The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1885-03-05
GLEANINGS.

the united states.
George w. Childs takes chocolate ice
cream Just before retiring, and never
suffers from nightmare.
Since 1870 the acreage of crops in the
British Kingdom has decreased almost
two million acres. English agriculture
is thus shown to be far from prosper
Gus.
Mr. ..Adirondack" w. Fl. II. Murray
ssys he is only running his esthetic
sporting restaurant in Montreal for re-
creation and rest, and will presently
return TO the lecture platform.
When a house il to be let in Mexico
the owner sticks an old newspaper in
the window. Ii isn't very tasteful and
seldom improves the appearance of the
house, but it is economical and is un-
derstood by the community
An observer SAYS one of the ways by
which hotel chambermaids make extra
money is by collecting the tooth
brushes which are left in the rooms by
forgetfnl guests and then selling them
ro regular dealers. who rejurenate them
for the market again.
There is the authority of the editor
of the San Francisco Christian -ddrocate
for the charge that no pure California
wine is pnt on the market. He believes
that adniteration is the inyariable rule.
Some OF the vineyard men retort that
ne is q reckless falSifer.
An Arizona paper of recent date con-
tains the following paragraph: Larry
Chugwhistle. the popular and gentle
manly baker of Sun Up Corners. de-
parted for the great majority yesterday.
We trust that he has gone to the land
where baking is unknown"
The age of an elm has been estimat-
ed at 1856 years; that of some palms at
from 800 to 700 years; that of an olive
tree at 700 years; of plane tree at
720; of a cedar at 800; of an oak at
$500; of a yew at :, $3.50; of taxodium
at 1900, and of q baobab tree at 5000
years. s-
The whale feeds by opening its ca
pacious mouth and allowing the sea
water, with its multitudinous tenants,
to fill the oval cavity. Then it shuts
its lower jaws upon its horny plates,
and, straining out the water through
them, swallows the prey stranded upon
its vast tongue
The largest bridge in the world
crosses Lake Ponchartrain, at New Or
leans, and is twenty-five miles in length.
1t is trestle-work. on piles, and is made
OF cypress wood which was first satur-
ated with creosote oil, which renders it
impervious to moisture and proof
against the attack of barnacles.
Patti told the Boston Herald that she
had worn diamonds worth $500. 900 the
last time she sang in LA Traviata" in
New York, but that she supposed the
audience thought her dress was fronted
with glass beads instead of gems. She
had left most of the collection in a safe
deposit vault during her tour.
When vessels or timber sink to great
depths in the ocean the pressure is SO
great that water is forced into the pores
Of the wood and it becomes too heavy
to rise again. Even when a ship is
broken up the detached portions sink
like lead. Tris pressure makes it i'm
possible for divers to descend to any
great depths.
The late David Lydig Suydam is said
to have been the only rich New York
merchant who retired from business in
his thirty-first year. He was absolute
ly out of business for forty years after.
ward. The standard of wealth, how
ever, has been greatly raised since 1874,
and the late John Jacob Astor laughed
at Stephen Whitney for deeming 3d.
100000 sufficient to entitle its possessor
to be considered rich enough to retiEe.
The University of Pennsylvania has
started department of physical cui-
Iure.a DIR. j. w. White, who will pre-
side over it, states that his duties will
sDe to examine each stmdent, note
wherein he needs physical development
and recommend the proper mode of ex-
ercise to induce it. If his back is weak.
the rowing machine or boat is advised;
it the chest is HAT, parallel bars are in
order. The ordinary trainer generally
picks out for the boat a man who does
not need it.
Mark Twain says that he used to be
a neighbOr of Bret Harte in San Fran
cisco. when Harte was editing week
ly journal and acting as Secretary of
the United States Mint, and Twain was
reporter on daily. The popular bit
of 1.-The Heathen Chinee" nearly ruin
ed Harte in his own estimation, for his
ambition was to make fame in writing
the kind of prose sketches which have
since gained so much appreciation, and
he feared that people would insist upon
always regarding him as merely a writ
er OF funny rhymes.
The husband of woman living in
Highland Falls died insolVent and
heavily in debt twenty-three years ago,
and ever since his widow has been
striving to pay OF these bills. As fast
as she could accumulate funds she
would make apayment. and last Satur-
day laid down in 81 and $40 gold
pieces and bank bills the last cent of
this Indebtedness. She remarked at the
time that she '.could never think of
meeting her God with that and other
debts unpaid y NeWburg IN ~
Journal.
A medal has been struck in COM
memoration of the hundredth anniver-
sary of Methodism in this country, and
10 sold in duplicate by authority of the
Bishops. The case opens like book,
and in the central portion, surrounded
by velvet, the medal is SO fixed that
both its sides are exposed when the
cover is opened. A pastor regrets that
he lately found q convert kneeling be-
fore it in alteration. usingit for an idol.
He has heard that such q perversion of
the object is common among the ne
groes of the South, where the medals
are held in awe as possessing supernat-
ural qualities.
A citizen of West Chester, Pa, is
wearing a pair of boots made from
leather that was tanned in West Ches-
ter county sixty years ago. The leath-
er is very fine calfskin and the owner
has worn the boots on great many |
occasions during the last fifteen years. |
For about forty-five years after the
leather had been tanned and dressed it |
was allowed to hang in the garret of |
the present owners fathers residence,
and about fifteen years ago shoe
maker of West Chester made from it |
the boots that are now worn BY the |
owner.
The ugly fashion lately adopted by !
New York 3 fashionable men of wear |
ing colored shirt and cuffs and white |
collar is directly traceable to the Prince |
of Wales. The story, as it runs, says
that he ran up to London from his coun- |