davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1886-02-03

"-'l.isn't fair but don't care!
i don't care!"
Helen Gray Cone, in St. Nicholas for No.
vCmbCr
The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1886-02-26
Fritz Lullaby.

A good-natured orderly was peacefully
smoking a meditative pipe among the
lunaticS in n pavilion at the Bellevue
hospital last evening, says the New York
Herald. when an errand-boy passed
through the room. whistling with great
force and some melody. The Orderly's
minstrel.
Fritz. yOu know" he said. nOdding his
head in the direction of the dying
sounds.
Like going TO the theater," re-
marked his visitor. lifting his eyebrows.
The orderly's eyes twinkled. The
theater comes here" he replied. with
twinkling eyes. Then he told his story.
You remember how Fritz was brought
here little while ago to get quieted
DOWN. he said. .'Well. he was like a
jumping-iack Or a hen OH hot griddle
at first When he got quiet | put the
other patients to bed. There was one
old crank thought I'd have to tie down.
Not wink would he sleep. but kept OH
chinning like steam engine. just as
/ was giving it up as Il bad job Il sweet
voice began TO sing right behind me,
and when turned my head who should
be there standing i'm the doorway but
Fritz, singing The Lullaby
We'll. sir, the old crank stopped his
Ginning. turned over on his elbow, and
with his CLASSY eyes staring Emmett
straight in the face. he muttered Fritz
a couple of times, and then gradually
lay back in his cot and fell asleep as
peaceable as child. Half an hour later
Fritz was asleep in his cot. too, with n
smile playing over his face. When
thought of that lullaby tears came into
my eyes. and that's something that
hasn't happened since l stood on the
deck of the City of Manchester coming
out of Cork harbor. Fritz is line fell
low. and it's pity he don't take the
pledge: Perhaps he will, added the
orderly, has he put his pipe back to the
place where il would do the most good,
ats always the unexpected that hap
mems A
The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1886-02-26
BATHING SNAKES.
Keeper Who Was Subjected To the En-
braces OF u Fourteen-Foot BOA.

A little while since. says Il writer in
the 81. JdmeS'S Gd:pffe. | was eXamin-
ing some snakes in Il certain collection,
meanwhile gossfping with the attendant.
In the collection were several fine spe-
cimens of the beautiful gold and black
boa, and also of the black and white
spotted boa. found the keeper very
intelligent man. and some little infor-
nation | was able to give him led him
to ask me whether had ever seen the
snakes bathed. Now. ] knew that it
was customary to give these creatures
an occasional bath. TO keep them healthy
and preserve the skin plant and the
colors fresh and clear. but | had never
had an opportunity of witnessing the
operation. Gladly. therefore, accepted
the offer. In little time moderately
large tub, half filled with warm water,
was placed upon the ground, and my
attendant and another man, stripping
off their coats and waistcOats, turned up
their shirt sleeves TO prepare for action.
The first case contained four boa con.
strictors. varying from eight to sixteen
feet long. The keeper opened Il small
door in the end of the ease. and then,
sliding back the glass panel at the top,
put his arm boldly in and ran his hand
down the back of the nearest reptile,
which moved from beneath his touch to-
ward the open door As the head OF
the snake passed the door he seized il
with his right hand firmly round the
neck. and drawing the body quickly out,
caught it five feet or 50 lowersdOwn with
his left hand. the other man taking the
remainder and closing the little door.
The reptile ..>quirmed' Il good deal, as
if obiccting to such handling; but was
quickly deposited i'm the tub. the keeper
retaining his hold of the head and fore
part of the body. A. the water touched
the snake Il perceptible culver ran
through it: for Il few seconds 1t coiled
and uncoicd itself forcibly dashing the
water about. and then seemed To settle
down to placid enjoyment of the bath,
struggling no longer. but allowing it
self To be slowly moved about the tub.
Ticklish work, it seemed to me, and
the keeper rather asscnted to that opin-
ion. You see one is apt to get careless
but So long as You are cautious 1t Is SIM
pie enough remember well the first
time tried it. was then at NJ, and
the regular keeper was taken sick and
died. The day for bathing the snake.
came round and no one could be found
| to do il. Two DAYS went over, and then
| thought would have try. | had
been feeding them for q year or more,
and was pretty well used to them. Well,
we filled the tub. and | got through the
job all right, and was soon appointed
head keeper OF the snake-house. Time
went on; fed and bathcd the creatures
regularly and got little careless ovel
it; and so it happened that one day did
not look. after my man to see that he
fastened the little door properly after we
had one i'm the bath. On this particular
day, too, he forgot to bring the change
The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1886-02-26

asked you to be my wife--what would
you have said?"
II should have said yes" Kate answer.
ed.
Fontcnel bit his lip.
and | was mad enough to throw
away al my chances Of happiness" he
said. but will not be so rash second
time. Will You trust me now, Miss
Vaudeville? Will you marry me? |
loved you dearly then; but, rs heaven is
my witness, love you better and more
tenderly now. In all my life | have
never but really cared for but one wo-
man. and she is before me now Will
you take me. Kate. with all my faults
and cccentricities, and try 10 make Inc
more worthy of yOurself?H
And Kate put her little hand in his
and answered with innocent frankness;
Yes"
Mrs. Major Fontenel was one of those
feminine diplomats who always adapt
themselves graciously To the eXigencies
of the situation, and she called on Miss
Vaudeville the next day. and congratu-
lated her. in the prcttiest way in the
world, upon her engagement.
But really she added. with an art
less laugh. Il had grown TO believe that
FlOrian wa, Il fore-ordained old bache-
lor. You don't know. Miss Vaudeville.
what Il victory You have achieved!
And she enacted her par, SO perfectly
that Floran Fontenel, in spite of his
own senses. was almost convinced that
she had never cared for him ut all.
But 10 her French maid, Jeanne, she
said angrily, when at last she returned
home and flung her elegant wrappings
recklessly on the sofa:
There bursts the brightest bubble of
my future. | could have held my own
against any new fancy. ] solemnly be-
liove, but these old flames are too much
for any one to contend against"
And Jeanne clasped her hands and
answered tragically:
"Ah. madame, it is very much heart
breaking.'
The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1886-02-26
PUNISHMENT IN SCHOOLS.

1t was Il fortune circumstance that
a number of the school board of SOmer-
vile (Alass.) We're also members of the
medical profession when the case of the
teacher who had given one of her pu-
pills II small dose of cayenne pepper as a
means of punishment came up for dis
cussion; for the fact that the pupil who
was thus punished died some two weeks
after from diphtheria would otherwise
have admitted of distortion of the act
of discipline into something closely re-
scmblng manslaughter. Physically con-
sidercd. there was probably no form OF
punishment that the teacher could have
adopted which would at the same time
have been so eflicacious and so harm.
less in It's result. We are altogether too
sensitive in matters of this kind. and
those who object 10 having their child
rem punished at the public schools are
frequently men who in their own school
days used to endure severe floggings
without thinking of making a murmur,
much less of urging their parents to en-
ter Il protest against the teachers ac-
tons. This exaggerated notion about
the evils of punishment. when punish
ment is deserved has only to be per-
sisted i'm To PRODUCES generation wholly
wanting in the courage. strength, and
determination of preceding genera.
tons -BoSiOn Werdid
The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1886-02-26

The weekly newspapers of Kansas are
investigating the question. "Do teach
ers read the papers?" The Holten Record
started the question with the proposition
that lis educational column IAN excel
lent one, by the Way does not pay in
subscription returns. The veteran edi-
tor OF the Clay City Times talks to the
point rs follows:
Teachers live too much in their text
books, and not enough in the big, busy
world around them. The worlds 4
school. and grand one. Teachers fit
their pupils to enter that school. and
how much better for that duty is he or
she who knows something that is going
on outside the confines of the school
district. Newspapers are the educators
of teachers, as they are for every other
class. Reading newspapers will prevent
that dogmatical assumption of superior
knowledge which Overtakes every teach
cr in middle age. Constant association
with inferior and submissive minds
brings ON this state of affairs, and makes
the teachers unpleasantly assuming in
the presence of cold, practical business
men. Read papers; they will cause your
salary to be raised quicker than all the
resolutions you can pass in your natural
lives. The acerage teacher is to-day re-
ceiving every dollar his or her abilities
warrant, and not cent more will be
paid until the standard justifies the eX-
pendture. The moral to all this is, sub
scribe for and read good newspaper. V
The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1886-02-26

of blankets with him, and ! never
noticed il until had one of the smaller
snakes i'm the bath. As soon as | did
notice il | sent him post-haste TO the
house to fetch them. the one in the
bath was only about nine feet long; So
when he had been in the water long
enough lifted him out, intending to
pnt him into spare case and wait my
mans return. Just as | raised him /
felt something round my right leg, and.
looking down, found the little door was
open and that fourteen-foot boa was
out and had got half-turn round my
thigh. or course, he had to be stopped;
so let go of the body of the one | was
holding, and by fortunate shot
grasped the other Just below the head.
The one in my left hand had coiled his
body round my arm, and, soothed by
his bath was taking up all my spare
time. He wriggled and twisted until |
could scarce hold him. straining the coil
round my thigh very tightly. He had
also given turn of his tail 10 my other
leg, so that | could not move step.
However there was nothing 10 prevent
my calling out, and | did it.: more es-
pecially because the door of that case
was open, and that there were three
more inside. NY man might be five
minutes gone: and had to keep it up
as best / could. The worst of il was.
while the beast got his fold nearer and
nearer to my body, he would shoot his
head away almost out of my grasp.
turning and twisting without ceasing.
My fingers aclied. and my wrist felt like
breaking. while the circulation i'm my
lee nearly stopped. Presently the feeling
came over me that did not mind much
how il ended. and felt inclined TO give
up then and there. In fact. my fingers
We're relaxing. when heard step out
side. and my man came in. A glance
told him the state of affairs. He had the
one off my arm and into the case i'm the
iwinkling of an eye, and then between
lis we got the other gentleman loose aud
boxed him. and then well. there were
no more snakes bathed that day. We
kept it very quiet, and upto my leaving
NJ il never oOZcd out. You can
imagine il was lesson to both of US
that will last some time.
The keeper looked meditaiively at the
reptile i'm the bath. no doubt recalling
the sensations of that afternoon. Eff
teen minutes. sir. said his assistant.
in upon his short reverie. The
keeper rose and lifted the snake from
the tub. the assistant taking the hinder
half. The reptile seemed quite torpid.
and when they laid him on his clean
blanket allowed them To wrap him up
and deposit him in the case. where after
4 4 -
under the folds. A slight rise and fall
could be seen. as he finally settled him.
self. and then all was motionless.
stayed and saw the rest of them 90
through their ablutionS. but there was
little variation and no excitement; and
SO. thanking the keeper, came away.
The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1886-02-26
PUBLIC OPINION.

Do not go TO your school To give q
lesson without having made some pre-.
paration for the work. You should have
an object in view for giving the lesson.
H. H. French. ILL.,. ID.
The school of to-day calls upon the
eve for Il LONG, severe exercise. and un.
less something lanrc is done than ia
talk and read about the strain of the
school on the eye, the number of people
twenty years of age with strong. nor.
NAL eyes will grow less and less. = Supt.
H. $. Jones, ia Ed NcWS.
If YOU are in position where you arr
in any way responsible for the work OF
subordinate Teacher. d" You not know
that you cannot improve the schools un.
der your care more certainly in any way
than by making Your teachers reading
and thinking Teachers? .UdrJdrt w
SunderidHd. IN rhio Nj. .i0RfhiY.
Every teacher vino expects Ia succeed
in his work must bG well vcrSrd i'm the
latest and most approved methods OF
teaching. knowledge il necessary. but
knowledge only, is not enough. The
teachers must read and observe. II il
necessary that he possess professions
works and study them. DAKOTA Teach
err.
Never hold up to ridiculc. A chile
smariing under ridicule has no room fol
repentance. Never give extra lcsson
lest you create dislike to study. Al
lowable pumishments include withhold
ing of privileges and corporal punish
mcnt. Some punishment may be instan
and public; ordinarily it should be il
private. Its purpose is to awaken sor
row, to cultivate feeling, to promot
| good resolves, to encourage and strength
en- them. School Journal.
Let us nowhere be satisfied with i'm
parting the mere mastery of practica
processes, but teach pupils to think
The very word man signifies thinker, tn
root being akin TO the verb mean ant
the noun mind Do not make brigh
children mere calculating machines
make them think. And do not ALLOW
yourself to be machine for dictatiol
and inspection. but bring your own nc
tive mind in contact with the mind O
every pupil.-ReU. j. n. BrOddus. d
d., IN Religious Herald.
Would il not be well in teach writin,
in connection with the other schoo
workp A lesson in history will give tn
pupils an opportunity to think and +
express their thoughts in writing. 8
The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1886-02-26
The Education Of the Blind.

Contrary to the general notion, nature
makes no compensation for Il lost sense.
Well directed efforts may. and indeed
do. cultivate the natural powers of the
other senses where one is lacking. but
the experience of every blind school is
that these efforts are rarely maintained
outside of nm institution specially found
ed for their practice. From this it fol-
lows that the training of blind children
can not begin too soon. They should
be taught with far greater pains than
their seeing brothers and sisters the care
of their persons and of their clothes.
Habits of cleanliness. of order. of indie
pendence and OF helpfulness should be
Systematically inculcated, and at the
age of 3 or 3 they should he sent to
school. They should early be taught to
90 by themselves all over the house and
neighborhood without guide; to par
ticipate helpfully in all the labOrs of the
household: to use all the ordinary
tools-th az. hammer. saw. plane.
chisel and knife: the difference between
the various plants and seeds and fruits
of the farm and orchard; the mystery of
budding and grating: the care of poul-
try and of stock of all kinds; the differ
ent kind of trees and the lumber made
from them: and. in short, the deficiency
in sight should never he allowed to re-
lieve them from any responsibilities, or
deprive them of the mestimable privi-
lcges of industry or helpfulness. Nor
should they be carefully shielded against
the kindly influences and somewhat
rough but wholesome teaching of
knocks. falls. scratches and rebuffs.
The constant petting and over-indul-
gence. the overweening care and senti-
mental pity that blind children too often
get. aid them not at all in Il race where,
with the best advantages, they are
heavily handicapped. Far better for
bright and active children is large
amount of judicious neglect than an
over-fussiness of interference against
possible ills. Nothing can he worse for
them than the expression in their hear
ing of pity for their condition. unless it
be ill-advised admiration for any of
their doings. Self-consciousness and
conceit too often obscure the mental
vision of the physically blind, but for
this kind of blindness the training is
largely responsible. B. b. HnRtoon, IN
Southern BirOnac.
The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1886-02-26
The Private's Glory.

Sweet little Major, he maunis my knee,
And the tender blue eyes look at me.
TEL me, Popsc, just once more,
what did you do when you went In warp
And then tell of the autumn day
When the FOrty-seVcnth marched away;
How Cromwell died at jackson town.
And Miles on Iornth field went down.
"But how many rebels. tell me true.
Did you kill then, and the whole war through"
And tell him then, with eager Gcst,
How 10 Reed blew up Il Timber chest.
But the major sticks Ia his question still.
How many rebels did you klllf
So | tell him how. near the set of sun,
The charge WAS made and the battle won.
Aud how, the day Mcclure was shot.
When NickShurV's fight was fierce and hot,
Brave sam Law took 4 company IN
Through flame and smoke and the batteries
din
How over our heads the battle broke
With screaming shell and sabre stroke,
And he wanted tn know, the little elf,
But how many men did you kill, yourselfT'
SAY, tell me. POpse, sSy you will
How many rebels did you kil?''
So told HIM the truth, as near us might be-
As many of them as they did CT me.
-R. j. Burdette, IN Brooklyn Eagle.
The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1886-02-26

with geography. Pupils should never
be asked TO write until they have some
thing to say. All that is wanted is to
make the world more practical. The
fault is not altogether with the system.
Neither technical grammar nor Ian
guagc lessons, in themselves, will make
good writers. Normal Inder.
Did you ever see one whose mind was
nauseated with spelling-books, lexicons.
and grammars, and an endless hash of
words and definitions? And did you, in
such case. call in the two doctors,
Johann Pestalozzi and Friedrich Froe-
belp And did you watch the magic in
fluence of diet of things prescribed by
the former in the place of words, and
little vigorous practice in doing, in
the place of talking, under the direction
of the latter?--C. NJ WoodWard, st.
Louis.
There is one element of power in the
teachers work which cannot be ignored,
and that is love. that love which makes
plain things beautiful. which overlooks
defects, which sees in every child in the
schOOl-room the possibilities of some
thing good and elpful to society, that
labors unselfishly. not for the visible re-
ward. but for that reward which comes
from acknowledge of the fact that we
are helping to lift souls into higher
and better life, bringing them out of
darkness into Light. and leading them
from the unlovely into the lovely. W.
A. Duncan.
The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1886-02-26

A set of rules has been published by
the Russian Government on the educa-
ton and qualification of dentists. As
evidence of Il sufficient preliminary cdu-
cation they must have passed through
six out of eight classes of II classical or
commercial gymnasium. Their pro-
fessional studies may be carried out
either i'm universities or in private insti-
tutions approved by university authori-
ties. AT the end Of the period of stu
dentship. the length of which does not
appear to be defined. Il practical and
theoretical examination must b. passed
and q dinlnna obtained
The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1886-02-26
Very Remarkable Recovery.

Mr.. Geo. V. Willing. of Manchester,
Mich. writes: "My wife has been al
most helpless for five years, so helpless
that she could not turn over in bed
alone. She used two Bottles of Flee
trio Bitters. and is so much improved,
that she is able now to do her own
work." Electric Bitters will do all that
is claimed for them. Hundreds of tes-
pmonials attest their great curative
towers. Only fifty cents bottle at ].
r. .Iono's.
The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1886-02-26

An amusing story is told of Lady Ran
dolph Churchill and Westminster cleo
tor. Her ladyship met the eiector at
dinner and asked him. how he was 90
ing to vote, and he replied that his mind
was not yet made up, 20. then. you
must vote for Mr.. Burdctt-COutts." she
said. WELL" said he, Il cannot prom
Use. But if | were treated as voters used
to be treated by lady canvassers in the
old days in Westminster, should very
possibly give i'm 20, thank you 50
much will let the Baroness know at
once" replied Lady Randolph as the
ladies rose from the table.
The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1886-02-26

The new German ironclad Oldenburg
will be of entirely novel construction.
1t is broadside ship. with ten lO-inch
guns-five on each side, two above and
three below deck, but the whole five can
be concentrated on the same point with
sufficient force, it is estimated, to dis
able even the strongest ironclnd.
The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1886-02-26
Things and the Relations of Things

The period of development with which
my experiment was concerned may
be called the 'pre-scientitic stage of
mental existence 1t is that during
which the mind may be busily occupied
in collecting the data for science, but
can not itself WELD scientific methods.
Its efforts should be direclcd in accord
ance with scientific principles of psy-
chology, and the knowledge acquired
arranged in such orderly sequence that,
when the mind is ripe for them, scien-
tific relations will be readily perceived
and understood. But discussion of such
relations seems to me entirely premature
for the age here considered. and. indeed.
for a much later period.
Scientific observation is observation
of the relations between things But,
before any attempt be made TO study
these relations. the things themselves
should be firmly and clearly appre-
hendcd. The different degree of grasp
possessed by different minds depends
largely upon differences in the degree
of vividnc,S and fcrvor with which they
arc impressed by individual objects,
which leave so many persons in the
most limp Indifference. while exciting
i'm others an absorbing and even pas
sionate interest. When the individual
impressions are so clear. distinct. char.
acteristic. and interesting as To be quite
unforgcttable, they soon force upon the
mind. after prolonged contemplation OF
them. suggestions of their multiple rela.
tons. and the knowledge which was AT
first simply picturesque becomes. sooner
or later, scientific. The mental power
which arrives ut this is largely innate,
and beyond the capacity of any educa,
| ton to bestow. But if any educational
method can increase and develop it, il
| is that which mostly initiates the spon-
taneous habits of fertile and original
minds, apart from all systematic inten-
ton. DR.. Mary Patnam.Jocobi, IN
P0puiar Science .Honhiy.