davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1884-03-06
City Work for Country Girls.

An exchange, the name of which
cannot at this moment be recalled to
memory, lately urged girls living in
the country to stay at or near home,
where they and their special fitness for
some line of work are we'll known, and
to not allow any hopes of q bright fu-
ture to lead them to 90 to the city to
seek employment. The wisdom of this
advice will not for an instant be doubt
ed by any acquainted with the truth
about life in the cities. In Chicago,
for example, while there is vast
amount of work to do, and the wages
paid to some for doing work which
young woman in the country believes
she can do as well as anybody seem to
be large, it should not be forgotten
that there is vast number of people
accustomed to such work, and that
wages which would in the country,
with its cheap food and light expenses,
be an ample income will in the city be
barely enough to pay absolutely neces-
sarY expenses.
Competition among wage-workers in
any large city is very keen, and must
continue to be SO as long as people can
be induced, by the vague hope of sud-
denly becoming rich, to desert the
pure and healthful life of the country
for the town. Even in Chicago, where
domestic servants have usually been in
demand, there are more applicants
than there are places. In the country
this is seldom the ease. Farmers wives
can seldom secure help in the house,
except in those rare cases when she
can coax the daughter of some neigh
Dor to demean herself so far as to help
for a few days as a personal favor.
But it is not likely that one American
girl in a hundred who starts for the
city to earn her living has a thought of
going into a family as q domestic.
They cannot think of becoming q SER
want in a household where they would
be sure of good safe shelter, of surplus
income, and of some degree of atten-
ton if sickness should come upon
them; but they are willing enough to
drudge for the owner of some office, or
store, or shop where the wages will no
more than pay for food and lodging.
There are in this, rs in most large
cities, thousands of girls whose parents,
living in the city, are glad to have
them work, even if they can do no
more than pay for the clothes they
wear No doubt there are now at
work in this city many young women
who spend for clothing and adOrnment
all they earn. Their parents give them
q home, and will until some man sees
about the girl something which makes
him think he would like to paw her
board, and she thinks she would be
glad to exchange her Old employer and
a stated sum per week for new master
and whatever money she can coax or
drive him into giving her. Against
the competition OF girls who live at
home and can have the use Of all their
earnings what hope is there for the
stranger who must pay for food, Iodg-
ing, and every other eXpenses?-C hica-
go Tribune.
Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1884-03-06
Three Dozen SuIIiVans Routed.

A young man with q mouth of pheno-
menal width tied string to an iron
railing in lower Broadway the other
afternoon. Then he took from q box
on the sidewalk two wooden figures of
men, one dressed in red trunks and
the other in blue. The man wound
the string around the arms and then
twisted the disengaged end about the
the finger, yanked it, and, opening to
the widest limit his marvellous mouth,
bawled: Here you are; Sullivan and
Wilson smuggling with bare knuckles.
An exhibition Of Boston art for dime.
Who wants a little private Sullivan for
the parlor?''
The figures danced on the cover of
the box, and pitched into each other
for all the world like two pugilists.
The spectators grew to a crowd, and
the big-monthed mans pocket was fill
ing with small coin when a policeman
whirled around the corner and yelled
at the man:
Hi, you, jest take them jumpin'
jacks and git out, or I'll run yer in. ="
The big-mouthed man speedily gath
cred up his wooden prize fighters, and,
glancing furtively at the club, muttered:
Talk about Sullivans? Here's three
dozen Sullivans knocked out by one
cop. "--Net0 York Sun.
Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1884-03-06
Advice to Swearers.

Nobody cares for the swearing of an
habltual swearer. His volleys of pro-
family have no terror in them. They
mean nothing. 1t is the man who never
sWears who scares you out of your
boots if once in q Lifetime he does swear.
80 lar as we can learn Washington on
~ sWore once during the eight years of
the revolutionary war. But that one
time counted. 1t turned back the tide
OF retreat, changed route into a vic
tory, and made things hum. But the
fellow who swears on all occasions, and
sWears hot and cold with the same
mouth, the intellectual pauper who
ekes out his barren supply of ideas with
an abundant crop of profanity, whose
conversation is long chain of mill
privileges, and who talks as q beaver
works. his swearing is weak, tiresome,
disgusting. So, if you want to swear
with any effect, my boy. be very sell
dom about it. Be exclusive in your
profanity. If you can't get along with
out it bring it out occasionally like the
rare old family diamonds; don't keep
1t running six or eight hours day like
the kitchen hydrant.
And-yOu won't be offended, my son
but if you will observe closely you
will perceive that young men, boys,
dedghngs of about your age, swear
more than men-more frequently, more
awkWardly, with less point and direc-
ton. A man becomes ashamed of it.
1t belongs to the cigarette and matinee
period of life, my boy. 1t is habit
that tlourishes in the bread-and-butte
days, along somewhere between the
high-school and college, and while the
blue ribbon on the diploma is bright.
1t belongs to what Puck so aptly calls
the ''unsalted generations" the fresh
young men. So put it away and put
on manly airs.
know some good men, some of the
best in the world, who will confound it
and even dog-gone it, and even in New
England deacon has been known I'M
der q terrible strain to condemn"
But as rule, my son, don't do it.
Don't swear. 1t isn't an evidence of
smartness or worldly wisdom. Any
fool can swear. And good many fools
do it. I. my son? All, if you could
only gather up the useless, uncalled
for, ineffective swears l have dropped
along the pathway of my life, know
would remove stumbling blocks from
many inexperienced feet, and my heart
would be lighter by ton than it is
to-day. But if you are going to be a
fool just because other men have been,
my son, what hopeless fool you will
be.-R j. B1rdette.
Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1884-03-06
Royalty and COmmOners.

The relations between royal person
ages and literary men have always
been unconventional. There is q story
now going about that the laureate,
meeting the Princess of Wales and her
sister, the Empress of Russia, frankly
explained his difficulty to them, and
said he did not know what to call
them. The princess replied, ''Why,
Minnie and Alec, of course" That is
the story, and it probably is only
story. Carlyle's unconyentionality
seems to have more ground for Gre
dence He had an interview with her
majesty, and the position of Prussia as
a European power came up for discus
sion. The queen has q well known
aversion to sit down. Carlyle was &C
custOmed to sit and talk, and, perhaps,
little to dogmatize. Il think, your
majesty, as this is likely to be a big
subject, we had better be seated before
we discuss it. The queen sat and
listened, and was delighted with the
historian. But then Carlyle had a
frankness about him that may have
been relief after so many courtiers.
hear that the young prince at Oxford
is winning golden opinions amongst
his fellow-students, though his igno-
rance. about common life and early his
tory has considerably surprised his tu-
tor. | am told that it was necessary to
explain to him the existence of a dog
tax as a source of national revenue,
and of the Magma Charta as one of the
great factors in the working Of the con-
stitution. Outside the limits of this
book-room his knowledge seems to be
more extensive. When he got on the
river he sought to show new stroke
to fellow-student. That undergradu-
ate was not respectful to his prince.
You teach your grandmother to"
The speaker did not finish the sentence,
remembering who that august relative
actually was.
Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1884-03-06
The Wealth of America.

A supplement to BrGdStreet'S contains
some interesting information, obtained
from advance proofs of the census vol
ume relating to wealth and manufact-
ures, now in press. In 1880 the total
number of traders in business, or rath-
er of business enterprises, was 7O3. 32S.
The commercial houses and manufact-.
uring firms had capital invested of
So, 334, 533, 1913; real estate, $2,911, 417,-
515; total wealth, including capital in
vested, personal property and real
estate, $7,019, 260, 812. The capital paid
in of Incorporated manufacturers was
1914, 666, 335; real estate, including
fixed machinery, $457, 81, 529; total
wealth, 81, 158, 245, O20. The grand to-
tai of the wealth of the two classes
enumerated is So, III, sos, 1862
The aggregate wealth of the United
States January 1, 1880, was $43, 642,-
900, 900, of which SO, 1877, 100000 or
nearly one fourth, is in farms. The
value of household furniture, paintings,
books, clothing, jewelry, household
supplies of food, fuel, ETC., is put down
at $4,000, 10000. At first glance this
seems large, but when it is remember
ed that there are about 10000, 900 fam
lilies in the country, and this would
allow an average of but $500 for each,
the estimate appears moderate rather
than excessive.
The other items which 90 to make
up the total are: Residence and bust
ness real estate, capital employed in
business including water power, &c.
$50, 100000; railroad and equipment,
SIS, $50, 900, 900; live stock, farming tools
and machinery, $2,406, 100000; mines
and supply of product on hand, $780,
0OO coo; average supply of agriculture
and manufactured products on hand,
Sc, 100, 600, 900; churches, schools, asy-
lums, public buildings of all kinds, and
other real estate exempt from taxation,
$2,000 10000 specie, $612, 900, 900;
miscellaneous items, including tools OF
mechanics, $3.50, 000,0 900.
Of the aggregate capital, equal to
$8,177, sos, 1862, invested in industry
and commerce in 1880, over one-fifth,
or 81, 1922, 000 900, was the share OF
New York; Massachusetts was second,
with $1,041, 900, 900; Pennsylvania third
with 1867, 100000; Ohio fourth, with
$595, 000 900; Illinois fifth, with $780,
100000, and Michigan sixth, with $780,
900, 900, Connecticut being seventh,
with 1926, 100000, California, Missouri
and Maryland following next in order
and being the only other states with
over 5000, 000,0 900 each.
Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1884-03-06
Mr.. Watterson on Eggnog.

Some cranky Virginian, century or
two ago, betook himself to the prepa-
ration of a new beverage, but somehow
he became mixed in his calculations as
he proceeded, and produced q SOUP
He pronounced it good, and called it
eggnOg. We classify eggnog among
the soups adTisedly, for it hath a due
consistency, a rich amount of animal
nutrition, and withal the process of
cooking is involved, for, as the raw Ii
quor of concoction, whether whisky,
brandy, or rum, is poured into the cold
conglomerate of beaten eggs, it imme-
diately cooks them. No drink is richer
or more generous than this soup in res
pect to its immediate effect on the pal
ate, and none is more insidious and
tricky when it gets in its work upon
the interior Yiscera and gizzard. 4
hot internecine feud promptly arises
between the several incompatible in
gradients, and they proceed to dissolve
partnership, each element-the whisky,
the eggs, the sugar, and the milk-set-
ting up business on its own account
The result is confusion and chaos. The
liver and the lights also become in
volVed in the Generalization in the
neighborhood, and ultimately the blood
and the nerve centers. The patient, in
fact, falls into stage in which he
would be liable to be called drunk or
dinarily, though, in fact, he is merely
the victim of overlooking on most
treacherous soup. There have been
more useful inventions than this soup,
but we would not censure the inventor.
Louisville Courier-J Journal.
Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1884-03-06

are comparatively few, and the cases
where this fish bodily attacks the swim
mer are infrequent. That sharks are
cowardly when numbers OF persons are
about, the writer can aver, having often
dived into the water with others in the
South, where a few moments before
large thirteen-foot sharks were seen
swimming by. In the Pacific and Aus
tralian waters accidents are sometimes
heard of, and shark taken from the
latter locality measured thirty-six and
one-half feet; its jaws are now in the
cabinet of the British Museum, and
would easily take in man entire. One
of these monsters examined by Bennett,
the naturalist, at Botany Bay, had near
ly an entire horse in its capacious
stomach"
They are making great fuss in Iowa
over an old lady of 90, who has total
posterity of 215 descendants, among
which are included 153 great-grand-
children. We are pleased to hear from
Iowa on this subject, but we can not
avoid telling them in Marion county
that they are foolish to brag about a
little family OF 215. We have a veneer
aDle 1ndGTOn ndIueu LIIZdpeGH 1EuelOYe
Squiffies, now residing in San Juan
Capistrano, who is 1O3 years old and
has had % children, all of whom are
alive and married, and have given to
the census 276 children, all of whom are
married and have registered 1912 boys
and girls, mostly boys. These in turn
have married and are now the proud
mothers and fathers of 80, 744 babies,
all doing well and working at different
trades. In California we are not hunt
ing any Lilliputian stories about a
total posterity'' of 215 descendants
San Francisco NeUS Letter.
Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1884-03-06
Reluctance to Make Wills.

1t is curious the antipathy which
some people, however regular and
methodical they may be in other mat
tiers, have TO making their wills. The
more money they have to leave, the
more averse they seem TO be 10 do that
which ought TO be a matter of duty;
but no, they put it off from day to day
until the last dread moment comes, and
then often it is too late. A man in
health and strength seldom or ever
thinks of death, but always as if he had
years of life before him. So he may,
but he may be shot down by drunken
loafer or run over by wagon in cross
ing the street. If he has made his will
he is, so far as worldly affairs are con-
cerned, prepared to quit; but if he has
not, what endless worry and annoy
ance may he not leave behind him?
Jim Fisk, with all his millions to leave,
never made his will until he lay bleed
ing to death on 4 sofa in the Grand no.
tel, New York, and it was then written
on a half sheet of note paper. The
writer once had occasion TO 90 to doc
tors commons to look at 4 will. II
was easily found, rs he knew the year
and the day of the death, but what sur
prised him was that the will was dated
only the day before the mans death.
This was curious from the fact that the
testator had been a lawyer, and one of
the most exact and punctilious in his
profession-one who had probably
drawn up hundreds of wills for clients.
and had advised MANY hesitating ones
to make their wills. And yet, although
he had great wealth to dispose of, for
years he had put off doing that which
he had advised others not to delay in
until the day before his death. To
make matters worse, he had drawn the
will himself, and, although man of
great experience, he had drawn it so
ambiguously that it gave rise to long
and costly litigation. Another case of
putting off" was that of man whose
only child. a daughter, had married
against his wishes. He had driven her
from home and resolved to leave all his
wealth to distant relative. He, how
ever, delayed making his will, as he
was hale and hearty. One day he had
a stroke of paralysis, and at once sent
for his lawyer to draw out his will.
This was done, but before he could sign
it he had a second stroke, and although
his mind was active his hand refused TO
hold the pen, and he died with the will
unsigned Cincinnati Enquirer
Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1884-03-06
IndeciSiOn.

There is such thing in the conduct
of life as too much caution. One man
will spend a long time considering
which of two open courses of action is
the better for him TO take, and will at
last take neither; another man will
quickly decide upon one course of i'm
mediate action, and having completed
that task, Will attack and finish a sec
ond while the blood of the less positive
fellow is ssagnating in cautious mac
tivity. 1t is not always an easy thing
10 draw the line between due consider
ing and undue considering before ac-
tlOn; but when one sees that his lack of
swift decision is about to close all OPP
portunlties of action against him he
las reason to feel that his immediate
duty IS decision rather than delibera-
ton, for it is much better to do the les
ser OF two things than to do nothing at
all.
Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1884-03-06

please, sir, said the bell-boy to a
Texas MOTEL clerk, number forty says
there amt no towel in his room"
Tell him to use one of the window
curtains. He says, too, there amt
no pillers.'' Tell him to put his coat
and vest under his head" 'sAnd he
wants pitcher of water" Suffering
Cyrus But he's the worst kicker l
ever struck in my life. Garry him up
the horse pail. " ''He wants to know
if he can have light" Here, con-
found him! Give him this lantern,
and ask him if he wants the earth, and
If he'll have it fried on only one side or
turned over?"-TeTas Siittings.
Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1884-03-06

General Newton was vexed at the
neglect Of Congress to appropriate mon
ey year ago for the explosion which is
to clear He'll Gate of the distractions
which now imperil navigation, and
President Arthur has sent q special
message to Congress to recommend
that money to complete the great work
be Immediately appropriated. The
press of all the cities concerned in the
shipping of the Sound ought to endorse
the recommendation and urge its adop-
ton. In September, 1876, an expIo-
sion removed the worst of the He'll
Gate Instructions, but since then Gen
eral Newton has honeycombed several
acres beneath Flood Rock with CALLER
les, and $50, ZOO is needed to complete
the excavation and $4,000 for the f.
nal explosion. 1t costs $50, 900 a year
10 pump the galleries.
Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1884-03-06
n Hartford Boys Dead Sure Bets.

For several months Messenger, the
druggist, has been selling a safety
match with an unpronounceable name.
1t is a good match, but he failed to see
why certain newsboy needed so many
the urchin turning up every day or two
and buying a couple of boxes. To ap-
preciate the point it must be noted that
the box has two friction sides, on which
alone the match will ignite. The other
day the clerk asked the boy what use
he made of the matches and elected
the following: ''WeU, sor, 1 buys them
matches and | takes that thing off
(pointing TO the igniting strip and
pins it on my clothes, Then | bets the
boys they can't light the matches ex-
cept on the box, an wins. Then l
bets them l can, and I reaches down
where that is pinned and l strikes it on
my clothes and lights it The urchin
stated that his revenue from this little
scheme was about 81 cents a day
Hartford Herald
Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1884-03-06

The Marquis Tso Tsung Tang, the
recently appointed Imperial Commits
sioner for the conduct Of affairs on the
Tonquin frontier, is 70 years old, but
looks much younger. He is short, cor
pulent and commonplace, with crafty
black eyes, and a thin, gray black mus
tache dropping over firm, almost cruel,
mouth. He is hostile to foreigners, but
treats visitors with kindness.
Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1884-03-06

William H. VanderbiIt's art gallery
is more pleasing to persons of merely
general culture than to those connois-
seurs whose technical judgment has
disapproved of it. The pictures are
all modern, and generally French, and
the subjects show plainly that the
buyer endeayored to collect pleasing
art objects rather than merely fine
ones
Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1884-03-06

According to the figures of the 40
rlcultural Department, the averaSe
yield of wheat per acre in the United
States IN 1888 was lis bushels, and of
corn, 22.7 bushels.
Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1884-03-06

Forty of the students of the Texas
University are women.
The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1884-04-10
Passage of'the Educational Bill.

The bill introduced by Senator Blair, of
New Hampshire, providing for national
aid to the Public Schools, passed the
Senatein modified form on Monday last,
by a vote Of 80 to IL, all Of. the votes
against it except two being Democratic, Mr..
.Bayard leading the opposition.
: The bin as 1t passed appropriates ST.
0OO, 900 to be distributed among the States
in proportion to their lliteracy on the ba-
sis Of the census of 1880, the payments of
the money to extend over series of eight
years. The amount to be distributed the
first year is 81 ,00O. 600 the second, O,OOO,-
600; the third, ST., OO0,0 900; the sums then
diminishing at the rate of $4,000 900 until
the eighth year when all appropriations
shall cease.
The original bill provided for an appro-
priation of $105, 900, extending over a
series of ten years. The measure from it's
inception met with the most bitter oppo-
sition from the Democrats, notwithstand-
ing the fact that the larger part of the
money will be paid by the North and the
South will receive four-fifths of it. Vir-
ginia's proportion the first year will be
nearly half-million dollars, whilst in the
third year the State will be entitled to over
one million.
The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1884-04-10


with the management OF our State cum
paigns, with the single exception of his
said visit to Boston lie has. therefore.
no just grounds to appear before the public
in the role of martyr.
AS to our receipts and disbursements
court and earnestly desire the most com
plete and fullest investigation. Captain
Rives, or any other member OF the Com
mittee, can with pleasure at any time eS-
anime our accounts. Indeed, have been
anxious for the Democrats in Congress, or
the Legislature, to order an investigation.
whereby full disclosures would be made,
being confident that such showing would
astonish our political opponents, and do
great good to our cause. 1t would amaze
all to know how little we have received,
and at what trifiing expense our campaigns
nave been conducted. Yours truly,
JAS. d. BRADY.