Centre Democrat. [volume] (Bellefonte, Pa.) 1848-1989, 1880-10-28
TIMELY TOPICS.


The missionaries In China find the
opium traffic their chief hindrance. II
is estimated that 1900, 600 people year
perish, owing TO their inveterate habit
OF consuming this drug. The city of
Ningpo has 2,7OO opium shops.
According to recent statistics, taking
1000 well-to-do persons and 1000 poor
per- sons, afterfi We years there remained
alive of the prosperous 943, of the poor
only 665. After fifty years there re-
manned of the prosperous 557. of the
poor, 233; at seventy years of age there
remained 225 of the prosperous and OF
the poor sixty-five.
The Russian ears recent trip to Lii
vadia was guarded by 10000 men sta
toned along the line. He is more afraid
OF assassination than ever. The pro-
gramme of his proceedings is made pub
tic and then altered. He does not sleep
twice in succession in the same chamber
and takes his meals at different places
and hours from those expected.
Marshal Bazaine writes TO the Paris
GduLots from Madrid TO inform his
friends, if he still has any in his mis-
fortunes. that during the six years OF
his residence in Spain he has never suf-
fered from the slightest indisposition.
He does not know why people are max
ing him die by anticipation. But" adds
the marshal, II have so often risked
my life during my long and very ardu-
GUS career that obituary notices have
little effect upon me-"
There is danger that young couples in
Rochester, n. Y, on matrimonial
thoughts intent will have to content
themselves with the services of civil
magistrates hereafter, as the Express
announces that a sort Of ministerial
union has been formed there, the mem
bers of which pledge themselves not to
perform the marriage ceremony under
any circumstances without a fee Of at
least IS on each occasion. The Troy
Times is of the opinion that if they
would also pledge themselves not to
marry people about whom they know
nothing, they would be doing Christi
anity a service.
Seth Green publishes card in the
Albany IN. " ArgIs protesting against
the action OF unthinking farmers who
kill salmon trout, Slack bass and other
/ fab durinp 4ho ar,,v,;no ao,ro,, ,,ho,
they frequent shoal water and are read
lily taken by spearing. This course is as
ruinous to the fish interest as a slaugh-
ter of setting hens would be TO the
poultry yard. The salmon trout spawn
during October and November. the
black bass from June until July 10,
the Oswego bass from March 10 until
June l, and the wall.eyed or yellow pike
from April 10 until May 2O.t
The swelling figures of the annual re-
port of the United States land Office al
ways gives Mt least vague notions of the
vastness Of the public domsin, from the
magnitude of the statistics employed in
dealing with it. In one way or another
by homestead entries or timber entries
or cash entries, by college scrip. mill
tary warrants, State swamp patents. or
railroad grabs, fourteen millions OF acres
have been during the past year subtract
cd from the public domain. The survey
ing operations do not much more than
keep pace, in amount, with the current
cisposais of lands. However, thus far,
about three-quarters of a billion ofacres
have been surveyed since operations be-
gan, while more than a thousand mil
lions remain still unsurveyed.
The lillian minister of the interior,
Signor Depretis, lately issued circular
to all the projects of the kingdom, call
ing their attention to the extraordinary
number of arrests made by the police
which are not followed by a conviction.
The minister says that this fact canLot
but iniure the prestige OF justice and the
dignity of the authorities. The criminal
statistics show that, on an average, a
thousand persons are arrested daily,
which means 365, 900 criminals in the
year. But the judicial authorities deny
that these criminals really exist, as of
the 365, 900 persons arrested 24O, ,O0J, or
| two-thirds, are released at the first inter-
rogatory. Thus every day $50 innocent
persons are imprisoned through caprice,
abuse. or on an empty pretext.
The smoke-consuming engine invented
by AFR. David Sinton. the Cincinnati
millionaire, is said to be complete sue
cess. The peculiarity of the invention
consists in series OF four arches of
| VARYING heights. built of fire-bricks and