Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1885-07-09

eVerytnlng," IS remark frequently ludue
when scholarly man is under discussion.
How absurd such statement is will appear
when the fact is mentioned that in the Con-
over 6OO,0 900 volumes. If they were placed
side by side they would fill a shelf fifty
miles long. If a man started to read this
collection at the rate of one volume a day,
it would take him / $50 years to get through.
And while the man would be at work on
this vast library the printers would be turn
ing out more than $4,000 new books year.
From these figures it will be seen that
it is idle to think of reading everything,
or even to read all the best books. The
greatest readers among our distinguished
men have had their favorite books which
they read and reread. Certain books in
our language are called classics. They are
models of style and full of ideas and illus
trations. Modern writers 60 to these old
authors and get Jumps Of solid gold which
they proceed to beat out very thin. Why
should we take the gold leaf article when
we can 90 to the original mines and get
solid nuggets The old novels are the best.
The old poets have not been equalled. Too
many of our new books are written hastily
to sell. They are of an inferior quality and
cannot profit us in any way. A man, there
fore, need not be ashamed to say that he
ty new books appear every day it is impossi-
bic to read them all-Atlant0 Constitution.
SOUND OF A BATTLE.-The incident
connected with the fight between the iron
clads in Hampton Roads, Virginia, related
by General Colston, where the power of
the wind was sufficient to carry all sounds
of the conflict away from the people stand
ing in plain sight Of it recalls several SINH
10, ;,c hot wit in
perience, said an officer, while serving with
an army operating along the seacoast of the
Southern States during the war. At the
bombardment of the Confederate works at
Port Royal, South Carolina, in November,
1861, the transport my regiment was on lay
near enough in shore to give us fine view
of the whole battle but only in some tenn
porary lull of the wind we heard the faintest
sound of the firing. The day was pleas
ant one and the wind did not appear to be
unusually strong; but l noticed then and
afterWard that a breeze on the coast down
that way was very different from the erratic
gusts and flaws l have been used to in New
England States, the whole atmospheres SEEM
inc to move in a body, giving sound no
chance to travel against it, but carrying it
immense distances to the leeward. Peo-
pie living at st. Augustine, Florida, told me
afterward that the Port Royal cannonade
was heard at that place, 15O miles from
where the fight took place.
A portion Of the siege batteries at Morris
Island, S. c., were not more than two miles
from our camp, but at times the firing from
them and the enemy's replies could only y be
heard very family even at that short dis
tance, while at others, when the wind blew
from the opposite direction, the sounds were
as sharp and distinct as if the battle were
tolinr nIopa within q few rods of us
How He GOT EVEN WITH THE Town.
Edmund Dorr was an oddity who lived in
the suburbs of Hallowell, Me-, half CEN
tury ago. On the 14th day of February he
logged into town on his horse sled and was
arrested for violating city ordinance re-
quiring all sleighs to have bells attached.
the Peace and fined. He paid his fine, but
swore he would have revenge. And on
every 14th day Of February for twelve
years, says writer in the HalloWell Reg
ister, Dorr made an annual visit to Halo
we'll, seated in an ancient cutter and driv-
ing ringboned mare, to whose harness
nearly two hundred jangling bells of all
sizes and degrees of discord we're fastened:
There were Sleigh bells and cow bells and
dinner bells and all sorts of bells on the rig
ging and the old man made as much COM
He repeated this performance annually till
he died, and took grim satisfaction in thus
squaring his account with the city that
had fined him.
TELEpHoNEs.-To make good and SER
viceable telephone, good from one farm
house to another, only requires enough
wire and two cigar boxes, and make hole
about half an inch in diameter in the CEN
two of Io Of then nIHpa
one in each of the houses you wish to con-
nect then get five pounds of common iron
stove-pipe wire and make a loop in one
end, and put it through the hole OF your
cigar box and tasten it with nail; and
draw it tight to the other box, supporting it
when necessary with a stout cord. You
can easily run your line into the house by
boring a hole through the glass. Support
your boxes with Stats nailed across the win
dow and your telephone is complete. The
writer has one that is two hundred yards
long and cost fortty-five cents, that will
carry music when the organ splayed thirty
feet away in another room.
aaza Use of fire in the preparation of food
is peculiar to man, who has been called the
cooking animal" A few of the strictly
herbivorous and carniverous animals have
shown a capacity for changing their diet.
mus, lne nOTSc auu COW llldy De DTOuSuG
to eat fish and flesh; the sea birds can be
habituated to grain cats are fond of alga-
tor pears, and dogs take naturally to plan
tain. Certain animals, in passing from the
young to the mature state, make a remark
able change of food thus the tadpole feeds
upon vegetable matter, but when it becomes
frog it lives on insects.
s6n Men are like wagons-they rattle pro-
digiOuSlY when there is nothing in them