davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1880-06-17
AN IRRESISTlBLE TEMPTATION.

Next to the duty Of resisting temptation
is that of never putting it in other peoples
way. A man who displays gold repeater
on a racecourse, carries pot hat into the
path of the Lord Mayors Show, or exhibits
q shining bald head in the neighborhood of
q sportive shillelagh, is guilty of criminal
recklessness and deserves no pity when the
inevitable consequence arrives. But the
worst of this matter is that, owing to the
many sidedness of our frail nature we can
never be entirely on guard against the dam
ger of playing tempter and sufferer thereby.
Take, as an example, the recent sad expert
ence of q clerk in Nevada hotel This
gentleman, after the manner of his kind,
was in the habit of wearing big diamond
on his shirt front, and for long time had
done 80 with impunity, thanks, II may be,
to the barrier behind which his daily labors
was carried on. One day, however, a
rough miner saaintered in and was immedi-
ately fascinated by the glare Of the diamond.
He could not take his eyes off it. The bril-
liant thing held him fast, but there was no
covetousness in the look with which he re-
garded it. He simply saw the )" gaittering
mark which death is said to love, and ex-
perienced an irresistible desire to fire at it.
At last, quietly taking out his revolver,
he let fly, missed the mark, and killed the
man In all likelihood this sensitive "pis-
tolist " more regrets the badness of his aim
than the result of his shot; but whether a
Nevada jury will acquit him on the ground
of "justi6able homicide" depends upon
their estimate of what constitutes an unbear-
able provocation.
The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1880-06-17

g The Magic Path is q curious story that
is given in a recently Published volume enti-
tied STRANGE Stories from q Chinese Studio"
by Mr.. 81. A. Giles, of 81. Ms Consular
Service A scholar named Kuo one night
lost his way among the hills He heard the
sound of laughter, and, going in the direo-
ton of the sound, he found some ten or .
dozen persons sitting on the ground drink
ing. He asked them to show him his way,
but they pressed him to join them. He
tossed off the bumpers SO fast that he was
at once voted to be q jolly good fellow. He
was very clever in initiating the notes of the
birds, and did it SO well that for q time he
deceived his companions. After . while
he initiated parrot, and cried, ''Mr. KuO
is very drunk; you'd better see him home"
They said that they would first show him
few acrobatic feats " They all arose, and
one of them planting his feet firmly, sec
ond jumped up on to his shoulders, third
on to the seconds shoulders, and & fourth
on to his, until it was too high for the rest
to jump up and accordingly they began to
climb as though it had been ladder. When
they were all up, and the topmost head
seemed to touch the clouds, the whole col
umn bent gradually down until it lay along
the ground, transformed into path Kuo
remained for some time in state of alarm,
and then, setting out along the path, ulti-
mately reached his home. The next day he
revisited the spot, but, though he saw the
remains of feast lying about, there was no
sign of path"
The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1880-06-17
LOST IN THE BUSH.

A striking example of q danger more i'm
minent in the Australian bush than in any
other forest land, owing to its density or
other causes, is related in q Sydney ex-
change A settler of the name of McDon-
aid, ninety years Of age, had gone out for
his usual stroll along q tributary of the
Goulbourn, and was seen shortly afterward
on his return home. Somehow, however,
he afterward strayed into the bush, and an
alarm having been raised, every foot of
ground where he was likely to be was
searched for five days and nights. 1t was,
however, only at the end of that period that
he was found, and alive, but delirious. Still
he was able to give tolerably clear account
of himself although he had fallen into the
river several times, once overhead, and had
wandered about night and day for SO long
period, under burning sun by day, aud
with one night excessively cold, with fire.
quent rain. After being rested and taken
care of he proved to be little the worse of
all the hunger, exposure and fatigue. Many
persons have been lost in an Australian
thicket, and persisted almost within earshot
of their comrades ; Others, perhaps less fire.
quently, have been restored to their friends,
but it is doubtful whether an infilm old man
Of ninety ever before passed SO little injured
through such an ordeal
The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1880-06-17

heavy fee to ''open the eye" of the dream
er. Thus we are told of man who dream
ed that he saw an egg hanging from the
tester of his bed. Being sorely exercised
at the unwonted vision, he repaired to the
oneirocritic, who informed him, as q wise
and ready interpreter, that there was trea-
sure under his bed He Immediately set
about digging, and to his great joy, found
some gold set round with silver. He gave
the oneirocritic some silver in payment for
his information, but the sage asked, ass Was
there no gold? If not what meant the yolk
of the egg?" Artemidorus, another Ephe-
sian, seems to have spent the best of his
days in reducing dreams to the obedience of
exact rules, but with little success He said
that all true dreams foretold some good or
evil; that to dream of a chain meant a wife
or hindrance, and to dream of the belly !"
meant children, for they cry for meat
TEMPLE Bar. r.
The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1880-06-17
CIvILITY AND CEREMONY.

Nothing is more honorable and pleasant
than civility, and nothing more ridiculous
and burdensome than ceremony. Civility
teaches us to behave with proportionate re-
spect to every one, according as their rank
requires and their merit demands. In other
words, civility is the science of men of the
world. A woman. of good address, who con-
ducts herself with due circumspection, con-
ciliates the love and esteem of society, be-
cause every one finds herself at ease in her
company, but a ceremonious woman is the
plague of her acquaintances.
Such a one requires too much attention
to be a pleasant associate, is too seldom sat-
isfied with what is paid her, and every mo-
ment feels her pride hurt by the want of
some frivolous etiquette. You cannot be too
formal to her, nor can she dispense with
her formalities to others. In short, cere-
mony was invented by pride to harass us
with puerile solicitudes which we should
blush to be conversant with.
The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1880-06-17
A ROYAL PROPOSAL.

After dinner, while talking to the gentle
men, I perceived Alice and Louis talking
before the fireplace more earnestly thai
usual, and when I passed to go to the other
room both came up to me, and Alice, in
much agitation, said he had proposed to
her, and he begged for my blessing. I
could only squeeze his hand, and say, Ger
tainly," and that we should see him in our
room later. Got through the evening work
ing as well as we could. Alice came to our
room, agitated but quiet. Albert sent for
Louis to his room-went first to him, and
then called Alice and me in. Louis has q
warm, noble heart. We. embraced our
dear Alice, and praised her much to him.
He pressed and kissed my hand, and en-
braced him. After talking little we parted
"a most touching, and, to me, most sacred
moment. VictOria's Diary.
The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1880-06-17
MAGNANIMIrY.

Selfshness cannot flourish where mag
nanimity reigns. The man of large soul
sees far beyond his own little orbit his
heart thrills in sympathy with joys and sor-
rows that touch not his own life. Like the
astronomer, who sees our earth to be but q
speck in the great universe, he sees himself
to be but speck in the great humanity that
lives and throbs an around him. Instead Of
fixing an intense and microscopic gaze upon
himself, with his little round of interests,
his large heart swells with sympathy for
others, and his hand hastens to do them
good Generosity, however liberal, may be
self conscious, but the essence of magnanim-
ity is to forget the claims of self in the
yearning for others, TO pass by the less in
the search for the greater.
The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1880-06-17
OBJECTS OF THE NIHILIsTs.

The following account of the aims of Nj
hilism is taken by the st. Petersburgh cor
respondent of the Cologne Gazette from .
:" "Nihilist Catechism," which was produced
at the trial of the well known Socialist leader
Netchayeff, in 1871: 1--WE must enter into
close contact with the people, and especially
with those who from the time of the foun-
dation of the Russian Power have never
ceased to protest by their acts (not by their
words) against everything which has direct
" or indirectly been connected with that
Power, against the nobility, the officials, the
clergy and the traders. Our organization
and our whole object consists in making Of
the elements opposed to the State an instru-
ment for its destruction. Russian history
has only had two epochs in which the Rus
sian people have really lived, those of the
revolutiOnists Stenko Rasin and PugatcheR.
Our task is the universal and pitiless de-
struction of what exists it is for the future
generations to deal with what may arise af-
forwards. Our revolution must not be like
those of Western Europe, which have been
satisfied with political changes without
touching upon the institutions of property
and so-called civilization. The people can
only be benefited by revolution which
shall tear out by the roots every power of
State and destroy all State traditions and
classes in Russia. The Russian revolution
ist is man who has taken q VOW he has
no interests or feelings, not even name.
Bearing in mind his sole object-destruc-
tion-he can and must live in society; he
must force his way into all branches of it
into the beaureaucratic and military worlds,
into the world of literature, into the secret
police and even into the Winter Palace.
The revolutionist knows not relationship,
friendship, love, magnanimity, or even
honor-an his feelings are suppressed by the
passion for revolution"
The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1880-06-17
QUEER TRADES.

There are men in Paris, birds of a feather,
with the chiffonier, who go from hospital to
hospital collecting the mseed plasters that
have served the turn of doctor and patient
afterward pressing the oil from the linseed,
and dispOsing of the linen, after bleaching it,
to the paper-maker. Others make a couple
of francs day by collecting old corks,
which being cleaned and pared, fetch, it is
said, half franc per hundred.
A lady resident of the Faubourg st. Ger
main is credited with earning good income
by matching red, black and brown ants for
pheasant preservers. One Partisan gets his
living by breeding maggots out of the foul
meat he buys of the chiffoniers and fasten-
ing them up in tin boxes. Another breeds
gales; and third "marchdnd dastic0ts"
boasts of selling between thirty and forty
millions of worms every season for piscato-
rial purposes. He owns a great pit at Mont
martre, wherein he keeps his store. Every
day his scouts bring him fresh stock, for
which he pays them from five to ten pence
per pound, according to quality; reselling
them to anglers at just double these rates,
and clearing thereby something over three
hundred pounds year. No wonder he
processes great fondness for his children"
as he calls them; although, like other fond
fathers, he is ready enough to part with
them when opportunity offers.
This curious avocation is not unknown in
England. Some twelve years ago Mr.. Wells,
fishing tackle maker of Nottingham, in
order to insure constant supply of bait for
his customers, started a form for the rearing
of lobworms cockspurs, ring-tailed brand
lings and other worms III demand among the
disciples of Walton, who abound in the old
lace town. To keep his farm stocked, men
and boys 60 out at night collecting worms
in the meadows and pastures; a moist,
warm night yielding from two to six thou
in they are placed in properly selected moss,
field moss for choice, to scour until they be-
come little more than skin-freshly caught
worms being too tender for the anglers to
handle while "when worm is properly
educated, he is as tough as a bit of india
rubber, and behaves as worm should do
when put upon the hook" When this con-
dition is attained, the worms are packed in
moss, and put up in light canvas bags for
the market. This worm merchant does not
entirely depend upon the industry of his
collectors, but breeds large quantities him
self, in his own garden, the component parts
Of his breeding heap being a secret he not
unnaturally keeps to himself.
The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1880-06-17
AN ANGEL.

will call him Mr.. Wenham-Thacker-
ay's Mr.. Wenham is the standing repre-
sentative of the type of man 1 mean. Mr..
Wenham, then, met at a ball an elderly lady
remarkable for her bluntness and asperity,
whom will call (after Thackeray again)
Lady Keer "What do you think of my
daughter tonight, Mr.. Wenham?" asked
her ladyship. "Don't You think she looks
well ?" REALLY, Lady Keer," said the
satirist, with sour smile, 81 am not CON-
petent to pronounce an opinion. 1 do not
profess to be judge of painting but I
have no doubt competent critics will pro-
nounce her an angel" "And pray, Mr..
Wenham, have you ever seen an angel that
was not painted2 If not, you at least are
never likely to see one."-LOndon Society.
The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1880-06-17

fends who swsrmed upon me, dragged rap
idly backward dozen PAGES around a curve
of the level, and then-then single pistol
shot sounded, and, in great puff of sui
phurous smoke, in a dull roar that shook the
earth, and bowed the very walls of the drift
together, in a second of intense light the end
came-the world dissolved!
When 1 opened my eyes, it was upon the
hillside at the mouth of our shaft, beneath
the tall, whispering pines, and surrounded
by dozen of Uncle Sans blue coats. Near
me, litter held something covered with .
blanket, and at my side knelt old Jack.
''Ah, my boy" cried the old man, in glad
tones, as my eyes fell upon him, -''back
again, God be thanked! But it was q close
rub for yel Charlie, there, poor fellow,
panned out. Only you and remain"
els Charlie dead :" whispered.
"Very." said Jack, solemnly. "He was
filed with balls and Ute knife holes enough
to kill dozen men. And you'd a-been in
as bad a fix eff hadn't a-grabbed you'll"
"Was it you u?" asked. "Did you pull
me out remember now. But what fol-
lowed-what followed!" and l sought to
rise in my eagerness, but sank back faint
from loss of blood.
"Lie still, an I'll tell ye," said my friend.
"The game war up-I felt that for though
I had cut free, knew from the sound that
Charlie war beat, and that you couldn't hold
out much longer. But I had an idea.
ran away. Yes, ran to the lower level, got
keg of the blasting powder we were using
yesterday, and returned. 1 crept up, an
sot the keg close to our barricade. The In
juns were thick, but they didn't tech me,
for they couldn't see me, and the sound O.
the fight war all about you. Then kinder
cut my way in, grabbed you an dragged you
around the corner, and then fred my last
ball into that powder-keg! The result war
tremendous.
"It took me about an hour to figure it out
myself, for war sort O. shocked, same as
the rest but when began to examine the
hole thar warn't live Injun left! Eff any
O. 'em escaped, they must o. took the back
track mighty lively after the powder spoke.
So just dragged you to the shaft here, and
about sun-up these fellers looked in, and
hoisted us both out And war glad to see
the top of the world, now, I tell ye, my
boy! 1t did look good to me after last
night"
Old Jack ceased.
The sunlight glinted through the tall pines
just as it did twenty four hours before, and
the far-away peaks were as bright as when
my comrades were at my side, but purple
haze covered everything now, and my eyes
were still shadowed with the horrors of what
had passed; and though live to be an old
man, one memory can never efface, and
one night will ever be a sad anniversary each
year-the night of our terrible fight in the
level of the Good Luck Mine.
The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1880-06-17
FOUR HUGS TO THE SQUARE.

= The man who walks at night sees funny
things, and sometimes, If he happens to be
q reporter, he tells the public about them.
One night recently between ten and eleven
O'Clock while q fact slater of the COnstitat-
ton was cleaving the dimness of Walton
street, his attention was attracted by Q
youthful couple who were walking at the
frightful speed of fifteen minutes to the half
square. While the reporter was trying to
think how long they could keep up
this pace without stopping, they stopped in
the friendly shadow of huge billboard,
and the young man clasped the young lady
to his heaving bosom and kissed her.
Then he looked up and down the street,
as though expecting some one whom he
sincerely hoped would not come, and then
suddenly remembering that he had pre-
vious engagement, he turned and embraced
his companion in q lohg, loving and busi-
ness-like manner-and then he kissed her.
Somehow he seemed to feel that he had not
made complete success, and he kissed her
again. Then, as if displeased with his style
of work, he repeated it in q sort of Emma
Abbott way. This struck him as being
quite the sort of thing, and he practiced it
several times. After q while he stopped
kissing the young Lady and hugged her.
And just here he displayed real genius. He
was a master of the art. He showed o per-
feet familiarity with every possible style.
He clasped her gently-then he squeezed her
rapturously-then he grabbed her violently
then he embraced her slowly and impress
sively-then he hugged her as if he had
firmly resolved never to go into any other.
business as long as he lived, and then he
thought he heard somebody coming, and
they walked off as if nothing in the world
had happened. .,.. e..-
They turned into Broad street, and hav.
Wilson's coal yard, they repeated the Walton
street performance, without any material
change of programme.
And then they strolled leisurely into
Luckey street, between Forsyth and Broad,
and, in answer to an encore, gave another
performance Of the same description.
After this they passed into Forsyth street,
and when they neared the First Baptist
Church the idea occurred to the young man
that he would give a farewell performance.
They did SO. Both seemed deeply affected,
and the unseen audience was almost moved
to tears at the extremely touching sight.
And then those happy, nocturnal, closer-to-
my-bosom-comes moved silently down Wal
ton street, and the unseen audience of one
slowly dispersed, strengthened in his con-
viction that there is nothing like the power
of the press.-Atlanta (Ga.) Constitution.
The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1880-06-17
PLANNING HOUSES.

The planning of houses is left almost en-
tirely to men, and most women are content
to have it so, and to look upon the whole
question of domestic architecture as one
with which they have nothing to do. But
if women would study this subject and have
intelligent and practical ideas on the ar
rangement, finish and convenience of the
houses they live in, their suggestions would
be of great value to architects, and doubt
less result in an increase of health and house.
hold comfort. Il The wise woman buildeth
her house." Taking this in a literal sense,
every woman who is ''wise viii be able to
plan her house SO that she will find it pleas
ant to live in. The ordinary way of build
ing house is to decide how much money
can be put into it, then what its size shall
be, and then how it shall be cut up into
rooms The reverse is the proper method.
The sitting room or family-room should
first be determined on, and from this as
centre all others should radiate. Each fam
lily will naturally give law to its own habi-
tation, and impress its own individuality up
on the house it lives in. Every woman has
her own way. of doing housework; and if
she is able to plan her house herself, she
will arrange its conveniences in such way
as to make it easy for her to go through the
ordinary routine of domestic industry with
the least possible friction. She will not be
likely to forget to put closets in sleeping
rooms, as the architect of Vassar College
did She will have water carried in and out
of the house; she will SO plan her pantry
and kitchen and dining-roo as to bring
her work there into the smallest possible
compass, and make the greatest saving of
steps while doing it. She will not have the
two or three stair steps from the kitchen
into the woodshed that are SO often found
in country houses. She will plan her house
so that it can be pleasantly furnished when
it is done. How often do we find bed
rooms with no suitable place in them for
the bed, for the bureau, for the stove; and
sitting-rooms arranged as to light, heating
and ventilation, without any regard as to
comfort or convenience? As women pass
most of their time in their own dwellings,
they ought surely to know better than men
how these dwellings, should be arranged and
finished SO as to give the largest results in
comfort and tastefulness, and be able to ad-
wise inteligently as to the best method Of
securing these results.-Paeifc Rural
The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1880-06-17


You'd call his room . pleasant place,
Satin and rosewood, lights and lace,
And fruits and vines were there. (Ah, walQ
And yet the rich man rang his bell,
When, 10 he saw a fairy nit
From outside dusk to answer it.
Her nower-like eyes, 30 faint and blue,
Looked at him through her vail Of dew.
Though every gracious thing he had,
His face was fretful, tired, and sad.
"Pray, SIR" she whispered, "did you rtnGsI"
He said. ayes; I.want-everythingi"
The fairy laughed. and walked away.
Ragged and rosy, at his play,
A boy, who had the grass, the dew,
Birds, bees, the sun, the stars, like you,
She met "What do you want7 sighed she.
"Oh J. I have everything" said he.
The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1880-06-17

A man Of genius never seeks applause;
while the little-minded Of those who have
but small portion of intellect try by their
vanity and conceited boastings to build upon
the mental resources of others their own
fame and reputation. However, it is for
the best, for they soon fall to their proper
level-onoe they reach it, they never rise.
The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1880-06-17
GREEK DREAM DOCTORS.

Setting aside the imagery of the Gresk
poets and the opinions of their merely specu-
lative philosophers, we find that dreams
were considered of such importance in the
common life of the Greeks that one of the
learned professions was that of O''ss'oeratscs
or interpreters Of dreams. A Greek would
probably consult one of these men as nat
urally as he would . lawyer or doctor, and
NO doubt oftener, for the oneirooritics were
very badly paid q Athens, and thaxe WA 10