smithclay/nortonstories huggingface dataset:
Year: 1874

A writer in Chambers's Journal says:
"The great centre of Swiss embroidery
is at st. Gall, and the day on which the
work is brought is festival; early In
the morning the young women arrive
from all parts i'm their Sunday attire.
After attending service i'm the church
they collect in large room round a
long table, where each receives glass
of white wine. They begin to sing one
of their melodies in parts, while the
master goes round the table, examines
the work, and pays for it. If he refuses
any, and declines to take it, the dis
pute is decided by a syndic, who sits in
the next room. When the examination
is over, the head of the establishment
throws mass of embroidery patterns
on the table; each girl chooses the kind
she likes best; it is incribed III her book
with the price agreed on, and the day
when it is to be returned. They are
very Industrious; and, by reason of
their great frugality, are cOntented
with very poor recommendations; and by
slightly sewing their pieces together,
can have them washed at half the cost.
In Saxony the wages are so low that 1t
is wonderful how the women can live
upon them; in Scotland, it is said that
MANY of the children receive only a
halfpenny a day. A small number in
Nancy, who can embroider cOats-Of-
arms and crests, earn three shillings a
day, but from ten to twenty pence is
the usual wages. 1t is kind of work
that endangers the sight; and as fash
ion reigns supreme, it not unfrequently
happens that a style is abandoned be-
fore the orders are completed; when the
merchant prafits by the smallest pre-
text to refuse the work from the manu-
facturer; and in this way the loss often
falls upon the poor woman, who can
scarcely buy bread and clothes"
Year: 1874

"No, indeed, the children answered.


''That is 30 much the case" Mrs.
Franklin continued, "'that when you
only hear the voices of people talking,
You can usually tell whether they are
saying pleasant or disagreeable things.
An angry voice is like railroad whistle,
warning you to get of the track, and if
any one is wise he will heed the warn
ing. If you get into habit of speaking
to each other in q cross voice, you will
find that presently, even though you
feel kindly, you cannot speak 30, and
then, children, you will feel so sorry
for it, and it will be too late to alter the
tone of your voice. have gone into
peoples houses sometimes and heard
them speaking to each other in cross OF
sulky tones, and then they would come
into the room where / was and speak to
me Is sweetly and pleasantly as May
morning; but l could not enjoy it, be-
cause felt that it was their company
voices that l heard, not the real honest
tones of their heart. So, above all, be
polite to your own family, for there is
not much temptation to be rude to
people you meet formally. But there
is your papa coming to meet us, and we
must hurry. We will talk some more
about the ministry of politeness another
time.-N y Observer.
Year: 1874

He who steadies himself between two
ships will certainly be drowned.


Shame is worse than death.


He who weeps from his heart will pro-
woke tears even from the blind.


A lean horse and hero in strange
country each look amiss.


When you go to law against the
Emperor, God himself should be the
judge.


The wise man strikes twice against
one and the same stone.


You may praise the Russian thous-
and times, but his eyes will still be blue
The reverse of handsome, according to
Usbeg taste.


Young men may die; old men must


The Overlooking tongue soon makes
a wound.


He who fears the sparrow will never
SOW a millet.


When the ass bears too light load
he wants to lie down.


The spoken word cannot be again
swallowed.


He whose heart is full soon finds a
loose tongue.


Smoke rises only from large blocks of
wood.


A living mouse is better than dead
lion.


Him whom God has marked the pro-
phet strikes with his wand.


He who is ON horseback no longer
knows even his own father. (Or The
armed man on horseback spares not his
nearest relation.)


When you die even your tomb will be
comfortable.


Men speak to each other by words /;
animals by signs.


Man is caught by his tongue; an OK
by his tail.


That which is taken in with the milk
only goes out with the soul. Faults
contracted with infancy disappear but
with DEATH


The open mouth never remains
hungry.


Do not fasten up your garments until
yOu see the water.


Time does not bow to you you must
bow to time.


When the parson visits you, don't be
overioyed; he will soon begin to beg.
Year: 1874

This animal has before now beer
found entire, with his coat of hair in.
tact, imbedded in the ice masses and
snow hills of his native fastnesses, but
perhaps the Chinaman, at work in
clearing the Union Pacific of snow,
have come upon something equally re.
markable in the frozen defiles of the
lofty Sierras. This object is of rich,
dark glossy color, and has the general
shape of the tadpole, though far ex-
ceeding that incipient croaker in its
proportions. 1t measures in extreme
length some six or eight feet, and is
provided with three massive legs, one
of which has its place of attachment
near the caudal extremity. At the other
or anterior portion of the body are two
of these heavy locomotive appendages,
separated by several feet from each
other, and since the creature is inno-
cent of anything which could be called
neck, its mouth, which We need not
premise is enormous, literally yawns
from shoulder to shoulder across nearly
this entire space. When opened, as it
was without much difficulty by the now
eagerly excited Mongols, it disclosed a
wonderfully perfect row of teeth of the
finest ivory, alternating in color between
black and white. Passing the hand
lightly over these ornaments of the
mouth, they gave forth distinctly marked
sounds, which to the peculiar ear of the
Chinese seemed repulsive, but which
it is said would hardly be SO regarded
by the musically cultivated occidental
auditor. Before the great mouth closed
a line of marks was discovered, which
although to the cinnamon signifying
nothing,it was thought might give some
German investigator clew by which to
evolve out of his consciousness some
explanation Of the creature. The near
est letters of ours which bear any like
ness to these lines would form the word.
"Pianoforte."
Year: 1874

like thistles traces its first and last con-
fession of remorse SIT may be that
Allah is wroth with me for what have
done; wherefore 1 would fain have ex-
plated my sins by exterminating the
idolators of China" What picture
The mightiest intellect of the age, ,dimly
conscious of something higher, some
thing better, than it has ever known,
and seeking a cure for its restless long
ings after the Unseen only in fresh
murder and fresh devastation. Peace
be with him. He has learned, long ere
this, what it was that he sought in
vain upon earth; and it may be that He
whose mercy is high as the heaven
above the earth has had pity even upon
him
Year: 1874

Some persons disapprove OF coffee,
and doubtless there are constitutions
for which it is inappropriate. But
there is high medical authority in favor
ofits general use, particularly amongper-
sons predisposed to sluggishness of the
kidneys, or to gout or rheumatism, or
devoted to sedentary pursuits. Some
one has computed that cup OF well
made cafe au taa contains from Elk to
ten times as much solid nutriment and
three times as much nitrogenous matter
as does the same quantity of ordinary
broth. In hot summer weather it is
most refreshing and invigorating drink,
taken either hot or cold.
Year: 1874

B1
We Law us down to sleep,


And leave to God the rest;
Whether TO wake and weep.


Or wake no more be best.
Why vex our souls with care?
The grave is cool and low;
Have we found life SO fair


That we should dread to go?
We've kissed loves sweet, red lips,
And left them sweet and red.
The rose the wild bee sips


Blooms on when he is dead
Some faithful friends we've found,
But those who love US best,
When we are under ground,
VIII laugh on with the rest.
No task have We begun


But other hands can take;
No work beneath the sun


For which We need to wake.
Then hold us fast. sweet Death,
If so it seemeth best
To Him who gave us breath
That We should go to rest
We lay us down to sleep,


Our weary eyes We close;
Whether to wake and weep,
Or wake no more. He knows.
Year: 1874

Leather made from the skin of the
white whale, it is said, is now a regular
article of manufacture at some of the
villages in Canada. 1t is both fine and
durable, and shoe thongs made of it are
said never to break.
Year: 1874

The MoTHER's LAST LESSON. - A
mother lay dying. Her little son, not
knowing of the sorrow coming to him,
went as was his custom, to her chamber
door, saying:


"Please teach me my verse, mamma,
and then kiss me good night L am
very sleepy, but no one has heard me
say my prayers.


"Hush u said a lady who was watch
ing beside her. "Your dear mother is
too i'll to hear you tonight" and COM
ing forward, she sought gently to lead
him from the room. Roger began to
sob as if his heart would break.


81 cannot go to bed without saying
my prayers-indeed, l cannot"
The ear of the dying mother caught
the sound. Although she had been in
sensible to everything around her, the
sob of her darling aroused her stupor,
and, turning to her friend, she desired
her to bring her little son to her. Her
request was granted, and the child's
golden hair and rosy cheeks nestled be-
side the cold face Of his dying mother.


my son." she whispered, "repeat
this verse after me, and never forget it
When my father and mother forsake
me, the Lord will take me up" The
child repeated it two or three times,
and said his little prayer. Then he
kissed the cold face, and went quietly
to bed.


In the morning he came, as usual, to
his mother, but found her still and cold.


This was her last lesson. He has
never forgotten it, and probably never
will, as long as he lives.
Year: 1874

They often eat out of the same dish,
sleep together in the same barn, and
play together in the same yard. have
known them to chase each other for
hours, leaping, skipping, and lodging,
like boys playing tag. Then they will
rub their heads together, kiss and fon-
die each other, like two loving children,
or a mother with her darling in her
arms.


Sometimes carlo goes to the pasture
and stays all day close at the side OF
Jim, following him about the field
where he is feeding, wagging his tai,
looking so loving and kind, that he
seems to say, L am happy to be with
you. won't leave you.


If Jim is hitched to the carriage,
Carlo always leaps for Joy but if he is
compelled to stay at home when Jim
goes away, he cries hard, and feels very
bad. And finally, he has learned to
ride on horseback, taking the reins in
his mouth.


l could tell you a great many other
things about these two friends, how
they love each other, and never quarrel
or hurt each other. But I must tell
you of two little brothers who live not
far away. They, too, are nearly of the
same age, have been brought up to-
gether, sleep, and eat, and play to-
gether. But it sometimes happens that
they do not perfectly agree. Sometimes
they do not seem to prefer each others
society to that of all other boys and /
have known them hurt each other at
play, or in quarrel.


Now what shall we think of this? Are
horses and dogs better than children ,
Yes, sometimes. Though children know
the most, can talk and learn to read,
and know they have souls, and must
give account to God, still they are
sometimes less loving and kind to each
other than horses and dogs.
Year: 1874

Inone of the little villagesin Winches-
ter county, lived an old fellow, somewhat
fond of his glass of tOddy, and hanging
around the bar-rooms of the village tav.
erns, to hear the gossip, and occasionally
indulge, and sometimes to an excess, OF
which he was afterward very much
ashamed. He went by the name of Old
Sam," and was really very entertaining
parsonage. He had seen General Wash
ington, and was, according to his own
story, the cause of the British evacuating
the city.


"Come, Sam," some village lounger
would say, "tell us about your driving
the British out of New York"


"Well, now, squire, l don't exactly
say that did do it, but I will give you
the facts, and you can draw your own
conclusions: You see the fact was,
knew the British were in New York, and
| knew, and we all felt that they had been
there quite long enough, and for one l
was determined they should be there no
longer. One night, after we had been
talking about it some time, before going
to bed, l said to our folks, 'Ishall ride to
the city tomorrow morning, and be there
before daybreak; and l shall go armed =
/ went right out to the stable, with a
lantern, three hours before daybreak,
saddled our old white mare, put two
loaded pistols in the hostler of the sad
die, and took my fathers sword that he
carried at Bunker Hill, and l got into
New York early in the morning, and
the British had left


"Do you mean to say they had evac-
uated the city,"


az mean to say that they had re-
treated-gone---run away! Now don't
mean to say that the British knew that
was coming but 1 do say that it looked
very much like it'll"
Year: 1874

Strength of character consists of two
things; power of will and power of self
restraint. 1t requires two things, there
fore, for its existence: strong feelings,
and strong command over them. Now,
we very often mistake strong feelings for
strong character. A man who bears all
before him, before whose wild bursts of
fury the children of the household quake,
because he has his own way in all things,
we call him strong man. The truth is
he is weak man; II is his passions that
are strong; he, mastered by them, is
weak.


You must measure the strength of n
man by the power of the feelings he sub
dues, not by the power of those which
subdue him. And hence, composure is
often the highest result of strength. Did
we ever see man receive fragrant in
jury and then reply calmly2 That man
Is morally strong. Or did we ever see a
man in anguish stand as II carved out of
solid rock, mastering himselfY Or one
bearing a hopeless daily trial remain
silent, and never tell the world what
cankered his home peace? That is
strength. He who, with strong passions,
remains cbaste; he who, with indigna-
tion within him, can be provoked and
yet restrain himself and forgive, those
are strong men, the moral heroes,
Year: 1874

The coquette, says Punch, is grad
uate in the science of Irritation, has
taken every degree from her alma mater
who is so good mistress of arts that
she no longer needs a tutor, and is COM
petent to manage her own affairs with
out the aid of chaperon. She is a
psychological curiosity-undergoing two
changes before arriving at maturity
from the sunset of the school period she
becomes the chrysatis of the ballroom,
whence she emerges from beneath the
wing of her chaperon to flutter forth the
full grown butterfly, or cOquette. She
has scale of attractions by which she
measures her department toward differ
ent individuals. She can, at a moments
notice, be intensely agreeable, or quietly
repellent. She can smile with one side
of her face upon new conquest, and
frown with the other upon his warning
rival. She knows instinctively the ex-
act moment when to commence a firta-
ton; and, having no passion, no feeling,
can adroitly break off an ineligible one,
even if the wedding liveries have been
ordered. Flattery is her food, and Ca
price her rule of conduct. She may win
our astonishment by her boldness, in
genuity and protean changes of demean-
or-but not our admiration or esteam.
Year: 1874

At the present moment the astrono
mers of the world are gathering in Sc
lected stations i'm the Eastern Hemi-
sphere and the Southern Ocean to observe
the transit of Venus. That planet now
shining so brilliantly in our evening sky,
and very nearly the size of the earth,
will pass directly between ms and the sun,
necessarily casting its shadow toward us.
Being so much smaller than the sun, it
will appear as small, round spot pass
ing across its face. Now, suppose that
in the midst of the transit we should
start, with the speed of light, and travel
directly toward the planet Venus. AS
we approach it, it would apparently
grow larger, covering more and more of
the sun, until finally, when we have
come within somewhat less than mil
lion miles of it, it would appear exactly
large enough to cover the entire face of
the sun. We should then be exactly at
the end of the shadow. Beyond this
point we could see the sun around it (;
beyond this point, it would entirely
eclipse the sun. At the end of the shad-
ow the light which strikes the eye from
one side of the sun just grazes that side
of Venus, while the light which strikes
the eye from the opposite side Of the
planet forms triangle. As light
moves in straight lines, we can rep
resent this upon paper. We draw q
circle to represent the sun. At the
proper distance we draw smaller
circle to represent Venus. Then we
draw straight lines just touching the
edges of the sun and Venus, and the
point where those lines meet will repre-
sent the position Of the eye at the end OF
the shadow,-Cor. Ne,o York Herald.
Year: 1874

The drover is usually man who has
spent many years of his life under the
cloudless skies of Western Texas, rarely
sleeping beneath roof, and for months
together seeing no human face. At home
he isan easy-going, temperate, decently-
hammered individual, fond of his cattle
and the rude labor of caring for them.
But when he drives his cattle northward
he appears to change his disposition
wholly his honor is sensitive to that ex-
tent that one may hardly address him for
fear of provocation and he looks upon
all vulgar tradesmen, menial manufac-
turers, and starveling agriculturists in
the settlements through which he passes
as his natural prey. His ideal of heroism
is the man who can shoot first his test OF
courage is an unblanched face when re-
volver is pointed at it. Whisky becomes
his constant consolation, and impels him
to dozens of criminal eccentricities which
he could not imagine without its aid.
Yet this same man will blush like child
If girls eyes rest for moment upon
him, and will dof his hat in lady's
presence with grace which the fashion
able gentlemen cannot always initiate
Ncc York Times.
Year: 1874

/ got into the cars, took seat in jux-
taposition to a female. The females
face was a perfect life insurance com
pany to her. 1t insured her against ever
getting married to any person except a
blind man. Her mouth looked like a
crack in dried lemon, and there was no
more expression in her face than there is
in cup of cold custard. She appeared as
ifshe had been through one famine and got
two-thirds of the way through another.
She was old enough to be great grand
mother to Mary who had little lamb.
She was chewing prize popcorn, and
carried in her hand yellow rose, while a
band box and cotton umbrella nestled by
her side. / couldn't guess whether she
was on mission of charity or going
West to start saw MILL was full of
curiosity to hear her speak, 80 ! said !:
"The exigencies Of the time required
spection in person who is travel
ing" What3" says she. "The orb
of day shines resplendent in the vault
above" says /. She twisted around un-
easily, and then raised her umbrella and
said: "I don't want any of your Sass
git out I" And did get out.
Year: 1874

frightened her greatly; for she, among
the rest, had heard the tales about thu
devil, and about the company of devils
rushing up out of the sea. But she hat
also heard that there was some one whom
the sick man was waiting to see, and
must see before he could die; and she
did not seem to think il anywise strange
that that one should turn out to be her
self, whom his wife had 80 often fetched
over to the house before. Agnes sister,
told her, too, that one must always try
to do what dying folks wish and that il
she prayed nicely to God, nothing could
do her any harm. She believed this, and
let them dress her to 60.


1t was cold, clear evening, wherein
she could see long dark shadows follow
ing, and hear echoes of the harness bells
sounding far off in the forest; On the
whole, she felt it was rather dreadful, and
she sat saying her prayers, with her hands
folded inside her muff. She did not see
the devil anywhere; neither did she hear
any company of devils rushing up out OF
the sea while she rode along the shore,
but she saw many stars above her, and
light shining straight before her upon the
mountain peak. Up around Botolfs
house all seemed dismally quiet, but the
old peasant woman came out at once and
carried Agnes indoors, took off her
travelling dress and let her warm herself
at the fire. Meanwhile the old woman
told her she need not be anywise afraid
of the sick man, but must just 60 into
him with good courage and say the Lords
Prayer to him. Then, when Agnes got
warm the old woman took her into the
sick room. Botolf lay there with long
beard and hollow eyes, and he gazed at
her intently, but she did not think he
looked dreadful, and she was not afraid.


"Do you forgive me p he whispered.


She supposed she ought to say eyes"
and she said eyes," accordingly.


Then he smiled, and tried to raise him
self in the bed, but his strength failed,
and he remained lying.


She began at once to say the Lords
Prayer; but he made a movement as
though to bid her pause, and pointed to
his breast. So she laid both her hands
there for this is what she thought he
intended her to do; and he directly laid
one of his clammy, ice-cold, bony hands
upon her little warm ones, and then
closed his eyes. When she found he did
notsay anything after she had finished
the prayer, she did not venture to re-
move his hands, but just began to say it
again.


When she had said it for the third
time, the old woman came in, looked, and
said:


"You can leave off now, my dear
he's gone"-Saturday Journal
Year: 1874

YoUNa man, you feel superiority to
the whole human race, as you stand at
the altar with your fair young bride.
You would not change places with the
President. Yet few short years, few
whiskings Of broom handles, an untimely
stoppage or two of waited flat-irons, and
your weary body will rest under the
swaying willow, while some young gal
liant will bring your late afflicted partner
out to the cemetery on calm Sabbath
evenings and whisper love in her ear, as
together they strew peanut shells on
your grave. "Oh why should the spirit
of mortal be proud p
Year: 1874

On one occasion Highlander sailed
in the packet from Aberdeen to Granton.
It was the first time that Donald had
been on board ship, and the novel scene
interested him greatly. So long as the
vessel was in smooth water he enjoyed
the sail very much, but ERE long squall
came on, causing the ship to pitch and
roll in manner which to Donald was
very alarming. Irritated by being
bumped about, and suffering, beside,
from certain disagreeable internal sensa-
tions, he made his way to the deck to
find out the cause of the ships bad be-
havior. Arrived there, he was taking a
survey of the scene, when his eye lighted
on the steersman. The latter did not
work by the wheel, but by the old-fash-
ioned, long-handled rudder, and, after
eying his proceeding for minute, the
cloud of wrath on the Highlander's brow
grew black as night. He advanced to-
ward the steersman in a stealthy way,
and the instant he was within reach
knocked him down by blow with his
fist, exclaiming as he did so: "Tak' that,
you villiaz, for kittlin' her tail wi that
stick, and maxim her jumpw