davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1878-04-17
Our Measure and Weight.

A writer in the Saturday RevieW
traces the use of the foot and pound,
and rejects the old theory that we are
indebted for them to the Romans. While
it is undoubtedly true that we derived
both the foot and the pound from Italy,
we can go back to much remoter
antiquity to trace their use. The Baby
lonians or Chaldeans used both the cublt
and the foot as units of length. These were
subsequently adopted by the Egyptians,
who introduced considerable variety, 80
that there is no little confusion between
the different kinds of cubits and feet.
The natural cubit, of about eighteen
inches, and the foot, which was two
thirds it's length, were transferred to
Greece, and the cubit having fallen into
disuse, the foot became the ordinary
standard of the Romans. At the same
time the double cubit, which was equiva-
lent to three feet, would appear, to
have survived in the form OF the ell OF
medieval Europe, and in our yard: AS
all these measures were originally de-
rived from the proportions of the human
body, some caution is necessary in refer,
ing their origin, though perhaps as old
as history, to remote antiquity rather
than directly to the length OF the fore
arm or of the foot. It must be admitted,
however, that the coincidence OF length
among all civilized nations is very strik-
ing. The derivation of the pound
weight is more complicated. The earlier
Tower pound appears to have been OF
Roman origin, being presumably identl-
cal with the Greek-Asiatic nina, while
the hundred-weight corresponded to the
talent or weight of cubic foot OF water.
Subsequently the Troy pound was sub
stituted, and, for commercial transac-
tions, the pound avoirdupois, from the
old French pound of sixteen ounces.
The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1878-04-17
A Paper Carpet.

A description is given Of a paper car.
pet now made in England, and designed
to initiate parquet flooring. the paper
being printed in patterns to initiate dif-
ferent woods from Photographic, so that,
as.it is stated, the resemblance is abso-
lutely perfect. The floor is first pre-
pared by being made perfectly level,
and the crevices filed up with plaster
of paris over the surface, as thus pre-
pared, hession is stretched, and on this,
8rst lining paper and then the patterned 4
paper is pasted, the whole being finished
with coating of n peculiar kind of warn,
ish, described as wounderfully.:hard and
wear-resisting. This kind of carpeting
can be kept perfectly clean with the
greatest ease, and though the wear OF
paper carpeting may be thought
problematical, the inventor states that
he has had rooms covered with it for
some sixteen months, without showing
any appreciable signs of wear. It's ap.
pearance also, is very satisfactory to the
eye.
The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1878-04-17
The Niles Singing Statue.

A traveller with Gen. Grant in the
East thus tells of this giant ALI that ls
left of Memnonism are the two colossal
statues, the one to the north being the
statue that, according to the historians
and priests, used to utter sound every
morning when the sun rose. The statue
is silent enough now, and is a monohth
about fifty feet high. A good part OF
the base is buried in the earth, but they
loom up over the plain-as, in fact, we
did see them-miles and miles away.
You may have an idea of the size when
YOU know that the statue measures
eighteen feet three inches across the
shoulders, sixteen feet six inches from
the top of the shoulders to the elbow,
and the other portions of the body IN
due proportion. No trace can be found
OF the cause of the vocal sunrise phe-
nomenon. One theory is that the priests
used to climb into a recess in the body
of the statue and perform a juggler' g
trick. I do not think 30 badly of the
Egyptian priests, who, I suppose. were
good men in their way, and not charla-
CQQS. LOU u1lSAt h1N ohO PAASoo 1A -
multitude capable of climbing into re-
cess and calling upon the people to pay
pew rent or tlthes or something of the
kind. But this sound continued for
generations, and 7 do not believe you
could find generations of priests carry
ing on the deception for years and years,
so I dismiss that theory and take an
other which Brugsch explains to us.
The statue would be moist with dew al
sunrise, and the suns rays acting upon
the dew would cause it to emit sound
like an interrupted chord of music !; just
such a sound rs you hear from see
shell if you hold it to your ear. AS the
sun is sure to shine every morning OF
these plains, you could be certain thai
such a phenomenon would recur daily
1 can we'll imagine how freak OF nature
might be taken as the voice Of the gods
and how humble priests would bov
down to it, and not enter into scientific
speculations. After the statue had beer
tossed by an earthquake and riven
the music ceased which only conhrm
me in doing justice to the poor priests
The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1878-04-17
How to Sing "A Song.

In choosing q song, select something
with at least sensible words 4; the better
and more interesting they are, the greater
will be your chance OF success, Be care
full to get song wholly within your
vocal powers, for if you attempt some-
thing too high or to-, '"w, you will proba-
bly subject yourself to ridicule. Hav-
ing chosen your song, study the words
carefully that you may fully comprehend
the sense and sentiment popular sing
ers make it a practice to learn the words
by heart-a habit worthy of all COM
mendation and imitation. When you
thoroughly understand the words, you
may attempt them in conjunction with
the tune or music, and in doing 30 en-
deavor to arrange breathing -places;.these
should be fixed 80 az to aid the sense,
or at least not to mar the meaning and
intent of the poetry When you have
decided where to take breath, mark the
places with pencil, and be careful in
Studying to observe those marks. As q
general rule, unless q phrase of the
poetry commences with the first beat of
the music bar, We shall find that bad
place for breathing.
Many singers never dream OF Pre'ar,
ranging the places for taking breath, and
this fact alone would suffice to account
for much of the bad singing we hear.
In one of Horsley's glees the bass voice
has to sing alone the line. Mista! black
terrific maid :" and when the vocalist, as
frequently happens, takes breath after
"bfack" instead of after I" Mista," the
effect is truly comical, making the line {,
sound like "Mr. Black, terrific maid. y
Every word should be pronounced dis
tinctly, even more So than in ordinary
conversation. We sometimes miss the
aspirate "h" when listening to a care
less render, but the loss is felt with
greater force when the words are allied
to music. I have heard line from
"The BailiA's Daughter of 1slington !"
sound like "Before ! give you a penny
sweet-tart," simply because the singer
had forgotten to give fully the "h IN
"sweet-heart." Again, the letter "r,"
which we English almost ignore in COM
mon talk, should certainly be observed
in singing. How otherwise are we to
know in such song as "The Message, !"
what is meant on the long holding notes
by the word farther2" The absence
of the "r," as too commonly sung, pro-
duced "father," and 90 we get the line,
"I heard it float. father and father"
These remarks as to the words have all
been made in reference to English. OF
course, we ought p9t to attempt any
other language before we know that we
have acquired proper control over its
special pronunciation and accent, and
then we should be careful to acquaint
ourselves with the meaning and senti-
ment of the words before we venture to
sing them for others to hear, and posi-
bly, to criticise.
The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1878-04-17
What Shade. Trees to Plant.

There is great satisfaction in know
ing what selection of shade-trees those
who are competent to Judge would make
for road or lawn planting. Just such
information is now before the public,
and it will prove of very great value to
those who intend to beautify their road
sides or private grounds. The park
commission of Washington, D. G., COM
posed of three men of high standing in
horticultural circles, have planted miles
of street. trees numbering about forty
thousand. The bulk of these are made
up of twelve varieties, and are named
herewith in the order in which the COM
mission valued them for the purpose :
White maple (Acer ddsyca1puna),
American linden (ISlia Anaericana),
American elm (Uln,us Anericana),
scarlet maple (Acer s'ub' una), box elder
(Neguedo aceroides), sugar maple
(Acer saccharin,tna), American white
ash (Frarinus Anaericaaa), English
sycamore (Acer pseudoplatanus), but
ton-ball (Platanus orientalis), tulip
tree (Liriodendron tulipitero), honey
locust (Gleditschia triacanthos), Nor
way maple (Acer platanoides).
This is an excellent assortment to
select from for roadside planting. Each
variety here named when full grown as
sumes handsome proportions, and most
of them have brilliant and attractive
foliage in the fall. In planting shade
trees along the roadside, especially in
clay country, they should be set at
least fifty feet apart. for if closer there
will be too much shade, and bad wet
roads in the spring are sure to follow.
This close planting should also be siren
uously avoided in decorating private
grounds. Any system that excludes
the free access of sun and air from the
dwelling-house is pernicious. Go wher-
ever one may he will find this faulty
system of close planting in vogue, and
in eight cases out of ten there are two
trees or shrubs on a space where one
would have been enough. The plea
for this is desire for immediat eefect.
The remedy is to cut down in time every
other tree. This last is seldom if ever,
carried out.-Scribner.
The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1878-04-17
A Medical View of Cats.

Thewell known English medical paper,
the Lancet, speaks thus unkindly of the
domestic cat: Apart from the mischief
these creatures may do by lying upon
your young children for warmth, and
suffocating them, they are by no means
to be despised as enemies. When ex-
cited or stirred to anger it is more
easy to defend the body from the direct
attack of dog than to repel the sly and
sudden onslaught of cat. It is, more
over, a mistake to suppose that there is
no danger in the bite or the scratch of
one of these animals. There have been
abundant and melancholy proofs of the
peril of contracting hydrophobia from
cats. The danger is scarcely less than
that which attends an injury inflicted
by dog. This should be borne in mind,
and if the consideration should have the
effect of diminishing the number OF cats
maintained, or rather kept without any
adequate provision for their support, the
population will be the gamers.
The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1878-04-17
Anecdote Of Peter Tie Great.

Peter of Russia, or Peter the Great,
as he is commonly called, Was a man of
remarkable qualities of mind, and
though very arbitrary, wac still kind
and considerate to those who deserved
encouragement. Ohe day a young re-
cruit was standing guard before the
door of the entrance to Peters private
chambers in the palaee of st. Peters
burg. He had received orders to admit
no one. As he was passing slowly up
and down before the door, Prince Ment
chikoff, the favorite minister of the czar,
approached, attempting to enter. He
was stopped by the recruit. The prince,
who had the fullest liberty of calling
upon his master ct any time, sought to
push the guard aside and pass him, yet
the young man would not move, but
ordered his highness to stand back.
"You fool!'' shouted the prince,
"don't you know me ?"
The recruit smiled and said, every
we'll, your highness, but my orders are
peremptory to let nobody pass"
The prince, exasperated et the low
fellows impudence, struck him blow
in the face with his riding whip.
"Strike away, your highness," !" said
the soldier, "but cannot let you go
in."
Peter, in the room, hearing the noise
outside, opened the door and inquired
what it meant, and the prince told him.
The czar was amused, but said nothing
at the time. In the evening, however,
lie sent for the prince and the soldier.
As they both appeared, Peter gave his
own name to the soldier, saying:
"That man struck you in the morn
ing; now you must return the blow to
that fellow with my stick"
The prince was amazed. "Your ma
iesty, he said, "this common soldier is
to strike me?" ..
II make him captain" said Peter.
But I'm an officer of your majesty's
household" objected the prince,
"I make him colonel of my Life
Guards and an officer Of the household. !"
said Peter again. =, :.
"My rank your majesty knows, is
that of general" again protested Ment-
chikoff.
"Then T make him general, 30 that
the beating you get may come from a
man of your rank. :.
The prince got sound thrashing in
the presence Of the czar, the recruit was
next day commissioned general, with
the title of Count Oroinof, and was the
founder of a powerful family, whose de.
scendants are still high in the imperial
service of Russia.
The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1878-04-17
Depcpulation of st. Helena.

A curious description has been given
of the decrease of the population Of the
island of st. Helena, memorable in all
history as the scene Of the last years of
Napoleon. Its industries have been al
most ruined by the opening Of the Suez
canal, which has diverted most India
going vessels from it's shores, and the
employment of steam condensers for
water on sailing vessels, saving them
from the necessity Of calling at the
island for fresh supplies of water. One
fourth of the population has immigrated,
and now there are only 1884 males, of
whom 1,154 are children, left on the
island. The revenue, chiefly derived
from customs duties, is but very little
more than $50, 900, and but little more
than $25, 900 is spent on all the public
establishments of the island. The peo-
pie are asking for grant of money
from England, but they are urged to
have recourse to improved agriculture
and attempt the growth of fine species OF
tobacco, of the cinchona plant or the
oil yielding rose, all Of which are, it IS
said, adapted to the climate and soil.
The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1878-04-17
A General Surprise.

We Gull the following from an article
in Scribner, entitled "Deer Hunting on
the Au Sable:" The next evening one
of the dogs, footsore and worn out, re:
NAMED in the woods. His master and
one other sailed out into the inky dark
ness to look for him at points near which
they deemed it probable he would have
lain down. They took a lantern, with
ont which it would have been impossible
to walk, and after fruitless search, e1-
tending to distance OF three miles or
so, turned back. Suddenly they heard
light footballs in the tote-road, and
with two or three beautiful bounds, a
young doe alighted within the circle il.
Illuminated by the lantern, approached it
in wide-eyed wonder and almost touched
it with her nose. A young spike-h horn
buck followed her and both stared at the
light, their nostrils dilated and culver
ine, and every limb trembling with
mingled excitement and fear. There
was an exclamation that could not be
suppressed, vain effort to shoot, and
the deer were gone like a flash into the
darkness. It was curious to hear both
gentlemen, on returning to camp, pro-
testing that to shoot deer under such
circumstances would have been wholly
unsportsmarlike.
The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1878-04-17
Tame Jaguars.

Only stupid brutes are untamable, and
in spite of his ferocious instincts the
iaguar is not deficient in those higher
soul-elements which qualify animals for
the companionship of man. Under
kind treatment and judicious mixture
of vegetable and animal diet the tigronci-
tos usually grow up into amiable and
most interesting pets, and are found In
the peaceful fellowship Of monkeys, dogs
and black raccoons on many ranchos OF
Southern Mexico. They follow their mas
ter like dogs, share his seat in the CHM
newcomer, search his pockets for play
things, aid greet his return from a jour-
ney or hunting expedition by embrac-
ing his knees and licking his hands or
the lapels of his coat with indefatlgaoie
fervor. They climb and explore
stranger like tree, and if he encourages
their familiarity they have curious way
OF encircling his neck with their lore
DAVIS, and hang thus for minutes to-
gether, expressing their affection by q
snoring purr or by gently rubbing their
ears against his chin. In their rough
and tumble gambols with dogs they
generously forbear to make use OF their
claws, but the spectacle of a bona:,Tde
fight seems to excite their dormant COM
bativeness, and without any apparent
cause for personal resentment tame
iaguars have been known to rise from
their couch with an ominous growl and
expressive of murderous intent If two
urclins fought or dog got thrashln1g
in the opposite corner of the room. In
other ways, too, their savage instincts
assert themselves now and then and
the proprietor of wayside tavern IN
the neighborhood of U1mal told me that
he had to part with tame tiger because
in warm winter nights, when it heard
the wells of it's wild brethren from the
depths of the Lagotasso, the creature
frequently took it into its head to answer
these calls, and startled the inmates OF
the farmstead from their midnight slum-
hers by demoniac scream which was
repeated by all the echoes OF the sur
ronndine sierra. Moonlight nights
seem to make them restless they proWl
about as if troubled by some unsatlstied
want. or promenade on the roof to the
serious detriment of the weatherboards.
A liberal animal diet is said to make
them subject to aggravating fits OF this
kind. especially the males, which reach
their full size, if not their full strength,
toward the end of the second year.
Lppincott's Magazine.
The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1878-04-17
Knrda of Wisdom.

To believe business impossible is the
way to make it 80. .
Under our greatest troubles often lie
our greatest treasures.
The enjoyment of being able to make
a very little go a great way has real
zest.
There are many shining qualities in
the mind of man, but none so useful as
discretion.
Some speakers and writer's have a
river eff words, but only spoonful OF
thoughts.
No woman can be beautiful by the
force of features alone, any more than
she can be witty by the help of speech.
We should do by our cunning as we
do by our courage always have it ready
to defend ourselves, never to offend
others.
The wise man makes equity and JUS
tice the basis of all his conduct, the
right forms the rule of his behavior,
Difference and modesty mark his exte-
rior, sincerity and fidelity serve him for
accomplishments.
If you know a man who is willing to
kiss your boots because you are rich
you may be sure that there is some one
whom be compels to kiss his boots in
return. He who will crinee before one
who is bigger than himself will play the
tyrant over one smaller than himself.
You are a coward, if afraid to tell the
truth when you should do so. You are
coward when you insult the weak. You
are coward if afraid to do right, il you
shrink from defending your opinion,
from maintaining that which you know
to be just and good and you are es-
pecially coward if you know certain
things of yourself, and care not to own
them to yourself.
The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1878-04-17
Atlantic Wrecks for Thirty. seven Years.

We have before us record showing
the number of lives lost in crossing the
Atlantic during the last thirty-seyen
years. In this period ffty-six fine
steamers have been wrecked, and IN
twenty nine instances more or less lives
were lost. Nine vessels were never
heard from after leaving port. These
are the President in 1841, the City of
Glasgow in 1854, the Pacific in 1856,
the Tempest in 1857, the United King
dom in 1868, the City of Boston in 1870,
the Scanderia in 1872, the Ismailia in
1873, and the Colombo in 1877. The
number of lives which were thus blot
ted out aggregates 1897. Of the re-
naming vessels, four were burned, five
sunk by collision, two by colliding with
icebergs, two foundered at sea, and thir-
ty-four we're wrecked on various coasts.
This is suggestive showing, for it at
once calls into contrast the relative peril
incurred by dependence upon human
Judgment and human handiwork.
Thirty-four steamers, as above stated,
have been wrecked, and an inspection Of
the localities where the wrecks occur
red shows that several have happened Iii
about the same vicinity. For example,
the City of New York in 1861 and the
Chicago in 1868 we're both wrecked on
Daunt's Rock, near Queenstown. No
less than twelve have been destroyed on
the coasts of Nova Scotia and New
foundland. It may be asked if vessels
cannot be built strong enough to with
stand driving upon rocks as in the cases
of the Atlantic and the Schiller, at least
for a sufficient time to enable the passcn-
gers and crew to obtain assistance or
make their escape; but here the question
of cost obtrudes itself, and the answer
of those who have considered the subject
is that vessels cannot be 80 constructed
and yet proftably used. Taking this into
account with the aggregate number OF
lives lost, in all 4, 780, and it will be evi-
dent that the problem of reducing the
dangers of the sea, becomes as we have
frequently urged, one depending on the
efficacy of the ife-saving inventions.
Devices which will keep large numbers
of people aaoat for considerable periods,
devices that will keep individuals above
water that can be rapidly adjusted to
the person with no possibility of mistake,
devices for taking lines from wrecked
vessels to the shore, devices for indi-
eating the relative positions of ships to
each other, new signals for fog and
night, and contrivances Of that nature,
ali are subjects for the inyentor's skill
in devising better notifications and i'm
provements.-Scientifc american.
The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1878-04-17

On one side of the instrument, as seen
in the sketch is sensitive diaphragm,
which vibrates in accordance with the
sounds made in front of it. This dia-
phragm carries point as represented,
which closely approaches the surface of
a cylinder, around which tin foil or other
easily indented material is wound. The
cylinder is revolved by clockwork at
regular speed before the point, and as
the diaphragm is vibrated by the sound,
the point vibrates correspondingly
against the cylinder, and thus indents
the tin foil in manner exactly cores.
ponding to the length and frequency Of
the vibrations of which the sounds are
composed, thus making an exact record
of the sounds upon the surface of the
cylinder. Having thus recorded the
sounds in the form of indentations, it now
only remains to reproduce it or make
the instrument "talk back" or repeat
vocally what was previously recorded.
This open stem is simply the reverse
of the other. On the opposite side of
the instrument may be seen second
diaphragm, also provided with q point,
which, as the indented surface Ievolves,
rides in and out of the indentations
made by the recording point, and thus
causes the reproducing diaphragm to be
thrown into vibrations corresponding
exactly to the original vibrations,
and thus reproducing the original
sounds in all their integrity. This
reproduction can be effected any
time after the recording, 30 that
the tin foil can be removed from
the cylinder, be preserved for centuries,
and again. wrapped upon the cylinder
and made to speak, sing or laugh, &C
cording to the nature of the recorded
sounds, years after the speaker or sing
er had turned to dust.
If such thing is possible, as is now,
in fact, accomplished by the Phono-
graph, the question may, indeed, be
asked, what is impossible to human ge-
MUS and we are forced to exclaim with
a recent writer on the telephone
ooh! Science give us one more link,
That We may hear our neighbors think"
-New York Scientific Ne,os.