davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1879-08-05

A mans hat, unlike bonnet, is often
Indicative of his character, for he is al
lowed to choose from n great variety of
STYLES that which best suits his tempera-
ment or accords with his moral sense.
And yet shocking bad hat does not
always reveal shocking bad character.
Hats. as well as dreams, often go to con-
traries. Wendell Phillips gray slouched
hat is no sign of any slouchiness in
Wendell, and the bright beaver Of the
burglar Is no indication Of shining moral
attributes in the wearer. The chief
beauty of the modern hat is that it is
eminently useful. Sociates, whose cri-
terion of beauty was adaptedness to use,
would have been delighted with such
hats as nine-tenths of modern men wear,
though we fear he would ask, Chi bono
if presented with beaver.
The ideal hat. perhaps, is yet to be
made, but we have come pretty near to
it. 1t keeps the head warm in winter
and cool in summer, it protects the eyes
and face from the sun. it is impermeable
to the rain and yet not to the air. it is
soft and yielding, it may be sat upon and
jammed into the pocket without injury,
and rolled in the dust or mud and como
out untarnished, and, above all, it will
endure the ravages of time. What mor'
does man want of hat? Compar q
with the ephemeral bonnet, it is "a thia.
of beauty and JOY forever" an eli'
poem, ripaning with the years. The 4
fore. what man having worn An old =
straightway desireth a ncwp For ~
saith the old IL better. Springfield LRAs "
Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1879-08-05
Do MONKEYS Swim /?

A correspondent of Land and Water,
in reply to question whether monkeys
swim, says: / was always under the
impression that they did not like wetting
their fur or hair, but at Sangur, Central
India, when was stationed there / had
a little monkey that was exceedingly
fond of swimming and diving. One day
on taking him to the pond at the bottom
.of my compound, he jumped off my
shoulder and dived (like man) into the
water, which was three or four feet
deep; he had his chain on at the time
and when he dived in the chain caught
in some grass or root at the bottom and
kept the monkey down; he was just able
to come to the top of the water. Feeling
his chain had caught, he dived down,
undid the chain, and continued his
swim with the chain in his hand. He
swan Just like man as far as | could
see from the motion of his arms.
Several of my brother officers came to
see him swimming, of which he was
very fond, swimming very quietly, and
cunningly trying to catch the frogs that
| lay floating on the top Of the water.
Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1879-08-05
A Pigmy Painter.

In a recent exhibition of old and Gu
rious paintings in Holland was a por-
trait of Oliver Cromwell II was by no
means a masterpiece of art, being a
somewhat feeble imitation in style of
Sir Peter Lely. the court painter of
Charles L. of England. But it was a real
curiosity in its way.
It's painter was Richard Gibson, other
wise known as the dwarf artist. =
Gibson was three feet two inches high
He was born in 1916 While serving as
q page for a lady at Mortlake, she no.
ticed his talent for drawing, and caused
him to be instructed by De Keeyn, the
superintendent of the famous Mortlake
tapestry works. The little artist became
very skillful as a COPPER of Sir Peter
Lely's pictures, and attracted the atten-
ton Of Queen Henrietta Maria. She
made him her husbands page, and mar
ried him to dwarf young lady of eX-
actly his own height, who waited on
her. The wedding of the dainty little
pair was honored by the presence of the
king and queen, and Edmund Waller,
the poet, commemorated it by q poem.
When Charles lost his scepter and his
head, and passed with his queen out OF
English lines, his little protege lived and
throve. He had painted the kings por-
trait, and now was called upon TO linn
that of the protector. Cromwell re-
garded him with particular and kindly
favor. On the restoration he again
changed coats, and entered the service Of
Charles III. He was drawing master to
the Princesses Mary and Anne. But the
wild court of the son Of his old master
did not suit the tastes of the pigmy
<,II
Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1879-08-05
What the Eyes See in Reading.

NJ. Javel has lately published observa-
tions on the mode in which the eye
takes in the successive letters
on a printed page. We are not to sup
pose, he says, that in reading a line one
passes successively from the lower part
Of letter to the upper palt. then down
the next letter, up the next, and so on,
the vision describing wavy line. The
fixation takes place with extreme pre-
eision along straight line, traversing
the junction of the upper third of the
letter with the lower two-thirds. Why
is this line not in the middle? Because
characteristic parts of the letters are
more frequently above than below, In
the proportion of about seventy-five per
cent. That this is 50, we can see by ap-
plying on line Of topographic charac-
ters a sheet of paper covering the line in
its lower two-thirds. and leaving the
upper third exposed. We can then read
the letters almost as well as il they had
not been concealed in greater part. But
the case is very different if we cover the
upper two-thirds of the line; the lowest
third alone does not furnish sufficient for
recognition. The characteristic part of
the letters, then, is chiefly in their up
per portion. III. Javel next compares
the ancient topographic characters with
those of modern books, and maintains
that the latter have too much uniform
ity, so that, taken in their upper parts
alone, many Of them may be confounded
in reading. The old letters. on the
other hand, had each particular sign
by which they could be easily dis
tinguished. In the books printed by the
celebrated old publishing house OF the
Elzevirs the a, for example, had no re
semblance to o. the could not be con-
founded with the n. as now, nor the or
/ e with the o. the b with h, etc. This toe
great uniformity in the upper part q
\ Topographic characters should be clr-
rected, since 1t Is te that part W. chiefly
look Ii reading.
Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1879-08-05
FuIfIlnlent.

Sometimes / think the things we see
Are shadows Of the things to be-;
That what we plan we build;
That every hope that hath been crossed,
And every dream we thought was lost,
In heaven shall be fulfilled.
That even the children of the brain
Have not been born and died IN vain,
Though here unclothed and dumb;
But ON some brighter, better shore,
They live embodied evermore,
And wait for us to come.
-PhG5e Cary
Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1879-08-05

For year or two past the newspapers
have been printing long lists of the great
and universal evils predicted by astrolo-
gers and astronomers to follow Ger
tain extraordinary conjunction Of four
planets in 1881. But now comes the
Washington critic with the assertion
that it has interviewed Professor Simon
Newcomb on the subject, and he says
that there will be no such conjunction
that instead of marshaling themselves
in an order unprecedented since the date
assigned to the creation of the world in
the Mosaic chronology, the planets dur
ing the year 1881 will continue the even
tenor of their way. and present no phe-
nomenon that can be considered at all
remarkable.
Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1879-08-05

The Scientific american says that the
naIrowest gauge and the cheapest rail-
way as yet brought out is that of D. B.
James, Visalia, Cal. Two stout bars of
wood, so laid as to leave groove be-
tween them, form the track. On this
track wheel with a bulge in the mid
die of its periphery that fits the groove
is used, the wheel having broad fiange
at each side Of the bulge. One Of these
wheels placed at each end of plank
forms the car. 1t is alleged that twelve
railway of this construction; and that
its carrying capacity is very great. The
cost is estimated at one thousand
dollars mile.
Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1879-08-05

JUNE.
STEPPED in hot sunshine, lightly swing
The long bright stalks, whose bearded heads
r hang down
Beneath their fruitful burden, which the
spring,
Departing, laid upon them as a crown.
Sweeter and graver life has grown,
The green just touched to gold by deep'ning
kts June,
Warm, bright with glowing with Its mellow
ing tone
Flecked with the shadows of the afternoon.
JULY.
In serried ranks the golden sheaves
Clean family in the sunsets fading red,
While some reluctant blackbird slowly leaves
The fruitful gleanings for his quiet bed;
And thus with full truition blest,
The wheat stands reaped. 1t hath no more
t to yield,
And thankfully, before he seeks his rest,
The weary reaper gazes DER his field.
-Corneifd Sea6ring.
Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1879-08-05

A Zululand letter says that the Prince
Imperial died fighting, and must have
sold his life dearly. In the right hand
of the corpse was found tuft Of hair, of
native fiber, while the path marked by
the Zulus in quitting the fatal spot was
stained for a hundred yards with gouts
of blood, supposed to have dropped from
wounded men being borne away by their
comrades.
Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1879-08-05
Wheat.

So many shades Of tender green
Are rippling, stimmering, pulsing with de-
light,
Soft, cool and hllowy, like the glimmcring
sheen
Ofsome grand river in the morning light,
Thrilling with hope, its life is fair,
Its joy is full, all through the lovely May
1t simply grows and waves, nor tries to bear
The coming burden OF the harvest day.
Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1879-08-05
TIMELY TOPICS.

The Science Of Health says " Iffarm-
ers would avoid suddenly cooling the
body after great exertions, if they would
be careful not to go with wet clothing
and wet feet, and il they would not over
eat when in that exhausted condition,
and bathe daily, using much friction,
they would have little or no rheuma-
tism.''
Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1879-08-05

Little George Dobbie playfullv set
fire to heap of brushwood close 10 a
powder magazine at Marquette, Mich.
and the explosion killed him.
Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1879-08-05

The MAJ NSchi Sbin5un, a Japanese
newspaper, tells a story which ought to
be interesting TO ethnologists, who claim
that some of the American Indian tribes
are descended from persons who were
carried to this continent against their
will by the storms of the ocean. About
forty years ago Yamamoto Otokichi, a
native of Onohara-mura, Chitagori in
the province of Dwarf, Japan, who fol-
lowed the sea, was, while sailing with
two companions between Toxic and Ma
goya, carried by atyphoon to the Ameri-
can coast. They landed on the shores of
the Pacific. and were Hospitality received
by the Indians. An English ship subse-
quently took Otokichi back to Japan.
but the Japanese laws at that time for
bade any Japanese who had departed
from his country to return to it under
penalty of death. The English vessel,
therefore, took their passenger to Shang
hal. There Otokichi married. He sub
sequently went to Singapore, where he
resided until his death. He had one
son, who assumed the English name of
John w. Hudson, but it was the fathers
earnest wish that he should go back to
Japan, and become a japanese subject.
Mr.. Hudson accordingly made an appli-
cation to the authorities in Japan for
leave TO he naturaliZed. The petition
was granted, and Mr.. Hudson has since
been appointed to a government office.
Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1879-08-05

The Mexican government is trying to
replenish its exhausted treasury by levy
ing heavy internal tax on the cotton
and woolen manufactures of that coun-
try. These manufactures amount to
about $200,00,000 year, and the
government thinks that the manu-
facturers can afford to pay at
least $500,000 in internal taxes. In
order to protect the home manufacturers
from disastrous foreign competition, the
tariff on American and English goods is
proportionately increased. The new tax
is, however. very unpopular, the manu-
facturers, tradesmen and people being
all opposed to it, as they are all affected
by it, and some of the manufacturers
threaten to close their mills altogether
People who do not read the shipping
lists or have occasion to cruise about the
harbor, says New York paper, may be
surprised to learn that of foreign vessels
arriving at the port of New York, Nor
way has more than any country save
Great Britain, and Italy follows closely
after Norway. Seamanship is not mat
ter of climate in Europe. The Genoese,
the Neapolitan and the Sicilian take to
the salt water as readily as the dwellers
by the Norway fiords. The favorite
Italian build for vessels is the stubby
brig, but the Norwegians prefer the
bark, and usually model more graceful
hull. Both nations are sharp competi-
tors for the jobbing trade of navigation.
Their vessels are small and are COM
manded by shrewd, thifty captains who
are quick to pick up cargo for any quar-
ter of the world if triding profit can
be earned. The cheap construction of
these crafts and the low wages of the
seamen enable them to earn money for
their owners at rates of freightage that
would be Improbable for our well-built
and well-manned American ships
Many of them founder at sea every year,
owing to their f1imsy build, but there
are plenty of new ones to take their
places.
Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1879-09-05

rivaling in length that Of many Of his
seniors. But he became tired OF tins,
and shaved almost daily Tor several
years, keeping his face smooth and
beardless. The growth OF his beard
was not, however. sufficiently rapid to
attract any especial notice. In 1858 he
came to Michigan, where he married.
Hi. health from boyhood has not been
of the best, bilious and lung troubles
being most common. In 1861 his health
failed, and he went to California III the
hope Of regaining il.
alt was the fashion among miners OF
those days toalow their boards to grow;
1t was agreed among several OF them,
Mr.. Smith among the number, that
they would allow their boards to grow
for six months, and zee which could at
the end Of that time beast OF the Ion-
gest. Mr.. Smith outstrlpped all rivals,
and allowed his beard To grow from
then on. The nature Of the miners
work made il convenient TO tie or
fasten the beard under the chin. In this
way Mr.. Smith first became accustomed
to wearing it long, with the
buDBfIluOuh ItURlIl lItu w b'lI vi viz
way. And now, Fad be, you see
what it has grown To- And rs your
correspondent looked from the smiling
face Of the man, and then turned TO go
on u search for the other end OF the
beard, he thought of the steeple which
WAS so tall that you had to look twice to
see the top Of it. There could be no
mistake about it. Each individual hair
stretched its silkcn, wayy length from
face to floor. Now ! will show you
how long il is, said Mr.. Smith, and he
stepped upon u chair and stood erect.
Still its length was so great that the
foot could he placed on the ends, which
touched the floor. The beard mas been
carefully trimmed, 70 that it is of even
weight and size to the very end. I'm.
rolling little paper which was laid
away in drawer, he said: That's its
length last winter and unwonnd y
seemingly endless hnir When meas
ured it was found To be seven feet four
inches long. Now we will measure
the beard rs it il to-day said he, and
looked for the yard.stick. Seven feet
six inches and half WINS the length"
Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1879-09-05
THE LONGEST BEARD IN THE
WORLD.
A Michigan Man With Whiskcrs Seven
and One-lInlf Feet In Length.

A correspondent Of the Detroit Post
and Tribune writes from Adrian, Mich.
Of II certain Edwin Smith, who il the
possessor Of II remarkable beard, The
correspondent snys:
"0rdlnarily Mr.. Smith and his beard
would not attract especial attention.
lie does not lot it AWAY ut its own free
will ut NIL times, but keeps il tied in u
compact bunch under his chin, holding
it fast with thread and hairpins. When
thus done NJ il does not appear to be
Of unusual length unless tho obscrva-
ton is close. So while il has come 10
he generally known in the vicinity OF
Mr.. Smiths residence that his beard is
unusually long, bat few people have
seen il iii nj its enormous length OK
cept ~ hereinafter stated. lie Il II
years Of age, lie is about Z feet high
and weighs li5 pounds. Ills hair and
beard are sandy and tinged with gray,
lie has n pale lace, blue eyes, high
forehead and nh intelligent and pleas
ntappeaunce. At II years Of age he
began to raise beard, and while yet il
young school.boy was possessed Ut Il
light silken covering to face and neck
Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1879-09-05
Piulc Punishment OF Unialthful Wives
Carson lNey.l Appeal.

1t will he remembered that 4 few
weeks ago Johnson Sides, ,he Franktown
Piute, called on the governor for advice
MS to what course to pursue to get back
an old aunt Of his who run away to
California with another Piute, deserving
her aged husband and children. Well,
Johnson told the appeal yesterday that
the recreant aunt had been returned to
Nevada several days ago by two young
Piutes who were secretly sent out to
search for her. The old mahaa was
found in the vicinity Of Colfax, Cal, en-
joying II rather late-day honeymoon.
She returned to her friends very reluct.
antly; in fact the young bucks were
compelled to use physical force, as she
would not listen to moral suaslon.
Sides aunt is now at point near Pyra-
mid Lake, and she will be tried by a
number of her tribe for intidelity, which
is looked upon as the most serious of
crimes by the Piutes. They can forgive
anything but intidelity on the part of
mahala. Sides thinks that her convic-
ton is now settled thing. The pun
ishment will be of the most barbarous
nature. The left arm and leg will be
tied to one horse and the right arm
and leg to another; then the animals
will be driven in different directions,
tearing the woman in two.
Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1879-09-05
A Virginia Ice Mountain.

The ice mountain Of Preston county
is great natural curiosity. We passed
over the Baltimore 4 Ohio road on the
odd to Rowlesburg, then by steam three
miles up Cheat river, past Nicksburg,
and came out upon the Northwestern
Pike. Following it two miles west we
came to the ice mountain. situated on
the right bank of Flag Run, one-half
mile from the pike. A picnic party
was being held at the base of the noun
tain. After refreshing ourselves with Il
very cold drink of water from the Twin
Springs, we assembled the mountain for
some distance ard arrived at the ice
field, where we found Drs. Kemble,
West, Shafer, and Schooley contemplate
ing the wonder; also newspaper man
or two taking in the situation. 1t is
claimed that the ice mountain was dis
covered by some soldiers in the spring
of 1861. Its discovery was afterward
reported again, but persons supposed
the discoverer was only trying to hoax
some one into making 9. fruitless trip
into the mountains. No credence was
given to the story until lately, when re-
sponsible parties visited the designated
locality OF its existence, and reported
its actual discovery. On the north side
OF the mountain, about quarter of an
acre is covered with mass of loose,
unstratified rock, none Of which are of
airy considerable size. All was covered
with heavy mass of moss, which now
is all torn of. Notrees grow upon it.
only here and there few small bushes.
Removing the loose rock ice is discov-
cred in small quantities. A thermom-
eter stood ninety degrees in the sun,
eighty degrees in the shade, and forty
eight degrees when placed in the rocks
on the ice in their creyices. A cold air
is present in the crevices, but no strong
freezing currents as reported. Hun
dreds have visited it. The rocks are
torn up, and the ice is only obtained
now by going down some little depth in
the rocks. We would suppose from
observation that the mountain is mostly
a vast heap of rock, a portion of whose
west side is more broken and loose than
the rest. The porous nature of this
portion would admit through its moss
covering considerable amount of
water, infltrating between the stone.
WOilll lOlii lCt III just INC lIitHHeI VIC
find it. The ice thus formed would be
protected from all external temperature
by the non-conducting properties of the
vast surrounding mass of rock. The
ice mountain, we would suppose, is
nothing but a huge natural stone refrig-
orator. The common refrigerator de-
ponds for Its preservation of ice upon
the good non-conducting materials of
its sides. So the ice mountain but nat
urally, though wonderfully, preserves
permanently its ice by the vast mass of
rock-good non-conducting material
which forms its sides An ice mountain,
similar in good many respects to this
one, is in Hampshire county, on North
river, few miles east of Romney. Di-
vesting the Preston county ice mountain
Of its marvellous character that exag-
gerated accounts have given it, it stands
a wonderful but plainly possible result
of natural laws.
Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1879-09-05
Domesti Tragedy.
l.lttle Rock (Ark. J Gazette

A few miles from Wlttsburg, st.
Francis county, Ark, lived II widow
named Hammett. The woman was
engaged in farming, and, though she
had two grown sons, was compelled to
employ young man to superlntend
farm labors. Mrs. Hammett was about
40 years Of age. The laborer was Il
mere boy, but an attachment soon
sprang up between the widow and the
youth, which ended in II matrimonial
proposal. The wedding day was fixed.
The two sons hearing of the matri-
monial arrangements that had been
made between their mother and the
stripping, called upor her, and tried to
disSuade her from marriage. The widow
refused to accept her sons counsel.
The sons made threats, but the widow
affirmed that she loved the young man,
and would marry HIM at all hazards.
The sons went away, and II the APP
pointed time the young man appeared,
alfred for the wedding. The minister
came, and friends were assembled.
Thou art man and wife" had hardly
been pronounced, when flash nj the
window. followed ~ loud report,
terrified the women and astonished the
men. Another flash, another report,
ana the newly-made husband sank to
the floor. The widows younger son
was tie murderer He fleu, but was
captured Next day the young husband
died, and shortly afterwaro the widows
Younger SON, in attempting 70 escape,
was shot and killed; and report says
tina, shortly afterward the elder brother
Went to his mothers house and beat
her brains out with il club.