davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1882-03-09
Great Men and Work,

The New York correspondent of the
Utica Herald writes. One finds out that
nothing is accomplished here unless by
close application of the highest powers.
All our great men work hard. Here is
Moses Taylor, for instance, the veteran
bank president. He is seventy-five, and
yet works as hard as his powers will ad-
nit. Up to within q few years he was
as industrious as any of his clerks, but
close application has impaired his health,
and he now has to abate. He has been
worker for sixty years, and is as eager
to make dollar as ever. He begun as
clerk in the great shipping house of
Howland & Aspinwall, and afterwards
opened business on his own account.
His success has been uniform and rapid,
as some would think, though probably
hardly satisfactory to himself, since he
has only made a half dozen millions,
while others have done much better.
Still he is ploddine on in the path to
wealth, and is the oldest business man
in Wall street He has been for thirty
wears president of the City Bank, and
his ability is shown by the fact that its
shares are now worth two hundred and
fortv The house which he founded is
conducted by his sons-in-law, Percy Pyne
and Lawrence Turnure, who were for
merlv his clerks, and are tirst-class bust
ness men. Such are among the instances
of success which occasionally mark u
commercial record and which show that
hard work as well as genius is requisite.
New York is place not of luck but of
! labor, and that too of the most arduous
character In the battle for wealth it
REQUIRES rare concentration of genius
and physical strength, and the weaker
| are soon crushed.
The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1882-03-09

The harvest mouse, says ChGna0eT'S
Journal, is one of those little creatures
which, though spread over the greater
part of Europe, very few persons may
have seen. This is partly accounted for
by its shy habits, its smailness of body,
and quickness of movement. This ele-
giant little creature is light orange-brown
on the upper parts, and white under
meath, and is chiefly peculiar for the
character of the nests which. it builds,
of which it has two kinds, one for sum-
mer and one for winter.
The summer nest, in which it rears
its young, is generally found suspended
at some height from the ground between
stalks Of corn or reeds-three or four of
the stalks being utilized as supports,
and held in their places by the inter
twining of their pedicles or stalk-leaves
The nest, when finished, is about the
size of cricket-ball, very neat and COM
pact, the framework being formed of
wheat leaves or such like, and described
by Gilbert White as 'tmost artilicially
plated" The interstices are comfort
ably filled in with moss; while small
round opening, only large enough to
admit ones little finger, is left in the
IOIb ~ give tCCCSS W lllC OA ClIO
nest.
Within the circumscribed space thus
inclOsed as many as eight or nine young
ones have been found at one time, and
those 50 closely packed together that the
rolling of a nest across table could
not dislodoe them. There is little or no
room for the mother inside; and how she
manages to get so many little mouths
IL 70 -, fAI.
Here in this pendant bed and procreant
CRADLE" swaying to and fro rs the sum-
mer wind stirs among the wheat, the
little creatures guard and nourish their
tiny offsprings till they are ready to go
forth and forage for themselves.
So much for the summer nest; the
winter nest in some important respects
differs from this. The cutting down of
the corn in autumn leading to the des-
truction of their summer residences. and
giving the little inmates immediate
notice to quit, they look about for a
place where they may build winter
nest, to which in cold seasons they may
retreat. Professor H. Schlegel has just
described these winter nests as he found
them in locality near Leyden in 1868.
Here there was a ditch some quarter of
mile in length, and six PAGES in width,
part of the border of which was grown
over with reeds. A careful examination
! showed that these reeds actually contain
ed about fifty nests of the harvest mouse.
These winter nests he found toEbe COM
posed of various MOSES. They were
attached to and between several stems
of reeds, exactly like the nests of the
reed-warbler, but more tapered in form,
of from six inches to a foot in height,
and from three to four inches in Ediame-
ter. They showed no inlet, and were
placed at the height of foot over the
waters level. The little creature, when
entering, had to remove the upper part
of the covering, which was less densely
interviewer, and was concealed between
the moss. 1t would seem evident that
the building of these nests was just
calculation of being safe against the
danger of drowning.
The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1882-03-09
Sunday Afternoon.

After Sunday dinner, what? Well, it
depends. A person whose brain is wea-
ried with intellectual work during the
week, or whose nervous system is eN-
posed to the strain of business or profess
sional life, ought to sleep, within an
hour or two of his Sunday dinner, if he
can. 1t is surprising how nauch like a
seven-day clock the brain will work, if
the habit of Sunday nap be once form
ed. Nature will take advantage of it as
regularly and gracefully as she does of
the nightly sleep, and do her best to
make up lost time. People on the other
hand whose week of toll is chiefly physi-
cal may well give their minds activity
while their bodies are resting. Two
sermons and three or four hours of solid
reading are real rest to some on Sun
day, while to others such course
amounts to positive Sabbath breaking
Sunday is a day of rest, not of work,
religious or otherwise. 1t is aday for
repose, not for exhaustion. But what
the dogmatists on one side and the illib-
eral on the other are apt to overlook, is
the fact that all men do not rest alike.
any more than they labor alike, and
what may help to save one may aid IN
killing another,
The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1882-03-09

"There is Il corner in corn cobs some
where,'' said Wholesale dealer in
pipes, ''for the demands of nGanufact-
urers of corn-cob pipes can not be met,
even at advanced prices There has
never been such 4 scarcity in the supply.
The pipes, too, seem to be in greater
demand than ever. Many men won't
smoke any other kind. l know one rich
society man who would be in disgrace
if he was seen in public with a corn-cob
pipe in his mouth, but who keeps his
pipe in his bedroom, and has a quiet
smoke before he goes to bed. The man
who invented the process of hardening
a corn-cob has become Independently
rich Some cob pipes are costly because
of the silver mountings. but the pipe
that sells for five cents is the most pop
ular. Smokers say that a corn-cob pipe
is sweeter than any other. Southern
negroes, who know what is good, from
a hoecake to 'pOssum, wouldn't give q
cob pipe for the finest meerschaum, if
he couldn't get another. l suppose the
short corn crop has had something to do
with the scarcity. The cobs of poor
crop are not fit to make pipes out OF. ~
Ne,0 York Sun.
The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1882-03-09
Home Education.

Would we rid ourselves of Bridget
Then our girls must receive higher edu-
cation in household and domestic arts;
and wide field is open for the exercise
of intellect and energy in the organiza-
ton of training schools of domestic
econOmy-schools in which thorough in
struction shall be given, for the perform
ance in the best possible manner, of
every branch of household labor. Cook
ing schools touch this subject at one point
only and are an invaluable adjunct to
the cause of morality, by the promotion
of health and sobriety among the masses.
But it is highly important that they
should be supplemented by, if not in
cluded in, the thoroughly equipped
training school. A girl prepared in this
way for the duties of home-mistress
has nothing to fear from incompetent SER
want girls. No one questions the use of
such straining schools. All are willing
to admit them an imperative necessity.
But will women have the energy and
business tact to organize and carry them
on, and through their instrumentality,
to introduce intelligent, skilled labor in
to their houses and comfort into their
home lives? Or, will they wait, COM
planning fretfully meanwhile, until men
step to the front and put in active opera
ton the institutions that are to train and
qualify women for the proper perform
ances of the daily duties of their own
especial indoor department of life.
The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1882-03-09
a Seven Hundred Dollar Heir.

young man of this town, and well
known, too, wears handsome cluster
diamond pin, valued somewhere about
500. A few nights since he arrived at
home late. and hurriedly undressing,
threw his shirt carelessly on the floor,
with the valuable pin in the bosom, and
retired. The next morning when he
came to don his shirt the pin was gone,
and the strictest search for it was unre-
warded with success. 1t happened that
there was about the house hen-a set
ting hen, kept in the house on account
of her occupation and because of the
cold weather-and the thought occurred
to the father that perhaps the pin had
become detached from the garment
when it was thrown down, and the hen,
in her wanderings, might have been at
tracted by this shining valuable, and
gobbled it down. He had great mind
to kill the hen then and there to investi-
gate, but he didn't really want to, as, if
he did, the eggs would be no good; so
for Il couple of days the hen was kept
close, not allowed to go out of the house,
and closely watched in the hope of find
ing the missing diamonds. But no pin
was found. Finally, on or about the
tflird day, it was decided to kill the hen,
when sure enough, in the gizzard was
found the missing pin. The gold set
ting was bent and scratched and one of
the smaller diamonds was missing, but
four of the diamonds were all right
Providence JOuTuGh
The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1882-03-09
Aaaarieanisn VS.. Anglioisn,.

The controversy between the St.
James Gazette and the Pail Mall Gazette,
which lately attracted considerable at
tention on both sides of the water, sup-
gests some curious contrasts between
American and English life, which it is
especially well to consider at this time
when the tide of Englishmen of the bet
ter classes who are seeking our shores
is altogether unprecedented. A year
ago the London Times called upon the
American people to cease being imitators
and demanded that we should strive for
q distinctive and characteristic intellect
ual life; and now the fact is beginning
to dawn upon the world that without
any effort, but as the mere result of our
national growth and development, we
have peculiar and distinctive Ameri-
can Individuality life that is not En-
glish either by imitation or inheritance
The fact that this is not appreciated OF
understood by either of the parties to
the controversy above referred to is
hardly surprising.
De Tocqueville is the only foreigner
who has been able to get at the marrow
of our American life. He saw how alb
solutely the conditions of growth and
development in the Old World We're
Z reversed ill the new, and he detected in
its very germs that intellectually that is
but now assuming its just proportions
and asserting its proper claims to dis
tinctlveness in the eyes of the world.
America can no longer be regarded as a
transplanted England. In literature, in
art, as well as in political thought, it
has passed the period of tutelage and is
bound to give utterance to it's own life
and aspirations. The best life of the
modern world has to come to us for gen.
erations. By a-cOurse of natural Selec-
ton, the strongest and bravest of the
Old World lives have sought for better
ment on our shores. Iron-handed men,
prompted by a laudable ambition to be
more than the rigorous rule of caste and
custom would allow them to become at
home, have adventured all upon the
throw of emigration. Golden-hearted
iaen who forgot themselves and thought
only of the good of their descendants
have buried their nobility in the chaos
of our Uniformed life. These burned
their bridges when they came. They
brought the wealth of the fatherlands,
the seed of their ripest fruitage, and
buried it in our virgin soil, 1t grew,
not as hybrid whose elements may be
clearly traced, but distinct new species.
America is the child of Europe, but the
American is of America, day by day and
year by year growing more and moro
distinct and idiosyncrasic.-Ou COntt-
3le3Lt,
The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1882-03-09
A Comfortable Room,

"This is old Point Comfort " said
friend as she led the way to her sitting
room. 1t was her private room, but
each member of the family understood
well that if he or she wished to be en-
tirely at ease, a place was provided
where this desire might be realized.
The chairs, sofas, cushions and foot
stools were all for comfort FIRST and for
good looks afterward though there was
a delightful air OF home and happiness
pervading the room. Approaching tho
fact that nothing is less ornamental
than faded or soited fancy work the
tides, pin-cushion covers, and mats
were all of some material which would
not show dust and wear readily. Drab
Turkish towcling, frightened with
shades of red, was much used. A pret-
ty mantel lambrequin was made OF scar
let, all-wool Java canvas, with scroll
worked in yellow and black on it.
There was enough OF ''woman's handi-
work. to give character to it, but it was
not of the elegant and painstaking kind,
which cannot be used every day without
being ruined A few books and one
good picture were in the room, and al
together it gave the impression that its
name was appropriate, and that its sug-
gestion of rest and good influence might
be advantageously carried out in other
houses.
The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1882-03-09
A Fashionable Bride.

The time appointed for the marriage
ceremony in the church was 3 o'clock in
the afternoon. Borealis Brown, tho
bridegroom, and Aurora White, the
bride were in close carriage ten blocks
away at six minutes before 3.
"We shall get there right on time"
said he, looking at his watch,
Now, it is dreadfully questionable to
get to the church promptly, and Aurora
would have felt Just like dropping
through the floor, don't you know, if
she had walked up the aisle on time.
Don't you think, my dear, it would
be better to be ten minutes late?' said
she, leaning against him in kind of a
harmless hug.
give minutes, then?''
Now, my darling, don't coax"
"Just as you say"
She put her hand carelessly on his
shoulder, and then let it drop slowly
along down over his coat to small
pocket set in at the waist seam, where
it fingered for q few seconds. .
"You have the ring where you can
find it readily" she remarked. laying
placidly back in her seat. There is
nothing SO awkward as to tumble for
the ring at the altar, you know"
"Oh, I've made sure on that point, as
l told you," he said, confdentially. 81
slipped the ring right into this handy
little pocket, where I-good Lord in
heavensn'
"What, Borealis-what?"
''The ring is lost" !
He thrust his fingers into the pocket
madly, again and again, but the ring
surely was not there. He made wild
conjectures, felt in all his other pockets,
and concluded he must have left it at
-Aurora's residence. He ordered the
coachman to turn about. When they
had gone back almost to the house q
public clock struck 3.
'What is that?' said Aurora, pointing
to the bottom of the carriage. -.
The ring lay glittering in a corner. !
81 must have dropped it," said Bore
ais, picking it up, ''but Iswear looked
in that very spot two minutes ago.'
'Well," he remarked, looking at his
watch again, ''you will have your way
after all. We can't get to the church
before ten minutes late, anyhow"
ITO be sure"
ACuCo pItSouCc VI lIlluu Is cHdTdCtGT"
istio of brides, They may blush. but
they know what they are about. Their
eyes may be dim with tears, but they
can see a misplaced thread in their
dress. Two blocks from the church
Aurora expressed fear that she was as
pale as ghost.
''Say as fair as alabaster," Handsome
suggested.
'Now, my dear" she retorted, ''this
is no time for compliments. Is there
the least bit of color in my face?" ,:
"Well, no, but"
81 must look ghastly.''
"Would you like to blush as you go
in?"
Eyes"
He threw his arms around her, drew
her to his breast with the grip of q
wrestler, and kissed her loud and long
He was through with it just as the car
riage door was opened by an usher, and
she walked into the church withSa salts
factory amount of pink on her cheeks.
CLARA BeU
The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1882-03-09

Critics say that much of the power of
humor is due to the surprise it creates.
Ii this is correct, some church choirs
must be ranked as eminent humorists.
They both surprise and shock:
Rev. e. P. Tenney, the genial and
witty President of Colorado College,
was at one time the beloved pastor of q
Congregational church in sea-coast
town in Massachusetts. To exc out his
salary, his people gave him donation
party, among the presents being a fine
new dress-cOat for the pastor, and a
tasteful bonnet for his better-half
On the following Sunday, as they
walked up the aisle in their new habili-
ments, the choir inadvertently struck
out with the voluntary, much to the
discontinue of the sensitive clergyman
and his wife, ''Who are these in bright
array?'
AT the same church, few weeks ago,
the funeral of a prominent and highly
respected citizen of the town, by the
name of Knight occurred, on which
occasion, by singular contretemps, the
choir sang as their first selection the
usually fitting hymn, 'There will be no
night there.''
The effect, as soprano, alto and tenor
successfully took up the refrain, was
well calculated to excite the risibilities
of those who had gathered in any but a
humorous spirit.-Harper'S Magazine.
The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1882-03-09
"a Little Graen.N

Those who read the following anec-
dote will be amused at the countryman's
perplexity; but how many Of them will
see the moral that slumbers in the
story? The young fellow was green
but he had the good sense to confess his
ignorance and seek information.
On railroad train not long since was
young man in farmers dress, who had
his overcoat pockets full of articles he
had bought. After inspecting two or
three parcels, he took the wraps off
twenty-five cent thermometer, and eX-
amined the instrument with the closest
interest.
He looked at the face, then at the
back, and the longer he looked the
more puzzled he seemed. A gentleman
who had been observing him finally re-
marked,-
''Been buying a thermometer, see."
"Yes; 1 bought her for neighbor of
ours.''
"What's the temperature in this car
just now?'
The young man took a long squint at
the thermometer, turned it over two or
three times, and then answered.
''It's about middling, guess
Nothing further was said for ten min
utes, and the gentleman was busy with
his paper, when the other touched his
arm, and said,-
"Say, are you used to thermometers"
Eyes. slightly"
''Well, I'm little green, and I'm
willing to own up. Seems to me there's
something wrong about this ere"
81 guess not. It's cheap instru-
ment, but it seems to be all right"
"Well, it may be; but l had made up
my mind there was something missing.
1 can't find any key-hole, and if it ever
had any hands on the face, they're gone
now, sure.n
1t took about five minutes to enlight-
en-, and when he realized chow she
worked" he put the thermometer in his
pocket with the remark
''rm going home to tell the old man
that none of us know enough to trust
ourselves out alone nightsn'
The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1882-03-09

The popular pocket piece just now in
this city is piece of hangman's rope.
If all the hangman's rope were taken
from the pockets of superstitious ST.
Louisians they would form a rope of
considerable length. The five hangings
recently taking place in this city have
brought out again the superstition that
hangman's rope is sure cure for rheu-
matism, consumption, heart disease,
apopleXy and everything else. The
rope is sure cure for all the ills that
flesh is heir to, if properly applied and
adjusted; but that is not the way that q
great many st. Louis men and women
look at it. .su....
In the police stations nearly every
prisoner who is searched carries bit of
rope, and great number of private
citizens treasure up the ghastly hempen
mementoes. Every tramp carries one,
and in the alleys frequented by the col
ored populace there are yards. Of rope
with which Ellis and Ward were execut-
ed. The supply is not yet exhausted,
and half an inch of the execution rope
sells for the phenomenally low sum of
five cents. A gentleman with whom q
reporter had a conversation stated that
a very nice lady had asked him for a
piece of the rope. She was handsomely
dressed, and pretty, too. With reckless
ness he promised to procure her a piece,
not thinking she was in earnest. He
met her again. She asked for a
piece of rope. He straight-way pro-
ceeded around among his friends, but
could not get any genuine. He had to
have a piece for that lady, however, and
the brilliant idea struck him that he
could give her any piece of twisted hemp.
She would never know the difference.
He gave her a piece of the frayed and
broken clothes-line, saying that it was a
strand of the rope, and she put it in her
purse and went away happy. Several
parties have been selling the rope about
town and taking in the gullible people.
st. Louis Republican.
The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1882-03-09
What a Woman Thinks of Bachelors and
Married Men.

"A bachelor life makes q man cold
and selfish" l remarked to my wifs,
''He becomes afflicted, metaphOrically
speaking, with osSificatiOn of the heart"
eff bachelor life makes man more
selfish than are most married men" re-
piled Guiana, Il am sorry for him. But
l cannot believe it,
l gazed at her inquiringly.
81 mean," she went on, ''that all the
married men 1 ever saw were infinitely,
comprehensively and egotistically self
ish. A bachelor, as a rule, can harm
no one by his selfishness. 1t spends it
self subjectively, Like the asp, he must
sting himself. But with the married
man it is different. His seltishness
tation of ones own feelings, the indul-
gence of ones own bad temper,) has an
objective outlet The objects are his
family. When bachelor is out of sorts,
tired, vexed by business troubles, he
does not use it as a pretext for making
his companions miserable. Not so with
the head of a family. He returns at the
close of the day out of temper. Wewill
suppose that the family is in a pleasant
frame of mind-perhaps laughing and
testing. Enter husband, ScOWl on MS
brow, black blood in his heart. The
domestic barometer rapidly falls. The
spirits of all 90 with it. Dinner is con-
Quoted in the midst of forced silence,
or perhaps it is seasoned with singing
remarks from the head of the table.
When every one is rendered thoroughly
miserable, his spirits rise. He has trans
ferred his troubles to his kin, as the
Israelites did theirs to the scapegoat
He is happy"
s'Zulana," said I, warmly, Il always
thought you had some sense, but see l
have been wrong. l never heard such
cursed nonsense in all my life
And, from my standpoint, / never
did.-S0a Francisco Arg0naut.