davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1879-12-18
The Wonderful Christmas Mum.
ber of 81. Nicholas.

This monthly magazine for girls and boys,
edited by Mrs Mary Mapes Dodge, las grown
in circulation so rapidly as to warrant a per-
maneht increase in size, beginning with No.
vember The Christmas number, now res.dy
has special holiday cover, and is the largest
and most beautiful issue of any magazine for
girls and boys ever published, containing more
than 100 pages and 95 pictures
1t contains twelve short stories by T
Trowbridge, Washington GLADDEN., w De
Forest, Maurice Thompson, Sanah Winter
Kellogg, and others-also the first chapters of
Serial Story by Louisa M Alcott, written
in the authors best vein, and the second i'm
stallment of a capital serial for the boys, by
William q. Stoddard, to run some months.
| ca long story, also for boys, by Noah Brooks,
author of 'rhe Boy Emigrants,' will begin
soon.) John Greenleaf Whittier contributes
O long poem, while Lucy Larcom and Mary
Mapes Dodge are also represented IN verse
There is a Christmas Play for Festivals, by
Edward Eggleston: an illustrated art paper or
Thorvaldsen, and an account, with twelve
pictures, of the life and doings of New YOrf
Telegraph Boys.
Gustave DoIe, Knaus, Mary Hallock Foote
Kelly, Dielman, Bensell, Sheppard, Eytinge
Jessie Curtis and Addie Ledyard are amonl
the artists represented.
Buy this number and see 9otat St. Nich0Ld
really IT, Your newsdealer will supply it ant
take your subscription for the year, or tn
money may be sent in check, p. 0. orde
or registered letter TO the publishers. Pric
So year, 25 cents a number,
Scribner and 70, TAB broadway, N. York
Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1879-12-18
Disaster TN Pennsyl-
vania Oil Regions.
A Flowing Well Igniies and -
Stream Of Burning OIL Runs
Through Red Rock.

BRADFORD. Pa, Dec. PA fire broke
out last evening at Well. Number
4, belonging to E. o. Emerson, in
Red KOck. The well had been cleaned
preparatory to torpedoing, and was left
open. Superintendent Mason of the
Emerson lease passed by with lantern.
and the gas ignited and set fire to this
rig. The well made a flow, and the
burning oil ran down the hill to 25C-
barrel tank, which caught fire. The fira
communicated to a 25,0O0-barrel tank,
which was soon in blaze, and burned
steadily until o'clock this morning.
Rivers of oil flowed down the valley
and through the main street of Red Rock.
burning all the business and private
houses of the town. Three hundred
families are homeless, and there is great
suffering. The scene at the village, af-
ter the fire had consumed all there was
to feed OH. was simply appalling. 4
dense, black cloud hung over all the sur
rounding country, and nothing but the
blackened beams and still smoking ruins
showed the site of what had been, not
long before, a thriving village. Relief
committees have been formed. TO render
aid, at Gilmore, Derrick and Bradford.
Mayor Broder, of Bradford, has telgrapi =
ed as follows: "Call on us for all help
necessary"
Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1879-12-18
The New Xork Cattle, Show.

SiXty-four cattle, weighing 140,S00
pounds, stand On the track in Madison
Square Garden eating hay. They have
small heads, thick short necks, straight
backs, deep briskets. full fiamks, fine
coats, and are perhaps more remarkable
for fineness and development than for
size. They have short horns curved in
ward, mild eyes, and small hoofs, and
aside from lack of shagginess. resem-
BILE American bison. They are spotted,
red, and white. Above all, they are re-
markable for dignity. Not low dis
turbs the silence in the great building
There is neither lunging nor pIunging
They stand like four-foOted philosophers,
munching their cuds and switching their
tails, apparently desirous of remaining
at peace with all mankind.
These are premium Christmas cattle
of the Durham breed, raised by Mr.. j.
Gillett, noted Illinois breeder They
are from two to four years old, and are
said to be the best developed American
cattle ever placed on exhibition, proba-
bly, second to none in the world. They
are small boned. The fat seems to be
evenly distributed, and sirlOins and
prime rOasts are suggested by every
movement. The cattle are three-quar-
ters Durham. Many of the twO-yeaI
olds are said to weigh over 1000 pounds
The average weight of the sixty-fOur on
exhibition is 1000 pounds. One of the
four-year olds is set down at 2,S0C
pounds. Twenty-three of the smallest
of this drove were bntchered by VIM
Ottman of Fulton Market last week
Their average was 2,O19 pounds.
Many of Gillett's cattle have been sent
to England. These are placed on exhi-
bition for one week for the purpose OF
showing the result of careful breeding
and feeding on the prairies of the West
About 100 sheep are to be exhibited
with them. They include SOuthdowns
Leicesters, Cotswold, and fine-bred Can
ada sheep. Mr.. Ottmann says that botl
sheep and cattle are the finest evel
placed on exhibition in this city, N. y
| Sun
Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1879-12-18

ACCIDENTS in the deep shafts of Ne
vada mines are usually caused by fall
ing; but there was an exception recent
". The iron cage in which men and
metal are hOisted out of the Union
mine is raised with a wire rope seven
inches thick by an engine of thousand
horse power. Six men started on the
rise of over quarter of mile, and for
half the distance were Tilted at the Ordi-
nary safe speed. Then the cage novel
faster and faster until it was shOOtin;:
upward at a rate that took their breatl,
away. The engineer had lost control of
the machinery, which was running with
frightful velocity. On reaching the SUI
face the cage broke through the roof OF
the sheltering house as though it had
been paper, hurling the men into the all.
and breaking the great cable. No lives
were lost, but Is bones were broken.
Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1879-12-18
Keeping Children After School

There is one common practice OF the
public schools which ought to be abol-
ished at once and everywhere without
question or parley. That is the practice
of imprisoning the children in the school
houses beyond the school hours. Pret-
ty nearly every schOol-hOuse in the land
in thus turned into penitentiary in
which children are immured every day,
some of them for imperfect recitatiOns,
others for faults of department. This
method of punishment might, if the
teachers were all judicious, be resOrted
to occasionally with good effect; but
teachers are not ali judiciOus, and thou
sands of children are thus detained eve
~ day to whom the detention is a seri-
Gus injury, and grave injustice. For
some trifling breach of order, like turn
ing in the seat or dropping a pencil, or
for some small failure in a recitation,
and often for no fault at all-whOle
classes being kept on account of the in
dOlence of some of their members and
the innocent thus suffering with the
.guilty-the children are shut up in the
schOOl-hOuses, sometimes during the in
termiSSiOn, often after the close OF
school. Thousands of children in deli
cate health, to whom the regular school
hours are too long, are permanently in
jured by this system of confinement. If
only the stupid and the willful and those
in sturdy health were thus punished
there would be less reason of complaint;
but any careful investigation will show
that such discrimination is not generally
made, and, from the nature of the sys-
TEN, cannot well be made; and that the
injury to the health of pupils resulting
from the practice more than outweighs
any good that may result from it. The
health of the pupil is "A subject to which
the average school teacher gives but lit
tie consideration; any practice. there
fore, which is liable to result i'll the i'm
pairment of the pupils health ought to
be forbidden by law.
This plea is based upon an Observa-
tion of the working of this system i'll
several towns and cities and upon the
concurrent testimony of many medical
men, In some places the rules of the
governing boards forbid the imprison-
ment of children, but the rules are gen.
orally set at naught by teachers. They
ought to be enforced. 1t must be thai
there are methods of discipline for
schools less injurious and more effectu-
al than Observation-Disclosures IA
BILE; Good Company, Number Four
Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1879-12-18

A RELIGIOUS question in Chicago is
whether or not there was dancing in the
Ada Street Methodist Church. The can
tata of Esther" was performed by MEM
bers of the congregation. Afterward,a AN
influential brother published card, in
which he said: VASTLY ennobling and
sublime was the scene! The youthful
members and prObationers(amO whom
was the church class leader dressed in
gaudy theatrical costumes, and perform
ed their respective parts in dancing.
Does not the discipline of the Methodist
Episcopal Church expressly and posi-
lively forbid dancing? For several
weeks prior to the opera the church has
been open evenings for the rehearsal of
its actor members. Very commendable,
indeed, to see church members engaged
in taking their first lessons in dancing in
the House of God. Alas! alasl has the
time already arrived when the house of
God is to be converted into a dancing
academy and the church open for theat-
rical performers But Pastor Adams
denies that there was any dancing. tho
he says: "In a certain part of the orato-
rio two young ladies, entering from diff
ferent sides of the platform, approached
the King with gliding motion. l am
willing to confess that the motion was
not walk; but am equally sure that
| it was not a dance"
Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1879-12-18

and that we commend this organ of the
National Reform movement 10 the liber-
al patronage of the Christian and patri-
otic men and women of our country.
Officers of the State National Reform
Association, for the coming year, were
elected as follows: President, Rev. J. i {.
Lytle, d. D., of Muskingum county;
Vice Presidents: The Rt. Rev. Bishop
Bedell, of the Protestant Episcopal
Church; Bishop Weaver, of the United
Brethren Church; the Rev. DIR. Robin
son; the Rev. C. A. Payne, d. D., Presi-
dent of the Ohio Wesleyan University;
the Rev. Willard Burr, of Oberlin; the
Rev. DR.. Wiles, of Wooster. Lutheran;
and the Rev. III. II. George, President of
Geneva College; Secretary, Rev. Wm. :.
Owens, Steubenville; Corresponding Sec
retary, the Rev.siI. p. McClurkin, of
muSkingum.
Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1879-12-18

"chiefs" in Pennsylvania, who have been
comforting lately upon the best means foI
uniting the Democratic party in OppOsi-
tion to Tilden's denomination. Now
Gen. Hancock is an able man and a
handsome man, but he has been growing
cOrpulent lately, and he would not make
a graceful or becoming appearance on a
pole in the character of serpent of
brass. Any one could tell Mr.. Speer
that. And it is not likely that Mr.. Speer
means to have him literally hOiSted up,
But Mr.. Tilden has been so often called
''snake in the grass" by the gentlemen
who voted for him in 1876, that Mr.
Speer, fresh from his readings of Israel
itish history, dropped quite naturally to
the Mosaic treatment for snake bites
and proposed to cure Tildenism by put
ting up Hancock in brass as the anti
dote. Now all this is additional testi-
mOny to the fact which The Tribune
has heretofore called attention to, to
wit, that defeat has made the Democrats
uncommonly devout. They 60 out OF
Congress and commence searching the
Scriptures. And they continually find
historic parallels for their own career in
the narrative of the wanderingS of the
chosen people.
But before they put up Hancock OF
anybody else as a serpent of brass, we
beg them to consider the risk they run
There are Democrats, a great many OF
them, to whom the snake as an emblem
suggests too much. 1t is related that q
San Francisco barkeeper who had beer
presented withsl picked snake in bot
tie, set 1t upas a acuriOsity behind the bar
The first customer who came in for his
"eye-opener" next morning drank hall
his cocktail, when, his eye lighting Oh
the new curiosity, he set down his glass
and fled The next followed suit, and
the next and the next, and not one OF
them returned. The bar was deserted
and the trade ruined. Toward night q
stranger came in, took drink, and paid
for it before he saw the curiosity. AS
his eye fell on it he uttered a prOfane
ejaculation and started for the door
"LOOk here!" said the bar-keeper, "I'l
lust give you dollar to tell me whats
"the matter This things been going or
'just so all day, and I'm losing all my
'trade." "Oh, nothing's the matter
said the stranger, "Only yours is the first
whisky / ever struck that made INT
''see snakes with the first drink" The
barkeeper saw the point, and was mo-
long breaking up the museum. This on
ly shows that there's great uncertainty
about snakes. Mr.. Speer and his friends
would do well to make sure as to the eff
| feet of it uDon the Democratic imagina
tiOn before he puts up his serpent.-N
y. Tribune.
Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1879-12-18
WORCESrERS UNABRIDGED
PIctr rial QUartO Dictionary.

Bound in Sheep; 1854 pages; over 1000 IL
lustrations; issue of 1879.
Our contract with the publishers of the
Dictionary. expires Dec. 3lst, 1879. and
Messrs B Lippincott & Co, absolutely re-
fuse to contract beyond that date on the same
favorable terms. We are, therefore. compell-
ed to withdraw the Dictionary premium at
the expiration of the present year; but We
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sGirbers and thhe public in general may avail
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independent. We will send this Dictionary
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The regular price of the Dictionary alone
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under this extraordinary offer, can, therefore,
be had together for only 50 90.
The Rev. Joseph Cooks Books,
entitled Biology Transcendentalism,' Or
thodoxy,' Conscience 'Heredty;' and MAR
riage, embodying the authors previous re-
markable Monday Lectures. They are pub
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Authors of the United States; one large
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Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1879-12-18
The TOlI-Gate Keeper.

Within a fork where two roads meet,
And form as one broader street
That downward leads, his toll house
stands,
Exacting tribute from both hands,
Tall. slender beams, and swinging light,
With ropes to pull them down at night.
Like well-sweeps lean, or fish-rods sly,
To catch the fishes going by.
Here has he been, year in and out,
For half century, about;
Watching the travel, up and down,
To and from the market town;
Exchanging greetings, jokes and news,
And sometimes, briefly, weighty views;
As much landmark as tree
Has this old toll-man come to be.
With bits of information rife,
From panoramic peeps of life,
A woven web of history
OF all that region formed has he.
Within the dollhouse many hours,
The cold, or heat, or sudden showers
Excuse I've made, to hear the good
Old yarns of my own neighborhood.
But e'er alert his ear to feel
The faintest sound of hOOf or wheel,
The story stops, and strides he out
To man the gate, warden stout.
He meets all comers, day and night,
And, like a star, his lantern light
Cleans in summer, flashes in cold
When does he sleep, this watchman old
A hucKsters sorry horse he checks,
| And doleful fowls stretch out their neckS,
While on tine box, a sunken heap.
The greasy huckSter snOreS, asleep.
Doctor passes and wags his head,
| Tells who is born, who sick, who dead.
Farmers wagon shrieks down the hill
And pays the gate fee back from mill.
Hallooing men and barking dogs
Urge on a drove of trudging hogs.
A monster stack rolls down the way
Of timothy or clover hay.
Emigrant's dusty, covered car,
Coming and going very far.
Under the pixies white cloud there move
| A horseman and cattle drove.
A family in Sunday rig.
A preacher in his rocking gig
They pass the gate and do not pay
There is no charge to church to-day.
With mirth and Shont and bounding
steed,
The groom and bride their party lead;
Or. slowly vending, comes train
Whose charge will not pass 10y again.
Or. loi the royal pageant see
A circus and menagerie.
Along the snowy turnpike track
| The singing wheels go forth and back,
And sleigh-belled horses rush and smoke
And giddy riders laugh and joke.
The tell-gate keeper fears the rain
NO wear on metal, all clear gain;
Finest sleighing ever saw,
But woe the pike when comes the thaW! I!
JOHN CLOVER.
Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1879-12-18
A Democratic Brazen Serpent.

The Democracy continue devout. Since
they began giving God the glory for the
material prosperity of the country, off
settling Resumption with "the craps" and
John Sherman with Divine Providence,
the whole party seems to have expert
enced a change of heart, and the leaders
grow every day more fervent. They
draw upon the Scriptures for illustra-
tions of the condition of the party, and
find great comfort in running parallels
with the history of the chosen people.
There is something quite encouraging in
this unusual zeal to search the Scrip
lures. 1t will certainly do them no
harm, and even if they should derive
from it no permanent spiritual advan-
tage, who knows but they may have the
luck of the old woman who,while "s'arch-
ing the Scripturs," providentially discOv-
cred lost ffne-tOoth comb, the need OF
which was beginning to be felt in the
family. Careful study of the history of
the chosen people will, we are confident,
furnish them many parallels for their
own career as a party, only they Will
have to be very careful in the selection.
There seems to be just now, for in
stance, very much such feeling in the
party toward Tilden, who led them out
of bondage under the banner of REFORM
as there was toward Moses just after the
passage of the Red Sea. This party too
struck out Immediately for "the Wilder
ness of Sin" like the ancient people, and
their first longing was for flesh pots
And they were so eager and greedy when
they got chance at the official quail
on toast" that their effort to gather in
everything within reach and lay up po-
litical capital in store, ended as in the
Wilderness in the earlier time: 'It bred
"worms and stank." Then when they
have their calf-wOrship-not golden, to
be sure, but essentially calf-and set up
the greenback, how much the excuse OF
Thurman and other demagogves was
like Aaron's, when he said, "Thou know
"est the people, that they are set on mis-,
"chief''-laid it all to 1.-The people"
And now comes the Hon. r. Milton
Speer, Pennsylvania eX-COngressman
who seems also to have been searching
the Scriptures in the retirement of pri
vate life and the Businesses of the inte
rior; and he, bounding into Philadelphi;
like an uncondoning Beebe denOuncinl
Fraud, says they must put up brazeI
serpent-not for President, nor literally
but iguratively, after the manner o
Moses. Says he, in the ear of a report
er: "As Moses lifted up brazen ser
"pent for the children of Israel to gathe
. ground, so must we erect our STANDARD
''for the Democracy of Pennsylvania t,
"rally about" Now Speer has evidentl,
forgotten that they tried the brazen ser
: pent business once before, during tn
War-"copperhead," they called it-an
i it did them no good whatever. Thi
e time, however, he proposes to call Ger
: Hancock brazen serpent, and lift hir
up and rally round him. He makes tn
:. proposition to q number of "DemOcrati
Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1879-12-18

THE German traveller Ernst Won We
Der strongly advocates the acquisition
by Germany of certain points on the
eastern and western coasts of Africa.
The establishment of German colonies
in southern Africa is favorite idea o.
Herr Won Weber's, and upward of four
years ago he wrote a memorandum prt =
posing a scheme by which German
should obtain possession of DelagOa Bay
and the Transvaal, "the German-Afri- =
can empire of the future, (which he sent
from southern Africa to the Emperor
William and Bismarck. The Prince
thanked him for his patriotic proposal.
but added that he could not hold out any
hope of the realization of the scheme.
Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1879-12-18
THE INDEPENDENT.

THE INDEPENDENT appeals to cultivated men
ard women. 1t discusses current questions ol
religion, philosophy, and politics. II is wide
awake:it is not airaid;It sets men TO thinking
IL Welcomes fresh truth; it has numerous de-
partmnets. II publishes more religious re-
views, more poetry and stories than the popu-
lar Inonthlies, and gives more information
than an annual cyclopedis- 1t has a laI ger
corps of the most famous writers than any
other journal OF any sort In the country. II
makes strong friends OF those who read 1t-Try
it Tor Next Year.
We have purchased the newspaper copyright
of the Boston Monday Lectures for lSI9-lSS0
COOK, beginning November Sd, and the same
will be given Uerbdtim to the readers OF The
Independent weekly, together with the Pre-
ludes, after revision by the author.
Sermons by Eminent Clergymen
in all parts OF the country will continue TO be
Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1879-12-18
A MAGNIFICENT GIFT.
W0rctster's Great Unabr0dged UIchond1y
Ereei


THE NEW YORK TRIBUNE will send at
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the express is much cheaper. Address
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