The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1880-06-30
TIMELY TOPICS.

There are several fourishing schools
in China conducted by American teach
ers, and through the translation depart.
ment of the empire more than e0,N Q
volumes of translated works in science.
art, etc have been sold. In the schools
of this country 100 Chinese youths are
receiving instruction.
The thoroughly agricultural charac-
ter of the people of India is apparent
from the figures showing the occupa'
tions of the adult male population ofthe
country. Out of total of 81, ,OO2, 46l
persons OF this class not fewer than 37,-
303, ,O05 are engaged in tie cultivation
of the soil. The lightness of the charges
upon agricultural land is worthy ofnote.
The government of India is practically
the landlord of the whole country, and
the land revenue is rent paid for the
use of the soil. The average amount of
land revenue and local taxes paid by
the Indian cullivator is only sixty-six
cents per acre.
A considerable steel-making indus
try exists in the present day in China,
on the Upper Yantze, whence the steel
is sent to Tien-tsin for shipment and
distribution. 1t fetches much higher
prices than the Swedish steel imported
into the country. The Chinese metal
lurgists recognize three kinds of steel,
namely, that which is produced by
adding unwrought iron while the mass
is subject to the action of fire; pure
iron, and many times subject to fire,
and native steel, which is produced in
the southwest. The different names
for steel are twan kang, or ball steel,
from its rounded form; kwan kang, or
sprinkled steel; wei tee, or false steel.
The Chinese, apparently, have known
how to manufacture steel from the very
earliest ages.
Moths are the dread of every careful
housekeeper. The use of camphor has
become common to prevent their raw
ages, and the experiment has been con-
tinued as effectual under observation.
An exchange. however, insists that
there is simple, cheap and easy plan
of defeating the moths that is effective
and inoffensive. The moth-fy was
never born that could penetrate COM
mon newspaper. A wooden garment
wrapped carefully in a newspaper, so
that there will be no openings, is as safe
from moths as if it were buried six feet
deep in camphor, tar-paper and petro-
leum. There are some newspapers that
even n moth would avoid, and herce
there may be something in this anti
moth expedient.
A subject of real importance in New
York, says the World of that city. also
has lust been sharply brought before
tie public mind in England by the sui
eide in London of a poor .shop-girl
named Mary Williams, who killed her
self in fit of nervous prostratlon an
despair caused ny the incessant labor
imposed upon her. The matter will
be ventilated in the house of commons
by the Early Closing association. As
shop-girls have no votes, there is no
probability that their wrongs or rights
will attract the politicians in this
country. But that only makes it the
more desirable that the disinterested
and public spirited of their own sex
should look into the subject and see
whether the work exacted of sbop-girls
in this great metropolis is not at least
as excessive as that exacted Of them in,
Great Britain. -
Custer was the name of Newfound-
land dog that belonged to New Jersey
girl. 1--WE trained him to hold the
ia ltor in his mouth and lead the horses
away" she said. He could carry two
eggs in his huge mouth and never break
one. He could turn knob as we'll rs
any one, and on entering a room would
always turn around and put his paw on
the door to close it. If this failed he
would Jump upon the door, taking care
not to scratch with his mills. If any
one sat down in the house without
dofiing his hat Custer would steal
stcalthily up behind him and pull it of,
then dropping it on the floor at the side
Of his chair would walk quietly away
and lie down, as one who had per-
formed duty. We would wrap few
pennies in paper and send him with it
in his mouth to q store for candy, OF
which he was very fond. After de-
ivering it to US he would stand expect
,ntly by, wagging his tail and waiting
or the sweet morsel he knew ne was
,ure to get. He was fond OF milk, too,
)ut would carry it faithfully TO our pet
amb; and though he would glance
ovingly into the pail occasi onally, he
was never known to betray our trust or
teal one sip of the coveted beverage"