The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1886-02-20
MISCELLANEOUS.


"A swordfsh weighing over four
hundred pounds was captured recently
near San Miguel Islands, offthe southern
coast of California. The sword meas
ured forty-fve inches in length.
General Lord Wolseley's appear
ance is decidedly effeminate, and when
he speaks he accompanies each remark
with nervous shake of the head. He
is disposed to be sociable, but is not a
favorite with the crank and file.
"A lunatic who escaped from the
hospital for the insane at Buffalo, N.
Y, two years ago, and has since been
wandering over France and Great
Britain, returned to his home in this
State the other day perfectly cured, it
is reported. Buffalo Express.
One of the holiday books recently
issued in England was printed in blue
ink on green paper This was done in
accordance with the advice of aGerman
scientist, who says that the short-sight-
edness of his countrymen is due in part
to the German characters, but mainly
to the violent contrast of ink and pa
per-black and white.
The weeping willow, says the
Garden, seems to have had a romantic
history. The first cion was sent from
Smyrna in box of figs to Alexander
Pope. General Clinton brought shoot
from Pope's tree to America in the time
of the Revolution, which, passing into
the hands of John Parke GUSTS, was
planted on his estate in Virginia, thus
becoming the progenitor of the weep
ing willow in America.
One marked popularity about M.
Worth, the Paris man milliner, is his
great dislike to perfume in any shape.
His workwomen are prohibited from
using scents, and even from wearing
flowers during their working hours.
When a woman sends him her costly
laces for the adornment of new dresses,
all odorous from long soiourning in
perfumed sachels, the first thing that
he does is to cause them to be thorough
ly aired.
"A Judge in Walla Walla, Washing
ton Territory, thus addresseda prison
er the other day, upon whom he was
about to pass sentence for obtaining
money under false pretenses: "Con-
sidering the service you have done ex-
perienced people and the lessons you
have taught, you have been of some
service to the community by doing evil
that good may come oft |, therefore,
give you the lowest penalty allowed by
the law for felony-one year in the
penitentiary.
"A Connecticut Valley paper-mak-
ing firm sent to the Paris Exposition a
blank book weighing two hundred
pounds and having three thausand
enormous pages, as a sort of universal
autograph album. Only one-fourth
of its pages were filled in Paris, after
which it served at local fair, and last
year was sent to New Orleans, where it
was filled. 1t has now been returned
to Holyoke, Mass, and will be exhib-
tied. 1t contains sixty thousand
names, some well known. Hartford
COurant.
Young men in Nashville, Tenn,
used to have strange idea of fun.
About twenty years ago, during cold
spell, they organized society with fun
as its avowed object. The fun consisted
in raising money and distributing it
among the poor people of the city and
county. In the course of one winter
they raised and gave away seventeen
thousand dollars. The young men who
were engaged in this frolic are now
gray-headed, but they maintain that
they never in their lives enjoyed them
selves as much as they did during that
memorable winter. A few such prac-
teal jokes would be blessing to every
town in the United States. Chicago
Journal