smithclay/nortonstories huggingface dataset:
Year: 1878

There was n country town containing about
two thousand inhabitants, employed in great
variety of pursuits, farmers and gardeners,
raisers of stock, mechanics of all sorts They
were all gaining a modest but comfortable
living by their various labors. One day there
moved into the town man, believed to pos
sess enormous wealth He bought u large
place, built a splendid mansion, and said to
the people II have come to spend my mon
ey among you, according to my peculiar
tastes. wish to employ five hundred men
in marching to and fro ON my grounds every
day, and wish also To have fireworks every
night, and will pay the highest prices for
rockets and Roman candles. | wish to have
three or four hundred little children dressed
in white, with blue and red ribbons in their
hair, to sit about the grounds in groups, or
dance in the hail every day, and l will pay
each of them n dollar a day for doing it, and
will buy the clothes and ribbons for them to
wear. / shall wish TO buy four suits of clothes
"A year for each of the men, and propose to
give a supper every night with plenty of ice
cream, TO all the inhabitants of the town"
Could anything be more attractive than this
programme Half the people gave up their
usual occupations and devoted themselves to
marching round the lawn, and the other half
to making fireworks, clothing and ice-cream
for these festivities. The people and town
prOspCreu wonderfully the men got their
three dollars. the children their dollar day.
and great profits were also made ON the fire.
works aud ice-croam. But one morning the
bubble burst The rich man had disappeared


Then it was made known that all the money
he had been spending had been borrowed Of
the town authorities at n high interest, and
that as he left no assets this was n debt which
the town must pay. The people had given
up their old occupations, had lost the taste
for regular work, had acquired a love of luxu-
ury, had learned to speculate, were no longer
satisfied with small returns. but wished TO
obtain large incomes with little labor, and be-
sides all this arrangement of their habits,
they had great debt to pay for their frolick-
ing and waste. Now would it not take long
time for the people of such place to get
back their old position? The people of the
country are in the condition of this town. We
took "A million or two of men from produc-
tive industry during four years, employing
them in destroying and wasting property.
The expense of this is an accumulated debt
which vel have to pay We have acquired hab-
its of extravaganza and waste at the same
time. And now that the excitement is over,
long period of depression has followed for
the decentralization which four years of war
can produce it will take fifteen or twenty to
repair.-Jdmos Freeman Clarke.
Year: 1878

That delightful singer, the merry house
wren, so delicate in FORM so CHEEKY in his
ways, so lively. so fearless, so sweet and Joy
GUS in his song is a fast friend of mankind.
seeking from preference to build near us. 1t
is social little creature, often building with
in range of eye and hand, and almost cheat
ing one into the fancy that his sole object is
TO sing for the amusement of his neighbOrs.
lie will begin a delightful strain close to
window, perched on a Towering shrub per-
chance. or swinging to and fro on waving
spray of some creeping vine, and sing half
an hour away with little interruption. No
one can hear one of his joyous bursts of
song without being convinced that the wren
sings with pure pleasure, out of the fullness
of his happy little heart. The birds sing to
us nothing but Truth. In this sense. their
songs are pure as hymns. There is no leav-
en- of evil in their music. And they clearly
delight i'll their gift of song. 1t is said that
ON some happy occasion, when Jenny Lind
had been surprising hersef at a charity con-
cert, she exclaimed. joyousiy, "Es list doch
schun dasS ich singer kann" (''ls it not
charming that | can sing SOD And if we
understood the language of the wren, We
might perhaps discover the same feeling of
happy wonder at his own performance. His
summer life seems to be more than half song.
lie will sing in the warmest nOontide hours,
when other birds are silent He will sing on
cloudy days. when other birds are moping.
But perhaps his choicest, most glecsoine,
most musical melody, is sung after shower,
from the head of some tall weed, and beneath
the rainbow. He sings for the pleasure of
his wife. He sings for the instruction and
entertainment of his numerous little family.
Sometimes one sees him flying toward his
nest with Il very eager, busy look, rs if Occu-
pied with some affair of vast importance in
another moment he is out again, perchcd on
the same twig where you have often seen
him singing as if music was his only object in
life. Nevertheless, he is anything but an idle
creature, regular busybody in fact a great
builder of nests, IL very kind husband, and an
excellent father to his comical little children,
who cluster together full of fun and play, but
rather helpless. and who are watched by
their parents and fed by them long after they
have left the nest. And, happily for us,
through all his family cares he sings away
merrily and sweetly beneath our windows,
ever generous with his music. From Apple
ton'S JourHdi tor June.
Year: 1878

4 SPARRow's REPREHENsIBLE CoNDUcT.-
The Hartford Times tells the following story
of an English sparrow on the authority of a
friend who had it direct from the gentleman
who witnessed the occurrence This gentle
man, who resides in New York, had erected
in his back yard large box for sparrows'
nests 1t was divided into three rows, each
containing four compartments. These were
all speedily taken possession of by n dozen
pairs of sparrows, and the business of max
ing nests proceeded amid the customary chip
pering din of these fussy and pugnacious
feathered colonsts. Sitting idly Mt the win
dow one Sunday, watching the birds, the
gentleman saw ONE cock-sparrow come flying
to his place with fine, soft white feather in
his bill. The box was so placed that he could
see into the compartments, and he saw this
bird fix the feather into an incomplete nest,
and then fly away. No sooner was lie out of
sight than female sparrow from the adjoin-
ing compartment who had evidently seen
that proceeding, hoped into her neighbor's
house and pulled out and carried off the COW
eted feather Becoming interested, the OBJ
server watched the performance, expecting to
see the little thief carry her stolen prize to
her own nest; but no. she knew a trick
worth two of that aud here is where she dis
played an undeniable reasoning process, and
acted ON clear perception of cause and ef-
feet, making prudent use of her knowledge
of the character and disposition of her plum
dered neighbor. She flew off with the feath-
er to neighboring tree, where she securely
fastened it in an inconspicuous place upon
and between two twigs, and there left it.
Pretty soon the bird she had defrauded came
back with n straw tO.add to his nest Dscov-
ering his loss he came out with an angry
chirruping that BODIED no good to the despoil-
er of his hearth and home, if he could only
find the rogue. His first demonstration was
to visit his next-door neighbor without any
search-warrant. In that abode of peace and
innocence he found no trace of the stolen
feather and as for the actually guilty party,
she was hopping innocently about, and loud
ly demanding-as far as bird tones could be
understood by the man at the window-what
was meant by this ungentlemanly intrusion.
The cock-sparrow was evidently puzzled.
Unable, after minute search, to find the lost
feather, he apparently gave it up, and flew
away in search of another. The thief de-
murely waited till he had got well of, and
then flew to the tree, secured the stolen feath-
er, and took it in triumph TO her own nest"
Year: 1878

The GRAssHoPPER COMMISSION which has
been studying up the causes and best treat
ment of the scourgc, reports that the perma-
nent breeding grounds of the locusts are here
and there in an area of 3OO, 600 square miles
in and about Idaho, from which they only
emgrate when their native region becomes
too densely populated. They have not stray
ed north beyond the timber line on the 53d
parallel, west of the Cascade and Sierra Ne
vada ranges, nor east beyond line drawn
from the western edge of Wisconsin to Hous-
ton, Tex, though they have been found south
of the Rio Grande. After one year in new
home the locusts invariably wing their way
back to their permanent breeding grounds,
though nearly all die of parasites or disease
on the way. This being the case, the scourge
is to be ayerted by destroying them at home,
so that it will not be necessary for them TO
swarm, and the commission give many means
of doing this. They prefer law compelling
farmers to harrow their eggs under in the fall,
but also suggest plowing irrigation, collec-
ton of the eggs (every bushel of which de-
stroyed is equal to 100 acres of corn saved),
burning, crushing, trapping the young locusts
with tar and coal oil, diversified farming, the
encouragement of birds to eat them and u
hundred other methods. The report is one
of the most exhaustive and valuable ever pub
lshed by the government, and will be in
great demand, especially in the West. The
commission desire an appropriation to con-
tinue their labOrs another year, and the char
acter of the work already done will probably
secure it.
Year: 1878

A most singular affair recently happened
near Lynchburg, Va. While Col. A. H. Full
kerson was riding erhis farm he was attacked
by about 100 swallows, who assailed him with
great chatteringa and pecked away Justify at his
face and clothing. He was at first amused at the
puny assaults, but the wounds which they
soon inflicted upon his face and neck CON
vinced him that he had nothing to laugh at,
and he barely escaped with his life 1t is
feared that he will lose the sight of both eyes,
and his nose is so badly mutilated that in all
probability it will have to be amputated.


Mr.. Edison is forced to defend his claim
to his inventions against English pretenders
who have stolen his ideas, and has telegraphed
to President Sir William Thomson of the Brit
ish association warning against one Prof.
Hughes, who has appropriated his ideas in the
microphone, an instrument for hearing mi
mute sounds at great distance and in the
thermopile, or heat-measurer, which applies
principle discovered by Edison in perfecting
his new carbon telephone, by which he could
detect one fifty-thousandth of degree
Fahrenheit. The marvels of the Edison dis
coveries have evidently but just begun.


New York is agitating the question wheth-
er the big Brooklyn bridge isn't going to be
failure. When it was projected it was TO be
completed in five years at cost of $1,000
900, but nine years of time and So 900, 900 of
money have only sufficed to erect grand
skeleton and prepare the way for the eXpen-
diture of no end of additional millions before
the bridge is completed Experienced engin-
GERS say that the bridge will not be able to
sustain itself and the weight which will be
placed upon it without the erection of sup
porting pier midway in the channel, and that
will of course largely increase the cost and al
so increase the interference with shipping. 1t
is also loudly whispered that the whole man
agement of the thing has been under control
of ring which has made the construction of the
bridge bonanza" lOr lining their own pock-
cts


A very daring robbery occurred in New
York last week Monday night, five roughs
armed with revolvers boarding Sd avenue
car and getting away with $50 Mr. Lafetra,
as was his daily custom, had collected this
money at the Harlem depot, the days fares
received by conductors of the Sd avenue and
crosstown lines, and was carrying it to the
main depot at the corner of Goth street and Sd
avenue The car carried n noisy excursion
party of 40 ON their way home, and Mr..
Lafetra sat in the rear end, where he was sud
denly assaulted by three fellows while the
conductor was collecting fares in the forward
part of the car, two others standing guard at
the door. The rufiians beat Mr.. LAfetm
senseless with the butts of their pistols and
snatched away his money, and when the con-
ductOr had forced his way to the rear plat
form through the screaming women who
hemmed his passage, two pistols warned him
to raise no alarm. The five then mounted
wagon in which they had been following the car
and dashedOf, havingdone their work so quiet
ly that the driver did not know of the robbery
till the bell told him to stop his horses.
Year: 1878

The RIGHT KIND OF A CABNET.-H. V.


Redheld, Washington correspondent of the
Cincinnati Commercial, writes l venture
that the President will retain the cabinet he
has until the end of his term. Grant was
continually changing his cabinet, putting out
that man and putting in another, so that the
total of cabinet officers he created during his
term was % ! He added much TO the tenn
perature of the hot water in which he contin-
ually found himself by this course, for each
removal led to a row of greater or lesser di-
mensiOns. The President is pleased with
each member of his cabinet he thinks he
has made fortunate selections, and that they
are operating the various departments in the
interests of the whole people, whose servants
they are. BY any amount of changing about
he could hardly get more honest, economi-
cal, efficient and laborious body of men than
Year: 1878

The passage of the public schools appropria-
ton bill by the Senate is reported on the third
page of this paper, together with the proceed
jngs Of the Senate on the bill in reference to
taxation of churches.


HOLMEAD CEMETERY.


The Senate committee on District of COlum.
bia agreed today to report adversely the bill
to allow the District Comm iSSionerS to use the
H0lmead cemetery for school purposes. A bill
Will be reported requiring the Commissioners
to keep the cemetery in repair.
OUTSTANDING CLAIMS AGAINST THE DISTRICT
The House committee on the District of Co.
lumbia to-day accorded hearing to a num-
Der OF contractors in advocacy of the passage
OF the bill to provide for The settlement of all
outstanding claims against the District of Co.
lumbia
Year: 1878

GREAT RUN OF FHERRING.-ThOueh the shad
season was failure the enormous run of her.
rings in the Albemarle Sound is unprece-
dented. The fisheries are catching two and
begin to save them. They will stop fishing to.
morrow for the season Ne Wv
Year: 1878

The CHINAMAN NOT LEGALLY A WHITE
MAN.-In the U. s. court at San Francisco
Judge Sawyer has decided that Chinaman
lS not white person within the meaning of
the term as used in the naturalization laws


and is not entitled to become citizen, The
case will 90 the supreme court nv
Year: 1878

TIE MANAGERS of the Florida confessions
do not yet indicate when an investigation will
be asked: They are in communication with
New York, and await the order of the Gram
marcy Park statesman to advance
Year: 1878

What TO Do Uih COLI PotQt. ea-To
every ! dozen, which should be grated.
add / egg and a little nutmeg, mix and
form as Goldfish cakes, fry brown aud
serve with stewed cranberries.


HGrd Lard for PGStry.-Lard for
pastry may be used as hard as it can be
cut with knife, and it will make far
better paste than if left to warm. 1t
needs only to be cut through the flour
not rubbed.


Oil out Of W'OOlen.-You can get
bottle or barrel OF oil Off any carpet or
wooden stuff, by applying dry buckwheat
plentifully and faithfully. Never put
water to such a grease spot, or liquid of
any kind.


The Use Of SaJeratuS.-The free use
Ofsaleratus, so much consumedin bread,
is excessively injurious to the human
system. 1t is particularly liable to in
duce muscular prostration or paralysis,
and is sure to injure the digestive or
gans. OF course, it is most fatal to
children, whose delicate organization is
more sensitive than that of grown per-
sons.


To Cure CornS.-Bathe the corn with
strong bOraX-water, then shave it close
ly, but be careful not to make it bleed.
Place over the corn white felt corn
plaster and wear it constantly until the
corn has disappeared. Every night and
morning wet the small cavity over the
corn (and in the plaster) with a little
boraX-water, or if preferable the pulp OF
a lemon. The corn-plaSterS can be pro-
cured at any druggists.


TO Keep IUOry H1ndt3S WhUe.-The
whiteness may be reStOlpd to ivory han
dies as follows: Wash with soaped
flannel and lukewarm water; then wipe
very dry; soak them occasionally in
alum-water that has been boiled, and
allowed to cool; let the handles lie for
one hour in this; then remove them and
brush them well-say with nail-brush;
after this take a clean linen towel, dip
it in cold water, squeeze it out, and while
wet wrap in around the handles, leaving
them in it to dry gradually, as if dried
too rapidly out of the alum-water the
handles will be injured.


Qu5nce JeAy.-Pare and slice the
ounces; add for every pounds of fruit
1 cupful water; put peelings, cores, and
all into stone jar; set the jar into a
pot of boiling water; let it boil until the
fruit is soft and broken; strain through
a stout, coarse bag or cloth; to each
pint Of juice allow pound of white su-
gar; set the juice on alone to boil, and
while it is warming place the sugar on
flat dishes to heat in the oven; have the
sugar hot, but do not let it burn; boil
the juice just 20 minutes from the time
it begins fairly to boil; throw in the hot
sugar; stir quickly all She time; as soon
as the sugar is dissolved remove the
kettle at once from the fire; fill your
glasses with the scaldihg liquid.
Year: 1878

The town of GrilliE3is supported by
buffalo hunters, and IS their general
rendezvous in this section. The num-
Der Of hunters on the ranges this season
is estimated at 800. We saw at Griffin
plat of ground of about four acres
covered with buffalo hides spread out to
dry, besides a large quantity piled up
for shipment. These hides are worth in
this place from 81 to SLIGO each. The
generally accepted idea of the exciting
chase in buffalo hunting is not the plan
pursued by the men who make it reg
ular business. They use the needle-gun
with telescope, buy the powder by the
keg, their lead in bulk, and the shells,
and make their own cartridges. The
guns in a party Of hunters are used by
only one or two men, who say they US
usally kill a drove of thirty or forty
bufalOeS on one or two acres Of ground.
AS soon as one is killed the whole herd,
smelling the blood, collect around the
dead body, snuHing and paving up the
ground, and uttering singular noise.
The hunter continues to shoot them
down as long as he can remain conceal
ed, or until The last animal bites the
dust" The buffalo pays no attention to
the report of the gun, and fees only at
sight or scent Of his enemy. The others
of the party then occupy themselves in
"peeling." Some of these have become
so Skillful they offer to bet they can skin
Il five or six-year-old bull in five min
utes. The meat is also saved and sent
to market, and commands good price.
-Sbackeyord County (lenas) Letter 10
the GnLrRStOM Mems.
Year: 1878

The Stock Report says: "The rumor
that was IN circulation some days ngo
that General D. d. Cotton died practi-
cally insolvent, is, we arc pleased to
learn from one Of the family, not true.
1t was said that his fine residence on
California street. was mortgaged to its
full vaiue. This is also denied. with
the additional statement that all obliRa-
tIons against the property were relieved
before the General took possession Of
It, and that he took peculiar pride in
his lifetime in keeping it clear from en-
cumbrance. it is impossible. as yet, to
say how much the estate will clean up.
but We are assured the family will be
left in Affluence."
Year: 1878

The Controller Of the Currency in his
annual report which has Just been
made, makes lengthy argument in ia
vor Of the system Of National Banks,
and tries to show by assertions and hg-
ures, that the system is immensely prof.
liable to the govsrnment. and therefore
should not be interfered with. It is q
very plain proposition that the stock
holders OF the National Banks who are
drawing interest in gold coin on their
United States Bonds which are deposit
ell with the government, and for which
they have received 80 per cent. OF Ma
tional Bank notes. which they have pro-
ceeded to loan on real estate, mortgages
OF other good security, aud are thus
drawing current interest on their capit-
al, which gives them the clear advan-
tage Of the interest on their bonds, over
person who has his money invested in
any other wny, think the National Bank
system an admirable one. The advo.
Gates of that system will say that the
privilege to engage in the banking busi-
ness Is free to oil. an 1 therefore no person
has right to complain. But the fact is
that though any one has n right to engage
In the banking business yet it is we'll
known fact that only certain amount
OF money is required to carry on the
business OF the country and the neces.
sary amount being already in circula-
ton. person who now attempts to
start National Bank will be unable to
get the money into circulation and Of
course it would be Improbable to keep
it locked up in the vaults Of the bank.
But the fact remains that the banks
that are already established and have
their notes in circulation are reaping
all Of the benefits OF the system. 1t
will require much stonger arguments
than those advanced by the Controller Of
the Currency to convince the people
that it will not be better for the govern
inent to call in the National Bank notes
and issue its own notes in the place of
them. and let the Government reap the
advantages that under the present sys-
tenn are Rccruing to the National
Banks
Year: 1878

GEX. SHERMAN Is not in favor OF re-.
ducing the production OF army officers
Mt the Government factory at West
Point. He says sixty vacancies occur
in the commission ranks of the army
every year, and the average graduating
clusses do not equal that number.
Somehow, nevertheless, there are OFF.
GERS enough now on the active list for
an army double the size Of that now
authorized by law.
Year: 1878

RENO Journal: I" Sharon should
either attend to his Senatorial duties or
resign his position. It Is altogether
likely that II he Is not in his seat when
our Legislature conyencs. a resolution
will be introduced requesting him to
tender his resignation. 80 that tho Leg.
islature can send some one TO Washing
ton who will assist Senator Jones In
looking out for tho interes, OF the
State"
Year: 1878

The Holy Spirit is able to make the
Word as successful now as in the days
of the Apostles. He can bring in by
hundreds and thousands as easily as by
ones and tWos. The reason why we
are not more prosperous is, that we
have not the Holy Spirit with US in
might and power as in early times. If
we had the Spirit sealing our ministry
with power, it would signify very little
about our talent. Men might be poor
and uneducated; their words might be
broken and ungrammatical; there might
be none Of the polished periods of Hall.
or glorious thunders of Chalmers; but if
the might of the Spirit attended them,
the humblest evangelist would be more
successful than the most eloquent of
preachers. Itis extraordinary grace, not
talent, that wins the day. 1t Is extraOr-
dinsry spiritual powers that We need.
Oh we know some before whom we
shrink into nothing as 20 talent, but who
have no spiritual power, and when they
speak they have not the Holy Spirit with
them; but we know others, simple-hear-
ted men, who speak their country dia-
lect, and who stand up topreach in their
country place, and the Spirit of God
clothes every word with power. Hearts
are broken, souls are saved, and sinners
are born again. o. Spirit of the living
God, we want Theel Thou art the life,
the soul, the source of Thy peoples sue
cess. Without Thee they can do moth
ing; with Thee they can do everything.
-SDurce0n. iaa
Year: 1878

g Marriage. as well as cutting of the
finger nails, has its superstitions.


Among the Romans no marriage was
celebrated till an augur was consul
ted and a fortunate time selected.
There is an old rhyme which tells us
tn marry On ev