The Londonderry sifter. (South Londonderry, Vt.) 1883-19??, 1885-06-25
TOPICS OF THE DAY.

TOPICS OF THE DAY.
Japan, which quarter Of century
ago was shut up against the world, is
now educating seventy-five per cent. Of
its children in modern public schools,
and has just sent commissioner to
this country to study American rail-
way methods.
To those who remember the old
grist mill, with its single or double run
of stone, its lazy wheel, and the miller
who was boss and all hands, the feat
of one of the great Minneapolis mills
in turning out 6,200 barrels of -four in
one day seems to mark as great an ad-
vance in mechanical appliances and
business enterprise as can be shown in
any manufactures. .....
1t is said that the permanence Of the
California mountain forests is serious
ly threatened by the herds Of sheep
and cattle which are driven into the
mountains every year to Craze. From
the foothills to the highest meadows
every blade of herbage and every seed
ling. shrub, and tree is devoured.
Young trees are barked and ruined,
and the roots of grasses are trodden
out by the hoofs of animals. The life
of any forest in which all young trees
are destroyed is limited to the life of
the full grown trees which compose it.
Under the Mexican law a creditor
can have debtor arrested on the day
when the debt falls due. The prisoner
is chained to a post five days, guarded
by an officer. At the end of the time
if the money is not forthcoming, the
mans labor is sold to the government
for forty cents day for as many days
as will be necessary to discharge the
obligation. The miserable debtor Is
sent to the silver mines, where he Is
chained to gang of felons and COM
PEELED to work underground. He sleeps
underground and never sees daylight
again until he is restored to freedom.
The interest of the sporting world
of Paris is at present divided between
horse and balloon races, and so general
does the new sport threaten to become
that the Parisians will soon be no
more astonished at seeing number Of
balloons above their heads than they
would be if the air-ships were so many
pigeons. ) 'ntors are hard at work
| On improve ons, and among such
, the assses.. - ,elty, which is at present
| being privately trained, but will
shortly appear in public, is furnished
with a pair Of wings worked by an
electric motor. This balloon is an
nounced to be able to hold its own
against violent current of air, and
aeronauts and their friends are looking
forward to its first appearance with
considerable interest. An aerial race
meeting. it is predicted, will be fix
ture long before aerial navies take to
"grappling in the central blue"
The Cooper Union, New York,
is doing good work in educating and
improving the young people of that
city. An abstract of the last annual
report shows that during the year
there were 4,20S pupils in its schools.
OF this number 531 attended the In
dustrial Art Glasses for Young Women
in the day time. including the classes
AUTOBIOGRAPHY and telegraphy. More
than 100000 persons have used the
reading room during the year, and
nearly 100000 books have been lent to
readers to take to their homes. The
evening art schools are largely attend
ed, and there are also scientific classes
which pursue regular course Of
study extending over period of Ave
years. Thanks to the benefaction Of
Its founder, the Cooper Union appears
to be doing larger share of this
useful kind of free educational work
than any other institution in the coun.
try.
The Magenta was very fine new
steamer, built of steel according t.
Lloyd's rules, we'll equipped, wei
found, and all recent improvement:
adopted to facilitate her carrying ou
the work for which she was built
viz: cable repairing, being we believe
the last addition to the fleet of steam
ers belonging to the Eastern extension
Australasia and China Telegraph
Company, specially designed for cabl'
work. She left the Thames early ir
March Con her maiden voyage) e'
route for Singapore, and has not been
sighted or heard of since she left tn
channel, one of her small boats having
been picked up about 200 miles of
Cape Finisterre. The unsinkabl,
ship remains still to be invented
Everything about vessel has beel
greatly improved, but the art of keep
pfoat 10 yot in ito infancy