Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1879-02-26

A dear old friend of mine used to say,
with the truest Christian charity, when he
heard any one being loudly condemned for
some fault: All! well, yes. it seems very
bad to me, because that's not my way OF
SHINING.
y recent French paragraphist says that
if you desire to render the flame Of your
lamp more brilliant, without increasing
the consumption, whether YOU burn oil,
fluid, or any of the products Of petroleum,
soak your wicks in vinegar and dry before
using.
Cats and birds do not mind being laugh
ed at, but dogs and horses are sensitive to
ridicule. Sidney Buxton relates in The
AniDlaI World that his pony gets very
cross when disparaging remarks are made
upon him, and becomes furious. stamping
about his stall, putting back his ears and
attempting to bite, if he is openly laughed
at; whereas praise greatly peases him.
The Spectator believes that dogs, and
probably horses, know the difference be-
tween being laughed ut in derision and
being laughed ut in admiration. and enjoy
the latter as much as they resent the for
mer; but regard it as Il question whether
some parrots do not understand and enjoy
the practice of maxine fun of their human
acquaintanccs-do not appreciate the art
of duping and take pleasure in it.
A STRANGE AMBITION We know Of
some young people who have strange
ambition TO be considered great readers"
They do not use the word great" in
reference to what they learn by reading,
but in regard TO the number of books nnd
pages that they read The are not careful
as to the quality. Usually this class of
readers select the poorest quality, because
they can get through with it quicker.
Indeed. they will sometimes boast of the
rapidty with which they can read Il book,
us though it were an occasion of honest
pride to read a whole volume at one sitting.
They forget that it is not the amount Of
reading which benefits one but the quality
and the manner in which the book is used.
Some get more good from page than
others from volume.
What would be thought of one who
should boast of eating everything set
before him without any reference to the
wholesomencss Of the food? To eat large
quantities of even Wholesome food would
be very unwise; to eat all sorts of food is
IL greater folly still Some would call
such Il man glutton or II gormandizer;
others would call him pig.
Be select in your reading; read only
what "ill do you good, and try to get all
the good out Of it you can. Have an
ambition to be thorough reader rather
than rapid one.
EXPLOSIVES AS FIRE KINDLERs Year
after year warnings are published in the
newspapers against the practice, in which
some house servants and fewer house
wives indulge of kindling fires with coal
OIL Sometimes the warning is simple
account of fatal accident, sometimes it is
in comments thereon. The warnings,
| however, do not seem to be needed, and
now comes the story Of II woman who
used blasting powder with which to kindle
fire, and caused an explosion fatally
iniuring herself and two children. The
use of powder for kindlng fires was not
unusual in the army during the war, but
the fires were in the open air, and the
powder was used by men familiar with its
properties. They were, indeed, so well
acquainted with the danger attending its
use, that they never tried the experiment
until all other means had failed to quicken
fire, and then with extreme caution. 1t
is scarcely necessary to say that all eXplo-
sive compounds and all burning fluids
should be kept away from the stove, and
that under no circumstances should an
attempt be made to add powder or oil tn
fire. 1t is bad enough to saturate wood
with oil before lighting it, which is prac-
tice very apt to lead to carlessness and
danger, but the attempted pouring of oil
on flame is IN act of suicde.-!httG-
de'phia Ledger.