The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1897-01-17

theatre, by the way-close the almanack
for 1894. Strong grew more staid in his
issue of 17SS.
PROPHESIES OF EBEN WATSON.
Eben Watson's Register and Almanack
of Connecticut Q776) deals in astrological
prophecy Over the month of June,
Mars, Great Britain by Venus; this same
Mars and Venus have d meeting this
month in the sign Gemini, but Mars
was never subjugated to gunarchial
power tbs to be hoped he will brave it
cut and oppose every female artifice to
circumvent him"
The almanac gives a list of the gal
liant officers of Connecticut, who had
participated in the glorious campaign
/ of Colonel Benedict Arnold destined
a few years later to become an eXecrated
traitor. Andrew Beers. Philomath,' was
another important almanac maker. His
United States Almanack," published at
Hartford. first by Nathaniel Patten, and
after 1900 by Hudson and Goodwin, was
a popular affair. His first effort. in 17S3,
bears an imposing address on astronomy,
and an appeal to the Courteous
Reader He says:
las for astrology concerning the weather,
] have this apology to make, however
To hit ont Cnot miss ono has been my
Ii don't hit the day, it's mistak in
che print
"A table of the weight and value of
coins as they now do pass IN New Eng
land. New York and Pennsylvania, in
cludes the guinea, pistole Go,
moidore fS-C-2, doubloon G4-S-0. Eng
lish shilling and milied dollar. "A Ge-
oGraphicai Description of the World in
provinces, viz: Egypt. BaIbary. Bile
dulgerid. Ethiopia, Nubia. Congo, Abby
sinia. MonomOtopa, Guinea, etc
BIRTH OF THE DIALECT JOKE.
In 1892. Andrew Beers, Philomath,"
had greatly improved his almanac. He
even ventures a little dialect satire in a
Skit called Mine Acknowledgement"
wherein a Dutch Turner notifies the
public that he has lost his large olack
horse. apout fOurdeen hands HE who
eEe- viii pring him pack shall pay five
toilare reward and ak no questions. The
almanac is literally sprinkled with jestS
and anecdotes in many Of which one
pe~ce;vos the parent germs OF one still
doing active service. a Satirical poem
on Rum closes Mr.. Beers pamphlet.
The almanac makers took themselves
very seriously. Watson, in 1880, pub
fishes d poem, in which he sings:
while others dwell on mean affairs,
Their kings, their councils and their
wars
Philaster dwells among the stars.
And Nature-waiting at his call,
His book in vogue with great ana small
Is sought. admired and read by air
In table of curiosities published by
the same writer Tor 1850 occurs the follow
ing: In the northern part OF Pennsyl-
V2nia is a creek which empties into the
Alleeany river. 1t issues from Il spring
on .-ttch floats an oil. similar to the
Barbados tar, from which man may
get several gallons a day. 1t is good for
Iheumatick complaints" The ancestors
of John ID. Rockefeller probably read
that notice in their farm houses with
out thinking of what the future had in
store for petroleum and their descend
ants.
Poor Richards Almanack for 1869
gives a list of his majesty's packet boats
plying between Falmouth and New York:
''TLe Lord Hide Goddard; the d. of
Cumberland. Robinson; the f. of Hall
fax. Bolderson. Mails for North America
are made UP at the general PostOtfice in
London the second Saturday iii ev'ry
month. and the mail for ENGLAND is
made up at the Postoffice in New York
the second Saturday i'm evry month also,
and dispatched without delay
In many cases the editorship of :lman-
acs descended from father to son. ALIENS
New England Almanack. for instance,
was first issued at the beginning of the