smithclay/nortonstories huggingface dataset:
Year: 1878

Some of the finest men in our land are
those who, In common parlance, are termed
"sefl-made ''-that is, men who have risen
to good positions by their own unaided en-
ergies. But it is truth which Is sometimes
overlooked, that whatever there is valuable
or excellent about a man comes primarily
from his own capacity, energy and industry.
The most abundant advantage, and the
most generous education, can never supply
the lack OF brains, or implant innate power,
or compel perseverance. If they could,
there might be some justice in regarding
the academy or university as the revival of
self-education, and in distinguishing rigidly
between the selfmade man and the college,
made man. But Ounce is Ounce the
world over; and unless man has ability or
untiring energy, which is an excellent sub
stitute, he can never rise from the ranks.
Thus, if a man is to become superior me-
shanic or merchant, physician or artist, he
must be self-made, whatever his advantages
of training Or instruction. The force to
overcome obstacles and the courage to face
difficulty the ability to form wise plans and
the energy to execute them. the patience to
wait for success, and the industry to secure
II. must all come from within. Without
these. it is of no avail that the boy be placed
IN the best mercantile house, that the ap-
prentice be trained by the most skilled arti-
san. that the medical student be prepared
by the most learned professors. 1t will all
end in disappointment and failure, II he put
not his shoulder to the wheel and work bis


way upward and onward.-Er.
Year: 1878

or open air planting, he would wisely say
" Fill the place you occupy first, and thus
show your adaptation for larger one,' or
In disgust, he would jerk out the feeble star
yelling and put a vigorous successor in its
place. Many a boy has lost his situation
because he whined for post of higher duty.


He, who in store or shop, begins at the
bottom and learns how to do everything,
and is competent to every duty, has his po-
sition and ultimate success in his own keep
ing; and he will be sought after by many if
it is known that he is at liberty to accept a
new engagement.
Year: 1878

If you would have loving wife, be as
gentle in your words after as before mar
raige; treat her quite as tenderly when
matron as when miss; don't make her the
maid of all work, and ask her why she looks
less tidy and neat than when you first knew
her; don't buy cheap tough beef and scold
because it does not come on the table "por-
ter house," don't grumble about squalling
babies if you cannot afford to keep UP
nursery-and remember that baby may
take after his papa in his disposition; don't
smoke and chew tobacco and thus shatter
your nerves, spoil your temper and make
your breath nuisance, and complain that
your wife declines to kiss you, 60 home joy
full and cheerful to your supper, and tell
your tired wife the good news you have
heard, and not silently put on your hat and
90 out to the club or lodge and let her after
ward learn that you spent the evening at
the opera, or at a fancy ball with Mrs. DASH
Love your wife, be patient, remember you
are not perfect, but try to be; let whiskey,
tobacco and vulgar company alone; spend
your evenings with your wife; live decent,
christian life, and your wife will be loving
and true-if you did not marry heartlesf


beauty, without sense or worth; If you did


who is to blame if you suffer the consequent
ces.
Year: 1878

When seeking situation do not propose
to take an advanced post. Ask for chance
to work, beginning at the bottom. You
may be considered qualified for something
better, yet may be placed at the foot to test
Your temper and fidelity--to ascertain if you
Will be faithful over few things as qualifl-
cation to become a ruler over many things.
II you sweep, make fires, dust, do anything
and everything promptly and cheerfully,
you will be advanced as fast as you are seen
70 have mastered your allotted position.
urumbling at your lot and asking to be put
forward, will disgust your superiors, who
oStain some one else to fill your place that
you may be put forward. Men like to man.
aye their own business-dislike to have boys
'.lake suggestions as to their own occupa-
aoh or pay. Plants are not put in large
so's hnhl by healthy growing they seem to
''"se tllled the small ones. If puny plant
were 10 tease the gardener for a larger poi
Year: 1878

Honor the dear old mother. Tinhe has
scattered the snowflakes on her brow, and
plowed deep burrows in her cheeks, but
isn't she sweetly beautiful still? The lips
are thin and shrunken, but those are the
lips which have kissed many hot tear
from the childish cheek, and they are the
sweetest lips in all the world. The eye is
dim, yet it grows with the soft radiance of
holy love which never can fade. Ah, yes,
she is dear old mother. 1t is true she sits
waiting by the side of the grave; the sands
of life have nearly run out, but feeble as she
is, she will 60 further and reach down low
er for you, boy, than any other one upon
the earth. You can never wander into
midnight in which she cannot see you you
can never enter prison whose bars will
| keep her out. You can never mount scat
fold too high for her to reach, that she may
kiss and bless you in evidence of her death
less love. When the world shall despist
and forsake you, when it shall paint youl
faults so black that scarcely redeeming vir
tue can be seen, when it leaves you by the
wayside to die unnoticed. the dear old moth
er will gather you in her feeble arms and
carry you home, where she will tell you o1
your virtues until you will almost forget
that your soul is disfigured by vices. The
best. most faithful of friends, love her ten
derly, and cheer her declining years with
holy devotion.
Year: 1878

Mine men in ten are suicides.


Let your first, last, and best confident
be your mother.


None know the unfortunate and the
unfortunate do not know themselves.


Tell of your own faults, not Of those of
your brothers and sisters.


Never reserve your good manner fer
strangers, but be equally polite at home
and abroad.


He who is false to present duty breaks
thread in the loom, and will see the defect
when the weaving of lifetime Is unroled.


Would you be exempt from nneasiness,
do nothing that you know or suspect to be
wrong. Would you enjoy the purest pleas
sure, do everything in your power which
you are convinced is right.


How often Go we sigh for opportunities
of doing good, whilst we neglect the OPEN
ings of Providence In little things, which
would frequently lead to the accomplish
ment of most important usefulness. DR..
johnson used to say, "He who wills to do a
great deal of good at once will never do
any," Good is done by degrees. However
small in proportion the benefit which fol-
lows individual attemptseto do good, great
deal may thus be accomplished by persever-
ance, even in the midst of Encouragement
and disappointment.
Year: 1878

The essential for cheerful room is sun


shine. Without this, money, labor, taste,
are all thrown away. A dark room cannot
be cheerful; and it is as unwholesome as it
is gloomy. Flowers will not blossom in it;
neither will people. Nobody knows, or ever
will know, how many men and women
have been killed by dark rooms. "Glority
the room, Glorify the room!" Sidney
Smith used to say of a morning, when he or
dered every Hind thrown open, every shade
drawn up to the top of the window: "Who-
ever is fortunate enough to have south
east or southwest corner room may, II she
chooses live in such floods of sunny light
that sickness will have hard work to get
hold of her +; and as for the blues, they will
not dare to so much as knock at her door,"
Year: 1878




Washington, May 14.--An officer at
Fort Keogh writes as follows to the
War Department:


1t is the opinion of all frontiersmen
here that this summer the Sioux viii
make their desperate struggle, hoping
thereby to get better terms while they
have arms in their hands and are capa-
BILE of doing mischief. They may be
right but give Paddy Miles the men,
and don't bind him hand and foot with
red tape. Keep the red tape as far
from him as the scene of warfare will
be from department headquarters at
st. Paul, and before snow flies Sitting
Bull and what is left of his hostiles will
be in the same fix that we put Chief Jo-
seph in after Howard failed. The me-
cessity of anew department is more APP
parent every day, as we are hampered
in everything by orders from st. Paul.
1t is nicer at st. Paul than it is here;
but it is time that headquarters should
come nearer the scene Of action or let
us, who are bearing the privations and
exposure and doing the hard work, have
a headquarters of our own.
Year: 1878

TIE Prince of Wales thinks that he
would rather go to India to shoot tigers
than to fight the Russians. The trou-
BILE with the Russians is, that il the
Prince should shut himself up in a
tower .nine-stories high, and wait for
the Sepoys to go out and drive up a
Russian for him to shoot at, 1t would
be just like the Russian to shoot the
sepoy, and then come up in his own
way and knock the stuffing out of the
tower. A Russian is not to be so thor.
Oughly depended on as q tame tiger.
Year: 1878

Washington, May 14.-In the Dem.
ocratic caucus to-day it was claimed
that the present state of public business
would not permit of day to be fixed
for the adjournment of Congress.


The Potter fraud investigating reso.
luton was then taken up. Represent.
ative Young made motion declaring
that the Potter resolution was not in
tended to disturb the title of President
Hayes. Lost.


1t was unanimously agreed that the
Potter resolution should be finally acted
upon before any other business was
done. On motion of Wood it was re-
solved that all Democratic members out
of the city be notified to return to
Washington, and after due notice ak
existing pairs be declared at an end.
Year: 1878

SPEAKER RANDALL lives in a cheap
looking little house upon Capitol Hill,
about the same kind Of house occu-
pied by a Philadelphia mechanic. He
has large family, and his friends say
that he is so poor that he is obliged to
live in the quietest way in order to
make both ends meet
Year: 1878

THERE is considerable speculation in
the papers as to the course of the United
States in the event of European war.
But it is tolerably certain that the
United States will observe equal good
faith toward both sides and make money
impartially out of both sides.
Year: 1878

Henceforth we will give column daily
to correspondence upon ans proper subject
for discussion. It is expected that commu-
nications will be written on one side only
of the paper, and ACCOMPANIED with the
name of the writer. The HERALD is not to
be considered as endorsing or being 10 any
way responsible for the opinion Of cores
pondents In this column
Year: 1878

The new basin of the Cool Spring Reser-
voir has been emptied and to-day thorough
examination OF the bottom and sides will
take place. III


The water the city uses now comes from
the south basin which is full. a5
Year: 1878

MAYOR BUTLER's inaugural address is
perhaps the longest ever delivered before our
city council, but it is none too long, Not a
word of it could well be spared. 1t is pre-
cisey the statement Of the condition, re-
sources and needs of the city that was want
ed BY all who take an intelligent interest in
the affairs of the municipality. The great
reduction in the amount of the city debt
during the last year must be very gratifying
to tax payers; and scarcely less gratifying the
assurance of the Mayor that our financial
condition will continue to mend in the year to
come The recommendations in the address,
especially those relating to streets and sew
ers, deserve and should receive the most care
full consideration by our city council and our
citizens generally.
Year: 1878

NEW YORK, March IL, 1873


There continues to be depressing languor in
most Of the departments of trade and the num-
Der of shop-keepers, Notwithstanding it has
been reduced very much by failures, is still
vastly out of proportion to the number of GUS
toners to bs served by them. Everything to
eat, to drink or to wear is very cheap. much
more SO than during the average of the time
before the war-when we were on q specie
basis. Many commodities indeed, are lower
than they we're Immediately preceding the out
break of the conflict, when they had descended
to unprecedertedly low figures.


1t seems one of the most difficult of things
for merchants to adapt themselves to the
changed conditions which finan cial revolutions
have brought about. A great many of them
have been going along ever since the panic,
incurring expenses altogether beyond reason
able bounds and trying to force business up to
the former scale of magnitude by vigorous
system Of what is known in trade parlauce as
drumming" This plan has worked adversely
10 every way. 1t has proved costly at the
start and still more so after the goods were
sold. There were great many Of the buyers
who didn't pay. The methods adopted to
seduce them into buying turned ont in the end
to have precipitated their insolvency. There is
nothing 60 likely to tempt a man into over
straning bis credit as to Insist upon trusting him
to an ua'imited extent. For the last six months
of1S77 New York merchants as a rule were
rather crazy lot They had had long spell
of inactivity. They had made very little money
or none at all-for several years. 1t was
natural that they should have felt some exal
tation of spirit at the prospect of commercial
revival. And yet it could hardly have been
imagined that they would have forgotten SO
soon the solemn monitions that had been borne
to them through SO many channels during the
long epoch of reverses which they had been
witnesses of and participants in. Bot they did.
There is no doHbt on that point They sat up
nights all through the fall, packing off goods to
people who never did, and never will pay half
price for them. They did q large trade-on
Year: 1878

THESE remarks of the Shoe and Leather
Reporter clearly set forth one of the most po-
tent causes of the numerous failures in busi-
ness: There is no doubt whatever but that
mercantile occupations were followed, alto
gether in excess of the necessity for them,
tor considerable period before the collapse of
1873. There seems, however, to have been
but one way in which it was possible to reduce
the number, and that was through the COM
pulsion Of insolvency. This method has been
in remarkably rigorous operation for great
while, and its effects have been potent. 1t
has thinned the ranks of the tradesmen; 1t
will recruit the ranks of the husbandmen.
Thus Nature works out its perfect law, and
sets men to doing the things that are most
needed to be done, whether the doing of them
be in accordance with, or in opposition to,
their will. 1t is in harmony with this order
Of affairs that SO many shutters are being put
up and so many signs taken down. A very
little time longer will suffice to bring the full
measure of relief required, and then, under
the new adjustment, there will be chance
for all to thrive.
Year: 1878

IT will take eighteen years to 'adjudicate
upon' the Southern war-claims now on file in
Washington. Just let the South get control
of the government and they will all be paid
in less than eighteen months. There will
be no need of adjudication.
Year: 1878

We do not read anonymous etters ana communi
cations The name and address of the writer are In
all cases Indispensable not necessarily for publication
but as guaranty Of good faith.


We cannot undertake to return or preserve COM
munications that are not used.
Year: 1878

A PETITION from Oxford County largely
signed will be presented to the Governor aud
Council for the pardon of Ephraim Gilman,
for the murder of Mrs. Swami about eight
cen years ago at Fryeburg We trust it will
not be successful. A murderer in prison is
better than two in the bush.
Year: 1878

The latest ILLUSTRATION of civil service re-
form comes from Sterling, Illinois, and is the
removal oil Mrs. Electra E. Smith the Post
mistress and the nomination of ]. M. Patter-
son to succeed her. The story as told in the
Washington dispatches is this: Mrs. Smith
is the widow of soldier who died in the ser
vice. She was appointed about five years
ago, and has filled the Office to the entire sat
isfaction OF the citizens of that community
and the Post Office Department, her office
having been recently complimented by
special agent of the department for the
very efficient manner in which she had dis
charged her duties. There are no charges of
any kind against her to justify her removal.
Patterson is local politician of some notori-
ETY.. and friend and supporter of
Representative Burchard, from that dis
trict for several years. Patterson has
conducted a banking business at Sterl-
ing, but has recently failed with large
liabilities. the principal sufferers by his fail
ure being the business men of that city and
vicinity. This has created very hostile and
bitter feelings against him, yet in the face of
all this Representative Burchard has induced
the President to remove Mrs. Smith and send
in Patterson's nomination for the office.
This proceeding was kept from the knowl-
edge of Mrs. Smith, her first intimation
being derived from the announcement in the
cessor. She Immediately came to Washing
toE.s The President said he could do moth
ing for her. as Mr.. Burchard had recon-
mended the change and such matters were
left to the members of Congress. Mr.. Burchard
told her that though there were no
charges against her, and it was ac-
knowledged that she had performed
the duties of the office in a highly
acceptable manner, yet it was his opinion
that it would be better to have a man in the
office who could do more political work than
could be accomplished BY a woman. Mrs.
Smith stated both to the President and Mr..
Burchard that she failed to see the consist
ency of the civil service reform policy which
was being applied to her case. she said that
she was the widow of soldier who died
while serving in the late war; that there was
not the slightest vestige of complaint or
charge upon which to base her removal, but
that, on the contrary, both the citizens of
Sterling and the Post Office Department had
commended her administration of the Office;
yet she found herself removed to make a
place for petty politician and bankrupt,
whose appointment is made against the ex
pressed wishes of a large majority of the cit
izens residing within the delivery of the
Office, and that this action is based upon
the plea of political expediency in the
face of the famous civil service order of the
President.
Year: 1878

The Republicans fought magnifcently all
along the line, north of the Potomac--and
won substantial victory Tuesday. In the
North they gained some fourteen or fifteen
congressman. Better than that, the States
OF New York, New Jersey and Connecticut
can no longer be classed as Democratic. In
the South the colored vote has been virtually
suppressed and of course a solid Democratic
delegation is chosen. No other news was
expected from that section. 1t may be many
years before Southern Republicans can hope
Tor local success or indeed be permitted to
stand up long enough to be counted. The
result OF the elections in the terrorized States
therefore cuts down the net Republican Con-
gressional gain in the November elections to
two or three.


But the gratifying fact remains that three
Northern States hitherto counted in the DEM
ocratic column must now be reckoned in the
Republican column. Further than that
the result shows that the tide has turned and
that the drift of the country is no longer
toward Democracy but toward Re-
publcanism. Defeat, instead of weakening
or disheartening the Republican party
has given it new courage. 1t is now in neat
fighting trim and excellent condition to 20
into the Presidential campaign of 1880. The
outlook Is in every way encouraging.


1t would seem as though, as the field now
looks, this success is due in great measure to
the stand taken by the Republican party for
honest money, currency based on and re.
deemable in coin; for the Democrats where
ever they have coquetted with Greenbackism
have met with defeat and humiliation. That
was the case in New Hampshire, Massachu-
setts, Connecticut and New York. Indeed
the llghtness of the Greenback vote has been
one of the surprises of the election. In New
Hampshire and Pennsylvania, where so much
was expected OF it. it has accomplished moth
ing. The Greenbackers have won some suc.
cess in Michigan, it is true, but there
as in Maine, they did it by absorbing the
greater portion of the Democracy and send
ing that organization back to the third place
in the field. We may now expect the Demo-
Gratis toassert that they have no sympathy at
all with the Greenback movement. But the
majority of them have so Enthusiastically be-
trayed leanings toward it that the people of
this country, who desire an honest currency,
will be slow to entrust them with the control
of the national finances.


Unfortunately our victory comes too late to
save the National House. But we have
learned wisdom, and shall begin earlier next
Year: 1878

THE old army ballad graphically illustrates
General Buffers present position.
I'VE trust the honor Of our flag to brave and loyal


men,
But in that category we never can put Ben;
He found the rebel pckets who fought him in the


rain,
And very shortly after he was bottled stp agaia''
Year: 1878

A patent-medicine nan posted handbills in
every available spot in the village, yesterday
morning, and before night fifteen goats had
enough medical Information In them to run an
eclectic college. e.-Turners Falls Reporter.
Year: 1878

The latest conundrum, and we don't know
who is responsible for it, is, (which is the
hardest, to kiss girl leaning from you. or
climb q fence leaning to you?" There is
is no answer, as only one side of the problem
has ever been tested.
Year: 1878

A rat of boy, who had in vain searched the
postofice corridors for the nickel which a care.
less hand occasionally drops at the stamp clerks
window, took his position before chestnut
stand and eyed he fresh nuts long time be-


fore drawing deep sigh and groanng: "Oh,
wish was rich!' The chestnut-roaster made
no reply, and the odor of the roasting chestnuts
finally induced the boy to inquire, s'Are chest
nuts healthy?" "No, bub-they are prolific of
indigestion" was the reply After while the
boy thought it was time to remark: "Did Won
ever hear the story of the man who gave Door
boy handful of chestnutss and when the boy
grew up and got rich he rewarded the old man
with diamond pin and q four-horse team?''
mo. never did, but heard Of the man who
brought poor boy to the edge of the grave by
giving him dozen chestnuts." The lad took
a turn up and down, secured another strong
sniff Of the pleasant odor and then leaned over
and whispered: "If III take the chances on
the edge of the grave business will you take the
chances on the chestnuts?' The vender finaIIv
thought he would.-Detroit Free Press.