The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1879-12-04
me sparrow war.

Iu0 SRdTTOW Wdrs
Once upon time certain King of
Prussia found fault with the sparrow,
long before it was brought over here
and subjected to the prevailing storm
of unfriendly criticism that is nov.
beating upon its hardy head and ener-
getic struggle for existence. This mag
nate aforesaid was fond of currants, big
red Dutch currants, and row of rich
ly-laden bushes, which his gardener was
cultivating in confident pride for the
ultimate delectation of the royal palate,
was the subject of more attention from
his Majesty than the gorgeous flower
parterres or the clumps of seml-tropical
foliage, transplanted to please the eye,
here and there throughout the princely
gardens. When the berries were al
most blushing In full crimson beauty of
ripeness, his Royal Highness made the
unpleasant discovery that multitudes of
sparrows not only coveted the fruit as
much as he, but that they had eaten
them all before he could muster an
alarm, mount guard, and pick the clus-
ters for himself.
A quaint chronicler tells us, there
upon, that che wrath of his Highness
was not confined to single or repeated
explosions of disgust on the garden
walks, but that an edict was published
at once ordering the determination of
the Pyrgita domesticd; and, SO thor
oughly did the vassals of the crown
carry out this law, that the unhappy
sparrows were literally eliminated from
the Prussian realms. Then this old
historian goes on to say that, to the
great surprise of his Majestic" the
currant bushes were not permitted, af-
ter the expulsion of these birds, to
render service after their kind, for q
strange fly next year followed, and
did cate ye leaves" SO extensively
that the shrubs again failed in bearing (;
and SO on, season after season, until the
King, weary of seeing its rayages, re-
voked the decree OF death to the spar
row, and actually paid out of the royal
treasury some 100000 in the form of
rewards to his people for their zeal in
bringing the exiled birds back.
Thus the sparrow, which we have
brought over from the continent, is no
stranger to persecution, and the success
with which he fights for q living here
augurs well for his future; but, Like all
people of pronounced character, he has
decided phases Of good commingled
with much that is as decidedly evil /;
hence his friends and his foes have
arisen, and the overburdened refrain of
their angry disavowals and recrimina-
tions is spread out within the columns
of the press wherever men can read in
this country.-Prof. II. ". Elliott, IN
Harper's Magazine.
The Results Of the Construction Of the
Mississippi Jetties.
Mr.. E. L. Corthell, the resident en-
gineer at Port Eads, in an illustrated
paper in Scribner, writes as follows
concerning the practical benefits Of
Capt. Eads' work at South pass:
It is not too broad an assertion to
make, that every theory advanced by
Capt. Eads, every statement made by
him in reference to the channel which
he should secure, and in reference to
the advance of the bar in front of his
works, has been fully verified by actual
results. These results are all that the
most sanguine anticipated, but the OBJ
jects for which the jetties were built
are of far greater importance, for they
affect the welfare of millions and are
destined finally to exert an influence
on the whole country.
These objects will be realized in 9
development, and in an increasing pros
perity of the Mississippi valley. The
work which has been accomplished vii
stretch its relieving and assisting han6
to the remotest frontiersman, who
knowing that an open river mouth vii
makeit profitable for him to raise cereals
will cut down new forests and cultivat,
larger farm. It will induce CREATE
production everywhere in the Missis
sippi valley, and with it an increasing
immigration.
Already the grain export Of the val
ey is turning into this, its natura
channel The following table, com
piled from official sources, will show tn
tendency to increasing shipments b.
the way of the jetties: