davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1875-09-16
The Cataleptic Rooster.

There is a curious experiment which
anv one who is the pOssessOr of rooS-
ter can try for himself with success land
which has never been positively eX-
plained. 1t is an ancient one, IN fact
# is two hundred years and over old,
since it was commented upon by klr-
cher in 1916. Still it is none the less
curious, and almost rs much a subject
of speculation now as it was when
first observed. 1t is perform
ed thus Select a dark-cOlored
table with smooth top; place 1t so
that a narrow streak of sunlight Will
fall across the surface. The sunlight
is not absolutely material to success,
but we have found the desired result to
be more quickly obtained when it Is
present. Then set the rooster on the
table, and hold his head down so that
his beak comes in contact with the
wood. Now, with Il piece OF chalk
and in the sunlight, draw line straight
from the birds beak, as represented IN
our engraving. Move the chalk very
SLOWLY, and by the time the line Is a
couple of feet in length the rooster will
fall into a cataleptic or trance-like con-
dition; and although the hands are re-
moved from his body, he will remain
perfectly rigid for minute or two. 1t
is said that black line on a white sur
face will produce the same effect. Hens
may be similarly treated, but it takes
much longer to get them into the trance
state, it being necessary to hold the
head down several minutes before they
come under the influence.
This phenomenon is termed hypnot-
ism, or the result of a curious sleep
producing property incident to the tixa-
ton of the attention upon some bright
object. 1t is by some considered a
partial paralvzation of the brain. The
same can be done upon human beings.
The person should fix his eyes stead
fastly on any glittering object, say a
disk of silver paper, fastened on
black surface and brought within ten
inches of his face, for about twenty OF
thirty minutes. A state of torpor SUI
pervenes, during which, if the limbs
| be gently raised, they will rigidly re-
main as placed. Surgical operation:
have been performed under these con
ditions without causing suffering to the
patient Scientific ATHerlcdB.
The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1875-09-16
ematician had achieved with much great

ematician had achieved with mnch great
er labor.
Before proceeding to inquire how Col
burn achieved these wonders, we must
consider what was learned about his
processes. He was not very communl-
cative-dOubtleS because the faculty he
possessed was not accompanied by COM
menSurate clearneSs of ideas in other
matters. In fact, we might as reason
ably expect to find child of eight years
competent TO explain processes OF cal
culating, however easily Effected, rs 10
find him able to explain how he breath
ed or spoke. One answer which he
made to Il mathematician who pressed
him more than others to describe his
method was clever, though the mathe-
matician was certainly not to be rldi-
culed for trying to get the true eXplana-
ton of Colburn's seemingly mysterious
powers" God" said the child, put
these things into my head, and /
cannot put them into yours"
Some things, however, he explained
as far as he could. He did not seers
able to multiply together, at once, two
numbers which both contained many
figures. He would decompose one or
the other into its factors, and work with
these separately. For instance, being
asked to multiply 1895 by itself, he
treated 4 ,395 as the product OF 293 and
ID, first multiplying 293 by itself, and
then multiplying the product twice by
-. On being asked to multiply 999,999
bv itself, he treated it in like manner,
as the product of 81 ,031 and p, getting
the correct result. In this ease, pro-
badly. n mathematician would have
pot the start of him, by treat
ino 9g9 .999 as million less one,
whence, by well-knOwn rule, its
square is million millions and one, less
two millions or 999, ,99S, ,00O,O01. son
being interrOgated, proceeds the ac-
count, "as to the method by which he
obtained these results, the boy constant
" declared that he did not know how
the answers came into his mind. In the
act Of multiplying two numbers togeth-
er. and in the raising of powers, 1t was
evident (alike from the facts just stated
and from the motion of his Hps) that
some operation was going forward in
his mind; yet that operation could not,
from the readiness with which the an
swers were furnished, have been at all
allied to the usual modes of procedure. ="
Baily, after discussing the remarkable
feats of Zerah Colburn, expressed the
opinion that they indicate the existence
Of properties of numbers, as yet undis-
covered, somewhat analogous to those
on which the system of logarithmS is
based. "And if, - says Carpenter Quot
ing Baily), "as Zerah grew older, he
had become able to make known to 9th
ers the methods by which his results
were obtained, real advance in knowl-
edge might have been looked for. But
it seems to have been the case with him,
as with George Bidder and other 'cal-
culating boys, that with the general
culture of the mind this special power
faded away. .r-LORd0R Society.
The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1875-09-16
Seth Wright's Sheep.

In the wear 1871, there was a farmer
of the name of Seth Wright in NlasSa-
chusetts, who had flock Of sheep CON
Sistinr of a ram and somctwelve thlr-
teen ewes. OF this flock of ewes one at
the breeding-time bore 4 lamb which
was very sin@ularly formed: it had a
very long body with very short legs, and
those legs were bowed. If this build had
presented no practical utility, it would
probably have disappeared in time
some of the offspring of the lamb IN
question would have inherited their pa
rents structure, but successive admiN-
lures with the normal type would have
gradually eflaced the exception. 1t 50
happened, however, that in that part OF
Massachusetts where Seth Wright was
living. the fields were separated byfenceS,
and, rs the sheep were active and robust,
they often overleaped these fences to
stray into the neighboring farms, caus-
ing thereby much pickering and quarrel.
1t occurred. therefore, to Seth Wright,
who was, like his successors, more or
less cute, that if he could get stock of
sheep like those with the handy legs,
they would not be able to jump over the
fences so readily, and he acteduponthis
idea. He killed his old ram, and aSsoon
as the young one arrived at maturity he
bred altogether from it. Theoffspring,
We are told, were always either pure An
cons (the bow-legged type) or pure or
binary sheep. Seth Wright kept the two
types carefully apart, and allowed the
Ancons only to breed with one another.
In consequence of this, the farmer was
able in the course of Il very few years to
get a considerable flock of this variety,
and if the Merino sheep introduced a
short time later had notprovedmOre adj
vantageous in all respects, the Ancon
breed would probably still cover Massa-
chuSetts. Westminster ReCieC.
The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1875-09-16
Wasted Fly-POWer.

Itwas Hamlet who expressed prefer
ence for the "fly to ills we know not
of. - or words to that effect, and Hamlet
either was or pretended to be insane.
The idea that there is any more annoy
ing torment possible than the frequent
fly affords, is an unsound notion, sign
Of a very thick skin or of very thick
head. But setting aside for the time the
direct discomfort that the creature works
for man. tits interesting, and instructive,
too, to see the seriously injurious effect
that its indirect influence seems TO have
upon the worlds industry. There are,
in round numbers, 33,OO0,QOO COWS,
oxen, horses, and the like, in this coun-
try, which for about ten hours day
during fly time keep their tails in almost
constant motion. 1t is no eNaggeratl0h
to estimate that they swing them at least
ten times minute, with Il force equal
at each swing to raising one pound Il
foot. That IS, their tail force is ten
pounds minute. One horse power Is
So, 900 feet pounds in a minute, so 3,joO
cattle would exert with their tails one
horse power, and all these creatures IN
the country would put forth upon the
fly the aggregate force of 10000 horse
power. Now the entire force of all the
steam engines and water wheels in the
country used in the manufacture OF
steam engines and boilers is less thah
y, 900 horse power. That is, the force
wasted by our domestic animals in way
ing their tails to keep the fly away IS al
most sufficient, if rightly applied, 10
move all the motive machinery in the
land.-HdyU0rd COHrGIH.
The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1875-09-16
COMFORT

Why so sorrowful. darling
Why so sorrowfil. prays
You are looking out for the clouds, dear,
And meeting the storm hsli-way.
Where is the use Of iretting
Over the worries Of l.frg
Haven't you got your babiesf
And haven't you got your wife:
am a sickly nuisance;
Toe babies do nothing but squall;
And il gives you trouble to find, dear,
Brad ahd bultsr Tor a!i.
Bat what would You do without u,y
Where wo"ld YOU Ike 10 roam.
j. you hadn't the wife ana babies
Tsyanchor you here al home:
Doh'l we divide your sorrows:
Don't we double your ioysy
What would You do with your money
Without tie girls aud bo,sy
] krO y that ttcy tear the dresses,
And wear ho IS H. their shoes;
] know We have had panic.
And business has ct the blues.
It. horrid 10 b, q merchant,
And worse TO be a clerk.
IL was mean for the house 10 fail, dear,
And throw you out Of work.
But times have always been hard, dear,
Srncc ever the world beg N;
And didn't on always growl, dear,
Like ey rs business man:
We've pl ny 10 eat, my darling,
And clothes enough 10 wear;
They'll last till you ct 10 work. dear,
ABd What more need we care:
Let lis have d Jne vita sorrow,
And drive sad thoughts away;
Thor No such thing a. tomorrow
WLcl it comes il " III be to-day.
Let me smooth out your forehead,
And kiss awav that lrOwn;
You know you've the prettiest babies
And the merripSt. wife in town.
PanirS don't last forever;
They end in little while:
Pluck up YOUR courage, darling.
Aud take lif, with q smile.
The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1875-09-16
Changing His Name.


The other day a young African asked
us if it was " agin de lawn to change
his name. We replied that, if he had a
good name. he had better keep it, rs q
good name was the one thing to be de
sired in this world.
"I'se got putty fa'rname, he said,
''w at Use had eber scucc &c war, hut 1t
won't do for dis chile any NOAH
"Whv, what's the matter with it."
asked.
"Wcll, YOU see, boss, dar's n fool
nigger come hyar from Chillicoifee, an
he's buzzin' around wild my name, an
no two niggers can circumgate in de
same town onless one or de uder oh EN-
hab different precOgnem." ="
"Perhaps you can prevail on him to
adopt another name
"No, sab; | offered him foah bits an
a rahzor to call hisself somcthin' else
sides Geowge Washin'ton Jones, but de
yaller fool won't do it."
yellow, is hep"
s'Yes, sab: an dat's what makes me
so injurious about it. He says dc Jones
eS was de fustest families of Nirginny,
an dat he's condeSccnded in Il direct
line from dem, an consequently dar-
foah values de name noah exceedingly
dan udderwiSe." "
80 YOU propose to off with the old
name and on with a new?"
. SOmethin' like dat, | s'poSe, boss
An | wants to TX you de favor to sejeNt
some disappropriate name datll do for
a cullud pusson oh standin'. | don't
soShate wild de common, lOw-class mig
gers, an | wants a name out o dere uu-
comprehension dey can't steal,
YOU know"
"How'n Benedict Arnold do?"
"De Arnold am tonish, for suah, bat
dar's too many Bennys an Dicks around.
Try anudder one, boss"
"Wen, Algernon Sartoris, how's
that?''
"Dat's superlagant! Algerneyman
Sartoris Arnold-da'n do for some oh
de name. Please reach for anudder
one, sab"
'Why. that's name enough. How
much do YOU want, for goodness sake?'
Boss, YOU must member dat Use
deekin in de church, an 'prietor OBJ q
house an lot"
"Oh! yes; well-let's see-Bill Al
len?n
'Dat'S too common"
abraham LincOln?'
'Too ordinary, sab. Gitup higher. .
''Phil. Sheridan
Higher yet, sab, if you please
"Wm. Tecumseh Sher-''
"Stop, sah-dat's nuh-needn't feel
no furder Wilyum Cherkumscy-dat
sounds like ole Kaintuck- -Wiiyum Cher
kumsey Algerneyman SartOris Arnold.
Yes, sab, dat'll do-no l0w-claSs ni%gcI
can Git inside o dat. You'se the solum
witness. boss, dat dat's my name from
hencefo'th on to all precedin' time. HsC
obliged to you, Sah."
As he walked majestically y away, re-
peating the name over to himself, h,
was the proudest nigger in Brunswick
And yet Shakespeare says there's nothing
in a name .-BrUHSwickcr.
The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1875-09-16
Grammar and Clean Corners.

A female servant in the family Of
gentleman in the Department Of the In
terror, Washington, i allowed TO make
Il yearly visit to her old home in Rich
mond, Virginia. Last summer when
she left n substitute was employed,
mulatto girl, who had been quite well
educated. She performed the duties
i'm rather an Indifferent manner. When
the regular servant returned she began
her tour Of investigation to ascertain
how her work had been done, and was
disguised at the evident want OF neat
ness manifested everywhere. Her m
dionation finally found vent in the fol-
Ioyino,- to her mistress: "I'l tell you
what iii Miss you can't get gram
mar and clean corners out Of the same
niooert' which, if true, offers knotty
problem in reference to the education
Of the race.
The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1875-09-16
Ida Lewis's Latest Achievement.

Yesterday noon Miss Ida Lewis again
distinguished herself by reScuing 4 man
who was in danger of drowning in the
Lower Newport harbor. Miss Lewis
first came into prominence in 1866, when
she saved the life of a soldier who had
set out for sail on the harbor in Il
light skiff. 1t was one of the coolest
and most clustering days ever known
i'm this latitude, vet girl but twenty
five years old, impclled by the noblcst
spirit of humanity, yenturcd To the as
sistance of man who had brought him
self into q sorry plight through sheer
fOOl-hardiness.
One day during the autumn of the
next year, while a terrible gale was rag
inc, two men set out to cross the harbor
with several sheep. One of the animals
fell overheard while the boat was rock
in" bv the heavy sea, and its keepers,
in irving to save it, were in imminent
peril of swamping their craft. Ida
Lewis saw them from the window of her
fathers lighthouse, on Lime Rock, and
in a few moments was rowing them in
safety to the shore After landing the
men, she went back again and rescued
the sheep.
These brave deeds, with others of u
less striking character, made Miss
Lewis's name famous throughout the
world. and won for her the title of the
Grace Darling of America" but in
1869 the newspapers were filed with the
story of what was perhaps her greatest
exploit. On the 29th of March two
Young soldiers set sail from Newport
for Fort Adams in small boat, under
the guidance of boy who pretended to
understand the simple rules of naviga-
ton. Mrs. Lewis chanced to be looking
out of the lighthouse window, and saw
a squall strike the boat and Overturn 1t.
She called to her daughter, telling her
of the casualty. Ida, though i'll at the
time. rushed out of the house, launched
her life-boat and sprang in, with neither
hat on her head nor shoes on her feet.
By the time she reached the disaster
the boy had perished, and the two
soldiers were clinging desperately to the
wreck, almost ready to loose their hold
from exhaustion. They were dragged
| into the life boat, and carried to Lime
Rock, and, with careful nursing, were
soon sufficiently restored to proceed tC
| Fort Adams.
Miss Lewis's repeated acts Of philan
thropy have been recognized by gifts a
various times, but no national testl
monial, so far as we are aware, has We
been offered to her. True generosity
like true virtue, is its own reward, an(
we of the world are not often disposed
to meddle with its quiet enjoyment b.
its possesSOr. 1t seems eminently TIT
ting, however, that among the first t.
receive the new decoration to be be
slowed by Congress for heroic deeds II
saving life should be the heroine 0
Newport harbor.-Ne'0 York. Ere'''"'
Post.
The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1875-09-16

CRooUET is SO popular at Oak Blu1s,
Marlha's Vineyard, that a clergyman
who was called upon to lead an after
noon prayer meeting the other day re,
piled, ''Let them go ahead, and L VIII
come as soon as this game is done L
will get there before the meeting is out. !"
The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1875-09-16

OK salary Of 81, 800 a year Chauhcy
Watson, San Francisco bookkeeper'
kept stallion worth $1,000, mare
worth $500. a -saddle-horse worth
$500, and trappings worth $4,000, anu
strange to say he defaulted to the
amount of $4,000.
The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1875-09-16

A CHILD was brought before hl-
name magistrate, according to a Japa-
nese story, charged with the capital
crime of killing wild duck in the i'm
mense preserves of Shogoun. The
magistrate expressed the opinion that
the duck was only stunned, and gave
the parents a day to cure it, IN which
case the child would be acquitted. This
comforted the father but little, but the
mother sensibly went and bought the
finest live duck she could find, which
the magistrate accepted with smile.
The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1875-09-16

nWALKIN & SEAR' is the name OF
two female partners in the shirt-maklng
business at Chicago.
The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1875-09-16

THE Philadelphia Bulletin has an edi-
torial headed Respecting Cranber-
ries,'' just as if any one could respect
such sour-dispositioned things.
The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1875-09-16

PROBABLY the worst possible termin-
alton Of a pleasant paragraph ever
heard of appears in the Youngstown
(Ohio) Tribune, where it remarks that
"Col. Sargent Of the Governors staff ="
has been CONNECTED with the Cinein-
natl Inquirer for 18 years and is gen
tleman to boot"
The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1875-09-16
A Fly Lives Ten Months in a Lady'S Ear.

About ten months ago common house
iy crept into the ear Of Mrs. Joseph
Fisher, of the American Hotel. HE
surrounding parts soon became infamed
and very painful. The sense Of hear
ing was speedily impaired, and finally
lost altogether. After months OF SUI
ferino. on last Thursday evening, as she
Law in her bed, she became conscious Of
the departure Of the intruder from her
ear. She called an attendant, and, on
searching, they found the cause Of the
trouble, as stated, a common house fly,
lying on the pillow, well covered with
the cerumen Of the ear. Mrs. Fisher IS
more comfortable since its removal q
though her hearing has not yet DeelFc-
stored.-East0n pa Free Press.
FRENCH visitors to Berlin 1anllleS
claim to meet frequently On the manJei-
pieces old acquaintances-their cloJhs' ii,.
which the Prussian soldiers stole Wneh Ailea
in France during the campaign Oh lo'V-
A GOOD place for ladies to stay-At
The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1875-09-16

A GOOD place for ladies to stay-At
the corset makers.
The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1875-07-29
GREENS AUGUST FLOWER.

1t is natural for people suffering
with Dyspepsia and LIVER Complaint
or any arrangements of the digestive
organs, such As Sour Stomach. Sick
Headache, Habitual Costiveness, pal
Pitation Of the Heart, Heart burn,
Water-brash, gnawine and burning
pains at the pit of the Stomach, yell
low Skin, Coated Tongue, and disa-
greable taste In the mouth, coming up
of food after eating, low spirits, &C.,
to put off from day to day buying an
article that they know has cured their
neighbor, friend or relative, yet they
have no faith in it until it is too late.
Butif you will 60 to your Druggist,
BELDING s. ARMSTRONG, and get q
bottle Of GREENS AUGUST FLOWER
your immediate cure is as certain as
you live. Sample bottles of this mod
iciHe can be obtained for 10 cents to
try its superior virtue.
Regular size Is cents. Try it, two
doses will relieve any case.
The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1875-07-29

THE Secretary Of the Treasury has
sold $lO,OOO,OOO of five per cent. gold
bonds in the last few weeks, to pur.
chase siiter bullion, which is to be
coined TO redeem tho fractional cur.
rency. lie claims his authority for
thus increasing the interest-bearing
-debt OF the people, from the resump-
ton act of last January. 1t makes
little difference whether he has any
authority for the act or not, for the
policy Of the bullionists is to increase
the interest drain from the pockets of
the people, by every imaginable arti-
fec, and they will see that the Secre-
tary is protected in carrying out their
schemes Sun,
The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1875-07-29
sl TO THE ,.oyy
Thinking Part Of Community.

RIaerm,iIino malice selashness ieaIousv
arro~ance tyranny. eoyetousness. extortion.
f,,S.bood ,nd sIander all within the last few
y.ar, b.v. e.tared snitS AGAINST ma to the
.r,onrt or eso 600 " i,bovt the least shadow of
;nst;c. sna b.x. nrosecutcd them with all the
g. r,.Iirn.nce q. demons Rut I have come
,..., th.,, -, ,v;,bout the smell of fire q a INV
.-r.,,- Th.v rero ind ma OF tbe old ilIitera "a
S;an.. ,,-...,,.r,. 4; istan Of bis sermor - No
rot ~ into his head that IL was necessary to use
the personal pronoun lie on all occasions He
xooI Cor HE text- .rhe Devil ~ soiu aiout Ike
. r,.r;n, lion seeking whom he nav devour..
a,,d brethren. I shall discuss this xery im.tort
ant subject under four general heads. And
0rstIy. who the Devil he was, Secondly. where
the DeviI he was going. Thirdly Who the
Devil he va. after 4FourthIy. What thu Devil
he was roaring about, 5fr = .sas$TsH
And whilst their bloodhounds have been bay
ing ON my track. I have treated twenty-five
thousand six hundred Gases OF dseases mon g
The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1875-07-29
RANDOLPH.
Correspondence.

There have been several new build.
lnes erected in town this season. We
notice new bank barn built by John
Wise, one built by Mr.. George Roger.
ono by Mrs. Stephen Roger, one by
Mrs. Eichler, a horse barn built by
Mrs. Henry Ladd, one by Bair Broth.
ers, and one built by VIM. Brockett.
These are all good substantial build
inss, some Of them large in size. Mr..
George Brockett, I. Z. Merriam and
Z. Tupper have made extensive re.
pairs upon their dwelling houses; C.
McGregor built new house, Myron
Beans and X. c. Sears are at work on
new dwellings Allie Coe has built .
house at the Center and occupies ii as
an artist. There have been several
new graneries erected, among which
we notice one built by Joseph jerome.
The Congregational and Disciple
churches have, been repaired by new
papering, painting, SC. We call
special notice to new barn built bv
Wn-r rThofnpsoii. This barn stands q Just
cver-tfeA line 'ia 4twater5 to- tocwnslssip
but as, Mr.. Thompssn's<ch <cheess factory
stands on the Randolph side of the
line, we Claim a right to mention his
barn in his report. The barn is IS It.
long by so #. wide. and. as Mr.. Thomp-
son is man of original ideas, he has
a bank barn without any bank, drives
III at the end instead Of at the side,
When completed this barn will differ
from any other barn with which we
are acquainted. OF course his sansigA-
bors will say he won't like it, because
it is different from the old STYLE of
building. But as Mr.. T.. does his own
planning, farmers had better take
good look at this barn before con.
it. Perhaps at some future
time we may give minute descrip.
tion of 1t.
We are having what farmers call
wet harvest. Ground thoroughly
soaked: wheat growing in the shock
oats very heavyand down badly.
Mr.. Needham EXHIBITS some speci-
men heads Of oats from his field which
can srn, not belbeat for;quantity of kernels
on the stalk. These oats originally
came from the Patent Office at Wash.
lngton.~ ~AS ...ss. II.
! Randolph July q, 1876. (