Centre Democrat. [volume] (Bellefonte, Pa.) 1848-1989, 1879-10-09
TIMELY TOPICS.

tiic NtW oIk IfRiBlhtufc was one per-
mitting historical societies 10 acquire
| and hold the site OF any battle or fort,
| that is notable In the history of the coun-
try, for the purpose of erecting Inonu-
ments or inclosing inter esting remains.
The limit of occupation is six acres. The
| property Is To be free from taxation and
| free TO visitors. The land cannot be
used for any business purposes. except,
perhaps, peddling peanuts and lemonade
at anniversary celebrations.
At the close OF last year there were
sl,4l miles of railroad in opera
tion in the United States, with popu-
lation of about 80, 900, 900. The number
ofmiles ofroad In operation in Europe
was about % 900, for n population OF
something over 30O, 600 900. The United
| States thus has n mile OF railroad TO
about 46i inhabitants, and Europe one
mile to about 1923 inhabitants; or in
other words, every inhabitant of the
United States has about seven times AZ
much railroad MS every European.
| Counting in the Azores, IL one can
credit the correspondence Of the Phila-
| delphia Times, is done Mt long range.
| Passing house the correspondent saw n
| young man standing in the middle of the
| road talking TO n young lady who was
| leaning over the railing Of the balcony.
! When he saw hc was noticed he walked
away, but presently returned and re-
sumcd his conversation. On inquiry the
correspondent learned that they always
begin that way, and that the yenng man
1 is never admitted To- the house until
| about 10 be engaged to the young lady,
| and then he sees her only in The presence
I NT gfh hnr 1.s,-a ~ 81 g.,
A congress for the Improvement OF
| the condition of the blind has been held
in Berlin. Foremost among the ques-
| tions was that Of the printed or written
| character TO be used by 1 e blind, and
| the congress decided that the system OF
! writing and printing by combination of
| raised points. first introduced by Louis
| Il allie in 1884, should be adopted in
! Germany without modification. Another
! important decision was that the prac-
! ticc of uniting the blind and the deaf in
J the same institution was highly obicc-
| ttonable. The congress also recorded
! the fact that in the experience of German
! institutions Iope-making Is one Of the
best trades there practiccd by the blind.
The funeral Of IIcriig. a Socialist mas
~
Cialist demonstration nj Dresden. Sew
cral thousand sympathiz"rs followed
the b. ~ 20 the grave. but the police
took t.lvaninZn of an old Saxon law
against ;hc public exhibition Of rcpub-
lican emb.c..s to forbid tho wearing Of
political onsignia. No funeral nration
was permitted, ana wncn woman
stepped forward and spoke few words
an order was given TO arrest her, the
execution Of which was, however. rem
derod impossible by the closing in OF
I the crowd. Several wrcaths were thrown
Un the coffin, but not before the police
had insisted on the removal Of tbs red
silk ribbons with which they were tied.
a man has gone moon-blind in Bos-
ton. lie applied at a police station for
lodgings on n Sunday evening. and be
ing told that hc must 90 TO the Hawkins
Street Home, answered that lac was
moon blind. and unable to find the way
In explanation. he said lac was recently
member of the night gang nj work on
the new sewer in Dorchester. One night
the men took an hours rest A. midnight,
and he fell into a dozc while reclining
on an cmhIukmcnt. The moon was
shining bright and clear. When hc
awoke at one O'Clock and attcmptcdto
return to his work. he found that he
could not see. In the daytime and by
the aid Of artificial light. lac can now see
as well ne ever. but after dusk and in the
open air his sense Of sight IL wholly lost.
A great business Is being done this
year in the importation Of iron from
Africa for use in American manufaC-
tories. The great reason for prcferTing
African iron To native ore is. Of course,
its CheapneSs. but it has tho further ad.
vantage Of being remarkably free from
phosphorus. This ore has been imported
to some extent for two or three years.
but never In such quantities n now.
ono authority estimating that two hun.
dred thousand tons WI be shipped 10
New York this year and half as much
| 10 Philadelphia. the latter for use nj the
! iron works in Bethlehem and Johnstown
and by the Pcnnsy lvania Steel Com.
pany. Another notable feature in the
/ iron trade is the importation OF Bessemcr
I pig. OF which forty five thousand tons
/ are known "a be under contract for the
I United States. There have been no i'm.
/ portaiions OF this wort before since 1873
! England has been shocl ID by blum
| dcrinE execution. and IL appears To he
1 settled that Marwood. u hanrman. is
an icnoramus. who IL permitted TO try
/ experiments nt the expense of the con
/ dcmned. At Ncwgate one Iamfs Dilley
/ was tn he put io death. Marwood ar
ranged for fall of six feet. The man.
after experiencing the horror of such a
fall. finally died only of strangulaiion.
| Scientific persons are Of the opinion that
| the wretch must have been iorturously
rackcd and have died in great agony.
| The long fall Is failure. The old gal
lows. IL Is thought, killed much more
! mercifully than the w.fanRied ma
chimes which have been introduced.
The British press Is discussing MIR. Mar
wood. and with all the more vigor
because by an order from the Home
Office the representatives of the press
are hereafter To be excluded from execu-
| tons.
Escaping their Foes.
| The escape of the troopers who were