The Mineral argus., 1884-02-14
Personal Paragraphs.

ThOn1R Van Val1n Oh SYRACUSE N. 1.s
celebrated his 1O4th birthday on the 18th
inst. He comes of a long lived family,
his father having been accidentally
killed at the age of los years. His
grandfather livedt to be 1l5, and a brother
of his grandfather lived to the age of LIZ
years.
Charles Nordhof, who edits the Wash
ington news department Of the New
York Herald, is paid a salary of $4,000
per annum, and has in addition a house
which is provided for him by the pro-
prietor of the Herald. His wife is q
daughter of Bishop Ames.
Six ladies have distinguished them
selves as students in the South London
College of Chemistry, where they have
been studying with a view to passing the
examin ltions of the Pharmaceutical So
cietv. They intend to begin life as drug
gists, and are among the first women
who have been regularly trained at q
public school for this end.
Mrs. E. w. Avery, of Laconia, N. H,
has in her possession a half dozen chairs
that were brought to this country by
John Hancock, who signed the Declara-
ton of Independence. They were pur-
chased by Mrs. Avery's father in Boston
where they were formerly used by Han
cock in his house on Beacon street.
Hon. William d. Kelley, of Pennsyl.
vania, ''father of the House of Repre-
sentatives," says his health was neve
better than now. he attributes the can
ceroGs tumor in the month, which last
year caused him so much trouble, en-
tirely to the use of tobacco. "For fifty
five years." he says, 81 chewed and
smoked. Last Spring / endeavored to
break the habit, but it brought on ner-
vous prostration. I am happy to say
that l have conquered the habit, ano
now do not use the weed in any form"
A thoughtful housewife is the queen
of Italy, who, on hearing of the intend.
| ed visit of the Crown Prince to Rome, at
once ordered a German cuisiniere, in
| order to treat her guest to his favorite
home dishes. She was heard to say that
| she we'll remembered her grandfather,
| the late King John of Saxony, smilingly
| confde to her after one of those regular
| Italian dinners: "I have, indeed, bee
worse off to-day than the ancient Christ
ian martyrs. They had boiling oil APP
| piled to their bodies externally; / alas,
had to take it internally" h.,
NJ. Labouchere does not spare a sneer
at the poet Laureate. Noting that Ten
nyson has been for the past thirty-nine
years in receipt of a yearly pension of a
| thousand dollars from the Civil List Ser
vice iund, he says: 81 presume he will
now relinquish this annuity from the tax
payers, as, if he can afford to accept a
peerage, he cannot possibly be in need
| of a grant from the pubic funds"
An abstract of the report of the British
governments commissioner, William
Mather, lately here on a tour of inspec-
| ton Of the technical schools of the
United States, Just published, surprises
those who have complacently believed
that the opportunities Of American
working people were superior to those
of England. Mr.. Mather reports a very
inadequate provision in this country for
the training of skilled labor, and less be-
nevolent attention to the needs OF the
workingmen in the way of moral and ed
ucationaI advantages, comforts and rec
reation than in England.