Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1890-07-18
NO. 20.
IN GEN ERAL.

Among the important Judicial decisions
recently announced is one by Judge Miller
Of Washington He decided that pigeon
is not fowl. The difference is this. nc.
cording to a bright commentator Fowls
take their young 10 the food while birds
take the food to their young.
The treasury officials say that counter
feiting is rapidly becoming one Of the lost
arts The day Of the dashing master Of
the profession, who did his work so clever
ly and who lived in clover is past His
successor is a beetle -browed vulgar ru1ian,
who ekes out precarious existence with
the certainty Of being found out sooner or
later.
The knack Of looking at the bright side
Of things was never developed TO such per
fection in the case of a southerner, who,
after a railroad accident telegraphed TO his
friends wife "Your husband killed in
railroad accident head both arms and
both legs cut off. But later this correction
was received First report exaggerated
your husband killed head aud legs cut off,
but only one arm
The latest development Of the "drop a
nickel in the-slot' machines in England is
one for taking photographs After drop
ping in his penny the patron stands in front
Of lens for about five seconds, or until the
| ringing of bell tells him the exposure is
made. BY the mechanism the plate is de.
veloped and fixed, and in - seconds the
photo is passed out TO the purchaser. A
| second slot, for half pennies, delivers a
frame when one coin is dropped into it.
Icebergs originate in West Greenland,
which Ensign Rodman, of the photographic
Office, calls ''the great berg factory" The
/ ipa ruasead in tho iutari,r # tho cDtptr,. sc
gradually forced out to sea by glacial move
ments on land, which advance at the rate
of at least fifty feet dav. The glacier is
broken in huge masses, when once in the
water, by its buoyancy and brittleness and
the currents. This process is called calv-
| ing. A berg varies in size, the average
being 60 to 100 feet high and 300 to 800
yards long of exposed surface, which is
usually an eighth of the whole mass
Among the disagreeable surprises turned
| up in the report on the Panama canal is
| statement that some of the contractors,
whose names are given, received payment
| for 100 to 100 per cent more work than they
had done, but were not required by the ju
dicial administrator to repay any of the
money overdrawn. The report SAYS also
in a comprehensive way, that the amount
of money raised was $50 million francs,
of which there was an effective expenditure
Of only 100 millions. In other words, some
thing less than one-half of the money CON
tributed by the French peasants, shop keep
ers, and chambermaids was actually spent
on the canal.
An engine driver on one Of the Scotch
lines reports that he has noticed that
certain hawks make use of the passing of
the trains for predatory purposes. They
Hv ploaa bahiud tho train naar ba ,rr,,,,J
partly hidden by the smoke but carefully
watching for the small birds which, fright
ened by the train as it rushes roaring past,
fly up in bewildered shoals the hawks then,
while the little birds are thinking more of
the train than of lurking foes, swoop on
them from the ambush of the smoke and
strike them down with ease They can
easily keep pace with an express train, and
outstrip it when they please.
A New York Judge delivered a severe
lesson the other day TO a plumber whose
wife sought a divorce. He said "You
abuse your wife both when you are drunk
and when you are sober. She wants you
to stay away from her You make plenty
of money. When plumbers burn a few
Jumps of charcoal they charge for peck
when they use one bar of solder they charge
for six. When they use 10 cents worth OF
resin Jney charge 81. Nhen they spend
minutes on job they charge for full day
When a plumber and helper are sent on
job the boss sends in a bill for two men
Half the time you talk with the servant
girls and the other half you sleep and cal
the good things in the kitchen Now you
pay your wife So a week. "
A new story of Abraham Lincoln is told
by the New York Herald Secretary Stan
ton was once greatly vexed because al
army officer had refused to understand al
/ order, or, at all events, had not obeyed
81 believe I'll sit down, )" said Stanton, "anC
give that man piece of my mind" "DC
So" said Lincoln, write him now, whil
! you have it on your mind. Make it sharp
cut him all up" Stanton did not need
second invitation. 1t was a bone crunche
I that he read to the President That
j right" " said Lincoln, "that's good one.
"Whom can get to send it by ?" muse'
the secretary. "Send it ~ replied Lincoln
, "send it Why, don't send it at all. Tea
it up. You have freed your mind on tn
q subject, and that is all that is necessary
Tear it up. You never want to send sucl
letters | never do"