Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1882-09-08
MATTERS AND THINGS.

case was locked in Quincy, H.. the
other day, in which Martha A. French sues
for divorce from Silas French and ].
Kurtz The fact that two men are defen-
dants in the suit causes considerable curl.
osity.
The census Of the world according to its
religions has been figured out by some
Scotch statstcans. Its results are: Pro
testants, 100000 Oriental Christians,
100000; Roman Catholics, 200, 0OO, 900 ;
Jews 10000, 600 Mohammcdans, III, 900, =
600 Pagans, 100000
The loss Of the great organ from the Bos.
ton Music hall will be felt almost as Sc
vcrely ~ the departure Of the atlantic
.MonMy But then, John L. Sullivan still
| lives there.
The city OF st. Paul has discovered that it
Is hottomed upon solid bed of magnetic
iron-thc most valuable, because it Is the
rarest. of all the qualities of that metal.
Lemucl W. Livingston, the colored can.
didate for admission TO West Point, has been
rejected, his examination having been UNI
satisfactory. He was one of fifteen who
failed to pass out of total of forty -onc ap-
plicants.
The River Pc, between Pavia and the sea,
was never bridged by the Romans but with
in twenty years four bridges have been built
over it. These bridges are 1900. 5000, 1899
and 1912 feet long respectively, and are all
ron girdcd bridges.
The New York UerdM thinks one hun.
bred and fifty thousand New Workers have
had vacations this Summer at an aggregate
cost of twelve millions dollars.
The great organ in the Boston Music Hall
has been sold to Il church congregation in II
Western city and is 10 be removed. Years
ago this organ was considered one Of the
finest in the United States. Organ concerts
were given 10 display the instrument, but
the concerts were not rcmunerative, and now
the organ is to be sold.
| The postoilicc department recently decided
a case which will be OF interest to all letter
writers. A stamp cut in quarters was af-
fixed to a letter which the postmaster of the
| Office where it was mailed refused to send.
! An appeal to Washington resulted in the ar-
| proval of the postmastcrs action, and the
| epistle went 10 the dcad-etter Office
Remarkable stories still continue to be told
| of the recent cyclone at Grinnell, Iowa.
One of them speaks of II woman, living thir-
ty miles away from the town. who picked up
on her own grounds, aud recognized the
picture of II man living in Grinnrll whom
she knew, and which the gale had brought
to her from the same locality. 4 piano COW
er belonging in Grinnc was found in town
| sixty miles away.
California has virtually abolished capital
punishment without intending to do so. A
law was passed few years ago which ena-
bles jurors, in returning verdicts of murder
in the first degree, 10 stipulate, if they WISH
that tie penalty shall be Imprisonment for
| life. The juries that find verdicts of guilty"
| in murder trials invariably recommend in
prisOnment for life us the punishment.
The Congressional Commission appointed
to inquire into the causes of and the rene
dies for the decay Of American tonnage en-
gagged in the ocean carrying trade appears to
have gone to work to investigate the whole
subject on all sides sincerely, frankly, truly
and thoroughly, and us the Commission rep
| resents both sides Of the question, the result
seems likely to be interesting.
The reason why governments and men of
science take such particular interest in the
transit of Venus which will occur next De-
| cember is that no other such transit will
| again take place for a century and quar-
ter. For the next four generations astrono-
| W HAY IN ull tlat lot 10
drawn from the phenomena of transits upon
the correctness of the observations which
shall BE- made on this occasion.
The first likeness ever successfully OBJ
tanned in this country by the Daguerrc pro-
cess was taken by the late Professor }. w.
Draper, forty-threc years ago. His camera
was cigar box in which was placed spec
tacle lens. During the next winter a small
gallery was opened, and some notable pic
lures were taken. Professor Morse, who in
| vented the telegraph, succeeded Professor
Draper the next winter, and from this small
beginning the art of photography grew.
Some of the New England Summer resorts
on the scacoast have II sort of master of -cerc-
mony whose function it is 10 facilitate enter
tanmenis of all sorts, to promote friendly re-
| latons between visitors, organize dances,
| pcncs, or what not. A visitor relates in
| the Boston Adrertiser that arriving at one
of these hotels one night he was promptly
accosted by this aiIable functionary, who
asked "Shall introduce you, sir. 10 porch
girl or dancing girl?"
The new Eddystone Lighthouse is built of
3l7l stones, containing $1,000 cubic feet or
466S tons of masonry. The amount of stone
contained in the tower of the old lighthouse
was only 9SS tons. 1t is believed that the
sheer weight of The new tower will enable
| il to withstand considerable force OF wind
| or wave Every stone is dovetailed above,
below and on all sides, and the work is cc.
mentcd. Up TO height of 25l feet above the
level of high water the tower is solid, with
the exception of aspacc given to large water
tank.
A curious law question has risen in Nor
ris, Conn Mrs. Grant Stevens, widow of
that place, has great confidence in answers
to prayer. A little over week since, in
conversation with Il Mr.. Benton, she ex.
pressed her faith that she could bring rain
| by prayer. He offered her $40 if she would
bring a good rain within three days. A light
shower occurred on Wednesday night. There
upon Mrs. Stevens called on Benton, aver
ring that she had prayed for rain, that her
prayer had been answered, and claim
| ing the $40. He demurred on the ground
that the shower was not up to the contract
requirement, She now threatens suit for the
money.
While the trouble on the Greek frontier is
but mere affair of outposts at present,
there are not wanting indications that an
Interior purpose of some magnitude lies be-
meath the haste with which the Greeks took
offence and the reluctance to accept apology
which is manifested. There is probably a