smithclay/nortonstories huggingface dataset:
Year: 1877

The battle Of Plevna, in which the
Russian army lost all the Roadway it
has been making since it crossed the
Danube, closes what has been an active
campaign of three weeks on the part of
the Russian commander. 1t has been
during that time series of murderous
encounters at different points, culmina-
ting in disaster that is far more serious
than anything which has overtaken the
Russians in Asia. The loss was of
course heavy to the Turkish forces as well
as to the Russian, but the former could
not have suffered in their defences as
much as the latter, which were moved
down in whole ranks by the effectively
handled Turkish artillery, and after
wards pursued by the Turkish cavalry
until defeat was changed to rout. The
result again shows that the battle is not
alone to the strong. Russia is to have
no such walk over Turkey as, with her
vastly superior armies, she has evident
ly counted upon. Her entire rank and
file is placed at l,771,3S7 men, and SO
badly has she Jared thus far that she
is forced to summon her reserves to the
field and hurry them down to prevent
still further disaster In addition to
this, she has for final resource the
ordering out of every man who is capa-
BILE of bearing arms. She has resorted
to this desperate expedient but twice
during the present century-once in
1910, and the second time in 1866. At
the rate her armies are wasting now she
will in all probability be compelled to
drain the Empire of all its fighting men
before she gets through.


Although her army is so vast in point
of numbers, it is necessarily scattered
to defend the various points of the En-
plre that are exposed. And so, too, out
of the seven corps which compose the
Turkish army of Turkey, two are prac-
tically unserviceable on account of hav-
ing to stand guard over the provinces !;
and with Greece, Thessaly and Crete
insubordinate and making open threats,
considerable element of her aggressive
power is taken away. But Turkey is
fighting on her own soil and at the GEN.
tire of the circle. She can in large
measure select her own battles grounds.
The Plcvna struggle uncovers in part
the plan of the Turkish defences. Her
fresh levies betray by their character
the weakness from which he suffers, and
so does the Russian order for the imme-
diate rising of two new army corps tell
the story of the frightful wound that
hoe hoan inflicted on her fiohtino nowor
Year: 1877

The killing and wounding was not all !;
untold suferings from hunger, fatigue,
disease, deficient medical and surgical
care, and the Generalization caused by
panic are hardly to be computed in a
general reckoning Of the losses by this
defeat. If we add to the result the i'm
portant consideration that Russia is as
destitute of the "sinews of war; as Tur-
key is, it will have to be allowed that it
is prematurely to credit Russia with the
ability to crush her opponent simply by
her superior force of numbers. It is
the one that can hold out the longest
that carries of the wreath of victory
Boston Post.
Year: 1877

SUMMER EvENINGs.-There is an all
pervading and diffusiye charm about a
summer evening anywhere. In the
country, where the air is fragrant with
the breath of honeysuckle and rose, and
perfumed, besides, with thousand subtle
scents too transient and delicate to be
separately defined, the evening is the
climacteric of the day. Not morning.
with its wondrous sparkle and shine, its
glistening pearls suspended from myraid
branches, its evanescent clouds, and its
chorus of song not noon, with its hush
of spell-bound splendor and its lovely
languor of stately repose; not even late
afternoon, when the long shadows creep
down the velvet slopes, and the haze
hangs tremulous on the distant hills
is so fair as twilight. Through the faint
ethereal glimmer of brightness which
fingers in the west, through the glory of
the golden moonrise, there come vague
questionings and thoughts to our minds,
not clothed upon with speech. though
they wear the color of heaven. From
unseen haunts in the orchard, or from
the dark belt of frs which girdles the
ravine, there falls now and then a sill
very note, the vesper song of the robin,
or the last warble of the thrush, ere be
tucks his head beneath his wing. Tran
gully and tenderly the night approaches,
like gentle mother whose protecting
arms gather the tired children close and
fold them to slumber on her breast.
Year: 1877

Baron Reichenbach, who has devoted
many years of deep study to the art of
bedmaking, maintains that you must
not always lie on your bed as 1t is made,
under penelty of abridging your life by
a great number of years. If, says the
baron, mere magnet exercises an in
fuence on sensitive people, the earth s
magnetism must certainly make itself
felt on the nervous life of man. Hence
he awaits on the salutary effects of the
inhabitants. of the northern hemisphere
lying with their heads to the north, and
those of the southern with their heads
to the south. For travellers with short
memories we may put the rule in gen.
eral terms In whatever hemisphere
you may be, always sleep with your feet
to the equator, and let your body lie
"true as needle to the pole" In CIV
ing this rule the baron has simply told
us how to live hundred years for the
polardirection of the body is, it appears,
of the utmost Importance for the proper
circulation of the blood, and we have
Baron Reichonbach's authority for stat
ing that many disturbances in the hu-
man organism have been cured by SIM
ply placing the bolster at a different
point of the compass from that it had
occupied before. Let such as have
hitherto been in the habit of sleeping
with their heads where their feet ought
to be, take to heart the example of the
late DR.. Fischweiter, of Madgeburg, who
died recently at the age of 1O9 years,
and always attributed his long life to
his faithful observance of the pole to
pole position of sleeping. The most
unhealthy position, we are told, is when
the body lies due east and west Some
observers assure US that to sleep in such
position is tantamount to committing
suicide, and that diseases are often ag-
gravated by deviations from the polar
posture.
Year: 1877

A correspondent writes from China :
The greatest attribute of Chinese gen.
eral is considered to be his strategy.
He is worth nothing if he fails to lead
his enemy into making false step. The
hero of the hour on this account is a
general who led body of troops against
walled city held by the insurgents.
He besieged them, and in due course of
time they pleaded for terms. Laudable
promises were made by the dozens, the
sine gato non being they should lay
down their arm. This was done, when,
the generals dispatches informs us, they
were Immediately massacred as fast as
it was possible to do so, but the leader
was ''put to death by extreme torture. +"
This consisted in winding a wire very
tightly about the entire head and body
to the feet, intervals of an inch being
left between each turn. This brought
the flesh into wales which were quickly
and neatly sliced off by keen knives.
The scene ended by decapitating the
still living skeleton.


A very great deal of the evidence in
criminal cases is elected by torture, un-
less that given comedies with the ideas
of the magistrate. If, under torture,
witnesses assert things detrimental to
the side he proposes to favor, they re-
main in agony till they take it all back
again. When he has got it arranged to
suit himself, ten to one he will admins
ter another dose to them for not telling
the truth at once. There is something
frightful to the civilized mind in such
abortion of justice, but even when the
verdict is correct and the felon is to
suffer for crime committed, the punish
ments are so truly barbarous you sink
your detestation of the offense in your
pity for. the suffering offender The
sight of human being receiving two
hundred or three hundred blows from a
heavy bamboo, leaving gashes and flesh
beaten to jelly, and finally a helpless
cripple for life, does not tend to excite
your love for your fellow.man. Kneel-
ing on chains for many hours, the lash
descending at the slightest change of
posture, pinching the fingers in viscs
made of split bamboo; entwining metal
tubes about the body and extremities.
in which boiling fluid is poured. soaring
the flesh wherever it touches wearing a
three-feet square, twenty pound wooden
collar day and night for weeks, being
unable to reach the mouth with the
hand, and exposed to the gaze of the
passeys-by in the locality of the ofense !;
placing in a cage with the head secured
in collar which forms the roof, the
toes just touching the ground, and left
to die by starvation and strangulation !;
beheading, and cutting into ten thousand
pieces" are among the usual punishments
of this enlightened race.
Year: 1877

All beautiful tales, l trust. are true,


But here is grave in the moss, ra
And there is the sky. And the buds are blue,
And butterfly blows across.
Yes, here is the grave and there is the sky:
To the one or the other we 60.
And between them wavers the butterfly
Like a soul that dees not know.
Somewhere? NowhereP Too golden-head,
And lips that miss and MISS
You wsuid tell me the secret of the dead
Could find you with kiss
Come here, say little child Of mine.
Come with your bloom and your breath.
or he should believe in the life divine,
will not believe IN deathD
'Whero is your brother 9'-I question low,
And wait for his wise reply.
Does he say-"Down there in the gravef All. no
lie says, with laugh. I'm the skyr
Year: 1877

The man who does nothing don't
amount to much. 1t makes but little
difference whether he is a millionaire or
pauper. He is only a stagnant pool,
without energy enough to start ripple.
He diffuses a moral miasma over every
thing around him. Do something don't
stand on the corner gaping, with your
hands in your pockets, like an idiot.
The world was made to work IN, and if
you fill your hearts with good angels,
the bad spirits will keep out, because
there is no room for them.
Year: 1877

LIFE.-No man is just what he seems
to be. Everybody is being changed.
God is preparing us for higher state
of existence. We are walking incognito.
We are scholars gaining our education.
Little by little we are receiving our
robe, our equipage. 1t doth not yet ap-
pear; but by and by, if we endure unto
the end, we shall drop the growth Of
this world, and rise out of its conditions
into the towering and fruit-bearing Pc
riod,-into the life that is to come
and then we shall know the meaning of
these earthly distemperatures; and those
who have washed their garments white
in blood, those who have been perfected
by suffering, will stand highest, most
radiant and most joyful.-Beecher.
Year: 1877

The mosquitoes sOng-"sweet Hum"


Why is the strap of an omnibus like
conscience? 1t is an inward check on
the outer man.


What is the difference between a hun
cry man and glutton ? One longs to
eat, the other eats too long.
Year: 1877

DR.. Mary Walker was one of those
who joined the throng paying homage to
Governor Hampton in his recent visit
to Washington. She endeavored, but
without success, to persuade some one of
the walters to carry her card to Governor
Hampton's room. Finally she espied
Senator Gordon, and asked him to secure
her an interview, but he informed her
that Governor Hampton's time was SO
much occupied that he could not see any
one. But this would not satisfy DIR.
Mary, and she planted herself at the foot
of the stairs to intercept Governor Hamp-
ton as he came down. Colonel Cake, the
proprietor of the hotel, went to her and
told her she must leave. She said this
was insulting, and he replied that if she
would dress in the apparel of her sex she
would not expose herself to insult. Al
this she drew back and aimed her cane
at the Colonel, who retreated in good
order. Then, after giving him little
piece of her mind, she departed. Tht
coast being clear Governor Hampton
then came down stairs, and he ant
-Senator Gordon took ride around tn
city.
Year: 1877

l. On your entrance at formal din
ner party, on reaching up your hat to a
high peg in the hall, bursting your coat
from the armpit to the pocket.


2. On leaving the house where you
have been visiting, finding that rascal
has taken your new hat and left you his
old one, which either wabbles over your
eyes and ears or perches on the top of
your head.


8. In shuf1ing the cards-your party
all strangers-squashing them together,
breaking their edges and scattering them
in all directions.


4. Chasing your hat through muddy
street, fresh gust always whisking it
away at the moment of seizing it.


5. A car window that will not be put
down when it is up, or up when it is
down.


6. Briskly stopping to pick ups lady's
fan at the same moment when two other
gentlemen are doing the same, and so
making a cannon of your head against
both Of theirs-and this without being
the happy man after all.
z. While you are swallowing a berry
discovering by its taste that you have
occasioned the death of harmless in.
I sect.


s. Being on the brin-on the bri-on
the bri-on the brink of sneezing for s
quarter of an hour, and yet with all youl
gasping never able to compass it.
| 9. The interval between the dentist.
confession that your tooth will be very
difficult to draw and the commencement
of the attempt.


10. To fall victim, spelling youl
clothes and your temper.
Year: 1877

A woman who had suffered barbarous
beatings from her husband, went to
noted wise man of the village to know
how she might cure these paroxysms of
violence. The soothsayer heard her COM
plant; and after pronouncing some hard
words and using various gesticulations
while he filled vial with a mysterious
mixture, desired her, whenever her hus-
band was in passion, to take amouthfnl
of the liquor, and keep it in Eer mouth
for five minutes. The woman, quite
overioyed also simple remedy, strictly
followed the counsel which was given
her, and escaped the usual chastisement.
The contents of the bottle being at last
expended, she returned to the wise man,
and anxiously begged to have fresh
supply of the same liquid. "You foolish
woman" said the soothsayer, there was
nothing in the bottle but brown sugar
and water. When your husband is in a
passion, hold your tongue, and my life
! for it, he will not lay finger on YOU"
Year: 1877

The Emperor of Germany received a
Brunswick sausage six feet high for a
birthday present, gigantic aquarium
containing sea of transparent jelly, with
eighty fishes ready for the table, and an
Easter egg of corn flowers and hyacinths
reaching to the roof of the hall. The
German sovereigns presented to His Ma
jesty a huge oil painting by Warner,
commemorating His Majesty's proclama-
ti0n as German Emperor at Versailles on
the 18th of January, 1871. The paint
ing contains several hundred portraits.
Among the other gifts to the Emperor,
there was an engraving by Prince Henry
and book bound by Prince Waldemar,
the two younger sons of the Crown
Prince. Under the thrifty habits of the
dynasty, each of its Princes. in order to
become acquainted with the popular
aspect of life, has to learn craft. The
Crown Prince is a compositor, and the
Emperor himself glazier.
Year: 1877

Yes" said he, "people in my busi-
ness, like people in other walks of life,
have their strange experiences. l had
one that occurred to me at my store.that
forcibly illustrates the ingenuity of the
average American dead beat, who has q
point to carry and means to do it, the
pertinacity as well as the ingenuity.


"This fellow came in while I was on
watch one evening. He was bright,
intelligent fellow, talked glibly about
drugs, said he kept drug store in some
place in Indiana, had come in on an
evening train, and in his trip up the
street had been waylaid, knocked down
and robbed, by two men who had sprung
out upon him from an alley. This ac-
counted for his black eye and the fact
he had no money about his person. He
had come here to buy stock of drugs,
soaps, liquors, etc. He had sent home
for more money. In the meantime he
wanted to look around and find the goods.
What he particularly wanted to get was
a cheap assortment. Stores like mine,
he remarked, often had on hand an old
stock of stuff that would not sell in the
city, but would 60 off well enough in a
village store. In the first place he
wanted to hunt up the soaps. l hap
pened to remember that I had lot of
old soaps on hand, and I went to the
trouble to go down in the cellar and
look through it. We talked the matter
over and finally struck bar
gain that was satisfactory to both. He
told me that l might make the packages
up for shipment by express, and that we
could arrange further along how I was
to be paid-whether was to send them
G. o. D. or he should pay me personally.


"Henext wanted some whisky-about
ten gallons. I had some that could let
him have at about four dollars gallon,
1 thought. He said he was Judge; so
1 poured him out a dose in glass. He
held it up in the light, to look at the
color and the bead; then he slipped a
little of it, allowed it to rest in his
mouth, smacked his lips over it, and
finally drank it off, and pronounced it a
very fair article. He concluded that he
would take tea gallons of it. He then
commenced talking about drugs, and
said he would come around the next day
to make up his stock, if he found what
suited him. Then he started for the
door, but he halted and came back, and
remarked that he guessed he'd take an
other taste of that whisky; he wanted
to see if he had been deceived about the
aftertaste that it left in his mouth. ]
had begun to have my suspicious of the
fellow, and now I dropped remarked,
6 You are dead-beat; get out of this
store And he got. That fellow had
gone through all that business-with my
assistance-for one drink of whisky and
he wanted another. 1t was better
whisky than he had been in the habit Of
drinking"
Year: 1877

and reported, and for an hour all was
quiet. The boy was beginning to hope
that they had withdrawn for good, when
a savage appeared in view on the left and
wanted to hold a talk. He INDUCED in
furious gestures, danced around, and
made every effort to attract Kings at
tention to him, and then keep it there.


"White boy very brave-won't hurt
white boy-like to talk with brave white
boyp he called out as he danced
around.


Meanwhile the rest of the band were
sneaking up from the other direction,
calculating on shooting King in the back
as he watched the single Indian. He
suspected the trick, saw them coming,
and drawing fair bead on the talker,
dropped him dead as a crow-bar. Those
skulking up numbered four, being all
the Indians left alive and unwounded
out of the nine first sighted. They did
not rush as the boy expected. On the
contrary, they hurriedly retreated, and
but little time was lost by them in get
ting out of the neighborhood. The boy
waited until three o'clock in the after
noon before leaving his retreat, and then,
his clothing stiff with blood, he pursued
his journey, reaching his brothers camp
about dark in safety. The men would
not credit his story, though the three
wounds were plain proof of a bloody con-
test. The next day band of dozen
went over to the scene of the fight, and
when they had taken survey they
could no longer doubt the boys story.
They found trails of blood everywhere
around the position, and trails in the
snow where the dead Indians had been
dragged along, and the defense
was voted one of the bravest ever made
against the savages. A boy without sign
of beard, and looked upon as hardly fit
to carry pistol around, had wounded OF
destroyed five out of nine redskins who
had anticipated securing his scalp with
out firing more than one shot. 1t wasn't
enough for the miners to pat the boy on
the back and give him all due praise, but
to further honor and distinguish him
they called him The Man from Mich.
igan." There are other men from Mich.
igan there, but young King has the sole
honor of being" the man." and of being
looked upon as the representative of the
Wolverine State.
Year: 1877




In 1865 1 made experiments to see
how soon locusts would drown. After
confning them in water twelve hours
they soon showed signs of life when
placed in the sunshine, and in a few
minutes began TO move. I tried freezing,
and came to the conclusion that they
could be frozen up any length of time,
and the warm sunshine would revive
them. In 1S47 tried animal poisons to
see what effect they would produce on
I locusts. I put the poison on celery,
which the locusts prefer to other vege-
tables, and after observing the effect
formed the opinion that they could eat
their weight of any animal poison with
out i'll effect to them. AS soon as they
Matched out and began eating in April,
1875, took can of coal oil and a pan
for the purpose of making fagot to burn
some that had just began to eat my
wheat, coming, from sandy knoll in the
field. poured the oil in the pan, and
in moving about the pan caused two or
three to leap into it. Iperceived that
they changed color instantly, and to all
appearance were dead. 1 then forced
them in and observed the same results.
On placing them in the sunshine it failed
to bring them to life again. afterward
tried coal-tar with the same happy re-
suit. Turpentine, alcohol, alkai and
croton oil will kill them, and from the
results OF my experiments I believe that
anything that will kill vegetable life
will destroy locust life under the same
conditions.


know no insect that exhibits the cum


ming of locusts after they are four weeks
old. When very young they appear te
have no sense, as they will leap into


water or fire if in their course. After
four weeks old they will perform acts O


cunning that are incredible to the unob
serving. In 1875, after they ate my


neighbor's crop on the east, they setou


for my field. turned water between hi


and my field, and caused it to flow fou


or five feet wide in places, and let it flow


through the wheat ten or fifteen feet wild
in places. I soon found them crossin,
by thousands, swinging from blade #
blade of the wheat that stood in the run
ming water. l then cut the wheat out
but at the junction of ditch l had let
two fence poles in the form of letter V
, the lover ends crossing near the water @
, the creek, and the upper ends on eithe


side of the ditch. They soon found mas
, sage, and would and did climb down
y pole fifteen feet long over the water {
Bear Creek, and up the other pole int
+ my field. They were making the pa
sage in one continuous stream when
q made the discovery, and the ground an
4 wheat were covered near the passage b
=, those that had crossed.
Year: 1877

SPECIMENS of Western oratory are
rather stale but here is bit related by
trustworthy authority, which has not
been in print before: Whar is Europe
with America? Nowharl They call
England the mistress of the sea, but what
makes the sea2 The Mississippi River
makes it And all we've got to do is to
turn the Mississippi into the Mammoth
Cave, and the English Navy will be
floundering in the mud.
Year: 1877

AN eminent French Psychologist holds
that the numerical proportion of giants
in each generation is the same, and that
taking hundred of the tallest men of
any generation they will present just
the same varieties of stature as the
hundred tallest men of the preceding
one
Year: 1877

In the Chinese quarter of San Fran
cisco there is a fine Maltese cat that has
developed the habit of indulging in
opium smoking. She makes her head
quarters at one of the principal dens of
the locality, and perching herself in
front of the recumbent smoker, eagerly
inhales the smoke escaping from the
nostrils and mouth. She will keep her
position for two or three hours, until,
overcome by the fumes, she rolls herself
I'D in a ball and sleeps off the effect of
the drug. If that animal does not-die
of catalepsy, it will be because it is not
so registered in the category of fate.


L.. rnid That A rl-anaas has more
Year: 1877

HARD WORK. Men who use their
muscles imagine that men ~uo de-
pend upon their brain are strangers
70 hard work. Never was greater
mistake made. Every successful
merchant does more real hard work
in the first ten years of his business
career than 4 farmer or blacksmith
ever dreamed of.