davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Centre Democrat. [volume] (Bellefonte, Pa.) 1848-1989, 1880-06-17
A Twenty-Fiv Cent Chinese Dinner.

A Chinese dinner is not to be recon-
mended, writes San Francisco CORE
spondent. 1t is too greasy, and that
Mosaic abomination, tae pig, not only
appears frequently as piece de resistance,
and in clever sundry DISCUSSES, but con-
tributes an unmistakable flavor to
nearly every dish. 1t comes in the full
pomp OF the boar's head or in the more
attractive form of tender " roaster, the
praises of whose "crackling" Ella has
sung. Each restaurant uses several
wagon loads of hogs daily. The animal
is boiled, roasted, fried, friccaseed,
minced; it forms the unsavory contents
of finnocent-looking dumplings, and 1t is
disguised in dozen deceptive entrees.
Not even the daintiest of sweetmeats
can remove its contaminating touch
from the palate. Hence, for the curios-
ity-seeker who has n stomach under
perfect control, it is safer to try the
lunch served at midday, in which few
meats appear. The garcon appears with
two tea cups and saucer and kettle
of boiling water. In one cup he puts n
pinch of dry tea, pours the water upon
it with the saucer. Your tea is then
drawing" Quickly he returns with
chop p-sticks and the regular lunch. The
bill CON prises three egg-cakes, two
dumplings, with species of Chinese
strawberry mark on the top, three
scraps of an unknown part of the pig, n
dish of preserved watermelon and an
other of sweetmeats. The tea is now
stepped, and placing your foretinger on
the saucer, you tilt the cup over and al
low thin stream of the fragrant bever-
age to escape into your saucer. You
will win the good graces of the waiter
if you shake your head when he asks
you if you want sugar. 1t never oc-
ours to him that you would ruin the cup
with milk. The tea, made of the tender
shoots of the plant, tastes like unusually
fine English breakfast, but with more
delicate flavor and aroma. BY its aid
you may eat sparingly of the dumplings,
relish the tgg-cake in spite of the lard
in which it is fried, enjoy the water
melon and devour the sweetmeats. Or
the pork, the odor alone is ample; a
long. drawn smell would be equal to "a
surfeit. All these dainties are eaten
with chop-st:cks by the Chinese around
you, but the use of these articles comes
with nature, not art. Itis idle TO initiate
the skill of your neighbors; you will
drop all the food upon the table. Better
is it to accept the Offering of an old
fashioned battered knife and fork,
which the proprietor doubtless gathered
in an auction sale of antique household
goods. There is no limit to the amount
of tea that you may guzzle. The atten
tive waiter will fill your cup again and
again with hot water, and, singular to
relate, the tea leaves give out strength
and aroma after much soaking. The
cost ofall this refreshment is only twenty
cents. A regular dinner, at which
meats, coffee and rice brand are served,
costs from forty to seventy-five cents,
according TO the number of courses and
the service.
Centre Democrat. [volume] (Bellefonte, Pa.) 1848-1989, 1880-06-17
Obtaining Salt from the Ocean.

Among the prominent local industries
in Alameda county is that of salt manu-
facture. For a long time the consump-
tion of salt by the packers and butchers
OF San Francisco was entirely supr lied
by the Liverpool and other foreign
manufacturers and II is not until very
recently that local enterprise has inter-
posed in favor of home production.
The works are located on the bay shore,
near Newark, and the salt is made by
solar evaporation.
The salt ponds are eighty acres in ex-
tent, which are divided into water-tight
compartments, each compartment being
provided with gate for the purpose of
admitting the water supply. The pro-
cess of salt making is comparatively
simple. The pond is connected with
the waters of the bay by ditch. Tnis
water is then passed from the pond into
the upper end of the vats by windmill
pumps, and from this point the water is
gradually distributed into the various
receptacles, or lower watts. as evapora-
tion goes on, the water, becoming more
impreRnated with salt as il passes to-
ward the lower rows.
From these watts it is again pumped
intu Others, where il remains until crys-
tallized, and layers Of salt half an inch
thick are formed. The residue of the
water is then let of, and the salt taken
up and put into mallcars, which run on
wooden tramway, and carried To the
receiving house and there manufactured
into the various kinds in use, which II
done by thoroughly drying it in heated
pans and crushing the salt in mills.
Several thousand tons are made In this
locality annually, which is carried in
schooners direct to San Francisco and
sold to the jobbers. The works give
employment TO large number of per.
sons. .--San Fkuncisco Chronicle.
Centre Democrat. [volume] (Bellefonte, Pa.) 1848-1989, 1880-06-17
Changes Of Life.

Change is the common feature of So
ciety-of all life.
The world is like magic lanter, or
the shifting scenes of panorama. Ten
years convert the population of schools
into men and women, the young into
fathers and matrons, make and mar for
tunes, and bury the last generation but
one.
Twenty years convert infants into
lovers, fathers and mothers, decide
mems fortunes and distinctions, convert
active men and women into crawling
drivelers, and bury all preceding gen.
erations.
Thirty years raise an active genera
ton from nonentity, change fascinating
beauties into unbearable old women.
convert lovers into grandfathers, and
bury the active generation, or reduce
them to decrepitude and imbecility.
Forty years, alasl change the face of
all society. Infants are growing old,
the bloom o. youth and beauty has
passed away, two active generations
have been swept from the stage of life;
names once cherished are forgotten,
unsuspected candidates for fame have
started from the exhaustless womb of
nature.
And in nifty years mature, ripe fifty
years-a half century-what tremen-
dous changes occur. How time writes
her sublime wrinkles everywhere, ia
rock, river, forest, cities, villages, ham,
lets, in the nature OF man and the des-
tinies and aspects of all civilized So
ciety.
let us pass on to eighty years-and
what do we see in the world TO comfort
usP Our parents are gone; our chi iidren
have passed away from us into all parts
of the world TO fight the grim and des-
perate battle of life. Our old friends
where are they? We behold world
of which we know nothing and to which
we are unknown. We weep for the
generations long gone by-for lovers,
for parents, for children, for friends in
the grave. We see everything turned
upside down by the tickle hand of for
tune and the absolute despotism of
time. In n word we behold the vanity
of life, and are quite ready to lay down
the poor burden and be gone.
Centre Democrat. [volume] (Bellefonte, Pa.) 1848-1989, 1880-06-17
Longevity in Europe.

Herr Max .Waldstein, of the statistica.
department at Vienna, says, in q recently
published pamphlet, that the number
OF persons in Europe who are upward OF
ninety years old is Il, ,s3l. Ofthose who
are over 100 years old there are al
women and l6l men in Italy, 22g women
and I3s men in Austria, and 526 women
and 524 men in Hungary. There are in
Austria | sos, 359 persons over sixty
years OF age, comprising rs Of the whole
population. 1t is found that the per-
centage of old people is much higher
among the Germans than among the
Slavs. In the German provinces Of
Upper Austria and Salzburg it is lis,
while in Gallicia il is only four. IL
Hungary there are more old men than
women, which is explained by the fact
that the excess of women over men is
less in Hungary than in any other coun-
tries. There are in Austria loo women
and eighty-six men who are 100 years
old, and sixty eight women and sixty
men who are rising of l0l years OF age
Centre Democrat. [volume] (Bellefonte, Pa.) 1848-1989, 1880-06-17
Lightning.

The last summer was remarkable for
the number and violence of its thunderl
storms, and the next census will nrnba-
bly, show an unusually large proportinr
of deaths from lightning stroke. I, -
not commonly known what Is the nrn1
portion of persons killed in this wav i
the United States, but the statistics ~
the subject are easily attainable fromth
census tables. and To give some notion
Of them it is only necessary 70 say that
in l670-an average year--202 deaths
occurred from this cause. and durino
the same period only 203 persons com.
mitted suicide by poison, 25I by fire.
arms and 1873 by cutting their tiroats
In 1860 19l persons were killed BY light
ming, and l3l committed selfmurder
with poison, ll2 with firearms and ~
by throat-cutting. These statistics will
seem remarkable to people who read
newspapers and find hardly day pass.
ing in which suicides are not recorded
in all of these ways. They are gtriking
also from the fact that whereas liyLt.
ming is a work during but two or three
months ofthe year, suicides with poison
pistol and knife have no one season
which is peculiarly their own-the no.
tion that November is a fatai month
for the melancholy having been shown
by Charles Moore in one of his earliest
works published on the statistics Of
suicide to be false.
OF course. in bringing lightning into
comparison with poison, pistOl ard the
knife we do not mean to be understcOd
as speaking of the latter as if they were
cosmical causes of death. but merely %
show how the judgmen. may be De.
ceived in such matters. Undoubtedly
most people are accustomed To think
that lightning is the cause Of the death
of incomparably fewer persons than die
of poison administered by themselves or
of throat-cuttinR or shooting, but in
vestigation shows this belief is without
foundation. In France, where it il said
by DIR. De Doismont that about on.
hundred thousand persons have died By
their own hands since the beginning Of
the century. and where suicide is there
fore prevalent, il we suppose that one
out of hundred uses the pistol in the
act, we find that the proportion OF such
deaths to the whole population is .ess
than one in 100, 900; and in the United
States death by lightning is about one
In $50, 900. The figures are curious only
because they show that among people
who are not in the habit Of killing
| themselves as compared with a people
who are supposed TO be addicted 70
| that habit, lightning-a seemingly rare
cause of death-does so little less for
the latter than the pistol does for the
former. Among ourselves they seem 70
be about equally efiicacieus.
Centre Democrat. [volume] (Bellefonte, Pa.) 1848-1989, 1880-06-17
Mathematical Prodigy,

There lately came to France n young
italian who has the singular faculty of
making very long and complicated
mental calculations. He was presented
at the last seance of the Societe dan
thropologic. lie is n small boy of ten
or eleven, OF intelligent look, the head
large, but not specially remarkable, the
forehead rather prominent. Among
various calculations he was asked to
name was this: Multiply 3,OOO,249 by
240,073 The operation took him two
minutes, and he then gave the exact re-
suit. While he is calculating, people
go on talking near him without his be-
ing hindered.
According to his explanations. the
process he employs is wholly empirical,
and resembles that of Mondeux, the
celebrated calculator. He commences
with large figures, and to the base thus
obtained he adds the result OF multiple
cation of the smaller figures. Curiously
this boy cannot either read or write,
and It Is only short time since he got
to know figures. He even says that
since he learned them he has calculated
less easily than before. The person
who presented him To the society had
found him few months ago accom-
pany.ng an organ grinder, and astonish-
ing the frequenters of cafes by his pow
ers of calculation.
Centre Democrat. [volume] (Bellefonte, Pa.) 1848-1989, 1880-06-17
Farm Life.

A writer in Scri5neT's Magazine asserts
that the farmer having the most sane
and natural occupation ought TO find
life pleasant. He alone, strictly speak
ing, has home. How can a man take
and thrive without land? He writes
his history upon his field. How many
ties, how many resources he has; his
friendship with cattle, his team. his
dog, his trees; the satisfaction in his
growing crops. in his improved fields;
his intimacy with nature, with bird and
beast, and with the quickened elemental
forces; his corporations with the
clouds, sun, seasons, heat, wind, rain
and frost. Nothing will take the vari-
Gus social distempers which the city
and artificial life breed out of a man
like farming-like direct and loving con-
tact with the soil. II draws out the
poison. 1t humbles him. teaches him
patience and reverence, and restores the
proper tone TO his system. Cling TO the
farm, make much of it. put yourself
into il, 30 that IL should SAVIOR of you
and radiate your virtue after your days
work is done.
Centre Democrat. [volume] (Bellefonte, Pa.) 1848-1989, 1880-06-17
Centennial OF the /" Dark Day."

One hundred years ago, May 10, 1880,
was one of the most famous of dates in
the legendary tales of our grandfathers.
It was the dark Day." when, accord
ing to the chronicles. candles had TO be
lighted at midday, the birds were silent
or disappeared, and the domestic fowls
retired to roost. The darkness pre-
vailed over the whole of New England
and the Middle States, and it's memory
is even now preserved by the Indians of
the six nations, who use it rs n time
mark for estimating the ages of child
rem born about that period. Many
were the bits of doggerel verse which
were current few years ago about this
phenomenon, and wonderfully varied
were the experiences which the spec
tators transmitted to their posterity.
Barber, Webster and Mursell have re-
ferred to the circumstance In their his
torical compilations; but the most In
.eresting anecdote is that referring 10
the attitude of the Connecticut council,
then in session at Hartford, and discuss
ing an interesting bill about the shad
fishery. AS the darkness became more
intense, suggesting to many the arrival
of the day of judgment, the legislature
on motion adjourned; but Colonel
Abraham Davenport, of Stamford, op.
posed similar motion In the council,
saying: 81 am against an.adjournment.
The day ofjudgment is approaching or
Ii Is not. If 1t Is not, there Is no cause
for adjournment; II IL is, wish to be
found doing my duty. i wish, there
fore, that candles may be brought"
Centre Democrat. [volume] (Bellefonte, Pa.) 1848-1989, 1880-06-17
How to be Independent Of Dry weathe 7

We have lived in the Arkansas val
ley for nearly nine years. From the
first we have been of the opinion that
this country will, eventually, support
in abundant prosperity dense popula-
ton, who will produce from the soil
crops not excelled for yield or certainty
any part of the world. The soil is
of surprising fertility, the lay of the
land is admirable and the temperature
is OF the mean between the cold of the
North and the heat of the South !;
most favorable for grains and fruits.
The only thing wanting is regularity in
the supply of moisture.
Some expect that this will correct it
self, and when good rain comes assert
that the seasons are changing, growing
more rainy. The experience of last year
and this have almost dissipated this
theory.
What then is the remedy for drouth2
There is abundance Of water at a short
distance below the surface. The wind
is willing to work for nothing and TO
raise TO the surface an unlimited amount
of 1t. II remains for the ingenuity and
skill of man TO harness the wind to the
work, and oapply the water judiciously
TO the soil. Some say this will be inn
ptdtllCablt anu tAptHElNts IApfIiHlNt Y
1t may be. but it is not impracticable.
In Holland they have emptied lakes
and even n sea in order TO cultivate the
soil at their bottom. Constant vigilance
is necessary to keep the water out. Yet
all is done at profit.
Less expensive will II be TO irrigate
the plains OF Kar sas, than TO dry the
lakes and seas of Holland. The lakes of
Holland were not dried in a day, neither
will the Arkansas valley be irrigated in
a day, but by preparation beforehand
and the accumulation of n supply OF
water on the surface TO be in constant
readiness when needed, the long dry
spells will be deprived of their power TO
ruin the prosperity of the country.
How is this to be doneP
We should say, select the highest
point on the land sought to he watered +;
with plow and scraper make a heavy
dirt wall around large basin; keep II
wet with n windmill and water eleva-
tor; feed your hogs in this pen for few
weeks and let them wallow the entire
surface so AS to make il hold water /;
plant cotton wood cuttings all over the
dirt wall, then let you windmills devote
the winter and spring to filling up this
basin. By the time the water is needed
for the crops in the spring, the water
will be warm and fit TO apply. AS
these supplies of surface water are in
creased n greater amount. of moisture
will be found to exist at all times in the
air. .-SeTttilg (hdn.) Gazette.
Centre Democrat. [volume] (Bellefonte, Pa.) 1848-1989, 1880-06-17
Look Out for the Noon.

The theory was advanced some time
ago by an English astronomer that.
owing TO the peculiar solar and lunar
action, the earth and moon must evcntu-
ally come into collision. This theory
was opposed by some Of the most
learned scientific mon, who argued that,
owing to the position Of the tidal wave
the moon is drawn not exactly in the
direction of the earth's center ofgraviiy,
but a, little TO the east Of that center,
and that in consequence she is made TO
recede from the earth, her orbit is en-
larged. and her angular motion dimin-
ished. The partisans of the collision
theory reply that this does not prevent
the consumption Of the Wis viva Of the
earth's motion around the common
center of gravity. although to a certain
extent, at least, IL must prevent this
consumption from diminishing the
moons distance and increasing her
angular motion. As this consumption
OF Wis viva viii 90 on through infinite
ages, If the present order of things re-
main unchanged, the earth and the
moon must ultimately come together,
with results which the imagination can
only family conceive.
Centre Democrat. [volume] (Bellefonte, Pa.) 1848-1989, 1880-06-17
A ChIld,s Life Thrown Away.

A child SIX years old was scalded to
death in a bath short time ago in the
English town cfClifton. Little Herbert
appeared to have cold, and his aunt,
Miss LaudAle, ordered hot bath to be
prepared, and in the presence of the
nurse, after testing the water with her
hand, placed the child in the bath. He
struggled and screamed, but as she had
no idea that he meant the water was
too hot she kept him in 1t six or seven
minutes. He was of highly sensitive
temperament, and was accustomed to
get excited and cry out at anything
strange, so that his screaming and strug-
Cling when kept in the water did not
excite any alarm till he had been In the
bath some minutes, when the nurse,
thinking his eyes looked strange, and
that he was going to have fit, drew
Miss Laudale's 3 attention to their appear
ance, and the boy was taken out and
placed in bed, and doctor was sent
FOR. The lower part of the body and
the legs were very badly scalded. He
died two days afterward. The doctor
attributed death TO the shock to the
nervous system caused by the extensive
scalds. He added that the hand was a
very unreliable instrument TO test hot
water. Nurses Often used the elbow. and
this was much better when thermom-
eter could not be obtained.
Centre Democrat. [volume] (Bellefonte, Pa.) 1848-1989, 1880-06-17

system Is attended with no incOn-
yenience. and the expense Is one-half
that of the old method. Mr.. Fleuss Is
only twenty-eigbt. His process has
been brought out since the Tay bridge
disaster.
There is said to be French babe, aged
six months, born at Cherbourg, the nape
of whose neck has the singular gift oil
producing an uninterrupted succession
of feathers. Twenty-three have already
sprouted, reached maturity, and fallen
of, 10 be carefully stored away by the
infants father, workingman, whose
fortune may be considered made il The
amazing story turns out correct. The
manner in which these feathers grow is
thus described: Il pimple forms on the
nape OF the neck, quite close TO the roots
OF the hair. At the expiration OF a GER
tain time the pimple blossoms into
feather, the child. at the moment when
it appears, seeming TO experience a
slight uneasiness. The feather, which
is curved and gilded, attains, when fully
grown, from ten 10 twelve centimeters
in length. When it falls few drops OF
whitish color issue from the pimple,
which then heals, leaving no trace of its
existence for awhile, until another ap-
pears, inclosing the germ of another
feather. A curious circumstance, says
the Cherbourg paper, is that the feather
remains six days on the infants neck
when fully grown before falling, and
that its successor takes as many days to
sprout as its predecessor TO reach ma
turity. The father of the phenomenal
child intends taking it To Paris in order
to ask science 10 investigate the cause OF
this freak of nature.
Centre Democrat. [volume] (Bellefonte, Pa.) 1848-1989, 1880-06-17
The Champlen aormandIzer.

They have in st. Louis a man whom
they call the boss gormandizer OF the
world" and the reports of his feats give
him a good claim TO be called A cham
pion eater. He has accomplished the
feat of eating thirty quail in thirty days.
and on the last night he ate an extra
quail, and also one dozen oysters with
sugar on them. At other times he ate
twenty-iour goose eggs, thirtv-six
squared oysters, two mince pies with
eight drops OF castor-oil in them, and \
goose, weighing eight pounds and seven
ounces, stuffed with oysters. This last
part he accomplished IN twenty-one
minutes, eating bread and other things
at the same Il y and taking > hearty
dinner enc h i, sitelward,
Centre Democrat. [volume] (Bellefonte, Pa.) 1848-1989, 1880-06-17
A Domestic Tragedy.

On returning from the theater the
Thompsons find their housemaid in
great distress, with her arm bound up
In her apron.
Mrs. Thompson-What Is the matter,
AunP Have you hurt yeur handP
Ann-W -w-w- worse than that,
ma'aml
Mrs. Thompson-Not broken your
arm, trustP
Ann-W- w-worse than thatl
Mrs. Thompson Great heavens
What is itp
Cook-The fact is, ma'am; the silly
girl has been tryin' on your new brace
let, and none of US knows how to get II
off againl
Centre Democrat. [volume] (Bellefonte, Pa.) 1848-1989, 1880-06-17

With the exception of bore hole
put down TO the depth of 1, 1873 feet for
the Prussian government, lew years
ago, and which took four years to ac-
complish, the bore of which we have
been giving particulars is, we believe.
the deepest yet sunk. and the fact that
IL was completed in less than six months
speaks well for the skill and energy
with which the work was carried out.
Scientific american.
Centre Democrat. [volume] (Bellefonte, Pa.) 1848-1989, 1880-06-17

Butterp Yon remember the story oil
the guest who was eating more butter
than biscuit, while the landlady looked
on and fidgeted and hinted until she
fairly went into n nervous fit. Einaiy
she said; DO you knew butter Is up
10 sixty-hve cents pounds" The hun
cry guest reached out and took whsi
there was LEFT. Well" he drawled
approvingly and reassuringly, "good
butter Is wuth It. t.n-Hasobere.
Centre Democrat. [volume] (Bellefonte, Pa.) 1848-1989, 1880-06-17

The $1,000 Cinnamon on the Pacific
coast in 1875 have been reduced 10 about
$4,000. Ofthe q, 900 who are gone about
5000 went TO the Sandwich Islands,
10, 600 returned 10 tic Celestial kingdom
and 10000 have come East and - other
ande.
Centre Democrat. [volume] (Bellefonte, Pa.) 1848-1989, 1880-06-17

A teacher asked bright little girl:
"What country Is opposite US on the
globeP" Don't know, sir" was the
answer. "Well, now" pursued the
teacher, elf / were 10 bore n hole
through the earth, and you were TO 60
ontP 'S Sna Of Tseee tSe ho ~Sad sSq reped
the pupil, with an mir Of triumph.
Centre Democrat. [volume] (Bellefonte, Pa.) 1848-1989, 1880-06-17

A poem was received by country
paper containing the line: Upon her
lace a thousand dimples hide" The
compositor was mysteriously murdered
thousand pimples hide" One letter
sometimes makes heap oi difference.