davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Press., 1897-02-25
English Government Waste Paper.

Periodically precise statements of what is in stock are drawn up and sent to all known dealers in waste paper and those of them who wish to buy any of the lots offered to them return the lists with the highest bids they are pre- pared to make, and the highest bidder becomes the purchaser and carries it of. The annual sales bring in some- thing over e1O, 900 year, which, &C., cording to arrangements prevailing up till 1841, would all have gone as "per- quisites" into official pockets. These were the good old times before the civ il service 'went to the dogs" It was found in very many cases that the off, cial who pocketed the proceeds of waste paper had the original ordering of the goods.
 The more he ordered the greater would be the waste and the better for his pocket, and of course there was a dreadful howl when, ill 1941, MT. Mo Culloch proposed reform. The reform was indeed carried-on paper. But that, too, for long time, proved to be little better than waste paper. The officials naturally entertained the strongest ob- lection to relinquishing their custom ary perquisites and held on to them un- til a few of them were prosecuted for theft, or, to adopt the more polite phraseology of treasury minute, for "the systematic misappropriation of public property" and then for the first time MT. McCulloch's reform became a real one, and ever since all waste has been properly collected and systematic ally dealt with. Journal
The Press., 1897-02-25
St. Nicholas Day In Holland.

In some houses the little children who go to bed early put out their shoes and stockings and find them crammed with presents in the morning. Others have to play game of hide and seek for their presents, which the father and mother have hidden in the most myste- rious manner and in out of the way places. In a great many families, how ever, Dec. 5 is celebrated by sending and receiving parcels in the evening of that day. Parcels must be taken here in a very broad sense. The servant who has to answer the bell is obliged to bring in whatever is put into he~ hands or before her and consequently is often heard to giggle behind the door of the room ill which the whole family is as- sembled. Then in walks-nay, is put a most extraordinary looking gentleman or an old lady or a queer animal, con. sisting chiefly of wood or of linen filled with sawdust, in which the present, sometimes one of very small dimen- sions, lies concealed Funny little rhymes often accompany the parcels, and generally much good natured teas ing is contained in the poetical lines. The patience of some people is often sorely tried by parcel consisting of 8 big ball of very fine cotton, which has to be unwound to get at the present. - Annie c. Kuiper in St. Nicholas.
The Press., 1897-02-25
The Well Dressed Man.

There is @ certain professor in cer- tain university of the United States who once, at the beginning of one of his leo- lures on fine arts, got on the subject of the kind of pins worn in the neckties of young college men. He was good leo- turer and was always interesting, but this lecture was the most interesting of his course to the 800 boys who heard him, and the whole hour was spent on necktie pins, their use and misuse and what they suggested. The gist of what he said was that there was no more reason why boy should wear 8 horse shoe with a whip across it all in gold than that houses should have sieves for roofs, and that as it was extremely foolish to put 8 big sieve on your house for a roof so it was quite as foolish to wear horseshoes on your neckties. The principle of this is that you should have 8 reason in what you wear as well as in other things and that senseless decora- tions, like borseshoes on neckties or neckties on horseshoes, are silly and un- becoming to a self respecting person. This particular example was only one to illustrate a principle, which is that nothing unusual, queer, out of the or dinary, is in itself good thing-that, in fact, most things that are queer and out of the ordinary are likely, in the question of dress, to be in bad taste. A man's dress ought to be quiet, but it must be clean and we'll taken care of in every instance. The best dressed man is the man who, in whatever company he finds himself, is inconspicuous; who, you realize in an indefinite way, is we'll appointed, though you cannot well tell Round Table.
The Press., 1897-02-25
The Ring Mountain. of the Moon.


 The moon is really and truly great planet of mountains, its whole visible surface being dotted with elevations of curious shapes and of extraordinary height. We say "its whole visible sur face' and hasten to explain that we make this statement simply because the eye of man has never seen but one side of the surface of the moon What we see convinces us that the little planet is extremely mountainous, for on the lend" exposed to our view there are no less than 0,OOO peaks, varying in height from 2,00O feet to miles When we consider the fact that this lu- marian world is only one thirty-second part as large as the earth we can easily see why it deserves the title of the "planet of great mountains. There is a peculiar thing about these 1000 moon peaks. Each and every one, of them has 8 ringlike form, .he open end of the conical point beirg of greater or lesser diameter, according to the height of the mountain. In a low grade tele- scope these peaks resemble true volca- noes, but when viewed through a high grade glass it is seen that the depres- sion in the center of the queer "ring mountain" is often so great as to be be- low the general level of the surrounding country. The depth of these depressions is calculated in a curious manner-by figuring on the relative shadows they cast when the sun is shining full upon them. The diameter of these "ring mountains" varies greatly, some of the larger ones being 50, 100 or even 16O miles, while the smaller look like post holes when viewed through good tele- scope.-St. Louis Republic.
The Press., 1897-02-25
Emerson's "American scholar.-

Emerson has left behind him nothing stronger than this address, "The Amer ican Scholar" " It was the first applica- tion of his views to the events of his day, written and delivered in the heat of early manhood while his extraordi- nary powers were at their height. It moves with a logical progression, of which he soon lost the habit. The sub ject of it-the scholars relation to the world-was the passion of his life. The body of his belief is to be found in this address, and in any adequate account of him the whole address ought to be given.
 Dr. Holmes called this speech of Elm erson's our Intellectual Declaration of Independence, and indeed it was 1.-The Phi Beta Kappa speech" says MT. Lowell, twas an event without any former parallel in our literary annals, scene always to be treasured in the memory for its picturesqueness and its inspiration. What crowded and breath less aisles, what windows clustering with eager heads what enthusiasm of approval, what grim silence of foregone dissentP-John Jay Chapman in At lantic.
The Press., 1897-02-25
Where the Mistletoe Grows.

Mistletoe for centuries has teen one of the most important factors in Yule- tide decorations, it's use dating back as far as the days of the Druids. The hang ing of the mistleeoe on Christmas eve, between II and 12 o'clock, in many homes is the beginning of the seasons merrymaking. The bough is hung in place where there will be no obstacle to passing under it, and the penalty for being caught beneath it's branches all know.
 The mistletoe of the Druids is Viscum album. It is true parasite, existing on the sap of other trees. and never at any time is it in contact with the soil. It grows freely on apple, pear and plum trees, on poplars. thorns, naples and basswood, and rarely on the oak. It is said that the only sacred mistletoe of the Druids was that found upon the oak. The propagation is by the seeds. These are covered with translucent, gummy substance They are placed in position by birds, which in trying to rid their beaks of the sticky seeds rub them on the bark. The seeds which are deposit ed on the east or north side of the tree grow more rapidly than those to the south or west.
 Some idea of the quantity of mistle- toe that is used annually in London may be had when it is known that from the two counties of Worcester and Hereford alone more than 100 tons are shipped each season. Much also finds its way from Normandy and from France to the London market. Large quantities are imported yearly to New York, Boston and Philadelphia. and much reaches Chicago.
 The mistletoe generally seen in the market here is cousin to the European species and is known as Phoradendron f1avescens It is smaller, both in berries and leaf. It is found in great quantities in New Jersey and southward through the Carolinas, New Mexico and Indian Territory y.-Chicago Record.
The Press., 1897-02-25
His Mother Would Do.

The Duke of Sutherland presented a park to one of the pottery towns. The opening was 8 big event, and the Prince of Wales was asked to perform the cere- mony. A deputation waited on the prince accordingly, a wealthy and worthy magistrate being spokesman.
 Honest old John was noted less for courtlike demeanor than for being large hearted, rough and ready and real Staff fordshire. Unfortunately his royal high ness was unable to comply.
 "I should have been most happy. |" said he, "had known sooner"
 "Canna tha spare half day just to show thy face?" saiG the worthy fellow. we shall look fules when we get back. |" But the prince was memorable.
 Much disconcerted, the deputation seemed at loss how to proceed. Sud denly an idea struck their resourceful leader, and, turning to the heir appar- ent, he said:
 "Well, if tha canna come, send thy mother. ''-Strand Magazine.
The Press., 1897-02-25
Emerson's Wit and numor.

There never could be born a man es- sentially great who did not like to laugh or to make at least others smile. Even Schopenhauer and Nietzche could crack their grim jokes. There is nothing in- compatible in that drollery which En- erson at times indulged ill. In The Fo- rum MT. Henry D. Lloyd thus descants on Emerson:
 A pleasantly recorded of him is story he told of friend who carried horscchestnut 10 protect him from rheu- matism. He has never had it since he began to carry it, and indeed it ap- pears to have had a retrospective opera tion, for he never had it before" An English friend tells me that while with MT. Emerson in his garden discussing some problem of life Mrs. Emerson call ed to him for some wood. Emerson went to the wood pile. When he came back, he said, with his wonderful smile, "Now, we will return to the real things"
 When Oliver Wendell Holmes asked him if he had any manual dexterity, he illustrated his want of it by replying that he could split shingle four ways with one nail, which," says Dr. Holmes, "as the intention is not to split it at all in fastening it to the roof, took to be a confession of inaptitude for mechanical work ' In later years he lost his memory of the names of things. Once he wanted his umbrella, but could not recall the word But he got around the difficulty. "I can't tell its name, but I can tell its history. Strangers take it away His daughter ran in one day to ask who should be in- vited to join their berry picking party. "All the children" he said, from years to 6O.''
The Press., 1897-02-25
As is the osprey to the fish Who takes it
SaIting Fruits,

It is the custom in Italy to ship fruite in large casks filled with salt and brine. The fruit is sliced or cut in pieces and immediately put into the pickle. This fashion of shipping has its advantage over ordinary methods in that the fruit prepared need not be so fresh as that which is shipped whole and wrapped in papers or packed in boxes. Fruits of this sort are subjected to the most rigid scrutiny, as one imperfect specimen may infect the entire parcel The salted fruit upon reaching its destination is soaked in fresh water until all traces of salt have disappeared. While this meth cd may be tolerated in emergencies, the flavor and quality are so much impair ed that shippers are looking for some other way of preserving their product. New York Ledger.
The Press., 1897-02-25
The Largest British Painting.

The largest picture ever painted by . British artist is said to be Sir James Thornhill's work on the ceiling of the great hall at Greenwich hospital, rep resenting the founders, William III and Queen Mary, surrounded by the attri- butes of national prosperity, which meas ured 112 feet by 56 feet.
 The largest picture ever painted and exhibited as such by British artist is one by John Martin, the subject being Joshua Commanding the Sun to Stand Still. " It was hung on the walls of the academy in 1816.
 Another large portrait group picture, painted by Phillips. containing over 600 portraits, measured 96 feet by IF feet.- Strand MaRadnA
The Press., 1897-02-25
The Story of
 Puritana.

Prof. Dixi Crosby, M. D., IL. D., who for thirty-two years was at the head of Dartmouth Medical College, belonged to the famous Crosby family of physicians, which for several gener- ations has furnished more distin- guished medical men than any other family in America. His father was Dr. Asa Crosby, of Dartmouth, who procured the charter of the State medical society, of which he was for thirty years 8 conspicuous member; one brother, Dr. Josiah Crosby, in- vented the invalid bed and the method of making extensions of fractured limbs by adhesive strips; another brother, Dr. Thos. R. Crosby, was chief surgeon in Columbian College Hospital during the war, and later professor of animal and vegetable physiology at Dartmouth College; while Dr. Dixi Crosby himself was the inventor and discoverer of various important improvements in medicine unique mode of reducing metacarpo- phalangeal dislocation, opening of ab- scess at hip-joint, etc., etc.
 At the early age of twenty-four his extraordinarys skill and success fin over- coming disease had already attracted the attention of medical men through out the world, and won for him the highest honors. His greatest achieve ment was the discovery of an original method for perfecting and compound ing in permanent form what has be- come known as his prize formula" and which, under the name of Puri- tana, is legally protected.
 The foundation of this remarkable medical discovery consists of simple New England roots and herbs, and the original family recipe for it has de- scended to the long line of Crosby physicians from their Puritan ances- tors. Its peculiar vegetable compost ton rendered it necessary to brew it whenever needed in the early days of its history, and after the scattering of the Puritan families to remote 1ocali- ties, where the necessary Ingredients were not to be found, many attempts were made to put it up in permanent form, all ot which failed until Dr. Dixi Crosby discovered means and methods, the result of which is: Natures Cure compounded in the laboratory of Common Sense.
The Press., 1897-02-25
A Quaint Bird Legend.

The Medical Press, in recent refer ence to a work on some old legends in connection with drugs, said: Ut would be interesting to know if the bird which the author calls 'aster' is known to modern ornithologists. Speaking of it, he remarks that its scent is said to be so strong that fishes are drawn by it as he is flying over the river, and so taken up by him, having one leg like hawk, the other like a duck" It is not diff cult, however, to identify the bird in question. It is the osprey (Pandion ha- h@tus), which, although not today classified under the genus astur, is re- lated to it. In the Rev. c. Swailfson' 8 Folklore of British Birds'' there is a reference to it from Shakespeare, Cor iolanus," " act 4, scene B.:
 Autidius, loq.-
 As is the osprey to the fish
 Who takes it
 By sovereignty of nature.
 And in Peele's play, called "The Battle of Alcazar" (1514), act 3, scene 1: will provide thee of princely ospray, That, as she hieth over fish in pools,
 The fish shall turn their glistering bellies up, And thou shalt take thy liberal choice of all.
The Press., 1897-02-25
lne NIsDreY.

In the highlands of Scotland at the present time the osprey usually makes its nest in the flat top of pine tree, but formerly it just as frequently selected a Ibattlement or chimney of some ruin, generally on an island. The nest is a pile of sticks as much as four feet high and as many broad-the accumulation of many years-intermixed with turf and other vegetable matter, lined with finer twigs and finally with grass, much of it often green.
The Press., 1897-02-25
Household Economies.

''I don't see, Ella, how you manage with your house money. If give you 8 lot, you spend lot, but if I don't give you so much you seem to get along with it."
 "Why, that's perfectly simple, Ru- dolph When you give me lot. use it to pay the debts get into when you don't give me so much. "-Fliegende Blatter.
The Press., 1897-02-25
Good Letter from the Clerk of the Cir
 cult Court.

Fernandina, Fla. Feb. 29, 1896. MT. J. George Suhrer, Druggist, City.
 Dear George Please send a bottle of Chamberlain's Cough Remedy. would not feel easy if knew there was none of this valuable Remedy in the house. have given 1t fair test and consider 1t one of the very best remedies for croup that have ever found. One dose has al. ways been sufficient, although I use it freely. Any cold my children contract yields very readily to this medicine. can conseientiously recommend it for cToup and colds in children.
 Yours respectfully. GEO. E. WOLFF.
 Sold by W. W. Lathrop, Stafford Springs; G. L. Phillips, South Coventry.
The Press., 1897-02-25
Motor omnibuses for the streets of Paris will be built to accommodate 20 persons.

GLAD T1D1NGs.-The specific for Dys- pepsia. Liver Complaint, Rheumatism c Cos tiveness. General Debility etc., is Bacon's Celery King for the Nerves. This gl eat herbal tonic stimulates the digestive or gans, regulates the Liver and restores the system to vigorous health and energies. Sample free. Large packages soc and 25c. Sold only by E. K. Taft, Stafford Springs, W. P. Fuller, Somers, Odell & Jones, Staffordville.
 To rob it of love is the greatest wrong that can be done child.
The Press., 1897-02-25
Ten days per annum is the average amount of sickness in human life.

Chicora, Pa., "Herald" Richard Vensel reports One Minute Cough Cure the great est success of medical science. He told us that it cured his whole family of terrible coughs aud colds, after all other so called cures had failed entirely. Mir. VenseI said it assisted his children through a very bad seige of measles. One Minute Cough Cure makes expectoration very easy and rapid. W. D. Heald, Stafford Springs; G. L. Phillips, South Coventry.
The Press., 1897-02-25
Try Grain-O! Try

Try Grain-O! Try Grain-O!
 Ask your Grocer to-day to show you package of GRAIN-O, the new food drink that takes the place of coffee. The children may drink 1t with out injury as well as the adult. All who try it, like 1t. GRAIN-O has that rich seal brown Of Mocha or Java, but it is made from pure grains and the most delicl te stomach receives it with out distress. A the price of coffee. 15c. and 25 cts. per package. Sold by all grocers-
The Press., 1897-02-25
An Arctic Christmas.

The crew of an arctic explorer had great pleasure. one Christmas amid the ice and snow, in teaching the little Es- kimo children how to observe an Amer ican Christmas. The queer little tots had never heard of a Christmas tree, and Santa Claus was an unknown per- sonage The sailors were desperately homesick, until one of them. with little ones1 of his own, happened to think of Christmas tree for the little, chubby Es- kimos, with their round heads and soft, dark eyes.
 A real, live, green tree was, of course, out of the question in that icy region, so the men gathered up the bones of slaughtered walruses, bears, whales and other creatures and tied them together so that they branched out in every direc tion.
 When it came to candy, they could not get that, either; but instead they made balls of whale blubber, or fat, of | which the little fur wrapped Eskimo is | extremely fond, and these queer substi | tutes for caramels were tied on the 'tree'' with colored cord. Bright beads shining buttons some brass headed 1 tacks and a few other such remarkable "presents" were also tied on, and then bits of lighted candles were stuck all about, giving quite a festive air to the queerest Christmas tree that was prob ably ever seen. But the Eskimo children | enjoyed it to a wonderful degree, and | the homesick sailors grew bright and | cheerful in giving them such novel pleasure. New York Tribune.
 Poisoned by 8 Snake In Alcohol. | surprising experiment. demonstrat- | ing the lasting qualities of snake poison was recently made by Professor Maison- neuve, which showed that dead snake is almost as dangerous as 8 live one. The professor took an unusually large specimen of the common viper of south ern France, which for more than 90 years had been exhibited in the zoolog- ical museum at fingers. France, pre- served in alcohol. The first experiment with one of the poisonous fangs of this snake seemed to show that the 20 years contact with the alcohol had robbed the poison of it's virulence, for a sparrow wounded with one of it's teeth did not develop any symptoms of being poisoned. The cause of the nonaction of the poison at first was speedily found, however, in the thickening of the poison at the en- trance of the canal into the tooth, which prevented the poison from flowing. When Professor Maisonneuve extracted some of the poisonous substance with a fine needle and injected a minimal DOT tion of it into the sparrow, the latter showed all the symptoms of poisoning inside of half an hour, which gradually increased until it died in convulsions in 219 hours after the injection of the poi son. As it was heretofore believed that snake poison loses it's dangerous and virulent qualities with the death of the reptile, great care i'll handling dead snakes will be a matter of common sense
 precaution.
The Press., 1897-02-25
Luxury or f5anKruptcy.

''Why don't you go into bankruptcy?" asked Judge Emden of the Lambeth county court, when MT. Casswell, 6 sausage manufacturer of Camberwell, candidly admitted that he could not pay his debts except by small installments.
 "I am poor man and can't afford it, |" replied the latter, who seemed to regard his honor's question as tantamount to asking man with only twopence in his pocket why he did not treat himself to turtle soup and milk punch. Such lux uries as bankruptcy are not meant for the poor, and he sighed as he added,
 "You can't becon e bankrupt unless you have money" "Ah, yes," replied his honor, "quite truel A man in your po-
 sition cannot indulge in the luxury of bankruptcy. So the unfortunate sau- sage maker was ordered to pay up at the rate of 10 shillings per month or go to jail for 14 days.-London Telegraph.
The Press., 1897-02-25
ScOw1ing,

Don't scowl; it spells faces. Before you know it, says writer in The Stand ard, your forehead will resemble a small railroad map. There is a grand trunk line from your cowlick to the bridge of your nose, intersected by par allel lines running east and west, with curves arching your eyebrows, and, oh. how much older you look for it Scowl- ing is habit that steals upon us una wares. We frown when the light is too strong and when it is too weak. We tie our brows into a knot when we are thinking and knit them even more tight ly when we cannot think. There is no denying there are plenty of things to scowl about.
The Press., 1897-02-25

From Delagoa Bay, in Africa. letter requires 45 days to reach New York.
The Press., 1897-02-25

Constipation in it's worst forms, dyspep- sia, sick headache, biliousness and de- engagement of the liver are readily cured by De Witt's Early Risers. These little pills never gIipe. Small pill, safe pill, best pill. W. D. Heald, Stafford Springs GIL. Phillips, South Coventry.