Year: 1868

JAMES PARTON writes in Packard,


Monthly: "If you look into the early life


of truly helpful men, those who make life
easier and nobler to those who come after
them, you will almost invariably find that
they lived purely in the days of their
youth In early life the brain, though
szabounding in vigor, is sensitive and very
susceptible to injury-and this to such
degree that comparatively brief and


moderate indulgence in vicious pleasures


appears to lower the tone and impair both


the delicacy and efficiency of the brain for
life. This is not preaching boys-it is
simply the truth of science"


A TEXAN, stopping at one of the first


class hotels in New Orleans, few days


since, after looking over the bill of fare,


gave servant his order for dinner. After
an absence Of nearly half an hour, the


servant returned with ten or dozen side


dishes, containing, as he thought, an am
pie repast for the hungry man, but judge
of the bewildered servants astonishment,


when, after few moments, the Texan had
devoured all on the plates, and remarked
to the servant that he liked the samples
very well, and hoped he would bring hin


his dinner Immediately.


HERE is a bee story which the reader


can credit or not, as his apiarian expert


ence and credulity may dictate: "There
is farmer at Mentz who keeps many


swarms of bees which come into his room


every morning when he opens the window.


They buzz and fly about his head until he


bids them alight. They then settle down
on his arms and he looks as if he wore a


pam of immense mutfs. When the ser


want announces breakfast they immediate
ly, without being told, proceed to the table
and cover the space not occupied by the
dishes. Before commencing to eat the
farmer orders his honeymakers to their


hives, whittier they go after having in turn
touched his face as if to kiss him." 4
THE scoundrels of Lima--the plumber


ers and robbers who make their head
quarters there-turn even earthquakes to
an advantageous account. They lately
buried large quantities of powder in hill
near the town, intending to explode 1t,
and while the frightened Inhabitants, imag-
lining earthquakes, volcanoes, etc, were
hurrying to the neighboring pampas, the
robbers would have had magnificent op
portunity to select and appropriate the
most valuable contents of the deserted
houses. The scheme exploded before the
powder did, and the wretchcs were put III
Jail.


THE Humboldt Medical ArcASges men
tlons several cases of tetanus (vulgarly
called lockiaw) which had been success
fully treated by local application of
chloroform to the entire spinal column by
means of cloth saturated with it, and
evaporation prevented by covering the
cloth with oiled silk. The application was
made just at the approach of paroxysm.
AS a result of the application the
paroxysm was averted, and the patient
fell into calm and natural sleep. On
feeling returning paroxysm the same
application was made, and the paroxysm
again averted. For forty eight hours the
occasionally threatening tetanic symp-
toms Immediately yielded to the applica-
ton of chloroform, and subsequent con-
valescence was very rapid.


SINCE the California earthquake the
question, what causes earthquakes? has


come up for discussion. A writer in


New York paper delivers himself as fol-


lows: Earthquakes are most common in
the vicinity of burning mountains, and
these are situated near the sea. The con-
tents of their caverns burn until the crust
that separates them from the ocean be-
comes so thin that by its pressure 1t
| forces its way in, when the generation OF
! steam is so rapid and extensive that the


earth is upheayed and rended, as we see
| it in what we term an earthquake.
| similar result attends the letting in of cold


water into heated boiler, and my i'm


pressions are that all earthquakes are oc-


casioned by water flowing into these burn
| ing caverns, either from the sea or some


other source. Large bodies of scalding


water are thrown from Vesuvius at the
| time of eruption, and these could not come
| in contact with the fires without produc


ing a power that would upheave and rend
| the earth.