The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1881-01-19
GENERAL SECULAR NEWS
Domestic.

once lived in at Lawrenceburg, Tenn, is still
standing, and divers persons In the neghbor.
hood possess legal documents written out by his
own hand as Justice of the Peace He had a
mill near the house, but 1t is said, off hunt
ing and electioneering while his wife took care
OF the grinding Mrs. Crockett was a woman of
great strength, and could handle sacks of grain
with ease.
"A manuscript treatise on Logic, by
President Madison, which Senator Johnston OF
Virginia proposes that the government shall
purchase, Is literary curiosity of uncommon
value The book fills one hundred and twenty
two pages of small letter-paper, written in the
neat and clear hand of Mr. Madison. beautifully
sprnkled with capital letters and spelled accord
ing to old fashioned usage. 1t is entitled James
Madison His Book of Logick" The intro
ductory chapter begins as follows: "Logick or
Dlalecuck is the Art of reasoning; that is. of
discovering truth or error, and demonstrating
them to yourself or others by discourse. Everyo7
thing that is true false is the object of Loglck.
Therefore 1T is employed in every Art and Sci
ence. Loglck is either Natural or Artificial
Natural Logick is that faculty of thinking, rea
soning and arguing which man has by nature
without any other help than his own sagacity
apd experience. Artificial Logck is collec-
ton OF the observations and experience of mauv
ingenious men concerning the discovery or il.
lustratlon OF truth and error digested into order
In parts and sections as follows: Of Ideas: OF
the Signs of Ideas; Of Judgment and Proposi-
tlon; Of Discourse and Syllogism OF the Inven-
ton OF Middle Terms, or Arguments of Common
Places or Topcks; Of False Reasoning, or
Sophlsms. His definitions and illustrations are
somewhat formal but discriminating and phil
osophical- He does not take sides in controvert
ed points, but contents himself with concise
statements wherein mental philosophers differ.
An interesting feature of the book is a list which
he gives of twenty kinds or classes of argument.
the nine syllogistic axioms and number of
logical theorems for practice.
The Tehuantepec canal scheme seems
to be an assured thing. Capt. James B. Eads
has returned from Mexico with the contract ful-
ly completed. The Mexican government gives
to Capt. Eads' company the right to build a shin
railway across the lsthmus of Tehuantepec
grants 1T 100000 acres of land on the shore of
the Pacific, on which to build the terminus of
the railway and establish a harbor and empow
ers 1t to charge and collect toll of So per ton
on all freight passing over the road The RIGHT
is aiso gwen to construct telegraph line on
winch only customary rates can be charged. In
return for this Capt. Eads agrees to carry on
railway all ships of war, munitions, mails etc
free of charge. The building of the road must be
commenced within two years and completed in
ten years from May |, 1881. The distance across
the lsthmus is l IL miles, and The cost is esti
mated by Capt. Eads at Y75 100000 This route
Is nearly zoo miles north of the proposed Pan
anna canal, and the distance between New York
and San Francisco is l 800 miles less by the form
er than by the latter, while between the mouth
OF the Mississippi and California there are 2 800
less miles by Tehuantepec than by Panama
which Is OF great commercial importance. IN
terror.
Foreign.
In Spain they compile census statis-
tics after the following grotesque manner: {" In
Inc oinclal year terminating on the 3Oth of
September, 1879. the kingdom of Spain exclu-
sive OF colonies beyond the seas, could boast NJ
ninety-two Dukes, 100000 horses 866 Mar.
quesses, 100000 asses and mules, 632 Counts.
100000 horned cattle, ninety two Viscounts'
Z3OOO,OOO sheep ninety eight Barons. q 500
700 goats, 1880 university students and | -
100000 hogs" In this heterogeneous fashion
statistical account runs on for page after page.
"A Berlin dispatch says that the
police have discovered the existence of gigantic
soclallstic organisation with ramifcations ex
tending throughout the whole of Germanv
Although the discovery has created a sensation
among certain classes, no one at all conversant
win what has been going on beneath the sur
lace IS surprised at these Developments II is
said the government will take stringent meas.
9res to suppress the organisation, but little con-
hdence is felt in its ability to do so.
The budget of the italian Ministry
OF Public Instruction amounts to 27666 1858
francs. Of this amount nearly 5000 900 francs
are devoted to the universities; 5 100000 francs
to secondary and nearly 100000 francs to
primary and normal schools. The rest is de-
voted to fine arts, charities, industrial schools
pensions and salaries.
There are $4,000 schools and col
leges in India, with an attendance of 900 600
boys and girls. The intellectual portion of the
instruction given is extended to literature, his
tory and all included under the general term
OF the "humanities" The natives prove them
selves very proficient in the languages-indeed
Lord Northbrook once said that very few En-
ropean foreigners could speak English as well
as 1t was spoken by the natives of India
Scientific education in India chiefly consists of
instruction in medical science and civil engineer.
ing, and in both these branches great success
has been attained. The medical colleges have
sent out a great number of thoroughly com
Petent native surgeons and physicians. There
is little technical teaching given in India. The
natives are said to have retentive memories and