smithclay/nortonstories huggingface dataset:
Year: 1869

Edward E. Quimby writes, in Hearth and


Home: 1.-The safest place in thunder
storm is the interior of an iron building,
or house well provided with lightning
rods. As to what meets the latter condi-
tion, it is sufficient to say that the applica-
tion of lightning rods is a matter demand
ing the exercise of expert knowledge and
judgment, and intelligent apprehension of
the law of electricity. Experience has


shown that il is not safe to trust to an ig-
nOrant person the decision as to the guam
tity and location or arrangement of light
ming rods for any building whatever.


"Under ordinary circumstances, in a
house without any rods, or with rods i'm
properly adjusted, the safest position is a


horizontal one, in the middle of room,
upon feather bed, elevated above the
floor


"An iron bedstead, however, furnishes
a perfectly safe position, and wooden
bedstead may be safe place of refuge by
attaching metallic wires to the corner
posts, and running from one to the other
around the bed. In these circumstances
discharge of lightning is provided with
an easy path in any direction, either ver-
tical or horizontal, and no injury can
ensue to a person lying upon such bed
stead


Number nine annealed iron wire, or
smaller copper or brass wire, may be
conveniently and effectually used in this
way, or strips Of sheet-metal may be tack
ed on.


"Nails, bell-wire, stove tunnels and
other metals in buildings present an in
terrupted path for lightning. 1t is espe-
cially dangerous, therefore, to assume a
position between two detached lines or
masses of conducting matter. For ex-
m pie, person has been killed by light
ming while seated in chair with his head
leaning against a bell-knob; in another
instance, man was KILLED by discharge
of lightning, which passed from So
called lightning-rod on the outside of the
wall to the quicksilver on the back of
mirror, in front of which he was stand
ing thence through him to the floor, and
to a stOve-pipe in the next lower story.
Positions near windows, doors and fire
places are to be avoided as particularly
dangerous.


"Out of doors, the safest position is fat
upon the ground, away from any tree or
other elevated object. Thoroughly wet
clothing is partial conductor, and gives
increased security to the wearer.


AN umbrella with an iron or steal
shaft, having attached to the handle a
metallic chain or flexible wire cord long
enough to trail upon the ground, would
protect the person carrying it.


"Farmers might easily arm their wagons
with wires in a manner similar to that
already suggested for bed-stead, or they
can fasten wire on long-handled pitch
fork or rake, then hold it vertically, with
one end in the ground, and secure protec-
ton.


"The interior of barn containing new
hay or grain is very dangerous place in
a thunderstorm, and such buildings need
lightning rods of the most complete and
perfect description"
Year: 1869

SOME months ago, business led me 10 an
out-ofthe-way place, where, near BY fall
of water, there lived two boys, one eight
and the other ten. They were bright
eyed, inquisitive little chaps, but generally
without either hat or shoes, and often with
pants and jacket sadly rent.


Busted as was in the repairs of an old
mill, these boys were handy to send on
errands, bring tools, look after my horse
turned out to bait in the road, and do
numberless little things to save the steps
of those who were older.


One day, on reaching the mill, saw the
Oldest boy standing upon a rock, partly
hidden by the foliage of the surrounding
trees, fishing, and as often as he felt
nibble he would jerk his line as spitefully
out of the water as though he bore the
little fish some terrible grudge, and wanted
to pay it by twitching their heads of. l
asked him why he did so, and explained
as well as was able the best modes Of
taking such fish as made the little brook
their home.


After hearing me patiently and respect
fully, he said Mister, you fish with
hook that has got a beard on it, and when
you hook one he stays My hook han't
got any beard. It's an odd broken one
that Liger Green gave me. ha'n't got
any money to buy new one. Mother
wants the pennies you gave me- Ike to
fish, like to catch 'eln for mother, and
have to twitch 'em when they bite, or they
will wiggle off, and shall lose EN-"


/ liked the talk of that boy. He did not
grumble about his old hook, but did the
best he could with what he had to do with;
and day after day, as | saw him doing it,
and taking to his mother the reward or
his toll which bad cost him so much care
and thought and skill, i knew that he was
laying with that alder rod in his hands the
foundations of grand character.


That is the way Horace Greeley began.
He fished awhile with a beardless hook.
His father was very poor, and he had
scarcely any books, and what he had he
was obliged to read by the dim light OF
pine-knots which his own forethought had
gathered; but he is now one of the ablest
writers, as well as one of the most intiu-
ential men in America.


And so with John Jacob Astor. He had
no money, or comparatively none, when
he came to this country, but he wanted to
trade, and so he carried his little bundle of
goods around under his arm or in his
hands. He fished with beardless hook.
Afterward he bought furs, and carried
them on his back hundreds of miles to
market and when he died he had grown
from absolute poverty to be the richest
man in the country.


There is scarcely great man or good
man on this side of the Atlantic that did
not have tough time in his bOyhUods did
not fish awhile with beardless hook; and
of all the boys now in the country, those
only will arrive at eminence who do the
best they can with what they have to do
with; never complain, but push cheerful
ly and resolutely ON in the path that leads
upward to noble and good and grand
manhood-Hearth and Home.
Year: 1869

their own milk and send back the empty
vessels The donkey was instructed, and
set off with his load. The door-bells in
Spain have a rope hanging outside the
house to which is appended a wooden
handle, or the iloof of some animal. The
donkey stopped before the house of every
customer, and, after waiting what he
deemed sufficient time, he pulled the
rope with his mouth. When he had gone
the entire round, he trotted home with the
empty canisters He continued to do this
for several days, and never missed GUS
tomer.-Lydia Maria Child.
Year: 1869

All classes of community get up base
ball clubs; the little boys engage in the
game with ardor and enthusiasm, and
even the babies, it seems to us, never
gave such specimens of base bawling as
now. T.f


Old men have caught the infection.
We head of party of old gents in this
i. vicinity, not long ago, who got up club
of picked nine several of them picked
out of the asylum for paralytics. The
"pitcher" was too infrm to pitch (cxcept
to pitch on his nose) SO he shot the ball
out of gun, touching the gun off with a
slow match. 1t was the slowest "match {"
ever played. The batter" hadn't raised
a club in a long time, unless it was club
he raised for the Weekly 7inses. He gave
some very good specimens of cotton bat
ting, however, being nearly encased i'm
that material for acute rheumatism. The
ball had about as much show for being
struck by lightning as by him.


The catcher didn't catch the ball once
he only caught cold. The runs were
mostly made in carriages, though some of
the more vigorous were able to get around
on pair of crutches and two canes
One old man said he would like to make
one base before he died--hadn't made
anything in forty years They didn't get
home" any of them until they were car
ried home on stretchers They call them
selves "Olympics," every man OF them
having limp. Their common title, how
ever, is Bdse Ball Heads."


A blind Mems Base Ball Club" has
been running for some time in the interior
of the State. They don't confine them
selves TO the rules, "going it blind" for
the most part. The pitcher sends his ball
by the Hand Express. The batter can
only touch the ball, going by the sense of
touch altogether 1t is altogether very
touching.


The catcher catched the ball in his hat
having acquired great dexterity in the use
OF the article by catching pennies in it on
the street corners They are led around
TO the bases by little dog ana a string
Although blind, they never bark their
shins, the little dog doing all the barking.
If foul" is called, they all sing out with
one accord, Cant see it," The fielders
can only feed their way, and the umpire
gives fhsi decision by letter-raised letter
Tie club is familiarity known as the "Eve
Openers" from fond hope they enter
tain that the exercise will restore their
sight .gf 1900


The deaf and Dumb Mems Base Ball
Club" came to o speedy end The author
tiles intcrfered and broke up their game,
was cruelty to dumb animals.


We have wondered they didn't get up
"Policemen's Base Ball Club," they are so
handy with their clubs. The trouble would
be, though, they would never be on the
ground when wanted. The way to induce
one of them to make rapid "home run"
would be to have disturbance break out
in some other locality. They would draw,
though-salaries, regularly; and not inter-
fere with the game if they were Gin with
the game. ."-CiRcinndti Times.
Year: 1869

THERE is straightforward, broad
.shouldered, honest drayman standing
every day with his team at the corner Of
Third avenue and Twenty-third street,
who once lived where Mr.. Field now re-
sides in Grammercy Park, and whose
father owned all of what is now Union
Square, and much of the neigboring land.
He bears his downward turn of fortune
quite bravely-Neao York Mad.
Year: 1869

A CORRESPONDENT of the journal Of A9s
riculture says he has been taught, by mis-
haps from the opposite course, not to cut
more hay in the morning than he can rea-
sonably expect to haul in the afternoon. If
a shower should then come the damage
would be small, as but small quantity
would be exposed.
Year: 1869

A hundred yearsago it was settled that
the shortening of the tap-root of a tree
was no Injury, and at the present day
some OF the most practical of our pear
growers cut the tap root so as to induce
the tree to throw out lateral roots, and
thus save the trees from being swayed so
much by high winds.
Year: 1869

The latest story of progress in Hindo-
stan has a certain grim picturesqueness
which is almost humor. The great festival
of Juggernaut was held at Serampore in
July. We all know what this used to be
for is it not in all the missionary story
books and pictorial geographies?-
priests upon the platforms of the huge
cars dancing and shouting, hundreds of
worshippers pulling at the ropes, and
crazy deyotees flinging themselves beneath
the wheels. This year the crowd attracted
by the spectacle was small. The cars were
dragged short distance, by hired men,
and then left half in muddy ditch, with
the idols still in them and the flags Tying.
When the priests urged the people to pull,
the irreverent populace cried out, Why
don't you come down and pull yourselves
Nobody was crushed, nobody was hurt,
and only three men got drunk
Year: 1869

A correspondent of the Springfield Re-
publican gives a picture of Minnesota, and
in the course of his narrative tells the
following:


1t was only the other day that club
by-Eced Swede made himself ridiculously
prominent at the eastern depot, by telling
every man, woman and child present that
his wife and boy were coming on the next
train, all the way from Sweden. The
poor fellow had been in Minnesota for two
years, and by the dint of hard work and
living on quarter day, had scraped to-
gether enough to get him little home and
TO enable him to send for his family, and
now they were coming on the next train,
and the months of anxious expectancy
were almost over. The train dashed into
the depot, the emigrants began to file out,
and presently appeared a sad, weary look
ing woman with something in her arms
The man rushed forward and asked for his
boy, and the woman burst into tears. The
boy was corpse in her arms-had sick
ened on the journey and died on the train,
and the poor mans heart seemed broken.
The depot employees made rude box for
the body, and sadly enough they went
away. .Eo- l.IIEsf8 ~


"a somewhat similar, but more sad





for about week a young but careworn
woman came TO the end of the bridge, halt
an hour before train time, and waited pa
tiently till the last passenger and the last
wagon had come over, when she would
turn disappointed away, sometimes with
tears that she could not entirely conceal.
At last wagon came across, and in that
wagon trunk. which she no sooner saw
than she darted forward with a wild cry,
looked into the wagon, and saw the body
of her husband, partially covered with a
blanket, and dropped TO the ground. Sym
pathiZing strangers crowded round; offers
of assistance were freely made, but all too
late; from that time TO this she has been
raving maniac. The explanation of all
this is briefly as follows: She and her
husband had started for ST. Paul, he in ad-
yanced consumption, with just enough
money to get them here, in the vain hope
that he might get some light employment
which would enable them to subsist; but
he had grown rapidly worse on the jour
ney; finally, he had been left at a point
some seventy miles below st. Paul, unable
to travel further, while the lady, probably
forced TO realize the fact that money here,
as elsewhere, Is the one thing needful, had
come on to this city and obtained work as
a seamstress, and he after a while had at.
tempted 10 follow, and had died on the
train"


LOCAL KNOWLEDGE. II shay, nv
man." biccupped an elevated civic digni-
tary of Edinburgh, as he emerged from
the head of the Fleshmarket Close, and
observing the illuminated dialof the Iron
Church, addressed sour milkman, who
had just dismounted from his cart: Il
shay, can you tell me If that is the sun or
the moon." "A couldna say, sir" was
the simple reply. "I dinna belong TO this
Year: 1869

Al Burr Oak, Michigan, last week, young
woman, aged about twenty-three years, who had
been married about five years, deliberately went
off with her husbands youngest brother. All
was done with the full knowledge oi the injured
husband. His wife packed up her bed and
clothing in his presence, which were placed in a
wagon, together with herself and child, by her
maEomour' when they were driven about a mile
10 the residence of her husbands father, the nus
hand and another brother following on foot
Mare the whole matter contemplated for over O
wear, wear was freely and deliberately talked over
lie woman declaring that she never loved mel
husband as we'll as she did his youngest brother
The Young man then coolly helped his brother
himself they left for parts unknown,
Year: 1869

The following extracts show the state OF the New
York money market on Saturday.


From the Herald.


'"The tendency OF the Money narhet 10 an easter
conditon observable at the close OF business last
week under the application of the power of the law
to repress usurious rates OF interest was suddenly
Confined by the announcement that the Secretary
OF the Treasury would increase his disbursements
of currency by the purchase Of nine millions OF
bonds additional to those for the sinking fund.
The effect was electrical upon the street, and
produced the greatest cheerfuness among those who
had begun TO fear that the disorder Of the money
market was only the forerunner of q commercial
panic The rate on call ranged from fix per cent. to
seven per cent according TO the class OF coaterals.
Even gold interest was exceptional or course these
are still high rates for the peri0d-the money rate
in the corresponding week OF last year being four
pea cent-but after the eXtravagant and eXtraordl-
nary figures of the recent stringency the street is
satisfied ana content The promise OF an easy money
market for the rest Of the summer Is made In the
Year: 1869

a1uSAS W OnOAt


One of our small sin is our small
jealousy of each other. It's Wrong
to say that women cannot be friends
together we can-true, firm, en-
during friends; but we doubt if any
youngwoman's friendship ever exists
free from jealousy. If we are not
jealous about men we are about
women. and guard our rights against
division with the vigilance of a
house-dog guarding his domain.
No man can understand the ,,unre~
sisting pettiness of jealousy that
exists between woman-friends ; no
man knows it for his own part, and
no man would submit to it from his
friend. But We accept it patiently,
knowing where the shoe pinches
from the shape of our own feet.
As wives and lovers we are perhaps
the most exclusive and the most
Jealous women in the world. There
| is scarcely a woman IN America who
would allow her husband to admire
any other woman or to make any
other a friend or to show frank
pleasure in her society. There
would be pouting, or tears, or tan
trums, according toindividual dispO-
sition, and the whole harmony Of
the household would be swept by
the board the practical upshot of
which is that men make friends out
side their homes, unknown to their
respective Junos. This changes
the complexion of the whole affair,
and makes what would have been
friendship, fit could have been
frankly acknowledged, intrigue in
stead.
Year: 1869

A good daughter There are other minis
ters Of love more conspicuous than her, but
aOne 10 which gentler, lovelier spirit
iwells, and none to which ber heart warm
requitals more joyfully respond There is
10 such thing as a comparative estimate Of
parents love for one or another child
There is little which he needs to covet, to
whom the treasure Of good child has been
given. But sons occupation and pleas
ures carry him abroad and he resides more
among temptations, which hardly permit
affection that is following him, perhaps. over
half the globe, to be unmingled with anxiety
until the time when he comes TO relnquish
the shelter to his father roof for one Of his
own, while good daughter is the steady
ight Of her parent house.


Her ideal is indissolubly connected with
hat of his happy iireside Sne is his morn
ing sunlight and evening star. The grace,
yiyacity and tenderness Of her sez have
their place IN the mighty sway which she
holds over his spirit The lessons ofrecord-
ed wisdom which be reads with her eyes
come TO his mind with new charm as
blended with the beloved melody of her
voice He scarcely knows WEAKNESS which
her song does not make him forget, or gloom
which is proof against the young brightness
of her smile. She is the pride and orna-
ment of his hospitality, the gentle nurse of
his sickness and the constant agent in those
nameless, numberless acts of kindness which
one chiefly cares 20 have rendered because
they are unpretending, but expressive proofs
Of love- And then what a cheerful sharer
she Is, and what an able lightener of her
mothers carest What an ever-preseut de-
light and triumph to a mothers affection


All how little do those daughters know
Of the powers God has committed TO them,
and the happiness God would have them en-
joy, who do not, every time a parents eye
rests upon them, bring a rapture to pa
rents heart A true love will almost Ger
tainly always greet their approaching foot
steps with expressions of delight. But
their ambition should be- not to have it
love merely which feelings implanted by ma
rure excite, but one made intense and over
flowing by appreciation of worthy conduct;
and she is strangely blind to her own happi-
ness, as we'll as undutiful to those to whom
he owes most. in whom the perpetual ap-
peals of parental disinterestedness do not
call forth the prompt and fond echo of 6lial
devotion.-Dr PaJrey, IN the american
| Odd Fellolc.
Year: 1869

Prof Haven of the Michigan University,
who publishes occasional papers on the sub.
ject of health, in recent article has the
following on sleep. 1t is fraught with com
mon sense


The law of life most frequently violated
by students is the demand for timely and
on fFiaie,a. elaAp Tho mind uses np the me-
chinery of the body when awake, in proper
ton to the rapidity and energy of its work
ing, and the reservoir is filed up again in
sleep. Henry Krke White shortened his
life, not with dagger or opium, but by an
alarm clock He did not retire 70 rest when
he should, and oheyed the summons of his
villainous clock when he should have slept.
He died in 1906, aged twenty-one. Proba-
he might have been alive to-day. But l
can sit up all night says the youthful stu
dent even after hearty supper, and feel
no bad effects. | rally again in twenty four
hours. - OfcoHrse you do. He would be
feeble youngster who could not endure dissi-
patton for time This is the advantage Of
youth and good constitution Ifyou must
expose yourself in this way for sufficiently
worthy motive, do it like man and bear it.
Over-punctilious men, who live according to
the time-piece and balances, are not the
highest type of men. But the everlasting
fact remains, that Nature viii enforce her
avs. Ifyou deprive yourself of timely and
sufficient sleep, prepare to pay the penalty
when the day Of reckoning comes. Come it
will. The stories about Wesley, Lord
Broughman, Napoleon and others, who
slept only four or six hours in the twenty
four, have done much harm. They are gen.
orally not really true, for these short sleep
ers almost invariabe take many maps in the
day time Ifnot, they are exceedingly reg
ular in their other habits, and lose no time
in wakefulness ID bed. 1t is wise to take
regular sleep enough to keep the nervous
system steady and strong


Almost as injurious as late hours at night
is the practice of rising too early in the
morning. The best alarm clock is sunlight.
The eyes should not be wearied by artificial
light IN the morning. If they must bear
this exposure, let it be just previous to the
repose of night
Year: 1869

Keep clear of the man who does not value
his own character.


There is always time enough to boast
wait little longer


Do not choose your friend by his looks;
handsome shoes often pinch the feet


In any business, never wade into water
where you cannot see the bottom.


Beware of no man more than yourself; we
carry our worst enemies with us


Put no dependence upon the label of
bag and count money after your own kin.


See the sack open before you buy what is
in it; for he who trades in the dark asks to
be cheated


Don't be too fond Of compliments. Re-
member, 'Tbapk you, pussy, and thank
you, pussy, killed the cat


By no means put yourself in another per-
sons power if yoa put your thumb between
two grinders, they are apt to bite


Drink nothing without seeing it; sign
nothing without reading it, and make sure
that it means no more than it says.


Never shout halo till you are quite out
of the wood and never cry fried fish till
they are caught in the net


Don't 20 to law unless you have nothing
to lose lawyers houses are built on fools
heads.


Beware of any man who swears; for he
who would blaspheme the Maker, would
make no bones of lying or stealing.


When you see man with a good deal OF
religion displayed in his shop window, you
may depend upon it he keeps very small
stock of it within.