Sharp County record., 1899-03-24
STAANGE SOCIETIES.
The Extraordinary Objects Of Some
New Institutions. tY
ChiAerical Schemes of BsAevoient tly.
Minded Persons fer Estah.
MshinG Odd Enter.
prtSe&.


iandish objects have from time to time
been founded. Here are few cases of
recent growth in London and else
where.
A lady of means living in large
provincial wn quite recently founded
a select 5 4ety for providing the work
ing elias 49,, with cheap, moral litera-
ture." that the specimens of work
turned out by this society are moral
there can be no question; that they are
cheap must be conceded, for they are
given away; but that they are litera-
ture may be open to grave doubt.
The really extraordinary feature OF
this society appears in the fact that
not only is the literature given away,
but the articles of the society provide
"that all profits accruing from the sale
OF the society's pamphlets are to be de-
voted to the founding and mainten-
ance of q society for the protection OF
domestic servants"
Thus one thing leads to another, or
would lead If the moral literature"
sold. As it is, it is merely distributed
to small tradesmen, who wrap "ha'-
porths of tea" and sugar in the pages
for the moral elevation OF their GUS
toners. Every week fresh budget OF
the literature" from the pen of the So
ciety's founder is distributed free
among the tradespeople rour 'about.
Another society has been formed by
three or four ladies' for the purpose Of
providing boys over the age of - with
boxing gloves. The object sounds
bellicose, but really it was most pacific,
the society being impressed with the
belief that If street boys were given
more facilities for fighting With their
fists the use OF knives and granite
stones would eventually be numbered
among the dead arts.
Therefore, to encourage fighting with
fists and at the same time to minimize
the facial damage which results from
bare fisticuffs. the society suggested
the distribution of the softest and most
innocent Of boxing gloves. Numerous
meetings of the society were held. but
It never got beyond suggestions. and so
Grand boxing contests at street cor
ners are still things Of the untamed fu-
ture. . .| t-.
The courage Of some people Is really
stupendous! Fancy a sweet little So
ciety of eight mortal beings having for
It's object compulsory arbitration in
international disputes" Yet. such q
society was actually founded, and with
no intention Of being funny, either.
The society had fund. too, amounting
to something like ESQ.
What this fund WAS for cannot be de-
cided, but It was probably intended for
buying of claims made by one nation
against another. ..... .......t
It was unfortunate that the society
became extinct before the outbreak OF
war between America and Spain 1t
would have been interesting to watch
whether the society would have
bought Cuba from Spain and have pre-
sented it to America. thus preventing
the war. l
If you take an acorn and pass through
It a thread by which It can be balanced
in water, the acorn will shoot in time,
and little oak tree will grow out OF
the acorn--in more time. Well, a char
itably inclined lady, the widow OF a
clergyman. recently set on foot n
movement to supply medicine bottles
and acorns TO dwellers in the slums OF
London, that they might have in their
nbodes the refreshing and elevating in
fluence of oak trees growing out OF the
necks OF bottles.
There were many favorable points
about the scheme, The membtrs Of the
society would be interested In collect
ing acorns and suitable bottles; the
poor receivers Of these miniature for
ests would be edited by the progress OF
their acorns. and, until the acorns be-
gan to shoot, they would have a long
and excellent lesson In patience.
A hundred bottled ncorns were dis
tributed In the East End by the so
rietyIs workers, but for lack OF reason
able support and cooperation the
scheme died down when, like one Of Its
own acorns. II was just beginning to
show some results. Mail.