The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1896-05-16

| headed multitude not SO opprobrious
with soandalous and foul-mouthed asper-
sions as formerly, Some eminent mar
riage near at hand to be celebrated of u
no mean person, l warrant you"
AS the astrologer closes his observations
In the month Of December, and evidently
being mindful that by some his prophe-
oies had not been regarded with that de-
gree of respect which they should war
rant, he gives this parting rebulSe to
those who have been inclined to doubt
tile wisdom Of seeking information from
the stars: "Some whimsical persons,
whose brains, like cracked looking glass,
represent d Thousand different shapes that
accuse and find fault, as others have done
OF late years, with those thugs that they
themselves are practioing at the same
time. Besides would the enemy to as
trology observe whether December pr owes
hot more than ordinary wet and shabby,
which, If it do then We hope he will BIO
convinced of starry influence, and for
the future forbear railing against the as
| trologer.''
Tho weather reports arc another anus
Ing feature of this little almanac. Run
ming down the weather column in June,
we lind that the Inhabitants at that time
were to expect 'often showers and inclin-
ing to wet, the former part Of the month.
Winds stirring. cloudy. II not thunder.
Fine and pleasant sweet air." while the
month closes with ''some store of rain
about this time" The month of August
is announced TO begin with tn under like
at the beginning, if not hail, thing Fare
however, the husbandman is promised In
the general, good harvest time, yet
| toward the end, may expect frequent
rains" In December, the almanac
gives the information that q tits strange
If 1T proves not a wet Christmas.
1 Whnk H. H. l..
also well compiled almanac of the last
century is the "Women's Almanaol," OF
which there arc two interesting copies in
the bundle from which the present items
are taken. These aimanacs ara embell-
isned or the title page, with crude, and
what at the present day would appear
rather startling portraits Of feminine
beauty, but they are interesting from
the fact that the early almanacs contain
very few illustrations, these curiou por-
traits being about the best of early
almanac pictorial matter. The first
almanac of this kind is for the year 1874,
and it states that it is the thirty-fr st
almanac ever published of the sort. Its
| full title is ttThe Ladies' Diary, or the
Wolnen's Almanaok, containing many de-
lightful and entertaining particulars pc
culia.ly adapted for the use and diversion
of the Fair Sex" Among these diver
sions are number of curious en- igmas,
two or three being in Latin verse, and a
variety of geometrioal problems and
mathematical questions; and at the end
nearly two pages are occupied with the
names of the fortunate persons who an
swered the puzzles and eniginas of the
previous year. Half dozen odd adver-
| tisements are printed on the last page, of
| which this is good examplea
III Artificial teeth set in so firm as to eat
| with them, and SO exact as not to be dis
i'm rI1fc l, aI not, ~
| be taken out at light, as by some falsely
suggested, but may be worn years to-
gether. Yet they are so fitted as that they
may be taken out and put in by the per-
son tn at wears thom at pleasure, and arc
an ornament to the mouth and greatly
helpful to the speech. And teeth cleaned
or drawn by J. Waits and Sam Rutter,
| Operators, who apply themselves wholly
TO the said bushes and live in Raqust-
| Court, Fleet street, London
The charming portrait on the almanac
for 1884 is graced with the following lit
tie poem:
Hail happy Ladies of the British Isle,
On whom the Graoes and the MUSES.
| SMILE
Long had your lovely shape and match
less mien,
The Wonder Of the Neighb'ring Nations
Nature to make your Triumph more COM
! plete
| To peerless Charms has added piercing
Wit,
No more let soythia vaunt her Female
| Host
Nor their Semiramis tb' Assyrians boast;
Wit join'd to Beauty, Fame shall now
Which lead more Captive than the Con-
curing Sword
These ladies almanacs evidently came
high, for the one Of the year 1914 is priced
| at Is. 10d., and under the somewhat sS1rt-
lin g portrait, which it is blrely possible
may have been meant for Queen Char
lotte, is the following verse:
Virtue and sense with female softness
join'd,
All that subdues and captivates mankind,
In Britain's matohless fair resplendant
They rule Loves Empire by right Di-
vine; sA
Justly their charms tn astonish'd world
admfres, aAi
Whom Royal Cherlotte's bright example
fred. 8e
An almanac which is particularly in
| teresting from the fact of Its curious
illustrations of an eclipse Of the sun and
| the moon, is one for the year 1894, which
has the following ambitious title for
its anne; "Panterpe, id est Dslectare
VI OIL AiA1ou1oA tsAA OIL Cp9cMOr1b VI OilD
Planetary Motions, by William Sharpe,
Student in the Celestial Sciences"
After describing in great astronomical
detail the eclipse OF the sun. which o.
ourred in that year on May II, under the
singular illustration of this event, are
the folio wing explanatory words: "This
eclipse alls in the seventh house and in
the yer beginning OF the sign Geinini,
which creates wars, duels, and much
bloodshed; Pyrates abound and great
robbers and great troubles amongst men
Authors tell US that an eclipse of either
luminary in the airy Trygon as this is,
foreshadows stormy and tempestuous air,
web ement winds, somtimes excessive
heats, thunder and lightning, pestilential
diseases, shipwrecks at sea. stirs up ami
mostly amongst people, and produces an
army OF locusts. oaterpillars, and other
vermin, to destroy the product of the
earth.
SIT would be we'll If all ingenious gen.
tlemen that are able and fitted with prop
er instruments would observe the same
and comm unicate their observations that
thereby astronomical tables may be i'm
proved. This will be very terrible and
great to all that behold it in England.