The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1878-03-27


to be laid on one end Of long table for
serving tea, may be made of serge, with con-
trasting shades of the same material, or
designs from chintZ and cretonne laid on
and worked in wool, method of working
which can be rapidly executed.
Some sort of regulation seems to be creep
ing into the display of flowers at funerals
The little lamb in white everlastings, with
amaranths round its neck, the vacant
chair" in feverfew and the tombstone in
camellas, are banished, with mourning
pieces and plumes on the hearse. In public
funerals and state gatherings floral emblems,
the cross of camelias and azsleas, the broken
oolum or the shield, have fitness in their
sculpturesque beauty that can not be gain.
said. For private occasions there is more
simplicity and more significance in the
maiden strewments'' of loose flowers, the
bough in bloom or the palm brarch laid
across the bier, than in all the fantasies of
commercial taste. So, too at weddings and
christening parties the house is filled and
sweet.with flowers, but canOpies, floral bells,
doves and standards are out of style with the
best fashion and taste.
A Memphis letter says: THE (Jeferson)
Dayis family is comparatively poor now, and
Mrs. Davis frequently alludes to our power
ty' in jocular way. The whole family
moves modestly and unostentatiously in the
society of this city. They are Episcopalians
in faith, and the rector of the church which
Mrs. Davis attends is late colonel of federal
artillery, Rev. Charles c. Parsons. In Mrs.
Davis and her family he finds as warm
friends as his parish contains. One does not
hear much of the family here, but no mem
Der of it, 1 find, is ever spoken of with aught
but words of regard and respect.
The following story Is told to show the
ingenuity of Edison, the electrician. The
telegraph Office in Boston was greatly infest-
ed with cockroaches. Mr.. Edison tackled
several zinc strips to the walls at intervals of
an eighth of an inch and applied the posi-
tive and the negative poles of battery
alternately to the strips. He next smeared
the walls above the strips with molasses.
The vermin came up, and as they stepped
from strip to strip they ''closed the circuit
received the electric shock and dropped dead
by scores. Water pals put at the proper
places received their bodies as they fell. We
distinctly credit this story to Boston.
The late E. /. Davenport's parents abhor-
red theatres; the dramatic taste first appear
ed in him when at the school of John f.
Lowell in New Haven. A writer in Lippin-
colts magazine says that Mr.. Lowell is still
living, at the age of 80. Mr.. Davenport
always sent the old gentleman tickets when
ever he played in New Haven, and in Janu-
airy, 1877 Mr.. Lowell occupied a front seat,
and cried all through the play of Daniel
Druce'-an incident that deeply touched
his old pupil. Mr. Davenport's ansyer to
question as to the secret of dramatic success
was this: Work, hard, grinding work.
You must have dramatic taste, and then
work.
The surgeon is often called upon to treat
chronic purulent Inflammation of the mid
die ear by applying medicaments which at
least will not increase the supply of mois-
ture. Powders have long been used for the
purpose, but they are difficult to apply and
withdraw, and are liable to become poultices
and thus add to the trouble. Dr. Samuel
Sexton describes, in the Medical Record,
mode Of overcoming this difficulty. He
uses absorbent cotton wool, which has been
prepared by suitable washings, so as to be
entirely free from oils, etc. This when dry
will absorb water like a sponge. 1t medi-
Gated by saturation with a solution of the
drug to be used, such as borax, 20 per cent;
zinc sulphate, or alum, 2 to per cent;
ferric subsulphate, per cent; tannin or
sslicylic acid, per cent, etc. After the ear
has been syringed, it is to be dried by the
use of small portion of cotton wool, which
is then withdrawn. Thereupon the medica-
ted wool is introduced by means of a vulcan
ite carrier, and, if needful, pushed further in
with the blunt end of forceps. The wool
can be left in the meatus as long as is desira-
BILE, since it causes little uneasiness to the
patient.
Hard tack and bacon, says a Fort Custer
ON. T. correspondent are not the greatest
civilizers In the world; and, when even these
most respectable articles of diet are eaten
under adverse circumstances, they have
claim, at least upon our attention. The
soldiers have a way of frying hard bread in
bacon grease, and then sweeteping it well
with brown sugar, which favorite dish is
known among the initiated as lobscouse.
This appetizing compound is a great favorite
with all our frontier soldiers, and the
amount they can stow away after q hard
days march is as astounding as it is crafty
ing. Their eyes fairly roll with pleasure
while eating this delicacy, which is consid-
cred so good as to ''make their eyeballs fairly
Jingle as / heard one of them solemnly de-
clare. Black coffee is another luxury, and /
have often heard officers declare that they
could do anything with men so long as they
had a full allO vance of coffee. A quart cup
full is considered enough for an ordinary
meal. This is taken "hot and. hot" and is
far better than whisky, as it Invigorates
them, and they can undergo more fatigue.
In old times ii was considered necessary to
give the soldiers whisky; but Dow-a days,
under a more enlightened policy, this is
done away With, mucn 10 the advantage OF
all concerned. The men scarcely ever drink
too much liquor, which they get at the post
traders store, except a few days after.they
have been paid.
Here is the way Michigan critic lin the
Detroit Post and Tribune) discusses the
volume of Practical Receipts of Expert
enced Housekeepers," compiled by the
ladies of the Seventh Presbyterian church,
Cincinnati, and recently issued by Robert
Clarke '& Co. "The public has become fa-
milisr with the religious novel, but the
religious cook. book is a new and somewhat
startling innovation. This Is, furthermore,
a sectarian cookbook. 1t will be observed
that every one of its receipts is orthodox
Presby terian; and we think it may safely be
put into the hands of everybody with the
assurance that it contains no receipts for
Romish waters, no Episcopalian formula for
plumb pudding, no frivolous Universalist
porridge, no Methodist johnnycake, no
Baptist water ices, no Swedenborgian blanc
mango, no Unitarian chow chow, no Con-
gregational slap jacks, and Hard Shell seal
lops. 1t is an eminently orthodox book of
2l0 pages, filled with all sorts of receipts, not
only for cooking, but for various household
arts, as how to do up lace, to wash, to iron,