The morning star and Catholic messenger., 1877-08-12
GENERAL NEWS ITEMS.

The pass OF Thermopylo ID hVe miles long
Land fifty yards wide at it's narrowest part
Hwhere Leonidas and his 800 Spartans were slain
It is estimated that nearly 1000, 900 pounds
nDf steel wire will be required to build the
bridge which is to connect New York witt
brooklyn.
Is In Oregon a man has to take ont licens 9
Hnhich costs him S. yeer, permitting saloon
Keepers and others TO sell him drinks. Aud
when a mans wife takes. away his license iu
n1he morning and hides it, be has to go dry as a
4one all day.
Mr.. Marlborough, q weil-known Australian
Explorer, has adduoed variety of facts to
1rove that dense forests are on the increase in
#ustralis, and that the climate is gradually
coming moister, and, therefore, improving
pr agriculture,
The French Ministry of War announces that
> number of soldiers will this year be placed
ht the disposal of sgroulturists for the pur-
pose of tho harvest Toe persons employing
them will have to pay sum varying in differ.
int psrts of the country from twenty five TO
Hlfty cents per day.
L It is stated that New York bankers have is-
bued $45 O000o in letters Of credit to Ameri.
ean tourists this summer Tue Banker and
4F9dee~an, Boston. Gays it is estimated that up
hHards of 9100 600, 900 will be speut by Aneri-
pan tourists on the other side of the water dur
ing the season just commencing.
/ There in France, according to recaut
return, 1,141 hospitas-being one for tvery
Be 700 inhabitants. Containing 70.717 beds,
DI winch &C, ASO are IE&6. 1EOSe lES
the remainder pay for the occupation q sfforded
them: 5 742 of these latter, however, are
occupied by sick soldiTrs. who are paid for
Iat o fixed rate per head in civil hospitals.
/ The Gan Francisco dry goods clerks have
been making great forte to secure an early
hour of closing, bnt the heartless employers
are obdurate and, as a last resort, the aggrieved
clerks have launched out on the most frequent
brilliantly illuminated canvas, on which is IN
scribed the pathetic legend: Ladies, please
do not buy any goods after O'Clock P. NJ,
The Pail Mall Gazette gives the following
amendment as having actually been proposed
in Parliament by an eminent Q 1een's counsel:
"Dogs trespassing on enclosed land.-Every
dog found trespassing on enclosed land unao-
companied by the registered owner of snch
dog, or other persons, who shall, on being
asked give his true name and address, may be
then and there destroyed by such ioccup:er or
by his ORDER
Mr.. John A Galbrestb, of Jackson, and Mr..
u. George DeLap, of Natchez. have been play
ing chess by telegraph for two years. Up TO
the beginning of the present contest, they were
even. Since this new contest began, two
games have been played, the last yesterday,
and Mr. Galbreath has won them both. The
first one who wins eleven games will be de-
blared the VICTOR aud the champion chess
player of Mississippi.
Benjamin Brown gained reputation and
profit among the Spiritualists of Boston by
making "spixit photogrsphs." 80 firmly did
Spiritualists believe in bis mediumistic pre-
tensions that he was engaged to give seances
#t the Lake Pleasant camp meeting; but that
3pb, as well as his whole business, has been
Apset by an exposure. An experienced photo
grapber had little difficulty in detecting the
brick, which consisted simply in substituting
Ror clean plate one on which q spirit form"
bad been dimly made
/ The people of Massachusetts have conceived
Ehe suspicion that they have perobance based
their great and costly school system on an
brror In regaId to the purpose of q commoL.
school education and It's limits. II is now
generally conceded that the attempt has been
made to teach too many things and things too
hifacult for the comprehension Of children.
The result has been q confusion in the minds
$f pupils and an imperfect knowledge of the
pleinest matters. 1t is q common delusion that
Bhe main point in education consists in getting
child to study greet number of topics,
whereas the real object is to teach the child to
khink and work for himself.
E Fifty carpenters left New York recently for
England. They 60 under contract with hrm
x builders in Manchester, who agree to pro-
ide them work for six months at 81 pence per
#cur. These men are only detachment The
anohester builders have instructed their
gent here to eend them between two and
hree hundred workmen. The object of the
ksnehester builders is said to be to defeat
#xike of carpenters in Manchester by employ
Ag American Workmen ct less wages than the
nglish carpenters will accept. This seems to
b temporary measure. 80 far, but it is
torthy of note that of $50 masons who went
3 England on similar conditions last year only
x have thus far returned.
Doubaesoff, the Russian Cushing, who de.
troyOd Turkish monitor, and commanded
he Russian torpedo-boats in some of their
host daring expeditions, wrote to his aged
bother very often, but never mention.c his his
ewn exploits, apprehendiDg that she would
be nervous about him If she were to learn of
he dangerous service in which he was en-
aged. Admiral Vowodsky, while spending o
Jew days in smolensk, happened to meet the
Bid lady, and at once congratulated her upon
3he gallantry of her son. He told her the
hole story. and ascertaining that she was en-
Birely dependent upon the precarious employ
nent of her SOD, wrote to the Grand Duke
Constantine and secured handsome pension
DE- her from the Government.
i The testimony at the Coroner's iGquest over
he dead by the Pittsburg riot makes it evil
lent that tbe first shot was fired by one of the
hob, described as /" u tall, thin man, wearing
ID old straw hat drawn down over his face,
Rho had before resisted an attempt to arrest
+Aim." This person seems to have been par
sicularly desperate scoundrel. " He loaded his
gun on the sidewalk, !" said one of the witnesses,
walked out into the middle of the street,
kneeled down and shot ct the soldiers Then
be walked over to the left and prepared his