davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Grit-advocate., 1900-10-12
CUBANS DREAD ECLIPSE,
Believe Children Arc Made Mortally Ill
Through Its Influence.

A"rouRh ltS lnHueNCe.
The recent eclipse of the sun does
not seem to have been prolific of su-
perstitious displays in the United
States and therefore we all the more
welcome an amusing instance related
by DR.. w. H. Morse. According to
DR.. Morse, it is the custom in Cuba for
mothers to expose their young chill
dren entirely naked on the ground
during the whole time of the obscur-
alton Of the sun or moon, in order to
prevent their being hit by the eclipse"
and. incidentally. by any devils that
may be lurking about. If the child
takes bronchitis, it is "hit;" If it es-
capes, it is blessed. This supersti-
tions clung to a Cuban woman living
in New Jersey. She accordingly ex-
posed her two infants, aged months
and IA months, respectively, during
the whole eclipse, with the result that
the unfortunate innocents both took
severe bronchitis. The husband. 60
ing for the doctor. announced, in terse
Spanish, that "a mother and two
daughters are three devils for a IA
ther." At the same time the priest
was summoned. and he. being level
headed and good-natured Irishman
lost no time in saying prayers, but took
the doctors prescription to the drug
store to have filled. Fortunately no
harm resulted, for the babies, after
severe illness, recovered The mother
of course. believed that they had been
hit by the eclipse and gave all the
credit for their cure, not to the doctor,
but to the priest, and especially for the
splendid holy water" which he had
brought, and which was the Doctors
prescription for eucalyptol!
The Grit-advocate., 1900-10-12
%
J MONUMENT E
TO AUTHOR : :

Stephen Collins Foster finally has q
monument in Pittsburg, where he was
born and where he spent many years of
his life. Lawrenceville, Pa, the actual
place of his birth, is now part of Pitts
burg, and when attention was called
to that fact several years ago it was
determined to see what could be done
toward raising monument to the
memory Of the man who wrote WAY
Down on the Suwanee River" "Massa' S
in the Cold, Cold Ground" "Old Black
Joe, and many other songs. The con-
trlbutions for the monument came
from many sources, although most of
them naturally were given by citizens
OF Pittsburg. The statute was unveiled
on Sept. IL in Highland park under
very interesting circumstances, says
the New York Sun. A chorus
OF children's voices to the num-
Der of 5000 was made up in Pittsburg,
Allegheny, and Mckeesport, the three
towns OF the county, and it was de-
voted almost exclusively to the sing
ing OF Fosters music. A collection of
bands from other cities supplied the
orchestral music and that was made
up entirely of Fosters songs
The monument is the work of Giu-
seppe Marchetti of New York city, and
the large number of competitors in
cluded sculptors from all parts Of the
country. The design of the monument
was suggested by r. j. Keenan,, Jr., of
f.ttsburg, and the committee which ac-
cepted Sig Marchetti's work consisted
OF A. W. Mellon, Robert Pitcairn, E. M.
Bigelow, W. N Frew, J. w. Beatty
and Senator c. L. Magee.
This statue is to be the first one set
up in Highland park, and the commit
zee mas exercised care to protect itself
against unsatisfactory work. The base
OF the memorial is of granite and is IA
feet high. The figures are in bronze
The poet is seated and holds in his
hand book and pencil. Seated at his
feet is an old negro. who is playing
on banjo. The song composer is evil
IDENTIFY seeking inspiration from the ne
gro's music. The statue was placed at
the left OF the main entrance of the
park. The exercises of the unveiling
were almost wholly musical, and only
one address was delivered. About lOO,-
600 persons were present at the cere-
monies, and as Fosters music is prob
ably better known to the people of
this country than any other compo-
ser's, many Joined in the choruses
America" was the only song on the
program that was not the work OF
Foster
The composer was born on July 4,
1926, and died in New York thirty
eight years later He taught himself
music and studied with great assiduity.
The Grit-advocate., 1900-10-12

Solitude and company may be allow
ed to take their turns; the one creates
in us the love of mankind, the other
that of ourselves
The Grit-advocate., 1900-10-12

Reciprocity is the one word which
may serve as a rule Of practice for all
ones life. What you do not want
done to yourself, do not do to others.
The Grit-advocate., 1900-10-12
FINDS SWEETHEART.
WAS ONE OF THE VISITING
CUBAN TEACHERS.

A Yankee Soldier in the Late War with
spain Makes Love In Cuba While
Scouting Near Mantanzas-Her Father
Was Furious,
The Opelousas courier., 1900-01-27
More than 125 Geo, COO grajns Of gu

ssLore than 1885, eco COO grains Of quiz
hihe have been consumed by American
soldiers during the past year. In some
eases men who were in the hospitals
In Cuba and Porto Rico used as much
rs 500 grains a week. and hardly any
have failed to use the drug at some
period of their service. 1t il stated
that the people Of the United States
consume one-third Of the quinins Of
the world, the drug being used IL the
preparation OF many patent medicines,
tonics, bitters, cold cures, atc., as well
as In pills and in bulk, and a consider
able quantity Is consumed In the manu-
facture OF hair tonics. The official fig
ures in the treasury bureau Of stalls
tics show that there were imported last
year, into the United States, 1885, 056.-
$50 grains of quinine, and as there was
practically no export Of this article,
this means that the consumption OF
auinine was about twenty grains for
each inhabitant. As Is well known,
guinine, Peruvian bark, and calisaya
bark are the products Of the cinchona
tree, which is a native Of western South
America, more particularly of Peru
and Ecuador. Now, however, but a
small part of the supply comes from
that region. At present two-thirds OF
the quinine consumed Is produced In
Java from cultivated trees. For many
years the Dutch government was urged
10 undertake the cultivation Of this
plant from Peru. Finally this was &C.
complished and a large number OF
specimens Of the different varieties
were obtainable by botanists, who took
them to Java in 1852. The British
government also started cinchona
plantations in India which now pro-
duce large quantities of quinine.
The Opelousas courier., 1900-01-27
HIS TRAMPSHIP
Found snugly Encased In Ia Berth OF
a Palace Car.

Found snugIy Encased In the Berth OF
q Palace Car.
The New York police arrested the
other day a gentleman whose gal,
would stock a corps Of Commercial
travellers. He called himself a "pro.
f~essional traveller" had all the eclat o,
% and bore himself like a monarch
When the persons who sweep out the
Wagner palace cars in the Grand Cen
trail station yards entered the a No
mad at New York the other morning
they were startled to hear loud snores
emerging from one of the berths
which was still hemmed- in by cur.
tains. They thought a passenger haa
been overlooked when the train came
in and left him undisturbed until II
was nearly time to start tue car on Its
return trip to Chicago. MFR. Tramp re.
fused to get up, the police were called.
In court he said: 81 came to town to
attend the Dewey celebration. I found
there was no hotel accommodation TIC
be found anywhere. Being well ac-
quainted with Mr.. Dewey I thought ]
would use one of his palace cars. They
were lying around in the yard with no
one in them" The judge was SO stag.
gered that he neglected to fine him,
and the admiral's personal friend
walked forth a free man, presumably
to seek accommodations until his dis.
tinguished patron should arrive to give
him shelter in the suite set aside IL
the Waldorf-Astoria.
The Opelousas courier., 1900-01-27
THE SAVAGE HAMsTER.
1t Is Pronounced Most Unsociable O
Living Beings.

1t Is Promo unced the Most Unsociable of
Living Beings.
The small mammals house in the
London zoo has been enriched by the
addition of a hamster, whose name
gives one the impression that it ought
rather to find a home among the pigs.
But it is really a sort of magnifed
vole, which some deem to be the
original ancestor of all the rats and
mice which exist or ever have existed,
upon earth. In length it is about,
fourteen inches, with a short and
tapering tail; in shape it is bulky and
clumsy, with q head and body II ab-
sura disproportion to the size of it's
stout, little legs, and in color it varies
almost as much as that utterly unin-
teresting animal, the guinel-pig, SO
that no description of its markings
a be given. In habits 1t is very
curious.
It lives in large underground bur-
rows all by itself, even its wife and
every one of its children all having
their separate h%abitations, and eve y
burrow has O large entrance hall, q
dwelling-room with two or three door
ways, and a capacious granary, in
which the animal stores up all kinds
of food as o provision against the win
ter. Sometimes there are two of
these granaries, and sometimes three,
this being more especially the csse In
the homes Of the older males, who
seem to indulge and nor freely
in the pleasures Of the table as they
increase in years, until at last they
become SO fat that they can hardly
Waddie.
And the amount of food they can
consume may be judged from the fact
that from the larders of a single ham
ster no less than so pounds of corn
have been recovered, and from those
of another nearly a hi ndred-weight
Of beans. These edibles are conveyed
home in the cheek pouches, into
which the animal stuff food with its
forepaws until ther Aic receptacles
are stretched almost to the point OF
bursting.
Hamsters are at once the most I'M,
sociable and the most savage of all
living beings. They never admit a
relation even, far less q friend, into
their burrows; the father cares moth
ing for the welfore of his mate, and
even the mother casts her little ones
adrift at the earliest possible oppor-
tunity. And they will attack any
thing Or anybody at the smallest provo
cation. Not even a steam-roller,
probably would daunt them. Certain
" an elephant would not. They
simply do not know what fear is. and
fling themselves headlong at any foe,
even when the odds are a thousand to
n against them.
A tale is told, indeed, Of a hamster
which went for o red-hot poker. and
only let go at last when it no longer
had teeth or jaws to bite with, and
when two hamsters are placed in a
cage together, one is invariably killed
and eaten by the her.-London
Mail.
The Opelousas courier., 1900-01-27
4 bird sister Of Charity.

Milne-Edwards, director of the Jar
din des Plantes in Paris, relates the
following story of two Java sparrows:
.sThey were both hens and In the
same ayiary with q parrot, which took
q dislike to one of them. One day
the parrot picked a quarrel with one
of the sparrows, tore out its feathsrs
and finally broke it's leg with a blow
Of its beak. The poor little thing
could no longer stay on q perch. It
lay shiyering on the ground, to the
evident grief of the companion bird!
She went about the ayiary pica.ing up
straWs, feathers aud leaves to nike a
bed for the invalid. She accomplishee
wonders of dexterous managementin
lifting mp the feather1ess sufferer and
placing it on the couch. But the
weather was cold at night. The chart
table bird placed itself beside the one
with the broken leg, and extended a
wing over it to keep it warm. The
position must have been uncomfort-
able. not TO say painful, but M. Milne
Edwards never came at night to see
how 'sEk Sfeathered sister of charity
was behaving without finding it with
its wing lovingly extended. The in
valid died. The other bird began to
NOPE, lost appetite, withdrew into q
corner, dropped and died also. Was
it instinct that prompted it to make q
bed and keep the other bird warm?
No, it was sentiment. and charitable
senti nent, guided by reason. That
bird was not only charitable, but viz
tuous, and really deserved the Mont
yon prize. Chicago Times-Herald-
The Opelousas courier., 1900-01-27
THE pREYFus CHILDREN.
A Touching Picture Of Pathos in tk
Family of the Martyr.

a AOucninS R2cCur9 OF PRth0S In tie
Family of the Martyr.
OF the Dreyfus children there are on
ly two-Pierre, nearly 8 years old, and
Jeanne, who will be 6 next April.
Pierre resembles his uncle, Matthew
Dreyfus, and already shows that he
has a similar force of character and
strength of will. He will need it all.
Jeanne is the image Of her father. She
has all his nervous energy, mingled
with a little girls gayety, coquetry and
general prettiness. They are growing
up without seeing the black cloud low
ering over their heads. Motherly ten
derness has made their home so sweet
a prison that they do not think Of 60
ing to school where other children
work, and when they play happily to-
gether their mother replaces playmates
for them. 1t Is with her that they go
out for walks every day; it Is she who
tells them amusing stories to make
them laugh while her own heart Is
heavy with grief, and it is she who
teaches Jeanne the alphabet in a big
colored picture book, who helps Pierre
with his lessons, and who corrects the
exercises written in his sadly blotted
and besmeared copybook. One day
long ago their father did not come
home at night, and on seeing the va
cant place at the table Pierre began to
cry; then his mother, whose eyes were
very sad, kissed him with %extraordi-
nary passion and told him some story.
To appease his curiosity she said the
minister of war Had ordered him away
on a mission to a very far-off country.
This rious deception has been prac-
ticed on them ever since. At last the
great news arrived at the house that
Dreyfus had come back to France.
Then the pious deception had to be
complicated in all kinds of ways to al
low of the mother going to Rennes to
see her husband. The children did not
bear very patiently this separation
from their mother. Nine. Dreyfus re-
ceived a letter at Rennes the other day
saying that Pierre was quite angry,
and that he and Jeanne were not con-
| WINGED that 1t was necessary for their
mother to stay away so long. "Why,"
wrote Pierre, "does not father after
having been away SO long ask for ii
hours leave OF absence to come to
PARISH" He said he could not believe
the minister Of war would refuse his
father such a small favor as that, and
now what story will the poor mother
| tell him?-Paris Figaro.
The Opelousas courier., 1900-01-27
Saved from Death.

An English traveller once met Loom
panion, sitting in a state of the most
woeful despair, and apparently near
the last agonies, by the side of one OF
the mountain lakes of Switzerland. He
inquired the cause Of his suTerings.
"oh," said the latter, Il was very hot
and thirsty, and took a large draught
OF the clear water OF the lake, and then
sat down on this stone to consult my
guide book. To my establishment /
found that the water of this lake is
very poisonous! Oh, I am a gone man
II feel 1t running all over me. I have
only d few minutes to liyel Remem-
her me to " LET me see the
-side book" said his friend. Turning
to Inppass-ge, he found, "L'eau du lac
est bien poissoneuse'-the water oil
this lake abounds in fish," rs that
the meaning of it," Certainly" The
dying man looked up with a radiant
countenance. what would have be-
come Of YOU" said his friend, "if / had
not met your" II should have died OF
imperfect knowledge OF the French
acknowledgement
The Opelousas courier., 1900-01-27

in the coolest winter weather. In
fact, they would not take to the sheds
which the captain built to protect
them, but would go ont in the open
spaces on the range and lie down and
go to sleep in the deepest nov they
could find.
The elk sheds his horns every spring
in the latter part of April. The new
horns start out Immediately, and by
the 1st of August there will be a full
set, and the elk will begin to rub off
the velvet that covers thena. When
the velvet is all off there is no life in
the horn, which becomes a dead bone.
The elk is very careful In carrying his
horns while the velvet is on, as they
are very sensitive and will break very
easily. The size Of the horns depends
upon the age of the animal. After
the elk attains the age of two years it
is impossible to tell his age by the ap-
pearance of the horns. At the age of
one year the elk has only a single
spike; at two years he has Ave prongs
on each side. A large pair of elk
horns will a six feet from tip
to tip.
In calling the COW elk has a sort Of
whistling sound; the bull has a bugle
blast, which upon a still day can be
heard three or four miles. Elk change
color, like deer. In the spring they
are of a reddish color. After she'd
ding their hair they are of a blush
tinge. From hat they change to a
gray in the fall. The hair is from two
to two and a half inches in length
New York Sun.
The Opelousas courier., 1900-01-27
WHEN CHILDREN SMOKED
They Were Sent to School with Pipes In
Their Satchels.

Their Satchels.
Every one has read that Hawkins in
PRODUCED tobacco into England and that
King James inveighed against it. Eliz-
abeth liked to sit on a low stool and
watch Sir Walter Raleigh putting
away. Once she bet him that he could
not tell the weight OF the smoke in
his pipe, but the philosopher won. In
Anne's reign almost every one smoked.
In Charles lis reign Children were
sent to school with their pipes in their
eatchels, and the schoolmaster called
o halt in their studies while they
smoked" In 1702 Jorevin spent an
evening with his brother at Cara
ways coffee house, Leeds. and writes:
ssT was surprised to see his sickly child
Of three years old fill his pipe Of to-
bacco and smoke 1t as au~dfarandly as
q nan of threescore; after that a sec
ond and third pipe without the least
concern, as It is said to have done
about a year ago." There were about
470 coffee houses in London, besides
Ave chocolate houses, in Anne's time.
Smoking was general in them, and in
toxicants could be also obtained, as
well as coffee. Bishop TrelaWney was
much hurt because Bishop Barnett has
accused him OF getting drunk in one of
them on the both Of January-a day of
grief to tories and all good churchmen.
Pittsburgh Dispatch.
The Opelousas courier., 1900-01-27
MAJ NEWTON WALKER
A FIGURE IN POLITICS OF THE
PAST.
he Died I'm Illinois the Other Day at
A=e of 96-Knew Lincoln and Doug
Las In The Days Of Their Rising Glory
Retained His Senses to the Last.

Major Newton Walker, one of the
Oldest pioneer citizens of Illinois, died
at his home in Lewiston the other day
at the advanced age of IS years. When
Major Wallace emigrated westward
from Charlottesville, Va, where he
was born in 1903, there were compare
lively few signs of civilization west
of the Mississippi river. Chicago was
then a mere village, with only a hand
full Of Inhabitants, while Illinois was
stepped in the gloomy solitudes Of the
virgin wilderness. Major Walker re-
called many notable persons and
events connected with the early dec
AIDES Of the present century on this
side Of the water. He could distinct
ly remember Thomas Jefferson. He
saw that patriot many times and heard
him speak on several occasions. He
was n of the military escort that
conducted Lafayette across the Old Do
minion. In 1882 Major Walker paid
q visit to Washington. There he heard
Henry Clay deliver one Of his i'm
The Opelousas courier., 1900-01-27

The cellar, well drained and aired
must be kept free from rubbish, and
especially from decaying vegetables
and other foods. Frequent cleaning
out the corners and sweeping the walls
are essential. All kinds OF food, In
Guiding vegetables, should be kept from
the light. Jellies and canned fruits
ought to be stored In dark cupboards.
Windows enough to air the cellar and
screens for all OF them are essential.
II the sashes are opened at sunset and
remain SO until the next days heat.
then closed to keep in the fresh air. 1t
will be much cooler than IL open all
day. But to remain closed continually
is to breed ~foulness and disease. Lime
scattered in the corners will conduce
to keep a cellar free from mold. A
damp basement is a misunderstanding
spot.-Evening Wisconsin.
The Opelousas courier., 1900-01-27
MAJOR NEWTON WALKER,


mortal speeches in congress. He could
recall many other noted men of the
early century whose names are 0
historical, and whose personalities
seem far away and dim to the minds
eye of the present generation. When
Major Walker went to the Illinois leg
islature in 1887 he made the acquain-
lance OF Abraham Lincoln, who was
then serving q term in the general
assembly. The old pioneer was pres
emit at the Lincoln Douglas debate at
Galesburg, and when Mr.. Lincoln spoke
at Lewiston he had dinner at the ma
Jor's house. Major Walker preserved
his clarity Of mind almost up to his
last hours.
The Opelousas courier., 1900-01-27

The readers of this paper will be pleased to
learn that there is at least one dreaded dis
ease that science has been able 10 cure in all
Cure is the only positive cure now known to
the medical fraternity. Catarrh being a con-
stitutional disease, requires q constitutional
treatment Halls Catarrh Cure is taken inter-
nally, acting directly upon the blood and mu-
cous surfaces of the system, thereby destroy
ing the foundation of the disease, and giving
the patient strength by building up the con.
work. The proprietors have SO much faith in
its curative powers that they offer One Hun
.dred Dolla1s for any case That it fails to cure.
Send for list Vt testimonials. Address
FL. CHENEY s. Co, Toledo, O..
Sold by Druggists -T5e.
Halfs Family Pills are the best
The Opelousas courier., 1900-01-27
Famous Landmark sold.

The old Henry house, one OF the
famous revolutionary mansions OF
Germantown, standing at Germantown
avenue and Fishers lane, has been
sold. The house was erected in 1875
BY John Gottfried Waschsmud, and
was sold to John Snowden Henry. Di-
rectly opposite ON ground formerly
belonging to the Henry homestead Is
the Hood cemetery, where were laid
the bodies Of General Agnew and
Colonel Bird, both of whom died from
wounds received at the battle OF Ger
Observation-Disclosures Record.
The Opelousas courier., 1900-01-27

An old negro once. in relaticg his re-
hgious experienc &C, avowed that he had
seer the devil in bodily form. Upon
being asked whether his satanic males
ty presented himself as a white man
or as q black, tie honest darby replied:
Neither white nor very black, but OF
a grizzly gray.
The Opelousas courier., 1900-01-27
The might of ignorance often discount;
that of the truth.
1he 1,ypewriter Invcntiop,

"A statistician has proved that the invention
OF The typewriter has given employment to
ooe,OGo people, but he fails to state how many
cases of weak stomachs and dyspepsia it. has
induced. ALI people OF scdentary occupation
need Hestetser's Stomach Bitters. 1t helps
nature to bear the strain which ensues from
confinement and it is a wonderful medicine.
No one realizes this more keenly than the
man or woman who has been cured of stom-
ach trouble by its use.
The Opelousas courier., 1900-01-27

The old monthly (China) roses flower
the longest, then the teas" The first
to begin and the last, to remain in
aoyer is the Gloire de Dion. but all
the strong growing tea roses will flower
The Opelousas courier., 1900-01-27
MosBY's GUERRILLA's.

One of the most startling incident.
of the war between the states is to be
commemorated by a monument, just
unveiled at Front Royal, in Warner
county, Va. A granite shaft has beer
erected to eve of Mosby's men whe
The Opelousas courier., 1900-01-27

"I do love Dress" exclaimed a young
society belle at a reception the other
evening. "Then l should think you
would wear more of it," commented a
cynical bachelor acquaintance of mid
die age.-Ohio State Journal.
The Opelousas courier., 1900-01-27
e.ol, links ON 9 historic Battlefield.

co.'s kinks ON . HistoriC Battlefield.
The Princeton University Golf asso-
citation has just purchased the farm on
which the battle Of Princeton was
fought In 1777, and will lay 1t out in
golf links. At the battle of Prince
tom Washington commanded the con-
tinental troops in person and won a
decisive victory. Gen. Hugh Mercer,
who led n division Of the continental
army. was killed on the battlefield.