Waterbury evening Democrat., 1894-01-06
AS YOU LIKE IT. 'sa
Stray Leaves From Reporters Not
 Book.


 NOTWITHSTANDING the hard times and slack work am informed by merchants that the week preceding Christmas was one of the biggest business weeks in the history of Waterbury. In the early days of the month business was slack and merchants looked ruefully upon the splendid stocks which they had purchased for the holiday trade. But it was different on the last few days of the season. The crowds streamed in and out of the popular stores more rapidly than they could be waited upon. All the clerks that could be hired were impressed into the service and pro- prietors, floor walkers and shipping clerks stood behind the counter and sold goods as fast as they could hand them out. On Saturday the rush was simply tremendous
 Now that winter is here word about the custom of standing bareheaded at funerals is in order. In severe weather this is really dangerous. Hats should be kept on, except during the prayer, which should be baief. To contract cold is no way to show respect for the dead. Many people have hastened their own end in burying their dead friends. To stand by a grave, uncovered, in cold, raw wind, is the height of recklessness.
 
 How many people suffer much incon- venience when making long journeys by not using what might be called "car sense. " By this, in this instance, is not meant the ingenious devices invented by old trav- elers for converting ordinary cars into sleepers and sleepers into almost the re- sources of bedroom, but the common everyday expedients for taking much of the discomfort from daylight travelling. If there is a vacant seat near the middle of the car take it by all means in preference to one directly over the car wheels The vibration and pounding is very apprecia- ply less. The warmest place in a car that is in motion is at the rear end, and, con- versely, the coolest and the freshest air at the forward end. The front of a smoking car is considerably freer from smoke than the rear. And little observation will pick up thousand little points, as to loosening windows if they stick, avoiding drafts and cinders, etc.
 IT is not probable that the members of the board of education who voted for the appointment of Miss Miskell as teacher in the public schools will submit with good grace to the veto put upon the nomination by the finance committee. Speaking ot the matter an indignant member of the board said that, under the. charter, the dis trict committee had no right to interfere with the board of education in theappoint- ment of teachers; that the latter commit tee should regulate the finances and noth- ing more. Be that as it may 1t seems to me that the district committee did not eX- ceed its powers in taking the unfavorable action regarding the appointment of Miss Miskell. The members were outspoken in favor of ''protection" in matters of this kind and without doubt they have public opinion on their side. Whether thH board of education will gracefully rccede from its present position or insist on the right to appoint the teacher in question no one can l tell. However, one member of the board hinted to the writer that schoolroom may be closed until the district committee comes to terms. Such a step as that would mean political death to the member advo- eating it and it is safe to say that 1t will not be taken. As way out of the diff culty Miss Miskell might withdraw her ap, | plicatlon.
 THE calIow youth who has been visiting DEMOCRAT subscribers and endeavoring tc win them over to the American must pos sess d monumental nerve, or the many re buffs that he has received would have crushed him long ago. He has probably | learned ere this that the DEMOCRAT readers are intelligent and honest and that they dislike misrepresentation. Only one sub scriber of the hundreds visited by the guerilla canvasser changed from the DEMOCRAT to the American, and he has again become a DEMOCRAT reader. Free copies of the American have been sent out by the hundreds in a desperate otfort tc win back what has been lost. Anc through it all, even though the times arc hard, the circulation of the DEMOCRAT is larger to-day than it was year ago.