The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1880-02-04

NT"Viy passed. an act, bearing upon the better
observance of the Sabbath Day 1t prohibits
the running of all railroad trains on the Sabbath
except such as are employed in carrying the
! mail TINS, of course, gives the Sabbath to the
great majority of men employed upon railroads
1t is an excellent beginning -toestern
| Presbyterian
The n. Y. Tribune relates an incident which
shows what risks some ladies are willing to run
that they may present fashionable appearance
The Tribune says "A lady's ribs were broken
by her dressmaker in Lyons, n Y, few DAYS
ago The friend of the household had attempted
to mt dress to her, and had caused so much
pam IN her right side that the work had to be
abandoned. The lady was in state bordering
on Mysteries when medical aid was summoned
ana an examination revealed the fact that one
of her ribs was broken
The Shenandoah Valley Road is progressing
with rapidity. AT Harrisonburg, on the 10th
ult, the contractors the section between Lu-
ray and the Shenandoah Iron Works. Messrs.
Mills d Rowland bought some hundred and for
ty horses from the country people. On the
same day about two dozen carts arrived at Har-
rlsonburg and were started forward The Sec
ton of these contractors is the twenty mile one
and they expect to have 500 hands on it bv the
LIST OF February They expect to finish their
work by the first of next year.
TALKING BY WIRE-Ne,o York January 9e
An Omaha special says an important experiment
with the telephone was made Sunday between
! the Union Pacific transfer on the east side of
the Missouri river, and the American Union of
nee at st Louis, distance of 40 miles. Two
Jars Calland battery was used at this end and
! hve Jars in st. Louis. But two or three in fer
ruptlons of few seconds each occurred and
these were clearly due to the Swinging" of the
wires IN the strong wind which was BLOWING
An ordinary conversation was carried on wifi
the the utmost ease, the most noticeable fact being
that while the enunciation of the words was ner
tectly clear, they came invariably with the REQ
ular vibratonof musical note This is said 70
be the longest distance over which the telephone
has been successfully operated
At the Central Florida Fair held at Tallabas-
see last month, and which was a success fnan-
clally and IN every other way oats, corn. beans
pumpkins and vegetables, common in northern
lattudes, were shown in large quantities be-
sizes the rice. sweet potatoes, sugar cane pro
ducts and fruits peculiar to that southern eli
mate. The display of oranges and lemons was
very large
Foreign.
An attempt to secularize the Sabbath in Lon
don has been defeated The London Court of
Common Council has refused to allow the Guild
hall Library to be opened on Sunday after
moons; A petition to have it opened was pre-
sehteu ana supported by 557 signatures of per
sons, most OF whom gave their addresses in the
city but 1t was met by counter petitions more
numerously signed.
The reforms in Asia Minor which the Sultan
OF Turkey promised in return for the guarantee
! OF England appear to be still far from realiza
ton. An American traveller recently visited a
turkish prison at Jaffa, which he describes as
merely large paved court open to the sky. and
! opening INTO 1t on all four sides were vaulted
rooms. On the floors are a few dirty mats and
on them were squatting or lying some of the
prisoners, and number were walking about
| the courts. There were seventv-fve in aIl-ar-
rested upon charges of murder. theft. assault
and debt. Al mere IN one common den. No
oed,clothlng Is provided them all sleep in their
clothes, which are not changed during the time
| spent IN confinement. No food is qiyen them
| by the authorities. They depend upon their
relatives or friends or the charity of those who
pity their condition. The stencil of the court
was awful. The visitor asked an official if re-
| form mad commenced at Jaffa as announced in
Constantlnople papers. With cynical smile
and an Oriental shrug of the shoulders. he re
pied, OF yet, and looked as if he pitied the
foreigners simplicity.
The distress in Ireland increases and fears
are entertained that no adequate provision has
been made as yet to prevent large numbers of peo
pie dying OF starvation. The London TeLeqrnDh
reProaches England with its apathy and the
Pauclty OF Its contributions. Every day." it
! says, brings nearer the dreadful time when
the last naorset of food shall be eaten, and the
| cry OF famine poignant now, shall rend the
heavens, and death and disease shall stalk
through the land" The Times saws that moth
ing blunts the edge of charity so much as the
agitation of the land question. Meanwhile LADY
Burdett Coutts has despatched her commissioner
to the distressed districts, and the Duke of Con
naught, third son of Queen Victoria, is prepar-
ing to visit Ireland and see for himself the real
state of affairs. ''
Meteorological tables have been published in
England showing that 1879 which closed with
series OF awful and devastating storms was
one Of me most remarkable years of the present
century IN England. Comparisons have been
made as to the rainfall of 1879 with that of
siXty-four years back, and it has been found that
curing the hrst nine months of the past wear no
less IMAM 80 inches of rain fell while the near
| est approach to that amount was in 1928 and
then 1t was two and one half inches short
during the quarter ending with September rain
iell IN htty-three out of seventy eight DAVIS the
total amount being l175 inches In 'AnriI
May and June rain fell almost constantly. and
the sun was but rarely seen. The month Of
| S9iiiy was the most remarkable on record rain
falling every day during the first half of the
| month turning 70 snot0 is some districts on the
4th, 6th, and 9Th August brought a chance
ior the better and agriculturists began to tbini,
Onat thelr misery was over. But a sudden
| change took place toward the end and at its
close all hope of saving even a moderate harvest
/ was blighted ''' GOV
IHE SwrFrEsT SHIP IN THE WoR1p.-A new
I fHHN Hs-Na..