Centre Democrat. [volume] (Bellefonte, Pa.) 1848-1989, 1880-02-05
TIMELY TOPICS.


An American physician who has
given attention te the study Of alcohol
ism, said in the course of an address re-
Gently delivered before learned so
ciety: "Thcrc are constantly crowd
ing into our insane asylums persons
fifty to eighty years Of age, who in early
life were addicted to the use Of alcoholic
liquors, but who had reformed, and for
ten, twenty or thirty years have never
touched drop. The injury which the
liquor did 10 their bodies seemed TO have
all disappeared, being triumphed over
by the full vigor of their manhood, but
when their natural force began to de-
crease, then the concealed mischief
showed itself in insanity, clearly demon
strating that The injury TO their bodies
was of n permanent character"
Gen. Tom Harrison's Texas brigade,
composed Of two Texas, one Tennessee
and one Arkansas regiment, was proba-
bly, the last brigade under fire during the
war, a. IL was engaged with Northern
troops between Raleigh and Salisbury.
n. c.. just above Chapel Hill, on April
Ia, 1865. the day that the armistice was
declared. The flag carried on that day
by one of the Texan regiments (the
Eleventh Texas volunteers) is now in
the possession of John Halford, OF Deni-
son, Texas, who was "A member of that
regiment mt the time, and who concealed
IL and brought il home with him in the
back Of his jacket This is probably the
last Southern flag fired Mt by United
States troops. II is a small. silk Con-
federate flag, and still in good condition,
there being only one small tear In it, and
hat uEf 1au 4 xEyas afs
fire.
When Nj Gladstone was making his
great speeches in the British parlia-
mcnt on tlr Ioi eign policy OF the gov
crnment. he used TO furnish much limo
cert merriment TO the members aoout
him by the production of what looked
like "A pomatum m-pot. the contents OF
which he from time 10 time absorbed.
Night after night he brought this
crockery with him, formally produced
ii from his coat-tail pocket. and placed
ii within reach on the table. Then
everyone knew that he was going to
make a great speech. After much dis
cussiOn and an agony Of curiosity, one
of his parliamentary brothers ventured
10 ask what the mysterious mixture
might he. Mr.. Gladstone very frankly
told him that it was simply an egg
beaten up in a glass of sherry. though
why il should have been carried about
in "A pomatum-pot remains unexplained
TO this day.
There has come up "A discussion in the
press the world over. on the system of
bridging large spaces of water in a SINH
lar manner TO the Firth of Tay. in Scot
| nd ha If a ft,1
disaster, and no doubt most learned
opinions will be expressed on the SUBJ
ject. The bridge where the awful ac-
cident happened is built on precisely
analogous plan TO the Victoria bridge
across the st. Lawrence aud the bridge
across the Menai straits. running be-
tween Wales and the Isle of Man.
I These bridges have stood many years.
whereas the Tay bridge is only two
years old. But, says New York paper.
we must not forget that the Sixth Ave
nue. elevated road is merely an elongated
Tay bridge, built on the same plan and
made of iron as that was. II any part
OF that structure gave way we should
have another Just such an accident. The
only difference is that in place of falling
into the water the unfortunate victims
would fall on land. We cannot contem-
plate without shudder the possibility
of such an accident at such spot as
10th street and Eighth avenue. where
the road curves at the height of IO0fSet
from the ground, that is TO say twenty
feet higher than the bridge over the
Tay We trust calamity Of this sort
may not happen, but the fearful expert
ence in Scotland snouid prove lesson
to the directors of the Metropolitan
road. Not day should be allowed TO
pass without testing the entire track
from one end TO the other.