davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1880-01-15
The Horse and His Rider.

In the history of Rome, says Cook, it
is related that in 331, B. O., q
great chasm opened in the middle of
the forum, which it was found impossi-
BILE to fill. The soothsayers said it
would close when it contained what
Rome possessed of most value, and
then the state would be perpetual. A
noble youth, named M. Curtius, de-
manded if Rome had anything OF more
value than arms and valor. He
mounted his horse, richly caparisoned,
and, amid the silence of the people,
spurred him over the brink of the tre-
mendous precipice wide Liv. 1. vii. g..
I have seen striking picture of this
somewhere. 1t represented the horse
and rider after they had passed the
brink and were descending to unknown
depths. There was remarkable con-
trast between the fright of the brute
and the unruffied self-possession of the
man. The limbs of the horse were
tightened to his body and the muscles
of his neck drew his head to his chest,
and a shuddering terror expressed it
self in the flash of his starting eyes.
The rider was serene and calm, with a
solemn expression of majesty on his
face, as of one who lived with high
thoughts. If were to spiritualize this
picture, I should say that it was no
mean representation of ripe Christian
departing this life. The horse is the
body, and the rider is tho spirit. Flesh
shrinking. spirit steady and calm and
solemn. Flesh dreading the terrible
shock, and spirit wrapped in the glory
of action, descending that it may ascend.
The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1880-01-15
Suicides of Soldiers.

A surgeon in the italian army gives
some curious statistics of the number
of suicides in the several European
armies, and of the means selected in
different countries to get rid of the
burden of life. From the figures set
down it appears that in one year one of
every 1,839 men in the German army
committed suicide; in the French army,
one of every 1884; in the Belgian, one
of every 2,222; in the English army,
one of every 1884; and in the italian
army, only one of every 8,342 men.
With regard to the manner of suicide,
the italian writer asserts that English
men and Germans prefer getting rid of
their lives by hanging themselves, Irish
men and Frenchmen by jumping into the
water, and Italians by sending bullet
through their brain or heart. The
number of suicides, again, is found to
be proportionately great among soldiers
in their second or third year of service
than among those who have more re
Gently Joined the colors. During the
first year of service, the writer suggests,
the novelty of his work and of his sur
roundings diverts the attention of the
recruit and prevents him from thinking
of self-destruction, while the duties he
has to perform fatigue him excessively; !;
and man does not kill himself because
his body is wearied, but because his
mind is oppressed. That cases of sui
eide are proportionately more frequent
in the army than in civil life, as is no.
toriously the case, is not. in the opinion
of the italian writer, because of the
hardships or peculiar conditions of
military service, but because the ma
jority of soldiers with the colors are
just of the age when the greatest incli-
nation to commit suicide prevails.
The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1880-01-15
Teachers and Task-Masters,

The public have not held teachers to
their true responsibility. We send a
young lad or a young girl to school, and
find that, while we are paying out a
great deal of money for them, they are
gaining nothing. We complain, and
are informed that our children are not
industrious, that they do not seem
interested in their studies, that they
are absorbed in play, etc., etc. In
ninety-nine cases in 100, our dis
appointment is entirely the fault of the
teacher. He or she is simply incompe-
tent for the duty they have undertaken.
A first-class teacher always has good
pupils. Lack of interest in study is
always the result of poor teaching. We
send boy to college, and find that he
regards his studies as a grind-that he
is only interested in getting good marks,
and that he is getting no scholarly
tastes, and winning no scholarly de-
lights. We inquire, and find him in
the hands of young tutor, without
experience, who really pretends to be
no more than task-master, and who
knows nothing, and seems to care
nothing, about the Office of teaching.
The placing of large masses of young
men In the hands of inexperienced
persons, who do not pretend to do more
than to set tasks and record the manner
in which they are performed, without
guidance or assistance, is gross imposi-
tion of the college upon trusting
public, and it is high time that an out
cry SO determined and persistent is
raised against it that it shall procure a
reform.-Dr. j. G. Holland, in Serb
q1e7's MoYethEy.
The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1880-01-15
General Considerations for Consump-

A very few general observationsm must
conclude this brief survey of winter
quarters. In search for a winter health
resort, what do we desire to avoid and
what do we desire to find? There are
three things which we desire to avoid,
especially when they are found COM
bined together, as in our winter climate,
and these three things are damp, cold
and variability. 1t is the combination
of these three conditions which makes
the climate of England SO unsuitable
and even dangerous to many persons.
It gives rise to the distressing catarrh
conditions which are SO common, and
which often lead to graver disturbances
of health. It is the cause of attacks of
acute and chronic rheumatism, of many
forms of neuralgia, and not infrequent-
~ it is responsible for serious inham-
nation of internal organs. This COM
Dination of climatic conditions, neces-
sarily associated with a clouded and
sunless sky, produces a further de-
pressing effect on the mind and spirits.
1t need scarcely be said that the more
sensitive the organization, the more
acutely will these unfavorable con-
ditions be felt. What we seek,
then, in a winter climate, is the
opposite of these conditions, viz,
dryness, warmth and equability. But
it is always difficult to get all we want; /;
besides, as matter of fact, while some
lnvaids require combination OF
warmth and moisture, others need
warmth and dryness, while others do
better in combination of cold and dry
1rzk afc NJ n al nj
cold and damp, and all desire sun-heat,
clear sky, and as much of it as possi-
BILE; and we shall find, as rule, the
value of winter climate depends on
the number of clear and sunny days, or
the number of days and hours during
which an invalid can take exercise, or
be in the open air. The mere absolute
amount of rainfall seems of small i'm
portance, provided the nature and in
clinatien- -of-the- soil is such that. tho
water drains off rapidly from the
ground, and that there are long or fre-
quent intervals of clear, sunny skies. In
deed, as / have already pointed out,
heavy rains often have salubrious effect
in cooling and cleansing the atmos-
phere. It seems quite clear, too, that
diurnal variability of temperature, even
within wide limits, does not render q
climate unhealthy even to inyalids, if it
is also dry climate, and the invalid
learns to protect himself from the pos
sibility of sudden chill. Nor does hu-
midity, when accompanied with moder-
ate warmth, seem to be necessarily un-
wholesome, especially in oceanic eli
mates. There are obviously many other
details demanding consideration, which
the limits of review article prevent
me from dwelling upon. One word,
however, with regard to the expense at
tending a change of winter quarters,
which proves such an obstacle to many
an invalid. Let me say to him, in the
words of DR.. johnson, "Sir, your health
is worth more than it can cost" and let
me remind him, in the words of an
other, whose name cannot at this mo-
ment recall, that, "if life without money
is not much, money without life is
nothing at ALL. Balrnaey Yeo, IN,
Fortr1iahtly Reuie,o.
The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1880-01-15
Form Of Type with Reference to Its
Legibility.

d..
We find some interesting remarks on
the form of letters in Typography in
recent paper on reading and eyesight
by NJ. Javel. We are not to suppose,
he says, that in reading a line one
passes successively from the lower part
of letter to the upper part, then down
the next letter. up the next, and SO on,
tho vision describing a wayy line. The
fxation takes place with extreme pre-
cision along straight line, passing
along the junction of the upper third
of the letter with the lower two-thirds.
Why is this line not in the middle?
Because variations in the form of the
letters are more frequent above than
below, in the proportion of about 70
per cent. One may understand this by
applying on line of topographic char
acters sheet of paper covering the
line in its lower two-thirds, and leaving
the upper third bare; one is then able
to read the letters almost as well as if
they had not been concealed in greater
part. It is not so, however, ii we cover
the upper two thirds of the line; the
lowest third of the letters alone does
not furnish sufficient for recognition.
The chara .teristlc part of the letters,
tlAn, is chiefly in their upper part.
Comparing next the ancient characters
with those of modern books, M. Javel
maintains that the latter have too much
uniformity, so that, taken in their up
per parts alone, many of them may be
confounded in reading. The old let
ters. on the other hand, had each par
ticuiar sign, by which they could easily
be distinguished from other letters.
The Elzivarian a, for example, has no
resemblance to o; the could not be
be confounded with the n as now, nor
the or with o, the b with h, etc.
This unnecessary uniformity in the up
per part of topographic characters
should be corrected.-Joatr7aal of
The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1880-01-15

The clergyman took the money. My
child" he said, solemnly, :" it shall be
done, with Gods help"
When the child was dead he placed
her little bank and the pittance it con-
tanned on the pulpit, and told her story
Tears we're in every eye. One wealthy
man after another came forward with
his offering. Children came, women
also, and the poor with their mites.
And in due time, the completed
church ready for its poor occupants was
dedicated to the service of that God
who willed that the widows mite and
the poor little ,baby's offering should
not fail of their errand.
A somewhat similar case occurred II
Milwaukee, Wis. A poor woman, dying
in an infrmary under the charge OF the
good DIR. Passavant in Pittsburgh
gave him gold dollar.
have always tried to give some
thing to those poorer than myself, sh'
said. When I am dead give this II
charity, and give. it, if possible, In Mil
waukee, my old home"
A year passed, and DIR. Passavant stll
kept the coin, when he was called t.
Milwaukee to establish an ln1rmar.
similar to his own.
The story of the dollar was told, ant
awakened sympathy. Subscription
poured in, and the subscribers, with on
voice, agreed that the great building
when finished, should bear the name {
the poor widow.
Surely no good word is spoken i
vain. We may not, as in these case
be able to have the echoes widespread
but God hears them.
The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1880-01-15
. ONE woslAN,s LOVE.


It Is . summer evening,
And, as the sunlight dies,
80 fades my Lady Lora,
As on her couch she lies,
With weeping friends around her,
And death mists dim hsr eyes.
Beside her sits poet;
He clasps her clasping hands;
Her smiles make bright his verses,
And through all noble lands
Bis love wins fame and honor
By beauty's sweet demands.
He whispers now o message
OF love, and faith, and trust;
He passionately kisses
Her lips of chilling dust.
There Is sudden tumult-
A stranger enters, Just
When vanishes the sunlight;
And now my Lady sleeps,
Atlast, In dreamless slumber;
Another mourner weeps.
Out speaks the grieving poet,
And who Is this who keeps
His woe concealed SO closely,
UutfI It Is too 1ntefs
Outspeaks the scoWling stranger,
II reached the city gate
Just now. and found long Journey
Brought me. indeed, too late.
II knew this winsome Lady
A year ago In Spain;
She gave her solemn promise,
When summer came again,
4. That we should be united
By loves ungallfnR chniuiS
The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1880-01-15
Coming

The nervous mother of bright little
boy was alarmed lest he should take the
whooping- cough, which prevailed in the
neighborhood. She talked SO much
about it and worried over it, that she
had infected the child to such an extent
that he would scarcely leave her side.
One night after the little efellow had been
put to sleep, donkey was driven past
the house, and, when just opposite. set
up his he-haw. With shrek the little
fellow was out of bed, screaming at the
top of his voice, "The whooping-cough
is coming, mammal the whooping-
cough is comingp
The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1880-01-15
JournaIism and Authorship.

During the last thirty years New York
journalism has absorbed much of our
best talent, and well it might, for it de-
mands the best. No severeT test can be
applied to writer than that of his
ability to furnish leading articles regu-
larly. More than one, who has sue
ceeded easily as bookwright or essay
ist, has found his equipment and his
power of composition inadequate to the
off-hand production of compact, pol
ished, well-informed leaders, such as are
needed for the editorial pages of our
great newspapers. Journalism is an
art; but under our system it brings
little beyond his weekly stipend to the
sub-journalist. The stipend is sure,
and that means great deal to one who
lives by his pen. Newspapers thus far
have supplied the readiest market to
writer, and the magazines next to them.
In chapter upon Hood, London's
journalist poet, I have claimed that the
task of daily writing for the press,
while good staff, is a poor crutch; it
diffuses the heat of authorship, checks
idealism, retards the construction of
masterpieces. Besides, it brings an
author into attrition with members of
the craft who possibly know him 80 ia
miliarly as to underrate him. He is
subjected to local jealousies, to the over
praise of the newspaper which befriends
him, and sometimes to the unjust or
ungenerous treatment of rival sheets.
ALI this may be thought an evil peculiar
to New York, and one which we shall
outgrow. But the same phenomena are
visible in the matured newspaper life
of the capitals of England and France,
and must be accepted as part of a jour.
nalist's warfare and surroundings
Edmund C.. Stednaa1l. in Scribner.
The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1880-01-15
"A Good but Expensiye Joke.

Some time ago wealthy gentleman
of this city, says the Cleveland Press,
perpetrated good joke on his nephew,
a young man named Lockwood, en-
ployed in the office of Division Super
intendent Woodford, of the Canada
Southern road, and located near Toledo.
The young man received a telegram from
the uncle telling him to come to Cleve-
land at once, but offering no explana-
ton. The young man responded. The
uncle, looking stern and angry, met him
at the depot, and said to him, "Come to
my office at once" The young man,
trembling in his boots, and wondering
what he had done to anger his relative,
followed. At the Office the uncle
handed him document, and in fierce
tone of voice said, Read thatp Itwas
deed conveying house and lot in one
of the most pleasant portions of the
city to the astonished nephew. Then
the old uncle sat down and laughed
until his sides ached. It was a good
joke, and cost the perpetrator $4,000.
Now MARK the advance in iron," said
the speaker. But just then his wife ap-
peared at the door with poker in her
hand, and he stepped cut of a side exit,
hurriedly repeating to himself =" Now
mark the advance in runl"
The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1880-01-15
The Good Points or the Cockroach.

am often asked whether the cock
roach can have any redeeming points
with regard to its relationship to civil
lied man, or whether it be not an un-
mitigated pest which ought to be exter-
minated wherever it is found. That it
is a nuisance is undeniable, but that it
ought to be e1terminated is very doubt
full. In the first place, it is, like the
sewer-rat, an invaluable scavenger, eat
ing substances which might decay and
breed levers if allowed to decay. It is
never seen in dry and perfectly clean
places where it can find no food, and
its very presence is sign that it is
needed. Perhaps people may say that
they can put up with cockroaches in
kitchens and outhouses, but when they
come into bedrooms it is time that
they should be abolished. very much
doubt whether they should be destroyed
even under such circumstances. Cock
reaches are not likely to take the
trouble of going upstairs into bed
rooms unless they have some object in
it, and that object is generally the
fatter and smaller insect which prefers
bedrooms to Kitchens. Sailors are well
aware of this fact. and that "Norfolk
Howards" and cockroaches can not ex-
ist in the same ship, and curious in
stance of this fact is recorded in the
Narrative of Fosters voyage in the
Chanticleer: @Cockroaches, those
nuisances to ships, are plentiful at st.
Helena; and yet, bad as they are, they
are more endurable than bugs. Pre-
vious to our arrival here in the Chan
ticleer, we had suffered great incon-
venience from the latter; but the cock
reaches no sooner made their appear
ance than tbs bugs entirely disappeared.
The factis, the cockroach preys on them,
and leaves no sign or yestige of where
they have been. So far it is most
valuable insect."@Good Words.
The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1880-01-15
webster, Choate and Summer.

Thirty years ago, when a student at
Amherst College, I remember going
over with several of my classmates to
Northampton, where Daniel Webster
and Rufus Choate were the opposing
lawyers in the great Oliver Smith will
case. shall never forget the impress
sion made by the great contrast between
the manner and gesticulations of these
two distinguished pleaders in their
closing arguments. The courtroom
was crowded almost to suffocation, and
the immense interest involved, together
with the high reputation of the oppos-
ing counsel, combined to excite the at
tention and interest of all to remark
able degree. Webster's gestures, as
well as his words, were comparatively
few, but weighty, massive, the very en-
bodiment of dignity and conscious
strength. Most of the time during his
half-hour argument he stood perfectly
motionless, his body slightly bent
( forward, and his hands behind his back.
Choate spoke for nearly two hours in a
manner the very opposite of Web
ster's, and yet equally appropriate to
the speakers individuality. He was all
alert, every vein swelled to fullness, ev-
cry muscle at its utmost tension. He
advanced toward the jury and retreat
ed. He rose on tiptoe, and several
times in his excitementseemedt to spring
up entirely off his feet. He ran his
long, nervous fingers through his dark
hair, and anon shook them in the air
above his head with so swift motion
that they seemed to run into each other
like the spokes on a spinning
His plea lasted two hours. The day
was hot, and when he had concluded he
sank into the arms of attendants in q
state of perfect exhaustion, and was
borne out into the lobby like corpse.
The excitement in the courtroom was
intense, but Webster's calm, stern logic
carried the day over Choate's brilliant
and fiery rhetoric. The verdict was for
Webster and the will.
One word concerning the gesticula-
ton of Charles Sumner. He was al
ways Identified and self possessed, and
his movements, as we'll as his words, al
ways conveyed the idea of deliberation
and scholarly culture, rather than of
that spontaneous warmth and impulsive
feeling which is most apt to stir emo
WILL IL q uodTcl. Du6 u0 uaQ Ou6
gesture which he used not often, but
always used once or twice in his great
speeches, which never failed to send
the blood thrilling to my temples; and
1 noticed that it had similar effect on
many others. He raised his hand
higher and higher, with appropriate
gesticulation, while building a climax,
and, when he came to cap it, he rose on
tiptoe and thrust his hand up into the
air with great force and with look of
exultant triumph. It was magnificent.
1t fitted the subject and the man.-Cor.
San Francisco Bulletin.
The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1880-01-15

"a WISCONSIN man has expectorated
an umbrella-tip he swallowed in 1874" ;"
-or SO an exchange tells us. This
proves conclusively that even swallow
ing an umbrella won't keep it in the
family. go
The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1880-01-15
COL. OLD STY1ElsTbis is. indeed

Col. OLD STYLE This is, indeed, q
pleasure. I never see your Ladyshir
but I feel that am ten years youngeri
Lady New Style-(who hasn't been to
the lyceum for nothing" Indeed,
Colonel? Then you should avoid me. A
meeting or two more and you'll be in
your second childhood"
The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1880-01-15

WHEN Douglass Jerrold heard a soci-
ETY. bore speaking of a song that always
carried him away" when he heard it.
Jerrold simply asked if some one pres.
emit would please sing it.
The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1880-01-15

The matter of making straw hats was
started by little girl in Dedham, Mass,
and from this has grown widely-ex-
tended business.
The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1880-01-15


We, with q few more friends added to
our party, were celebrating the second
anniversary of that monotonous pic
mic" on a similar sultry August after
noon.
Boat-riding was in order after our
luscious repast spread upon the ground.
But some preferred to remain ON the
beach and watch the others glide over
the smooth waters.
What was it; hand reaching out
from elysium to draw that happy pair
over to those blissful fields?
Too bad to remove them from their
lovely grave. We knew their souls
would have fed ere their Lodies could
be gathered TO the shore.
Nettie's widowed mother, always del
icate, sat silent and trembling, looking
unto Him who has said, "When thou
passeth through the waters Z will be
with thee"
When the lifeless forms of her chill
dren were laid at her feet, with uplifted
hands and streaming eyes she ex-
claimed, o, my Father, how can I
bear i'll ~ and fell dead by their Sides
She had, indeed, found a son when
her loving and beloved daughter be-
came Mrs. Willard Carol on bright
June day only two short months be-
fore.
The stately Mrs. Staunton was the
first to think of the almost frantic Jim;
and as she, like the poor boy, had not
relation left on earth, she claimed him
for her son.
The clock was tolling the solemn
midnight hour when we entered the
village following the, corpses in silent
tread.
The news had preceded us, and the
villagers were wild with excitement.
The older men and women recollected
how they loved Mrs. Lyle for her gentle,
winning ways, when she, little wee
thing, first came among them, their
pastors only child.
And they remembered, too, that in
after years she filled her dead mothers
place in the hearts of the parishioners,
and comforted her bereaved father
Neither had they forgotten that her
young Life was bEghted by dissipated
husband; but by her patience, gentle
ness and Christian charity she won him
back into the paths of rectitude, and
saved him from q drunkard's grave.
Nettie, though of different tempera-
ment, was equally as well beloved as
her mother.
And Willard had won the esteem of
all who knew him in the short time he
had been among them.
How could the neighbors say twas
the saddest funeral they ever attended,
when twas stamped so indelibly on
those placid brows that "He giyeth His
beloved sleep?"
The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1880-01-15

The great ranchmen of the plains
have to guess at the number of cattle
they own.