Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1873-01-27
,1pyA GAZETTE & VIRGINIA ADVERTISER,


AnyERTIsEMENTs inserted at the usual rates
viz: One square (eight llnes) one time, Sl.oo
For each subsequent insertion twenty-five cts.
additional will be charged.
Special contracts Will De MADE Win yearly au-
vertisers.
Marriage and Death Notices, when not exceed
ing eight lines fifty cents
Door KNOCKERS. lis there any particular
reason, we wonder, why those sensibly contrlv-
cd, thoroughly effective, generally interesting,
and often extremely quaint and artistic old
fashioned door-knoekers should have gone 80
entirely out of use ? Why should the inelegant
and complicated modern door-bell have SO en-
tirely usurped its place in this country Ger
tauy the knocker was serviceabe, There
could never be any doubt about there being
some one at the door when big brass or iron
knocker was pounding away Not only the
girl presumably in the kitchen could hear the
noise but every one in the house could hear it.
Therein was the knocker hospitable; 1t ar
nounced to all the household the coming OF
visitor. But perhaps now -a-days the house,
hold does not want to know. But why not
The whole family need not 60 to the door. And
bell, unless it is centrally placed 10 the house
is often wonderfully ineffective. How we'll we
all know that we who have shivered on
brown-stone sleeps and white marble front
steps in winter, and scorched and steamed upon
them in summer, while Bridget or oman (Wno
fore didn't hear the be) kept US waiting for
the welcome opening of the door. But with
knocker, how different IF Biddy was indoors
and neither deaf nor dead, she must hear the
rappng, no matter in what part OF the house
she had secluded herself And, more than
that she could not pretend she did not hear it.
The bell may be in measure to her private
annunciator ringing out its call to her alone,
and dependipc upon her alone for its answer.
Not so the knocker. Like public voice, it
calls aloud to everybody in general, and if one
person in particular (Biddy) does not do her
duty, everybody in general will know it
.Scrbner's Magazine.
L1PR IN New YoRK.-Despite the personal
and pecuniary perils that environ the traveller
,hereiu, New York is certainly begirt with fas.
cinatlons which will always make it centre OF
attraction, uuapproath he'd by any other city on
the continent. Things good and bad, are done
there, which are never dreamed of in any place
clse, and there is no possible phase Of pleasure
or pain that does not find a daily illustration IN
its midst One of its peculiar features s-partl-
cularly at this season Of the year-ls the ball,
which, as there instituted, is, we imagine quite
as varied in its innocent amusement, or ques-
tionable morality, as are the same popular en-
tcrtainments in the French Capital. The
Gothamite ball shoots folly as it flies IN every
avenue, from the highest to the lowest. 80
cicty has its dance, and. in halls OF dazzng n;
light chascs away the winged hours. The po-
litcal club has it's annual reunion, where the
embryo statesman forgets his dreams of ambl-
ton in the tripping of the light fantastic toe.
The actor, the hotel-clerk the car-conductor,
the mastercook, "the butcher, and baker, and
candlestick maker" and hundreds Of others, in
every station of life and branch of industry. all
dance, and, once year, at least, lay aside their
daily tolls and labors and worship at the shrine
of ofTerpschicore Queer names, aud sometimes
queer doings, mark these festive assemblies;
4 few nights ago one Of them came OF,
which presented u unique and entirely novel
feature At "the SLaud!ey BALI prize OF q
silver cup was offered for "the handsomest and
best dressed-man" in the asemblsge, and the
successful competitor was none other than Mr..
John G.. Heenan, whom our readers will re-
member, in days gone by, as successful mas.
ter of 1.-THE manly art OF self-defence." The
manner in which the committee performed its
laborious duties in awarding the prize is duly
set forth, together with the taultless costume,
general appearance, and gallant bearing OF the
muscular gentleman aforesaid.-Bah. Gazette.
A TEST OF THE EXTINCTION OF LIFE---1n
view of the uncertainty regarding the tnal eX-
tinction of life that occasionally arises, DR. Mag
nus proposes the following test for the decision
of the matter If limb of the body Ia finger
is best for the purpose) he CONSTRUCTED by
strong ligature quite tightly, there will, if the
subject is yet alive, be reddening Of the con-
stricted member First the port in question
becomes red, and then the red color becomes
darker and darker and deeper in hue, until 1t
is finally converted into blush. red, the whole
limb being from it's tip TO the ligature which
encrces it of uniform color, except that at
the region Immediately round the llgature II
self there is to be seen narrow ring, which IS
not bluish.red, but white. Though there may
be slight discoloration after death, the doctor
has satisfied himself by experiment that this
cannot be confounded with the complete dis
cooration that attends the performance OF the
test on living limb, : Scribncr,
CAPTAIN JACK and his band of Modoc In.
dans are making brave fight Of it. He will
mind us of stories of Indian war that We all
thought belonged to the psst-to the florida
glades, or the forest of Kentucky. Not only
has Captain Jack defeated the troops, but
there is fear now, ungrounded We trust, that
he will wage an aggressive war on the white
settlements. He has captured guns and am-
muuition, and only the rear guard Of Oregon
volunteers prevented the wounded men, the
howitzers, and the camp equipage from falling
into his hands. The worst Of it is that the
longer the struggled is protracted the stronger
this band viii become Vagabond Indians
from far and near will flock to it; renegade
white men will juin it, and, at last, the United
States will have protracted" aud expensive
war upon its hands. Baltimore Gazette
INFORMATION WANTED.-A complicated aud
protracted hunt for some two hundred and fifty
thousand dollars has uuearthed Massaohu.
setts man, born in l7a6, who went South IN
1856, and became, after the fashion of such
carpet -baggers of that day, slave-trader. He
amassed large fortune and then went back to
L. J.