smithclay/nortonstories huggingface dataset:
Year: 1878

Paul Du Chaillu, the well known
African explorer, tells the following
about witchcraft and cannibalism in
Africa: The great curse of that country
is its superstitions, and it is very hard
to get at the bottom facts about their re-
ligious belief. They have two names
which represent our idea of God and
Satan. The latter is the source of all
evil and witchcraft. When a person
is sick he is bewitched by some one,
and the sorcerer or sorceress has to be
killed. The doctors point them out,
and they haye to swallow poison to
prove their innocence. The poison is
the root of tree called bando, belonging
to the strvchnine order, but these doc
tors take it and do not die. Here, if a
man sees the new moon over his right
shoulder, or his left, it is lucky or un-
lucky; but there it is unlucky if he sees
the new moon at all, and on the day of
the new moon nobody dare go out of his
hut. The queen of witchcraft lives in
the moon, and the people of the world
are the insects upon which witchcraft
feeds. and when wItchcraft is very hun
cry she sends the plague and kills more
people. Those who have any connec-
ton with the spirit in the moon are wo-
men, and must be in a trance. The peo-
pie are honest in their beliefs, but OF
course there is jugglery among them.
Among many tribes cannabalism ex-
lists, but think it is sort of religious
feast, as they do not kill psople pur-
posely except prisoners of war. As
among the Indians, they have no mercy
on those taken in war. / made inqui-
ries about this cannabalism; 1 wanted
to know which were best eating, wo-
men or men. They allagreed that wo-
men were the best. Their war dance
is perfectly terrible. They cover them
selves all over with war paint and with
clay that had been saturated with the
decayed flesh and brains from the heads
of their dead warriors, which they al
ways keep in particular house in
every village. Then they have dance,
and when morning comes each man
cuts his hand in several places and lets
the blood flow into large wooden dish
and they rub themselves with that
IqoOd and then 60 to war.
Year: 1878

II had known in the morning
how wearily al the day


The words unkind


Would tr uble nv mind.
SAID when went away,
/ had been N, re careful, darling,
Nor given you heedltss p in;


But we vex ''our own"


With look and tone
We nav never take bac L again.
For tho igh in the quiet evening
may gise You the kiss Of peace.
Yet it might be


That never for me
The pain at the heart should cease
how many so forth in the morning
That never ccme home at night,
And hearts have been broken
By har=h words spoken,
That sCrroM can ne'er set right
We have careful thought for the stranger,
AMI smiles for the sometime guest
tut oft for our owa"


The bitter tone,
Though We love our own tie best,
All lips. W tn curse inpatient
All, brow, with tEat look of scorn
TSere a cruel fate


Were the night too late
To undo the work Of the morn
Year: 1878

1t is curious fact that the United
States was the first nation to force an
entrance through the closed straits of
the Dardanelles. In 1871 Commodore
cambridge, who had a secret message
to convey to the Sultan from the Dey
of Algiers, sailed from Algiers for
in the American irigate
George Washington. As he knew he
would not be allowed to proceed up
TO the capitol, he made show of
coming TO anchor oG the Castle of
the Dardanelles, in the meanwhile
firing heavy salute. As the wind
blew strong mp the channel, under
cover of the smoke of his own and the
reciprOcated salute, he spread all his
canvas to the breeze. Before the Turks
cou d discover his maneuvres he was
out of range of their cannon, and
speeding his way with such velocity
that it was impossible to overtake him.
When he cast anchor off the mouth of
the Golden Horn, and displayed the
stars and stripes great was the surprise
and CONSERVATION. He was supposed
to be a pirate, as the flag of the United
States, never having been before loated
in Turkish waters, was unknown.
Having no knowledge of America, the
Turkish authorities were informed the
vessel was from the New World. After
considerable delay, and threats of i'm
prisonment in the Seven Towers for
having passed through the Dardahelles
without previous permission, the
Commodore was admitted to an audience
at the palace, and eventually accom-
plished the objects of his mission.
Year: 1878

People after a long sea-voyage are
naturally eager for fresh fruit. A lady
passenger on board one of the
Pacific mail steamships, informs us how
her desire was gratified while the YES
sci was at anchor five miles off the little
Mexican coast town of Mazatlan. The
natives came on in boats, bringing
tempting supplies of the produce of the
country.


Here were huge clusters of bananas
plucked freshly from the tall trees
which we could see quite plainly on
the and,-of the most exquisite flavor;
pineapples, such As can only be rip
ened under a warm, mellow, tropical
sun; lines of pleasant acidity, sugges-
tive of cool lemonade; oranges, too
large to hold comfortably in your hand,
unless it be large one. and cocoanuts,
melons and mangoes in abundance.


That is what the merchants offered
us. Now how did we buy them?


The distance between us was about
the same that it would be if we had
been standing at the upper window of
an ordinary two-storied house, and the
boatmen OH the ground, and there was
such a Glamour Of voices of men ard
women calling their wares and the
prices, that it was quite deafening at
first.


But when trade had fairly begun, it
was really quite easy and pleasant, and
certainly 1t was a novel way of going
shopping. Suppose we wish some ba-
nanas. We look about until we find
man who has fine ripe ones, attract his
attention, as you would that Of horse
car driver, and call out, Banana
here" and he answers in queer Mexi
can fashion:


''Ba-nan-a, yes"


"How much ~


"One bunch-fifteen cent"


"You send them up"


Then he puts his fruit in light
wicker basket, or twine bag, to the ham
die Of which a long rope is attached,
and throws one end of the rope to us.
If we are skilful enough we may catch
it the first time, but probably not, for
the distance is considerable, and it often
becomes quite exciting to watch the at
tempts of purchasers to get their goods.


One young lady of our party nearly
Iell overheard when reaching for the
rope. But when it is once secured, We
gently draw up the bag or basket, take
out the fruit and put in the money, and
toss it down in the boat quite carefully,
lest the money should be lost.


Now we may like some of tile curious
necklaces which the women have to
sell. If so, we shall do well to wait till
it is nearly time for the steamer to
leave, as prices diminish rapidly in pro-
portion to the time for making sales.
Year: 1878

A LESSON FOR SCANDAL MoNoERs-
We would recommend tho following To-
some of the scandal mongers of this city.
Unfortunately we have some amongst us:
Scandal mongers can learn lesson from
tho story told of woman who freely used
her tongue to the scandal of others, and
made confession to the priest of what she
had done. he gave her ripe thistle top
aud told her to go in various directions to
scatter the seed one by one. Wondering st
the pcnpaEce, she obeyed, and thon returned
and told her confessor. To her amHzemeDs
he babe her go back aud gather the scattered
seeds and when she objected that it would
be impossible. he replied that it would be
still moro difficult to gather up and destroy
all evil reports sbe bad circulated sbout
others. ANY tboughtless, careless child can
scstter handful of thistle seeds before the
wind in a moment, but the strongest and
wisest man cannot gather them again. So
the slanderer may scatter seeds of discord
that no eFor. remove, and the grave
can scarcely cover"
Year: 1878

Years came and went. The little chest
nut girl passed as entirely out of Ralph
Moore's memory as if pleading eyes had
never touched the soft spot in his heart but
Mary Lee never forgot the stranger who had
given her the silver piece.
Year: 1878

II you should 20 to certain railroad
station in Boston | am not going to
tell you which onel, and take the train
for town about nine miles away, you
would find OH one Of its streets white
house in the middle Of large yard.


IN this house l have lived for the last
few years, with my three boys and their
papa. The oldest boy is q little over
eight; the middle boy, rs he calls him.
self, is nearly seven; and the youngest
one five years Old.


When the boys were smaller, we lived
in the city, and, of course, were con-
Gned to Il very small yard, without
grass or trees. Bat, when we moved to
this place, the boys had plenty Of room
to run about in, and a certain piece of
land back of the house was set apart
for their special benefit. There they
were permitted to shovel, hoe, and dig
as much us they pleased; and | can as
sure you they have improved their op-
pOrtunity.


One time, when grandpa came to see
them, he brought each of the two older
boys a small iron shovel and 4 little
wheelbaTow. The youngest boy had a
little cart. and | let him take my small
coal shovel. Then they all began to
shovel up dirt from one corner of their
land, load it into their wheelbarrows
and cart, and carry it over to another
corner


They continued this play un il they
had hole so large and deep, that one
day, when the smallest boy jumped in
to it, could just see the top of his
head.


This hole they called their well, and
the first rain-storm filled tito overflow
ing. j should have considered their
well quite useless; but they found it
very convenient in mixing their mud
pies and cakes.
Year: 1878

William Saunders, superintendent OF
The Government gardens at Washing
ton, uses the following wash for fruit
trees: Put half bushel OF lime and
tour pounds Of powdered sulphur III
tight barrel, Stacking the lime with hot
water, the mouth of the barrel being
covered with a cloth; this is reduced
TO the consistency of ordinary white
wash; add at the time Of application
half an ounce Of carbolic acid to a@ch
gallon Of liquid.' Mr.. Saunders says:
Il generally applied it in the spring,
before the leaves made their appear
ance, but | am convinced that it would
be more effective if applied later; but
then it is difficult to do so when the
tree is in foliage" Afr. Saunders ap-
plies the wash, not only 10 the stem Of
the tree, but to some extent to the
main branches.
Year: 1878

That man who is scrupulously polite
and respectful TO all women i'll public,
but habitually saves coarse manners
and vulgar language for his own wife
and daughters, is no gentleman. He is
only an impOstor. The young man
WHO oils his hair, puts sweet Odors
upon his pocket handkerchief, and
bows with charming elegance TO Miss
Arabella Sprigging and her lady
friends, and goes home to sneer at his
mother, disObey her wishes, and treat
her with familiar discourtesy, is a
pinchback imitation only Of a gentle
man. Genuine good manners and gen.
tie breeding should begin at home. As
a rule the men in community who
are the most trusted are the best men
at home. When man opens his front
gate, only to meet his wife'S face at
the door radiant with pleasure, and
hear the shout from the eager children,
Papa is coming" it is safe rs rule
to lend that man money. lie is honest
and will repay it if he can.
Year: 1878

Jelly Cake-One cup sugar, three
eggs, three tablespoons Of sweet cream,
two teaspoons of cream tartar, one tea
spoon Of soda, one cup of tea.


Vegetable Soup-One turnip, one po-
tato, one onion. Let them be sliced
and boiled in one quart OF water for an
hour. Add As much salt rs agreeable
and small bit of butter. Pour the
whole upon slice dry, and toast.


Scalloped Eggs-Make force meat
of finely chopped ham, fine bread
crumbs, pepper. salt, little minced
parsley and some melted butter. Moist
EN- with cream, or milk, TO a soft paste,
and half fill some patty pans or scallop
Shells with the mixture.


Strawberry Shortcake-Half H., but
ter, one pint flour, rub together thor
0ughly, mix with cold water, just as
you would for biscuit; roll it out quite
thin; when il is baked split III two and
spread your fruit between. Wash your
berries carefully. y quart of berries,
cup of sugar, mixed together; cream
and sugar if you like.


Coffee Bread-Set a sponge of milk,
butter and flour, little salt with some
good yeast to raise it; let it rise, then
work it little, putting in currants or
raisins and q little sugar. Let it rise
again very light. then mold it into
loaf. Again let it rise, and bake. 1t
must be kept warm from the start OF it
will not be good.


Fried Chicken-Fry some fat slices
Of salt pork until the grease is extract
ed. but not until it browns. Wash and
cut up a young chicken of broiling size
soak in salt and water half an hour,
wipe dry, season with pepper, dredge
with flour and fry i'll the hot fat TO
rich brown. Set aside i'll hot, cover
ed dish. Pour into the gravy left in
pan Il cup of cream, or rich milk:
thic.Ien with a tablespoonful of flour,
chopped parsley; boil up and pour over
the chicken. \ dish lit to ''set before
a king"


SWeetbreads, SteWed-Wash careful
ly, remove all bits Of shin and fatty
matter, cover with cold water and heat
to a boil; pour off the hot water and
cover with cold until the sWeetbreads
are firm. If liked rich lard as for fry
ing before y0u put in the second water;
stir i'll a very little water the second
time. When they are tender add for
each sweetbread heaping teaspO0nful
of butter, a little chopped parsley, pep
per. salt and little cream. Let them
simmer in this gravy for five minutes.
Send to table in a covered dish with
the GRAVY Dnnrnd nver thnns


Rock Cream-This will be found 10
be a very ornamental rs well as de-
liciOus dish for supper table. Boil a
teacupful of The best rice till quite soft
in new milk SWeetened with powdered
loaf sugar and pile it upon a dish; lay
on it in different places square Jumps
Of either curramt jell or preserved fruit
Of amy kind; beat up the whites of five
eggs to a stiff fr0th with little pow
dered sugar and flavor with lemon or
vanilla Add to this when beaten very
stiff about tablespoonful OF rich
cream and drop it over the rice, giving
it the form OF rocks of snow.
Year: 1878

Our special despatch from Montpelier,
VT, recounts the most remarkable escape
from the gallows that has ever occurred in
this country. A bulletin board, an excited
small boy, newspaper and q busy tele-
graph instrument combined to snatch John
p. Phair from the very foot of the gallows.
They also, if reports are correct, convicted a
great Commonwealth of being about to
slaughter o man whose innocence might
have been proved long ago had not the
State acted with inconceiva BILE niggardli-
ness in providing for the defence of the
accused, who had no money with which
to provide for it himself Twenty dol
lars was the amount allowed him for
this purpose, while a reward of two
thousand five hundred dollars which
was offered for evidence tending to convict
him drew to the court as witnesses some
men whose records, had they been looked
into, would hardly have persuaded the Court
Of their trustworthiness as witnesses. At
this rate the best man in Vermont may yet
be hanged if he has no money.
Year: 1878

Mr.. Richard Grant White, an observer so
earnest in the realm of art that whatever
conclusions he records are likely to attract
attention, is reafirming in the Atlantic
Monthly some ideas which years ago he pub
lished on the subject of music. His convic-
tion now, as then, is, that music is utterly
devoid of moral character or influence,
either good or bad. The principal ground
for this impression seems to be that music,
when what it should be, is artistic, and that
art is of itself alone, affecting human be-
ings through the tastes only, and being
more injured than helped by any inten-
tional infusion of morality. Mr.. White
truly says that music may be enjoyed, as
music, by the Ounce, the vulgarian
and the villain, as we'll as the cultured
gentleman and lady. But is this all2 Is it
possible that millions who have frequented
the concert room, opera house and church
have been mistaken in imagining themselves
strangely stirred to good or evil by certain
musical strains, even when these were un-
accompanied by words? Can it be through
some incomprehensible mistake that the
significance Of certain keys in music is as
fully recognized by uncultured savages as
by finished musicians? 1t might seem that
Mr.. White believed 80 did we not read in
his own pages that music 'may awaken
passion good or bad, holy or unholy." A
power that can do this is beyond question
force in morals, and no dedication Of art
for its own sake can persuade any person of
healthful mind that music and kindred arts
are only sensuous in their influence.
Year: 1878

second street Arch


Even the Commissioner of Public Works
and his engineers must now admit that our
condemnation Of the structure, which they
were pleased to call an arch, at Forty
second street. near First avenue, was q
justifable one in every sense. The fatality
that attended the fall of the newly built
section on June 20 might have led the de-
signers and builders of this model arch to
modify their plans and manner OF building
80 as to satisfy the public that some effort
was being made to insure its stability. But
it seems that they have bravely stuck to
the original blundering, and have
simply enlarged and rendered more GER
tain in its operation an already very
extensive and elaborately prepared
death trap. We remember that the
Commissioner and his agents pointed
triumphantly to the section first built as
being solid and secure and that some very
curious reasons were advanced to account
for the failure of the second section. The
contractor and inspector were censured for
careless workmanship, but no doubt was
expressed as to the stability of the work
that remained standing. Now, however,
that particular work has fallen in, and in
such manner as to demonstrate beyond
all question that it was as defectively de-
signed and executed as the portion that in
falling killed two unsuspecting victims
Happily this time the trap was sprung before
any one could be put in position TO be
crushed by the falling mass of bricks and
mortar, that is to say, mud, and earth filing,
so that this second accident" has been q
failure.


Ample warning was given to Mr.. Commits
sioner Campbell and Mr.. Engineer Camp
bell of the danger that threatened. For
days the crown of the ''arch" had been sag
ging under the weight of the filling placed
on it, and it only required the rainfall of
Friday and Saturday morning to add the
necessary weight to complete the ruin Of
the structure. There are other parts of the
work, notably the retaining walls, that must
also fall. so that we may look during the
next few days for an almost complete dem
olition Of this piece of work. Comment on
such q delightful condition of things is un-
necessary. Mr.. Bacon's report, referred
to in our own, published elsewhere to-day,
may be read with profit by our citizens.
We know very well that the usual state
ments will be made to show why this
s.arch," which was doubtless intended to be
a great engineering triumph. came to grief.
but we are satisfied that an intelligent pub
lie will set the true value on them. A
traveller from Poughkeepsie may now sit
on the broken arch at Forty-second street
and mentally sketch the ruins of official and
professional regulations. Bad bricks and
mud mortar serve as we'll as last straws
to break camels backs.
Year: 1878

the Bank of England is in difhculty.


We see no reason for doubling the
strong denial made by the London


Daily Telegraph which denounces the
stories about the Bank Of England and the
Bank of France as "palpable inventions.
Nevertheless, we are prepared to expect
many more failures of mercantile firms and


perhaps OF some banks. The shocking ont
RACES against every principle of commercial
morals and pecuniary good faith which have
been dragged forth to light in connection
with the Glasgow bank are fitted to make q
deeper impression than the extent Of the
failure or the beggary and misery it will
entail on its victims.
Year: 1878

This is the season of the year in which
the honest farmer-perhaps in his State he
is called ''granger"-is SO industriously
cultivated that he finds scarcely time
enough in which to attend to interests of
his own cultivation. just now everybody
wants the honest farmers vote, and, as
farming is an occupation which more than
most others isolates q man and, in large
measure, denies him opportunities for dis
cussing leading questions with his friends,


the candidates and their representatives
shrewdly venture upon statements that
would appall Munchausen, Jules Verne or
Louisiana politician. The honest farmer
has been largely persuaded that his
class should take united action in politics !;
that the agricultural populace have special
and peculiar rights, which heretofore have
not been recognized, but to which the
solicitor of his vote is rather more devoted
than he is to his own precious life, and
that the nation can only be saved by
the honest farmer voting q certain ticket
which is placed in his hand. AS this game
has been played for fifty years or more
without any particular gain to the rural
population it is more than time for agri-
oulturists to retire from 1t and act accord
ing to individual sense, without regard to
what they are told by interested parties.
The political standing and influence of the
farmer depend entirely upon his own Wits


He has, more than the members of any
other large clasD. the opportunity for con-
secutive thought, and the more he thinks
the less inclined he will be to believe that
any party nostrum is panacea for griev-
ances of the body polite or those of his
own class. If he will think as indepen-
IDENTIFY as doctors and draymon. porters
and preachers do, he cannot help benefit
ing by his vote the general situation, which
in turn will benefit him; but there is
Year: 1878

animation of the skull by Dr. Swinburne,
of Albany, has, it is alleged. disclosed the
presence of pieces of lead which were broken
off from the bullet. One feature of the
defence was that the fattened bullet pro-
duced at the trial of Billings was not SO
heavy q missile as would have been fired
from the carbine supposed to have been the
weapon used in the murder. The discov-
cry of the additional pieces Of lead is said,
therefore. to have an important bearing
on the case. But the fact that no thor
ough examination of the skull of the MUIR
dered woman was made before the trial i'm
plies inconceivable incapacity and stupidity
on the part of the prosecuting authorities.
Year: 1878

The WEATHER.-The depression referred to
IN yesterdays HERALD as being over the New
England coast mas moved slowly into New
Lawrence River. Light rains continue on it's
poutherly and easterly margins, and brisk west
erly winds attend its movement The low pres
sure in the Northwest has now assumed def
mite organization considerable disturbance,
and dominates the weather over all the re-
gon west of the lakes and the Mississippi
River from Texas northward. Over the
Rocky Mountains the barometer is rising be-
hind this disturbance, and very high west and
northwest winds prevail over Nebraska and
Dakota and the adjacent British territory. The
high pressure extends over the Southern States
snd northward into New York, but shows a
tendency to move southwark as the western
depression advances. However, the zone of
high barometer Is decreasing in width toward
Florida, where the pressure is decreasing slowly.
Fresh to high southery winds prevail over
. large area of the West and Southwest, and MS
the temperature is again rising in the latter
region we fear the conditions will not continue
favorable for the arrest of the spread of yellow
fever. Except in the Northwest and far North
east and over the Eastern Gulf the weather is
clear or fair. Increasing cloudiness may be ex-
pected over all the northern districts during to-
day. The weather in New York and it's vicinity
will be fair and warmer, with temporary in
srease Of pressure. Tomorrow 1t will be warm
aud partly cloudy, with slowly but steadily
falling barometer and southwesterly to south
lsrly vinds