Centre Democrat. [volume] (Bellefonte, Pa.) 1848-1989, 1880-07-15
TIMELY TOPICS.

TIMELY TOPICS.
The iron workers of England include
4O.OOO laborers In furnaces and forges,
1859 900 in the manufacture of machin-
cry, $500 In steel works, &c, 900 In ship
building, and about 100000 In various
branches OF iron and steel manufac-
ture, making about SIC, 900 In all. The
mining population Is about $50, 600, and
the laborers in cotton mills about
Am 00O.
An incident which occurred recently
In Paris shows with what aversion COM
pulsory military service is regarded by
Industrial classes In France. A young
seller OF sponges, aged twenty-one,
shot himself with "A revolver in prefer
ence to taking his turn of military SER
vice according to law. Death was in
stantaneous.
Sherrard Clemens. who died in a st.
Louis hospital a short time ago, was n
notable figure in the politics OF twenty
years ago. He represented Virginia
district In the Thirty fifth and Thirty
sixth Congresses and was one of the
most promising orators of his day. In
1865 he fought duel with o. Jennings
Wise, son of Henry A. Wise, receiving
a wound that lamed him for lite. Wise,
who was also man of brilliant talents,
edited the Richmond Enquirer, lived to
be killed in the Confederate service, at
Roanoke island. Clemens never for
gave himself for his part in the duel,
being at heart opposed TO that method
OF settling disputes. The last years OF
"a -. H.
Too much presence of mind is a rare
surplus in man or woman. 1t may
make as queer mistakes as excitement
itself. A Southern lady while prepar-
ing to retire for the night, thought she
saw the eye of full length portrait of
Washington wink. She had heard of
burglars hiding behind pictures, but she
did not scream and faint. She took off
her diamonds, and opening drawer as
1t to put them in 1t. took out a revolver
and quickly discharged six shots into
the head of the portrait; and the SER
wants rushed in and found there was no
burglar there, and the S2,500 picture
was spoiled for nothing. Presence o.
mind and GOODNESS don't want to be acf
companied by too much Imagination.
1t appears that Japan is likely before
long TO commence n new branch of ex-
port trade with Europe. DR.. Gagliardi,
an Italian geologist. who is n professor
at the Japanese Polytechnicum OF
Toxic, was charged some time since to
inspect and report upon the mineral pro-
ducts of the Hraki mountain range.
He has come upon an extraordinary and
almost inexhaustible treasure of mar
BILE. One mountain, which has the ap-
| pearance of being n pure white from
| base to summit, is almost wholly COM
| posed of the very finest statuary marble.
In another part of the same range Pro-
fessor GaVliardi found immense quanti-
ties of black marble, equal to the best
known in Europe. He reports that II
| the discovery Is properly utilized and
| sufficient means for transport are pro-
vided Japan cannot fail to become one
of the first markets Of the world for the
marble trade.
Tristan d'Acunha is the pame OF a
small group of islands lying midway be.
tween South America and the African
| coast. Two years ago the ship Mabel
Clark was wrecked on one of these
| islands, and the crew kindly rescued by
the islanders, for which noble conduct
they received suitable reward from
the United States government. These
islanders are estimated at 100 in num-
Der, mostly defendants of one Hayes, an
| English corporal, and one of n garrison
placed there by Great Britain while
Napoleon was q prisoner at st. Helena.
/ There have been but four deaths there
in thirteen years, says the Foreign MIS-
sto1dry, and no death in infancy has
ever been known on the island, even
though no vermifuge or soothing syrup
was ever known to those mothers and
| nurses. The greatest want felt there is
that OF a missionary or some clergyman,
| whose services are much desired, and
| for whom not n few would-be brides
and bridegrooms are anxiously waiting.
The New York Herald has an article
describing the filthy condition OF many
of the city tenement houses, and in an
editorial 1t says hundreds of thousands
of people are living in abodes such as
are described. Many OF them, the
Herald says, know no better than to Sc
lect such places to live in, and others
could not or would not understand, If
told, the dangers TO which their fami-
lies are continually exposed; but what
are the cleanly and intelligent people TO
doe The business of tenement house
builders Is to crowd as many sets of
apartments a. possible upon n given
space of ground, and TO do their work
cheaply. The business of the owners
is to get as much rent as possible and
make no repairs except when COM
PEELED by law 10 do so. Some oil the
neiRhborhoods described are ms bad as
any from which London's plague
started, and some of the worst houses
belong TO people whose standing In So
ciety presupposcs mt least common hu-
manity. II tile law does not enter such
neighborhoods to protect human life a
greater power will some day stalk from
he 1.