The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1901-01-06
IN THE GossIp'S CORNER.


While it is very possible to differ from
Josiah Gwin on every line of public pohcy
which he advocates, it is Impossible not ~
admire the sterling honesty and sturdy
vigor with which he champions those poi-
icies, both in the Public Fress, MS Ne"
Albany paper, and in his spoken utter
ances. But it is in his home that the ola
man shines brightest. To the VISITOR at
his beautiful place on ''The Knobs nc Is
the epitome of hospitality, and his priue
in the place, which he has built up from
the primeval wilderness during more than
a third of century of occupancy, Is
joy to see and to share in. He loves 10
dwell on his first purchase, when not
person lived on the picturesque nils; on
the clearing of the land and the bulidlng
of his first house; on the addltionai pur-
chases of land and additions to the house
until it grew into the present roomy resi-
dence, surrounded by many acres or beau
tifully laid out and well cultivated land;
on the building of the long S-shaped road
down the steep hill to the town below.
He will show you his stables and horses,
his chickens and cows; rare roses and
other flowers, fruit trees that he planted
and pruned and cared for until, in matur-
ing they bear the finest fruit in all the
country round; and then he will take you
to the edge of the hill and show you as
fair a view of hill and valley and plain
and winding river as you will see in
weeks journey, and ask you why you re-
main cooped up in the city, away from
Gods pure air and water and the beauties
of nature, which he holds to be equally
nd ri wi
And you come away possessed with the
idea that the man is one of the worlds
true poets, even If he does not put his
life-thoughts in verse, but instead writes
political editorials with which you cannot
agree.
Everybody has seen those fellows who
are always in danger of forgetting them
selves in the presence of ladies. Such fell
lows are nothing more nor less than the
victims of brains trained to translate GER
tain casual conditions into profanity. Tx
pletive is their natural safety-valve. The
strain of attention under which they labor
while trying to talk decorously must be
something frightful. Fancy having to
pause as you are about to use your natural
expression for the admirable qualities or
utter uselessness of a person or thing, and
search for an unfamiliar synonym which
will cover your meaning! No wonder that
habitually profane men say little in polite
society.
Silver in all its forms of art and utility,
a leading jeweler tells me, has gone up Is
per cent. in the last fifteen months. Ster-
ling articles, plated ware and the various
meal sterling" all are about Is per cent.
higher at the factory than they were
year ago; yet in many lines the retailers
price is not more than 10 per cent. higher
than it a year ago. These lines,
however, are chiefly in articles of COM
mon use-one may say, of necessity
knives, forks, spoons, etcetera. The deal
ers make it up on articles of luxury, art
novelties and pieces for personal adorn-
ment or mere convenience, where the adj
vances range from Is to so per cent. The
advance in finished goods COMFORTS we'll
with the advance in the raw material. Fiji
teen months ago silver bars sold on the
London market at 26d an ounce The
average price for the last sixty days has
been 20 11-16d an ounce, an advance CT
the dealers in bars should have it all, the
margin for the factories being only so of
1 per cent, while the average increase of
profit to the retailer is so small as to DE
almost nil.
A small maiden whose father tried to
the Christmas season is responsible for
a.
and they ranged the scale from TOYS to
cloaks. and Paterfamilias took the occa-
sion to say few words which should bear
fruit in childish charity. Taking Small
Daughter on his knee he told her how for
tunate she was that she had a Papa and
Mamma who loved her so, and gave her
clothes and good things to eat He told
her there We're many little girls and boys
who didn't have warm clothes to wear:
who were often hungry, and that some of
them had no fires by which to get warm.
Then he asked her how she thought such
poor little children could get along in the
cold winter weather. She thought earnest
ly minute or so, and then said: well.
papa, / 'spect they don't sweat much
Xxx
Those Chicago doctors who have dis
covered that salt is the true elixir of life
are way behind the times More than
twenty years ago Truman Wright, then ac-
tive, hale and hearty at more than eighty
years Of age, who built and endowed a col
lege for his home city of Racine, Wis, i'm
pressed on all the boys of his acquaintance
the necessity of eating much salt if one
would live long. He carried snuff box
filled with 1t always, and was wont. three
or four times day, to put a good-sized
pinch in his mouth, besides using large
quantities in his food. In the morning ne
gargled his throat with salt and water. and
brushed his teeth (and they were natural
and sound with brine, three times a dav.
Old Captain Billy Morris, who still lives
in Sussex county. Delaware, and who
could go over the futtock shrouds like q
boy and ''shin" up a topmast like a MILDLY.
long after he was sixty. often said: IF You
want to be a good sailor and live tin
you're drowned. eat lots of salt I've ct IL
for fifty year. and / can lick the biggest
boy I've got any day" And they were
all considerably bigger than Captain Billy.