davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1874-11-28
The December Magazines.
Iiarper's.

Harper's.
We find no better story in any of the De.
'cember magazines than that in IIarper's, en-
titled 1.-THE Survival of the Fittest." II deals
largely in the wild and unreal, yet has some
very real and strongly marked characters
A few more stories like this and Nose Ev.
ans" will place their author, Rev. William
NJ. Baker, at the head Of American story
writers The leading illustrated article in
the December number is a paper on ST. Au-
gustine, Fla, and its environs weaving much
curious and Interesting fact together by a
thread of fiction. Another illustrated article,
by M. ID. Conway, on decoration, Art and
Architecture in England, is good reading.
1t describes the houses of number of noted
gentlemen in England, mostly artists, who
have been exercising their perception in the
adornment of their own houses. Among
others, the writer describes the home of Mr..
G. w. Smalley, an American artist, resident
in London
Those who have experienced some OF the
wear and tear of tins busy London existence
can hardly enter the door of the Americas
gentleman to whom | have alluded without
finding around him a sufficient Justification
for the growing desire OF families 10 sur.
round themselves with household beauty
against all the charges OF the puritanical.
Thus tread on the pride of Plato" said Soc.
rates as he stepped on the carpet of his fl.
nous friend. with pride of thy own" ans.
wered Plato, who is supposed TO have got the
better in this little encounter. Nature is not
nowadays in such discredit as formerly for
having blendid beauties with utilities, max.
ing even her peas and potatoes bear graceful
blossoms. And there would appear 10 be
some reason IN the tendency of her yet higher
product home, to wear fitting bloom as
the sign of its reality One may have stepped
from other houses OF this fashionable neigh.
boz hoJd TO find her sweet surprise. There
is, then, no absolute and eternal law making
it compulsory to select ugly things instead
of pretty things. Tinsel is not intrenched IA
the decalogue. Here is hall in which grew
and brown shades prevail in dado and paper,
where a soft light prevails, and the garish
\ light and the noise of the street can hardly
be remembered. One may enter the nursery
and find the children al play or study amidst
walls that bring no shams around their sim
pllcity, no tinery, but sage-gray and straw
color, setting off well their bright faces and
those panels in the bookcase which tell the
Istory of Cinderella.
To the suit of drawing rooms every excel
lence must be ascrib d. They consist of two
large rooms and large recess, all continu
lous, whose decorations adapt them to an.
The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1874-11-28

Here We have great variety of excellent
reading. Along with portraits and sketches of
n cal Dow, r. c. Pitman, Judge James Black,
Aaron NJ. Powell, &c, we alight with lively
interest Oh a sketch Of William Baxter, the
great inventor,on Of whose matchless little
steam engines turns our own printing presses.
The greatest achievement of Mr.. Bayter's life
was the invention of the steam canal boat,
OF which we have this account:
The Legislature of the State of New York
having offered reward Of 100000 for the
successful solution of the problem of propel-
ling boats by steam on the canal in such a
manner as 10 compete with horsepower IN
economy, great rlvalary to attain this end
and obtain the prize was awakened. Mr..
Baxter was the successful man, having been
awarded the first prize. There were peculiar
difficulties about this matter. The law re-
quired that the boat should be only of Il
given length, width, and draft of water that
1t should carry as much freight as the old
horse boats, besides transporting its own ma
chinery and fuel certainly an unfair rebuire-
ment), and that it should transport the freight
as economically as could be done by horses.
"The official record of the trial trip gives
credit 10 the Baxter boat for speed of three
and nine-tcnths miles per hour upon con-
sumption Of fourteen and eightytwo.one
hudredths pounds Of coal per mile carrying
load of more thar 200 tons ia addition to
machinery and fuel, which may be condens-
ed as follows: one ton Of freight, sixty miles,
q: cost of one cent for coal, or in other
words, il is carrying speed attwice the speed
and half the cost of the horse boats. 1t was
estimated by the commissioners of award
that the result would effect a saving Of g.,
100000 per annum on the Erie Canal alone,
and it is calculated that when the system shall
have been generally introduced the yearly
savings on all the canals of the country will
not fall short of $l0,000,0OO. 1t will also
double the capacity of all canals" That is
to say, it is equivalent to the construction and
free gift Of just such another canal as the
Erie Canal, which new canal should be run
without any cost to the country. OF course
it will enhance the value of every acre of
land in the West and tend to reduce the cost
of bread on the sea-board aad increase the
value OF wheat TO producers,
Then we have such articles as The Ideal
Wife; That Troublesome Boy, (many heads
of families are advised on a sore subject in
this chnpter); Famous Tree of the World
Prc-Adamite Man, &c, besides many valu-
able suggestions to farmers and business men
generally.
The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1874-11-28

This is new candidate for public favor,
the first number of which-for December
is before us. The name of the publishers
under whose auspices 1t appears, is alone a
sufficient guarantee of its excellence. The
number before US contains twelve firstclass
stories, all published complete, many of them
written by authors of high ability and repu.
tation. A Dangerous Marriage, by Nora
Perry, Mrs Gathrights Story, by Florence
Percy Allen, Stronger than Death, by Elean-
or c. Donnelly, BY the sad Sea Waves, Told
at Nightfall, A Story of Vinaigrette, etc,
are all unusually excellent, We may speci-
fly also story, called King Solonon's Opal,
by Henry Peterson, critical paper upon
Bryants Thanatopsis, two interesting articles,
one upon Camp Life at the Delaware Water
Gap, the other upon The Pleasure Grounds
and Drives of Washington, and a good poem.
To all those desiring q firstclass magazine,
a large majority of whose pages are devoted
to the publication Of the best fiction of the
day, we can recommend this. The mechanl-
cal getting up is unexceptionable; the paper
being excellent, and the cover decidedly
handsome and novel appearance.
The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1874-11-28
Kansas Pacific Railway.

Inc main lineextends from Kansas City, No,
Kansas, both fouiishing cities
on the Missouri River, through Central Kansas
and Eastern Colorado 639 miles to Denver Colo.
rado ana with several hundred miles of Branch
es, IN addition, reaches every portion OF Kansas,
Colorado and New Mexico, and all of its fertile
valleys Rare opportunities are offered for &C.
curing homes IN section OF country unsur-
passed for fertility and health. The State Cant
tai, State University, State Agricultural College,
State Normal School, Blind Asylum, &c. of Kan.
sas, are all located Immediately along the line.
ahd the educational facilities generally are nm,
equaled. By refererce to the United states Az.
ricultural Reports, it will be observed that Kan.
sas had greater yield to the acre OF the cereals
than any other State, and Gold Medals and Dj-
plomas Jor the greatest and best display OF Fruit
and Agricultural Horticultural and Mineral nros
ducts, have been awarded at the Great EYposi.
tions and Fairs throughout the land in competi.
ton with the other States. For the tourist and
invalid, varied and charming landscape is pre.
sented; and the delightful air Of Colorado. and
the now justly celebrated Cold, Warm and Hat
Springs, in the vicinity Of Denver, have given re-
newed life to the weary ane have restored health
to the sick. Don't fail to take trip over the
Kansas Pacific Railway and If you want a good
home, be sure to settle along its line. You can
obtain Maps, Circulars, &c, giving all informa.
zion, by addressing General Passenger Agent,K
P.R., Kansas City, Mo. II
The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1874-11-28

! The predicted day of the transit came, too,
ut the end of the year 1t was Sunday. 1t
found HORROR, the boy astronomer now Just
past twenty years OF age, intently watching a
sheet of paper IN IA private room, on which
lay the suns reflected image. Over this re-
lection of the suns disc on the paper he eX-
pectcd, moment by moment, to see the planet
pass like u moving spot or a shadow.
Suddenly, the chuachbells rang. He was
very religious youth, and was accustomed
to heed the church. bells as IA call from
Heaven The paper still was spoless; no
shadow broke the outer edge Of the suns
luminous circle
Still the church.bels rang. Should he 20
A cloud might hide the sun before his return,
and the expected disclosure be lost for a
century.
But HORROR said to himself; I" must not
neglect the worship of the Creator, to see the
wonderful things the Creator has made"
SO he left the reflected image of the sun on
the paper and went to the sanctuary.
When he returned from the service, he hur.
RED to the ROOM The sun was still shining,
and there, like shadow on the bright circle
on the paper, was the image OF the planet
Venus! II crep! slowly along the bright cen.
Ter like the finger Of the Invisible. Then
the boy astronomer knew that the great prob
lens of astronomy were correct, and the
thought filled his pure heart with religious
joy.
HORROR died at the age of twenty-five
Nearly one hundred and thirty years after
ward, Venus was again seen crossing the sun.
The whole astronomical world was then in
terested in the event, and expeditions of OBJ,
servation were fitted out by the principal
European Governments 1t was observed in
this country by David Rittenhouse, who fain.
ted when he.saw the vision.
There are other instructive contributions
by Harvey Wilder, Emma d. Southwick, Mrs.
&c. Then follows rich install
ment Of stories, poetry, Jack-in.the-Pulplt,
Letter Box, &c.
AS st. Nicholas for January will be issued
about the middle Of December, of course
that will be the great holiday number, for
which great preparations are already being
made.
The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1874-11-28
littell's Living Age.

The last weekly numbers of this publica.
ton arc full Of noteworthy articles, among
which are the following: Contrasts ofAncleat
and Modern History, by Francis w. New
man; The Convent of San Marco, part III
Ritual and Ritualism, by Hon. w. E. Glad
stone; The Fauna of Fancy, by Francis Pow
er Cobbe; Who Wrote 'Shakspere'; The Ed
ucation Of Woman; A Modern Dead Ian
guage; Internationalal Vanities Scholars
and t'rIars, Chapter in the History of Ec-
clesiastical Laws; Lady Duff Gordon Six
Weeks in Elba; The Song of Fishes, by
John C. Gallon, F. L. s.; Comets Tails
Archbishop Laud, ETC., together with install
ments of the remarkable fine serials, Alice
Lorraine, by r. D. Blackmore, author of the
Maid of Skier; Far from the Maddng Crowd,
by Thomas Hardy; Three Feathers, by VIM.
Black, and short story by the author Of
Patty; choice poetry, miscellany, ETC., etc.
The latest of these numbers mo. 1887, dat
ed Nov. 7th) is the first one issued subse-
quently TO the merging of Ecery Saturday in
The Lt0ing Age; and as it continues the SER
ials of Eoery Saturday from the point where
they were discontinued in that periodical,
but more especially because it is now the on
ly eclectic weekly of the cnuntry, it should
be in the hands of the readers of Ecerg Sat
urday as the only natural sui stitute for that
periodical.
The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1874-11-28

The December number closes the fifth vol
umc of this publication, which has now at
tanned such a position that its future success
is relieved of all uncertainty ana doubt.
Like all publications Of its kind, however,
it occasionally overshoots the mark. An
elaborate article on Heavy Suppers," sensi-
Die and juiicious in the main, contains this
extravaganza:
Eating hearty meal at the close of the
day is like giving a laboring man full days
work TO do inst as night sets in, although he
has been toiling all day The whole body is
fatigued when nights sets IN, the stomach
takes its due share, and TO eat heartily at
supper and then 60 to bed is giving all the
other portions and functions OF the body re-
pose, while the stomach has thrown upon II
four or FIVE hours of additional work, after
haying already labored four or five hours
to dispose of breakfast, and a still longer
time for dinner. This ten or twelve hours
of almost incessant work has nearly exhaust
ed its power; it cannot promptly digest an.
other full meal but labors at il for long hours
together like an exhausted galley-slave on Il
newly-imposed task.
The result Us that by the unnatural length
of time which the food is kept in the stom.
ach, and the imperfect manner in which the
exhausted organ manages il, il becomes more
or less acid; this generates wind, this distends
the stomach, this presses itself upon the more
yielding lungs, combining them 10 a largely
diminished space; hence every breath taken
Is insufficient tor The wants of the SYSTEM the
blood becomes foul, black, and thick, ant re
fuses TO flow, and the man dies, or in delir-
ium or fright leaps from window, or com
mIts suicide.
Let any reader who follows an inactive life
for the most part, try the experiment for a
week of eating absolutely nothing after one
or two O'Clock dinner, and see if sounder
sleep and vigorous appetite for breakfast
and hearty dinI er are not the pleasurable
results, to say nothing of the happy deliver
ance from that disagreeable fullness, weight,
oppression, or acidity which attends over eat.
ing. The great renovating and vivacity which
. long, delicious, and connecting sleep i'm
parts, both 10 mind and body, will Of them
selves more than compensate Tor the certain
IN short and rather dubious pleasure Of eat
ing a supper with no special relish.
The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1874-11-28

reputation than EDEY's CARGO, 'TnooTEs. Thir
iaet places them above the orr Try list Of medi-
ana as diSiniectant and preventive against con
taSious diseases they are 4 specific Invaluable
10 singers and public speakers Sold everywhere.
JOHN r. HENRY, CURRAN IL Co., Proprietors, $
and College Place. New York. al
The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1874-11-28

EpEY's CARBoLic TROCEEs-Among the vas
ioss remedies for Coughs none enjoy bighe
The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1874-11-28
Professional Cards.
ATT o r n e Y s.

=. NICHOLSON. b.. SNOW.
DICHpLSON 81 SNOW, Attorneys ard
CounselOrs at Law. VIII practice In the courts
sale and adjoining counties. Office, Of Court House,
OtS2Wa, Ills. NOVA
The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1874-11-28

PRANK a. F'ISHER, Attorney andCour.
L selor al Law WI practice In La Sale and adjoining
counties and in L. 5. court. Room Posoice Block OF
tawa. Ills. noyl6
The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1874-11-28

Full information in regard to any Of the
above publications, as 10 terms, &c. may be
obtained at the bookstore Of Osman & Hape-
man, where single copies are for sale and
subscritions received
The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1874-11-28
Demorest's Monthly.

Besides several sheets Of patterns, fashion
plates, and a fine vignette, Daniel III the
Lions Den" the December number of Dem
crest contains book full of very pleasant
reading. 1t opens with poetic Christmas
Greeting; then page of music, then a
Christmas story, and so ON through some &c
of its four column pages, when the subject OF
deepest interest to the ladies is taken up-the
winter fashions, which are exhaustlvcly
treated with numerous pictures by way of H.
lustration. /! is beyond dispute the fashion
magazine now issued
The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1874-11-28

John HIGGINS, Attorney at Law. Once
" No Court street, Ottawa. Ills. septl9-6mOs't
The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1874-11-28
st. Nicholas.

The first illustrated article in the December
ST. Nicholas gives us peep into the Garden
OF the Gods, in Colorado. A very instructive
article is The Boy Astronomer,-a sketch of
jeremiah Horroy the first European Astron-
omer to observe the transit OF Venus and
who, at the ime was but 20 years of age, and
who, though dying at %, ranks with names
like kepler, Corpernicus, &c.
He lived in an obscure village near Liver
pool, England. He was a lover OF books of
science, and before lie reached the age OF
eighteen he had mastered the astronomical
knowledge of the day. lie studied the prob
lens of kepler, and he made the discovery
that the tables of kepler indicated the near
approach Of the period of the trasit of Venus
across the suns center. This was about the
year 1875.
Oftcn on midsummer nights the boy HORROR
might have been seen in the fields watching
the planet Venus The desire sprung up
within HIM To see the beautiful planet across
the disk OF the sun, for il was sight that 10
eye had ever seen, aud one that would tend
to solve some ot the greatest problems ever
presented to the mind of an astronomer So
the boy began 10 examine the astronomical
tables of kepler, and by their and endeavored
TO demonstrate at what time the next transit
would occur lie found an error in the tables
and then he, being the first OF all astronomers
to make the precise calculation, discovered
the exact date when the next transit would
take place.
lie told his secret 10 one intimate friend, a
boy who, like himself, loved science. The
young astronomer then awaited the event
which be had predicted for number of
years, never seeing the loved planet in the
shaded evening sky without dreaming of the
day when the transit should fulfill the beau
tiful vision he carried continually in his
mind.
| The memorable year came at last-l639.
The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1874-11-28

CIARLES HARVEY, Attorney at Law
" and Notary Public. Collections made and promptly
remtteo. Office, Room p o. Block, ottawa lbs. ulyl
The New Orleans bulletin. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1874-1876, 1874-05-22
LOUISIANA IN BONDAGE.

"What with tempests and floods, and
disagreement, Louisiana might about as
we'll be blotted off of the list of States. Its
condition is too horrible mockery on
civilization to be tolerated a great while
longer. Shame alone, if no other reason,
should induce the American people who
have consented to its degradation, to con
sont to its annexation to Mexico or Central
America
The above paragraph from the st. Paul
Daily Pioneer, of the 18th inst, following a
severe reflection upon Durell, is refreshing
as coming from source so extremely
Northern. When such sentiments as the
above are freely circulated in Northern,
and even in Radical papers, it would seem
that there was at least a hope of dawn-a
hope that we shall socn see "a rift IN the
pitifess sky" and burst of the sunlight OF
liberty May merciful Providence speed
the glorious hour.
The New Orleans bulletin. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1874-1876, 1874-05-22
A STRONG GOVERNMENT.

As soon as the President spoke, the bel
ligerent factions in Arkansas saw that their
strife must cease. He happened to be on
the right side and gave a good opinion
through his Attorney General for being so,
but had he taken another course and firmly
commanded peace, there would probably
have been no armed resistance. He was on
the wrong side in the Louisiana case, yet he
compelled peace. When an issue is made
the Federal Government is supreme and
powerful enough to override State authority.
jackson showed this in the Notification act
of South Carolina, and it was tested, though
severely and at an enormous cost of life and
money, in the la'e secession war. With all
our States rights and local selfgOvernment,
there is not stronger central power in the
world than that at Washington.
..t N. Y. Herald.
1t is true that Grant, with his bayonets,
did "compel peace" in Louisiana and
foisted upon us one of the most venal and
corrupt governments that ever disgraced a
people on earth. But it was not so much
owing to the strength of the Federal Gov
eminent as it was to the weakness of the
State Of Louisiana. The war had left our
people poor and defencelcss many democrat
lied and spiritiess, and it required but little
nerve or strength on the part of the Admin
istration to trample upon the rights OF an
enfeebled and impoverished State, and to
coerce its citizens.
Grant would not have dared to have pur-
sued the same course towards such powerful
States as New York, Pennsylvania and Ohio.
His action towards Arkansas and Louisiana
is no indication Of the boasted strength of
the Government
The New Orleans bulletin. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1874-1876, 1874-05-22
THE EX-SECRETABY OF STATE.

The official organ of the Republican party
of st. James, in very bad English, execra-
BILE Latin and worse grammar, attacks its
late Senator, George E. Bovee, in the follow
ing unique style. We are reminded in this
instance of the old proverb, "When thieves
fall out" etc. After expressing its prefer
ence for the Senatorship, the st. James
Republican, in reviewing the conduct of
BOvee, says:
We do not suppose he will be candidate and we
have handled him according to his deserts already.
Will be mara-ed to acquire that immense burden
of unpopularity with which he is now loaded down,
a thousand miles away.
Whe he was elected to the State Senate we thought
he got much less than he deserved, for though War
moth made very serious charges against him as the
abstraction of bond and the pror0ugation of that
waterwork bill, we considered the source and yet
convinced that George f. Bovee was No l.
Retu ned to our old hunting grounds-withont po-
litca influence ambition, we were by the people OF
this parish, of whom are but the pen, compelled to
denounce the action of the Senator.
We were, unfortunately passionate enough to retort
in the strain, without considering that Mr..
ovee would not accord to the same privileges he
cla imeo for himself and the consequence WIS that
by vertable bushwhackiug process, he attempted to
wash his soiled honor in our blood.
This action alone places him, not only outside Of
thu political but also Outade OF the pale OF the
society of gentlemen.
We can assure the public that while we have "Hn-
corked the walls of our wrath upon the devoted
head of Senator, tlat have, in paper,
tre ated him much Kindly than he proved he de-
served that have refrained from givng nbiicity
to much more serious charges against him than the
cumuaton Of Offices and the sale of putrid mackerel
aud unignitable ucifer matches, with which we have
charged hun more in Jest than in earnest, and the
peculation of school funds with which others charge
him.
Now, it would app ar act of petty revengefrI
ness were we to give publicity to additional charges
We besides think tlat Geo. E. Bovee is already re-
posing in that political grave he has dug for himself
De nt0rtuis nil nisi benc.
He cannot expect to be a candidate for an Office Of
trust or profit again, therefore,
Refaiescat IN pace.
We want no more Senators of the bovine species,
none who Will regard their position only as a
to fill their pockets, want to exact certain
pledges fro the future poer patfa, and he will have
to stick to them too.
We want CO tain things done in the next Legisla-
ture, certain adopted, certain good accom-
pIished and We slia have more to say upon the SUBJ
ject at the proper timd.