davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Somerset press. [volume] (Somerset, Ohio) 1873-1977, 1882-03-30
Village Architecture In China.

Villages, not badly built by any means,
occur at intervals of mile or two apart
all along the roads of China. Very good
brick, much about the same size, shape
and material as those made in this couu-
try, compose the walls of the better
houses, while for the poorer order OF
edifces mud is used. The brick walls
in China are excellent, better than the
cheaper brick walls in America, and but
little inferior to our best pressed brick.
When villages are constructed of mud
there is striking resemblance to the
villages of Egypt. The houses have no
outside windows and but one opening,
which is the door. The openings for
light are upon inner courts or back-yards,
and are without glass. The caves are
made to project, SO as to keep out the
rain, and in doing SO of course exclude
much light as we'll Blinds made OF
Stats are sometimes used, and thin, light
paper pasted over the Stats serve to keep
out some of the cold air and to let in q
little light. The houses are invariably
one story high. And at the bottom OF
this custom is a superstition that higher
houses would interfere with the spirits
of the air (''Fung Chui'O and offend
them, thus bringing disaster upon the
house or village. In front OF each door,
and at a distance of eight or ten feet,
stands q. detached wall, fifteen feet long
and as high as the caves of the house,
concealing the door from any person
standing in front of it. This is for the
purpose of protecting the house and
family from malignant "Fung Chui, }" or
spirits, which are popularity believed to
fly only in straight lines and to be in
capable of turning corner. It follows
that when traversing the air in search of
d certain house, when they come in con-
tact with the wall they are thrown off at
an angle and thus bafied of their fell pur-
pose, and fly in tangent through infinite
space and are lost. A Chinese village
has but little in common with those OF
this country, either in detail or in gen.
eral appearance. While the villgaes OF
America copied from English prototypes
are peculiar, from their detached and
separate build, with gardens and grass
plots, those of China are compact, hud-
died together and present from a distance
the aspect of mere. dead wall One
peculiarly of all Chinese cities and vii.
lagos is the absence of steeples, spires OF
pinnacles of any kind. While Mohan.
medan countries have the mosque, with
its flashing domes and graceful minarets
and European and American centres o
population are marked by lofty towers
and spires, China is almost absolutely
without any of these striking architec
tural points. Theresul is great monotonJ
and dullness of aspect.
The Somerset press. [volume] (Somerset, Ohio) 1873-1977, 1882-03-30
Parader of Morality.

A man has right to take pride in his
moral character. It is the one thing that
counts with men in the long run down.
the ages. Intellect coupled with infamy
does not last. Time covers it with neg
lect. Intellect to live, must be associ-
ated with some right principle, and cor
rect conduct. There must be something
manly about it. A great many things
are pardoned to private conduct when it
is known that the mans public princi-
pies are pure and noble. There can be
no question but Webster, in private life,
had many shortcomings, but where do
you look for healthier, or more manly
words than you find in his letters and
speeches ? There is this, too, to be said
of him. He never made any lofty and
ostentatious display of his sentiments.
He was conscious of his principles, but
he never made them Extensively promi-
nent. In excusing the faults of Lord
Bacon, the Pail Mall Gazette says: "The
most offensive part of Macauley is this
assumption of lofty moral tone when
he is libeling a great man. In the case
of torture. as in the latter case of cor
ruption, it is clear beyond doubt that
Bacon's error or weakness consisted in
this, that he was not SO far in advance of
contemporary morality as we might have
desired But there is wide distinction
between q man who breaks accepted and
recognized rules and one who is only not
in advance of them. A compliance with
questionable, but hardly yet questioned,
practices is compatible with lofty and
patriotic aims, whereas a man who,
judged even by the contemporary stand
ard, is contemplate sneak can hardly
be credited with any kind Of virtue.
Now, Macauley gets a cheap credit by
refusing to allow this plea of Bacon. To
the average common sense of mankind
it looks very virtuous to say that cruelty
and corruption is corruption all the world
over. r."-Indianapolis Herald.
The Somerset press. [volume] (Somerset, Ohio) 1873-1977, 1882-03-30
A Terrible Mess Of IT.

There is a young editor wandering on
the face of the earth, who formerly pub
lished paper at Storm Lake, Iowa. He
left there the day after the issue of his,
last paper, and is supposed to be cross
ing the State on foot, to get away from
an infuriated female populace. It seems
there was q concert given by young
ladies of the city, and the gallant young
editor wrote it up in splendid shape.
The same day he had visited herd of
short-horn cattle, owned by farmer in
the vicinity, and he wrote up the cattle
also. The cross-eyed foreman of the Of
fee got the two articles mixed as follows:
"The concert given last evening by
sixteen of Storm Lakes most beautiful,
and interesting young ladies was highly
appreciated. They were elegantly dressed
and sang in most charming manner,
winning the piaudits of the entire
audience, who pronounced. them the
finest short-horns in the county A few
of them are of rich brown color, but
the majority are spotted brown and
white. Several of the heifers weighed
as high as fifteen hundred pounds, fine
bodied, tight-limbed animals, and
promise to prove good property" st :
The poor editor killed the foreman
and left He should be acquitted of the
charge of murder, as he was evidently
crazy. It could not be otherwise.
The Somerset press. [volume] (Somerset, Ohio) 1873-1977, 1882-03-30

There are already booked for passage to this
country in 1882 nearly half million people,
and it is estimated that SOC, 600 will emigrate
from Europe and Canada to the West and
Northwest. -:
!. In consequence Of this vast throng, the Al
bert Lea Route" CHICAao, Rock ISLAND AND
PACIFIC RAILwAY) has been compelled to put
upon its line an additional Fast Express Train,
composed of most elegant day and night cars,
leaving Chicago at IL D. M, and reaching Min
neapolis early the next morning in ample time
to allow those going to Northern Minnesota,
Dakota or Manitoba to obtain their breakfast
and make the connection for all points North
or Northwest.
This train is run especially to connect with
the new express trains which the Northern Pa
cifc, and st. Paul, Minneapolis and Manitoba
railroads (the latter connecting with the Ca
madam Pacific at st. Vincent) have just put
upon their lines.
The regular evening express train from Chi
cago will be run as heretofore, and make con-
nections from Minneapolis for all points In the
territory named above. 5- IN
1t is important, and travellers should bear it
in mind, that there are no carriage transfers
by the "Albert Lea Ro,tte," passengers being
landed in Union Depots at Minneapolis and st.
Paul.
This is the route to travel over for sure con-
nectiOns, and is the plensdntest and most COM
Portable line in the Northwest.
The trains of the ALBERT Lea Route" leave
Chicago from the depot OF tho Great R0cE
Island the old favorite with travellers destined
for Kansas, Colorado, New Mexico, Arizonaa and
the Pacific Coast. f.,t l.e.s
Send your address to E. st. John, General.
Ticket and Passenger Agent, Chicago and OBJ
tain our new illustrated WESTERN TRAIL.
The Somerset press. [volume] (Somerset, Ohio) 1873-1977, 1882-03-30
Diamond.Cutters in New York.

Five years ago two diamond-cutters
dressed and polished all the stones that
came in the rough into this market In
the main only the finished diamonds
were imported. But it was found that
the work of cutting and polishing dia-
monds was often done carelessly IN
Europe, and that American workmen
could better satisfy the critical taste of
American buyers of precious stones.
So marked was the difference between
the imported diamonds and those cut
and polished here that demand for the
stones of American finish was created,
and within five years five or SIX more
diamond-cutters have established them
selves in New York. They dress and
polish perhaps one-twentieth of all the
diamonds sold in this city, and the
excellence of their work is recognized.
The stones are imported, as a rule,
from South Africa, and although many
of the Africa diamonds are off color, it
is said that as large and as fine stones
are found there as in the old mines OF
the East Indies and Brazil. The stones
come here in the rough, uneven in
shape, and lacking wholly the luster and
sparkle which attach to the very idea of
diamond. The first process is what is
called cleaving. By this process the
irregularities of shape are Clipped off
and the general form of the diamond is
secured, but without any of the angles
which separate the faces. The pieces
Clipped off, if of suitable color and
without flaw, are used for making what
is called rose diamonds. Then the faces
of the diamond are cut by the rubbing
together of two of the stones, aud after
this process the stones look like irregu-
lar pebbles of ground glass. They are
entirely without luster or beauty. The
polishing concludes the process. Each
face of the diamond is in turn exposed
to the surface of an iron wheel revolving
two thousand times minute, and, by
means of oil and diamond dust, the
stone is polished and given its wonderful
brilliancy.
Mr.. Henry Fera, diamond-cutter in
John street, said that large part of
the work Of the diamond finishers in
this city was repolishing the stones cut
in Europe, to satisfy the more particular
| Judgment of American buyers. On ac-
count of this extra pains which is taken
with the work here, the diamonds OF
| American polish command somewhat
higher prices. An idea of the business
in cutting diamonds in this city may be
had from the statement that last year
nearly five thousand carats in the rough
were cut and polished here. Wages for
labor here are from twice to three times
what is paid in Europe for the same
kind of work. The labor adds ten dol
lars q carat to the value of the uncut
diamond. The loss in weight from
cutting is over one-half. This so adds
to the value of the diamond that a stone
of one carat, costing in the rough, fol
instance, forty dollars, would sell fol
about one hundred and ten dollars wher
cut and polished. The value, however
does not depend alone upon the weigh
of the stone, but is affected also: b.
the presence of blemishes or impurity o
| COLOR =slt
The Somerset press. [volume] (Somerset, Ohio) 1873-1977, 1882-03-30
Prose Poems From the Chinese.

4 Woman Before Her Mirror.
Seated before her mirror, she gazes at
the moonlight. The bamboo blind is
down, and breaks the entering light it
seems as though all through the room
one sees jade shivered into thousand
atoms. But instead Of combing her hair
she lets down the bamboo blind, and the
moon appears yet more brilliant, even
as a woman clad in silk, who let's her
robe fall.
The Porcelain Pauilion.-I In the
midst of the little artificial lake there
rises pavilion of green and white por-
celain. 1t is reached by bridge of
jade that curves like the back of tiger.
And in that pavilion friends clad in
bright robes are drinking together cups
of lukewarm wine. Gaily they converse
or write verses, pushing their hats lit
tie back on their heads, or tucking up
their sleeves. And in the lake itself,
where the little bridge, reflected upside
down, looks like a crescent of jade, there
are also friends in bright robes, upside
down, in pavilion Of porcelain.
The StairsDQy of Jade.-Under the
sweet light of the full moon, the empress
remounts her stairway of jade, all glim-
mering with dew. And the hem of her
robe softly kisses the edge of every step
the white satin and the jade resemble
each other. The light of the moon has
burst into the apartment of the empress !;
as she passes over the threshold she is
all dazzled for before the window, upon
the curtain that is embroidered with
crystal pearl, there seems to be COM
pany Of diamonds disputing for the
/ Eovhf fhn ~
there seemeth to be circle of dancing
stars.
Characters Eterr,al.-Even while I
make verses, I watch from my window
the swaying of the bamboos. let char
acters fall upon the white paper; afar of
one would fancy plum tree leaves were
falling crosswise upon snow. The de-
lightful GOODNESS of mandarin oranges
passes away when a woman carries them
too long in the gauze of her sleeve
as white frost vanishes in the sun but
the characters which I have let fall upon
the paper will, never become effaced.
[Any one who has noticed the peculiarly
of Chinese written characters will ap.
preciate the extremely poetical sin,ile.
The Fan.-The young bride is sitting
alone in the perfumed chamber, into
which the husband entered for the first
time only the evening before. In he,
hand she holds her fan, whereon these
|. characters are written: "When the all
is sitting, and the winds are still, an
beloved, and they beg the boon of re-
freshment from one. But when the
winds arise, and the air grows cold, an
disdained and forgotten" And while
reading these characters the young
woman dreams Of her spouse and sac
thoughts, like clouds, wrap themselves
about her. ."Now is the heart of my
husband young and ardent; my husband
comes to me that his heart may be re-
freshed. But when his heart shall have
become chill and tranquil, will I not
perhaps. be disdained and forgotten ?"
The Somerset press. [volume] (Somerset, Ohio) 1873-1977, 1882-03-30
The Cuhan Gentleman.

He appears to you at first man all
hair, eyes, teeth and shirt collar. It is
not precisely the correct view, but such
is apt to be the impression conveyed to
a conservative and doubling mind. After
better acquaintance he gives you the
idea of man who is at least sui generis,
with . unique form of body and
hitherto unclassified type of mind.
After . year or two he begins to seem to
you to be q rather clever fellow, with
traits that are seldom observed to exist
in q character otherwise excellent, but
an agreeable man in many respects. To
a coutenance always expressive of a
certain refinement, often of great
beauty, and almost never coarse, angular
or hard, he joins physique the thinnest
and most attenuated ever found COM
patible with locomotion and the general
control of muscular system. His legs
are spindles, his arms much like flattened
sticks somewhat enlarged at the articula-
tions. OF stomach he usually has about
as much as birds of the crane species
are remarkable for, and is seldom dis
posed to undue enlargement in the
region of the waistband His shoulders
are thin and sharp, and if he stoops
slightly, it need not necessarily be re-
garded as an indication either of
scholarship or disease of the lungs.
His complexion is seldom fair, and gen.
orally of not unhandsome swarthiness,
though sometimes approaching a hue
that, by the present opinion of preiudiced
mankind, is not exactly society color.
But have never seen q Cuban with
what we call "dumb" face or an un-
intelligent eye.
This man is the born dandy. He
wears jewelry like a woman and like a
woman's. He pinches feet that are
small enough naturally into agonizing
shoes. He wears collars monstrous in
size or ridiculous in smallness, with
shirts of dazzling colors and cuts so very
sharp ends of his collar-bones and the
very bottom of his thin throat. At the
date of this writing he goes about the
his little legs like bags, and flap and
yaw in the breeze. His coat seems to
have been made for taller man, whereas
a year ago it had tendency to creep up
ward toward the back of his neck. But
the centerpiece and glory of his costume
is his hat. Where such fashions in
headgear as he delights himself with
really have their origin know not. As
the climate is warm, and seemingly for
that reason, the hat is narrow, black,
heavy and shaped like an inverted stove
kettle. This man sometimes attends a
ball in black dress suit, white neck
tie and green shirt. A Cuban town is
full of such figures, and few of them
are, by any chance, at work at anything.
Born in a slave country, the presumptive,
probable or actual heir to share in
some sugar plantation, or if not, living
by his wits or upon his relations, the
young Cubans imagines that his destiny
is to ornament the tropics to be thing
of beauty, and kill time while he
is thus elegantly occupied. Cuban
The Somerset press. [volume] (Somerset, Ohio) 1873-1977, 1882-03-30
The Stereotyped Smile.

It is impossible, of course, for o mere
human being to fathom the secret springs
Of human action in another. A persons
features may express something and it
is very often the case that they do, when
he gets o full hand or four of kind;
but upon general principles it is safe
enough to say mans face expresses
little of what is, running through his
head, and his language still less. In
stances have been known where men
speculated on the board of trade and
lost every dollar they had in the world
and more too, SO if they had settled up
they would have been sixteen thousand
dollars in debt, but they never let on.
They continued to do business, buy and
sell, draw checks, and their bright smile
haunted them still, and before the final
day of reckoning came around they had
recovered lost ground and were ten thou
sand dollars ahead of the game. These
instances, of course, we do not hear
much about. It is only those who fail
to catch on before the settlement comes
around that are spoken of in the news
papers as being temporarily embar-
rassed to the extent of $40, 600 or $780,
600" and for whom there is much SYM
pathy. Actors and actresses have con-
siderable control over their features, so
that they can be called from clawing
each others hair behind the scenes to
go upon the stage and melt the audience
to tears by their gentle tones and silver
plated sorrow. But it all ends at the
drop of the curtain, and they go to their
hotel and sleep like hired man after a
days work in hay field. The business
man, however, who is skating over a
mighty thin place in the ice, takes his
little comedy right home with him, and
though his countenance may be as smooth
as though he had been ironed by the
Sheriff land feels he is liable to be at
any moment)-his dreams will be filled
with cat concerts, and crows will come
and step their feet in the corners of his
eyes. But we started out to tell what a
Boston bankrupt told his creditors the
other day, when they had assembled to
see how much he could pay on the dol
lar. He said he had been bankrupt fol
years, that all he could do he could not
turn the tide; he kept sinking deeper
and deeper, but he had never seen q
chance to let go. The business hung to
him like dog to q bone, and he could
not kick it of. People were willing to
lend him any amount of money, on in
terest that he could never pay; he had g
family to support, and could not see any
other chance to make a living. He was
lashed to the wheel, and the only way
was to keep the old thing dead ahead
until she filled and sunk. The man did
not say this in gloomy manner, but
with that winsome smile that he had
practiced for twenty years, until it had
become stereotyped. Sun.
The Somerset press. [volume] (Somerset, Ohio) 1873-1977, 1882-03-30
= = - :.
The Price Of an Island.

In 1859 the Island of Nantucket was
bought from the Indians for $3.50 and
two beaver hats. This fact came on dur
ing gathering of the Coffin family on
that island. One of the buyers of the
island was Tristan Coffyn. To show how
rapidly prolific race increases, it is said
that fifty years after Tristan's death his
descendants numbered 1,158. They are
now found everywhere.
Nantucket has had a varied history.
When whaling was in vogue it was the
headquarters of that business. Its resi-
dent population was always largely COM
posed Of women, the wives and daugh-
ters of the absent whalers. When
petroleum took the place of the whale
oil Nantucket lost its business, and for
many years it was impossible to rent
more than one-fourth of the houses on
the island. Its health and cheapness,
however, have since made it popular
summer resort, and now the prices OF
land have advanced to the old figure.
ACCORDING to the census report 4O,-
600, 900 gallons of wine were made in
this country last year.
The Somerset press. [volume] (Somerset, Ohio) 1873-1977, 1882-03-30

THE probability that nearly every
large town or city will soon be supplied
with large Quantities of electricity for
lighting purposes has given rise to con-
siderable interest in the plan of making
use OF the same supply for producing
power for light household work. Several
small motors have been devised to
meet the expected demand. The first
OF these little machines was constructed
about three years ago by M. Marcel
Deprez, and was found to work effec-
lively. Asecond apparatus of this kind has
for some time been used by M. Trouve,
nm electro-magnet being used in place Of
the permanent steel magnet Of Deprez.
This motor drives o sewing machine
very readily. although 1t ia of very small
nize. Trouve's little electric canoe at
the Paris electrical exhibition was pro-
pelled by some Of these engines, and M.
Tissandier has suggested their use for
balloon steering. The last and best
motor 10 that Of Mr.. Griscom, the
American electrician. One of these
powerful little machines, four and half
inches long and weighing little more
than two pounds, will run a sewing ma
chime very rapidly with small expendi-
ture OF electric energy. The lack of
labor-saving conveniences in the house.
hold has often been deplored, but the
introduction Of electricity seems to offer
q source Of power which may serve in
many ways to tighten the toll of the
weary housewife.