National Republican., 1880-07-23
lfINOR TOPICS.

MLSoR roPICS.
DIR. TANNERS wife wanted three square meals
day. He would not give them to her, so she left
him. Her constitution was not an airy one.
DIR. TANNER has not only decreased in weight
since the beginning ofhs fast but he has shrunl
two inches in height in the three weeks. The doc
tors arc suggesting theories to account for this.
One is that the cartilages separating the verebrm
have been absorbed while Or. Tanner has alb
stained from food
THE supreme court OF Massachusetts says that the
pathways I'm public parks are not highways in the
common.aw sense by which the city or town is
made liable for neglect to keep In repair for in
juries sustained therofrom by travellers. The act
making the park must be express and distinct on
this spont to make the corporation responsible.
FRENCH washerwomen use perfumes for muslin
dresses, says an esteemed contemporary. Where
upon another e. c. suggests that washerwomen in
this country do the same only the odor is different
II is not uncommon TO have all wearing apparel
returned by our washerwomen dainty charged
with the essence ofboiled onions and cabbage, or,
perhaps, tobacco smoke.
ANY well educated English speaking man can
enlist as a captain IN the Chinese army for the pos
sible war with Russia with salary ofS2ll amonth,
a body servant and an interpreter. Chinese sol
diers do not trust officers Of their own nation.
Here is an opportunity for the aspiring young
Americans who have been regretting that they
were born too late 10 take part in the late unpleos
antness. For our part we don't want to 60
THE THirdnsiGe1nt, Henri Rocheforps new paper,
Is aptly named. The word signifies n person
who is absolutely outlawed-not only by the
statutes, but by the unwriuen ordinances by means
of which society is kept decent and It's members
are enabled to preserve their self.rcspect. To be
an 'intransgeant' is to be one who confcssedly is
not bound by good faith-who does not feel him
self compelled to perform because he has PROM
ised-who thinks that compacts and obligations
are made onlyto be broken.
An observing frequenter of the squares and
parks is sure that to the student OF nature there is
no sight more beautiful than to see flock of young
people take seats in the park after the sun has gone
to bed in the westand the moon has pulled neecy
cloud over her face for veil, SO not to disturb
the worshipers coupe-ono o male and the
| other femae-will sit far apart on the cast-iron
seat for moment, when the young lady Wilt try to
fix her cloak over her shoulders. and she can't fx
IT. then the young man will help her and when
he has got 1t fixed he win go off and leave one arm
around the small of her back. He will miss his
arm and wonder where he left it and go back after
It, aud in the dark he viii feel around with the
other hand to find the hand he left suddenly the
two hands will meet, thsy will express nstonish-
ment and clasp each other, and be so glad they
will begin 10 squeeze, and the chances are that
they will cut the girl iu two, but they never do.
Under such circumstances girl can exist ON less
atmosphere than she can when doing washing.
THE mosaic law made It the imperative duty of
man to marry his brothers widow, and this rela-
tIonship is not differentin degree from mans mar
riage with his deceased wifes sister. Why then
should there be prejudice against the latter rela
tionship2 To one approaching hesubiect without
previous bias in large majority of cases the best
thing that can by any possibility happen to mother
less children is to have for their second mother
woman who comes TO them with heart already
| full of love toward them as the children of her
sister. In very many cases families of children
grow up hardly knowing the difference ex-
cept in name, between their mother and some we'll
beloved aunt who has shared the care of them
| from their birth. To take such children In case
their mother dies out of the hands of this endenred
| friend and protector and give them over to the
tender mercies of a stranger is manfestly wrong
It is robbng them oftheir mother twice over 1t is
such cruelty one can easily imagine that the father
| of family 50 placed might consde 1t his most
| sacred duty to his motherlcss children to marry
their mothers sister. If another reason was want
ed to make the new relation appear likely TO result
happily for all concerned, II is to be found in the
saying that the greatest praise can receive is
thaths wife's sister should be willing tomarry him.
And the praise might fairly be considered as re-
cprocal, since the unusual opportunities for init
mate knowledge have belonged equally to both.
There can be no doubt that the greater proportion
ofthe unhappiness in married life comes from the
| fact that so many men and women marry in almost
total ignorance Of each others character tempera-
ment, habits and tastes, But man usually knows
his wifes sister very WELL and if there is q man in
the world about whom a woman can know the
truth without marrying him, it is her sisters hus-
band Nevertheless in face Of all this ecclesiastical
authorities have persisted in adding to their long
lists of whom man ''may not marry"--most Of
whom no man would ever think of ofmarryng-"his
| wiies sister,"