smithclay/nortonstories huggingface dataset:
Year: 1879

The royal African savage captured by
Major Marter's dragons in Zululand. and
who will not unlikely forfeit his life, has left
his bloody mark upon history in war
begun by his captors in wantonness and con-
Quoted in imbecility. That there was no
excuse for the war in the first instance
has been emphatically put on record by
Lord Beaconsfeld's government, and the
disaster of 1sandula was fair measure of
the capacity of the British commanders
whom the outbreak of hostilities found in
command. What the battle of Ulundi was
to Lord Chelmsford the capture of Getty
wayo will be to the British forces
namely, decent excuse to withdraw from
false position The spectacle of
powerful nation straining its re-
sources to combat thousand score of
naked savages will be ended, and it
only remains for tho Earl of Beaconsfield
to find sounding phrase to put the British
public in good humor for paying the bills.
The "peace with honor" which he brought
back from Berlin would be little too high
flown for celebrating the battles with o
BARBARIAN In Dreecn clout. Sir Garnet
wolseley may come home with some title to
credit or have his services transferred to
the Afghan frontier, few orders of the
Bath may be distributed, and then this
''little war; of England may be left to bury
its dead-alas too many. Perhaps it will
be longest remembered as fixing the date Of
the extinction of the direct line of Napo-
leon III. in the death of the ex-Prince
Imperial. Enough sermons have been
preached on this topic, and those interested
in England's military operations can now
occupy themselves less distractedly with
the dash on Cabul," to take part in which
probably the bulk of the army now in South
Africa will get orders from grateful gov
ornment.
Year: 1879

judiciously prepared, would form the basis
of the expected legislation.


The necessity for action by Congress on
this great subject is too imperative to be
much longer delayed, and it is earnestly to
be desired that Congress legislate in the
spirit indicated by the Chamber of Com
merce--that is, in spirit Of equal justice
to the railroad interest and the public.
Nothing could be more liberal than the in
vitation to the great railroad magnates to
prepare bill which may serve as common
basis of action.


The railroads need legislation by Con-
gross for their own mutual protection.
Their numerous conferences and agree
ments on the subject of rates attest their
sense of the necessity of some uniform
system, and the perpetual violations Of
such agreements by undcrhand cutting Of
rates demonstrate the necessity for some
superior authority to protect the roads
against the cutthroat bad faith of one
another. Congress alone possesses au-
thority to regulate commerce between
the States, and il is as much for the
interest of the roads that Congress should
interpose as it is for the interest Of indi-
vidual citizens that the law be their common
superior in restraining them from violating
each others rights. But whatever laws are
passed on the subject should protect the
public against extortion as well as the rail-
Year: 1879

MAKING TIE ENDS MEET.-A perplexed
young housekeeper of our acquaintance,
whose pretty brow was most unbecomingly
puckered over a wrongsded balance
sheet of the family expenses, declared
that the problem of making the ends
meet almost outweighcd the advantages
of having home of her own. Upon our
mildly suggesting to her that perhaps the
trouble came from The fact that her good
man and herself were born with tastes
that would do credit to a much larger in.
come than they enjoyed, she replied that
it didn't make any difference; if they had
six thousand instead of two. she was sure
it would all go. And very likely it would
A good many people have yet 10 learn the
lesson OF limiting their needs, and practic-
ing the art of selection.


"A man has need" said the wise Bacon,
whose practice, by the way,fel far behind
his precepts, -" if he be plentiful in some
kind of expense, to be rs saving again in
some other As, if he be plentiful in diet
to be saving in apparel, and the like; for
he that is plentiful in expenses Of all kinds
will hardly be preserved from decay"


This indicates line of conduct in which
many persons of limited incomes are eX-
ceedingly thoughtless. If they choose to
pty expensive rent rather than to live in II
more modest way, they should accept this
luxury us an equivalent for many thai
they are thereby compelled to forego. If
they decide to dress or furnish their table
on scale suitable for persons with double
their income, they should expect to give
up the summer trip, the concert and lecture
tickets, the books and pictures which
otherwise they might enjoy. There are
people in our cities, with aesthetic tastes
that they are not able to crafty, who not
only omit to mark out any rational lines
of enjoyment, but think they must take in
the world ut mouthful. In place like
our own. rich in intellectual entertain
ments, they act rs ii there were never
another season coming. Oratorios, operas,
plays, lectures, concerts, must be taken in,
or postponed under II bitter protest that
brings unhapplness. The habit of wise
selection from each, and the reflection
that though in one sense life is short, It
still affords time enough for all rational
enjoyment for those who know how 10 use
their opportunities, would he worth more
than II legacy to some people.


Be reasonable, first of all, good friends
who are perplexed with such matters.
Don't quarrel with the fact that two and
two make only four, and that four will 90
into twelve but three tmea. And when
you have reached this point of philosophy,
add to your good sense clear calculation.
Don't spend money thoughtlessly. Con-
form your ideas to the multiplication
table, keep your tastes within your means,
and put your purse in suhjection 10 the
lead pencil, if you would preserve the
peace of mind necessary to happiness in
any state of life.
Year: 1879

We read pretty story of St. Anthony,
who, being in the wilderness, led very
hard and strict life, insomuch that none at
that time did the like, to whom came a
voice from Heaven, saying. Anthony,
thou art not so perfect as is cobbler that
dwelleth at Alexandria" Anthony, hear
ing this. rose up forthwith, and took his
staff, and travelled till he came to. Alexandria,
where he found the cobbler. The cobbler
was astonshed to see so reverend father
come to his house. Then Anthony said
unto him, "Come and tell me thy whole
conversation and how thou spendest thy
time" Sir said the cobbler, "as for
me, good works have none, for my life is
but single and slender; l am but u poor
cobbler; in the morning, when l rise,
pray for the whole city wherein | dwell,
especially for all such neighbors and poor
friends as | have; after, set me at my
labor, where | spend the whole day in
getting my living, and | keep me from all
falsehood, for hate nothing so much as l
do dcceitfuness; wherefore, when make
any man promise, keepit, and perform
it truly; and thus spend my time, poorly,
with my wife and children, whom | teach
and instruct, as far as my wit will serve
me, to fear and dread God. And this is
the sum of my simple life"
Year: 1879

This happy phrase, which Longfellow.
bestowed of our poets, invented as a title
10 one Of his sweetest songs, ought to
lave Il personal meaning to evervone
whose life is not wholly in the present
For the average life is not so rich in what
the forerunner of the old Puritans called
"crowning mercies." that we can afford to
make all days that are past alike common.
and think no more of them than the sun
shine or showers, the leaves or the fruit of
dead year There is, or ought to be.
some days of days" that shed sunlight
upon our path, gave termination to our
n0bleT purposes, or brought fruition to our
hopes which should stand to us as the
saints days to the church, or the holiday
festivals to the world.


In this way the just complaint that as
people we do not have enough HOLIDAYS
could be adequately met. The mere stop
ping of all the ordinary avocations of the
people, and wandering aimlessly free,
without any underlying or animating SEN
timent, may OF may not conduce to the
general happiness. Much of the vacuity
and restlessness observable on such occa-
sions, and which have been said to make
an American holiday most melancholy
occasion, are doubtless due to the lack of
personal interest. i. is hard to crowd
happiness upon people in the mass. They
must carry tie happy heart into their fes-
tyltles, or they cannot hope to find it
there.


But though legal warrant for pleasure
may fail, Il natural expression Of the emo
tion can hardly do So The wedding an
uiVprSaTV of n connie who are moted nc
well us married will never pass unremem.
bered, even though the observance will be
no more than IL tenderer thought and
dearer word than usual-a bunch of flow
crs by the plate, or little token of
remembrance, The vulgarity of giit-solc-
itiug upon such anniversaries" benefit
nights for married beggars, as they were
apply called,-is happily less in vogue than
formerly; but us II holiday for the heart
and the home, observed by Il days pleas
urng, u special dinner, an evenings
entertainment, ana a real reminiscence of
the happy time when the two paths merg
cd into one, the wedding anniversary is
more priced.


The Thanksgiving day coming will
most richly bless those who look into their
own hearts and give thanks, rather than
to the presidents proclamation. The occa-
ii II is pubic-the expression should be
personal. n Thanksgiving day fraught
with memories that make it sacred, needs
no official sanction to hallow it. Dedicat-
ed to public gratitude and pl aise, it is,
through the Joyous associations of home,
no less II holiday Of the heart.-G Golden
HH{c
Year: 1879

. MODERN SHoPPING.-The profession OF
shopping is II thing of modern growth.
Our grandmothers loved hoards and stores
/ in their own houses; to be compelled to
begin a season with the feeling that moth.
/ ing was on hand in the way of suitable
raiment would have seemed to them but "A
narrow, poor, hand to mouth way of living
and have argued bad management and
want of provision for the future. In old
days every girls pride was in the absence
OF all need OF shopping; the idea of the
absolute necessity for new things staring
her in the face would have been repealed
with II shudder. In closets and presses
were piles on piles of we'll made, neatly
embroidered under clothes which occasion
ed wild raptures of feelings and were Il
possession to vaunt among her mates. 1t
was her wont to have long strips of linen
always on hand to be covered with pretty
sprigs and scallops; over this work she
dreamed her maidenly dreams, weaving
steadily, like the Lady of SlIallot, and in
her mind, as


Moving through mirror lear


That hangs before her all the year,


Shadows of the world appear"


For this work had an alchemy all its own,
and transmitted dull, leaden labor into
sunny gold, since it was always possible
trousseau upon which she was working
You could read all the gentle meanings OF
youth and hope in her face as she wrought.


In old days n woman could buy II silk
gown one morning, have it well made.and
wear it the following afternoon. Dress
then consisted of 4 garment cut simply 10
the shape of the wearer, flowing TO the
feet, and ending in Il hem. Around the
neck was kerchief or collar of lawn or
lace and the wrists may have been soften
ed by IN edge of the same. Were not
our mothers, dressed in this way. the
most beautiful, attractive, ladylike women
we have ever seen?


That was before the era Of culture.
Nowadays young ladies are impelled by
Il loftier ambition; the poetry of youthful
aspiration is expressed in plaques and
panel paintings, in gaudv embroderies


in decorating ginger jars, in cutting out
gigantic cretonne dragons and fastening
them on fireplace and window draperies
and in Stimulating costly India scenes.
Each season offers new variety of fancy
work, more brilliant, more effective, more
expensive; for high art in decoration
tends always toward the costlest and
rarest, and the pretty limitations of this
year are tawdry and cheap the next. Thus
no wonder that the young women of to-
day are compelled to spend their efforts in
search after artistic culture, and find
neither time nor inclination for old-fash-
oned economies. So, when fall comes
they must 60 a-shopping. The pretty be-
laced and befounccd underclothes are
torn 10 pieces by the watering place laun-
dresses, the summer toilettes are no longer
useful; last winters dresses cannot be
used this year, in spite of the costly silk
and satin and velvet of which they were
made, for they were cut close and clinging
and nowadays everything must be bout
tant, pufled, shirred and looped into the
dear Old Pompadour styles. .-LippincON
for NorcmJer.
Year: 1879

TIE CAUTIOUS TANNER.-In the old
country there was law requiring the
tanner to give at least twelve hours notice
TO the excisemen before drawing hides
from his watts. That was SO that the gov.
ernment might not be detrauded of an
excise duty on tanned skins. Well, once
upon n time a certain supervisor detected
II tanner in taking Il single hide from one
of his watts without having given the re.
quired notice, and straightway he com.
planned of the delinquent, and had him
brought up for trial. In vain was it that
the tanner plead that the hide was but a
single sheep or lamb skin, that he had
been tanning for the use of his wife. He
had violated the law and must pay the
penalty.


Sometime thereafter it happened that
the same supervisor, having been out to u
public dinner, and drank more than was
good for him, on his way home thought to
cross the tanners yard and thus make n
short cut. lie had gained the contre OF
the ward, or thereabouts, when he stag
gered wide of his path and tumbled into
vat of the strongest liquid! His yells
and cries soon brought half Il dozen men
of the establishment to the scene, and
they were on the point Of pulling the
luckless wight out, when the master ar
rived.


"No! no!' the latter cried, " Let him
be- I'll never draw another hide without
giving legal notice! I'll not be fined
again, if l can help it, But, Johnny Nc
Davitt, you may run and tell the excise
man that the supervisor is in my vat, hide
and allm


The unfortunate man howled, and
begged, and entfeated, and stormed, and
threatened-but all to no purpose. He
remained there. the sides of the vat being
so smooth and slippery that he could not
gain hold for climbing, until the proper
officers came and gave the tanner per.
mission TO draw the supervisor hide from
his liquid pit!
Year: 1879

TIE STRANGEsT ACCIDENT YET.-An
accident occurred on II local railroad IN
the 10th instant that is probably without u
parallel in the history of rairoading-in
Illinois at least As Il train on the even
ing Of that day was near Glassford. going
ut the speed Of nearly forty miles an hour,
a cow suddenly bounded in front of the
engine. There was no warning whatever,
the engine passed over the animal, and in
doing so was lif G clear OF the rails and
uncoupled from the tender. Going at such
Il high rate OF speed, it continued some
twenty yards on the ground, tearing it up
and even uprootng Il stump in its mad
career and, what is very strange, kept on
its wheels until it came to II standstill,
where it stood clear of the main track
The remainder of the engine and train
kept the track and ran past the engine
about quarter of u mile, when it was
brought 10 II stop with the brakes. The jar
of the escaped engine WAS so slight that
but few passengers were made aware oi
the accident until told. The engineer sat
on his seat throughout the affair, IA mere
spectator of the queer freak of his engine.
No one hurt or even scared.-Keokuk (d)
Gate city.
Year: 1879

With some scoding is
chronic, says Xj0n'S Herald. Life is one long
fret. The flesh is feverish, the nerves
unstrung, the spirit perturbed and in a
state of unrest. The ply sical condition
and the material surroundings may have
II strong tendency to disturb our equanim-
ity and to exasperate our feelings; but we
are apt to bear in mind that the scolding
never did any good, and withal grows to
be uncomfortable to the party who INDUCES
in it. Inappropriate to anybody, scolding
appears most hateful in parents. Set to
be dispensers of kindness and love to those
with whom they are more especially asso-
ciated it is horrible to see gall distilled
instead of charity. Scolding turns a
household into pandemoninm, and church
into an inquisiton. Bear in mind that
kindness and gentle speech are great
deal easier to practice than their opposites.
Why practice the worse thing when hard
er? Arrest yourself in the indulgence OF
this bad habit right here. Begin now,
and pat yourself under bonds to be good
naturGd.
Year: 1879

A TIMELY WoRD.-A man may have an
income of five thousand dollars year; but
if he spends it all he is poor. The way to
become rich is TO live within your income.
Extravaganza is far too general. What if
your clothes are not rs fine as your neigh
boris or if your house is not as costly or
furnished as elegantly as that of some of
your friends? Is it not better to do the
best you can with what you have until you
can afford to purchase better, than to get
deeply in debt, Just to crafty an extrava-
CANT whm? 1t is fact that many fami-
lies are rendered homeless by eXtravagant
purchases and all because they wish to
keep up appearances and show off as
much as some neighbor. Such notions are
ruinous. Many Il young couple, after
they marry,are not courageous enough to
live within their income, so they get II lot
of nice furniture to furnish their house,
which is often rented at high figure, and
then two or three servants are often thought
necessary. Then there are balls and
parties to be given, and many other eX-
penscs to be met and unless the young
husband has II good" situation in Il say
ings bank" Or "insurance company" so as
to replcuish his purse, after "a short time
they are forced to retire TO Il humber life.
Now let US ask you, would it not have been
better for the young couple to have taken
Il small cottage, or better yet, Il little
farm, and furnished the house us their
means would allow, and as they could
afford it get better articles? Pay as you
60 along, and enjoy what you pay for
that is the motto to live by.
Year: 1879

NOT BY CIANCE.-Pelhaps in some
isolated instance q man may become
wealthy through series Of circumstances
very much resembling luck but us II rule,
those who would enjoy success must work
hard for it. Twenty clerks in II store,
twenty hands in a printing office, twenty
apprentices in IL ship yard, twenty young
men in vilage-all want to get on i'll
the world, and expect to do so. One of
the clerks will become II partner and
make Il fortune; one of the compositors
will own Il newspaper, and become an


influential citizen, and one of the appren-
tices will become master builder; one of
The villagers will get handsome farm,
and live like a patriarch-but which one is
the lucky individualP Lucky! There is
rarely any luck about it. The young
fellow who distances his competitors is he
who masters his business; who lives clean
ly and purely; who devotes his leisure to
the acquisition of knowledge; who gains
friends by deserving them, and who saves
his spare money There are some ways
to fortune shorter than this old duty high
way; but the staunch men of the commu-
nity. The men who achieve sJmelhing
really worth having-good fortune, good
name and serene old age-all travel along
in this road.
Year: 1879

TEACHERS AND JUVENILE LITERATURE.
If our teachers would employ u little of
their leisure in visiting the nrwsrooms.
scanning the journals and finding out
what their older boys and Gir4 are aeiual
ly reading in their otf-hour~. they might
become missionaries Of purity and hu
manity in Il WY lhev htr " conceive
They would understand better the -rcrpt
source of II great deal that worrlrs aud
disgusts them in the character and drport
ment of their pupils, if they could know
OH what vile meat they feed in their hour,
of leisure. We might, in the same way,
gain little light on the tragedies that so
often appal the good people in the quiet
country homes Of the east and west In
every village there would seem to be one
rotten plank in the sidewalk through
which. every now and then, some lovely
girl vanishes into the black abyss that
yawns beneath our choicest social life. If
the history of the drunkenness. lewdness.
violence and general depravjty sproutcd
in American youth by this vile literature
of corruption could be written, we fancy
no man with II reputation to lose would
fail to demand the uttermost power Of the
law for its suppression The teacher who
seriously disowns the obligation to be a
priesess of purity and love to her schol-
ars, is unfit to stand in an American
school room. Let all good people every
where, who are working and praying for
their children, open their eyes and see
what they real.--NcW EHgLtHd J0UrNGL
of ElucatiOn.
Year: 1879

How TO PRESERVE BooTs AND SHOES.
When boots and shoes not in use are
deposited in damp place, they become
covered ordinarily with mould, which
attacks the leather; when deposited in a
dry place, they become hard and wrinkled
ii fact well known to all, though the
remedy may not be. This double disad-
vantage may he avoided if the articles are
first rubbed with rag on which a few
drops of oil of terpentine have been
snrinkled. The oil of terpentine acts
flvorably as preservative to the leather
and it is deterrent to rats and mice, whose
donredations are often rs injurious as
those of temperature,
Year: 1879

UNSUCCESSFUL IN HIS LIFE.-l con-
fess that increasing years bring with them
an increasing respect for those who do not
succeed in life, as those words are conf
monty used. Heaven is said to be place
for those who have not succeeded upon
earth; and it is certainly true tnat ceiesLial
oraces do not best thrive and bloom in the
hot blaze of worldly prosperity. Ill sue
cess sometimes arises from supera-
bundance of qualities in themselves good,
from conscience too sensitive, taste too
fastidious. a selfforgetlulness too roman
tic, a modesty too retiring. | will not go
so far as to say, with II living poet, that
The world knows nothing OF the great
est men," but there are forms of greatness
or at least excellence, that die and make
no sign; there are martyrs that miss the
palm. but not the stake; there are heroes
without the laurel, and conquerors without
the triumph.-Hiiard