smithclay/nortonstories huggingface dataset:
Year: 1874

The Chicago Times relates an incident
in the life of young man now employed
as clerk in a hardware ssoIe in that city
which is not well calculated to encourage
parents in the business Of making matches
for their eligible sons and daughters. Two
years ago Mr.. Otis O. Hall was bank
teller in San Francisco, at a salary of $2,-
500. He saw and loved Miss Sharon,
daughter OF the wealthy miner
and banker of the Pacific slope.
She loved him and was willing to prove it
by marrying him. Her parents were also
consenting, although Hall was poor
young clerk. But HALLS parents had to
advise their son for his good He was too
young to marry, they said. and not seen
enough OF the world to make it proper to
tiehimself down to matrimony. They ad-
vised him to travel two years, and then
return and claim aud take his beautiful
bride with their blessing. All was az
ranged satisfactorily. He left his situa-
tion in San Francisco made an extensive
tour of Europe and short time ago he re-
turned, the period Of his probation having
elapsed. lie got back just in time to read
in the newspapers of the marriage of Miss
Sharon his betrothed, to I. G. Newlands,
a young lawyer of San Francisco 1t was
also stated for Halls further edification
that Newlands had received million dol
lars in cash with his beautiful bride. Hall


got a position as clerk in hardware store
but he is not happy. He did not live his
own life and he is now living that his pa
rents marked out for him. dt
Year: 1874

Almost every nature, however
sprightly, sometimes will drop into a
minor key, or subdued mood that
in common parlance is recognized as
'the blues There may be no adverse
cause at work, but somehow the bells
of the soul stop ringing, aud you feel
like sitting quiet, and you strike off
fifty per cent. from all your worldly
and spiritual prospects. Theimmedi-
ate cause may be northeast wind, or
balky liver, or an enlarged spleen,
or picked oysters at twelve O'Clock
the night before.


In auch depressed state no one can
afford TO sit an hour.-First of all let
him get up and go out of doors. Fresh
air, and the faces of cheerful men and
pleasant women, and froliCsome chill
kren, will in fifteen minutes kill mop
ing. The first moment your friend
strikes the keyboard of your soul it
will ring music. A hen might as well
try on populous Broadway to hatch
out feathery group, as for man to
successfully brood over his ills in live
ly society. Do not go for relief
among these who feel as badly as you
do. Let not toothache, and rheuma-
tism and hypochondria go to see tooth
ache, rheumatism and hypochondria.
On one block in Brooklyn lives doc
tor, an undertaken, and a clergyman.
That is not the row for a nervous man
to welk on, lest he soon need all three.
Throw back all the shutters of your
soul and let the sunlight of genial
faces shine in,
Year: 1874

for you aud for the butcher, the baker


the candlestickmaker and for every.


body as long as everybody is satisfied


with II"


s.Yes, but in the markets Of the


world it is not q dollar, and we haye
to send gold to Europe to buy what
ever we need from there"


t,Ah, that is Just the point. Let US
stop buying anything from Europe.
Let US build up a Chinese wall of pro-
hibitory duties so high that nobody
will want to import anything. Then
what will happen? Why all the man
ufacturers of Europe will come over
here with their workmen, develop
our country, utilize our water-powers
and use our grcenbacks, become
Americans. and then we will not only
produce the raw material but produce
also the manufactured articles to sup
ply all our wants. We will be a hap
Ply family, with our own producers,
our own manufacturers, our own con-
sumers and our own circulating medi-
um, and we can still be the granery OF
the world and have enough of the
cereals to spare cut of our own abund-
ance to supply all the nations of the
earth until they shall come over here" /"


ONLY ONE OF MANY BLESSINGS.


This is but a sample of the many
blessings which are shoWered by
SWarthOut upon this struggling, fe-
vered and parched up world. The
social questions of the age, those ter
rible double and twisted Gordian
knots which the sages have been at,
tooth and nail, for centuries, Swarth-
out promptly cuts with one incisive
beam of that Truth which radiates
from every lineament of his ceantea
nance, and glistens in every fold of
his modest black garments. Women
are to be elevated, and they are to
purify politics and mankind with the
ballot, and all bad women are to be
made good before they get the ballot.
Mothers-in-law are to become beatifc
sources of delight to affectionate sons
in-law, until no family can afford to
be without one. The temperance
crusade is to go forward until there.
shall be no more fermented liquor and
no thirst for it. In word the whole
race of mankind is to awaken from its
six thousand years nightmare of sin
and wretchedness some fine morning
about the 18th proximo and be wise,
good and happy, and the sword will
be beaten into plough-share and the
into sewing


All of these happy results are now
faithfully promised by Mr.. j. G.
who is about to burst res
plendent upon the gaze of New York
City and an admiring universe in the
of public lecturer. When
the time of this debut arrives. he win
doubtless be attended by his faithful
band of followers, including Mr..
George Frrnpia Train, who is Yerita-
Bile pillar of the new church. Then
the whole world will be given an OPP
portunity to hear of the glories of this
bran new dispensation; but until that
time we must tain be contant with the
little gIimpses which are here reflect.
ed from the spirit of Swarthoutian
truth.
Year: 1874

If were to choose among all gifts
and qualities that which on the whole


makes life pleasantest, l should select
the love OF children No circum.


stance can render this world wholly 8


solitude to one who has this possession


1t is a freemasonry. Wherever one
goes. They are the little brethren and


sisters of the mystic tie. No diversi-
ty of race or tongue makes much diff.
ference. A smile speaks the uniVer-


sal language. eff value myself on
ANYTHING" said the lonely Hawthorne,


E'it is on having smile that children
love-" They are such PROMPT little


beings, too; they require so little pre-
lude. Hearts are won in two minutes
at that frank period, and so long as
you are true to them they will be true
to you. They use no argument, no


bribery. They have hearty appetite


for gifts, no doubt, but it is not for
these that they love the giVer. Take
the wealth of the world ana lavish it


with counterfeIted Affection; l will


win ssi4-the- children's hearts away
from you by empty-handed love. The
gorgeous toys will dazzle them for an
hour, then their instincts will revert
to their natural friends. In visiting a
house where there are children, do
not like to take them presents; it is
better to forego the pleasure of the
giving than to divide the welcome be-
tween yourself and the gift. Let that
follow after you are gone.


To love children is to love childhood,
instinctiveIy. at whatever distance !;
the first impulse being one of attrac
ton, though it may be checked by
later discoveries. Unless your heart
commands at least as long range as
your eye, it is not worth much. The
dearest saint in my calendar never
entered railway car that she did not
look round for baby, which, when
discovered, must always be won at
once into her arms. If it was dirty,
she would have been glad to bathe it
if ill, to heal it; it would not have
seemed to her anything worthy the
name of love to seek only those who
were wholesome and clean When l
think of the self-deVotioQ which the
human heart can contain-of those
sanity souls that are in love with sor-
row, and that yearn to shelter all weak
ness and all grief-it inspires an un-'
speakable confidence that there must
also be an instinct of parentage be-
yond this human race, heart of hearts,
cor cordiuns. As we all crave some
thing to protect, so we long to feel
ourselves protected. We are all in
fants before the Infinite; and as l
turned from the cottage window to
the resplendent sky, it was easy to
fancy that mute embrace, that shadowy
symbol of affection, expanding from
the narrow lattice till it touched the
stars, gathering every created soul in-
to the arms of Immortal Love.-T. w
HiggtnS0n.
Year: 1874

AS you pass along the street you
meet with familiar fsce--say good
morning, as though you felt happy,
aud it will work admirably in the
heart of your neighbor, Pleasure is
cheap-who viii not bestow it liber-
ally +? Ii there are smiles, sunshine
and flowers all about US, let us not
grasp them with q miser's fist and
lock them up in our hearts, Rather
let us take them and scatter them
about us. Bf .ea p
Year: 1874

Mrs. Hale says: Cookery is
an art belonging to woman's de
partment of knowledge. Its i'm
portance can hardly be over esti-
mated, because it acts directly on
human health, comfort and improves
ment. One of the first duties Of
woman in domestic lite is to under-
stand the quality of provisions and
the preparation of wholesome food.
The powers of the mind as well as
those Of the body are greatly de-
pendent on what we eat and drink.
The stomach must be in health, or
the brain cannot act with its utmost
vigor and clearness, nur can there
be st' t'ength of muscle to perform
the purposes of the will.


"To preserve the full nourish>
ment of meats aud ether articles of
food, in dressing and cooking, is an
art which requires a large amount
Of scientific knowledge added to
long experience and observation.
Without the knowledge derived
from this two-fold source a great
part of food is wasted and health
injured. 1t is an established prin>
cipIe in physiology that man is ON
niverous-that is, constituted to eat
almost every kind of food contain,
ing nourishment. He can eat and
digest them in a raw state; but his
health is promoted by their being
cooked. that is, softened by the &C
ton of fire and water.
Year: 1874

Don't be laughed out Of your
Money or your Prayers


A distinguished English Admiral,
who rose to the high sation as the
effects of his neritorious exertions,
used to be found of relating that
on first leaving an humble lodging
to join his ship as a midshipman,
his landlaly presented him with a
Bible and d guinea, saying, God
bless you and, prosper you, my lad;
and as long as you live never suffer
yourself to be laughed out of your
money or your prayers. The
young sailor carefully followed this
advice through life, AMI had reason
to rejoice that he did so, while
thousands have unavailingly regret
ted that they have pursued differ~
ent course.
Year: 1874

According to statistics very care
fully compiled" says writer in La Ma
tire, "we throw away yearly quantity
of chicken feathers, the intrinsic value
os which is equal to the money which
we pay for cotton" A startling state
ment, but the author considers it true
and he proceeds to explain how the
feathers are prepared to render them
valuable: The operation is to cut the
plume portion of the feathers from the
stem, by means OF ordinary scissors.
The former are placed in quantities in a
coarse bag, which, when full, is closed
and subjected to thorough kneading
with the hands. At the end of five
minutes, the feathers, it is stated, be-
come disintegrated and felted together;
forming q down, perfectly homogene-
GUS and of great lightness. 1t is even
lighter than natural elder down, because
the latter contains the ribs of the feath-
ers, which give extra weight. The ma
terial thus prepared is worth, and sells
in Paris, for about two dollars a pound.
About 1.6 Troy ounces of this down
can be obtained from the feathers of an
ordinary size pullet; and this on the
above valuation is worth about 20 cents.
1t is suggested that, through the win
ter, the children might collect all the
feathers about farm, and cut the ribs
out as we have stated. By spring time
large quantity of down would be dis
posed of to upholsters, or employed for
domestic uses. Goose feathers may be
treated in q similar manner, and thus
two-thirds of the product of the bird
utilized, instead of only about one fifth,
as is at present the case.


The chicken down is said to form a
beautiful cloth when woven. For about
a square yard of the material, pound
and a half of down is required. The
fabric is said to be almost indestructible,
as, in place of fraying or wearing out at
folds it only seems to felt the tighter.
1t takes dye readily, and is thoroughly
waterproof. There seems to be good
opportunity here for some ingenious
person to invent machines to cut and
treat the feathers.
Year: 1874

BREvITY AND BUs1NEss.-If you have
anything to say, say it at once and leave
compliments to leisure hours. What
would you think of the man who would
now begin business letter with all the
antiquated formalities, such as "I take
my pen in hand to inform you that we
are all enjoying very good degree of
health, except myself, who has been af-
fected with rheumatic; and send this
hoping it may find you enjoying the
the same blessing" &c.? If you have
anything to say, especially to the public,
say itquickly and as briefly as respect.
able language will permit. People don't
read long stories, nowadays; thew
want something fresh, crisp, sharp, and
to the point, something that makes them
say, Welltha man is wide awake, he's
up to the age, and going ahead; I'll
give him a call" Brevity is not only
the soul of wit, but it is also the life Of
business.
Year: 1874

The New York World invites the cru
saders to attack those places where " ice
cold water, mixed with lead poison and
deadly syrups," and where "poison is
dispensed in the shape. of candies. -
Referring to the poisons that are con-
tanned in candy, of which it says "there
is more poison in one stick Of colored
candy than there is in glass of the
meanest wine" it makes the following
interesting statement:


The last annual report of the. Board
of Health, contains an account of some
analyses Of confectionery, made by DR..
Endemann, the assistant chemist. The
first specimen was . quantity of "loz-
enges" such as our ladies and children
buy at the depots and on the cars.
These lozenges were found to contain
3.6 per cent. of clay. This earthly and
indigestable substance is used to give
the candy weight and to save sugar. A
powder which was used by another
firm for the same purpose was found on
examination to be gypsum. Gypsum
was never intended for human food. It
is one of the worst things that can be
taken into the system. Those who are
addicted to the use of it should read the
lecture delivered short time ago be-
fore scientific society in this city, re-
counting the effect produced upon the
inhabitants of village in Germany,
where the water contained solution OF
gypsum. "Gum-drops" were found by
these analyses to contain lampblack.
In the candy covered yellow the chem
ist discovered chromate of lime, chro.
mate of lead, chromate of baryta, gam.
bogc, saffron, and various yellow ex-
tracts of plants. OF ten samples oi
yellow colors examined five were found
to consist mainly of chromate of lead
The use of gamboge as coloring sub
stance was freely acknowledged by
many from whom samples of confection
Year: 1874

THE latest snake story comes from Con- necticut. Some WOrkmen building mill among the rocks on Westfield river killed rattlesnake, and after severing the head from the trunk and cutting the rattles of the tail for a keepsake, kicked the head away into the sand and threw the trunk into the sun. A booted boy came along and could not resist the temptation to worry the dead snake. He tread on it's tail and the headless trunk of the reptile turned and struck the boot as if to bite. The frightened youth soon had an audi ence around him, and the experiment of treadfng on the snakes tail was repeated ly tried with the same result. ButanOthCr startling thing was observed. As often Gs the carcass coiled and struck the offend ing boot, so often, and at the self-same ip stant, the grim head, lying discovered in the dust, opened it's jaws, tie deadly fangs prOtruding, and closed them with a snap. There was no scientist to see, but these simple mill-builders want to .know the philosophy of this sort of pcst-mortem snake life. The experiment may be cried until the snakes run Sut
Year: 1874

We shall be very sorry if the sensitive feelings of any one in this community

 should be hurt by the introduction of this subject. But as the best criterion of friend

 ship is to tell one of his faults, We are go-

 ing to gay that as near perfection as the

 majority of the people of this hamlet are,

 we are afraid 1t can be said of large number, cone thing thou lackest," and that is what we are writing about. Let an assemblage be gathered in the courthouse with the room only partially closed and let things get down to their work and 1t soon becomes perfectly unbearable. Of course you have all noticed it. ,5he rarity of mixed public assemblages has been our only salvation.

 While there may be no hope of reform ing those who have grown old in the habit of making 8 portable article of real estate, there is hope that it might be checked in those whose habits have not yet become fixed. If we could only reach the parents of the rising generation we would say with our most fervid eloquence; neglect every thing else that concerns the comfort and well being of your child; let him smoke cigarros before he has cut his first teeth and put him on watermelon diet for six months in the year; teach him that it is highly dishonorable to work and the part of gentleman to beat the enticing game of montes even if it takes all the money his mother can earn at washing; let him have something to ride upon though it be nothing but the weak back of that it is better for his sister to be without virtue than for him to be without pocket money; all these are perhaps hefeditary and it might be asking too much to give them up, but can't you. make a slight sacrifice and teach him to wash his feet?
Year: 1874

Amelia DOnnerschlog young Ger
man lady, brought suit before Justice
Banyon, of Chicago, one day last week,
against August Behrens, for breach of
promises, claiming 5000. She would have
sued for more. but 5000 Is the limit of
the jurisdiction of justice. The COM
plainant stated that she had known the
defendant in Germany, and had become
engaged to him there. He had emigra-
ted to this country in order to earn
home, and she had followed him in the
course of a year The young man ad-
mitted the engagement, and added:


When this young lady came over
from Germany here she did ask me to
marry her and was ready to, and l
told her / was. But she said that her
mother must live with us and keep
house for us. I told her that l had
watched the ways of her mother and
was not pleased with them; that I loved
her very deeply and was ready+O marry
her, but I did not wish TO marry her
mother also, who was a woman of lordly
and unpleasant habits, and insisted upon
feeding me too much oG cabbage, a veg
etable have always had a dislike for. I
am ready, your honor, to marry her now,
providing that she will leave her moth
er out in the cold; but | will not marry
the old woman. I have made up my
mind to that no matter what comes"


The justice asked Behrens which he
would rather do, pay down 5000 or mar
rv the young lady and have her mother
live with them? and Behrens answered
firmly, 81 will pay the 5000" And then
Justice Banyon delivered this remarka-
bic language:


''Allow me to shake hands with you.
I envy your frmness. There was a per-
iod in the life of this court, Mr.. Beh-
rens, when it was placed in circumstances
somewhat similar to your own. If it
had the moral courage you possess, it
would have saved about twenty-five
years of misery and unhappiness. The
alternative was presented to this court
whether it would marry young lady
and her mother, or whether it would
pay 1925 in gold. The court was poor
at the time. 1t was earning an unsatis-
factory living at the restaurant business.
1t yielded. 1t took the young woman
and mother-in-law and kept the 1925.
For quarter of a century this court
regretted its hasty action. 1t is
glad to meet man who cherishes hap
piness more than he does money. The
order of the court is that the defendant
stand discharged, and that the complain
ant, who has been trying to bring man
into slavery to mother-in-law, be fined
ten dollars and COSTS"
Year: 1874

We have been repeatedly assured that
farming don't pay, and the boys have
believed the assertion and gone to clerk
ing, or teaching, or trading-'business'
they call it. But recently the books
have been opened-the books in which
the accounts of all the occupations are
kept, and being footed, we see what
really pays and what is Improbable.
Bankers, supposed to be a sort of nobil-
ity, have smashed; many of their clerks
have proved to be great rascals; railroad
obligations have gone to protest; of the
richest and grandest of mortals, shuffling
millions of dollars, often in day, have
shrunk down to be quite common. How
is it with the farmer? Has the panic
touched him? Does he lie awake think
ing of the hard times? Not much. It
is true that if he owes more than he is
able to pay, or if he has bought more
land than he can work, he is in trouble,
and now something must be sacrificed;
but this dilemma was bound to appear,
panic or no panic. Most farmers are out
of debt, or they owe SO little they can
see their way clear, and the sun rises and
sets as aforetimes; the COWS give milk,
the butter comes, hens lay eggs, hogs
fatten, and the country grist mill runs
just as though Jay Cooke had never
smashed and his satellites with him.
The truth, is farming is an institution
founded on such a solid financial basis
that it can never break. The farm is
not only bank, it is a mint, making its
own mony, which is worth just much
for the use of mankind as it was 1000
years ago, and as it will be worth 1000
years from to-dy, and although this
money is not exactly the same as green
backs and specie, it Is better, for it I'M
derlies all others, and goes before them,
and makes all other things that are
worth much under the stars possible.
And yet we have been hearing all along
that this institution of the farm does not
pay. Let man travel this world all
over like Rosin the Bow; try every
thing, be everything, he will come al
last to see that the surest thing is farm,
well stocked and titled, and that there
is no warmer place on earth than by the
farmers kitchen fire.
Year: 1874

An observing correspondent in the
Western Rural gives the following hints
on the subject: How to keep situation,


"Be ready to throw in an odd half or
an hours time when it will be an accom-
mediation, and don't seem to make merit
of it. Do it heartily. Though not a
word be said, your employer will make a
note of it. Make yourself indispensable
to him, and he will lose many Of the OPP
posite kind before he will part with you.


Those young men who watch the clock
to see the very second their working hour
is up-who leave, no matter what state
the work may be in, at precisely the in
stant-who calculate the extra amount
they can slight their work and yet moi
get reproved-who are lavish Of their
employer'sgoods-will always be the first
to receive notice, when times are dull
that their services are no longer requir.
ad -