davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1884-05-22
Cetewayo.


1--WE arc both alike said the late
lamented Cetewayo of Queen Victoria.
Credit, Cetewayo could not understand,
and he carried his aversion to accounts
to such an extent that he refused even
to allow two items of his purchases to
be included in the same bill. Every
article that he bought he insisted upon
paying for separately; partially, of
course, this was due to his ignorance
of arithmetic. In the establishment
of the London Cheap store that which
most interested the king were the me-
chanical toys. and there was no limit
to his admiration of the talking dolls,
the walking foxes, the growing cocks,
and the little hen which occasionally
stopped to lay an egg. But that which
touched Cetewayo's sense of humor
more than anything else was life-size
figure of frog seated on stool and
feeding Juvenile frog upon its knee
with a ladle out of q large bowl that
stood near by. Among the articles of
wearing apparel which impressed him
most were fur mantles and the long
gauntleted gloves worn by ladies. AS
a customer, Cctawayo bought French
prints for each of his twenty-five
wives, and a large quantity of beads,
chiefly those of gold, yellow, or scar
let color. They were for the use of his
household in making beadwork. Un-
like the pitman's wife, who liked none
of your gaudy colors, but expressed
preference for plain red and yellow,
CetawayO's taste in the matter of col
ors was very subdued. He was most
delighted with Il pattern which showed
little rose on black ground, or
pink flower on chocolate ground.
His untutored mind succumbed, how
ever, to the garish charms of satin
brocatelle, which has crimson ground,
with gold border. Among the other
articles which he bought was high
silk hat. His only headsear when he
arrived in England was a military for
age cap, but he refused to 60 and see
the queen at Osborne in anything but
n high silk hat, so speedily were the
uses of civilization grated upon the
savage mind. The difficulty of max
ing hat for Cetewayo was very great,
owing to the fact that he always car
ried a wedding ring upon his head. A
Zulu wedding ring is cord covered
with gum, thickened with ashes. This
is fixed round the head ut marriage,
and worn until death. Nothing, how
ever, being impossible, silk hat of the
most abnormal proportions ever wit
messed in England was turned out half
an hour before the train left for Os-
borne. In diet Cetewayo was very
particular. No other kind of meat
than beef was ever eaten by him, and
he was obliged to decline the gift
of venison sent him by Lady Florence
Dixie. His beef was grilled in Jumps;
black outside and raw inside. He al
ways dined in the following order:
First he ate his beef, then his bread,
afterward his potatoes, and last of all
he finished up with champagne or
whisky. Cetewayo's habits were very
regular. He usually rose at 6 and
went to bed at 10; and one part of his
time every day was devoted to gloating
over his presents which he received,
and they were both numerous and val
liable.
The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1884-05-22
New York Parks.

An unexpected opposition has arisen
to the plan adopted by the Legislative
commission proposing a chain of new
parks for the metropolis, extending
from the Hudson river to Long Island
sound, and situated partly within the
annexed district north of Harlem
river and partly in Westchester county.
Three of the proposed parks cover
comparatively large area, the eastern
most one embracing 1,7OO acres on
Pelham bay, the westernmost 1.069
acres of the Van Courtlandt estate, and
the central park, lying along the Bronx
river. Three others are mere breath
ing places for the future metropolis, in
what promises to be the most crowded
part of the city yet to be built. 1t was
thought that capital, which opposed
the Central park project tiercely in its
infancy, but afterward discovered that
it not only materially assisted the adj
vance of real estate but added to the
the revenues of the city and thus re-
paid it's cost, would not oppose the new
park project; but it seems to have for
gotten the lessons learned twenty-five
years ago, and to be frightened at an
expenditure of $8.0OO,OO0 or $10.OOO,-
900 now for land that will have to be
purchased for the same purpose here
after at ten times the amount. 1t will
not be very long before the land which
can now be bought for $4,000 or So, 600
an acre will cost $25, 1000 or $4,000.
In 1909, De Witt Clinton, father of
the Erie canal and founder of New
York's great industries, the most far
sighted man of his day,-laid out q
park area which would, if the same
liberal policy were now carried out.
give us 800 acres for the use and en-
ioyment of fifteen times the number of
inhabitants the city had then. London
has added 1000 acres to her parks in
two years; Berlin has eight acres of
pleasure grounds to our one, and there
is scarcely a city of any size in the Un-
tied States which is not more than our
equal in this respect. 1t cost nearly $780,
600, ZOO to transform the stone heaps,
sand hills, and gullies which once were
the chief features of the locality known
as Central park into place of recrea-
tion for the people. The tract was
known on old maps of the city as ''The
Wilderness" and a desolate spot it
was, indeed. But in the land laid out
by the legislative commission. and
which can be purchased for $4,000 per
acre, no such outlay is necessary, for
these tracts are parks already, with
lakes, woods, and meadows, possess
ing all.the varied features which art
alone cannot supply, but which nature
has provided with lavish hand. In
picturesque beauty these tracts are sur
nassed by the tracts of no other citV in
the world. The Almighty has been
His own landscape gardener here. At
ter having flung away $1,000. 600 as its
share of the expense of building the
Brooklyn bridge for the benefit of
Brooklyn, it is queer to find New York S
rich men higgling over the investment
of So, 600, 600 or $1O.OOO,OoO in public
parks whose real estate will always
have permanent value.-New York
Cor. Philadelphia Record.
The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1884-05-22
Vanderbilt's Barber Shop.

Most of the socialists in this city are
Germans. The socialists believe in the
assassination of monarchs. Our AM
erican monarchs are miflionaires. Will
liam H. Vanderbilt is despotic by two
hundred millions. Still, he lets Ger
man draw keen blade over his throat
every day. There is a quaint and jol-
ly old German, with huge red nose, q
perfectly bald head, and an immense
mustache waxed at the ends, who may
be seen any morning of the year going
down Fifth avenue with the march of q
dissipated Prussian grenadier and the
smile of happy infant. He is gentle
ness itself. Everybody who knows
him calls him Jakey, but he owns the
full name of Jacob Aber. Every morn
ing about 9 o'clock he stops at the
magnificent residence of William H.
Vanderbilt, greets the servant who OPP
ems the door blandly, and goes at once
to Mr.. Vanderbilt's barber-shop.
So much has been written about his
house that it seems hardly as though
anything new could be told, but many
changes take place, and in the south
wing, adjoining Mr.. Vanderbilt's dress
ing room, there has been fitted up q
barber shop. 1t is small, and in the
middle of it barber's chair, made of
dark mahogany and inlaid with moth
er-of-pearl. The base-boards of the
room, the cornices, and the door and
window frames are of the same shade
OF mahogany, and the mother-of-pearl
decoration are identical with those on
the chair. The chair is of the regula-
ton barber-shop pattern. Old Jakey
shaves the two-hundred millionaire,
and then drifts down the avenue, nod
ding gracefully TO the stage drivers,
and giving the occasional policeman
whom he meets the 5th regiment sa-
lutte. He shaves several other wealthy
men on his way down, and finally ends
with Commodore Garrison, on Park
avenue. Then he goes back to his hum
BILE home in the lower Bowery and
smokes a strong German pipe and
plays penuckle with his wife until 5
o'clock in the afternoon. Then he
wanders up town again and visits one
or two old gentlemen who prefer
to be shaved before dinner rather than
in the morning. He returns again to
the Bowery, goes to favorite lager
beer saloon in Roosevelt street, and
sits in one particular chair and at one
particular table every night until IL
O'clock. Then he stalks off to bed. He
is close to 80 years of age, and is said
to be the best barber in New York.
He gets his own price for his work, and
probably has older customers than any
other barber in the world. He shaved
Fernando Wood thirty years.-M. Y.
Cor. atlanta Constitution.
The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1884-05-22
A Bad Tendency in journalism.

Wendell Phillips said: ''We live un-
der government of men and newspa-
pers." To all who recognize the pow
er of the press and love their country
the article of Mr.. E. V. Smalley, the
veteran journalist, in the Manhattan
for April, must have profound interest
1t is entitled, "Recent Tendencies in
American Journalism" and in it Mr..
Smalley laments that ''of late in many
papers there has been a return TO sem
sationalism, not in the old form, but in
a new and worse one; not in headlines,
but in the deterioration of the old stand
ard of the kind of news proper for pub
lication, and the relative degree of i'm
portance to be given to different classes
of news" The metropolitan press
combated ''headline SenSationalism" q
dozen years ago, and Mr.. Smalley ad-
mits that many prominent daily papers
are standing up resolutely against the
present ''sensationalism of crime"
Already there is reaction, and from
all the reputable homes of New York
there comes a demand for cleaner
press, the publication of newspapers
which can safely be admitted to the
family and read aloud at the fireside.
1t took long time for the makers of
newspapers to learn that to a vast null
titude of people the rehearsal of crimes
is not the most valuable feature of q
public journal, but, as in fiction and
the drama, the element of smut and
murder as factor of success is yet
greatly overestimated in the produc-
ton of the average newspaper. A
journal need not be impure to interest,
nor dull in order to instruct.-M Y
Maui and Express.
The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1884-05-22
"Stop Dat Yerlin'."

Old Davy DOVE is an ancient colored
citizen who has probably already scor-i
ed his 100 years. He is yet sprightly
for his age. His business is TO wait
Upon the store of Maj. Wilkins. by
whom he is fed, clothed and cared for. =.
BY some means old Dave came into
possession of q small yearling, which
he determined to break to single har-
ness. After much labor Dave. con-
structed truck wagon with extended
shelves. The next thing was the har-
ness, which was curious .amaigama-,
ton of strings, old pieces of, bagging.
and shuck collar ample enough for an
elephant. 1t was altogether work Of
labor as well as ingenuity; but patience
and perseverance always conquer. and
at last Dave was ready. Slipping away
out of sight, Dave harnessed up his
yearling, proud smile of triumph all
the time wreathing upon the old man s.
dusky features. He led out his calf,
which seemed so gentle that old Dave
was tempted to get into the wagon;
and right here Dave made a mistake
Firmly seated. Dave shook up his
lines and gave the word to 'tgalang."
The calf turned his head for a mo-
ment and viewed his attachments with
a contemptuous leer, and then with a
kick and bleat he started for the
square. Old Dave was upset and roll
ed upon the ground, and the calf dart
ed onward. Dave started to his feet
and shouted for somebody to ''stop dat
yerlin." 1t was no use. The wagon
had come in contact with some obstruc-
ton and was an irreparable wreck,
while calfy turned and looked at the
ruin he had wrought with the compla-
cency of successful candidate in a
country election Waynes6orO (GG.J
Citizen -
The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1884-05-22
Why Bachelors are Abundant.

The announcement that another inn
mense apartment house is to be PLAN
ned exclusively for the convenience of
bachelors must provoke q great deal Of
wonder and indignation among women
that men should find celibacy SO satis-
factory as to be willing to make them
selves permanently comfortable in it.
4 bachelors flat is little, if any
cheaper than one for small family.
and bachelors meals, taken at hotels
and restaurants, cost more money than
would supply a family table for two. or
three; so why, some reasoning girls
ask, should these fellows who seem
so fond of the society of ladies defer
marriageP ..s
If bachelors were to answer they
would probably explain that marriage
means something different from what
it did a very few years ago, when with
as much money as a bachelor now
spends for necessities a family could
live comfortably, dress well. and be in
society," 1t should be needless to re-
mind women that marriage is no cheap
luxury nowadays. To hire house
in good neighborhood now costs what
used to be comfortable living salary;
dress, if the family is in select society,
costs as much more, and so do the sew
eral entertainments that any family of
proper spirit expects to give in the
course of year. Besides these expenses
must be considered the cost of church.
pew, opera-seats, summer jaunt, and
perhaps a carriage; then there are the
commonplace necessities known as
food and servants. ....-r
Every marrying man should, accord
ing to affectionate mammas, be able to
meet all these expenses; every bachelor
with conjugal tendencies would like to,
but not one in fifty is in condition to
try. Some few are SO reckless as to
wed girls rash enough to marry for
love, but they must live either on tho
brides presents or in retirement. So
the bachelor lives in solitude, works
hard, and by the time he is rather old
to marry finds himself rich enough to
take a wife. The bachelor who wants
to marry young must either inherit
money, find rich bride, or wed
country girl and avoid coming to the
city. Hence the abundance of bach
elors.-N y Letter. g.. -....r
The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1884-05-22
The Bottom Sliding Down.

The Mississippi is said to be subject
to new danger. Its bottom is said to
be moving toward the Gulf of Mexico.
OF cotrse not the bottom of the entire
length, but the ooze and mud for many
hundreds of miles, is sliding down, as
it were, and making the river shallow
er at its outlets. Should this continue,
and man be unable to control it, the
river would in time be confined, as
banks would be formed at its mouth.
This would make great lake out of
portions of Louisiana and Texas. OF
course new outlets would be formed,
but in the meantime vast changes
would occur in the Mississippi Valley.
Great cities would be submerged.
Lakes larger than Superior or Ontario
would cover regions now occupied by
farms and towns. Still this need not
concern the present generation. 1t
would take many hundreds, if not
thousands of years to affect these alter
ations, and then, perhaps, mechanical
science and human resources may be so
developed rs to enable man to over
come, or at least modify, the slow OPP
erations of nature.
The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1884-05-22
A Painting.

A little girl went away with her
mother, for a weeks visit in the coun-
try. When they returned she looked
up and down the streets, and at all the
houses, and said:
..Why, the town amt red, is itP''
''Of course not, Fannie. Why do
you ask that question:?
Because, mamma, just before we
started away, l heard papa tell Mr..
Tompkins that he was going to paint
the town red while you were in the
country. guess he must have been
busy and didn't have time to do it.
Don't you suppose SO, mammal
''Yes, dear, I do. "
Then there was long silence.-Mer-
chant Traveller.
The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1884-05-22
to marry. Like Juliet her welded love
was dead, ready for the tomb.

There is a stir in the little town
where Nora Wexford lives, an orphan
now. Captain Vernes has arrived from
Europe to revisit the home of his birth.
His English bride is intelligent and
beautiful-combinatio most rare!
The captain cannot resist a strange
inclination to see once more the woman
he loved. He sees her pass. On her
thin, worn face there is an inexDressi-
BILE sadness. If Richard Vernes loved
her once, his young wife. did she know
all, need not fear; for the eyes that
once looked with love look only with
pity now, and Richard unperceiyed
gazes upon Nora for the last time on
earth.
Unhappy woman, whose foolish pride
blighted thine own life and almost ru-
ined another's! Who cares for thy
pride now? Will it bring the roses to
thy cheeks, the soft light to thine eyes,
the sunshine to thy heart? NeVermore.
Do the people who look on that wreck
cd woman, who gaze on that sad face.
and know that sadder heart, who pity
the blighted life, care for the pride that
caused it all, and that was buried long
ago? Nc. The recollection of tho
pride that ruined her is only q tortur-
ing reminder of the dead past, the
might-have-b been, to
mona WEI FORD
The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1884-05-22
Literary Fellows in Washington

Messrs. Blaine and Cox are only two
of host who are now engaged in liter
ary work in Washington. Proctor
Knott and Ainsworth L. Spotford, the
Librarian of congress, are getting
along very slowly on their history OF
American humor, Mr.. Knott's duties
as governor of Kentucky taking up the
most of his time. Congressman Kas-
son is writing a diplomatic history of
the war. DR.. Loring, the commissioner
of agriculture, is publishing work on
sugar culture in the United States. i.
l.. Stevens, now chief clerk of the In
dian bureau, and, in tho days of Joshua
Giddings, one of the chief abolitionists
of Washington, is writing history OF
the underground railroad, which prom
ises to be full of interesting story and
unknown fact. Col. Charles Lee Jones.
who was one of the seconds in two of
the most noted congressional duels be-
fore the war, is negotiating as to writ
ing book on the ''code of honor and
dueling in the United States" George
Bancroft is just completing his last
edition and his final one OF his great
history, and it will now go forth re-
vised for posterity. Chicago Tribune.
The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1884-05-22
Did Not Want to be Insulted.

1t is almost incredible that SO green
person should exist as man-evi-
dently from Maine-who entered a
cheap eating house in this city few
days ago in quest of dinner. He seated
himself at table and suspiciously re-
viewed the appearance of every man
present, after which, evidently con-
vinced that there were no bunko men
or other sharpers about, he tilted his
hat on the back of his head and await
| ed developments. The walters were
hurrying about, slamming down dishes
and yelling out orders to the kitchen,
and presently one of them came up to
the stranger. ''Roas', beef, roas pork,
boil dinner, ham an eggs, an pork
an beans,' said the waiter with the
speed of lightning and the expression
of q phonograph. The Maine man
looked at him and grinned. "Oh, go
way" he said; ''what do you take me
for?" The waiter stared and went
away accordingly. Presently another
one came and went through the same
formula. Cit aeout!" roared the
guest, 'an lemme alone, won't yerm
and this serving man also retired. A
third and fourth tried conclusions
with him with equal success, and when
the last one went away baffied the
Maine man was seen to be mad clean
through. He arose and marched up to
the counter and said to the proprietor
at the desk: LOCKER here! l come in
here to get some dinner, an can
pay for it too, an don't you forgit it.
But don't mean to be insulted. If
you've got any grub here why don't
your walters trot it out, an what do
they mean by yellin' off a lot of heather
gibberish in mans ear? Do they
think I'm blamed foolp You may go
to thunder with your old hash house;
there's places in Boston where a man
can come in an be treated like gen.
tlcman, l guessr" and he strobe out
and slammed the door after him. And
to this time the restaurant keeper and
his walters have not found out what the
row was all about - Boston Journal
The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1884-05-22
Ell Mehdi, the False Prophet.

Dr. Irwin B. Tenny, widely travel
ed and highly cultured gentleman Of
Baltimore, Md, who has been visiting
for some weeks with friends in Kansas
City, is perhaps the only American
who ever saw Ell Mehdi. Said DR.. Ten
ny yesterday: Il saw him in 1878, be-
fore he was heard of outside his own
province, and shall never forget the
profound impression he made upon Inc.
it was one evening. while l was near
SEMINAR, travelling with Rufoh, my in
terpreter. Ell Mehdi was then man
of. should judge, 33 or 81, and al
though he stood some six feet high he
was so spare doubt if he would have
weighed over 130 pounds. His COM
plexion was dark olive. his beard coal
black and his eyes deep set and pierre
ing. His bearing was severe, and there
was undeniably that intangible some-
thing called magnetism about the man.
He was clothed in simply white tunic
that left the arms partly exposed, and
fell from a belt ut the waist straight to
the feet. Around his head was many
folded tunic.
The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1884-05-22
Curious Work of a Stream.

The vagaries of a river-the Recca,
of Hungary-are described in recent
publication as follows: A chalk FORM
alton nearly 400 feet high crosses the
river bed. The water has overcome
this wall and eaten way through. 1t
passes chimney-shaped shaft in this
mountain which extends to the top of
the mountain and has an opening 80
feet in diameter. After another hum
dred yards the stream crosses the floor
of doline (or sirkhole) 400 feet broad
and then, after crossing Il narrow ledge
enters the great do.iTe of st. Canzian.
Here the steep, frequently impending.
rocks on three sides foIm gigantic
kettle, the western wall of which fails
perpendicularly more than 800 feet.
On the southern side turf-covered
slope desccnds toward the bed of the
river, to end abruptly in a precipice of
nearly 250 feet. Having twice bored
the hills for relatively short distances,
the Recca continues its course till it
meets the rock-wall third time and
exeavates a third subterranean chan
mel, this time of thirty-tive kilometres,
or twenty-five miles. This is the Recca
Cave proper, and from it the stream
emerges near San Giovanni di Duino
into the important river, through q
short one, the Timavo, the mystery of
the origin of which has been solved by
this tracing of the course of its main
affluent.
The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1884-05-22
For His Mothers Sake.

Edward King tells one of the most
delightful anecdotes of Carlyle yet put
forth. That portentous pseudo-philOs-
opher, Mallock, called on the old
Scotchman and let himself loose, talk
ing Carlyle almost to death. Carlyle
listened imperturbably, invited him TO
tea and had him to smoke in the Ii
brary afterward. When at last the
youthful sage thought proper to take
his leave Carlyle accompanied him to
the door and said: ''Well, good-byes
I've received ye kindly because Knew
your mother. but | never want to set
eyes on ye asainG, e<e-s-cre
The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1884-05-22

The inscription under Longfellow's
bust in Westminster Abbey, says re-
cent London letter, displays the usual
serene British ignorance of American
geography, describing the poet as born
o.at Portland, United States of Ameri-
ca" and dying "at Cambridge. United
States of America" Which one of the
dozen or more Portlands there are in
this country, or which one of the half
dozen towns named Cambridge, will.
perhaps, puzzle some of the foreign
observers of the inscription, ,-BoSto's
IraVsLer, rz---