The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1881-02-24
NEWS BREvITIEs.

The report of the State Auditor of
| North Carolina shows that the valuation
of land has increased in eight years
| S13,55O, 600.
A few years ago Japanese publisher
brought out a life of Washington in
| forty-five volumes, with illustrations in
which the father of his country is repre-
sented in modern dress, wearing a
heavy mustache, carrying cane, and
accompanied by a skye terrier.
A schoolgirl saw a play performed at
San Luis, Cal, in which the heroine
died by poison, after suffering very
much from unrequited love. The girl
had an unhappy love affair of her own.
and the performance on the stage inn
pressed her so deeply that she bought
arsenic on the way home and committed
suicide.
An action for libel is pending in Eng
land which is expected to bring about
some sterling revelations. 1t is by the
member of Parliament for northern
borough against a newspaper, and the
relationship of several prominent per-
sons to unfortunate limited companies
is likely to be called into question.
A very beautiful memorial of the dis
aster at Cabul, in which Cavignari and
so many other gallant fellows fell, has
been placed in the chapel of Felstead
school. 1t is stained glass window,
designed to commemorate Lieut.. Ham,
ilton, '. c., a former pupil of the col
lege, who fell while leading one of the
last desperate charges of the beleaguer-
ed men from the embassy.
A conference on the Sunday question
held recently in Edinburgh took rather
gloomy views of the subject. A London
secretary referred to the alarming
growth of the influence of the Sunday
society and the increasing favor with
which propositions to open museums
and picture galleries were received
both in England and Scotland.
Quite romance is attached to the
large fortune lately inherited by an old
member of past English liberal admin
istration. Engaged in days of yore to
a lady of large fortune, their adverse
political opinions caused a sudden ter
mination to their matrimonial inten-
tions, and they parted forever. After
long years the lady died, and left her
old lover the fortune and estates which
he would have enjoyed had he been her
husband.
During the Cars journey from Liva-
dia it is said that ten peasants and two
soldiers were stationed as watchmen
along each verst of the entire distance
from Sabastopol, making total of 81, 900
men ON foot, with 1, 700 mounted. These
were on guard two days and night,
therefore it must be supposed that half
were reliefs. The cost of the watch
men, including the journey to Livadia
in the summer, is estimated to have
been G15,0OO.
When a man wants to enlist in the
army of China his courage is subjected
to a very unusual test. The recruiting
officer places a candidate in a chair and
proceeds to extract a tooth, and the
conduct of the patient under this ordeal
is said to decide the question as to his
fitness for the military service of the
empire If he howls and jumps up
and down he is pronounced unfit; but
if he smiles and exhibits generally a
feeling of satisfaction he secures a-per-
manent place in the ranks.
A mean householder in Toronto re-
fused to allow the body OF a woman who
had died on his premises to be removed
for burial unless he was paid $50 for
rent and attendance. He also present
ed another bill for $25, alleging that the
visitors TO the deceased had worn out
his carpet. AT the request of the offi-
ciating minister, a policeman was de-
tailed TO be present at the funeral, with
instructions to arrest him if he created
any trouble, which he was prudent
enough to avoid.
Some of the washing waters of Paris,
which were formerly run into the city
sewers, are now collected in casks, and,
the suds being subjected to chemical
treatment, the fatty matters are manu-
factured into toilet soap, made fragrant
by the addition of oil of roses. Accord
ing to this process a little sulphuric
acid is added to the soap water obtain
ed from washing linen, the whole is
then stirred up, and the fatty matter is
allowed to stand for few hours, when,
on its collecting on the surface of the
liquid, it is gathered in casks. -