Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1875-08-11

III ''iiiinoHli his Is best made by soak
, ing pulverized gum shellac in ten times it
weight OF strong ammonia, when slim,
mass Is obtained, which in three or fou
weeks will become liquid without the us,
OF hot water. This softens the rubber, an,
becomes. after volatization of the ammonia
> hard and lmpermeable to gases and fluids
american Artizan
The People Of Lewis Island, In the
, Hebrides.
The " bee hive" hut in which they liv,
has neither window nor chimney; the con
slant peat fire does not prevent the damn
from soaking into the turf-cOvered wall
hence all manner of ague and rheumatism
Year by year the family multiplies by
birth and marriage, and the same spot OF
poor land is supposed to support the ey er.
!. Increasing demand On it. 1t is this ex
cessive poorness of the Land that should
make people cautious in condemning The
highland proprietors who see without con
cern, or who frankly encourage, a consid
cradle emigration going on from year to
year Where land will grow nothing but
rushcS. where the free offer Of a holding tC
the son of Il crofter who has Just got mar
rled Is only piece of satire, seeing that all
the kings horses and all the kings men
cou ld not drain it into cultivation, and
where the only possible use of the land is
to turn it into Il sheep-farm, which de-
mands large expenditure of money, the
p"asantry who persist in adhering to their
particular bit of half-cultivatcd farm,
while the family members increase year
by Year, must sink into 4 proportionatcly
increasing misery. The fact is, they have
neither the money nor the patience to
drain and cultivate the unproductive mo-
ras, which covers five-siXths of such IN
Island rs Lewis, even if it We're presented
to them rs 4 gift. On the other hand,
there Is scarcely any spectacle in modern
life so distressing rs the departure of a
band OF cmlgrants-the old women weep
ing and waling. the children frightened,
the mlddlc-aged men and women more
cheerful perhaps but still looking back to
the old family place The old folks, in
deed never get rccOnciled TO the change
Even when they see how their children
and grandchildren are getting on in the
Glasgow workshop or warehouse, when
they find that they themselves have good
food. warm shelter and comfortable
clcthlng. they still look back with IN in
ttlaceable regret and longing to the old
llfe among the moors, to the damp hovel
filled with smoke, to the wet winters, the
scantY clothing, the insufficient food, the
constant rheumatism, the grumblinC over
the tyranny OF the trackman, and the pay
mcnt of the uirgiOd-ctdrc (hen-mOnev).
and they never cease to remind their chill
dren of the cruel sacrifice they, the old
folks, have had to make in order to sat
i>fy this modern craving for living in big
towns.
To return for a moment to the beehive
hut of these people. The absence of a
chimney Is considered a necessity. The
hut consists of 4 thick wall of unmortaretl
stones and turf, rising about six feet from
the ground. The roof is constructed of
>pars of wood. which serve as r;,fters; and
these are thicklv covered over with mas
ses of straw. which again has an upper
covering of slices Of turf. Inside, peat
fire is always burlington rather, when it
is not being used for cooking. smoulder-
ing-and the hut is almost always filled
with = thick. pungent, and yet fragrant
smoke. strong enough To make the ewes
smart of the stranger who ventures into
the duSky dwelling. Now it is the object
of the occupicrs of til, Sc novels to prevent
by every means the escape of the smoke,
which from day to day goes on slowly
>aturatinT the straw of the roof until that
is u, black rs the peat itself. This satur-
atcd straw forms an excellent manure for
the farm. At the proper time the PEAS
ant farmer proceeds to pitchfork the roof
Oft his house. and have it carried away to
be distributed over his fields. Hence il is
not likely that the efforts to get the Lewis
peasants to bat chimneys in their huts-
at least in the interior of the island. where
til" sca-tanglc does not offer substitute
for the saturated straw-will succeed.
Even the business of bibing the peasants
To put Il window in their huts (each per-
son being allowed half Il crown for glass
does not 90 on rapidly The wall is ex-
ccedin@lv thick. and is made up of all
sorts of loose and heterogeneous materials,
in which it is not easy to place the frame
work even of u one pane window. For
hut> of the Lewis peasantry are almost
identical with the huts ofthe Esquimaux
Some sketches of life and society in Ger
many. contributed to Fra:erS Naga-ine.
could be read with interest and profit by
American women. There is Il stoical
philosophy. if no love of the fine arts, in
the words with which a German woman
defending her simple mode of life said:
these things make :, fuss, are irksome and
impractical. My strip of bedside carpet is
better than Your square Brussels. get a
pair of felt slippers. and don't feel my
bare boards. You spend, don't know how
many thalerS, on a carpet and give IL Ser
want work to brush it. and it larbors dust
and wears out, while my slippers are still
good. Or. if they are getting thin. can
buy Il new pair in the next street for ten
TroSchcn.
In the same philosophical spirit she
maintained that her chamber, without anv
of the ornamcn's. OF even comforts, of
English families, answered all useful ends.
+ 1t had no wardrobe. no bureau, no bed
stead of handsome wood. no washstand.
with .japanned pals or bath tub. no bath
ing towels. "Why spend money! she
asked Ion marble and mahogany, when
lelf ami deal will do rs we'll? 1t is not
necessary that | should see the length of
my petticoats. the sweep of my train. the
dimensions of my pouf in :: long glass. l
can look at myself Just us we'll in Il little
mirror, set upon Il chest of drawers as in
II fine toilet glass. draped in lace and mus
lin. No wOmans face is more than foot
square, and why should l squander my
husbands money in tin tacks and glazed
lining? The lace and the muslin cost
money to wash,-a woman's wages, Il
woman's food; the pink lining will fade.
it must be renewed My chest of painted
drawers does just rs we'll us your frivolous
dressing table with its frippery and tnery,
and china pots. and washing stands, and
smelling bottles; the drawers require no
washing, or ironing, or starching, AMI. af-
tcrall, who would be there TO see 20
Nor so BAD.-1he wife of Troy gro
ceryman recently died after being insane
over twenty years. AtC,rious times she
remarked to her husband hat she would put
away some money for him, so that he would
not starve when he became old and feeble
He missed money many times, but darenot
say anything to his wife, as she frequent
ly attacked him with a carving knife A
few days ago some little girls were empty
ing out Il bureau drawer in the house
whom tbny fnupJ Imam boy oo,to;,;prt :,