The morning star and Catholic messenger., 1878-02-17
GENERAL NEWS ITEMS.

Since 1880 France has had 300 Secretaries of
State.
check for $500 recently passed through one
Boston bank and the Clearing House. and when
it reached the bank upon which it was drawn
it was found that it was neither signed nor
endorsed.
The sovereigus who have thus far announced
their intention of visiting the Paris exposition
are the Emperor of Austria, the Kings of Italy
and Spain, with their respective Queens, and
the King of Portugal.
While American shipyards are doing moth
ing, the great ship-building centre of Great
launched in the Clyde, a number that compares
favorably with previous years.
The New York San cites, as evidence of
the growth of Free Masonry in Mexico, the
notables mentioned by name, have passed the
thirty-third or Scottish degree.
In the town Of Wethersfeld, Conn.,, stands
an English Pesrman apple tree, nearly eleven
1t yielded fruit nearly q century before the
Revolution, and is still in good bearing condi-
tion.
: A resident Of Los Angeles, Cal, is now gath
foot ladder. The vine, which is twenty-five
feet high, has been trained on the sunny side
Of the house, and shows blossoms and fruit in
every stage of growth.
A druggist Of Lille, France had to make up
prescription for o oonsumptive patient where
phosphate of lime and the peel of bitter
oranges weHe Ingredients. Being out of these
articles he used cod-liver oil and syrup OF
bark. Result-he was fined $l2 so and COM
PEELED TO advertise his conviction in three
local papers.
In Hartford, Conn.,, women receive twenty
five cents per dozen for making corsets. and
the cotton thread, which must be bought of
the corset manufacturer, 10 deducted from this
sum. There are thirteen stitches to the inch,
and 5000 stitches in one corset. An experienced
needle woman can complete 9 halfdozsn in
6AV. and thna twA1V0 and n half C6nt0,
The State of Georgia let's out its convicts for
$14 q year apiece to companies that furnish
guards and employ the prisoners in mines or
on farms. A contract has just been entered
into between ex-Gov. Brown and the State, by
which the former agrees to pay the latter
100000 in yearly instsllments of S25. .0C0 for
the use of all con viots for twenty years from
April, 1879.
OsWego has the champion somnambolist in
the person of George Peckham. who not long
ago walked twelve miles to Fulton without
awaking, and who the other morning awoke
to find himself fully dressed and aboard the
Midland train about to start for New York. He
dreamed that he was going to Cahfornia' and
was awakened by the jar of the locomotive as
1t coupled on the train.
At o recent spelling reform conference in
London, Prof, Gladstone stated that 1t was
found on comparing the progress made In edu-
cation by English children with the progress
made by children in some continental ooun-
tries, where spelling was more simple, that the
foreign children learnt to read and spell with
striking rapidity. If, for instance, the English
Language had o spelling as simple IS the
Italian, there would be q saving in the school
life of every English child of 1000 hours.
Congress is very far behind with its routine
business this year The frat week in February
has passed and not single appropriation bill
has yet gone through the House. Other inn
portant bills are still delayed in committee and
promise to remain there for some time. Lead
ing members prophecy that the session will last
till August. Notwithstanding this, members
%n int n al mn nil
limit The total number introduced thus far
is 4710. By another month this will exceed
5000. thirds are private bills, which
properly belong before some judicial tribunal
or commission, and which should not burden
the committees of Congress.