davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1882-02-15

SOCIAL LIFE DYING OuTA single pop.
lar may have severe and uncharlable
look, but a row Of them suggests the an.
tique and pleasing pomp and ceremony of
their early days, before ths sdeboard cup
boards were only used To keep the boxes
of strings and nails, and the dusier; and
the best decanters were put on II high shelf.
while the plain ones were used for vinegar
in the kitchen closet. There is fur less
social visiting from house TO house than
there used to be. People in tile smaller
towns have moro aCquaintances who live
at distance than was the case before the
days of railroads; and there are more
guests who come from distance, which
has something TO do with making tea.
parties, and the entertainment of ones
neighbors less frequent than in former
times. But most of the New England
towns have changed their characters In
the last twenty years, since the manufac-
tories have come in aud brought together
large numbers either Of foreigners or of
different class of people from those who
used to make the most of the population
A certain class of families is rapidly be-
coming extinct. There will be found in
the older villages very few persons loft
who belong to this class, which was once
tar more important and powerful the old.
est churches are apt TO become thinlv at.
tended, simply because different sort OF
ideas, even of Heavenly things, attract the
newer residents. / suppose that elderly
people have said, ever since the time OF
Shem, Ham and Japhet's wives in the ark,
that society is nothing to what it used to
be, and we may expect to be always told
what unworthy successors we are of our
grandmothers. But the fact remains thai
u certain element OF American society is
fast dying out, giving place to the new;
and with al our glory and pride in modern
progress and success. we cling to tho old
associations resretfully. There is nothing
to take the place of the pleasure we hav,
in going to see our old friends 10 the par
lors which have changed little since our
childhood. No matter how advanced in
years we seem to ourselves, we are child
rem still to the gracious hostess. Thank
Heaven for tho friends who have always
known us They may think us unreliable
and young still; they may not understand
that we have become busy, and more or
less important people to ourselves and to
the world-we are pretty sure to be with
out honor In our own country, but they
will never forget us. and we belong to
each other, and always shall. From
t"C0aatry By.,0ays" by Sarah o. JeDeH.
Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1882-02-15

THE TRANSIT OF VENUs NEXT DECEM-
BER-If 1881 was pre-eminntly the
astrologers' year owing to the great con
junction of Jupiter and Saturn, upon
which so many frightful prophecies were
based, 1882 will be, in Il similar sense, the
astronomers year on account of the transit
of Venus. The transit does not occur un.
til December, but the astronomers are
already preparing for their observations
Of it. In fact, they began their prepara-
ions more than twenty-five years ago, so
important is this event to astronomical
science. BY the transit of Venus is meant
he passage of that planet between the
eartb and the sun, so that the planet is
cen against the disc of the sun like a
black dot. 1t ows It's Importance to the
,c that it furnishes. perhaps, the best
means OF measuring the distance between
he earlh and the sun, and this distance
ls the astronomers yard stick, without
which he cannot get along. The more
accurately the sun distance is known ,he
more correct become her astronomical
measurements. Modern estimates OF this
distance have varisd between 95 600 0OO
miles and 9l.0O0,000 miles. Since the
r,nsit OF 1874 1t has been put at about
92 800 700 miles, but the astronomers thinH
Ihey are yet one or two hundred thousand
miles out of the way, and this year they
nope TO Cut these limits OF error down very
much. The results they achieve must
-tand for more than century, since there
will not be IL transit of Venus until 200l.
Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1882-02-15

Charles II. Jnnes, who died In Cold
Spring, Long leland, the other day, leav-
ing mi lion or so behind him. is SAID TO
have had the largest private dwelling
house IN Nes York. There are sixty rooms
in it.
One of the sad,lest things in lfo is the
power one human being has 10 make
ano her miserable! How hard it is. and
how Il fhcull to prevent! To a thinking
mind the misery brought about by incom
pttlhility OF temDers or of nature is heart
rending. Persons who dlsuniled would be
admirable. who indeed are admirable
and yet who bound by ties of relationship
rritate and corrode each other by sheer
difference Of temperament present terri
BILE speclace. and one that is far too COM
mon. A good deal of the suffering of the
world must bo borne; it seems pitIful to
add to it by the wrangIing and jawing
which 60 to make up n large part OF some
peoples existence Very often it is worse
for others than for themselves, but In any
case it is dep!orabe.-N. y Natl
Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1882-02-15

inclined towards Christianity. Some o.
their old priests are Christian worker
tinung their old followers, teaching tn
,nd lealing them to Chist. This seem
Il wonderful opening, for not in one p,a
nly hts the work commenced, but Il
vaIiuus points all throu-h our llslrict Nv
Iuudred mites long there are liltle cns,e
these people, and little schools foI
heir children, where all the people ar
,ithfuIly taught by the school tearueI,
who is usually II convert from their owl
caste. The call for teachers for this class
) very great, and we are every where
giving attention to training teachers 10
meet the demand of this wonderful work
once was thought an enthusiast ioi
expecting 10 see II church of ten thousand
Christians in my time in this district, but
now | put the figures ut one hundred
thousand.
Brethren. put the above ftcts together
and see what we have done, and what
faithful wise work must surely accomplish
for the future. Do not be discouraged
about your missions. but gather up these
facts and tell them to your people, that
they also may take fresh courage year by
year.
The Methodist Episcopal church is doing
a grand work in India. north and south.
The South India conference works among
Europeans and Eurasians as starting
point, and it will gradually reach the
English speaking natives, of whom there
are multitudes unsaved in South India.
Our church is being prepared for great
work from that starting point ms no other
church is. Those English-speaking ma
tives work in offices just beside our
European members and the sure result
will be break over into our ranks. Pray
for all your India work.
Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1882-02-15

The Scotch fir tree is to nv mind. th.
est symbol ora Christian. The least q
trlh IS r'qnlr"d for its roots; 1t fines
"nrishment IN IT dry soil and amid blrre,
cks, and vet, green in winter rs in sum
,er. it towers the highest of all the tree
the wond tt ward the sky, and with th'
last of earth makes the greatest approach
heaven SD it is with the tree of G ID
Dlanting. With the least of earth abou
: roots. it towers the nearest to heaven
Deriving nourishment, not from the enrtl
rlow; but from The sunbeams that fall
ipon it. and the raindrnps that sprinkle
, supported bv that hidden nourishmeut
hat comes from God.
Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1882-02-15

To ExrERMINATE RATS Get few
pounds oi common potash, such As is us' d
by soap mtke's s, and rxp '>e it to the air
until it sof ems to the consistency of
putty, Then spread it thickly in their run
ways, and wherever you find n hole sIuft
ing in as much rs you can crnvpni"n Iv
vna will in y Snorr time ne rid Of all rats
and NICE. The caustic nature of the pot
ash lnLkps tnelr 'eel sIrr, an then they
Ilrk hIr EH and ha grves lhrn trouble
with their mouths BY that time they
cnncIu 'e rhr ne'ghbornood has become
unhealthy and leave,
Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1882-02-15

1t is stated that tho aggregate losses of
Irish landlords by reason Of the decisions
of cases under the new land act for Ire
land. will relch the large figures of one
hundred million dollars a year. This
seems Incredible, but it is apparently
based on reliable statistics. Such sum of
money taken f ON the Irish landlords, by
reducing their renps. indicates the extor-
ton which must have been practiced
" the rents were at the former il
Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1882-02-15

Nor MY BUSINESS "A wealthy man in
St. LOUIS was asud to aid in series of
temperance meetings, but he eornfully re-
fused. After being further pressed, be
said:
Gentlemen, it is not my business"
A few days after. his wife and two
daughters were coming home IN the light
ming express. In bis grand carriage, with
liveried attendants, he rode TO the depot
thinking ofhls splendid business, and plan
ming for the morrow. Halk! did some one
say "accidentp' There are twenty five
railroads cen,erins in st Louis. If there
hns been an accident il Is, not likely 1t has
happened on the - and Mississippi rail.
road. Yet i, troubles him. ut is his
business now. The horses are stopped on
the instant, and upon inquiring he finds
that it has occurred twenty five miles dis
tant, on the - and Mississippi. He
telegraphs to the superintendent:
II will give you five hundred dollars for
an axtra engine" The answer flashes
back, NO"
Il will give you one thousand dollars for
an engine
"A train with surgeons and nurses has
already gone forward. and we have no
other.''
With white face and anxious brow the
man paced the floor to and fro. That is
his business now. In half An hour, per-
haps, which seems TO him half q century,
the train arrived. He hurried towards it.
and in the tender found the mangled and
liielesS remains of his wife and one of his
daughters. In the car following lay bis
daughter with her dainty ribs crushed in,
and her precious life oozing slowly away.
A quart of whiskey, which was drank
fifteen miles away by a railroad employe
was the cause of the catastrophe.
Who dares say of this tremendous ques-
tion, ut is not my busiuesse" e"-MS. Mary
T. LathroD.
Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1882-02-15

How SLATE PENCILS ARE MADE.--The
hard, black German slate pencil has been
superseded of late years by the round
white pencil of clay slate. At the quarry
near Castleton, Vt, about thirty-iive
workmen produce 10000 pencils daily 1t
s proposed to increase the daily putout to
100000. The blocks when quarried, are
sawed into pieces seven by twelve inches,
split two thickness of half-inch and
smoothed by planer. The block is pass
ed under semi-circular knife, and after
having been turned over, the process Is
repeated. The result is fifty seven-inch
pencils. A particle of quartz in the block
would break all the pencils, They re
pointed by Il grindstone. turned, assorted
and sent to market in boxes of hundred.
Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1882-02-15

The term Uncle Sam" as applied to
the Unted States government. derived its
origin from Samuel Wilson. II beef inspect
or III Troy, N Y, during the revolution.
AIRY war. He was very p puIar with the
men in his employ. and was ALWAYS called
Uncle Sam. The boxes of provisions
were shipped to contractor named Elnert
Anderson and were marked L A, U s.
king workman was asked what these
letters stood for, to which he replied that
he did not know, unless it was Ebert
Anderson and Uncle Sam. The ke took.
and thereafter packages marked ~. S."
we're said to belong to Uncle Sam.
Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1882-02-15

There was an inrileu, Of the Dow trial
at Bolton, that most unaccounltbly g
capped the attention of the local press, au'
vet 1t is entirely TOO good o be- lust to u
public. When one Of the female witness
IS was asked BY Prosecuting lawyer. q
she believed in the Bible, she replied en-,
pha icaly that she did. do you belitv,
then, that wives should bn obedient to th,.I
husbands2' asked the lawyer She snappe,
her eyes and responded: /" Not when the
come home drunk like you do" 70
could have heard a paper Of pins drop fo
ten minutes afterward
Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1882-02-15
A ,EACHER's DREAAI.

Twas Saturday might. aud teacher sat
Alone, her task pursuing;
She averaged This aud le averaged that
Or all her class was doing;
She reckoned percent lse, so many boys,
Aud many girls all counted.
Aud mLrkel all the tariy aud abseutee4,
Aud to what all tue absence amounted
Name aud residence wrote in full
Over many columns aud PAGES:
Ynkee Ceutonic, African, Ue!t,
Aud AVERAGED all their ayes;
The date OF admission oil every one,
Aud cases OF q ISela
And prepared list OF the graduates
For the coming examination
Her weary head sank low on her book.
And her weary heart still lower,
For rne OF her pupils I'd little brain,
Aud she could not furnish more,
She slept, she dreamed: it seemed abe died.
And her snrit went to TIA les.
Aud they IN her there with q iestion fair:
Estate what the per cent. of your grade is 2"
Ages had slowly rolled away.
Leaving but partiar traces
And the teachers spirit walked one day
In the old familiar places.
A mound of fossilZsd school reports
Attracted her observation,
As hizh as the State House dome. aud ~ " ido
As Boston and annexation.
She came to the spot where they buried her bone
And the ground was well built over,
But laborers digging threw out skull
Once planted beneath the clover.
4 disciple of Galen wandered by.
Paused to look at the diggers,
And. pluckng the skull up, looked thro' the eye
And saw it was lined through with figures.
Just as thong ht," said the young d.
How easy it is to kill 'em-
Statistics ossified every fold
OF cerebrum and cerebelum."
"It's curiosity, sure" says Pat.
by the bones you can tell the creature :"
"Oh, nothing strange" said the doctor; that
Was a nineteenth century teacher"
Albany JoUrdut
Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1882-02-15

CoLD FEEr.-A person who formerly
suffered from cold feet writes to the New
York Tribune: have received great
benefit from the use of foot baths in which
the water was almost painfully hot. and
which, as it cooled. | renewed with scald
ing water. Red pepper and mustard
mingled with the water have added to the
effect. Whenever my feet become pain.
fully cold / plunge them in the hot foot
bath and keep them there half an hour or
more. The effect has been only good.
have never taken cold in consequence, and
the circulation in my extremities has been
wonderfully quickened by this process, SO
that now | rarely suffer from cold hands or
cold feet,
Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1882-02-15
UtmpftamEf
BEHIND THE SCREEN


1'u but rustic country lad,
And have not learned the ways
That village boys SO soon adopt
In these progressive days;
Aud some things can't understand
Which have often seen;
one is, why all the saloon bars
Are hidden behind screen.
Another is why men who work
Ten hours every day,
And const. ntly are grumblin at
Their small amount OF pay,
should squauder it tor worse than naught.
It's appetite, ween,
That makes them spend so much for drink
Behind the saloon screen.
mother is, why many that
Should early be at nome,
Night after night till twelve O'Clock
Prefer the streets TO roam;
Fen DO, OF young and tender sse,
from ten years TO sixteen,
Are forming habits nard to change
Behind the saloon screen.
Another is, how men can feel
It's right to dim the brain.
And stimulate the bassr thoughts
Where reason ought to reign;
And Ii the men who sell the drink
Dout think the business mean.
Why do they always strive 60 hard
To hide behind u screen7
All this / honestly admit
cannot understand.
And to this question pertinent
An answer l demand:
If whisky. wine and lsger'beer
Do not mankin demea1.
Why not dispense them openly,
And nos behind screen"
Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1882-02-15
OLD AGE.


Who is this 80 old and wrinked.
That he looks
Like an ancient prophet pictured
out in books,
Or melancholy seer
Living In his hundreth year
He is one out Of the many
Who, at last
Clings to earth living rolic
or the past
Watching with expectant eye
For the call of death--to die.
Long ago he ceased to number
Life by years;
Only counting months, and counting
Them with fears,
Lost each one might be the last
He could ever say was past.
Like an unseaworthy vessel
Scared with years,
ON the river Time dismasted
lie eappears;
Drifting, like wreck, toward seas
FogRed as those off Hebrides.
SlOn that wreck in ruthless breakers
viii be torn.
And another soul in silence
Will be borne
Hy old Charon's steady oar
Over to another shore.
Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1882-02-15

Like flakes Of snow that fall unperceiv.
ed upon the earth, the seemingly unim-
portant events of life succeed one another.
AS the snow gathers together, so are our
habits formed. No single flake that is
added to tho pile produces a sensible
change; no single action creates, however
it may exhibit, a man scharacter.-Jeremy
Tauor.
Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1882-02-15

Editor RtmIdell of the Washington
Republican recently offered tive dollars for
tho "est vi ltten lellef accepting an offer
Of marriage, and here is The letter, by
Gertiude Neeon. winch won the plIzo:
4" My DEAR DONALD: Fresh with the
breath OF The morning CAME your loving
miselVe. | have TUNED over leaf after
Leaf OF my heart during the day, and on
each pag' | lind the same written. name.
ly, gratitude Tor the love of noble man.
humlI'y IN hndng myself lis object, and
ambition TO render myself worthy of that
which you offer. will Try
Yours henceforth."
Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1882-02-15

A physician of North Adams was cslle'
bv telephone about O'clock at night from
Briggsville, two miles awty. A child wa
suffering from Group. The night was darL
and stormy and the doctor found nothing
pleasant in the trip He called the Briggs
vile house in which the little sufferer lay
and requested the parents to bring it lt
the telephone transmitter This was done
fhe child coughed its ereupy cough and
the doctor listened intently to every SOUND
which came from his patient He pre-.
scribed II remedy, and one of the member
of the family prepared and administered
it. The relief was immediate md the re
covery rapid.-Hdrtford Post.
Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1882-02-15

A Mexican named Martinez in the
Detroit house of correction cl ,ims the
championship on wounds. He has two
saher Gus on the head. two on the left
shoulder and one on the right, u lance
wouno In his right arm. another in his
breast, third in bis shoulder blade, cut
ON bis right leg near the knee. and nearly
II dozen SCARS ON other parts of his boiy
made by bullets and d"ggers. Three
pistol bullets still remain in his flesh
Martinez was concerned in "revolt ~
against Dias, escaped with his band into
lie states, was arrested as iiibuster and
sentenced TO two years Imprisonment.
Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1882-02-15

General Bu'ler hiving exp, pssed regr,
"a b" had allowed his mahood to pa
md the evening ~h rdc> of age TO gn'h, -
n his "lassr" brow wi'hnut hlnging IN
II or, the Boston H. raid replies that g
III public men General ButI,r is notah ,
w pip'r made The newspaper recog
z"i the stuff that Was in him and brougI
I'm out
Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1882-02-15

Give Us man, young or old, high or
low, on whom we know we can thoroughly
depend-who will stand firm when others
flil-the friend faithful and true, the
adviser honest and fearless. the adversary
Just and chivalrous in such an one there
Is fragment OF the Rock Of Ages. s.--Dean
StanleV.
Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1882-02-15

Teacher" Feminine of friarp' FRS
bright boy" Hasn't any" Teacher
Next" Second bright boy" Nun
rracher-" That's right " FIRST brigh
10Y Indignantly ejtcnlltrs--" That's ju
Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1882-02-15

One of the legends upon the wall of the
room in which the Wisconsin daIrymen's
ASSOCIATION held its recent annual meeIing
was. " Talk o your cav rs you would TO
II lady" But how about cOnversing with
Nour hull as you would with gentleman?
D Is ,h's one of tnr kinds Of goose sauce
thai is no, appropriate to the sander?-
BO Ton HrraM.
Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1882-02-15

A Coon RuLE.-One Of our pastors tola
his flock that unless man prayed for his
pastor he had no right to criticisr
his pastor. That is good rule. After
you have prayed for the minister your
criticism will be more jus, more gen
tie. more acceptable The criticisms OF
good, hearty praying brethren will h
worth attending to. OF such critics the
pastor may say: d" Let the righteous smitt
me; it will be kindness. aud let him
reprove me, it shall be IN excellent oil
and shall not break my hend." And such
criticisms will bring need of gratitude,
too, and a counterweight of prayer from
the minister for the Psaluist continues
For ye, my prayer shall be also in then
calamities." You pray over your pastors
faults, If you find he has such. and you
may expect he will not fail to pray flr
you in your troubles Religious Herald.
Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1882-02-15

II is said that there Is only one place in
Richfurd where liquor can be obalned,
ami there is not saloon in towu-a result
effected mainly through the efforts of tho
ladies.
Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1882-02-15

The career of Ex.Gov. Washburn of
Greenfield, Mass. illustrates how steadily
upward goeth the path of good man
governor, senator and now deacon,
Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1882-02-15

An Indiana evangelist asks, "Can =
democrat get 10 HtavenP" We hasten /,
>ly thai he can If hp has be handling q.
he returns.-B -Bo-ton Transcript.
Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1882-02-15

The following precautionary measures
are in vogue on the Pennsylvania railroad
to guard against accident In the night:
When for any reason train makes ar
irregular stop, the rear brakeman or fag
man is ordered to 90 back 600 yards.
carrying n red lantern or flag. and to place
on the track nm explosive cap He must
then 90 600 yards further and place tw,
of these caps on the track, three yard,
apart. This done be must go toward tn
train 800 yards and remain there till or
dered to leave the place by his engineer
Upon returning to his train he takes vi
the first cap that he placed on the rail ,bu
leaves the two placed near together. Til
explosion of these warns the engineer
following that there is danger ahead, o.
that there has been, and he must proccet
cautiously until he learns why these cap
are lett there. Tho explosion of sing
cap is the signal for the engineer to stoI
his train. Brakem"n are frequently LEI
to stop the following train after their ow,
has gone and are taken up.