The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1885-01-01
Street Corner Notes.


Of the boys. Don't ridlcdle'tfIem because
you do not believe they will outlast the
change Of the moon. Perhapasyeu may be
right. The chances are that Jiinety-nine
hundredths Of the resolutions made to-day
will be broken, but the bare fact Of their
being made is evidence that he who makes
Them sees his faults and is anxious to over.
come them. whether he has the power to]
do SO or not. The consciousness OF 1atlt
shows worthiness. The desire for better
things, for higher purposes and purer
life, is the first step to their attainment.
| Without it the goal can never be IN sight.
To uphold, strengthen and sustain, as far
as we may. every good resolve, no matter
who may make it, will bring no AFTER re-
| greet and may become q source OF pleasure.
Who knows but that the sower may IND
\ ground to-day to yield an hundred loid'
where ont, short year ago was only barren
| ness. q
No bettl,r evidence Of the stringency OF
4 the times and scarcity of money conld De
I! given than was afforded by the experience
nf the past fortnight. The disposition to
spend during the holidays has long been
| noted AS ore of the prominent cliaracttl y
istics of southern people. At that season
even the clost st purses are unlockeu anu
generosity holA DIS its carnival nahelclpH-
ton of n liyely trade our merchants hadI
isupplied themst elves with the largest and
haudsomest ,st ,cks of Christmas goods
eyer, offered in Y ur town But they were
disappointed inn the sales. Some of the
most prominent firms of StallIiton sold
scarcely half rs MI ch as last year, ana the
complaint of a lacs ( OF buyers was general.
Asarnle few expt nslve goods were sold,
! and in number the purchases Of all kinds
were much rettuced.i Money lsscarce' anu
if anyone is dispose TO doupI thls state-
mept let him try to make collections. n
| 1t is unfortunate TN U the next l-tBlSia-
| ture will be aIle.l upon to elect u limited
| States Senator. Wberv wise we might hope
| to eliminate spine Of tiAS' bitterness of par.
| tizanism from the canvass and send men
| to make laws for the Stat e who would go to
Richmond to represent 4 the interests OF
their constituents and not to make polit-
zeal capital for one or idit other party.
Virginia needs "a business Legislature. A
Legislature GO mtosed e& business men.
Not all LAWYERS ]; not local politicians not
machine manag,Ts. but practical common
sense men, whose sole aim m0sflti Ae to BEN
eft the people. nd let parties look .aslt for
themselves for att leasst two wears !oeCo4ne- 4
After the experience gi recent sessions the
old State may well t.xclaim. God deliver
me from political legislatures Neyer,%ere
the affairs of a Conn uonweaIth in such |
condition as Those of Virginia to-day.
The whole vast Volume 0f statutes made
by the last Assem- biy is but an iuselligible
mass of contradi niOns Not one single
act that we can nOW recall WAS even ue-
signed to advantage working people. The
sum total of legisl alive work is but con-
fusion worse confonnded. And so we may
expect it to be until the voters make up
their minds to take their affairs into their
own hands, and seml men to represent
them wlAn know something OF the needs
and demands Of business; scrAething OF
the I4ecessities of the people, and who Will
be animated in the discharge OF their Of
fetal trust. not by the hope of re-esection,
Oh personal OF party ;gain, but soleiH by
sense of duty to thos whose servants they
are and whose inters SITS they are sent to
promote. In short. we want MP 1aore
political pets and machine products, Sat
men of business capacity and strqlig eesza
mon sense.
Whilst StanntoniMns are plying 81 80 per
i 900 for gas, Pittsbarg is securing its IL
Illumination ut the rate sof Is cents pe.r 900
with the prospect of an early reduction to
IS cents Not only is the city being lighted
:at so small cost, but gas is last coming
into common use as fuel, and before q
.great while we may expect to hear Of its
-entirely superseding wood and coaI, not
.only in running the vast machinery cd that
human hive, but for household purposes as
we'll. Within the past six months Pitts
burg has passed through wonderful Trans
formation. 1t is swiftly and surely elilefg
ling from the dust and dirt, the smoke and
:grime, which have so long distinguished it
Unto the fairest and cleanest city OF the
land. The agency in bringing about this
remarkable change is natural gas, and it
has completely revolutionized, some of Its
manufacturing methods. And then just
think of the comfort it affords as fuel to
the tidy housewife. No more coal; no
more coal dust to blacken everything it
touches and make the work of busting as
| near perpetual motion as Kee1y's motor |
no more smoke and SCOT to begrifne the
| building and darken the very atmosphere |
| no more sulphurous fumes to pervade |
| every nook and corner of the h puse- None |
of these. But in their stead al fuel, odor-
[ less, cOlorless and inoffensiYIp, that will
produce no SCOT or smoke, F,t in place
thereof o-and-three-quartelr ounces Of
pure water for every pound of gas con-
sumed. A wonderful phenomenon is ex
hibited in the burning of natural gas. 1t
is described as a fiery fount tain from which
water flows-pure, hmpid water, fresher
than that which runs down the mountain
slope or gurgles from the spring 1t is
the liquid ashes resultant from the COM
bustion Of hydrogen. And all these bene-
fits are secured to the people of Pittsburg
not only much cheaper than the fuel we
use, but with so much less trouble. Instead
of orders to the coal dealer, quarters 70 the
coal carriers, and worry and dirt and ex-
pense, one has only to turn a knob and
strike n match. Within radius OF twssnty
F! miles of Pittskurg, large nlimbet of
| wells have been bored, and the gas is being
| conveyed to the city from all directid ms
through immense pipes. The consumption
of gas for fuel is already enormous. It lis
estimated that from fifteen to twenty
| million cubic feet are used perday in Pitts
burg for heating purposes, and this is Just \
the commencement. Rolling mills, ma |
chine shops, breygeries, and manufacturing
enterprises of all kinds are rapidly being
converted into gas consumers, and its ex-