The Portland daily press., 1886-05-25
WHO MUST PAY THE COST.
Philadelnhia Times.
PERSONAL AND PECULIAR

Murat Halstead has son in each of the
four classes of Princeton College
There are 317 female blacksmiths in Eng
land, all of whom actually swing heavy ham,
mers and do mems work.
w. E. Norris, the popular novelist, turns
out to be woman. She deceived the critics
as completely as Michael Field, j. S. Winter
and Charles Egbert Craddock.
Miss Alice R. Jordan, the one lady at the
Yale Law School, lately made her maiden
argument in the presence of her classmates
at moot court There were many old law
yers present to hear her, and her speech,
which was cordially received, is highly
praised.
A remarkable explosion, which occurred
in Germany, shows the force possessed by
dust. A sack of flour falling down stairs,
opened and scattered the contents in cloud
through the lower room, where burning gas
fame set fire to the dust, causing an explo-
sion which lifted part Of the roof off the
building and broke almost all the windows.
The statue of Harriet Martineau, which
was unveiled in the Old South Westinghouse
about three years ago, is TO be given to
Wellesley College by Miss Whitney, the
sculptor, in whose custody it was placed by
Mrs Maria Weston Chapman previous to her
nent location early in June.
1t is stated that French surgeons have sue
ceeded in replacing glass eyes with the front
part of rabbits's eyes. The coat is stitched
fast to the ball of sightleSs human eye, and
made to adhere, so that it causes no further
trouble and looks as well as the natural eye.
1t is of course, sightless, but is far less both
er than glass one.
Roberts Brothers are preparing to issue
new series of novels under the general title
of "The Old Colony Series" which is to
comprise romances illustrating early life in
the American colonies The yolames will
all be published anonymously, 1t is expect
ed that the series will reveal field of ro-
nance as yet untrodden by the novelist of
our day.
A Chinese writer named Wongtzi was re-
Gently sentenced to be quartered because in
one Of his scientific works he had enumerat-
ed the names of several of the departed Chi
nese emperors, which is strictly against the
court etiquette. At last his punishment was
mitigated to decapitation. His children are
allowed to live until next autumn, when they
also will be executed.
The Sussex giant died suddenly at Apple
dore, England, recently. Although only
thirty-six years of age he weighed SAG
in one of the intervals between the perform
ances he fell asleep in his chair, and when
an attempt was made to rouse him it was
found that he had died. The cause of the
death was heart disease.
There are now published in the United
States IA, 100 newspapers, an increase of 666
over last year. In Massachusetts the week
ly press is gaining, but the magazines and
other periodicals are losing. The.magazines
appear to be tending toward New York, as
twenty-three monthly periodicals have been
established there during the year. The
daily newspapers Of the country number
1,216.
The weeping willow. says the Garden,
seems to have had romantic history. The
first scion was sent from Smyrna in box of
figs to Alexander Pope. Gen. Clinton brought
a 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 weeping willow in America.
An idea of the extent of the patent medi-
cine business may be gathered from the fig
ures of a printing contract, said to be the
largest on record, between New York man
facturer of a nostrum and Philadelphia
printer. The bargain is for 40, GOO thirty
two-page pamphlets and 400, 600 four-page
circulars, to cost 100000. Part of the work
will be done in Philadelphia, and the re-
mainder in England and Germany.
In Iowa 955 women own and direct farms,
eighteen manage stock farms, five own
greenhouses, ninety manage market gardens,
thirteen serve as county school superinten-
dents, thirty-seven manage intermediate in
situations of learning, one hundred and twen-
ty-five are physicians, forty-nine are regis
tered pharmacists, five attorneys at law, ten
ministers, three dentists, one hundred and
ten professional nurses, and one is a civil
engineer.
The most curious book in the world is one
that is neither written nor printed. Every
letter of the text is cut into the leaf, and as
the alternate leaves are of blue paper, it is as
easily read as the best print. The labor re-
quired and the patience necessary to cut each
letter may be imagined. The work is SO per-
feet that it seems as though done by machin-
cry, but every character was made by hand.
The book is entitled ''The Passion of Christ"
and is now kept at museum in France.
The Emperor of Austria performed the us
ual interesting ceremony of washing the feet
of twelve old men, and afterwards serving
them at dinner in the imperial palace, on the
morning of Maundy Thursday. The young
est of the old men was eighty years, and
their united ages were nearly HOO years. Ow-
ing to the absence of the empress, the same
ceremony with twelve old ladies' did not take
place. There is always great rivalry among
the old people Of Vienna for this honor
1t is said that Rev. DR.. Milburn, the blind
chaplain of the House of Representatives,
can give more accurate descriptions OF west
minister Abbey, Cologne Cathedral, Notre
Dame and other Old World monuments he