The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1882-10-25

tul flight Of fancy
Yes, my friends, the mind of man is so ex-
panslve that it Can soar from star to star from
satchelite to satchelite, and from seraphene to
seraphene. and from cherry bean to cherry
beam, and from thence to the center of the doom
of heaven
The young mans MAD was considered too
expansive for the practical work of the minis
try.
The largest telescopes in the world
are in the Lifted States the one at the naval OBJ
servatory in Washington being thirty three
feet long, and. there is one of the same size at
the University of Virginia, in Charlottesville
But the Russian government is now having
telescope constructed, tn be ready this month
which will be forty FIVE feet in length. The
work is being done by Messrs Alvin Clark &
Co. of Cambridge, Mass, under the care of the
great astronomer Otto Struve. 1t is for the
government observatory in a suburb of Mos
cow, but will stand in meadow outside of the
principal building. The diameter of the glass
is thirty inches
"A Quaker was once advising a.
drunkard to leave off his habit of drinking in
toxlcatng liquors. Can you tell me how to
do 1t p said the slave of the appetite. Yes"
answered the Quaker; I" it is Just as easy as to
open thy hand, friend" Convince me of that.
and will promise upon my honor to do as you
tell me" replied the drunkard Well. nv
friend when thou fndest any vessel of intoxi
eating liquor in thy hand open the hand that
contains 1t before 1t reaches thy mouth and
thou wilt never be drunk again" The topper
was so pleased with the plain advice that he
followed it.
On clearing an uncultivated spot in
New Jersey covered with scrub pines and
whortleberry bushes workman struck his
spade against stone. The absence of stones
from the locality made him notice the fact
Giving wrench to his spade, he broke off and
brought up a weather beaten stone, fashioned
on one side into face in general characters
tics not unlike the features of an Indian. 1t
proved to be very rare relic of aboriginal
art, and probably of aboriginal religion. The
remainder has not been found but it is likely
that it consisted of a rough square base. sim
liar busts having been found in New York
State and IN Ohio. Mr.. G. @. Abbott. writing
to the american Naturalist, considers this
idol another proof corroborative Of the.
theory that higher grade of civilization ex
isted on the Atlantic coast as well as in the
Mississippi Valley at some period prior to the
arrival of the white men.
"A PECULIAR DISEASE A few weeks
ago an elderly man in New York CITY who was
IN the habit of plucking flowers not belonging
to him and squandering money lavishly was
sent to the insane department. of the Bellevue
Hospital. He Is described as one of the han
Piest men in the world" He is on the best
terms with everybody, and imagines that every
one he sees is an intimate and very dear acouainf
ance. lie IS suffering from general paresis "
disease which has much increased of late. and
Is the most attractive and desirable form of in.
sanity. The victim if such he should be called
Is In a constant state of citation Evervthing
seems to him in the highest degree rose colored
and allurlng. He lives in wild delirium of iov
and can be picked out of a crowd of lunatics bv
his excessive cheerfulness This class are never
violent. but boisterously joyful But it all ends
suddenly IN complete mental darkness and death
The Church Congress meets in Rich
mond, on Tuesday the oath inst. The first
meeting is devotional, at St Pauls church at
ii o'clock address by Bishop Galleher. with
administration of the Holy Communion I'm
medlately afterwards the Congress will adjourn
to Mozart Hall on Eighth street, only short
distance from the church, where the bishop of
the diocese will make an address Of welcome
Rev DIR. Wlldes, the General Secretary, will
then read brief memoirs of former members of
the Congress who, since the last meeting. have
fallen asleep" At 730P. NJ, in Mozart Hall
Dr. Shattock, of Boston, opens with a paper on
the " Position and Work of the Laity in the
Church" followed by ether writers and sneak
ers. On Wednesday, Thursday and Friday
the meetings will be held in Mozart Hall as
they have been advertised. We shall be clad
to welcome the Congress among US Nav it do
us good,-may 1t get good IS Cturchman.
ONE OF THE BLESSINGS OF CTv1LIzA.
TON The march of progress seems to tell terribly
on the teeth for what other cause there can be
Tor the pre- eminently disastrous condition Of
the molars of young America it is difficult to
imagine. There are at. present twelves large
factories for the production of artificial teeth In
the Unittd States, turning out 100000 teeth
a year, while the consumption of gold used in
stopping cavities In the natr raj teeth of America
amounts In value to 100000, and is one Of the
chief facts that is alarming NJ Cernuschi. and
the bimetalists, as it bears very large proportion
to the annual production of that metal. The
present dearth of ivory may perhaps be traced
partly to the American demand for molars and
grinders, and the ships of Jonathan seem to be
as busy in exporting gold and ivory from Eu
rope as those of King Solomon were from Tarsb
ISM though history, which only narrates the
toothaches of princes, is silent as to whether
this evil was prevalent among his subjects about
that time. 1t is an i'll wind however, that blows
nobody good, and the American dentist. like the
German oculist, hourshes on the physical fail |
ures OF his cOuntrymen.-PuH MAI Gazette.
EUROPEAN FARMERS DRIVEN FROM
THEIR own MABKETs.-The meaning. causes
and probable duration of the strong competition
70 Which the farmers of the United States are
suDlectng the grain growers of Europe are
problems about which multitude of thinkers
and writers in the old world are at present
busying themselves. An article from a Russian
paper enumerates some Of the efforts made bv
English, French, German and Russian economists |
10 ma the trne solution OF a question that ron