The morning star and Catholic messenger., 1876-07-09
GENERAL NEWS ITEMS.

GENERAL NEWS ITEMS.
| There is @ man residing near Berlin, Wis.
| who weighs A40 pounds. He Is unable to work
| and in warm weather 10 in the habit of spend
| ing several hours each day in the river, where
he floats like life preserver.
] The 6rst translation into Epglish of Moliere's
s,mplete works is being rapidly proceeded
the same well-informed prefaces and digests Of
parallel scenes to be found in "M0liere's
Britsh Plagiarists as the other volumes. One
of the most noticeable features of this edition
are the exquisite etchings, by Lalauze.
A Massachusetts, man, after having proudly
| exhibited At the Centennial the bullet which
| was shot through his grandfather's head at
Bunker Hill, was greatly disconnected the
the bullet was q new projectile for breaohload-
| ing rifies, only brought ont four months ago.
| and now being tested by the Government with
| view to adopting it.
Virginia City 10 proud of its athletes. Re-
| gines, the French wrestler, went there, made o
match for $500, and Was easily thrown by q
| miner. Fred Bussey. prize fighter from
Chicago, was whipped twice in barrooms while
| talking about regular fight in q ring. John
Paddock, Boston pedestrian, was readily
beaten In q walk of u hundred miles. The
Chronicle says, also, that men should not come
there expecting to win anything at poker.
A Liverpool paper states that very unusual
ceremony occurred at the Stock Exchange the
other day. Not single sale had been recorded
on the sale board up to the time at which the
morning prices are made up; and the members
of the Stock Exchange presen ted their Chair
man, Mr.. Richard Withers J. p, with pair of
white gloves, expressing their wish that he
might long be spared to preside over them. The
1imes funnily heads this announcement,
"Diminution of crime"
Angentleman from New Jersey was taken by
friend, the other day, to examine the place
where the Penn treaty tree once stood. The
Jerseyman looked at the place for awhile
aI thnoa Cos k:,
and punched his cane in the ground once or
twice, and said, "H'mI' and HAP and
Every interesting-very Then he thought
for q few moments and said: But where did
the son stand when William shot the apple off
his headp
The British missionaries in Africa were the
object of severe animadverson by the explorer
Cameron in q speech recently delivered before
that many of them were unfit for their work
aud were despised by the heathen at some
of them told how they had been moved to go
to Africa where they drew large salaries, lived
comfortably, and drank their ohsmpaene; and
that, after few years of this work, they re-
tired from 1t, returned to England, and told
dreadful tales Of the hardships they had suf-
fered among the idolatOrs.
The last Legislature of California passed a
law authorizing the infliction of corporal pun
ishment upon men for whipping their wives.
There have been several cases of wife-beatiug
since the enactment of the statute, but maRis-
trates have hesitated in ordering the use of the
Lash. A Justice of the Peace in Colusa how
ever, resolved to enforce the law, and sentenced
q man convicted of beating his wife to receive
twenty one lashes on his bare back. The at
| torney for the defendant has appealed against
the conviction and sentence, and this will
probably raise the question as to the coustltu-
tionality of the act. The Constitution of Cali
fornia Gays, Excessive bail shall not be re-
quired, nor excessive fines enforced, nor shall
cruel or unusual punishments be inflicted" 1t
was claimed that whipping is both O cruel and
unusual punishment.
A gentleman writes to inquire whether q
man born in the United States, the son of for
| eign parents not naturalized, is or is not a
( citizen of the United States; whether natural
| ization papers are in any way necessary for
such q man; and whether he is eligible to the
office of President. We answer that, by the
very fact of birth on American soil, he is q
citizen, needing no other naturalization.
Whether his parents are naturalized not,
makes no difference. Every man born in the
| United States is q oItizen of tho United States,
| unlees he expatriates himself and becomes q
citizen or subject of another nation. As citi-
| zen, he has all the rights that belong to o
citizen, including the right to vote under the
limitations OF law aS to age and residence
| though his father may be q foreigner, and re-
main such to the end of his days.
In 1861 the officeholders ct w Washing gton num-
bered 5SS, aud in 1873 they rose to 6,O23.
| They are supposed to work six hours q day,
| but it is we'll known that at least twenty Ave
| per cent of the whole force do not devote two
hours daily to duty. They take their ease
read newspapers, and smoke cigars in the de-
partments, or devote themselves to partizan
| service outside. Women, who reoeiVe the
lowest rate of pay, are alone held TO strict 40
oopnt, and even many OF them are exceptions
to tho rule. These o6oehOldera are allowed
leave of absence for one month in every year
II and in addition to that are required to 60 home
at all important eloctione without loss Of pay
aud Rt the expense of q fund assessed by the
Postm master at Washington at q hxed percentage
on the entire force, 30 that IL may be said they
do not average over ten and half months o
|, oatensiblo service, though they are actually
paid for twelve. There is no corresponding
class in any department of private life which
80 favored Rs these clerks arc.