davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1899-04-21
Charcoal on Plants.

The florist was exhibiting to visitor
four or five young rubber plants with
mottlings of grayish white OH the leaves,
the rich green Of the plant looking the
deeper for the contrast. do you know
what made that?' he asked. ''They're
as healthy plants as have in the place.
It's charcoal. l fill the bottom of the
pot with powdered charcoal, and that's
what / get. can't explain it. only
know it works that way with several
plants. Here are a couple of dracenas,
for example. Normally they are reg
ular leaf of green. You notice that those
upper leaves are as red as the finest
October maple you have seen this year.
It's owing to charcoal"
The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1899-04-21
Dull Boya.

Dull boys often become clever and sue
cessful men, but this is simply on account
of the fact that dull boys are only slow
boys, and it takes more time for their
brains to grow than the others. 1t is
steady work, ceaseless endeavor, that
tells: Then again we forget that
bright boy may be handicapped by other
qualities; he may not have the physical
strength or energy. of the other, while
the dull boy is carried forward by never
failing energy and strength; for it Is
often his dullness at school which makes
the dull boys subsequent success SO con-
spicuous. So many dull boys have be-
come still duller men! Like the old re-
proach about ministers sons one bright
boy that turns out i'll is made to stand
for the whole class; and one dull boy
that turns out well glori6es his whole
class. Notwithstanding all our inven-
tions. all our progress, the old Scripture
doctrine still holds good-that men reap
what they SOW, and cannot gather
grapes Of thtstles nor 5ngs Of thorns, n It
The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1899-04-21
Give the Children jam,

One day, when some small visitors
happened to be in the nursery at Strath-
fieldsage, the Duke of Wellington
walked up to the top Of the house and
found the youngsters at tea. He gazed
grimly around, as if the room were q
field of battle. and noticed that there
was no jam on the table.
Without word he rang the bell VIC.
lently. a footman appeared and stood
petritied.
Have the goodness to understand
said the duke, in a voice Of thunder,
that when children are invited to my
house to tea they are to have JAM
Then he departed, and before he was
out of earshot shout went up that must
have reminded him Of Waterloo.-Ex-
change
The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1899-04-21
Poor McCuSker,

This is how the Delta Light House OF
Mississippi chronicles domestic trag-
edy: when the sad news of Mrs. Nc
Cuskers death was trembling OH the
lips of every individual in this commu.
nifty, and when the screams and walls
of her many friends and relatives were
filling the surrounding air with horror,
Mr.. McCusker fell a victim to pneumo-
mia. That. with the grief caused by the
death Of his wife. has rendered him al
most lifeleSs"
The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1899-04-21
Seeds that Provoke Laughter.

The seeds of the laughing plant of
Arabia produce the same effect upon per-
sons as laughing gas. The plant attains
height Of from two to four feet, with
woody stems, wide-spreading branches
and bright green foliage. It's fruits are
produced in clusters, and are of yellow
color. The seed pods are soft and woolly
in texture, and contain two or three
black seeds of the size of Il Brazilian
bean. Their flavor is a little like opium
and their taste is sweet; the odor from
them produces a Sickening sensation and
is slightly offensive. The seeds, when
pulverized and taken in small quantities,
have a peculiar effect upon man. He
begins to laugh loudly, boisterously, then
he sings, dances and cuts all manner of
fantastic capers. Such extravaganza Of
gait and manners was never produced
by any other kind of dosing. In India
there is a tree which picks up stones,
bones, bits of wood and other unconsid-
cred tritles from the surface of the
ground, retaining them and suspending
them in mid-air. This tree throws out
from it's branches long, flexible tendris,
which touching the ground, do not take
any root there but Irvine themselves
around any article that may lie within
reach. Eventually these quasi branches
contract so that they fail to reach the
ground, but the 6nger-like processes con-
tinue to closely grip the substances
around which they have twined them
selves. In this way articles of consider
able weight may be literally picked IN
from the ground by the tree and so held
in suspension.
The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1899-04-21
CABLE PISTOL MATCH.
Arrangements Are in Progress fol
Contest with the French
MarkAme0,

New York, April G.--The success at
tending Geographic revolver contests
during the past year has led a number
OF well-known marksmen to arrange a
match by cable. Arrangements are now
so well under way that nothing is likely
to interfere with the competition, which,
according to the promoters plans, will
The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1899-04-21
A Good Trick in Dominoes,

Here is trick played with dominoes
which may be new: Spread out n set
of dominoes upon the table, being care.
full to extract one for your own use. In
form the company that if they will mattel
the dolninoes. you have laid down, using
every domino. you, will, after leaving the
room. determine the numbers ut either
end of the match. You then leave the
room, and read the numbers on your
stolen domino. This will almost iafalii.
. bly, prove to be the end numbers OF the
The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1899-04-21
Why He Didn't Mind.

Sir w. HI. Russell, the veteran war cor
respondent, tells this characteristic story
of Gordon: During the Crimean wal
there was a sortie, and the Russians &C
tually reached the English trench. Cor
don stood on the parapet. in great danger
Of his life, with nothing save his stick III
bis hand, encouraging the soldiers te
drive out the Russians. *
Gordon" they cried, "come down
You'll be killedv' -, 49,. ..- - ee-,
But he took no notice, and soldier
who was near said:
killed. w. one one 81 those a blessed d SSr,s
The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1899-04-21
SNAP SHOTS.
DISTRESSED people-the bald-headed.


DISTRESSED people-the bald-headed.
AS the florist said: There's many q
slip
Advice to the goat: Butt me no
butts.
In making Il punch. the cobbler risks
his awl
tval"ratcd alcohol is mysteriously
spirited away
Th" over-worked printer slaves it in
tn" press gang.
MY business" said the tailor, lis
largely increasing"
ION, yes" said the vaccine physician,
II make my mark"
Your left-handed cmploye NAV no
your right hand man.
on never see an ill-looking gown on a
woman who dresses we'll
/" Il Sprinters' convention. there would
be many walking delegates.
Judge Lynch is public official with q
lot "f tough customers on a string.
Sometimes. when the rain dampens her
feathers, woman is las mad as wet
hem
tvrryboly has a Cross WASHINGTON
crossed the Delaware, and many people
Cross the Alps.
Mountain guides may not be musical.
but they are required to know the scale
philadelphia Bulletin.
/" my thinking" thought the sugar
dealer: people ought to have grit mixed
i'll with their sweetness"
The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1899-04-21

and each candidate for Il place i'll the
team will receive IL set of ten targets
These he shoots ut i'll private or wherever
he pleases and returns them to headuuar-
ters. There the twenty best targets will
he selected and the owners notified to re-
port i'll New York ON Il certain date for
a final trial The latter will he held in
one of the armories and the successful
contestants, to the number Of ten, and
two substitutes, will comprise America s
team.
In Paris the expert revolver shots of
The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1899-04-21
He Knew by Experience.

You should try to be l little more gen
tie, Reginald" said the mother of an oh
strclerous G-year-old: 1.-The Bible tells II:
that the meek shall inherit the earth, 20,
know" And what good would til,
earth do me. even i did iuhcr,t it,
snorted that injured spirit wra5hfnily
You'd either make me put t il. til.
bank or send it to the heather on ,livTy i
rp. with sister Sue OF lay it away am
only use it Oh Sundays. PUCK.
The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1899-04-21
When the Child is Choking.

Here is an effective method of relieving
a child that has swallowed a morsel Of
food down the windpipe." 1t has long
been the fashion to slap the suffering
youngster on the back without producing
any especial results. Fond mothers, in
order to relieve their poor darlings, ~
should observe the following simple meth
cd: Seize both hands of the child and
hold his arms in a perpendicular position.
The consequent widening of the chest
will at once remove the cause of the dis
comfort.-New York Magazine of Santa
ton and Hygiene.
The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1899-04-21
April Rain Song.

L. @EEl Rain, silver rain, &@ y
Twinkling on the pane.
The earth drinks softly what it needs.
The gray sky lowers like nall,
The bare twigs string the drops like beads,
- And still the silver showers fall ,aa@ - :
Rain, rain, rain
p gt 49,. Silver dropping rain!
Rain, Dearly rain,
Gliding down the pane
The fence.rniis have IL crystal edge,
me trimming sp0uts pour fountains free
me flowers on the window ledge
Are fresh ana bright az they cun he,
Rain, rain, rain,
Pearly, gliding rain!
Rain. sparkling rain,
~, Shining on the pane,
bit of blue In yonder sky,
g swift signs Of clearing ill about,
some broken clouds drift quickly by,
AND 10! the sun il shining out.
GoOdby, rain!
Annie Isabel Willis
The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1899-04-21
Ocean Currents.

The force, speed and direction Of ocean
currents are discovered by a systematic
plan of throwing sealed bottles over
board and i'll time receiving reports Of
them.
These reports are indexed and classi-
fed, with the result that much valuable
information is gained about the ocean
currents.
For instance, il bottle thrown over
board November 49, 1896, was picked up
March 20, 1893. during which time it
had drifted 400 miles. Another that
was thrown over near Nantucket was
found, 512 days later, off the coast Of
Scotland. Another, starting from Cape
Cod, brought up at Cornwall, having
travelled $500 miles in 600 days.
Some bottles, however, have shown an
average speed Of thirty-one miles per
day, while others have Travelled along at
the slower rates of twenty-six, fourteen,
and even four miles per day. In the
Pacific Ocean there are fewer chances
of the bottles being picked up, but the
experiments are tried there with fair
success. AS the work goes ON, the num-
Der of bottles used is increasing, and
the captains and shippers are becoming
accustomed to finding the bottles and re-
porting them to the bureau.
The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1899-04-21
HiDDODOtami.

Africa is essentially the home of huge
and bulky animals. The African Gle.
phant which is much bigger creature
than its Asiatic cousin, occupies the for
ests, the rhinoceroses inhabit the open
plains and the rivers and their reedy
banks are tenanted by the still more UNI
wieldy hlppopotamus, Weighing some
three or four tons when fully adult, the
hippo, with it's square, ungainly mouth.
armed with most formidable array of
tuSks, and it's short, massive lexS, pre-
SCENTS but little external resemblance to
the familiar pig. Yet, nevertheless, the
latter animal is the nearest living rea-
tive; and the name of the river horse.
1.-THE literal translation of hippopotamus)
is an arrant misnomer. Nor is that of
zeckuh lake cow, given to the creature
Dy the Dutch Beers, much better.
But, after all, the meaning of a name
is of little real Importance; and what we
have to admire in the hippopotamus is it's
exquisite adaptation to its environment.
Every visitor to a menagerie has prob
ably watched one of these huge creatures
slowly subsiding in its bath till it finally
leaves only it's nostrils and eyes just ap-
bearing above the surface of the water.
These apertures are, indeed, situated ON
the most prominent points of the head
and thus occupy very different position
from that which they hold in the Dig.
The noStrils, too, can be completely
closed, thus permitting the creature to be
thoroughly at it's ease when submerged.
Probably the extreme shortness Of the
legs is intimately connected with the
hippo's capability to walk leisurely along
the river bottom; and the huge cavern.
GUS mouth, with its powerful armaturc,
permits the lush heritage of the river
bank to be gathered with the greatest
dispatch. 1t is, however, only when
much harassed by man that the hippo
potamus displays it's utmost caution in
coming to the surface or venturing on
land; and in undisturbed lagoOns it will
rear its whole head above the water il
clumsy gambols.
In past times hippopotami inhabited tn.
rivers of India and Europe; and it is
distinctly sad to think that the solitary
African survivor of this strange type is
only too likely to disappear within COM
paratively short period. 1t has long since
been killed off in Egypt; and the demand
for it's hide to make sjamboks, or OK
whips, as we'll as the price obtainable
for it's ivory, has already made it of ex-
IRENE rarity i'll many parts of south and
east Africa, where it abounded less than
The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1899-04-21
What Londoners Lose in Cabs.

Among the queer things left in Lon
don cabs and stages during the past
year were an artificial leg, birds in cages,
dogs, gas stove, a portabl street har-
monium and a sewing machine. OF the
5000 odd purses left in vehicles and TAX
en- to New Scotland Yard it is REASONABLE
to suppose that the majority escaped from
pockets in the backs of ladies' gowns.
Between 1900 and $4,000 umbrellas
were left in the public carriages and ISL
watches
The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1899-04-21
Shirt Waist Forecasts.

If the elixir of life was ever discov.
cred, certainly the summer shirt waist
has been dipped i'll it. Every season is
predicted as the last and each successive
season secs it resurrected in brighter
hucs and greater variety than ev,r be-
fore. The women said when it was limited
that large sleeves would be discarded and
tight ones the mode. That kills the
shirt waist. AS soon as you nut tight
sleeves i'll it then it begins to break away
ut tn" armhnles and becomes useless
Last years medium sized sleeves
proved satisfactory, and this years first
display looks as though they might be
proof against any ripping Or giving away
process.
White promises to be Il prime favorite
i'll the summer shirt waist: This may be
nrc"nnt'l for by the terrible experience
in pale vioIets, blues and pinks, that have
returned from the laundry muddy
white and utterly unfit for wear in street
or house.
The washable silk waist, which gave
such satisfaction last year, promises to be
greatly i'll demand for the coming sea-
The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1899-04-21
Manual Training a Colossal Advance.

In a modern school, verbal recitations
form. only small part of what the pupil
is required to do, says Prof. William
James in the Atlantic. He must keep
notebooks, make drawings, plans and
maps, take measurements, enter the lab
oratory and perform experiments, consult
authorities and write essays. He must
do in his fashion what is often laughed
at by outsiders when it appears in pros
work." but what is really the only pos
sible training for the doing of original
work thereafter. The most colossal i'm
provement which recent years have seen
in secondary education lies in the in
PRODUCTION of the manual trimming
schools: not because they will give us a
people more handy and pra ctical for do
nestle life and better skilled in trades
but because they will give us citizens
with an entirely different intellectual
fiber. Laboratory work and shop work
engender habit of observation. knowl-
edge of the difference between accuracy
and vagueness, and an insight into ma
lures complexity and into the inadequa-
cy of all abstract verbal accounts of real
phenomena, which, once wrought into
the mind, remain there as lifelong pos
sessions. They confer precision; because
if you are doing thing, you must do it
definitely right or definitely wrong. They
give honesty; for when you express your
self by making things, and not by using
words, it becomes impossible to dissinl-
ulate your vagueness or ignorance by
ambiguity. They beget habit of self
reliance; they keep the interest and at
tention always cheerfully engaged, and
reduce the teachers disciplinary func-
tons to minimum. OF the various
systems of manual training, so far as
woodwork is concerned, the Swedish
Sloyd system, if l may have IN opinion
on such matters, seems to me by far the
best, psychologically considered. Manual
training methods, fortunately, are being
slowly, but surely, introduced into all
our large cities. But there is still an
immense distance to traverse before they
they have gained the extension which
they are ultimately destined to possess.
The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1899-04-21
Under Heavy Expense.

II get. an allowance now of 25 cents
week." said Jimmieboy.
/ Good! Do you save it," said the Wis.
itor. &c.,
NO" said Jimmieboy, Il pay it out III
fines for being naughty
The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1899-04-21
What Do the Children Drink ?

Don't give them tea or coffee. Have
you tried the new food drink called
GRAIN-O? II is delicious and nouriah-
ing. and takes the place of coffee. The
more GraiE-O You give the children the
more health you distribute through their
systems. Grain-O is made Of pure grains,
the choice grades of coffee. but costs
about " as much. All grocers sell it. 15c.
and DC
The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1899-04-21

tons the Frencl1men will adopt, but the
American conditions will cali for the new
universal target. 2A2-inch bullseye at 20
yards. This is the target originated by
DR.. A. \. Webber of the Brooklyn Re
volver club and ii worlds record holder
at revolver shooting
The contest will probably he held next
November. and the intervening time ii,
this country will he devoted TO getting
together in New York the best nlarkSmen
obtainable. All the revolver shots in the
United States will be invited to compete
The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1899-04-21
After Ambulance Chasers.

Within the last two weeks the distric.
attorneys office in New York has arrest
and there is considerable likelihood that
others will soon be in the hands of the
law. The first person was one Ernest
NJ. WEIGH. who was promptly indicted
for the crime, "A systematic investiga-
ton of the subject was then begun, with
the result that man named GALLAGHER
has just been arrested. So far as could
he learned. Gallagher began his nefarious
practice in 1895 in a case for damages
against street car company. !; He would
furnish a typewritten account :of the az
cident and require the witnesses to learn
it. These men are dubbed with the dis
agreeable, but suggestive, name OF anl-
bulance-chasers. Their cher prey of
course, are. the large Corporations; espes
cially car lines z 4 IA. :. - ~
The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1899-04-21
To Clean Paint.

Almost every housekeeper knows that
in cleaning paint it is necessary to use
extreme care in order not to injure it
The following directions, if strictly fol
lowed, will result in clean, bright wood
work: AT first the room should be dust
ed carefully with painters brush. Il
white paint is to be cleaned, take a pail
full of lukewarm water and add table
spoonful of ammonia and a small piece
of whitening. Dark paint or walnut fur
nishings should never be washed, but
thoroughly rubbed with linseed oil and
polished with piece of soft silk
The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1899-04-21
Explained.

"Why, Howard, child, how did you cut
your lip that way?" cried Mrs. B.
Playing" said Howard. II was play.
ing was a goat an tried to eat a to,
mater can"
The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1899-04-21
Cp66OO5-656C 6ccDCOnO0CD
g YOUNG FOLKS COLUMN. q
\ QQzQQ }

match. When the match has been
formed and concealed by handkerchief
yOu enter the room and announce the end
numbers, Buffalo ENQUIRER.
The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1899-04-21
Meaning of Sir(lar,

Figaro of Paris is authority for the
statement that Sirdar is contraction of
the Arabic words Slayer ed OAR" Saver
means inspector or watcher, while Oar
means palace; hence. Sayer ed Oar would
mean Inspector of the palace,
The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1899-04-21

The weights Of classes Of students be-
fore and after examination have been
made the subject of recent investigation
IN hlgh classes, where naturally the ex-
animation was most felt, several pounds
were lost, showing how the mental strain
was felt. In lower classes the loss was
The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1899-04-21

In every city or town in the Neither
lands you will find Rosemary street.
In olden days only undertakers lived in
them. the rosemary being. in the Ian
guage of flowers, specially dedicated to
the dead
The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1899-04-21

1t is Of great advantage ID have been
married a little while in the beginning,
but do not know how that can be man
aged satisfactorily, il Fate is not kind
enough to take the matter in hand
Grace Atherton in American Queen. -;
The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1899-04-21
SatZersa Seed COpn.

Does your seed corn test, Bro. Farmer?
Salzer's does-its northern grown. early
and good for 50 to $50 bu. per acre. Send
this notice and Ice for corn samples and
low prices to Salzer Seed Co., La Crosse,
Wis. ten,
The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1899-04-21

can be set down. therefore, as nm estab-
iished rule, that bright boys generally do
turn out to be bright men, and dull boys
generally do turn out to be dull men, Il
The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1899-04-21

The highest masts of sailing vessels
are from 16O feet to 1870 feet high. and
spread from 10000 to 10O, 900 square feet
OF canvas. ~.