The daily gazette., 1880-08-21
THE SOLDIERS HOME.
NATIONAL HOME FOR d. v. s., }
DAYTON, ONO, Aug. 1o, 1880. {


DAYTON, OHIO, Aug. 16, 1880.
Another week confronts us with It's
various duties and all the asuel accom-
paning responsibilities and l have re-
solved to enter upon the dischargment
of my portion by writing what design
to be called a continuance of my last
weeks letter to the GAZETTE, which
will be remembered to have been an at
Tempt on my part to acquaint the GA
ZETTE readers with knowledge OF the
moral and social condition of this Ma
tional Rome.
The past week has been one OF the
most exciting if not the most interest
ing, that the Oldest members of this
home have witnessed.
.Tlme Is fieeting make 1t pleasant,
Think Of nothing but the present"
This seems to have been the sentiment
Of the past week, and we might truly
say, that we have spent the past six con-
secutive days in social and secular feast
ing where every one was privileged 70
participate in the varied pleasures which
consisted OF music, mirLh and mush-
melons, grand combination, where
This no one Will deny,
Where the monkey had his peanuts
And the glutton his pot-pie."
What a contrast between this genuine
| gormandizing scene, compared with the
heroical efforts Of poor DR.. Tanner, who
sacrificed all of his boarding house ra-
| tons for forty days that he might con-
tribute to science by undergoing a slow
process of scientific starvation; but both
scenes have passed-this four thousand
feast and his forty days fast are finished
| and both have been success. L will
say this for the Doctor, that he has no
rivals here, neither has he any oppo-
nents, for all of these old citizen soldiers
were solicitous for his welfare from the
start, and the expressions Of satisfaction
| were spontaneous in his favor whom we
learned of his triumph over superstition
and bigotry.
l will now briefly narrate our last
weeks proceedings, which were charac-
| terized by success from the commence
ment down to the concluding exercise;
and which has not only been successful,
but has also been the product oil a singu-
larly sensational programme.
The crOwning and perhaps the most
attractive feature of these gala days, was
the many successive and successful bal
loon ascensions made by the aerial mon
/ ster balloon America, which have been
made under the able management of the
noted aeronauts, Professor Allen and
| son.
This ship Ut the air has been a magnet
that has drawn thousands to these
grounds from day to day, until last
tion, it was claimed that the congrega-
ton numbered 10000 souls Tho bal
loon was the largest ever used in the
West, requiring 100 900 feet of gas to fill
its capacious dimension and with a
carrying capacity that admitted of hve
persons ascending at each flght. Very
many improved the opportunity and
made short trips heavenward; but as the
balloon was regulated by ropes, which
limited these excursions to an altitude OF
several hundred feet, each one, after
penetrating the celestial regions, was
| pu lied back to this terrestrial sphere by
virtue of the physical power vested in a
government mule, which was commits
sioned to control the earthly end Of the
rope. Everything was conducted salts
factorily and to a successful issue; and
while this was the hrst heavenly flight
that some Of these persons ever made, II
is to be hoped they will experience an
equally successful a1cension in spiritua
| sense.
An incident that afforded the writer
some special merriment may, by tht
way, not be amiss here. Last Thursday
was the closing scene; the ballon was t.
be cut loose and make its final exit
Who would ventHre up now ?-that wal
tue question. Many were invited, bu
their faith weakened. Who would risl
night voyage of uncertainty? While
conjecturiDg upon the delights and ths
dangers, an Irishman came along, whom
we call Mike. asked Mike If he wa.
going up in the balloon, and he replied
eyes, sir, on certain conditions"
he said he had been willing and anx.
ious to 20 up for long time, but b,
wanted an unlimited pass, ana he want
ed government guarantee that ht
shon Md stay up, as he didn't wish to come
down again; but when this request was
made known, Mike was informed thai
1t couldn't be granted, for the reason
that mono of the Board of Managers had
any influence above.
Tha balloon has gone, and Mike re.
mains with us. Verify, his name will be
chronicled among the miraculous cases
OF balloon disappointments.
| t. O. RRYANT