davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1878-11-09
Wild Men.

In the island of Rio there are wild men
who live in trees, and who have no Ian
guage but cries; and in Sumatra there are
men who live in the forests, with whom
not only the Europeans, but the Malays
themselves, can have no intercourse. They
stay in the woods, and subsist by the chase.
They hunt tigers, not with the gun, but
with arrows, which they blow out of tube
with such force, and which are so keen of
point and touched with such deadly poison,
that wound is almost Immediately fatal
Their tiger-skins, or elephant tusks, they
bring for barter. They never sell any
thing-for money is about the most use
less thing they can have. They cannot
eat it, nor drink it, nor wear it. But as
they have wants, they exchange. Yet
they themselves are never seen. They
bring what they have to the edge of the
forests, and leave it there; and the Malays
come and place what they have to dispose
of, and retire. If the offer is satisfactory,
when they return again they find what
they had brought gone, and they take
what is left and depart. If not, they add
few trifes to tempt the eyes of these
wild men of the woods; and so at last the
exchange is effected, yet all the while the
sellers keep themselves invisible,
The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1878-11-09
Mans Age.

Few men die of age. Almost all die of
disappointment, passion, mental or bodily
toll, or accident The passions kill men
sometimes, even suddenly The common
expression, choked with passion, has little
exaggeration in it; for even though not
suddenly fatal, strong passions shorten life.
Strong-bodied men often die young; weak
men live longer than the strong, for the
strong use their strength, and the weak
have none to use. The latter take care of
themselves, the former do not. As il is
with the mind and temper. The strong
are apt to break, or, like the candle, to run
out; the weak, to burn out. The inferior
animals, which live, in general, regular and
temperate lives, have generally their pre-
scribed term of years. The horse lives
twenty-five years; the OK fifteen or twenty;
the lion about twenty; the dog ten or twelve;
the rabbit eight; the Guninea-pig six or
seven years. These numbers all bear
similar proportion to the time the animal
takes to grow to its full size. But man,
of the animals, is one that seldom comes
up to this average. He ought to live
hundred years, according to this physio-
logical law: for five times twenty are one
hundred; but instead of that, he scarcely
reaches, on an average, four times his
growing period; the cat six times; and the
rabbit even eight times the standard of
measurement. The reason is obvious
man is not only the most irregular and the
most Incorporate, but the most laborious
and hard-wOrked of all animals. He is
also the most irritable of all animals; and
there is reason to believe, though we can
not tell what an animal secretly feels, that
more than any other animal man cherishes
wrath to keep warm, and consumes himself
with the fire of his own secret reflections
The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1878-11-09
0ait and 9umur.
Women and Closets.

So deeply rooted is the feminine passion
for closets that it is doubtful if anv woman
can live when totally deprived of closets.
There was an arrogant and brutal husband
who once built house without a single
closet, merely in order, as he said. TO con-
vince his wife that closets are unnecessary.
That unfortunate woman was well and
strong when she moved into the house but
three days afterwar6 she began to droop.
She would aimlessly walk from room to
room with her spare dress hanging ON her
arm, would make futile efforts 10 hang il
up on flies or casual spots ON the wall.
She grew rapidly worse, and at the end of
the week physician was called in. who
soon discovered what was the matter, and
informed the husband that his w:fe's sys-
TEN imperatively repaired closets. The
eool-blooded monster explained that it was
too late to furnish it with closets. the phv-
stefan felt the force ofargument, and there
upon recommended swardrobcs" Of famil~
lar devices, not with the hope of curing
the patient, but as pallialives. The bru-
tai husband would not buy single ward
robe, and unfeelingly said that his wife
could put her things on chairs. Being
conscientious man, the doctor at once
threw up the case, and in fortnight tho
woman died. There is not the slightest
doubt as to her disease, and the doctor al
ways maintained that had her system
been toned up with two or three large
closets, she would have recovered,
The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1878-11-09
Love, Honor and Obey.

On the whole, married women, that is,
real women, prefer being ruled to ruling.
lt Is natural to woman to seek advice.
II is scarcely in her nature to go speech
lessly on doing what she has to do with
out aid or counsel. Almost any one OF
our sex is happier if she can talk things
over with some man upon whose direc-
ton she relies; and in married life most
wives do, even in the smallest things
what she" likes, and fancy they like it
themselves.
Since independence has become the
fashion, and strong-minded women have
sneered at their more gentle sisters, there il
a great aifeetation of despising the opinion
of the gentlemen, but it is ali sheer pre-
tense. Almost every wife chooses hel
gloves and her ribbons of the tint her hus
band admires, and the man she loves al.
most invariably gives her her political
opinions, and bases even her religious
views. Her speech, her dress, her manner
change under his influence. What he de-
sires her to do she does, ia nine cases out
of ten. The tenth case we find in the
divorce courts.
You may rule your wife as you please
good married reader, if you love and pet
her enough Naughtiness and fault-fnd
ing alone will make her resentful. And
you, dear girls, remember that it will be
well to choose husband good and noble
and upright, so you may obey him to your
hearts content without in the least losing
your own self respect; for you viii obey
him if you love lin; and if he be
low and mean, you viii sink to his level
slowly but surely in the course of years
MARY X. DALLAS.
The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1878-11-09
A New Pedometer.

For many years an invention for meas
uring distances while walking, called a
Pedometer (step-measurer,) has been in
use, but it has been imperfect and inaccu-
rate. Mr.. Benjamin s. Church of New
York city, the well-known Engineer of the
Croton Aqueduct, has invented a new in
strument for this purpose, aud in connec-
ton with Mr.. Sidney Z. Morse, formerly
connected with the Ne,c York O6ssrUer,
has brought it to state of perfection by
which, while simply carried in the pocket,
1t will accurately measure the distance
over which a person may walk in the
course of an hour, or day, or any period
of time, longer or shorter. The mechan-
ism, somewhat on the principle of watch,
is marvelously simple and is founded ON
the basis of automatically recording on a
dial each step that is taken, so that by as
certaining the length of persons step,
and setting the index accordingly, the pre-
else distance walked, for any length of
time, is indicated on the dial, as the min
utes and hours are marked on the face of
watch The instrument itself is no
larger than lady's watch, and may be
carried in the vest pocket without requir-
ing any attention after it has been set to
ones step. 1t may be changed to any
other length of step. Such an instrument
will be useful to many classes of persons
who may wish to ascertain the distances
they walk from day to day or the amount
of exercise they take. A lady carrying it
can tell at night the number of steps she
has taken in her own house in the course
of the ddy-N J. Observer
The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1878-11-09
For the Democratic Advocate.
Room in Heaven.

Rev. 2lst chap, 10th verse. "And the
city lieth foursquare, and the length is as
large as the breadth, and he measured the
city with the reed, twelve thousand fur
longs. The length and breadth and the
height Of it are equal"
How few of US ever think of the an
pearance or dimensions of Heaven. And
when We do think, how poor aud meagre
our thoughts; to us it is only circumscrib-
ed spot somewhere in the universe. But
st. John, when on the lonely Isle, he saw
the grand panoramic view of the holy city.
must have realized, at least, something of
Its glory and extent. The idea which he
gives US, Is that there was solidity. firm
ness, durability and strength combined with
indescribablc beauty, surprising grandeur
and iufnite glory. He describes 1t as
being IN the form of magnificent cube of
vast dimeutions, 10000 furlongs (stadiD
long, 1000 furlongs broad and y 900 fur
longs high. Now If we reduce the II 900
turlongs to feet and cube it, we get 94s.-
93S ,OO0, 900, 900, 600, O0O, 900 cubic feet
Then If We reserve half Of this for the
throne of glory and the Heavenly court.
half OF the remainder for the angels
thrones, dominions, principalities and pow
ers, half the remainder for celestial gar
dens of Heavenly fruits and flowers. half
OF the remainder for shady bowers aud
lovely parks, and half of the remainder for
the golden streets and walks, we shall have
left one thirty-second of the whole. Tkis
when divided into rooms 20 feet SQUARE
and 10 feet high will give Z ,4I3,57S. i25.-
100000, OO0, 900 rooms. Now let US sun
pose that this world has been since time
began, populated as at present with about
OO,OO0,UOO human beings, and that every
50 years one generation of that number
was succeeded by another for ten thousand
years, at which time the trumpeter of
Heaven would proclaim that time should
be no longer, and earth's population should
be brought home to the city of God.
And though We might suppose that in
the universe of our Father, 500, 900 worlds
like ours, existing under the same circum-
stances, and for the same term of years as
ours, each having the same number ofinhab-
itants as our own, and each inhabitant ODE
dent to the universal "come," there would
still be millions of vacant rooms in this
heavenly home, which the angel measured
for John and for us.
The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1878-11-09
"0ld MOses"-The Largest Tree.

The San Francisco Chronicle says A
section of the largest tree in the world is
now being exhibited by Messrs McKear-
nan, Ii. Ii. futile and Hubs at a vacant
lot on Market street, near Sixth, for few
days, before being exported to New York
and Europe. This Tree, called "0ld Moses"
from a mountain of that name, near which
it grew, was discovered by Prof Knowles
in 1874, on the Tule river, Tulare county,
seyenty-fve miles from Visalia. 1t was
240 feet in height, and must at one time
have been considerably higher, from the
fact that the top had been broken off at
some long past period. The tree, when
broken off, was twelve feet in diameter
and had two projecting limbs, measuring
respectively nine and ten feet in circum-
ference. The tree was one hundred and
eleven feet at the base, and the section
now on exhibition measures nearly 100.
Il took nine men four days to chop down
the tree, and the exhibited section was
taken from the site of its growth at
cost of $4,000, sixty-four horses being re-
quired for its transportation. The are of
this gigantic tree is estimated, according
to the method of calculating the age Of
trees, at 1854 years, Its circumference
exceeds by four feet that of the largest
tree in the Mariposa Grove. The diam
eter of the section in this city is almost
thirty feet. The interior of the tree is
sufficiently capacious to admit over two
hundred persons. This gigantic natures
wonder will be found an object of admira-
ton and well deserving the attention aud
study of the refined and intelligent through
out San Francisco, The proprietors have
erected a gallery in the interior Of the tree
sufficient in size for the accommodation of
an orchestra. This curiosity will be on
exhibition both day and night while it re-
mains in the city.
The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1878-11-09
Fingers and Forks.

We often laugh at the Chinese and their
chopsticks-or small, thin sticks of wood
or ivory-with which they eat, and fancy
they must make very dirty work at their
meals; yet they are cleanly and civilized
compared with the habits of our ancestors
some three hundred years ago. Then
forks were unknown. Each man had his
own knife, and at dinner seized the Joint
with his hand and cut off what he wished.
The dish was then passed on to the mex who
did the same. The knife then cut up the
portions into small pieces, which were put
into the mouth by the fingers of the hand
unoccupied by the knife. In many parts
OF Spain, at present, drinking glasses,
spoons, and forks, are rarities; and in tav-
ems in many countries, particularly in
some towns in France, knives are no;
placed on the table, because it is expected
that each person has one of his own-a
custom which the French seem 10 have re-
tanned from the old Gauls; but, as no per
son will any longer eat without forks, land
lords are obliged to furnish these, together
with plates and spoons. None of the SOW
ereigns of England had forks till the reign
of Henry VIII. All, high and low. used
their fingers. Hence, in the royal house
hold there was dignitary called the ewry.
who, with set of subordinates, attended
at the meals with basins, water, and towels.
The Office of the ewry survived after forks
came partially into fashian. About the
tirst royal parsonage who is known to have
had fork was Queen Elizabeth; but. al
though several were presented to her. It
remains doubtful whether she used them
on ordinary occasions. Forks were en-
ployed only by the higher classes in the
middle Of the seventeenth century. About
the period of tho revolution (I68S) few
English noblemen had more than dozen
forks Of silver along with few of iron or
steel. At length, for general use, steel
forks became an article of manufacture at
Sheffield. At first they had but two
prongsi and it was only in later times that
the three.pronged kind were made. As
late as the early part Of the eighteenth
century tahle,foFks-and we may add
knives-were kept on so small scale by
the country inns in Scotland, land perhaps
in some parts of England that It was
customary for gentlemen travelling to car
ry with them portable knife and fork in
shagreen case. The general introduce
ton of silver forks into Great Britain is
qzste recent. It can be dated no further
back than the termination of the French
war in 1914.
The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1878-11-09
So PER ANNUM.

we saw them, and the ladies wondered
what the big bear would have done had
she succeeded in embracing me, and 50 on.
Then we loaded one Of our little boats
with the bears and went TO camp with
something of the feeling which | suppose
the old Romans had when returning with
the plumber of conquered cities, they
marched along the Via Sacra
In camp the story had to be told over
to the rest of our party, who came in from
the different 'deer stands, and the bears
examined again. That same afternoon
one of our guides came rushing into our
cabin with the announcement that a "decr
was in the lake" Soon "John" was in
hot pursuit, and after sharp pull over
took it. The ladies followed in an
other boat, and as there is law pre-
venting sportsmen from killing deer in
August, aud ladies do as they please, the
world over, nv daughter shot it. So we
had four bears and a deer for that day.
Not many such days come in the North
woods, but strange as were its ccincidences,
they were all just as | have written them.
And this is che story of the bears.
The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1878-11-09
Age and White Hair.

Hearing one day that a peasant had
found u vault full Of wheat, each grain Of
which was as big as date-s:one, a certain
king desired greatly to know what manner
of men lived on the earth at the time when
that corn grew. Being advised to consult
a wise and aged yeoman, he sent a mes
senger TO him with a sample of the grain.
On the way he met friend, who begged
him to ask the wise old man two other
questions :-"why does a mans hair turn
white when he grows old aud why does
age improve mans good looks and impair
those of woman p The messenger found
out the old yeoman, and proposed to him
his first problem. The old man, whose
hair was blanched and whose form was
bowed and broken by age, said he knew
nothing about the corn, and referred the
visitor to his elder brother The second old
man, though more aged than the first, was
much more active and vigorous, and his
beard had not yet turned gray. He also
said he knew nothing about the corn and
sent the messenger to 4 third aud still older
brother This very old man turned out
to be by far the least aged in appearance
of the three, his beard being quite black,
and his figure still youthful. From him
the messenger obtained an answer to all
his questions. A hundred years previous
ly, it seemed, there lived on earth Il people
who were very God-fearing and pious; and
in return for their piety did they receive
from the almighty that wondrous gift of
gigantic grain. As regards white hair.
continued the sage, blond or black locks
are signs of youth, but white is "the sign
of age on account of the clearness of its
thoughts. With respect to the different
effect of age upon men and women. that
arises from the fact that a man was made
of earth, which improves the longer it
lies fallow; whereas woman was made of
flesh, which is liable to decay and corrup-
ton. Having received these answers, the
messenger asked, moreover, how, it was
that the youngest of the three brothers
was the most decrepit, and the eldest the
least. This also the sage explained. His
youngest brother he said, had foul land
and an ugly and vicious wife; therefore
was SO worn in appearance. The second
brother possessed good land, but his wife,
too, was bad and foul-favored; therefore
did he seem old, though not so stricken in
years as his younger brother But he
himself, he went on to say, was blessed
not only with good land, but also with
good looking and good wife, aud
therefore, was it that he, although the eld-
est of the three brothers, was by far the
youngest in heart and frame; for the prov
erb truly says that ''man's home is either
his heaven or his hell"
The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1878-11-09
SATURDAY NIGHT.

y contributor to the Democratic Adro-
cate sends the following We lay down
our tired pen, and thank God, earnestly
and truthfully, for Saturday night. For
six days all have devoted every energy of
both mind and body to labor, and alas
many for the mere pittance that keeps
shelter over their heads, and purchases a
seanty allowance of food
The merchant turns with sigh of relief
from his counting house-the banker locks
up his treasures-the blacksmith throws
aside his hammer-the carpenter his saw
the printer his stick and rule-the ma
son his trowel-his attendant the heavy
hod--the drayman releases his faithful
drudge of j horse-the newsboy ceases his
outcry-the little bootblack puts away his
box and brushes-the seamstress her nee
die, or takes her aching feet from the tread
mill of the sewing machine-even the an
cient apple woman on the corner gathers
up her stores, and the gingernut and pea
nut man his basket, and all turn home
ward, thanking God for the coming
REST
And what beautiful, holy thoughts fill
their minds? Wife, children, father,
mother, sister, brother or some one who is
equally dear, waiting for them There is
head crowned with silvery hair; there,
one just beginning to show the white
threads; there, one with locks black as
night, or golden rs the sun rays; there, a
wrinkled face and there an unseamed one;
there, lips from which time has stolen the
crimson, aud there one redder than the
rose, and far more sweet, but all rendered
priceless by the magical touch of Lore,
Yes, every heart and lip runs over with
thankfuness for Saturday night, for what
would we do without it? As nature rests
after seed time and harvest, even so must
man and beast, this is their breathing
time. The Sabbath is n blessing, espe-
cially to the laboring man on this account,
if there were no other reason for its being
so. 1t is the God-appointed time for him
to recruit his energies. Without it his
life would be but span.
Even iron and steel become heated by
unceasing use. Constant friction will wear
them rapidly away. How much more so
then must it be with the body, that ever
contains the seeds of decay?
All /! sweet, sweet Saturday night how
often have thy praises been sung-how
often yet they will be, and the world re-
main untired of hearing them2 To the
tired frame thou contest ike dew to the
flower, water to the thirsty, food to the
hungry, and life to the dying.
An assurance art thou of weekly rest,
and type of one that shall be eternal, for
to each and all will come n last earthly
Saturday night, the waking from which will
be the morning of Sabbath everlasting in
another world. Happy for him, then, who
can fervently bless God for that Saturday
night, as We do for the one when a week
of toll is ended, and we wend our way to
home and loved ones.
MiddIeto,cH, Carroll Co. Nd. Oct. I'M. 1878.
The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1878-11-09
The Great Wall of China.

The Great wall of China was recently
measured by Mr.. Urthank, an American
engineer, engaged on a survey for a Chi
ncse railway. His measurements gave the
height eighteen feet and a width at the
top of fifteen feet Every few hundred
yards there is a tower twenty-four feet
square and from twenty to twenty-five feet
high. The foundation of the wall is of
solid granite. Mr. Urthank brought with
him break from the wall which is sup
posed to have been made 200 b. C. In
building this immense stone fence to keep
out the Tartars, the builders never at
tempted to avoid mountains or chasms to
save expense. For 1900 miles the wall goes
over plains and mountains, and every foot
of the foundation is of solid granite, and
the rest of the structure solid masonry.
In some places the wall is built smootlfup
against the bank, or canyons, or precipices,
where there is a sheer descent of 1000
feet. Small streams are arched over, but
on the larger streams the walls run to the
waters edge, aud tower is built on each
side. On the top Of the wall there are
breast-works or dcfences facing in and out
so the defending forces can pass from one
tower to another without being exposed to
an enemy from either side. To calculate
time of building or cost of this wall is be-
yond human skill So far as the magni-
tude of the work is concerned il surpasses
everything in ancient or modern times of
which there is any trace. The Pyramids
of Egypt are nothing compared to it.
The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1878-11-09

ToADs.-Toads live upon beetles, bugs,
flies, grubs and such small game They
are easily tanned, and viii learn to accom-
pany weeder about the garden and pick
up such morscls as squash-bugs, rose-bugs,
cut-worms and potato-beetles, that are
thrown to them. A toad has been known
to put away within him over a hundred
different kinds of bugs and flies, and then
wink for more. Such services as this
surely ought to be recognized and such SER
want accommodated with both board and
lodging iE the garden. Nominal Is more
inoffensive or minds his own business more
closely. This valuable habit may perhaps
be considered as "the jewel which the
toad has been said to carry in his head
The toad is one Of our valued assistants and
should by all means be encouraged. The
common idea that to touch a toad will
produce warts upon the hand is unfounded.
1t is in no way disagreeable except to dogs
which desire to try their teeth upon it.
In this case an aerid juice exndes from
the skin which is disagreeable to the dog,
but not injurious