smithclay/nortonstories huggingface dataset:
Year: 1877

The press everywhere, North and
South, beginning with the Nation and
ending with the San Antonio E.rprssS,
declares Ut last that the bailct-buA mus,
be purified; that without the rcs;rc-
ton of Suffrage to decency and intelH-
Sence and in municipalities TO tax pay
ers, the existence os peace aud good
government is wholly impossible.
The Democracy will object in New
Yerk and other Northern cities, but
the Democracy South will assent solid
" to the neediul reform and the sooner
1t is accepted the better for the whole
country.
Year: 1877

THE laws affecting suffrage and the
resulting creation of returning boards,
and the stupidity of voters and the ut
tempt to defeat the confessed prefer
encc of the intelligence and decency
of the country, have cost popular in
dustry thousand millions, and the
sum OF losses grows each day. The
woes of the country thus produced
fall most heavily upon the very class
that begat them, and yet they would
resent most violently any effort t.
make a recurrence of these evils i'm
nNSSibie.
Year: 1877

TIE idea that the President of the
Senate can do more than open and an-
louucc the ballots is abandoned. He
cannot deprive the House of its power
and right to determine, Oniointly with
the Senate, the validity of the vote Of
anr Sfaln
Year: 1877

Take sheet of stiff writing paper and
fold it into q tube an inch in diameter.
Apply it to the right eye and look stead.
fastly through it, focusing the eye on any
convenient object. Keep the left eye
open. Now place the left hand, held palm
upwards, edgeways against the side of the
paper tube, and about an inch or two above
its lower end. The astonishing effect will
be produced of hole, apparently of the
size of the cross section of the tube, made
through the left hand. This is the hole in
which we propose to materialize another
and smaller hole. AS we need a genuine
aperture and it would be inconvenient to
make one in the left hand, let sheet of
white paper be substituted therefor and
similarly held. Just at the part of the
paper where the hole, equaling in diameter
the orifice of the tube, appears, make an
opening quarter of an inch in diameter
Now, stare intently into the tube, and the
second hole, defined by its difference oI
illumination, will be seen floating in the
first hole, and yet both will be transparent
4
The illusion, for, of course, it is one of those
odd pranks our bnocular vision plays upon
us, is certainly one Of the most curious ever
devised. Besides, here is the actual hole
clearly visible, and yet there is no solid
body to be seen to define its edges. II i:
not mere spot of light, because, if page
of print bo regarded, the lines within the
boundaries of the little hole will not coin
eide at all with those surrounding it and
extending to the edges of the large ap
parent aperture. Each eye obviously
transmits an entirely different impression
to the brain, and that organ, unable to dis
entangle them, lands us in that palpablt
absurdity of materialized hole.-IHustratet
| WeekLy
Year: 1877

" His Inheritance" a new novel by Miss
Adeline Trafton, author of The American
Girl Abroad " and Katherine Earle" is
begun in the Midsummer Holiday Num-
ber of Scribner. The scene is laid in the
southwestern frontier before the war. OF
the characters introduced in the first in
stallment, the most prominent are Stubs,
the sutler, his little girl Blossom (evidently
to be the the heroine of the story and his
wife. The following description of the last.
named shows that she is to play no insignif-
cant part in the story:


She was tall, she was gaunt as a gray wolf
in winter. She was strong Of arm and stout
of nerve, with talent for devising and a
will for executing almost any work. She
could serve a dinner to tolerably straiten-
ed garrison that would tempt king, or
she could steady a rifle and drop a
red-skin, if need be, at three hundred
yards. There was even rough kind of
femininity about the woman, who was by
no means disagreeable to look at, with her
bright black eyes and her brown cheeks
showing a subdued flame. She had been
known more than once to nurse a wounded
man back to life when the surgeons had
given him up,-with just scolding enough,
it must be owned, to spur him on to conva.
lescence. Add to these the aggressive
qualities of thrift and neatness, and we
shall have perfect character, you will say
Oh no; do you fancy that all the natural
graces as well as the Christian virtues are
to be found in one individual2 She was
envious. But that is not so rare a fault
that it need be dwelt upon.) She was
crafty and unscruplous. But the first she
concealed by the second; and the third, il
tending upon tho other two, kept in the
background. And then she was comely tC
look at,-and that is better cloak than
charity, even,-with her sleek black hai
and the fresh color just deadened by the
tan on her cheeks. Comely to look at, i
one could forget the embers in her eyes
which gust of passion might blow into
blaze. After all, it was kind of bcaut
which a man might like to look upon, bu
would hardly covet for his own.


As for her thrift and neatness, the sutler'
quarters showed the effect of these goo
qualities, which were kind of stockad
about the real woman. Her home was It'd
and inviting, or would have been, but tina
the tidiness became tryrannical at time.
Gradually kind Of cabaret of a most rt
spectacle pattern was established here
where the officers dropped in of an evenin
to order bit of supper, which the mistre:
of the house was not above cooking wit
her own hands. A well-thumbed pack
cards was brought into requisiton Will
waiting for this to be served, and rumc
did say that many pile of governmer
gold changed hands over the table her


But rumor is always malicious, and tn


may or may not have been true. Drinkin


there certainly was, but no brawling ov,


the cards or wine, or the friendly pipe wit
Stubbs himself, who was a quiet, shrew
, man, an excellent listener at all times


and what could be more desirable in
companion?. He could even tell a stol
of his own when Mrs. Stubbs was not by.
Year: 1877

KEEPING ROSES IN BLooM.-As soon as
they have formed their first flowers in the
open ground, pinch off the end of the first
shoot, and as soon as the rose is fully
opened, pick it off. No rose should be
left to fade upon the bush, as when so left
it exhausts the plant in the formation of
seed. As the plants grow pinch back the
ends of the shoots when they have grown
six inches, and rub out all puny shoots,
thus keeping the plants in a rounded,
open bush form. If strong shoots alone
are left to grow, they will soon control the
strength of the plant, and the flowers will
DO few and often of imperfect form.
Should the season be hot and dry, mulch
of fine, fresh grass or sawdust, or moss
from the woods, should be placed all over
the soil, three inches deep, and at night
watered thoroughly, not sprinkled, but wet
like days rain.-- Cttltivator.
Year: 1877

The dream OF mortals is of time coming
when cares shall cease to infcst anxictics
to oppress, every wish be gratificd and
they shall "tallc solid comfort"


Many waste all their lives in the vain
pursuit of this dream, which, like the
will-o' the-wisp, leads them sad chase
over the bog and fen and morass, eluding
them to the last. A few thoughtful souls
arrive seasonably at the wise conclusion
that not in this word will the time ever
come when without any dregs Of bitter
ness, the chalice pressed to our lips will
be full of only comfort. We must take
the bitter with the sweet as we go along.


Contentment is not an outward growth
Its roots spring from the very depths of
the soul, and are nourished as well by
rain as by sunshine, by sorrow as by Joy.
When once one has resolved within him
self to take life as it is, and make the best
Of it, then he may, even in tribulation,
take comfort, though the majority OF
people do not prefer to take it in that
| form.


The delights of life, like pleasant weather
through the year, are scattered all along
the way, and unless we enjoy them as
they come, the opportunity once past
never returns. 1t is ali very well to pro
vide for a rainy day, but that man is very
foolish who allows himself to be soaked by
drenching rains that he may save hi
umbrella for some future storm.


Pleasure taking is not nearly so mucl
provided for among our earnest, intense
energetic American people as it should be
We live altogether too much in the future
too little in the present. We live poo
that we may be happy, and when we ar,
quite ready, infrmity or disease or deatl
steps in, and the chance to take comfor
in this life is gone. five only could b.
content to seize upon the little pleasure
that lie just outside, and often within on
daily pathway, they would make a larg
sum total at the end Of the threescore an,
ten. Far too many of us scorn pleasure
that are cheap and near and within ou
grasp, and complain because we canno
have such as are costly and remote an,
inaccessible. But if we would only mag
Nifty the little things that make life plea:
ant as we do those that make it unpleasant
the cup of our joy would continually over
flow. We complain of cloud and storm
but do we rejoice in the sunshine and fai
weather? We grieve at the GOODNESS Of
friend, but do we value fully the fidelity c
those who remain true? We count tn
hours when sickness prostrates us, bu
how many days of health pass utterl
unnoted and without thanksgiving? w
mourn passionately for the dead, while W
neglect the living whom tomorrow we ma
weep as dead. 1t is well for us to heed tn
saying of the wise man: "There is notl
ing better than that a man should rejoic
in his own works; for that is his portion
for who shall bring him to see what sha


be after him r.
Year: 1877

Writing in CaSsclla Fan.ily .Nagao:rc a
Family Doctor" says =" Exercise must
be taken in moderation, and extend over
some considerable time. 'Spurts,' and
that amount Of exercise which borders on
fatigue, should be avoided. Whenever the
body becomes tired, cxertion, instead of
being any longer Of value as a tonic to the
muscles, becomes a positive dcpressant.
Do not forget that exercise is q tonic, and,
like all tonics, benefit is not to be expected
from single dose. Its effects are gradual;
hence exercise should be taken ,c;M rc5e-
yariy. If you are pedestrian, the same
hour every day ought to find you enjoying
your round Of pedal progression;' and
you must never, if possible, omit it the one
day and take it the next. Look upon
your daily walk as a duty, and let neither
rain nor sunshine, snow nor hail, keep you
from performing it. Of course, l am sup.
posing myself addressing those in ordinary
| health and even they ought to protect
| themselves from inclcment weather. The
time at which exersice should be taken is
of considerable Importance. 1t ought to
be, as nearly as possible, the same time
every day. One should never take hard
exercise either Immediately before or soon
after heavy meal. l should be inclined
to give Dr. Abernethy's advice, and say,
Rest for three hours after dinner.
Always take your exercise in the open air
Exercise ought to be taken in clothes
which are neither tco cumbrous nor too
heavy and, if heated in the intervals of
rest, be very careful you do not catch cold.
Work is not exercise; do your utmost,
therefore, to prevent your exercise becom.
ing work. If all that were expected to ex-
ercise were merely the increasing of bulk
and firmness Of the muscles, than course
of dumb bells, and the performance of a
few gymnastic feats daily, would be all that
would be required. But proper exercise is
meant not only to strengthen the muscles
but the nerves as well, and brain and mind
itself. Consequently your mind must &C
along with the exercise of the body. A
long walk with book will not do you one
half the good that half the distance walked
with a genial friend would. Ny advice
then is, choose what or which form of exer
else you please-I do not care whether it be
lawn tennis, quoits, walking, or riding
but it must be something which interest.
you. If you do your exercise as you would
do penance, you are merely deceivinl
yourself"
Year: 1877

There are at least six persons, possibly
moro, in New York City engaged in the
purchase of superhuous wedding presents,
three of whom deal exclusively i'll that
class of articles. One of these dealers, in
terviewed by a reporter, carries on business
in the Bowery, where he has large store
ostensibly for the sale of unredeemed
pledges, but his most lucrative business is
in the purchase and sale of wedding
presents that are only so much old lumber
to the owners. When asked how he con.
Quoted the business, he replied You see
when a young couple belonging to good
families get married, their friends all make
them presents, and in nine cases out of ten
the young folks find themselves in posses
| sion Of certain kinds of household stuff
enough to last several generations. The
| young wife .often discovers that she has a
set of jewelry for almost every day in the
month. Why some time ago did business
with newly married couple now living on
Lexington avenue, where the young bride
and a beautiful girl she was-had eight
opera-glasses. Of course she didn't want
them all SO bought five Of them. Here's
one Of them left showing a small but
handsome pearlmounted opera glass /
Silver-ware and china are other things that
newly-married people generally find they
have too much of, but 1 don't do anything
in that way. There are other men in busi
ness who deal in that and nothing else I
confine myself to jewelry and trinkcts."


" But how do you know on whom to call
and when ?"


That's simple enough. You see, the
marriages are all published in the papers
and where it is a wedding between two
rich folks, a report is made of it and


list of the presents given. You see when


have got the names and residences am al


right. Q, no; | don't 60 to them as soor


as they married; that wouldn't do. They'C


kick you out of tho house if you went OF


such business for the first few weeks. Yol


have to let them settle down to house


keeping and find out how much useles


stuff they have got, and then if you cal
they may not be willing to sell. Tn
husband generally is, but the wife is sure t.
object at first. 'Oh, no, dear, she'll say


| can't sell that. You know Aunt Marth
gave it to me and it wouldn't be right t
sell it, and SO on with everything else
but after seeing them two or three time.
they fall in with the idea and are willing t
: sell anything they don't want


$ 81 suppose you purchase such article
l very cheap?"


f well laughing you may be sure
e don't give more than they are worth
r You see, often have those things in m
t store for a year before sell them, and O
. some things, such as fans, l often los
5 money, Sometimes | sell things in tha
9 way to gentlemen wanting to make wee
T. ding presents; for you see buy from til
h rich people and they are first-class good
/ When get them they are as good as new
- but can sell them for much less than the
u cost at first, and people who can't afford t
y pay high prices come to me for their wee


ding presents"
Year: 1877

BANK OF ENGLAND NoTEs.-Few of the
persons who handle Bank of E1waand notes
ever think of the amount of labor and
ingenuity that is expended on their pro-
duction. These notes are made from pure
white linen cuttings only, never from rags
that have been worn. They have been
manufactured for nearly two hundred
years at the same spot-Laverstock, in
Hampshire, and by the same family-the
Portals, who are descended from some
French Protestant refugees. So carefully
is the paper prepared that even the humber
of dips in the pulp made by each workman
is registered on dial by machinery, and
the sheets are carefully counted and
booked to each person through whose
hands they pass. The printing is done by
a most curious process in Mr.. Goes depart
ment within the Bank building. There is
an elaborate arrangement for securing that
no note shall be like any other in exis
tence. Consequently there never was 6
duplicate of a Bank of England note except
by forgery.
Year: 1877

SOUND LOGIC.-The State of Minnesota
has made a discovery, and the discovery is
deemed so original and important that il
is being given great currency in all parts of
the country. Briefly, the facts are that
only $4,000 of 5,280,000 bushels of wheat
raised there last year where shipped as
grain, the residue having been manufactured
into flour. The comment and discovery
are that the State is three millions of
dollars better off than it would have been
to have sold the grain unground. The
truth of this discovery does not seem to be
so uncertain that surgical operation is
needed to get in any ones head. And yet
apparent and simple as the fact it is not &C.
cepted by half the community to-day, and
cannot gain the sure support it should
have. Every community gains by the
labor expended upon whatever raw material
it sells, and the highest profits Of all trade
are those which repay labor given u
advance and finish raw products. For thii
her wheat ground rather than allow it t
be ground in Philadelphia, New York Of
Liyerpool-whereyer it is handled or con
sumed. The simple profit of production il
then the source of profits to transportation
milling, labor, barrelling and incidenta
agencies; and the State which could hav
gained little by direct sale Of wheat gain
very much more by selling aour.-Philade
pliia NORTH AMERICAN


Yes, and sound logic for Delaware as 70
Minnesota.


/ Why are all games of chess Of equa
duration? Because it always takes fou
Year: 1877

There are men who will trust their
hearts and honor with women, but not a
dollar of money. Such men have correct
ideas as to which is the most valuable in
their own particular cases.
Year: 1877

Well directed energy and enterprise
are the life of American progress; but
if there is one lesson taught more
plainly than others by the great fail
ures of late, it is that safety lies in
sticking 10 a legitimate business. No
man-manufacturer. trader, or banker
has any moral right to be 80 energetic
and enterprisinR as to take from his
legitimate business the capital which it
requires to meet any emergency.


Apologies are sometimes made for
firms who have failed, by recurring to
the important experiments they have
aided, and the unnumbered fields of
enterprise where they have freely
scattered their money. We are told
that individual losses sustained by
those failures will be as nothing COM
pared with the benefits conferred on
the community by their liberality in
every public work. There is little force
in such reasoning. A mans relation to
creditor are vastly different from his
relations to what is called the public.
The demands of the one are definite,
the claims of the other are just what
the ambition of the man may make
them.


The histories of the hOnorably sue
cessful business men unite to exalt the
importance of sticking to a legitimate
business; and it is most instructive to
see that, in the greater portion of the
failures, the real cause of disaster was
the branching out beyond q legitimate
business, in the taking hold OF this and
that tempting offer, and, for the sake
of some great gain, venturing where
they did not know the ground, and
could not know the pitfall.
Year: 1877

Many of the errors of life admit OF
remedy. A loss in one business may be
repaired by gain in another. a mis-
calculation this year may be retrieved
by special care the next. A bad part
nership may be dissolved, an injury re-
paired, n wrong step retraced; but an
error in marriage goes TO the very root
and foundation OF life. Ii has been said
that no man is utterly ruined till he has
married worthless wife. And so
every woman has future before her
until she l. chained in wedlock.
which is pa'ilock, to a wretehed and
an unworthy man. The deed once done
cannot be recalled. The wine of life is
wasted and the goblet is broken, and no
tears nor tolls can bring back the pre-
cious draught. Let the young think of
this, and let them walk carefully in a
world Of snares, and take heed 10 their
steps, lest. in this most critical event OF
life, they go fatally sstray. But here
we must guard against another error
Many people think they have made a
mistake In marriage, when the mistake
is only in their own behavior since
they were married. Good husbands
make good wives, and good wives make
good husbands; and the scOlding, or
intemperate, or slatternly partner often
has but himself or herself TO blame for
the misery that clouds the life and des-
olates the home. Muititudes who feel
tina; their marriage was mistake, and
who make their existence q lifelong
misery, might by little self-denial and
patience, and forbearance and gentle
ness, and oid-time courtesy, make their
home brighten like the gates of Eden,
and bring back again the old love that
blessed the happy days gone by.


Suppose the wife does not know quite
so much as you DO. Well, you showed
yo,r great judgement when you thought
her the chief among ten thousand. Or,
if your husband Is not the most Won
derful man in the world, IL simply il
lustrates the wit and wisdom of the
young woman who once thought he
was, and who could not be convinced OF
the contrary. 30, perhaps you are not
30 unevenly mated after all. And il
one has had better opportunities since
marriage, then of course that one
should teach and cultivate and encour-
age the other, and 80 both journey on
together. But if one has grown worse,
and has sunk lower than at the begin
ming, perhaps even then patience and
toll and sunshine may bring back the
erring one TO duty, lift up the fallen,
rescue the perishing. and save the lost
How glorious for a wife to pluck heI
husband from the jaws Of ruin, and to
bring him safely TO the heavenly home
How blessed for the husband to bring
back TO the gates OF Paradise the woman
who through weakness had been LED
asfrav'