Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1885-04-24
IN GENERAL.

south, carry a rabbits foot for charm.
ornamental parlor lamps to burn kerosene
and econces 10 burn candles are largely taking
the place of gas in fashionable houses.
1t is stated that twenty two daughters at
the present moment live with their father,
George Riddle, in Carroll county, Missouri.
The railroads carried last year 100, 900
passengers from ocean to ocean, while 1000
went from New York to San Francisco by
water.
Bob Hamill, the author Of the anti-treat-
! ing law, was arrested in Wells, Nevada, on
the 25th ult., for violating it. He was released
on his own recognizance.
A room at Harvard is decorated with the
handkerchiefs snatohed by the Harvard boys
in the Blaine torchlight procession from the
hands of the girls on the sidewalk.
There is a salt lake In Hidalgo county,
| Texas, which is one mile in length, Eve miles
in circumference, and from three TO four feet
deep. Its bed consists Of crystals Of pure
salt.
"A very large boulder. Weighing probably
ten tons, rolled down the mountain near Great
Darlington, Mass, the other night. The &C.
lectmen next day nd it removed, useing dyn-
amite
Travelling mesmersts are said to be &C.
companied by subjects who have been trained
to resist the ordinary tests of burning and
prickinR, and can thus simulate the hypnotic
sleep. They are known to the professional
mesmerist as "horses."
Kansas editors excel in the selection of
eccentric names for their papers. TIE Prairie
| Dog, the Astonisher, and the Para, are
already in existence, and now pap is to be
started in Thomas county which will bs called
| the Thomas Cat.
The Baltimore & Ohio railroad has re-.
Gently instituted plan by which bright boys
| from the families Of their employees shall be
trained at their shops at Mt. Glare in prao-
tical mechanical and railroad engineering
| course.
That pegged shoes and boots are still quite
extensively used might be inferred from the
fact that peg manufacturing company at
Bartlett, N. H., is turning out the little wood
en- articles at the rate of eighteen hundred
bushels a day and has orders on hand that
will require several months TO fill.
Nearly 100 sheep we're killed near Port
land, Or, recently, by falling over precipice.
The shepherd was getting flock Of several
hundred into night quarters, when panic
star, ed and many of them started on q run
towards high bluff, over which the animals
went before the stampede could be checked.
"A fire in an Iowa church was extinguished
| in novel manner by quick -witted druggist.
The FIRE was raging in the floor under the
| jois,s, and no water was at hand. He quick
| ly mixed up pailful of common soda in 8
lot of sulphurio acid and poured ii down.
Sufficient gas was generated to Immediately
e1tingush the flames.
Little street colored girls in Washington
are taught to cook in a model kitchen fur
nished with gas and oil stoves and arranged
with all conveniences. Mrs. Edmunds Mrs.
Bancroft Davis and Mrs. Stanton are among
those ladies interested in the charity. In Bos-
ton the girls at the North End are given op.
portunity of becoming good housekeepers.
"A Dead wood miner skeptical as to the
ability and honesty of the asssyers in that
locality, pulveTized an old jug, mixed it with
graphite, and took it to Deadwood assayer.
Another portion he gave to Lead City assay
er. The Deadwood authority reported thirty
| ounces of silver per ton, and the Lead City
expert gave 80 per ton in gold and no silver
as the result of his Investigations.
Cut steel nails appear destined to super
sede the ordinary common iron cut nails as
completely as the modern pointed screw nail
has the old-fsshioned blunt screw nail. The
cost of the steel cut nail is not much more
than that of the iron cut nails and in quality
and finish they are fully equal to the best
handmade nails. 1t is surprising that they
are not more generally known to wood work
ers.
The italian peasant believes that his OIL
i've branch given him by the church on Palm
Sunday will heal sickness and preserve from
all dangers. A poor, sick man, whose bed
was surrounded by the "blessed" olive and
candles Of last year was asked well, have
they cured you ?" "No, Signor, but matters
might have been worse bat for them. As to
the candles, they are guard against thunder; /;
light them when storm comes and all is safe.
In Japan earthquakes have had a very
noticeable influence in determining the nature
of the buildings. Architecture, as understood
in other parts Of the world, may be said TO
have hardly any existence there. In CON-
squence of the FIRE Ient shaking TO which the
houses are subjected it is said that the great
city of Yeddo has to be practically rebuilt on
an average every seven years. Fire almost
invariably follows great earthquake in japan.
The mouth Of the Mississippi has cost
millions from first to last. 1t is O greedy
mouth and will swallow greenbacks about as
rapidly as they can be printed. With all the
money spent on this great stream, it appears
that there is now imminent danger a. the de-
Ascton OF the river into Bayou AtcnafAlaya,
by which it would reach the Gulf very much
sooner than at present. This would ruin
New Orleans, leaving her high and dry as an
inland town, and some of the richest territory
OF Louisiana would also be permanently SUBJ
merged.
1t is certain that great amount of fet-
shism prevails in China. Near Pekin, few
miles from the walls on the east, is an enor-
nous tree, which fell more than two oentu-
ries ago, and which has boen there ever since.
It is called the divine tree and q temple has
been erected for its worship. The people
believe a spirit lives in or near the tree, and
should be worshipped from motives Of pru-
dence. The immense size of the tree is the
result Of the spirits energy. 1t is believed
it could not have grown SO large without .
divinity.
The ceremony of washing the feet Of
twelve old men is performed with admirable
dignity by the Emperor of Austria. Accord
ing to an observer, long white cloth is
spread over the ~ old men, covering them
from the lap downward, and pages stopped
to take off a shoe aud stocking from one
foot of each man. Agolden basin, jug and
towels were next brought, and the Emperor,
kneeling, poured a little water over every
mans foot and then dried the foot with =
towel. In this way he moved down the line,
not rising from his knees until he had reach
ed the end.
Queen Victoria fulAls the biblical descrip-
tion of taking up her bed and walking when
she changed her residence. II appears the
Queen always sleeps in wooden bed OF
particular shape and made up In q special
way, and whenever her Majesty goes to .
strange place bed and its furniture are des-
patched from Windsor for her use. Two
were sent of a couple of weeks since from
the workshop at the castle, the one for the
Queens cabin in the steam yacht Victoria
and Albert, and the other has gone to Aix.les-
Bains. There is already one Of the Queens
beds at Darmstadt. 1t was sent out when abe
went there last year.
The oldest bank note probably in existence
in Europe is one preserved in the Asiatio Muse
um at 81. Petersburg. 1t dates from the year
1899 b. O., and was issued by the Chinese
Government. It can be proved from Chinese
ohroniclsrs that, as early as 2697 b. O. bank
notes we're current in China under the name
of "hying money" The bank note preserv-
cd at St. Petersburg bears the name of the
imperial bank, date and number OF issue, sig
nature of a mandarin, aud contains even q
list of the punishments inflicted for forgery
of notes. This relic of 1000 years ago Is
probably written, for printing from wooden
tablets is said to have been introduced In
China only in the year 100 A. d.
The correspondent of the London Times,
writing from the advance post of the British
army in the Soudan, says: "The Arabs seem
| to be more like wild beasts than human beings.
1