davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Hickman courier., 1878-06-28
Gold Lace.

Gold lace Is not gold lace. It does not
deserve this title, for the gold is applied
as a surface to silver It is not even
silver lace, for the silver is applied to a
foundation of silk. The silken threads
for making this material are wound
round with gold wire, so thickly az to
conceal the silk; and the making OF this
gold wire Is one of the most singular
mechanical operations imaginable. In
the frst place, tire refner prepares a
solid rod of silver about an inch in
thickness; he heats this rod, applies
upon the surface q sheet of gold leaf,
Furnishes this down, applies another
coating, Furnishes this down, and so on,
until the gold is about one-hundredth
part the thickness of the silver. Then
the rod is subjected to a train OF pro
cesses, which brings it down to s state
of fine wire; it is passed through holes
in steel plate lessening step by step in
diameter. The gold never deserts the
silver, but sdheres closely to it, and
shares ali its mutations; it Is one
hundredth part the thickness of the
silver, and it maintains the same ratio TO
the end. AS to the thinness to which
the gOld-coated rod of silver can be
brought, the limit depends on The deli
cacy of human skill but the most re-
example ever known was
brought forward by DIR. WAllaston. This
was an example of solid gold wire with
out any silver He procured q small
rod of silver, bored q hole through it
from end to end. and inserted in this
hole the smallest gold wire he could
procure; he subjected the silver to the
usual wire drawing process, until he had
brought it TO the finest attainable state
being, in fact, silver wire as fire 81
a hair, with a gold wire in it's center.
To isolate this gold wire, he subjected it
10 warm nitrous acid, by which the
silver was dissolved, leaving a gold wire
1ne-thirty- of an inch in
thickness perhaps the thinnest round
wire that the hand of man has yet pro-
luced. But the wire, though beyond
Ill comparison finer than any employed
N manufactures, does not approach in
.hinness the film of gold on the surface
If silver and gold lace. 1t has been cal-
,ulated that the gold on the very finest
,ilver wire for gold lace is not more than
,ne- third OF onermillionth of an inch in
.hickness-that is, not above one~tenth
.he thickness of ordinary gold Leaf -
Coventry Standard.
The Hickman courier., 1878-06-28
Do Fish Sleep ?

The editor of the Fishing Gazette
proffers some little testimony bearing
upon the interesting query whether fish
sleep. It is his opinion that the trout
sleeps at night; and, as proof, he states
that, when entering his fsh-house at
night in summer time, he has observed
all the fish in the tanks lying motionless
on the slate bottoms, and has often
watched them thus for some length of
time. Their slow respiration and ana
loyous movement of the hns indicated a
diminished action of the heart and a
state of rest, similar to that of the human
being in sleep. On striking light while
the fish were in this quiescert condition,
they would start as if scared, and fly
about wildly, exhibiting the same
alarmed feeling that man not uncoms
monty does when suddenly reused from
profound slumber.
This evidence refers to fish in an srti-
fetal state but the writer believes that
it applies equally to those which are
wild in their native waters. " We may
safely come to the conclusion" he
remarks, /" that repose of the brain, more
or less complete, does exist in the piscine
world: and certainly, the higher the
organization of the animal, the more
need We shall find for some system of
rest or reparation of the nervous system" F"
The movement Of gills, fms, and tail,
which is ever present in fish, the writer
considers to be as purely the result OF
reflex action as that ofthe beating of the
heart; and therefore he regards these
movements, when the 6sh is otherwise
still, as no indication that it is not IN 6
state of absolute repose and unconscious
The Hickman courier., 1878-06-28
A Story of a Trail.

She was a tall, stout individual, and
sprang out of the wagon as lightly as a
spring after grasshopper. He was q
little withered, driedup weasel, and
followed slowly, bringing a basket Of
eggs with him. They entered one OF our
stores and she asked
"What are ye givin' Tor eggs f"
F." Eight CENTS" was the reply of the
counterjumper.
well, here are three Dozen" said the
tat party, " and III take it in calico"
"But 1 want some yarn to mend my
socks" said the old man.
"The weather is warm replied the
fat party, +" and you can go without
socks"
" But my boots hurt my feet" in
listed the old man.
go barefooted," said she, rather
sharply. Then turning to the clerk, she
The Hickman courier., 1878-06-28
Doctors, Sun and Air.

The air of the rooms we live in is
more or less alive with germs. Sunlight
with air will kill them, sunlight without
air won't kill them; consequently sun
light and ventilation are essential con-
ditions of health, and there must be at
least two hours of sunlight TO produce
effective results. 1t is neither Necessary
nor desirable to allow the scorching sun
TO pour through our windows all day
long, but we must have enough of it TO
keep our homes sweet srd fresh, or We
must suffer the consequences. We may
keep our houses open till ten O'Clock in
the morning, and then close them during
the heat of the day, reopening them in
the afternoon when the noontide fervors
are over The amount of a good round
doctors bill fer attendance on a case of
diphtheria or typhoid fever win amply
suffice to put wire-netting over all our
doors and windows, so that no trouble
some insect can find entrance, while sun
light and air may freely distill upon US
their blessings.
The Hickman courier., 1878-06-28
Jenny Lind and Daniel Web ter

Interview with Barnum-"Is Jenny
Lind poor?"
Not bit Of it. The reports to that
effect in the newspsp pers were the grossest
slanders-aIl that story, you remember,
about her husband being a spendthrift
and making sway with her money. He
sued one of the publishers, and proved
in court that Jenny is worth 1900, 600.
She made 100000 in America, and
Mr.. Goldschmidt invested it so success
fully that it has doubled itself. He is a
real nice, quiet little fellow, Jew
though he became q Christian when he
married her-and three or four years
younger than sbe. saw her only year
ago. she is we'll and happy. She has a
grown-up son and daughter. Sir Julius
Benedict, the composer, Jenny's old
teacher, told me that the daughter would
have been as great a singer az her
mother ever was if she hadn't been rich.
AS for the son, he knows that Jenny is
rich. He likes to spend the money, and
Jenny likes to have him.
" You can't imagine what triumph
the tour of Jenny Lind in this country
waa. 1t was an incessant ovation. Old
Daniel Webster, whenever he heard her
sing the Swiss echo song, would rise in
the audience as soon as she had finished,
and make three profound bows. He did
it in Castle Garden, in Providence, in
Boston, in Washington. She always
expected it, and she always received it.
l introduced him to her one day IN the
Revere house in Boston. He wore a
buff vest and velvet collar, and had his
hair brushed off his forehead He talked
sound sense to her, with dignity and
stately courtesy. 1 remember the old
fellow telling her in his most impressive
and senatorial manner, that O. America
is the best country in the world, for
persons who do not indulge in intoxicat-
ing beverages" He had just been
" wetting his whistle" In the barron.
Alter he had gone Jenny jumped up,
walked the floor excitedly, clapped her
hands, and with indescribable earnest
ness and prettiness exclaimed: Oh, Mr.
Bsrnum, that is a man that is man,
Mr.. Barnum l never saw man before"
observations which she repeated several
times in succession.
The Hickman courier., 1878-06-28
The oldDelusion of Communism

1t is easy to say that all the socialists
are not ike Heedel, but it is hard to deal
with philosophical enthusiasts honest
fanatics and political revolutionists who
seek short cut to what they call the
regeneration of society. The London
Times recognizes this difficulty when it
says that crowds have become socialists
at the bidding of hunger, misery and
ignorance. For centuries, in fact, co.
cialistic or communistic ideas have at
intervals seemed to masses of people in
many countries the secret of the means
by which poverty might be swept from
the earth and crime obliterated. The
English peasants were carried away by
those fancies in the fourteenth century,
when John Ball, the s'nad priest of
Kent" preached a crusade against
property in words that seem almost
as modern as the defamation of any
Parisian or Berlin communist of to-day.
Before the reformation, Germany had
more than once been disturbed by
doctrines of the same kind, and in the
sixteenth century John OF Leyden taught
and practised theories of an equally
mod arn hue
The Hickman courier., 1878-06-28

shot had mangIed arm and
shoulder, and he knew that the
blue cloud of powder smoke could
not shut him in from the shadow OF
death. He had been wicked. He was
| loudest in his curses, the first to sneer at
good, the last to speak of home. Com
rades feared and hated him, and officers
wondered why he was there instead Of in
a conyict's cell. Yet, when he saw the
shadow coming, his face lost its bronze,
his tongue forgot its familiar oaths, and
he dragged himself to the side of
wounded comrade, and said:
Have you got a mother, comrade "
Yes. God bless her " gssped The
other.
So have I, +" said John. II was think
ing of her for the first time in year
just before l was hit. She used TO beat
me. OuI home was a hovel, and knew
he alleys better by night than did the
streets by day. ] have been the wicked
est man in the regiment, but she il to
blame. y '.--zas-s--ss7eass -
The dusk OF evening helped the
blue cloud to shut out some of the
horrible sights, but it could not disguise
that dark shadow which moved from
man to man and stilled the awful cries
1t was coming nearer as John whispered:
d" I have been thinking. I alone am
to blame. In an hour I shall be dead
You viii live, and you will some day 90
back to our old home. VIII you
seek cut my mother and tell her that /
in my last hour a ked her forgiveness, |
want to hear her voice--prayed for the /
motherly touch of her hand on my hot /
cheeks ?"
Il will %
And say to her that good thoughts
crept into my hesrt-thst I prayed--
that ! remembered her as the dear old
mother who prayed at my bedside and
taught me heaven Say that -r'
When the living stealthily advanced
under cover of midnight, feeling of this
and that dark mass to zee if the heart
was still, of flashing their lanterns into
pale face to see what comrsde it WAS,
voice called out:
Come this way-here, under the
bushes !"
They we're lifting him upon streteher,
but he said
"Here is our John. Turn your light
upon his face p'
They bent over the figure, and one
said
" He Is dead 20
" And he must have wept," said
see this tear on his cheek ~
No stone marks the mothers grave
10 flag, or wreath, or tribute has ever
pressed the turf above the dust Of the
older son. 1t is we'll Could there be
greater tribute than the tears of the
lying, of the forgiving and the forgiven ?
n Detroit Free Press.
The Hickman courier., 1878-06-28
Women's Clothing.

A great deal has been said in our time
concerning the uncomfortable and IN
furious weight of apparel with which
women burden themselves. No doubt
there Is plenty Of truth in the assertions
which have been made in regard TO this
matter, and it is to be hoped that good
sense will triumph over fashion in all
things injurious as well as in things
ridiculous. In past times, however,
fashion has been an imperious mistress
in this particular. 1t is said that the
dress of Marie Joseph of Saxony, on her
marriage with Louis the Dauphin, son
of Louis XIV. of France, weighed sixty
pounds, and this heavy garment she was
compelled to wear all day. The Prin-
cess Jeanne of Navarro, on her marriage
with the Duke Of CIeves, was sttired in
q robe Of cloth of gold thickly studded
with gems, ducal coronet of jewels en-
cireled her youthful brow, and the train
of her mantle was bordeTed with ermine.
Determined TO ofer the uttermost
resistance in her power, the unhappy
bride declared her inability to walk
under the weight of her apparel, and SO
was carried to the altar by the Cardinal
De Montgomery.
The Hickman courier., 1878-06-28
Prison Discipline in Japan.

Some interesting particulars are given
iu the Japan Gazette of the convict
prison of Tsukuda-Jima, near Toxic.
The prison was founded by General Ka-
wsji, the prefect of police, who, after
having inspected the various prisons in
Europe, resolved to introduce into Japan
a system of imprisonment which should
be both humane and profitable TO the
state. With the consent OF the govern
ment, he established, about five years
ago, the Tsukuds-Jima prison, which il
under the control of the police depart
menJ, and in which the principal rule is
that each prisoner shall contribute 30
far as he is able towards mis- own main
tenance. At5he present time there are
irsfc. ,sssrtrs n "a 8
other servants, whose monthly wages
amount 10 about 1850, including the
salaries of nine surgeons. The prison
stands upon nineteen acres of land. more
than three of which are covered by
buildings; and IN the month OF March it
held $500 prisoners, of whom only one
hundred and four were women. The
total expenditure for 1877 was rather
under 100000, of which El5,OO0 was
paid out of the prisoners earnings. One
of the principal trades carried on in the
prison Is that of brickmakiug. at which
more than three hundred of the convicts
are employed, the clay being brought
from Toxic. The bricks are sold at the
rate OF 81 per l, 900, aud a good workman
csn make as many az 200 in eight
hours. Forty convicts are employed in
making boots and shoes, and all the boots
for the police are manufactured here.
There are a smithy and carpenters
shop in the prison and among the mis-
cellaneous articles turned out are um-
brellas, ehinaware, toys aud various
kinds of lacquer work. There are also
several printing presses in the prison,
while the younger convicts have large
schoolroom, in which they are taught
Japanese and English and are made ia
miliar with different trades. A detached
building is set apart for the detention of
persons who have been sentenced to i'm
prisonment for press offenses, and this
part OF the prison IS described as being
very comfortable and well furnished, the
cells being all provided with writing
materials All the convicts are allowed
to take warm bath once a day, but it
Is not stated whethsr they are in the
habit OF svsiliug themselves of the priv
iIege, or whether this rule in any way
accounts for the alleged fact that the rate
of mortality is not more than twenty per
1000 as against fifty per 1000 in most of
the convict prisons of Europe Pail
Mall Gazette
The Hickman courier., 1878-06-28
Employer and Employed.

z NAnever either employer or en-
ploya iorgets that there IS a commun-
Tg ~ interest between the two, both I
( asr-xerss This - trueaof al kinds
On bdsiness "a which the two classes
come in cont~t. The employer who
has no other intere.t in his help than to
get out of them all Nlat tEeir strength
will permit them to do, win soon find
that his employees will become etually as
selfish, and that not only the leas. posi-
bic amount Of labor that will .pr,yent
their discharge will be done, but bst
what is done will be imperfectly PEI
formed, and the enploye who has no
other interest than 10 get his money, is
8 detriment 10 any man who employs
him. In some establishments, and on
some farms, a stranger would be unable
TO tell, from the language or actions of
the help, that they were employees.
Whenever they speak of the affairs Of
their employer, they don't speak Of
them as il he was wholly responsible,
and that they had no responsibility
whatever, but their language conveys
the idea that they feel their own respon-
sibility, and that the success or failure
of the business Is a matter Of anxiety to
them; and their actions accord with
their words. Nine out OF ten employers
greatly appreciate such a manifestation
of interest, and it really seems to tighten
the burden which always necessarily
rests upon business man. If an en-
ploye has such an interest in the affairs
of his employer, there is no mistaking it.
It will show itself on every conceivable
occasion; and if he has been 30 unfor-
tunate as to find a man who does not
appreciate his merits, they will not long
go unrewarded, for others will zee them,
and be glad to avail themselves OF them.
II is, no doubt, the case with human
nature, that il is selfish in all Of its rela-
tions of life, and perhaps the great ma
jerity of men are too apt TO slight their
duties, instead of doing everything upon
honor, and performing services for others
as they would perform the same service
for themselves but there are men, and
a great many of them, who are strictly
conscientious in the performance OF their
duties as employees, and it is such men
who will ALWAYS win Western Rural.
The Hickman courier., 1878-06-28
France. e.--The Bible at the Ex-
position.

On the opening day of the exposition
more than 1900 people, among them
Arabs, Turks, Chinese and japanese,
received copies of the scriptures. No
sooner were the windows of the bible
stand open than crowds iocked to share
in the distribution. Language" says
a witness, utterly fails TO adequately
depict the selemnity and imPressiveness
of the scene. Let the reader imagine
thousands of men and women, soldiers,
sailors, officers, policemen, priests, nch
and poor, persons of all ranks and from
all countries, struggling for portion OF
the word of God, with, in almost every
instance, an expression of joyful thanks
as the prize was borne away. Perhaps
the best idea OF the eagerness of the
popnlace msy be gathered from the fact
OF the windows of the kiosk having to be
closed more than dozen times to lessen
the pressure .
The Hickman courier., 1878-06-28

"A boy of ten years was playing rail-
road with his sister of two and half
years. Drawing her upon a footstool.
he imagined himself both the engine and
conductor. After initiating the putting
noise of the steam ne stopped and called
ont " New York." and in moment after
a Patterson" and then Philadelphia. +"
The Hickman courier., 1878-06-28

It had been fierce fight. Shoulder to
shoulder the line swept out from the
cover of the woods, dashed across the
long field, and found death beyond it
death in such terrible forms that the line
fell back in wild disorder. Again and
again the pale-fsced but courageous men
dashed at the position, almost gained it,
and melted away under the fire of shot
and she'll and bullet. By and by the
slaughter ceased. The living left the
field in possession of the dead and
wounded, and the deafening roar of bat
tie drifted right and LETT.
On that meadow there was no patch
of grass without its stain of blood-dead
men with eyes opened shared the ground
with those who shrieked for water or
screamed out with the agony of
their wounds. John was there. A
The Hickman courier., 1878-06-28

Rnt at the conclusion Of a ten years war how are
We -seonpensed for the death OF multitude and
the exnsnse Of millisns, but by contemplating the
sudden glories of psymasteis and agents contrac.
tors and commissaries, whose equipsges shine like
meteors, and whose palaces rise Ike exhalations 2
-IDr samuel johnson.
ARIEL" Ave, they are many the weariest winds.
Tbateyer have drOnei o er the Asian plain
And kissed with Calamitys lips the bones
on the iartar-hordes Of Tamerlane.
Have never with travel of Gothic spears
Moaned or made
Tbrenody over such dead as these
They we're the children OF al the years,
The ofspring of axes washed 10 tears
The sons and heirs Of the c, INJURIES"
TaALArH.-" Yea, this is the west-wlnd blowing
Boxing and breathing With scent Of flowers;
From helds OF harvest and lands that goR
With the fsryid hues of tr0pic bow ers
Fruit of the North and hoFer OF the South -
All aye, all,
Iadustry's labor may here bestow;
When sieEleS .l cleaned S IN the ripe Pc red growth
nd ali ths sweet nuptisl sougs that how
From Eho siugeth with bleeding mouth"
AETEL-" AYE, hear the song for her lips are wet
Tire widow mOurns and the orphan walls
The dew en- her mouth must crimson yet.
While thought Of her dreadful grief prevails.
The blood Of her foe must redder how;
They lie loE.
& 8 1ss < ss4s s. sis ss.- tss & s55 '
Bat Sho hath soourged with 80 firm rod =
Nene none til their wrath subsidies shall
rHALATH.-" Yea. softly the wind hath kissed
-, These graves
III II near, il seems, the sleepers say:
g orothers ans sons we're We. you know,
All OF us-we Of ths Blue and Gray
ana the stars and winds and leaves that play.
sing il yet
. NO yonder the still. = hite shafts will show
Whefe the women weepers come and go
aye; coming, whence ali the four winds blow,
10 CLEAN these places Of deep regret ~
A1IkL = Aye, but there's manv a Groom OF grief
IN the wind that blows from either gay
Tor the reaper Death hath spared the chief
As0 carried the far young ears away.
ne hAta mown the ranks OF the Blue aud GRAY;
Ihev, 'tis said,
splehqld With ribbon and stars and gold,
dave little taste for his red, red mold
roT Valor is great and manifold.
Ana many must die for few, were told :"
-" Aye, but the mills Of the gods grind
And the frist OF earth is rot of heaven
jp by the stars should the buzles blow.
Cong qest and blood have no parole given,
ne eagle Of slaughter hovers low.
Chiefs and kings
ne piuEned with praise till their ewes drop down
or the Victor ? wreath l. enough renowu
"a v no would look up fIOm - gar's crown
10 tne place whore the weary ranks alone
t4lmo steadily or 10 bioOdlsss throne
The Hickman courier., 1878-06-28
VOL. XIV. NO. 90.

eranged her tune, and remarked /:
1oung man please count out the eggs
ana give me four yards of calico to
fastch this ere dress"
But" the ole man was going to
= ntinue when she raised her huge index
n5gerand said Henry Winter Davis
eprigains, : them are eggs are mine the
hens What laid 'em was mine the corn
what led 'em was mine, and Pse going
TO have trail on this ere dress as long
ssbetsey Gowen's If every toe on your
feet turn into gum biles. Nov, shut.
you, youugster, yank of four yards
q that are calico, or you Will hear the
bGmble bee a-buzzing."
Ihe old man shut and the clerk
sEanked Of the calico.
The Hickman courier., 1878-06-28
WAITS AND WHInrs.

An honest nsn-but let US not dig
up the past
-" "Zskial, don't tell anybody you
beau'd me home" "sary, don't you
mind; am as much ashamed of it as
you are"
Not long since disting ,.ished lit
erary man was crossing Boston common,
when a policeman, Observing him tread
ing on the grass, growled Don't you
see that sign, Keep of the grassT"
Certainly l DO" was the reply. 81 am
doing all can to keep it off,"
"A short time since Mr.. Knott was
tried in an interior county of Georgia
for violation of the law. The verdict
Of the jury was We find the defend
ant Knott guilty" The judge was at a
loss whether to sentence Knott, or Knott
to sentence. He took time to consider.
..These are the days when the woman
Of the house lights like an apparition in
the midst of the domestic garden swing
ing broom, tapping her skirts, kicking
sideways with both feet at once swapping
her eyes, humping her back and screech-
ing Shew there Sheww It's hens.
While the wine was being passed \
around during the administration Of the
sacrament at Butter Mission church, on
Fletcher avenue, the congregation WAS
electrified by the sudden exclamation Of
4 little boy, " Ma, Pll take beer % A
ripple Of suppressed laughter disturbed
the solemnity OF the occasion. - Indian-
nnnlia GnrAiroI