The Opelousas journal. [volume] (Opelousas, La.) 1868-1878, 1873-11-14

demonstrate. We have, however, one
present urgency to deal with, and that
is to secure the immense trade and Gus
tom of our new middle men.
A little less want of confidence, lit
tie: more ,liberality, energy and enter
prise will give it to us, and they who
to-day stand almost i'll the position of
rivals to our city merchants will delight
tOjoln with them in raising our great
common Southern and Western port to
the pre-emlnence and prosperity which
are justly hers.
How SMOKING TOBACCO Is PRE-
PARED.-The tobacco as it comes from
the plantation is dried to the. utmost,
and passed through mill in which a
revolving cylinder armed with small
projections CRATES it into tiny particles.
It is then by the same machine sifte0
through @ series Of sieVes similar to
those Of wheat fan, that which is left
on the upper and cOarser sieves being
passed and repassed through the mill
until sufficiently fine for use. For this
IT is unnecessary to stem the leaves,
the refuse stems being themselves used
in the manufacture of the inferior
grades, and the sweepings of the stem
ming-rOOm are devoted to like pur-
pose. These last are first carefully ex-
tmined, toInake sure that nothing is
left in them to break the mill, no nails
or stones to injure the machinery. A
man on his hands and kness was pick
ing over a pile of sWeepings the day
We visited the factory, seeming as in
tent on his task as the searcher for
pearls in the oyster pits of Ceylon.
The inferior grades Of lugs, etc., can
be used only for smoking. Indeed, no
leaf is worthless for the manufacture Of
one or the other of the innumerable
brands somewhere between the golden
chatf with which the millionaire fills his
costly meerschaum and the black mix
ture which Paddy smokes in his clay
pipe as he drives his dray-there is
place and use for it all.
Smoking tobacco is generally put up
iii bags holding from two ounces to one
pound each, q pound being the limit
allowed by government for any single
package. The paeking is done by
means of hollow iron cylinders, over
which the bags fit closely and are
tightly drawn. Into these the tobacco
is poured, and by working a treadle q
wooden Tnallet is forced into the eylin-
der, COMPRISING the mass into the
smallest possible compass This opera
ton is repeated until the bags are full,
when the cylinders are withdrawn, /,
leaving the closely packed tobacco in
the bag. ":5 795-
Ihe number OF bags required for this
business may be imagined from the
fact that in the single factory visited by
the writer their manufactOry furnishes
a support for fifteen poor families, be.
sides which q large number are made
by persons who merely do the work as
q source of pOcket-mOney. The manu-
facture Of tobacco is the principal in
dustry of Richmond, outstripping even
iron In the revenue which it produces.
The largest income listed last year in
the State of Virginia was that Of a Rich
mon tobacconist, and what the bOurse
is to Paris, the stock exchange to New
York, that the tobacco exchange is to
Richmofd.-[Harprs' Magazine.
KIssEs.-The kiss has been power
full agent in the annals of the human
race. There have been kisses like those
Of Antony and Cleopatra, of Henry VIII
and Anne Boleyn, which have shaken ain
empire or destroyed a religion. If we
knew the secret history of courts, we
should probably learn that nations have
touches of a Womanas lips. A great prob
lenr,. therefore, lies before us. Has this
discovery proved an aff1ietion or a bless
ing to mankind Probably tho latter
for it has certainly increased the in.
fluence of woman, and the influence Of
woman is employed more for i'll. Be-
loved, tender-hearted woman o0mnan-
ions and "eansolers of our life! With a
EiEE vaIr Svalenua Xhn infan% 10 +3,c
world with a kiss you bestow on soft.
checked youths the raptures Of first love
with kiss you alleviate the agony OF
death. And what alas are the kisses
which men too often give you in return
Judas@EIsaes, treacherOus and fatal
which poison innocent hearts, and turns
to cursesen painted and despairing lips
Happy are they who can remember
without remorse the kisses Of their youth
tN. Z. Home Journal
There Is q point on Ikearsarge, in New
Hampshire, from which ean be seen the
birth places of the following prominent
men: Ezekiel and Daniel Webster VIM
Pitt Fessenden, Jn0. A. Dix, Farmer
the electrician, Ichabod Bartlett. Vice
President Wilson, Lewis Caas, Senator
Grimes, Senator Chandler, Levi Wood
bury, Horace Greeley, Gen. Butler
Franklin Pierce, Chief Justice Chase, OF
tEe e. s., and Chief Justice Chase of
Maine.
An Irish paper concludes biography
Of Robespierre with the following SEN
6enee:
This extraordinary man left no child
ren except Q brother, who was killed at