smithclay/nortonstories huggingface dataset:
Year: 1874

We extract the following remarkable facts
from lecture by Mr.. W. P. Groom, editor of
the New York Mercantile Journal and they
cannot fail to be ofinterest, as illustrating the
rapid increase of capital when we'll invested !:


Many men carelessly conclude that three
per cent. is just one half of six per cent.
But this is not the case, as will be seen from
the following statement of facts:


If one dollar be invested, and the interest
added to the principal annually, at the rates
named, we shall have the following result at
the accumulation of one hundred years:
Year: 1874

AFRICANS AND THE SLAVE TRADE.-Sir
Samuel Baker, who has been operating in Gen.
tral Africa under the Khedive of Egypt, has
recently returned to England, and on the 9Th
of December made an address before the
Royal Geographical Society," He mentioned
the noticeable fact that, aside from the Khe-
dive, the expedition which had in view the
suppression of the slave trade had no friends,
causing distrust even of the very natives who
were liable to be seized as merchandise. He
passed through eighty miles, desolate and un.
inhabited, which on former visit he had
found teeming with population. The people
had all been swept off and sold Notwith-
standing this fact it was discovered that to
suppress the slave trade it will be necessary to
reform the whole character of Central Africa.
The system is said to be so fixed in the habits
of the people that they will invariably sell
each other if they have the opportunity. Sir
Samuel talked to some of the chiefs on the
subject, and to one chief who was highly in
telligent man he preached almost q sermon on
the abolition of the slave trade. The man ap-
peared Immensely touched" but Immediately
afterwards offered to sell his own son for a
spade. 1t is obvious that the slave trade can
never be put an end to till the natives of the
region chiefly interested become sufficiently
civilized and Christianized to cooperate with
outsiders in the work Of their own emancipa.
tion.
Year: 1874

BRAIN WoRK.-The nearest thing to an
indication that the brain has been working
rather more than is good for it, is the persis-
tence in the mind, during the period OF rest,
of the thoughts which have engaged it during
its period Of activity. After good spell of
hard work, the brain worker is often torment
ed by finding it difficult, all at once, to turn
off the steam. His work day thoughts will
intrude themselves, in spite of every effort to
keep them out. Each worker has usually a
way of his own of endeavoring to get rid of
the unwelcome guest. Thackeray generally
succeeded in exercising the creatures whom
he had been calling into existence by the
simple expedient Of turning over the leaves
of dictionary. A great lawyer was in tine
habit, in similar circumstances, Of plunglng
into a cold bath, and averred that a person
never takes out of cold water the same ideas
that he took into it. Perhaps the best mental
corrective of this condition is to employ the
mind for short time in the direction most
contrasted to that in which it has been over
worked. In this way mathematician might
find advantage in unbending his mind on a
page or two Of novel, while novelist could
chase away the phantoms which haunt him
by dipping into discussion on the "Quantii-
cation of the predicate" The cure, in fact,
must be sought for on a principle the very op-
posite to that of the famous homeopathic doc
trine of "similars. ."-ChamberS Journal.
Year: 1874

KEROSENE LAMPS-dOW TO TREVENi LA-
pLos1oNs.-This is the season when nearly
every paper we take up relates some horrible
casualty from the explosion Of kerosene
lamp, or the like, and women and children
are either killed outright or terribly burned,
and SCARED for life A simple knowledge Of
the fluid would probably put an end to nearly
all the accidents. First, no lamps should
ever be filled after dark by light Of a candle.
Always do this work after the hreeI's c,1 .u ulsn'
es are put away, and hten not Snty -, 'n J;n,
but wash -.ase cnimneys, tor II they are ann
and smoky, you cannot expect to have bright
light. Take the chimney in one hand and
breathe through it, then draw a wisp Of paper
up and down it, and all the blur will be re-
moved. If the chimney is blackened with
lamp smoke, turn warmish water through the
tube, and then wipe out with paper in the
same style as before. If the lamps are glass,
and they become clouded with deposit from
the kerosene, take lime water that is milky
with the lime and shake it up in the lamp;
Do this with two different washlngs. and al
the deposit will be removed. A little chloride
of lime, dissolved in warm water, and lett
in lamp or can which has held kerosene,
will deodorize it very soon. Lamps must be
filled every morning This is an imperative
duty for every housekeeper to perfom, for as
the oil burns down in lamp, there is created
highly infammable gas, which gathers i'm
perceptibly over the surface, and as fast as
the oil is consumed, this gas increases, so when
the oil is nearly out Of the lamp, the slightest
jar of the table will set the gas on fire; an ex.
plosion follows instantaneously->a bombshell
would not be more destructive, for Its touches
are deathly. Buff the oil is burned only half
way down in your lamp, the gas is not OF
sufficient power to do any injury; therefore let
me beg of you never to defer the operation OF
lamp-6lling to another day, but see yourself
that it is done.- Country Gentleman.
Year: 1874

Now, the growth OF national wealth Is only
about three and one eighth per cent per an
mum, Notwithstanding the assertion Of those
who have placed it much higher, through com
pairing the old valuations with the new (wh'ch
have been greatly increased,) instead Of ta-
king as the basis of their calculation, as they
should have done, the actual number Of hors.
es, cattle, hogs, sheep, etc., at the different
periods 1t is plain, therefore, that the great
mistake most men make is in attempting to
use borrowed capital at an immensely high
rent, ordinarily termed interest, which, by the
use of gold, as currency, is often forced still
higher While the growth Of the national
wealth remains at the present rate, the average
man who attempts 10 pay even seven per cent
for all the capital he can get, should not ex-
pect to avoid bankruptcy as the result.
Year: 1874

1t is already perceived tlat the
finance bill which passed Cong ress by
more than two-thirds vote, and which
has been signed by the President, is
exerting good effect upon business.
1t has tranquilized the public mind
first, because there was found some
common ground of agreement between
Congress and the President, and sec.
ordly, it has settled the panic question
at leas for the ensuing year.


No more than S382,O00,000 of le-
tender can be issued, that fact is set
tied. But none Of that amount is to be
withdrawn and held as a reserve. So
the Secretary of the treasury cannot
tamper with the money market. This
is solid ground upon which to base
legitimate confidence. The present bill
also releases more than one-third of
the bank reserve, whenever the neces-
sites or business or the movement of
the crops may require larger circula-
tion Of currency. This is calculated
to assure ease to the money market,
even ia the autumnal months, when
very large demands are made upon the
banks to purchase produce. Some
think the banks will be less safe under
this relaxation hut all this will depend
upon the good management Of the
bankers, who will have more discretion
than they had under the old law.


Altogether, the effects of the bill, it
seems to US, will be assuring to every
industrial interest, and as measure of
pure relief it is not really much better
than the Merrimon bill which was
vetoed by the President So we count
that the country has gained largely
by the veto, in that we obtain a better
better measure, without any inAa-
ton Of the curren ency.-Mzuaukee WIS
consan
Year: 1874

NELLIE ON THE BRlNY.-Mrs. Sar-
toris never left her state room but once
on the passage. She came on deck
for a few moments one morning in a
blue wrapper and white shawl, but be.
fore it was we'll known she was out she
haddisappeared again. Mr.. Sartoris did
not share this seclusion, but was around
most all the time. He said his wife
was "not sea sick but homesick. +"
Poor Nellie. We could all of us un-
derstand that she might be, for of all
the dull youths who part their hair in


the middle { and it's your dull youth


who always does that Mr.. Algernon


Frederick and the rest Of it Saratoris
is the dullest. While we were wait
ing our turn at the dock in Liverpool
he, with some others, went ashore and


bought mutton pies, SO that the first
really good view of Nellie Grant we
had after she came aboard was stand
ing resting on her husbands fat arm,
her eyes full of trusting affection, her
heart full of coDfding love, and her
mouth full of Liverpool "mutton pie. +"
Year: 1874

A gentleman who has just passed
over wide stretch of country in the
northern part of Wisconsin. states that
barley and winter wheat are look ing
much better than for many years.
Spring wheat is also looking exceeding
ly well, and corn, although little
backward, is jumping forward rapidly
under the impetus of the hot weather
The prospect, altogether, is much
better than usual at this season Of the
year.
Year: 1874

We are accustomed to use our toes so
very little, that for all the practical pur
poses of life we might almos. as well be
without any. They were intended, in the
first place, to give fiexibility to tie foot
and to help US in walking; but the mod
ern custom of cramping them up in tight
shoes makes them almost as immovable
as if they grew together. So the help
they give US in walking is not so much
after all. And as for putting them to any
other Use, we never think of it. We
abuse them dreadfully sometimes; cramp
and torture them, and pinch them out OF
all likeness to their original shape, until
they would never be known for the pret
ty, perfect little baby toes that we like to
cuddle and count,and go to market with,
grown up. Who, for instance, would
ever imagine that the second toe is in
tended to be longer than the first? And
yet In perfect foot it always is, though
we are obliged to 90 to statues and paint
ings to find out. Aud who, putting a
foot and a modern narrow-toed shoe side
bs side. would ever suspect that they
were intended for each other? The fact
is, our toes are our most abused mem
bers, and so we don't Get half the good
from them that we might. Tile Chinese,
the japanese and the Bedouin Arabs, it
is said, from continual practice,use their
toes nearly as well as their hands. Arabs
braid hair with their fingers and toes
working together in concert.--Chicago
Advance.
Year: 1874

Never try to skate in two directions
at once


Eat e few apples for refreshments
sake, while skating, g,and be sure to throw
the cores on the ice for fast skaters to
break their shins on.
There is no law to prevent beginner
from sitting down whenever he is so in
clined.


Skate over all the small boys at once
Knock 'em down It makes great fun,
and they like it.


If you skate into hole in the ice take
it coolly. Think how you would feel il
the water were boiling hot.
If your skates are too slippery buy q
new pair Keep buying new pairs until
you find pair that is not slippery.


In sitting down do it gradually. Don't
be too sudden; you may break the ice


When you fall headlong examine the
straps of your skates very carefully be
fore you get mp That will make every
body think you fell because your skate
was loose.


Wear heavy overcoat or cloak unti
you get thoroughly warmed up, then
throw it off, and let the wind cool you
This will insure You fine cold!


After you get SO you can skate tolera
bly, well, skatesthree or four hours-skate
frantically-skate till you can't stand.
Year: 1874

What, then, is the happiest period OF
human life l am sure there is only One
answer Il is NOW If | am doing my
duty, to-day is the best day l ever had
Yesterday had happiness of its own,
and up to this morning it was the best
day of all l would not, however, live
it over again string it. as new bead,
or the chaplet Of praise, and turn to the
better work and higher thoughts of this
present time OF all the many DAYS OF
my life, give me to-day This should be
our feeling always, from the cradle to
the hour when we are called up higher.
Childhood is best for children, manhood
is best for men. and old age for the sill
ver-haired We will all join in chorus
of common Thanksgiving to God, and,
when asked (which is the happiest pc
Rod ?" will say-childhood, manhood,
and old age alike: o Father, it is NOW.
Rev. Geo. II Hepworth.
Year: 1874

To begin with, he was born Of poor
parents-which first misfortune was
enough to make him wish he had never
been born-and his troubles commenc-
ed very soon after that event, At six
weeks OF age the whooping-cough seiz-
ed him, and after days of pain and sor-
row, he apparently died. His mother
"laid him out" and told her neighbors
he was dead They all wept over the
pretty little corpse, when one of them.
Of meddlesome disposition, thought
from his looks, that there might be life
in him, ard commenced blowing breath
into his lungs, and tossing him in her
arms He came back to life again
When he was six months old his sister
rocked him out of the cradle into an
old fashioned fireplace, and left him
lying under the 'forestick," in a hot bed
of Goals, while she went out to call her
mother, who was picking up chips in
the dooryard. He was so badly burned
that all the flesh came off. his arms,
leaving the bones bare. One side of
his head was full of live Goals when he
vas picked up, and his eyelids were 50
burned that when they healed they
grew together, closing the eyes A year
laterJthe doctor severed the lids, found
the eyes all right, and the eyesight was
good. Life, with this subject, was not
unusually rough again until he was six
wears old, when he was seized with
rheumatic fever, and it ended in fever
sore on his right leg The bone decay
sas and passed away from. the knee to
the ankle, and consultation Of physi-
clans was held on the subject of ampu


tation 1t was decided that he was too
weak to staItd it, and 80 the limb re


manned upon the trunk. Months after.
ward it began to heal, and after three
years Of crutch gymnastics he was well
again Hardly had he thrown aside the
crutches when be fell from tree, break


ing his right arm 1t began to heal
promptly, but one night he threshed it
over the head Of his bod, made new
bresk, inflammation got into it, liberation
followed it, and after six months lying
in bed he had it amputated at the shoul


der After that he had the measels snd
typhoid fever, which caused an eighteen
months ilness-but after all, with only
one arm, with one leg shorter by three
inches than the other, and one ankle
jointless and stiff, this man follows
chopping as business, and can put VI
a cord and half of wood a day
Berkshire County Pa. Eagle.
Year: 1874

From the San Diego California; World.I


We were recently put into possession
of the details of the death of China
man on the Coronades, that eclipse in
horror the death scene described by Vic


tor Hugo in his '.Toilers Of the Sea- in
which devil fish is introduced with


graphic power Our readers kno y thai
the abalone meat is priced delicacy of
the Chinaman, and that the shell of the
abalone, when properly polished, is one
of the most fanciful and beautiful things
in nature. The abalones are generally
sought lower down the coast, but are also
foand in the neishhorhoods OF San Bssts
go Day before yesterday Fung Choa,a
professional fisherman. residing near
Rosevile, Known among Americans by
the nickname Of "Chowder," started out
to the Coronades in his boat to hunt for
abalores. Of course his movements can
only be surmised by the event The sup
position Is that he moored his boat and
began his quest The Coronades are
quite abrupt in their formation, precipit-
Gus, but occasionally broken. "Chow-
der' saw an enormous abalone in cleft
of the rock, in place covered with wa


ter when the tide was in, and, throwing
himself on his stomach,he dropped over
the ledge to wrench the delicacy from its
fastness. Abalones are univalvutar, and
if, iu detaching one from the rock, to
which it can fix itself almost immovably,
one happens not to wrench it loose at
once it often closes its single shell on
the rock, ,prisoning the spelling hand and
causing inexpressible agony. This was
poor Chowder's fate. AS his evil star
would have it, the abalone was unusually
large, and the poor Chinaman, unable to
release himself, must have early realized
that he was doomed From his position.
leaning over the rock, he could not brace
himself or obtain any leverage from
which, at the sacrifice of the hand, if
need be. he could free himself. We. can
imagine the agony suffered by the poor
wretch as he waited for hours the rising
of the tide which should end his misery
by death The actual pain endured must
have been unspeakabIe, and no help was
nearer thon eighteen miles We can
conceive of nothing so horrible as such
situation, except the ancient Persian
punishment of the "boat," described mi
nutely by Plutarch, in which the victim
was thrown to the ground, boat was
turned upside down over him and staked,
and his face was smaared with honey to
attract the insects There he was left to
die. The poor Chinaman's plight was
almost as bad as this /; but happily the re-
turning tide prevented the torment from
being as lasting. The inexorable waters,
however, shortly did their work. There
came a time when the poor Chinaman
eoula strain 30 longer, agsszwkea the br.,
nv food sucked from his lungs the breath
of life. When Chowder's body was dis


covered by brother Celestial, his dead
hand was still clutched in the remorseless
grasp of the abalone which had so terri


bly, avenged the invasion of his rocky
home. The agony the poor fellow had
endured was imprinted on his face.
Year: 1874

My neighbor tells me there is no
death; that, when we die, it is our birth
into another realm-a realm of purity
and indescrihable beauty a realm where
the light is marvellous in its brilliancy,
where the stars never set, and where we
recognize one another, and live forever
and ever! He says the better we are
when this birth, (not death, takes place,
the higher accordingly we shall be raised
in the blessed sphere we enter. My
neighbor is right, and his doctrine,
though not new, will bear repeating but
unfortunately, how few Of us ever think
of it in our race for gold, glory and
fame in this world of chance and change
"Oh! let the soul its slumbers break


Arouse its senses and awake


To see how soon


Life, in its glc-ies, glides away,


And the stern footsteps of decay,


Come steuling on"


F. w. OLIVER.
Year: 1874

We are not obliged toytel now the fol-
lowing funny letter fell into our hands
all the reader has to do is to read it and.
laugh at it. We congratulate the new
made parien., and hope he will get over
his confusion of ideas shortly, go as to
able to tell his baby from his horse:


DEAR SISTER EMMA: lsnow take my
seat and sit down to taka this opportu-
tunity to inform you that am 9 "dadi
dy" at last; that is, | suppose l am, for
Addie has got nice, fat baby as ever
made up faces. We hope these few
lines may find you enjoying the same
great blessing. Now this is TO be strict
ly business letter. Firstly, as I said
before, ,Addie has got q nice baby. Next
ly, have swapped away old John, and
think | have got pretty nice horse u Is
girl, and weighs nine pounds-I mean
the baby-;.it is just as. fat as, butter, and
has good strong pair of lungs. She is
red and has bobtail-the horse mean
and white stripe in her face, and is a
good driver; she has got blue eyes and
a dimple in her chin--l mean the baby
and just the prettiest mouth that ever
opened to receive pap; judging by her
teeth l should think she was about six
years old mean the horse now-she
is sound, smooth and kinC-I mean the
horse or baby either, now-and the doc
tor says she is the fairest be ever saw,
without any exception-he meant the ba
BY got twenty-five dollars to boot,
not on the baby though, for in its case
the boot is on the other foot and two or
three sizes larger, as near as can find
out. am going to harness the horse
now, and go after mother, she was born
last night at twenty minutes past nine
| hope you don't think / mean mother
or the horse, | mean the baby. She is
as hearty as a pig; eat an egg; biscuit,
and drank three cups of teal mean
Addie-sbe is getting along nicely, and
if she don't have any bad luck she will
get along firstrate. She is subject to
disorders of the stomach and they say
that is sign Of coiic-I mean the baby
Il hope it is, for the nurse says colicy
babies never die. She talks about her
nose as she takes snuff mean the
nurse. lam going to name it Ediema-
/ mean the baby. There, I've been read
| ing this over and I see plainly that
amt tit to write The amount Of it is, l
am frustrated, l am a happy daddy, and
that accounts for it, so you must excuse
me this time.
Year: 1874

The following happened in one Of our
ladies furnishing stores:


A man somewhat the worse for lIqror
entered the establishment and walked up
to tue show case, and after a series OF
drunken eyolutions with his hands init
mated that he wanted some cheese. Fhe
Young lady clerk in attendance politely
informed him that such articles were not
in their line of trade, and that he would
find what lie desired at the grocery store
few doore below. The man looked al
her in wonderEent and fejaculated.-
There's some Of the stuff in the case
The lady looked to see what he was
pointing at, and informed him that il
was not cheese, but that IL was binding
He gazed at her moment with &
drunken grin, and retorted, "Well, ain
cheese binding Give me roll q
binding
Year: 1874

The streets are full OF pinched, wan,
half starved, ha,f clothed women, girls
and children, wandering helplessly about,
hunting work. hunting food, and hunting
shelter. One of the most pitiful sights
that can be seen is the hundreds of wo-
men turned out Of employment, who 90
to the Free Labor Bureau ON Eighth
street in search of places as servants
Not trained to service, they have not the
first qualification for it,and their very ap-
pearance precludes every hope of sue
cess. There they go, day after day, and
return evening after evening disappoint-
ed. In the mania for reducing expenses
many families have reduced their SER
wants from FIVE to two. In consequence
the applications at the Labor Bureau
have greatly fallen off, while they have
800 and 700 applications day for stu.
ations. The most they are able to sup.
ply is eighty, and there are, of course,
old and experienced servants Many OF
these girls have homes, and fathers and
brothers are also idle Such terrible pow
erty does not cultivate the family affec-
tiops.


All the region about Baxter, Mulber-
ry, South and Cherry streets is the abode
of all that is desperate add terrible which
poverty can bring abolt. Women and
children die in the face of starvation, ,and
children are born into the world when
there is not penny left to build fire.
when the physician is kiGd neighbor,
and swaddling clothes rag or towel :
Many women cannot go TO the Lying-in
Hospital on account OF their little fami-
lies at home In any case it is the last
resort. Fortunately, degrading as the
tendency of poverty is. it cannot eradi-
cate all kindness from the human heart
In sickness and death the poor spare hei-
ther their slender gift nor their atten-
tons, and the last respect they can pay
is never wanting. For one another they
do great deal more than is done by any
charity for them Women, after days OF
labor, find it no hardship to spend the
night with the sick, and a poor washer
woman will lend her last quarter to her
neighbor whom the grocer will no lon.
ger trust.


OF the moral degradation, Of the hea
thenishness which dwells almost under
the shadow Of Trinity, it would require
much more space to tell But it exists
in its most appalling form and is not the
least sad feature Of the train of evils tha,
follow the footsteps of the working-wo
men Of New York.