davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Brookhaven ledger. (Brookhaven, Miss.) 1875-1883, 1882-08-17
nov TO MAKE TEA.

Hard water makes the most delicious
tea, as it dissolves less Of the tannin and
gives the cup more delicate favor.
And even with hard water there is Q
wide difference between wells located
near together. But given the same
quality Of water, and difference In the
manipulation will make to sensitive
taste total change in the character Of
the beverage. .f.-.
There is not one city tea-kettle ont Of
100 that in its present condition is flt to
boil water for a cup of tea. Let our
reader 90 home tonight and inspect his
own outfit, and he will verify our state
ment. He will find the interior of his
kettle incrusted with the mineral de-
posits extracted from the water boiled
in it from morning until night of each
succeeding day. AS the water is
"clean," the cook but empties and fills
the kettle, never thinking Of the grow
ing crust that must now be scraped off
if the kettle is to be cleaned Water
that has stood after boiling will not
iEiaks ,stsd cupof tea, and yet how
often the tired laborer, mechanic, mer-
chant, doctor or lawyer has tried to so
lace himself with beverage made from
water containing the debris of that
which has stood all day on the range,
being only filed as often as any addition
was needed. Take clean kettle never
used for anything else, ill it with fresh
water, the harder the better, boil quick
ly over very hot fire, and pour as soon
as it boils upon the tea leaves fresh
from the canister. Let it stand four or
five minutes, and then drink.
How to spoil tea: If the first expert
ment does not make an infusion strong
enough, or If the pot is partly empty
and more is needed, do not put any
fresh tea into the teapot, for it will sure
ly be wasted. Tea water will not dis
solve the theme from the dry leaves of
fresh tea; only pure, fresh water willdo
that. The addition Of tea to the nearly
empty teapot will increase the color,
but it will not make tea perceptibly
stronger in its e1hilarating quality.
Any one may try the experiment. Put
a tablespoonful of tea into quart Of
water and let it stand five minutes, or
boil it if desired. Then add two more
spoonfuls of tea leaves to the same de-
coction. The color will be increased,
but the tea will be little stronger in the
active principle so much desired. When
more liquid or q stronger infusion is de-
sired, put the additional tea in cup
and pour fresh water on it; after it has
stood few minutes, it may then be put
in the pot to good advantage.-Gris.
tian at Work.
The Brookhaven ledger. (Brookhaven, Miss.) 1875-1883, 1882-08-17
NOW MILTON CAME TO WRITE
"PARADISE RECLAIMED"


It was at the time of the great plague
that the poet OF Paradise Lost" took
up his abode at Chalfont, and it was
through the instr,lmentality of COM
mon friend of his and William Penn's
that this retreat was selected. Thomas
Ellwood, the Quaker, had made Milton's
acquaintance in London some years be-
fore. when hunted out of house and
home by the Bucks Justices, and read
Latin to him in his lodgings in Jewin
street. When the plague grew fierce in
the city the blind poet bethought him
of his one-time secretary, and asked him
to find him some retreat in his neigh
borhood. Ellwood took this "pretty
box for him !; and it was here that he
suggested to him the idea of Paradise
Regained. Milton had handed him
the manuscript Of Paradise Lost" to
pass his judgment on. 81 pleasantly
said to him. Ellwood relates in his
Life, ss',Thou hast said much here Of
paradise lost, but what host thou to say
Of paradise found? He made me no
answer, but sat som6 time in muse
then broke OF that discourse and fell
upon another subject. After the sick
ness was over, and thecitv we'll cleansed,
he returned thither: and when after
The Brookhaven ledger. (Brookhaven, Miss.) 1875-1883, 1882-08-17
STUPID TEACHING.

There is vast amount Of humbug in
the system Of common-school education,
and it is not strange that many parents
are adopting the plan of having their
children instructed at home, where they
can carefully watch the child's training
and see that what time is devoted to in
struction is turned to good account. A
disguised father writes to a Philadelphia
journal saying that the other day, he
heard his little girl sobbing over rule
wiIioh che ~as tryiias to eesaAnAit to mem
ory, in the following words, to-wit:
"Rule for short division, rule dash
one write the divisor at the left of the
dividend, semi-colon, begin ut the left
hand. comma, and write the quotient
beneath, period. Paragraph. 2. If
there is remainder after any division,
comma, regard it as prefixed to the next
figure, comma, and divide as before,
period. If any partial dividend is less
than the divisor, prefix it to the next
figure, comma, and write a cipher in the
quotient, period. Paragraph proof Pc
riod dash multiply the quotient by the
divisor, comma, and add the remainder,
comma, if any, comma, to the product,
period"
After reading these painfully idiotic
paragraphs the amazed parent made in
quiry and found that the pupils-chil-
dren under 10-were required to study
rules in this way in order that they
might be able to write them out and
"point" them, not correctly, but ac-
cording to the book.
"I also found" he adds, "that if
comma was left out, though the sense
remained unchanged, the pupil suffered
as much in loss of marks as though she
had committed vital blunder. Thanks
to home instruction, my little girl un-
\ derstands the rules of arithmetic, but
she cannot learn them by rote in this
parrot fashion, and suffers accordingly.
Can we have nothing done in this mat
ter to relieve our children from utterly
useless memorizing, that leaves them at
the end of few years with weakened
minds and no taste for study? I got a
letter the other day from man who
had graduated from university. He
could neither write nor spell correctly
(spelling goes 'gose), and yet at school
few years ago, he could glibly recite
all the rules of grammar, and was by no
means an Indifferent pupil"
The Brookhaven ledger. (Brookhaven, Miss.) 1875-1883, 1882-08-17

THE good but impatient religious ed
itor, who comes ont but once week and
has seven days to give TO his job, is SO
nngenerous and captious as to complain
of such letters IS the following, simply
on the score Of the lack Of preparation
as good printers "copy :"
DEAR BRo. Please make room for the fol-
lowing item. The Pres Ch Of Kyrograph held
Its an meetg Nov. 1. New oh buildg pd for.
The x Of xt IN this oh unusually hopefnl-2A
"a last com. 10 lot "A on prof. Iincloss %, ON
sub. Ch ad OF VIM. Jones' to Psngatak. Our
Sab Sch ia aour'g-lo oonv. from Bible elasa.
Yrs Id Xt PASTOR.
Even the q inclosed for sub. would
not moltfy the religious editor. His
trials are indeed grievous but the Lord
tempers the wind to the shorn lamb.
The Brookhaven ledger. (Brookhaven, Miss.) 1875-1883, 1882-08-17
USEFULNEys AND HURrFULNRSS OF
COFFEE.

Since coffee. possesses the quality Of
stimulating the nervous system, it is
matter OF course that in many cases its
effect is rather injurious. Phlegmatio
people, especially, need coffee, and they
are fond of drinking il; f.. sirA'is-
reason it is favorite beverage in the
Orient, where its consumption Is I'M
mense. But to persons of an excitable
temperament the enjoyment Of coffee Is
hurtful; they ought only to take it very
weak. With lively children it does not
agree at all, and it is very wrong to
force them to drink it, as is often done
while elderly people, who are in need OF
a stimulant for the decreasing activity
of their nerves, are right in taking as
much of it as they choose.
In households OF limited means it is
often necessary TO use succory with
coffee. We do not pretend to pro-
nounce this, If taken in moderate guam
tity, hurtful; but we do say that it is
poor substitute for coffee, and that there
is nothing in tito recommend It's use. A
far better mixture is milk and sugar
and there is good reason for it; both
milk and sugar are articles of food.
Milk contains the same ingredients as
blood; and sugar is changed in the
body into fat, which is indispensable to
Us, especially in the process Of breath
ing. Having taken no food through the
night, the loss our blood has suffered
during sleep by perspiration and the
fat which has been lost by respiration
must be compensated for in the morn
ing. For this milk and sugar in coffee
are excellent
1t is good for children to have taste
for sweetened milk or milk-coffee in the
morning. We must not find fault with
them if they like it Nature very WISE
ly gave them liking for sugar they
need it because their pulse must be
quicker, their respiration stronger, to
facilitate the assimilation of food in
their bodies, and also to promote growth.
Not that adults need no sugar, but the
sugar necessary for them is formed
from the starch contained in their food.
For this purpose the digestive appara-
tus must be strongly developed. With
children this is not the case; therefore,
they are given sugar, instead Of the
starch to make it from. Many diseases,
particularly rickets, prevailing mostly
among the children OF the poor, are tho
consequence of feeding the child with
bread and potatoes; these contain
starch, it is true, but, the digestive ap-
paratus Of children being yet too weak
to change them into fat, the result Is
that the flesh falls away and the bones
grow sof. and crooked.
But he who. to promote digestion,
takes coffee Immediately after dinner,
does best not to use sugar or milk-for
both, SO far from helping digestion, are
an additional burden to the full stomach,
and disturb Its labor more thsn coffee
can facilitate it--Popuiar Science
Monthly.
The Brookhaven ledger. (Brookhaven, Miss.) 1875-1883, 1882-08-17
nov THEY SALT n CLAIM.

Il wish you would explain to me all
about this sailing of claims that I hear
4 NO much about, said meek-eyed ten
derfoot TO grizzly old miner who was
pslining about six ounces OF pulverized
quartz. "I don't see what they want
TO salt claim for, and don't under
stand how they do it"
swell, you see, u hot season like this
/ they have to salt u claiu, lots of times to
keep it. A fresh claim is good enough
for fresh tondafoot, but old-timers
wont look at amy thing but picked
claim. You know what quartz is, prob
ably 4" @
"No." u. ...5...5..
"Well, every claim has quartz. Some
moro nnd some less. You find out how
many q,nl z there are, and then put in
so many pounds Of salt to the quart.
Wildcat claims require more salt be-
cause the wild cat spoils quicker than
anything else. 5g
Sometimes you catch Q sucker, too,
and you have to p, 4 him in brine pretty
plenty or you will lose linn. That's one
reason why they ssh claim.
"Then, again, you often grub stake q
man"
"But what is. q gi 1b stake?"
"Well, o grub stf ke is stake tl,at the
boys hang their grub on 50 they can
carry IL Lots Of mining mon have
been knocked cold by ablow froma grub
stake. t
"What I wanted tn say. though, was
this: You will prof. ably at first strike
free-milling poverty, With indications Of
something else. Then you will no doubt
sink till You strike bedrock. or q true
tissure gopher hole, with traces Of dis
appointment.
| ssThats the time to put in you salt.
You can shoot it into tho shaft with 4
double-barreled shot-gun, or vet i and
apply il with q whitewnsh brush. Il
people turn up their noses at your claim
then, and say it j. . snide, and that they
think there is sorlething rotten In Dem
mark. yon can tall them that they are
clear %, md that you have aalted youz
claim and that you know yon are all
right i
Tk6 last aecn d the tenderfoot he was
-
The Brookhaven ledger. (Brookhaven, Miss.) 1875-1883, 1882-08-17
xHs xAxra D1Yxxa Ur.

4 There Is abundant evidence that the
smount pf water. on the surface Of the
AAsth hAs been steadily diminishing for
many thousands Of years. No one
,doubta that there was o. time when the
Caspian seq communicated with the
Black sea- aud when tho Mediterranean
covered the greater partof the Desertof
Sahara In fact, .;eologists tsll us tlias
st one period thns holo of the earth was
covered BY wafer, and the fact that con-
tincnts Of dry lan.> now exist is proof
that there is less water on our globe now
than there was j its infancy. This dim
mutton Of our supply Of water is going
on at the present day at . rate so rapid
as to be clearly apprecia',le. The rivers
and smaller streams Of our Atlantic
States are visibly Smaller than they were
twenty-five years ago. Country brooks
in which men now living were accns-
toned to fish and bathe in their boy,
hood have in many cases totally ;disap-
peared, not throng h any act OF inan, but
splsly IL cyiAs4aoros Of the failpsa4 Of
Che springs ahd brooks which once led
them. The leyel Of the great lakes is
falling year by year. There are many
piers ON the shores of lakeside cities
which vessels one approached with ease,
but which now hn dly reach to tho edge
Of the water. Harbors arc. everywhere
growing shallowcr. This is not due to
the gradual deposit Of earth brought
down by rivers or Of refuse from city
sewers. The harbor of Toronto has.
grown shallowin spite Of the fact that it
has been drcdged out so that tho bottsm
rock has been reached, and all the dredg-
ing that can be done to the harbor of
New York will not permanently deepen
i, The growing shallowncss Of the
Hudson is more evident above Albany
than it is in the tide water regidl, and,
ike the outlet Of Lake Champlain. which
was once nayigable by Indian canoes at all
seasons, the Upper Hudson is now almost
bare Of water In many places during the
summer. In al other parts OF the world
there is tho same steady decrease of wa
ter in rivers and lakes. and the rainfall
in Europe, where scientific observations
are made, is manifestly less than it was
at period within mans memory. =.
What is becoming OF the waterY OBJ
viously it is not disappearing through
evaporation, form that case rains would
give back whatever water the atmos-
phere might absorb. We must &C.
cept the theory that, like the water Of
the moon, our water is sinking into the
earth's interior. Mem York Times.
7-rhS e.
The Brookhaven ledger. (Brookhaven, Miss.) 1875-1883, 1882-08-17
!. xxwsp.arsR cuxxosrrxxs.. 70 = !.

" sABWSfAEMA INMAO4ALAHNss3ss a
Managing editors are looking Tor the
following cnriositisa which, when
found. viii be made note Of:
!. Some one that can write Of fishing
without referring TO Iaaac Walton. Ii ]
A Acorrespondent who refers 70 an ar
ti{le N the paper, who read it Of his own
accord, and u Int bare his attention
called" 10 il. /.
A writer on free trade who can pro-
duce hall . column without tho aid OF
ssthe Chinase wall. y u /,
A theatrical csitiu Who viii MOI allude
TO the .rpalmy days u the drama
!. A critir on art aud n,asio who can
write an article that persons q i liberal
education can understand without the
did 81 = les1t two dictianarias.
Acorrssponisnt who writes Of sea
voyage without mentioaing the sea =
rnnniny 4 nounsAlna high. ~ - lie
on Tie ocean wave,
A finAncial nsw ptpar asficls q OYER
one- quarter column Ii isnxth that docs
not ment;on Vanderbilt a Jay Goal1.
=
The Brookhaven ledger. (Brookhaven, Miss.) 1875-1883, 1882-08-17
PREYSNTION or SCARLET TEYER,
~ DIPIITHELIA, ETC.

d
: Il should be we'll known to all that in
contagious diseases every breath, drop
OF perspiration, or OF pus OF mucus
every crust, scab, scale, even scurf OF
skin and dandruff Of the hair, beside oil
the discharges from the kidneys and
bowels, are loaded with infection. Dis
infectants should not only be kept in
the sick-room, but the person and bed
and body-clothes should be saturated
with them. In scarlet fever and mea-
sles, simple Injunction with lard or
vaseline or some other greasy substance
will do much to keep down the conta-
gion, but weakly carbolized fat OF some
kind will do more, and this should be
applied all over the body, including es-
pecially the head and hair. In this way
the scales Of scarlet fever, the crusts Of
small -pox, varioloid and chicken-pox
and the scurf of measles are rendered
innoxious, while the bed and body
clothes of the patient are kept constant.
" disinfected. ! Disinfastants .shonld be-
kept IN spst.eups. alop- pans and e'ssfss
utensil used in the sick-room. But it is
especially during convalescence that the
greatest precautions are required.
Thorough washing of the whole persons
Of the sick and their nurses with car
bolic soap, including especially the hair,
should be thoroughly carried out sew
eral times before the patient or nurse is
allowed to see other people or visit any
other house, school, church, theater or
any place of public resort. Every crust
or scab of smallpox, varioloid or chick
en- pox should be carefully gathered and
burned, with the addition of sulphur.
There are other good and more pleasant
disenfectants, which every good physi-
clan will know how to advise, and which
every intelligent and conscientious per-
son should be anxious to carry out.
The expectorations Of diphtheria, scar
let fever, measles and whooping- cough
should be received in vessels, be they
cups or bowls or spit-cups or slop-jars,
or other receptacles in which disinfect-
ants are constantly kept. With these
and few other simple precautions al
most every case of contagious disease
con be limited to the person first at
tackled; the cases will be rendered
milder; the enforced cleanliness will
benefit everybody; the means are gen.
orally very cheap, and the details are
not very troublesome.-New York
Tribune. .s. ...-.
The Brookhaven ledger. (Brookhaven, Miss.) 1875-1883, 1882-08-17
xKQ saaEfo, erlHxA

a Capt. Martin Yan Bunaa Bates. wAs
,iivss o. alssm near Ssyil Uhi6, 6sssen
feat elevan snd ene. ~ hiah. ma
weighs 4sepStn1i ~ No. isssvsal
fset and eleven inohea - and weighs
4l3 pounda Ills y \ init mat1ss u,
cdasey IN adsqnaas ilea y lhs.1sspos-
tions q suoh : awslI = thSSnstsoeu-
pied by the Ohio eiantA : 4 doce thatih
six isetsix :inenss high1 rs larss-sixsd,
opening inths dds q 4 heuss-athAt il,
i sdwslting house, not ascathedral. But
ne dooraia the domia n the Bates
giants ars ton test high. nd the knobs
are nearly e higl, = ~ s1etAge mans
head. -. ss's3
The houae vaa built ~ Capt Bates
in 1876, and 10 elegantly t6nnished L.
the main bailding on IN D1Ound foor
are. besides the spacious he1I the bed.
chamber Of the giants. 3 tting-room
md : parlor. The couch npon which
the big coupls slsep wae ~ expressly
is then ard 4 Is ! sssaitst 10 look At,
Itis sxiensiya enough 10 give the 8rsets
people room 10 stretch in, and Il loolsi
as big Is an ordinary sized foaE It ID
really ten feet long, wide in proportion,
and about twice as high aaa common
bed The magnificent dressing-case is
also huge affair, with glass upon it
nearly as big - the side Of house. In
the sitting-rcom b piano Of ordinary
sixe itself. but it il mounted on blocks
two feet high. 80 thst the instrument is
away up in the air, out Of the reach Of
common folks. There are two rocking
chairs in this room that are 10 big that
the reporter had TO climb up into one Of,
them the same as an infant would
Chamber up into . ." high chair. " II d
very expensive for the giants to live, a.
they have 70 pay such sa ezorbitant
price for everything they wear. For in
stance, it costs the Captain $50 pair for
boots. ~ ...,sg-..f 80, t.. i. s.e,4. :.
II ID most astonishing sight to come
across the two giants out for drive.
City folks who have seen the ponderous
wagons with wheels reaching to the SEC
ond story of house, used to haul stones
weighing tons and tons. can form an idea
Of the vehicle used. II is pulled by six +,
stout Norman horses. and it is enoughto to
make man think ho has got 'em, sure,
tosuddenly meet such spectacle on the
road out in the country. Passing wagons
have 10 let tho rails down and drive
into the adjoining fields until the giants
60 by. -,...
The Brookhaven ledger. (Brookhaven, Miss.) 1875-1883, 1882-08-17

THHRn b man IN New York who
claims he can perform miracles. Lss
him try to run daily in q weekly town,
and make il pay.
The Brookhaven ledger. (Brookhaven, Miss.) 1875-1883, 1882-08-17

One OF the old-time editors a Michi7
gan was boasting that he halnever been
sued for libel, " stticked In his sanotuna,
but he could recall many narrow escapes,
Twenty-Five years ago he was running .
rcd-hot paper on the line Of the Miohi
gan Central railroad. A man nsmsd
Carson. who was running for some
county Office, was given q bad -Eacket
and tho editor received . note shat IL he.
had anything more % aay he might e1-
pect to receive good pounding. He
had still more bitter attack the next
week, and the paper was hardly mailed
before in walked Carson, the candidate,
accompanied by q brother and two cous-
ins. The four were shtapping big felt
lows, and each was armed with horse
whip. The two oompositors and the
"devil" got out with all speed, leaving
the editor without support He realized
the situation at once. and began :,,@+e =.
"Wslk in. gentlemen I presume you
have come to horsewnip mea"
"We have" they answered.. ..,. j.,
every we'll. Have you. thoroughly
considered this matter 2" a.-@ sas.-.t
eft doesn't need any eonsideration,
replied Carson. =. You have lied about
me. and I'm going 10 lick you within an
inch OF your lfei' o. 5<sa
"Just SO, my friend, but first hear
what I have to say. Did ron ever hear
Of the press being stopped because the
editor was cowhided p
II dunno" So i. .-..
"Weil, You never did. Lick me all
you choose and my paper comes out
week after week just the same. The
power of the press is next to the lever
which moves the universe. Il makes or
breaks parties, builds up or tears down,
plants or destroys. Aggravate the ed
itor and the press becomes q sword to
wound and kill. Wollop me il you viii,
but next week I'll come out more bitter
than ever" !,
There was an embarrassing silence
right here, and the face Of each horse
whipper had an anxious look. ;,,
"It will go out TO the world---to
America, Canada, England France
ayei clear to Jerusalem, that the Carson
family Of this county live on roots and
johnny-cake; that they stole . dog from
blind man; that they murdered ped
dler for pair Of 2-shilling snspenders;
that tho women are club-footed and the
men work their eArs vAenas they sing:
and tho" 80. ss e
n !" What is the regular subscription
price 10 the Hsrald e interrupted Car
son.
Only u shillings q year.'
Put MS four down. siss,sage,gq
"Very wella-S6 that's corre6t. Run
in and zee me-all of you, and il any Of
you rant to SO any, Of my Dstroit ex.
ohangcsI 4 shslleb only 4oosglad 10 serve
you - Detroit Free Iress.