The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1879-04-23
TIMELY TOPICS.

Mr.. David McIver, one of the proprie-
tors Of the Cunard line of steamships and
member of Parliament for Birkenhead,
writes to the London Times, declaring un-
hesitatingly that from his personal ex-
perience as a carrier he does not know of
any nation whose trade prospects at pres
ent are so gloomy as Great Britain's. The
depression in the United States and else
where, he says, does not at all approach
the depression here. The British ex-
ports to the United States are compare
lively nothing, either as regards volume
or value. The British food importations
are steadily increasing, and the balance of
trade is so overwhelmingly against Great
Britain that he sees nothing except ruin
for home industries, whether manufac-
turing or agricultural, if the present state
of things is allowed to continue.
While parents and guardians would
consider themselves culpably negligent
if children under their charge should
partake of poisonous food or drink; yet
how few are equally solicitous as to the
character of the mental food supplied to
the youthful mind. Three New York
forgers, brought back from Barbados by
che police, ascribe their crimes to the in
that parents should simply forbid
their children reading such demoralizing
! literature; it is equally important that
every household should be supplied only
with papers, books, and magazines that
are elevating and instructive in their tone
and contents. The active minds of youth
demand some occupation, and will gravi-
tate towards that which is exciting and
! stimulating, unless wiser counsels pre-
vail. Let those in authority beware of
the presence of rank moral poisons in the
| household.
The drowning of sixty English hussars
! in Afghanistan shows the wisdom of the
old Peninsular general who said that
every English officer and soldier should
be able to swim" 1t is true that the
strongest swimmer has little chance
against raging sea or the rush of a
mountain torrent, but, nevertheless, a
knowledge ofswimming has saved Eng
land more than one valuable life during
her Eastern wars. In the Sikh campaign
of IS45 q noted cavalry officer, when pur-
sued to the brink of a flooded river by the
enemy, slid from the saddle, and grasped
his horses name with one hand while
padding with the other. The animal
thus lightened, swan safely to the shore
In 1857, again, Major Thompson and
Capt. Delafosse, the only survivors of the
Cawnpore massacre, saved themselves by
plunging into the Ganges and floating
down the stream, the incessant firing ot
the Sepoys from the bank serving merely
to scare the crocodiles, who might other
wise have attacked them. They landed
when a considerable distance down the
river, and, after wandering in the jungle
for two days, were picked up, half starved
and covered with sores, by British de-
tachment.
Menotti Garibaldi, son of the general
and Achille Fazzari, his companion-in-
arms, have been intending to sail in the
autumn with 5000 Italians for the south
ern coast of New Guinea, establish q
colony there, and found a new city un-
der the name of Italia. Their object is
to find an outlet for that spirit of adven-
ture and enterprise which Italian unity
aroused in many who are still young
men. Among those who are to Join the
expedition are between twenty and thirty
now sitting as deputies in the italian
parliament. The party will number
about 5000, and will be divided into two
parts: the military, commanded by
Signor Fazzari, for the protection of the
settlers against the natives; and the agri-
cultural and industrial, to lay the verita-
BILE foundations of the colony and turn
the resources of the country to account
Four steamers are to be engaged to carry
the adventures to their destination, and
to convey all the requisite stores and re-
quirements, from spades, pick-axes, saws
and planes to printing presses and a tele'
graphic cable, with which they may
place themselves at once in communica
ton with the northernmost point o
Australia