davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1893-04-01
THE EVERLASTING GHOST.

We are asked to believe in ghosts
because in every age there have
been ghost stories. But would it
not be more natural to suppose that
in every age the human mind has
been subject to alterations, and that
some specific weakness or irregu
larity of the mental condition, or OF
the physical organ, the brain, on
which all thinking, SO far as we are
aware, depends, has probably given
rise to this particular class OF hallu-
cinations? We cannot pretend as
yet to know the mind thoroughly in
health and disease, but this we do
know, that there are thousands and
millions Of persons whose lives are
intruded on by ghosts, and who
know absolutely nothing of occult"
phenomena. According to the rev.
erend gentleman's own figures, only
one woman in twelve and one man
in ten has had any occult" exper-
fences. Now, what we should like
very much to have would be
further analysis of these figures,
show the percentage OF flighty or
otherwise Unbalanced minds among
the occult" and the mon occult"
Git we may SO apply the words)
classes respectively. Our own ex.
perience would lead US to believe
that the proportion would be vastly
larger in the former class than in the
later. Who has not known many
examples of the tremulous, nervous,
representative, wonder loving, hys-
terical, or semi-hysterical type of
constitution among the devotees Of
the ghost loref And If such exam
Piles occur, as we believe they must,
TO the mind of every one, is it not at
least a probable inference that
"occultism' in its various phases
has something to do with that kind
of mind? The ghost may be very
ancient, but we do not believe in
him the more. The trouble about is
that it has made no progress since
the earliest times; in times; in fact,
on the whole, he has fallen back.
We should not be disposed to talk
of the "levitation" of Elijah ourselves
had not the Rev. Mr.. Hawels used
the terms before us; but, if following
the reverend gentleman's lead, we
consider the prophets alleged trans
lation in that fight, surely it was a
most successful feat in ''levitatlon"
and little ahead of anything the
the modern world can show. And,
speaking generally, the apparltions
and visions and other spiritual or
occult phenomena Of ancient times
had more body" to them than
those of our own day. If, therefore,
the ghost has made no progress in
the course of three or four thousand
years, if he is just as uninstructive
and inconsequent a phenomenon
now as he was when we first encoun.
tered him, if not little more SO,
we may perhaps be pardoned for
thinking that he may be safely and
fairly ignored by people who have
an ACREAGE amount of business to
attend to.
The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1893-04-01
MUSIC TO DANISH INSOMNIA.
DIR. Blackman Thinks Hand
MusIc-BOX Induces Slumber.

Music as curative agent has been
known and valued from the earliest ages
and the recently established Guild of St.
Cecilia whose professed object is to
apply the soothing influence of melody to
Patients 10 hospitals aud elsewhere, is
only carrying out the prescriptions of
physicians who tlourished 1000 years ago
The Atheniau doctors banished fever
by a song Thales found music most
efficacious in the plague, and Aulus
GeIlius even went so far as to maintain
that it produced a beneficial effect in
cases of bites and stings. In their work
on Psychological Medicine" Drs Bucknill
and Tuke remark that music is the first
recorded remedy employed for the relief
of madness. A novel and possibly
useful suggestion in the same direction
is mentioned by DR.. ]. G. Blackman in
the latest number of the Medical Maya.
zine.
1t is that musical box worked by an
electric motor might be advantageously
employed in cases of insomnia. Some
care no doubt would have to be exercisd
to see that the mechanism worked prop
erly before it was started as nothing
would be more likely to drive sleep per
manently away than a musical box out OF
tune or liable to unaccountable and alb
normal spurts of energy. 1t would also
be trying to a nervous patient if in the
Silly night the electric current were
turned off altogether aud the box became
suddenly silent. 1t is possible that
burglar in ones bedroom might be
soothed and induced to surrender his
booty by the unexpected strains OF
Home Sweet Home" but 1t is also
possible that he might not. One Dr. two
interesting Instances are recorded in the
article of the benefit which has resulted
in hospitals from the musical treatmen
and the sleepless soul might do worse
! than try the prescription contained in it..
The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1893-04-01

Three years brought many changes.
Ethel Constantine had used part OF her
property in building an asylum for
inebriates, DR.. Ralph Hastings being
among the first of the many inmates.
In the garb of a deaconess she is de-
voting her life to the helpless, the
poor, the sick, the tempted, the fallen,
and she measures her life by what she
has escaped in the fate of drunkard' S
wife, not by what she has ha. - -
beng an old maid.
Washington, d. c.
The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1893-04-01
The Bright and
Genial Spring
Shuttle off the
Weigh.y 0vercOat
Hang up the
winter suit

Set your faces and your wishes to Spring Over
and Spring Suits.
The hands and the wit of our thousands of work
ers-cutters helpers, sewers have been gathering
Spring goods into house for many days All
ready nowhere glad to say
Spring promises big for business. We've prepared
big. The cloth buying amid the hum of mills, the
quiet purchases from cloth makers who hunt us up the
making-up of two, five hundred suits stroke
Interesting and perennially the story of how
the wool off the sleeps back grows through hundred
processes into its perfect is to your thoughtful
mind skip it all
Don't skip this; you'll buy from the manufactu-
direct from store that buys sell again.
Which will YOU do? Your dollars are at stake -
viii you buy your $40 suit from us?
Will you buy your $40 suit from US?
Will you buy your Spring overcoat from us?
Silk-lned or not, long or short-we have all.
We can save you IS to IS per cent, surely-per.
haps
The goodness of the Clothing-that's another
thing Stores, like people, make their regulations.
After than thirty years of selling reliable all
wool clothing, under guarantee of standing by
goods, we'll not swap horses now. If you buy our
clothing you buy the best
The prices are the lowest because we sell as we'll
as make the goods. The money saving and the good
wear go to you.
Wanamaker s. Brown
SIXTH and MARKET STs. PHILADELPHIA
We pay Railroad Excursion Fare
from Elkton if you purchase $40 worth.
The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1893-04-01
AN EASTER lDYL.

The April sky had freakish clouds
To tleck its tender blue.
In blurs, in lances ali of gold,
The April sun came through.
Buds burst them out a merry rout,
And robins gan to sing,
And Mistress Jane came down the lane
A pattern OF the spring.
Her eyes did match the April blue,
Her gown the light clouds gray,
And valley lilies kissed throat
As fairly white as they.
The silver wind blew yet more kind
That she did pass along,
And riches sweet befor her feet
The purpling violets flung.
Slow lettering at my lady's side
That happy Easter-time,
Full softly through the sunlit morn
We heard the church bells chime.
Her cheek grew red. as swift | said,
While low her sweet eyes fell,
'Grant me. ask, the happy task
To ring the Easter belle =
The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1893-04-01
AYERS
Sars apari|la

during the past 50 years, truthfully
applies to-day. 1t is, in every sense,
The Superior Medicine. Its cura-
tive properties, strength, effect, and
flavor are always the same; and for
whatever blood diseases AYERS
Sarsaparilla is taken, they yield to
this treatment. When you ask for
The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1893-04-01
THE FAC; !!

That AYERS Sarsaparilla CURES
OTHERS of Scrofulous Diseases,
Eruptions, Boils, Eczema, Liver and
Kidney Diseases, Dyspepsia, Rheu-
matism, and Catarrh should be con-
vincing that the same course OF
treatment WILL CURE YOU. All
that has been said of the wonderful
cures effected by the use of
The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1893-04-01

HAVING PURCHASED An. OUTFIT FOR
DEHORNING CATTLE, am prepared to dc
all this class of work at short notice, and at
reasonable prices. For particulars, address
NORRIS B. SLACK,
OILS Strickersyille. Chester Co' Pa
The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1893-04-01
AYERS
Sars a pariI1a a

don't be induced to purchase any of
the worthless substitutes, whicl! are
mostly mixtures of the cheapest in
gradients, contain no sarsapar:!la,
have no uniform standard OF ap-
pearance, flavor, or effect, are blood
purifiers in name only, and are of
fered to you because there is more
profit in selling them. Take
Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1893-03-30
THE NUGGET.

New York Jou1naI.-lt avs given to
Ellie to take care of. 1t was not a
great prize, for it weighed only seven
ounces, but it represented the only re-
suit of a strong mans toll for many
weeks, and as nuggets go it was CON
sldered by no means 4 bad find
John Archer decided that the nugget
keeping than in his own.
Ii be caught the thief, he would shoot
him, but better not to run the risk Of
losing his treasure.
An so he gave it Ellie to put i'll her
old owrkb0X. The thieves of the t
diggiugs would be too cunning to think
of examining such III improbable hid
ing place.
You must take care of il. darling"
said John Archer. 1T is for your mo-
Their" And Elite slowed the little mug
get away Ill a corner of the old work
box-which had been her mothers
under the cotton and socks she was
darning tor her father.
Having hidden the little nugget away,
ffiie came out of the hut to look around
and see if any one was near who might
have seen her. No. No one was near
who might have seen her-Only Billy
the black-ning Billy, the aboriginal
monarch. who loved rum and tobacco
and who was chopping some tirewood
for her
King Billy evidently had not seen
Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1893-03-30

Il found,' confessed the angular
woman opposite, who is the greatest
talker in ChristendoIn, lat memorable
dinner party that when the elaborate
meal of many courss was quite over
t3,2t : VS. sitting with an oyster on
my * Z, actly rs l had begun. But /
had tol14 great many good stories so I
smiled vi the others a hungry
s!lila."
What do you think was the grea test
blunder of my life?" asked the wrink-
led man just then.
In my youth I once wore fram
her home my sweethes ITS overshoes IN
mistake for nay OVID. l didn't dare
send them back for fear she'd consider
it 4 reflection upon thu size of her feet.
l didn't dare keep them for fear she'd
consider me a thief"
what was the oatcome?" cried a
dozen voices.
"A bachelor" was the grave reply.
We laughed. He didn't
Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1893-03-30
TWO CHILDISH STORIES.
Which Shows That Youngsters Are
Sometimes Wiser Than Adults.

Some h;i1d-,,lea<;esi pest has, Gle; Ell ,
t,rneu men 'bo, chl..,tn u u la :
govt" The reuuLeuuon u IL brings
To mud Il couple OF good chI.t s,0Iiss-
real everyday stories, not .DI..l..illt,
made
A mother of my acquaintance was
impresSng upon her little son the great
ness and goodness of God. His blue
eyes were wide open with the wonder
full story, though his dimpled fingers
never ceased to careSS the face of a
small dummy watch that had been
presented to him on Christmas day.
1t was evident that his mind was diyid-
ed between the Creator and the created
says Il writer in the New York Herald.
Gould God do anything, mammal
he finally inquired.
Certainly" was the reply; ANY
thing!'
Gould he make my watch keep
time?"
This rather foored mama, and While
she was thinking up Il wise answer
the little chap broke in:
'Of course l don't want Him to do it if
it is going to make Him let the stars go
out. But I'll tell you what I would
do if I was in His placid make all
the figures on watches and clocks like
these, instead of like those on the clock
and on papa watch, so we could al
ways tell what time it is
The figures on his dummy are Arabic
And why shouldn't they be in the fig
ures of ordinary business use. instead of
in Roman numerals? The latter are
invariably painted on clock faces with
arbitrary incorrectness, anyhow, the 4
being made thus, iii. instead of thus.
". The solecism quite naturally MAX
es a 4year-old child doubt the omnis-
cience and omnipotence of the Creator.
My other child story is more hum
Orous but equally instructive. 1t is not
original, having been printed in the
newspapers the other day. So | will
tell it briefly.
One day in Tennessee Il man killed
another man. The murderer was arrest
ed and would have been hanged in the
future but the brother could not wait SO
got up big mob of several hundred
people and attacked the jail with the
intention of taking the murderer out
and killing him. The men. however.
whom these people had elected and
sworn in for the purpose got together
and defended the jail. and incidentlly
the prisoner. The result was that some
twenty-five men were slain, among
whom were, very appropriately. the
two brothers who got up the notunique
social entertainment.
Now, if that isn't funny story, then
/ never heard one. It is enough to
kill the devil with laughing. The rea-
soning powers Of the 4-yearold child
are more perfectly developed than in
the adult child, judging from this
curious sample of masculine ratiocina-
ton.
Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1893-03-30
ELECTRICITY FOR CRIBBING
HORSES.

Utica Observer A gentlemen living
in q village a few miles north has a
valuable 6-year-old trOttng horse which
some time ago formed the very bad
habit of cribbing; that is, it would
chew at the wood of the manger and
parts of it's stall The habit grew and
grew till he cribbing so constantly that
he lost flesh and did not eat sufficient
quantity of food. The owner sent a
statement of the condition of things to
Thomas p Nightingale and asked him
if he could suggest a remedy. Mr..
Nightingale thought the matter over
and replied Eyes" He then went 10
work at the arrangement described
hereafter. He had an induction coil
wound. Three cells of battery We're
used. A flexible cord was led from 1t
to the horses back under the surcingle.
The stall was lined with tin whore the
horse had the habit of cribbing or
chewing The Connection was made so
that when the animal touched his lips
to the tin at any point the electric
current ran through his head and along
his back to the spine under the surcing-
le This was enough to make him turn
away his nose and lips with all the dis
gust an equine can show After vain
efforts to touch any part of either, the
manger or stall without getting the
dose he gave it up, and the result
is the animal is again eating and Oil
costing his food naturally and has lost
his taste for Manager and stall wood
Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1893-03-30
COAL MANUFACTURE.
Natures Processes in Producing the
Fuel of the Future.

! Nature is still making coal, though,
unfortunately, not at a rate anything
Like fast enough to make up for the con-
! sumption Of this product. The process
es may be watched from beginning to
end. For the purpose one must first go
to a peat bed, which is simply an ac-
emulation of the remains of plants that
grew and decayed on the spot where
, they are now found. When the upper
layer Of this material is removed one
finds peat with 81 to 66 per cent. of car
bon, and the deeper one goes the better
in quality it gets. 1t may be cut out in
blocks with sharp spades, the water
may be pressed from the blocks, and
they may be stacked up, covered and
dried and used for fuel There is GER
tain kind of moss called ''sphagnum, -
which in large part makes up the peat
! producing vegetation. Its roots die
annually, but from the living top new
roots are sent out each year. The
workmen who dig peat understand that
| if this surface is destroyed the growth
of the bed must stop; so commonly they
remove the sod carefully, replacing it
after they have taken out stratum of
peat. There is little doubt that if these
! beds of peat coul lie undistllrbed and
covered over through many ages they
would take on all the characteristic of
mineral coal.
| The substance Of coal has been so
/ compressed that the forms of the plants
composing it cannot usually be seen.
! But when a piece OF it is made so thin
that it will transmit light, and is then
subjected to powerful microscope, its
vegetable structure may readily be dis
tingushed. Immediately under every
separate seam of coal there is a stratum
of what is known as fire-clay. THIS
! stratum is always present and contains
| in great abundance the fossil impress
sions of roots and stems and twigs,
showing that it was once the soil from
which vegetation grew luxuriantly 1t
| is cOmmC also to find fossil tree stems
lying mashed fat between the layers Of
! black slate which form the roofs of coal
! mines, as well as the impressions of the
| leaves, nuts ana seeds which fell from
| these trees while they We're living. In
some beds of canned coal whole trees
have been found with roots, branches,
leaves and seeds complete, and all CON
verified into the same quality of coal as
| that by which they We're surrounded.
| Biologists are Of the opinion that BIZ
| luminous and anthracite Goals We're
formed during the same period and I'M
der like conditions. Originally they
were all bituminous. but during the
violent contortions and upheavals of
| the earTh's crust at the close of the car
boniferous age the bituminous Goals in
Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1893-03-30

The Aspirations of Ce1estials Born in
the United States.

When interviewed about the matter
says the San Francisco Call, Jee Hoo
lid not express a decided WILLINGNESS
talk at first, but finally consented to
show the pictures of the officers and
give their names.
You see," said this man of affairs
I'VE have been striving for q long time
to consummate this undertaking, an
now it has been accomplished"
You are not a native son, Ho, are
you? was asked.
No; [ am not, but I have taken a
deal of interest in perfecting the or
sanizaticn. We have applied to the
Grand ParlOr for a charter, and the
matter is now pending"
DO you think that you will get the
dispensation?' was inquired.
well, [ hear that there is bitter op-
position to our admission into the
order" he answered. ut comes from
race prejudice, of course. We antici-
pated very strong opposition however. -
Suppose you are not admitted, what
them
I'VE shall go ahead anyway. There
are at least 10000 native Chinese in
California, and we can create parlors in
the various parts of the state and also
organize a grand parlor OF course
none but natives will be admitted
In this movement we have several
objects in view. Ufider our bylaws
each member pledges himself to assume
the full rights Of allegiance and citizen.
ship in the United States.
photographs and records Of births
are to be kept by each party, so that
when members go to foreign lands
and return their identity cannot be
disputed Thus we will comply with
the provisions of the Geary bill and
afford protection to Chinese born in
this country"
pretty soon you will be putting up
some of your members for Legislat tive
and other positions, will you not?''
Jee Ho smiled as he answered.:
THAT will come on later In few
years you may see an assemblyman OF
two, a senator, and a supervisor from
Chinatown Things are revolution
izing just now"
Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1893-03-30
THE GHOST IN BERTH LOWER II.

y Commercial Travellers Strange En-
peIfence in a Sleeping Car.
Il once occupied a sleeping-car berth
that was haunted said a commercial
traveller to 4 st. Louis Globe Dem0cls t
man. III was lower IL | rode in it
FROM Chicago to Detroit. and Ill tell
You | spent Il horrible night. The wea-
ther was pretty cold, and, as | am sub
ject to neuralgia, l tucked the blanket
in close around my head TO avoid the
draught, and l was just doing OF when
| heard Il most unearthIy laugh, and
the blanket was suddenly pulled away
from my chin and half off my chest.
Ii was only 10 O'Clock, but everybody
was in bed, and when l peeped out TO
see if ant body Was playing Il joke on
NE not soul was in sight.
I tucked the blanket around my
neck again without really thinking
much about the disturbance. and was
soon ii another doze, when off went
the blanket once more, and again |
heard the shrieking laugh. / hastily
re%djusted the blanket and tried to
attribute the matter to my own nervous
ness, but the blanket was yanlIed away
at once to the hyena-l1ke laugh accom-
paniment. | looked out into the aisle
again, but nobody WAS there. | looked
toward the foot of the bed, and it seem
ed to me that blue flames We're dane
ing there. My flesh began TO creep. |
could hear my heart pumping like a
CorIiss engine. AS my fear grew | saw
a white figure stretched at full length
feet toward or against mine The blue
flames seemed TO play all over it and
to leap from the eyes and the mouth
Of the figure when the demon laugh
was uttered The Juggling at the blank
ct was continued. | trembled and
poured perspiration. | could not rise.
l rolled out of the berth into the aisle,
OF that car. L told him the story.
Gracious, gracious he exclaimed.
his eyes bullying. lie got dat hoodoo
blanket. OATS a blanket, boss, what
WIS in a BERT where man died wild de
j1mjams. No, he din't die i'll dat BERT
but dat WuZ his blanket, an when 1t
comes out of de laundry some ones
b0un' to git it, an lie done gone an
got it dis trip Nobody what gifts it
gifts de best o that ghost, an l guess
bettah give you anoder blanl1it ur
you wont sleep tonight
Il got another blanket and slept all
right The porter told me there was III
ways complaint from the passenger who
got the haunted blanket. This occurred
year ago, and l suppose the blanket
is on the road yet.