to him by a passage
he had read in P1rchas's Pilgrimage be-
fore he fell asleep. On awaking he had a
distinct recollection of between 200 and 300
lines, and, taking writing materials, began
eagerly to set them down. Unfortunately
he was interrupted before quarter of the
task wa' done-was called away to attend
to some business which detained him an
hour-and found when he returned to his
writing that the remsinder had vanished
from his memory. The most remarkable
testimony of this kind is perhaps that Of
The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1873-04-03
The Disabled Cable.

THE late tidings of the silence of the
Atlantic cable of 1865, while causing tenn
porary uneasiness, ought to raise no fear
for its ultimate restoration. 1t may be
there are yet some vital lessons for the
scientific world to learn before our great
transoceanic telegraphs are secured from
interruption but every ray of light that
has been brought to bear on the feasibility
of long cables is cheering. When the cable
of 1860 was laid, it was only after it had
been subjected to crucial tests and proved
to be many times more perfect than had
been required. Sir William Thomson and
MIR. Varley, who represented the Atlantic
Company, and tested the mighty strand
as it lay coiled in the Great Eastern, re-
ported that the current of electricity pass
ed through it so fully that, "of one thou
sand parts over nine hundred and ninety
nine came out st the other end" The
galyanometer enabled its inventor, Pro-
fessor Thomson. to detect the slightest
flaw in the cable or fault in the current,
and when the first monition came that the
cu' rent was not flowing freely, the spot
in deep ocean where the injured or defect
i've piece lay was instantly fixed upon.
On this occasion, and subsequently,, when
a piece of wire not longer than a needle
was found to have been driven through
the outer cover. and as when nail driven
into the North Sea cable had destroyed its
the mischief was traced to hu-
man hands. During the Great Eastern's
voyage from Valentia, Bay exquisitely sem
sitive was the copper strand that the cleo
tricians at Valentia could tell by the in
dications on the mirror galvanometer, in
sensitive. every time the big
ship rolled. The final fracture of the ca
BILE, when the shores of newfoundland
were almost in sight, was also traced to
malicious interference with itin the ships
hold, and not to any magnetic storm,
sweeping wildly across it, with the fury
of voiceless tempest" as a London pa
per explained its silence. There are no
known difficulties in the submarine geog-
raphy itself likely to affect the cable of
1865 or any other, and we may feel conf
dent that any interruption to its working
cannot be more than temporarily. Y.
Herald
The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1873-04-03
Jury Reform.

The difficulties that surround the sys-
tenn of trial by jury are exciting more and
more the attention of English iurists.
Even so great an authority as the Attor-
ney-General, Sir John Coleridge, has
been enlisted on the side of radical reform
in that direction. He has recently intro
duced a bill to reform the procedure in
jury cases. The amendments that he pro-
poses are, we believe, too sweeping to
tind favor in conservative England. First.
he proposes in all except capital cases to
do away with the ancient twelve Jury
men, and to reduce that apostolic number
to seven. OF these seven a majority are
to determine the questions in issue; and
the trial is to 60 on even though two of
these jurors should be absent from sick
ness. Certainly this would do aWay with
the endless disagreements of juries, which
now are the cause of so much Vexation
and expense to suitors. 1t would also
greatly diminish the burden of Jury duty.
and make it unnecessary to summon the
large panels now required. On the
other hand, the opponents of the bill in
sist that it would lodge too much power
in the hands of four men, and that the
bribery of jurors would be resorted to
more frequently than at present. What
ever the fate of Sir j. Coleridge's bill, it
IS probable that at no very distant time
the method of trial by jury will be modi-
fled both in England and in this country,
at least in civil cases. By making the
agreement of ten men sufficient the Obsti-
nate or purchased twelfth juror who ap-
pears in so many cases would become an
unknown quantity 1t is undeniable,
The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1873-04-03
Proving too Much.

Walter Savage Landor used to relate an
anecdote of one of our judges. Being on
circuit, two old men were brought before
him as witnesses, and, according to Gus
tom he began to chat with them, among
other things, about their age, for the pur-
pose. of giving moral lesson to the young
barristers.
"Well, my good man." said he to the
first witness, "how old may you be?'
About eighty-seven, my lord"
~ daresay, now-you have lived very
" Yes, my lord; haven't been tipsy for
the last sixty years"
"There!" cried his lordship, turning
to the gentlemen of the bar, "you see
what fine thing sobriety is The wit
ness looks as though he would live twen-
ty years more"
The barristers nodded assent. In his
turn, another witness came forward, who
looked particularly hale and robust.
And how old are you, friend?" in
quired the judge.
"Ninety-five, my lord," was the reply.
"Ninety-five! I'll answer for it, you
have led sober life-haven't you ?''
Witness hung his head, and anwered /:
" | don't like to say afore all these gen.
tlemen."
"Never mind; speak out"
swell, then, my lord, haven't gone
to bed sober for the last seventy years"
At this his lordship looked rather blank,
and the bar smiled. The Judge then said !:
We will proceed with the case, gentle
men. n.'-Chan1bers' Journal.
The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1873-04-03
Running Mirrors.

Many fine mirrorsare spoiled, and their
owners cannot understand the reason.
The Mercantile Journal says:
1t is fact worth knowing, but which
does not seem generally understood, that
the amalgam of tin foil with mercury,
which is spread on glass plates to make
looking-glasses, is very readily crystal
lied by actinic solar rays. A mirror
hung where the sun can shine on it is
usually spoiled; it takes on granulated
appearance familiar to housekeepers,
though they may not be acquainted with
its cause. In such state the article is
nearly worthless, the continuity Of its
surface is destroyed, and it will not reflect
outlines with any approach to precision.
Care should therefore be exercised in
hanging. If any of our readers have
mirrors which appear to be spelling, it
would be well to ascertain whether the di-
rect sunlight strikes them. If thus ex-
posed, they can probably be saved from
position. The back as well as the front
must be protected. A small glass hung
in window, where the rays strike it be-
hind. is peculiarly exposed. The back
should always be covered where the
beams are likely to touch 1t.
The greatest danger to looking-glasses,
however, Is in transporting them. Very
expensive ones have been seriously in
jured by careless handling when merely
carried across a street. The men who
move furniture are seldom fully aware of
these possibilities, and need to be cau-
toned and watched. Frequently man
or boy may be seen in the street carrying
a mirror in such way that the full glare
of MONDAY sun strikes and Injuries it.
Owners of such articles would. as a rule,
be able to keep and use them much longer
if they would exercise more caution in
this regard. To re-silver a pier-glass
often costs as much as one-fifth of the
original price of the article, while the
common glass is seldom worth resilver-
ing.
1t is also well to avoid hanging a mir
ror near a stove or fireplace where the
heat radiated can reach it. If this pre-
caution is neglected, granulation is likely
to occur, even in a comparatively dark
room, by the influence of warmth instead
of light. A lamp, or gas jet, if placed too
close while burning, though it may not
crack the glass, will often bring about the
same injurious crystalization, and will
even some times cause the amalgam to
melt and run off.
The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1873-04-03
A Remarkable Slander Suit.

"A REMARKABLE slander suit brought to
recover $500,000 damages is now in pro-
gress in Lexington, Ky. In September,
1871, Jacob and Betsy Harper, brother
and sister of old John Harper, the famous
racing man, were brutally murdered in
Georgetown, fourteen miles from Lex
lngton, and rumors gained currency that
one Adam Harper, a nephew of theirs,
was implicated In the crime. Adam Har-
per accuses another member of the fami-
ly, J. Wallace Harper, ofbeing the author
OF these reports, and it is against him
that Adam has brought this slander suit.
There are two counts in the petition for
damages, and to both of them the defend-
ant sets up denial, though he declares
that he is still constrained to believe the
prosecutor guilty, and shall so continue
to believe until the latter proves to the
contrary. The plaintiff has already pro-
duced cloud of witnesses who have tes-
titled in the strongest terms to his ire
proachable character; while for the de-
tense another cloud of witnesses have
borne equally emphatic testimony to his
general worthlessnesS. But in addition
to the evidence regarding character, tes-
timony has been ELECTED which shows
that the plaintiff in the case was very per-
slstent in his attempts to foist the guilt
OF tne murder Oh Innocent negroes. 1t
is said that Betsy and Jacob Harper were
worth several hundred thousand dollars,
and that although there were money and
valuables in the house when the murder
was committed neither was touched.
while the wills of Jacob, Betsy, and John
were stolen. Adam is one of four neph-
ews who would have been the heirs of the
old people in case of their dying intestate.
and it is asserted that his name had been
omitted from the missing wills.-N. z.
Sun,
The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1873-04-03
$%
Sunshine.

DO what you can to make sunshine in
the world. Lift up the curtains. We do
not mean the curtains of the room, but
the curtains which darken the spirit of
your brother, your friend, your neigh
Dor, or even of stranger, if the curtain
strings are within your convenient reach.
Lift up the curtains, and let the sun
shine In. Light is better than darkness.
and how cheap it is ! A kind and cheer
ing word to one who is in trouble and is
perplexed, and almost discouraged: a
word of heartfelt sympathy to the af1iict-
Ell; loving word of counsel to the
young; a word of assurance to the doubt
ing; "soft word which, though it but
tiers no parsnips, turneth away wrath"
to the prejudiced and unreasonably pro-
Voked; all such words as these are sun
shine to those to whom they are spoken.
II have never found anything else so
cheap and so useful as politeness," said
an old traveller to us once. lie then went
on to state that, early in life, finding how
useful 1t was, frequently, to strangers, to
give them some information of which they
were in search, and which he possessed.
he had adopted the rule always to help
everybody he could in such little oppor-
tunltles as were constantly offering in his
travels. The result was, that out of the
merest trifles of assistance, rendered in
this way, had grown some of the pleas
antest and most valuable acquaintance
that he had ever formed.
How many great men have testified that
their whole lives have been influenced by
some single remark made to them in their
boyhod! And who cannot recall words
spoken to himself in his childhood, to
which, perhaps, the speaker attached no
Importance whatever, but which sank
deep and immovably into his memory,
and which have never lost their power
over him?
Make sunlight! the world at best is
dark enough. Do what you can to make
it more cheerful and hammer -Enchnnne
The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1873-04-03
A Jewish Legend.

ACCORDING to Jewish and Moham-
medan tradition, King Solomon, who was
wise beyond all other men, knew the Ian
guage of animals, and could talk with the
beasts of the field and the birds Of the air.
A Ra66inical story is told of him, which
is in this wise:
lone day the king rode out Of Jerusa-
lem with great retinue. An ant-hill lay
directly in his path, and Solomon heard
its little people talking.
Here comes the great king he heard
one of them say. His flatterers call him
wise, and just, and merciful, but he is
about to ride over us, and crush us with
out needing our sufferings.'
"And Solomon told the Queen of She
ba, who rode with him, what the ant
said.
"And the queen made answer, He is
an insolent creature, o king! 1t is bet
ter fate than he deserves, to be trodd n
under our feet
"But Solomon said: 1T is the part of
wisdom to learn of the lowest and weak
est And he commanded his train to
turn aside and spare the ant-hill.
Then all the courtiers marveled great
ly, and the Queen of Sheba bowed her
head and made obeisance to Solomon.
"'Now know L the secret of thy wis
dom. Thou listeneuh as patiently to the
reproaches of the humble as to the flat
terles OF the great. W Whittier.
The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1873-04-03
miscellaneous Selections.
THE REJECTION.
BY ADA RowENA cARNAuAN


BY ADA RowENA cARNAHAN.
And why do you come from your fine mansion
A Io rode suGh 81, poor cottage a,talking to me-
ruue ilttie maid in calico gown
onTShInined Thni and unettered? What Is IL Won 500
lint snould please you in me? o'
Your learning and culture have placed Won so
On ASove Hovs my my life's level, only can look
W your brightness as unto the light of n star
MAY look up some little wildsGower from its
And have none chide the look.
Bnt Bo IT. If star drop from the sky for flower,
10 you y'il,k think that no creature viii wonder or
or I'll II a. Hover fancy that it has the power
e.ihD INTO star-land, will no one deride?
let hover may have pride,
And, clothed with humility, beauty. and proco
AS SSSrenely may look in the face of star, eN'
ny say, GOd has made me as good in nv nloce
And as perfect, you in your high station arc
On! thou radiant star.'h nv
And what do l care for nv culture ), bo soia
,oo ave mat 1t may give me the power to discern
i"oe bn ,.nu 1,,ay beauty And you, though you may
VIII have learning enough to please me, if you
But my love to return.
'Por Ht, never star in the heavens am /,
mi But man; If to culture and wealth was horn
'Ie walls hai OF my mansion, so bare and so high,
"A ma ndve tsy you, my pretty wild-rose, to adorn,
hhu lTull over IN SCOrn.''
- rose! / did well when spake Of n novor
soor mat tnat rs what women must still be to mem;
sc9Uveteu, gathered, and treasured an hour
LEI Iail IN the dust, to be trampled on then
by the feet of all men!
And you-though think you would hold mo
some higher ~ ' ii'e
Annire "A, me because am graceful and fair
ANA SO would uproot and tran splant mo nriiro
On the walls of your home would have for
my share, ''' ioi
But to shine and to bear
And having done these well Iwould have done
And you, you would give me support for your
Eor something to lean on, would give me-a wall.
n rose that is lowered with Il warm human
heart A Ai'iii'ii
Would fain lean on a heart.
Nay, then, | did i'll when l spakc of a flower.
AZ or am no Hover, but woman, my heart
my Que sole possession, and it needs no bower
but ohiy nome; space, adornment, and art
vi home are small part.
and only the love between equals is true.
II you, on level, to- day by nv side
STOOD saying, Give back the love give TO Won |
pride, -' ''4i'' my
Both would be satisfied.
could not look up were you mine, nor permit |
GU, then, to look down it is better by far
L stay in the station for which am lt
You shine in your high heaven still as a star |
1t is better by far
The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1873-04-03
The Symmes Theory of the Earth.

According to this, the earth is globular,
hollow, and open at the poles. The diam
eter OF the northern opening is about two
thousand miles, or four thousand miles
from outsideto outside. The south OPEN
ing is somewhat larger. The planes of
these openings are parallel to each other,
but form an angle of II deg. with the
equator, so that the highest part of the
north plane is directly opposite the low
est part of the south plane. The shell of
the earth is about one thousand miles
thick, and the edges of this shell at the
openings are called verges, and measure,
from the regular concavity within to the
regular convexity without, about fifteen
hur dred miles. The verges occupy about
20 deg, and if delineated on map would
show only the outer half of the verge,
while all above or farther from the equa-
tor, both north and south, would lie on
the apex and within the verge. All the
polar regions upon the present map
would be out of sight. The meridian
lines extend at right angles from the
equator to the outer edges of the verges,
and then wind around along the surface
OF the Verges, terminating at the points
directly under the highest parts of the
verges both north and south.
The line which marks the location of
Ihe apex OI lne northern verge begins at
point in Lapland about 6S deg. n. and
20 deg, E. from London on a meridian
traversing Spitzbergen, whence it passes
southwest across the Atlantic Ocean and
the southern part of Greenland, through
Hudson's Bay and over the continent to
the Pacific near Cooks Inlet, thence
across the Fox Islands, to point about
56 deg. n. and 100 deg. W., nearly south
of Behring's Straits. Then it passes over
the Pacific, crossing the south part of
hamtchatka, continuing northwest
through Siberia, entering Europe across
the Ural Mountains, in latitude about 5S
deg. N, and passing near the Arctic coast,
over the mouth of the White Sea, to the
point of starting.-Atlantic for April.
The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1873-04-03

The army register, for the current
year, shows that the commissioned por-
tion of the United States army includes
II general officers, Is acknowledgements,
s inspector-generals, 10 judge-advocates,
! chief signal-officer, SO quartermasters,
26 commissaries, l63 medical officers, 81
paymasters, l03 engineers, 81 ordnance
officers, 80 post-chaplains, 425 cavalry
officers, 274 artillery Officers, ssl infantry
officers, s professors, 293 cadets, and 297
officers retired from active service,
to the general impression, only 666, OF
less than one third of them, are graduates
of West Point.
The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1873-04-03

In regard to disagreeable and formida-
BILE things, prudence does not consist in
evasion or in flight, but in courage. He
who wishes to walk in the most peaceful
parts of life with any serenity must
screw himself up to resolution. Let him
front the object of his worst apprehen-
sion, and his stoutness will commonly
make his fear groundless.-Emerson
The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1873-04-03

THOSE of us who have fiattered our
selves that we were descendants of Dar-
wins monkeys will be plunged into gulf
of deep despair on hearing Prof. Cohn's
theory that the human race all sprung
from a yeast fungus. Prof. Cohn has
given this matter such candid considera-
ton that there can be no doubt about the
correctness of his theory. He is now
making Investigations with view of as
certaining what brewery furnished the
yeast.-Detroit Tribune.
The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1873-04-03

Sir Thomas Browne, who declared that,
If it were possible, he would prefer to
carry on his studies in his dreams, SO
much more efficient were his faculties of
mind when his body was asleep. lie
further adds that were his memory as
faithful as his reason is then fruitful, he
would prefer that season for his ]eyotions.
The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1873-04-03

The little postoffice at Rockland, Me-,
takes more foreign money orders than
New York or any other office in the coun-
try. A large number of Scotch, English
and Irish stone-cutters are employed in
the granite quarries there, who take this
mode of sending money to their families
i'm the Old World.
The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1873-04-03
RIDGWAY, PA, THURSDAY, APRIL 3, 1873.

however, that to do this would be TO over
turn a fundamental principle of English
jurisprudence which has survived the test
of many centuries ofpractical application.
IN. Y. Sun.
The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1873-04-03

ONE ounce of wahoo (winged-elm) bark,
added to quart of pure whisky and taken
in doses of one teaspoonful half an hour
after each meal, is very excellent in dys-
pepsia.