St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1877-08-24

w
dividends regardless as usual of public
execration. For some reason or other
however, this first conference failed to
do its masters bidding, but broke up
in row. That however is of no con-
sequence. 1t is only question of time,
when Mr.. Gould's ends are achieved.
The diligent readers of the Radix
column may perhaps remember my
reference some weeks ago to "the soda
water man." and his Importance to So
ciety. During the long hot days that
have since elapsed, the Importance OF
the various beverages he was Intended
to typify has steadily increased. But
now just as thirsty New York stands, so
to speak, with the sparkling glass at its
lips, up jumps the analy tical chemist
and warns us that there is death in the
cup-that the compounds of copper and
lead therein from fountains and pipes
are often sufficient to paralyze or even
kill us, to say nothing of the previous
contamination of the water from which
they are made. So strong has the feel
ing become among the more intelligent
people against all manufactured waters
that something natural, pure and whole
some has been sought and found in the
"Apollinarisf natural mineral water,
which having become the standard table
beverage and dyspepsia remedy abroad,
is now spreading rapidly in use and
favor in this country, being recon-
mended by such men as Drs. Fordyce
Barker, Aust. Flint, Lewis Sayre,
Marion Sims and many others. Its
consumption in England alone amounts
to 5000, 600 bottles annually. Spring
ing cold, pure and sparkling from its
rocky source in one of the famous spring
regions of Germany, the Apollinaris is
pronounced by the highest medical
authorities on both sides of the ocean,
with singular unanimity, to be superior
to any other natural or artificial effer-
vescent water yet discovered. 1t has
cheapness to recommend it as well as
quality and should eventually supersede
the poisonous articles which are now in
such extensive use in this country.
When the street railroads of the cOun-
try got hold of the now well known
beil-punch they slapped their collective
thigh and gave vent to quiet chuckle
"NOw we've got it," thought they. "No
more 'knockingdown' among the con-
ductOrs," and they straightway had
printed and posted in each one of theil
vehicles that talismanic sentence
punch in the presence of the passen-
jare," with calm confidence that they
now had the dead wood on fraud and
corruption on a five-cent scale And
for years it has proved a great protec-
ton to their revenues, greatly to the
disgust of the conducting fraternity
whose efforts to ''raise their own wages
have till recently been badly frustrated
by the musical watchdog. A genius
has just been found however who has
been around among the conductor.
whom for the small sum of five dollars
each he has offered to instruct in the
mysteries of bell-punch construction sc
that they can change its record to suit
| themselves. And now, strange to say
the railroads are mad and show a dis.
position to make it warm for this tai
ented individual.
An odd spectacle was presented the
other day at the office of the Superin-
tendent of the Outdoor Poor, where il
had been previously announced the
county appropriation of $50, 900 was tC
he distributed among the INDECENT and
deserving blind of the city, who are not
otherwise provided for. At the hour
appointed, these unfortunates to the
number of nearly 400 appeared from all
directions, painfully cropping their way
with sticks or else led by hired guides
and took their places in line before the
window where each in turn was inter
rogated by the cashier and having given
satisfactory answers was told to hold
out his hand, in which was then placed
$50 in crisp new bank notes, and the
recipient passed out rejoicing. 1t was
Il sad sight to see so much of this ter
rible atfiiction crowded into one room
though rs rule the blind people them
selves appeared cheerful and contented
beyond belief.
We are in the habit of soothing a good
deal at the wild improbability of dime
novels, but they tell good many yarns
that are no more improbable than the
story of young girl lately arrested in
this city for wearing male attire. 1t is
well understood that boys of a reckless
or vagrant turn of mind sometimes run
away to sea, but here was a young lady
of some twenty summers, who had been
brought up in comfort and quiet in the
interior of this State, who suddenly took
a notion that she wanted to get rich
and that the best way to accomplish
that object was to work in the Brazilian
diamond fields. Possessed of this idea
our young amazon ran away from home
bought boys clothes, dOnned them, and
came to New York, where she was ar
rested trying to find vessel bound fol
her intended destination, on which she
could work her passage. The gallant
justice before whom she was brought
proposed to provide her with suitable
raiment and return her to her father
but the adventurous damsel, while ac-
cepting the kindness thus forced upon
her, recorded a VOW to be in Brazi
within two years, in spite of a hard.
hearted parent and the mandates of the
law.
All the postage stamps and posta
cards used in this country are made
here in New York, and the amount.
used are enormous. In oIder to guard
against mistakes or fraud the post Office
department se;ds committee every
once in while to count the stamp,
which the contractors have on hand anC
see that their accounts are correct. Thi,
formality had not been gone through
for four years until this week when sucl
a committee aided by twelve exper
counters went through the vaults of the
contractors and in five days counted
nearly two hundred million stamps
worth about eight millions of dollars
And although the work had been going
on for so long a time without this veri
fication, the total shortage amounted tt
less than twenty dollars, which the con
tractors of course have to make up
l..