davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1894-02-03
PAPER AND INK.

Their Writing Materials Were Crude. bat
the Romans Wrote Charming Letters.
Although the writing materials Of
the ancient Romans were crude
enough, when compared with elegant
stationery of to-day, they wrote charm
ing letters and books whose fame will
live forever. There was no haste in
epistolary efforts in those days; writ
ing was serious business and involved
an amount of preparation favorable to
thought. The materials used as paper
were of three kinds: the rind of plant
or tree called papyrus, parchment
made Of skins, and wooden tablets,
covered with wax. Pieces of the thin
rind of the papyrus were joined to-
gcther when damp, pressed. dried in
the sun and rubbed until smooth.
Long rolls of sheets pasted together
rus sheets nearly fifty yards in
length are now preserved in one
or two museums in Europe. When a
book was finished, stick was fastened
to the last sheet and all the sheets
were rolled together in a way similar
10 that in which we roll our maps The
name of the book was written in red
ink on a piece Of papyrus which was
attached to the roll. The second kind
Of paper or parchment was made from
the skins of sheep and goats The
hair was taken of and the skin made
smooth by the use of pumice. A re-
markable fact in connection with writ
ing on parchment was that the an
clients often used the same piece twice
or even three times. They did this by
rubbing or washing the writing OF.
The third kind of writing material
was the waxen tablet, used for almost
any purpose, but chiefly in writing
letters and making notes and by
schoolboys for writing exercises or
working out problems. The tablets
were made Of wood, generally beech,
FIR or citron wood. covered on one side
with wax. In order to prevent the
wax of one piece from rubbing against
that of the other when they fastened
two pieces together with wire. they
left rim around the wood. The wire
fastening the backs of the tablets
served as hinge. When writer had
finished his letter he placed the tablets
together. bound them with q strong
string, tied this into . knot, placed
wax upon the knot and stamped it with
his signet-ring. The ink used by the
Romans was of various kinds When
they used paper made from papyrus
they wrote with ink composed of lamp
black and gum. With parchment they
used mixture of gum and oak
gals. Sometimes they made an ink
by boiling the dregs Of wine. 1t is
said that occasionally they used Is ink
the black fluid emitted by the cuttle-
fish. Ovid tells us that people occa-
sionally wrote with fresh milk, and
that the characters could he seen only
when coal-dust was spriukled upon the
St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1894-02-03

Give every man justice and make
him take it-Gslveston News.
There is nothing like sharp com.
petition to cut prices with Ga'
1ette.
Some men who start out to set the
world on fire give up at the first thun-
der-clap.-Ram' Horn,
The man who is able to travel ex.
tensively can generally learn enough
in . year to make bore Of himself al
the rest of his life.
There is often more trough" than
diamond" about the man who pridcs
himself on being "a diamond in the
rough. Young Mems Era.
Dreamy Novelist-"what . change
woman can make in . mans life!" Vic
tim-''Exactly, and what lot OF
change she requires doing it"'-Chips-
Love is that sort Of thing which
makes q mans bank account of two
hundred dollars seem abundantly large
to 60 to housekeeping on.-Atchison
Globe.
kind Gentleman picking up boy)
THAT was an awful hard fall, my
young man: why don't you cry?'
Small Boy-"I didn't know anybody
was looking. Sun = iTs
Tenant (hesitatingly)-''Fve been
reading a very good article in my pa
per, headed Rents Must Come Down
Landlord (ccnfidently)-"Allri right; YOU
just come down with the rent hos
ton Transcript
The Wildcats Age.-Bobby-''Pa.
what has that man got in his mouth?"
Pa-"A cigarette. Bobby" Bobby
"Pa, l want . cigarette" Pa-''No.
Bobby; not until you arrive ut the age
of indiscretion. Judge.
-visitor-.'Is this portrait Of Ma
bel?" Mother-''Yes." visitor-"And
you say . very famous artist painted
it?" Mother-"Well, l should say so.
We had to send for him to find ont if
it was really her picture.
Ocean.
DIR. Jalap-''I have had him on my
list of patients for . year. but he does
not improve. Something must be seri-
ously wrong in his system" DR.. Pellet
Isn't 1t just possible that there is
something seriously wrong in your sys-
tem?'-Boston Transcript
Papa" said Kenniboy." 1--WE got
some pins Don't you want to buy
one?" 81 shouldn't wonder. How
much are they apiecc:'' Zone kiss.
said Kenniboy. The price was paid.
and Kenniboy returned three kisses
with the pin. That's the change" he
said. Yours was such . great big kiss."
-Harper's Bazaar.
-Foyer-..You soy your ambition il
to become q finished actor? You ought
10 start for the fAr west 1t once. then"
Hamtolette Buskin - "Why the far
west?" Foyer with emphasis)-"Be-
cause after one dose of such acting as
you gave us tonight an audience out
there would be apt to finish you in nc
time. e."-BuffalO Courier.
St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1894-02-03
m,cRoeEs ON BANK NOTES.
TAsy Carry the Germs Of Many Frightful

lAey Carry the Germs Of Many RFightful
Two Havanese psychologists. Drs
Aeosta and Grande-Rossi. conceived
tho idea, surely an original one. Of
studying the microbes Of bank notes.
fhey have published the result of their
on the notes of the Spanish
bank Of Havana They have proved
in the first place that the weight of
these notes increases in the course of
their circulation by reason Of the addi-
ton of foreign matter. At the end of
q certain time the psychological
analysis demonstrated = considerable
increase in the number Of microbes; in
two cases this number rose to more
than nineteen Thousand. The physi-
clans discovered specially the presence
of septic bacillus. which rapidly kills
animals inoculated with il; this, to
speak properly, is the specific microbe
of the bank note, and TalamOn thinks
that the name bacillus septicus aureus
could be justly given to it.
Messrs. Acosta and Grande- RosSi
have besides recognized distinctly in
the bank notes examined by them eight
pathogenic species, among which were
the bicillus of tuberculosis, that of
diphtheria and the streptococcus of
erysipelas- The two bacteriologists do
not say what were the denominations
Of the notes they experimental with.
1t may be supposed. however, that they
did not use notes of a thousand or even q
hundred francs. If the notes were of
that size it would be difficult to verify
their experiments in all laboratories,
the means of which in general do not
permit of such prodigality. What
use can the Havanese make of their
bank notes that they become such re-
ceptacles of microbes? Messrs. Acosta
and Grande-Rossi declare that the chill
dren of Havana are accustomed TO carry
bank notes in their mouths. 1t is easy
to believe that the adults carry them
elsewhere.-Annales d'Hygiene Pub
lique.
St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1894-02-03
THEIR WEDDING JOURNEY.
West Philadelphia Couples Adventur,
with Train Robbers.

With Train Robbers.
A newly-married couple, who have
just come from the far southwest to re-
side in West Philadelphia, had an ex-
perience on their wedding tour, which.
though an exciting one at the time,
has caused both them and their friends
q great deal of merriment since. They
had just been married and were ush-
cred on their journey an hour later.
The train was running along swiftly
and they were recovering from the ex-
citemcnt of the ordeal through which
they had just passed, when the train
stopped suddenly and the brakeman
came rushing through the train. pull
ing down the blinds in a most uncere-
monious manner. The groom began
to get little apprchensive, SO he told
his bride he was going to find out
what was the matter. He came
back with the news that the train was
held up by robbers. The brides face
blanched. Involuntarily she looked
at the wedding ring that had
been placed on her hand only an
hour or SO before. She wondered if
she begged real hard to the train rob-
bers whether they would leave her at
least that. She thought exactly what
she was going to say to the bandit
when he came for her valuables. Then
the conductor came in and warned the
passengers. and people hid watches
and pocketboolxs and jewels in every
conceivable place. Suddenly the re-
port Of a revolver. followed by others
in quick succession, made all shiver.
Get down between the seats, hasti-
ly said the young husband to his bride.
II won't run even the shadow of
risk"
So, obedient to her new master, she
crept down on the floor in security.
''There is no danger attall." said the
man in the next seat reassuringly.
Just then several more shots were
heard and the speaker Topped down
between the seats. All the other peo.
pie in the car followed suit, and as
they were on all fours in breathiess
anxiety. there came in q sweet-tuned
voice, full of suppressed anxiety:
Edgar, have you got a good safe
place."
There was q smile even in the terrors
of the moment on the faces Of many Of
the passengers. The train robbers left
without going through the passenger
eoaches.-Philadelphia Record.
St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1894-02-03

The following conversation is an ex.
ample of my wife's hopeless ignorance
Of salmon fishing. One afternoon
while I was out several neighbor ladies
chanced to call. and, IS usual. over
their tea, opened fire with the usual
query rs to my sport on the river.
''Oh, yea" said her ladyship. in IN
abstrscted manner, my husband
caught . salmon yesterday"
what size was it?" inquired one OF
the fair visitors
Eleven feet long" was the reply.
There was. of course. much tittering
1T this
"Then it must have been eleven
inches long," was the amended answer.
Increased merriment ensuei
WELL said my wife, desperately,
II know it was eleven something; per.
haps it was eleven pounds. Black.
woods Magazine.
St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1894-02-03
FOREIGN GOSSIP.

used in place Of glasses. hence the Ger
man nayae brille. The manufacture of
spectaclcs was first carried on in Italy,
afterward in Middlcburg, in Holland;
but MS early as 1882 we have spectacle
makers mentioned at Nuremburg.
Until recently all marriages in En-
gland were celebrated before noon, the
reason for which law was that the par
ties might he sober. 1t used to be the
custom to dine at noon. and, as it was
the proper thing to drink the health of
bride and groom, frequently all par
ties would appear at the altar intoxi-
catcG
England seems to be quite as pro-
gressive, if not more SO, than America.
Professions to which American women
have scarcely turned their eyes are be-
ing rapidly taken possession of by their
English sisters There are, for exam
pie, more than five thousand women
gardeners in England. Six women are
said to be engaged in town drainage
service.
The Congo natives. who have al
ways been opposed to the building of
the Congo railroad. have at last begun
to show much interest in the under
taking, and many of them are now en-
ployed in the work. The natives were
always glad to engage in the carrier
service, but refused to dig. The com.
pany was. therefore, compelled to inn
port all its railroad labor from Zanzi.
bar and ports along the gulf Of Guinea.
The wife Of missionary to Africa
gives some amusing details of the mer-
camille value of certain articles among
the natives. needles and cloth ranking
highest. They are absolutely current
coins Three needles will purchase one
chicken, one needle two eggs. Old tin
and empty bottles are also much in re-
quest, old cans taking the place of
drinking cups. A fowl can be had for
two yards of cotton or a small piece Of
cloth.
-Bohres. who visited the Easter
islands in 1872, says: ''The men of those
islands average twelve feet in height
and are broad in proportion. The
tallest men on board our vessel could
pass between the legs of those chill
dren of Goliath without bending their
heads" Late discoveries in the island
mentioned go a long ways toward es-
tablishing the truth of Bohres' asser-
tions. Their burial places are huge
mounds of stones covered over with
immense stone platforms, the whole
surmounted with images of human
beings carved in stone, those statues
being in some cases as much as eighty
feet i'm height.
On the African shore. near the
gulf of Alden, and connecting the lake
of Assal with the main ocean. may be
found one of the most wonderful rivers
in the world. This natural curiosity
in the shape of q river does not flow to
but from the ocean toward the inland.
The surface of Lake Assal is nearly
seven hundred feet below the sea level.
and it is fed altogether by this
paradoxical river, the latter being
about twenty-one miles in length. 1t
is said to be wonderful fact that this
river of immense volume Especially at
high tide furnishes exactly enough
water to counterbalancc the extraor-
dinary evaporation. of the lake. and
that in consequence the lakes surface
remains at a uniform level year after
year.
St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1894-02-03

pleasant aspect symmetrical and .
splendid saddle snimal. highly priced
by her master. The captain had often
refused an unreasonable sum for her.
We were put in . perfect frenzy of ex.
citement on being 50 suddenly aroused
by the distressing appeals Of the cap
tain for assistance. It seemed that he
had been awakened by the neighing OF
his mare which had been attacked by
= couple Of hungry panthers. and, fear
ing that something was wrong with
her. he repaired at once to the scene OF
disturbance, to find the mare In q most
desperate and determined struggle to
throw of the beasts and release her
self from her dangerous position. The
old captain was frantic, and by the
time we reached the bloody scene the
captain had gotten so mixed up with
the struggling animals that we could
hardly tell (which from tother." The
captain. with his heavy belt knife. was
carving one Of the panthers with such
desperate vigor that the animal was al
most in narrow strips and had dropped
from the mares loins to the ground in
the last throes Of death. The other
had secured lodgment just over the
withers and had firmly fastened its
fangs in the juRuiar. drinking the
blood of Pretty Betty Martini" as the
captain had been pleased to name his
favorite roadster.
That operation was quickly put to an
end. however, for the whole party were
fully aroused and would have fought
''Old Sam Hill." or any other creature
from the internal regions. at the drop
Of q hat and dropped it themselves
Under such circumstances, Leavitt. q
Philadelphian bv birth and education,
and one Of the coolest and most daring
men I ever met with, and a powerful
man physically. deliberately seized the
panther by his long tail. wound the tail
around his wrist firmly and, with Her
culean strength. wrenched it from the
suffering mare, swinging the bloody
beast three or four times around his
head in quick succession. and with the
full momentum of his mighty strength
brought the panthcr's head in contact
with . large rock that fortunately
stood about two feet out of the ground
and in convenient reach. Such an act
of bravery was almost unparalleled
There was no more sleep for us that
night Tho captain was inconsolable
for the loss of his mare, discussing the
merits and dement's of the horrid pam
ther all night long, declaring that he
couldn't see the use Of such beast
anyway. We were determined the
wild beasts should not feed upon the
carcass of Pretty Betty Martin" SO we
gave her q decent burial, p;ling heap
of stones upon her grave to prevent
them scratching her out.
Her sad fate aroused the captain to
the most dire vengeance against the
hated panther Is race, and he sworo
not to rest until the last vestige of that
race Of beasts was exterminated in that
section for fifty miles around. How
St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1894-02-03

The well-known fact that women
live longer.than men is illustrated ~
follows: The excess Of females of all
ages over males of all ages in England
and Wales is only about 31f per cent.
lin round figures, 5,000, 900 minus so.
600 to l4.0oo.O0O plus 50.000). But
when we begin to compare women
over 90 with men over 90 the female
majority becomes much greater. and
when we once pass IS the old men are
nowhere. The female nonogenarians
nearly double the male; there are ssl
women over IS to 354 men. and l0l
Rammers to ~ gaffers who own to .
century.
St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1894-02-03
MAavELs OF SURGERY.
oAldnees May he Cured ~ Groft1ng-
BirthmarlE Removed.

Birthmark Removed.
So life be left in our bodies, no mat
ter If they be hacked or hewed or
MANNED or broken, the surgeon will
set hopefully about the work Of repair.
The process of grating animal tissue
is now carried to such extent that the
deficiency of one creature is made good
by taking a piece or part of another.
A disfiguring birthmark on the face of
. child was recently nearly cut away,
and patch ofskin taken from the arm
of the mother was transplsnted to
cover the wound. A man SO frightful-
ly burned as to lose the greater part OF
his epidermis was successfully re-cov-
cred from frogskin. Oculists have taken
cornea from the eyes ofrabbits, cats or
dogs, to replace and make good the
vision Of human beings
That wonderful fiber, the nerve, has
also yielded itself to the skillful touch
of science. The nerves may be patched
and pieced. The nerves of brutes have
been successfully joined to the stumps
of severed nerves of men. Badness
may be cured by grating. A New
York physician has recently repaired
rsvages of this kind by taking gratis
from the patients own scalp, where
time had spared his locks and after
ward eking ont t..e supply by portions
taken from the head of another per-
son, doubtless selecting hair of tho
proper color. These gratis were cut
up by means of a punch. and included
not only the thickness of skin but also
subcutaneous tissues beneath which
left them fully y quarter of an inch
thick. Holes corresponding in size to
those left after the removal of the
gratis were, Of course, made in the
scalp for their reception. All the
gratis united we'll, without suppura-
ton or untoward results, and bore hair
luxuriantly.
Even the bones, where they have
been splintered by accident or destroyed
by disease, may be replaced with bet
ter bones and become Incorporated
with the complete osseous structure.
In tho light Of such surgical achieve
ments the mysterious creation of woman
in the garden of Eden loses . part Of
its incomprehensibility. The hurts and
ailments of our poor humanity are
helped and healed with skill that ap-
proaches magic. As Prospero could see
his goblins at work to grind the joints
of his enemies with dry convulsion, and
to shorten their sinews with aged
cramps, 80 the good msgicians of the
scalpel can now undo the demoniac
work Of the goblins. who apparently
have never left OF grading mems
joints and shortening theifsinews. In
these days of wonderful scientific dis
covcry the surgeon easily keeps step
with adv1ncMg knowlodge.-waveriy
Magazine.
St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1894-02-03
svPEasr,T,ons OF BARRIERS.
signs, Omene, and Tricks which Bring
Good or Had Lack. -.

signs, Omene, and Tricks Which Bring
Good or Had Lack. -.
81 knew that would draw them is,''
said barber the other day as custom
ers entered his shop after . lull in
business. Don't you know what Il
mean? Why, when trades dull just
commence to hone your favorite razor
and you'll see how it will bring ch4-
toners in. It's . sure charm: 'S6pAf-|
stitious? Well, l should say .sossslt|
would be difficult to find q more'supss1
stitious lot than we colorcd BARRIERS.
Why, know plenty Of BARRIERS who
will not permit the hair cut from Gus!
toners to be swept out before the
days work is done. They say it's sure
bad luck. Now, you couldn't get me
to shave . man on credit the first
thing in the morning. I'd close up my
shop first. I'd not give much for my
days business if I did not leave some
money in the drawer over night.
never take out all the money. / al
ways leaves q cent or two there for
good luck. Here you, Jack, next time
you want the cologne bottle don't step
over my footstool or I'll have to go for
you. Excuse me, customer, but it's
most aggravating to have fellow do
something that might turn the whole
run of business for the day.
"Ycs. that is q good razor: but there
is q good reason for it. Il had more
trouble with that piece of steel than
any other / ever had; but following
the old custom which has been of g.
much use to me, ! waited till the day
Cloonan was hanged. then I gave that
razor q good honing. counting the
times I passed it over the stone until I
reached . certain number, which is INV
charm. That's why it's so good. and it
will remain that way for months vet
without being honed. A razor honed
on the day man is hanged always
turns out excellently.'
As the boy was brushing my coat I
asked him: Are you superstitious?'
He looked blank. apparently not un-
derstanding the meaning of the word.
"What makes you have bad luck in the
shop?' ventured further. bad man.
agement," was the reply.-Pittsburgh
Dispatch.
St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1894-02-03

drunkenness is more frequent in
cold than in warm countries. and is
more brutal ana injurious in its effects
as we 70 north. Yet this is not always
true for. within the last ten years, al.
coholism has decreased in Sweden, and
increased in southern France and
northern Italy. In tropical regions il
is at present spreading fast, and with
great injury.
St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1894-02-03

The worthy Sunday-school superin.
tendent was illustrating the text.
Whatsoever = man soweth that shall
he also reap"
Superintendent-HI want to raise
crop of turnips, what sort of seed must
| sow?
Children-Turnip seed.
IF ! want to raise crop Of toma.
toes, what kind of seed must I sow?''
Tomato seed"
Very good. Now, if you want to
raise q crop Of good manhood, what
kind Of seed must you sow?"
And an observer who kept tally re.
ported that the school on test vote was
. tie between turnip seed and tomato
seed. buffalo Times
St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1894-02-03

ever. in the excitement of the chase
that followed in the succeeding days OF
the hunt, the cap tain's thirst for ven
geance was some what satisfied, as he
had the extreme delight of killing one
Of the largest Of the panther family
probably ever seen anywhere.-Phila'
delphia Times
St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1894-02-03
'OF SncH IS the KINGDOM.

q. al the little children
ThAt this green earth have tro1
a blessing on their presencel
They are so near TO God:
We are 30 far from Heaven,
They are 80 near to God.
! 1ne gufleless little children,
50 innocent and wise,
Another world than ours
/, Around about them lies
The happy little children
That frolic DER the sod,
1hey are so near 70 Heaven,
We are % far from God
q trust Of little childrenl
Y. faith 10 them made knownl
This earth without their presence
Would be but drear and lone.
Zne happy little children,
They come like flowers in May,
Ine winsome little children
Who gambol all the day.
Then. when the light IL fading.
Their weary heads they nod;
They are 90 near TO Heaven,
We are so far from God.
But Q. for sorrows children
Who throng the crowded street:
from attic and from cellar
They come with naked feet
U, haggard men and women,
And ye who ceaseless plod,
Take heed for these your children
They came to you from God.
They mag be far from Heaven,
They came 70 you from God
St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1894-02-03

-Philanthropist-''y wish to found q
great university on this site. Is it de.
sirsble?" Expertus fdonbtfullyl-s1t
will take lot Of grading before foot
ball can be played there
St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1894-02-03

No Remedy.-'I don't believe you
will ever marry her. She has post.
poned the wedding seven times al
ready" Il know il, and l haven't even
the power to apply closure.