The Portland daily press., 1875-12-24
News and Other Items.

DR.. b. Sears, the general agent for tn, Pea
body fund, in answer to the application of Mr..
Warreh, principal of the state normal school at
Columbia, an institution which, like most 9th.
ers in the state, does not receive the taxes col
lected for it, says: 81 do not think 10 my duty
to promise funds to your normal school till the
state gives more evidences of being earnest and
hearty in its support. 1t is no. creditable for
state to make such miserable provision for the
accommodation of the schools
1t is related in Russian journals that during
the recent military survey of the steppes, east
Of the Caspian sea, the soldiers discovered the
ruins of an ancient city, the existence of which
has been unknown in modern times. Judging
from the ruins, the city must have had large
and fixed population. Several Arabesque min
arets are still well preserved. and bear evidence
of the skill of their builders. Remains of ex-
tensive aqueducts were also found, some of
them still flowing with good drinking water
A number of inscriptions were copied by the
officers of the expedition and brought to st.
Petersburg. According to the traditious>of the
Turcomans the country was once very fruitful
and was watered by means of canal.
The statement by the Philadelphia Press
poet, and reader were clever frauds, was with
out authority. The orator and reader have
both accepted, but it is yet undecided whether
Mr.. Longfelow will consent to deliver the
poem OF not
Excavations in the Porta Maggiore,in in Rome,
have brought to light the allegorical story of
Rome painted in fresco around the inner walls
of one of those tombs in which the aneients
were accustomed to place the ashes of their
dead. 1t has excited great interest, not only on
account of its historical importance, bat from
the beauty of its execution.
A novel plan for promoting habits of econo-
my among children has been In operation for
several years in the public schools in Gheut
Belgium. Savings banks were established iu
each of the schools, and the children encour-
aged to deposit their pennies. The wisdom of
the scheme is shown in the fact that at the pre
sent time $4,000 of the $4,000 scholars attend
ing the public schools in Ghent have succeeded
in getting themselves accounts opened at the
State savings banks,iwith about 800 900 to their
credit
Newport Or. I.) clergyman preached SER
mon on temperance, on Sunday evening, and
one of the deacons, who had imbibed little
too freely, took it as personal insult and after
the service he gave the minister good Gaming
in the church, and, being pleased with the per-
formance, followed him home aud several
times repeated the operation.
Now We know how Disraeli happened 10 buy
| the Suez Canal Fanny Lear" alias "the
| Phoenix" alias Miss Blackford, the beautiful
| but bad daughter of the American clergyman,
went to Russia, turned the head of the nobility,
ard ensnared the Cars nephew. Having had
quarrel with her imperial lover, she went TO
Paris and published his love letters to her, in
| one of which he speaks of the Suez Canal as
''the road which our soldiers will some day fol-
low to take India from the English" All
Europe read Miss Blackford's book, aud among
the rest Disraeli, Premier of Great Britain. He
read the above sentence of the Russian Prince,
worked one eye, exclaimed "Aia!' aud
straiShtway sert man down to bug Egyprs
canal shares from the Khedve. Russia is fore
stalled, France furious, Eugiand jobi'aEt all
on account of the beautiful America and her
| book.