Daily Kennebec journal., 1876-06-17
EENER1L NEWS.

The ancient plan of commencement speaking at
Amherst having been abolished, the ceremonies
will be arranged this year in this fashion. The
graduate taking the highest rank in his class will
have the vsledictory; and there will be in addi-
ton ten parts, each of which will represent par
ticular branch Of learning pursued in the college,
and which will be assigned to the member Of the
class distinguished for excellence in that depart
ment
General Belknap's alleged intention to have
some 200 post-traders summoned with whom he
has had no illicit dealings, recalls the venerable
instance of the horse thief who offered to produce
q score of witnesses who did not see him steal
The examination OF these witnesses, it is said, will
keep the Impeachment trial going till November.
The Senate cannot constitutionally let the House
adjourn during the trial, and probably would not
if it could.
President Grant was requested to contribute
Centennial message to the Philadelphia Sunday
School Times, and he sent the following: "Your
favor of yesterday, asking message from
me to the children and youth Of the United States,
to accompany your Centennial number is this mo-
ment received My advice to Sunday schools, no
matter what their denomination, is: Hold fast TO
the Bible as the sheet-anchor of your liberties;
write its preceps in your hearts, and practice them
in your lives. To the influence of this book are we
indebted for al the progress made in true civiza-
ton, and to this we must look our guide in the
future. righteousness exalteth nation; but sin
is reproach to any people,"
Successive failures continue to be reported from
Havana. They mainly in the provision trade,
and result from the general disorder which the
rebellion has created in business affairs.
A bank president stepped up to lamppost, just
out of Broadway, for his regular morning apple,
and, finding the apple stand gone, asked little
girl what was the matter. Said she :-"IIe's been
complainin' good deal lately, and said that he'd
trusted too many rich fellers till next morning"
A Holyoke man had his revenge on an enemy.
He tied a rock to cats tail and anchored her in
the back yard for an all nights serenade.
The Bible is now read in IA 500 of the 1900
public schools of Pennsylvania.
Mark Twain will spend the summer at Elmira.
n. y, the home of his wife.
"habitual criminal having been sharply TAX
en- to task the other day by magistrate in Paris,
replied that the magistrate was very ''ungrateful"
to treat him SO. "And why, pray :" because,
Your Honor, if it were not for men like me who
make you necessary you would have no place and
no payl'
An elderly darkey was going along Cambridge
street, yesterday morning, when boy in provis-
ion store hit him hard ON the back of the head
with potato. The old man stopped to pick up
his beaver, and then turning around looked up
in the sky and said; "Golly 'spect dat was
bolt from heaven"
Through the agency of the New York Society
for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children another
little victim has been rescued from the brutality of
an aged hag after enduring years of torture. An
old woman named Helena Wolf living on First
avenue, has been in the habit of matreating her
ward, aged ten years, named Anna Schmidt, who
was placed in her charge when babe. She fire.
quently belabored the child with knotted thongs
until the little sufferers body became mass Of
discolored bruises. When rescued her little body
was covered with bruises, and she was in a coodi-
ton of mortal terror. Her tormentor now occu-
pies prison cell.
The June returns Of the department Of Agricul-
ture indicate slight reduction of area in cotton
comparatively late planting, good stands except in
cases of too early planting inundation, growth
not up to the average for the season, healthy and
in improving condition and clean culture with the
exceptions caused by heavy rains that stimulate
the growth and prevent working. The figures
per acreage are follows: North Carolina, 9S |;
South Carolina, 90; Georgia, "a; Florida, SO !;
Alabama, 100; Mississippi, 50; Louisiana, 80;
Texas, 100; Arkansas, 100; Tennessee, 95. The
reduction is equivalent to about three per cent.
The condition is as follows North Carolina,
l07 South Carolina, 0S; Georgia. 1903; Florida SO;
Alabama, "a; Mississippi, 92 Louisiana, 49,;
Texas, 90; Arkansas, o5; Tennessee, 93.
Gen. Sheridan has gone to the Red Cloud agen-
cy, where he will have personal observation of
movements connected with the present campaign
against the hostile tribes