Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1882-09-29
MATTERS AND THINGS.

used In Switzerland. A farmer may borrow
of dozen men successfully, the simple rec
ord in an official book showing their order.
II he fails to pay, a successor is found for
him by beginning at the bottom of the list Of
creditors, and calling on each In his order 10
assume all the debts and manage the farm,
or step aside and lose his claim.
The Sixth Circular of Information from
the Bureau Of Education consists of a paper
by DIR. Calhoun on "The Effects Of Student
Life on the Eye-sight." 1t appears that sew.
enty per cent of the highest grade Of pupils
in the last years are subject to myop!a. The
causes are attributed TO heredty, to bad air
and light badly printed text books, and the
prolonged tension Of the eyes without rest
Defective eyc-sight Is a calamity, and active
measures should be taken to remedy the
growing evil.
The little city Of Keene, N. H., has adopt
ed plan for the sewerage Of the whole city,
appropriated $3.50, 900 for its execution, and
has contracted with the Drainage Construc-
ton Company of Boston to complete the
entire work before the end of this year, for
So, 200.
London has its anti-Chinese movement,
too. A company of Cinnamon doing bust
ness in that city have gone into q scheme for
importing their countrymen in large num-
bers, for employment us servants, farm la-
borers, and in the trades. The project is be-
ing denounced in mass meetings
An Ottawa despatch announces that
American mllitiamcn desiring to enter the
Dominion hereafter will he expected to ap-
| ply to the Secretary of War at Washington.
If that officer approve the request, the ap-
plication will be forwarded to the governor
general of Canada. through the British min
lister at Washington. These formalities will
| give the militia time for serious contempla-
| ton before setting foot on the sacred soil of
| Canada.
Germany contemplating State system of
accident insurance, official statistics have
been collected showing that the estimated
loss in money due to accidents occurring
among 1867, 54S working people for year,
| supposing the mean rate of wages to be
SlS7. so for three hundred days work, is
50, 449, 21S, making the average cost of the
insurance for each person, supposlng that
| the State assumed the cost OF administration,
to be about S1.75 per annum.
An enthusiastic prophet predicts that by
the beginning of another year there will be
over So, 900, 900 invested in cotton foctorles
in the Southern States, and that there will be
500, OOO, 600 invested in cotton manufactur.
ing in the South within the next dozen years
The Rev. A. II. Birmingham of New York
received Monday in the same mail two dupli
cate letters mailed in Rangoon, Burmah, Oh
August Z. One letter was taken through the
Suez canal, and through Italy, and thence to
New York, while the other came by way o.
China, Hong Kong and San Francisco.
A statement from the Treasury says tina
during the entire period since the 3lst O
August, 1865, when the public debt was a
its highest point, the interest bearing deb
has been reduced from 80, 1881 $50, 294 O6 t
81, 437 ,673, $50, reduction of S943, 1896,
544.06, or 40 per cent /; the total debt, les
cash in the treasury, has been reduced from
80, Sl2, 662 17S 92- estimating the nteres
due and accrued on the 3lst OF August a
$50, 23O8O7. 40 which was the amount du,
and accrued on the LIST of July, 1868, wher
the interest was stated as part of the publ,
debt-to 81 ,65S, 026, 17lJG, reduction O.
81, 1888, 1876, 000.96, or Al per cent. The an
nual saving of interest payable on tina
portion of the public debt bearing interest i
represented by the reduction from $3.50. S77,
697S1 to $50, 44G, 4SS. so, total of $94, 531
2O037, or about 6S per cent.
The plea that the working people want Tho
Sabbath for Dissertation does not always hold
The managers Of the Milwaukee exposition
being urged to open the gates on Sunday OF
md sta Nla. 81
and found that the people did not desire any
such thing, but that interested parties did
No doubt this would be the result more Otter
than many people think.
Justice as administered in the petty court'
of England is rigorous if the offender pool
and friendless. Two reputable laborers stole
a handful each of oats from field to feet
their hungry donkey, and magistrate sen,
them to prison for two months.
The latest attraction at the London Aqua
rum is Javanese orchestra, comprising
eighteen performers, who are supposed tc
enjoy the distinction of forming the frs,
complete company OF the kind which has
left java. -Four of the performers are dane
ing women, whose peculiar motions arc di
rected by the musicians squatted upon the
platform. There is one two-stringed fiddle
and one instrument similar to flute, but the
rest of the pieces are instruments of percus
sion upon which the players beat with great
vigor. The scene is highly novel and pic.
turesque, but the music is rather trying to
European ears.
| The fears which have been expressed that
our public lands throughout the West would
be absorbed in large tracts by individuals to
the detriment of the small farmers, are moi
borne out by the facts. Statistics from Iii.
nois show that within the past twelve years,
although all the public lands had been settled
previously, the number of farms has incress-
ed the twenty five per cent the, average num-
Der of acres in each at this time being but
242. Several attempts have been made to
farm large tracts of land under one manage
ment by the aid of modern agricultural ma.
chinery, but in nearly every case it has
proven Improbable, and in several instances
has resulted in disaster.
| Since the summary suppression of Arab
Bey and his alleged army at the hands of the
British, the report that Russia is preparing
for possible war has been revived. 1t il
probably not without foundation. There il
certain to be more or less trouble in arrang
ing for the administration Of the Egyptian
assets, and Russia would not be sorry to
have an opportunity to revenge itself OF
Great Britain for the part Lord Beaconstield
played in multiplying the treaty OF San Stefa
no and substituting that OF Berlin. That
Russia ia preparing against a not improba-
bic contingency is no more than likely. The
Russians have, or believe they have, a deep
interest in the settlement OF the Egyptian
question, and may be trusted not to let the
English have everything their own way.
The Florida canal which is to drain and
open to settlement large territory of the
best sugar and rice lands in south Florida,
has already been completed for the distance
of seven miles, leaving but five miles more
to be constructed to bring the work to Lake
| Olraacl .,l,aa Erai,l thu sIrrly end of the