smithclay/nortonstories huggingface dataset:
Year: 1879

The houses, which are nearly all one or
two stories high, stand so squarely up to the
edge of the sidewalk that they seem to be
trying to rub themselves against you; and
they are continually inviting you to look
into their open windows, which have strong
iron bars, and always curtains, with an in
side shutter, sometimes glass sash and
sometimes wood, but always open. This
peculiar arrangement gives an insight into
the family arrangements in Havana that
could be had by stranger in no Northern
city. The people live in public, and nobody
in the street pays any attention to them.
The interior arrangement of the front part
of house in Havana is utterly different
from that of any establishment in this coun-
try, and, | think far more comfortable.
The floor, in hall and parlor, is always of
stone. Sometimes this is very rough, some
times highly polished The parlor walls
are decorated with several handsome mir
rors, and fine glass chandelier invariably
hangs from the middle Of the ceiling. In
some of the finest rooms the floor is covered
with carpet, and over this is rug, in the
center of the room. But, whether there is
a carpet or not, there is always large rug,
about four feet wide, and eight or ten feet


long, generally Of bright colors. This is
laid with the end toward the 'front.' Exactly
in the middle of the floor on each side of it
are from three to five chairs, set in line,
facing each other, as if the children were
about to play church. The chairs must be
in exact line and must not be disturbed, or
the hOusekeeper considers things "all up
side down" When the people sit down to
talk, they face each other in these chairs.
If the ''people" are pair of lovers, l
imagine the arrangement is changed. The
sleeping rooms are by all means the finest
part of Cuban establishment. The bed
steads are all of metal, the handsome ones
Of polished brass, the cheaper ones of iron,
and very light, airy and graceful. -Four
arched pieces form a sort of dome over the
whole, which is covered with lace or some
gauzy material to keep out the insects. A
snowy quilt covers the bed, and everything
is as white and cool as possible. There are
no mattresses on the beds, and although
hard, they are very cool and comfortable.
A soft bed in this climate would be much
too warm. Leather or wooden straps sup
port the bed, which consists principally of
a sort of cotton blanket.
Year: 1879

After a substantial colonial breakfast,
consisting of mutton in various forms, we
went down winding path to the lake, and
found that the chief to whom we had ap-
piled had provided us with a substantial
English built boat and a crew of six men,
who did no injustice to the Maori fame for
stature and strength. We at once embark
ed, but it was a good half-hour before we
could prevail on our escort to do the same


Whenever Maori meets Maori they must
have talk; and for the next twenty min
utes these fellows kept such furious jab-
Der that we expected to see knives and
tomahawks out at every instant. At last
they all took their seats at the oars, and
away we started at great pace, and in less
than two hours we landed on the other side.
The warm stream that flowed from the hot
lake above was too rapid to contend against
in anything but light canoes; and having
laden two of the crew with our luncheon
and rugs we proceeded to walk the remain
ing mile to the white terraces. The seen
cry already was pretty enough, but we
were quite unprepared for the wonderfully
beautiful sight which suddenly burst upon
us as we turned the last corner A vast
marble staircase rose above us streaming
with water. At the summit cloud of
steam came rolling slowly up from some gi
gantic boiling pool and floated away among
the hills. We were soon at the foot of the
hill, and nearer inspection only enhanced
its beauty. The broad, fiat steps were
worn by the action of sulphuretcd water in
to an exact imitation Of white coral, and on
every platform rested a basin of the buest,
clearest water. AS each of these was filled
from the basin above it over-fowed into
the basin below; and from being at boiling
point at the top the water became almost
cold at the bottom. As we ascended the
steam became more and more dense; we
stood on the brink of the topmost boiling
pool wet to the skin, and unable to see a
yard in front of us until some friendly gust
of wind carried the vapor away. And
these occasional glimpses revealed the most
curious sight of all. The pool was almost
regularly circular and hollow by nature A.; so
exactly that its sides might compare favor
ably with the best paved bath in London.
A mass of clue clear water writhed and
tumbled within, now rising with burst to
the height of some twenty feet, now sink
ing into a furious whirlpool. The sight
was beautiful and terrible, and one could
no longer doubt that the Maories had here
chosen fitting habitation for their gods
indeed, who but gods could dwell in the
spot so unnatural, so unearthly2
Year: 1879

sodium, shows a single yellow line. Thus
the component parts of any substance car
be at once and infallibly determined by the
color Of the lines cast by the flame. A
blood stain on piece Of cloth can be de-
tected by this means after ii has remained
for fifty years and becomes totally indis-
cernible through the strongest microscope.
The use of this invaluable instrument in the
Bessemer process Of steel making may be
readily perceived. Aspectroscope splaced
at the mouth Of the converter where the
light from the flame caused by the burning
carbon and silicon is caught and the spectra
of the gases presented to the eye of the OBJ
server Tie instant the absence of the
color of the gases shows them TO have been
entirely consumed, the signal is given for
the draft to be withdrawn and the steel is
made.
Year: 1879

Before you begin your heavy spring
work after winter of relaxation, your
system needs cleansing and strength
oning to prevent an attack Of Ague,
Bilious or Spring Fever, or somC
other Spring sickness chat will unfit
you for a seasons work. You will
save time, much sickness and great ex-
pense If you will use one bottle OF
Hop Bitters In your family this month.
D0n't walt. See another column.
Year: 1879

assent given by the State of Virginia
to its transfer to a company on
certain conditions for the purpose of
building a railroad on its banks, the
Richmond State objects to building
any more canals, whether for ocean or
inland traffic. This is going to ex-
tremes. As a general thing inland
canals have been superseded by rail
roads, for quick transportation is the
order Of the day. But in one sense
quick transportation may be provided
for by interoceanic canals where, as
in the Suez canal, it saves the long
passage of thousands of miles Of
ocean navigation TO India and the
China seas. The fact that there was
a railway across the Isthmus of Suez
before the canal was built proves, by
the success of the canal, that it was
inadequate to the purposes of com
merce. A ship canal across the PENN
sula Of Florida would, in like manner
save five hundred miles of sailing
distance. Whether it or the Darien
canal would pay fair interest on The
investment is another matter. They
would both be good for commerce
even if they were bad for the capital
lists who embarked their money in
either.
Year: 1879

Reports of the grain crop made all
along the line of the Union Pacific
railroad as far west as the North
Platte river give indications substan-
tally similar to what have been hith-
erto reported from many other parts
of the country. Wheat is in fine con
dition and corn is likely to surpass
any crop ever harvested. Some dam
age is reported in places by hail and
some by insects. From other parts OF
the country there are some complaints
that the dry weather has done harm.
But the areas affected by the various
troubles are small, while, taking all
the grain producing regions together,
the evidence is that we will make a
crop greatly in excess of the yearly
average. And this great product will
coincide in time with the occurrence
Of good market, for that there will
be scarcity in all Western Europe is
generally admitted. 1t is bad year
in France and bad year in England.
Cold and rain have done the harm in
those countries, and cold and rain
have prevailed in most other coun-
tries. This agricultural prosperity
will set our financial condition beyond
the reach of the congressional tinkers.
We shall hear less and less of labor
grievances as the money gets more
and more completely right, but gov
ernments in Europe will have hard
time with over-burdened and hungry
people.
Year: 1879

waters have to exercise the utmost
economy in its use in order to make
any profit on their voyages Recent
improvements in marine engines per-
NIT Of quite reduction in the CON
sumption of coal without lessening
the speed of vessel, and, in conse-
quenee of these changes, the English
government has been able to make its
new contract upon more favorable
terms than its old one. 1t is well to
call attention to this mail contract,
and explain its nature, as otherwise ii
would probably be referred to by
writer's and speakers on this side Of
the Atlantic as indicating desire on
the part of the British government to
assist its steam commerce by offering
subsidies while, as a matter of fact,
all that the bonus is given for is to
secure an unusually rapid rate Of
speed.
Year: 1879

The Japanese method of keeping
meat fresh in hot weather is Just now
attracting a good deal Of attention in
European circles. 1t consists in
placing the raw flesh in porcelain yes
sells and pouring on it boiling water,
whereby the albumen on the surface
is quickly coagulated aud forms pro-
lection against the further action of
the water. Oil is then poured on the
surface of the water so as to prevent
the access of air and consequent putri-
faction of the meat. The system Of
protecting animal substances by Sc
curing coagulations of their albumen
and the exclusion of air is of course
no novelty, and it can hardly be
supposed that we are indebted to the
Japanese for its original adoption.
But undoubtedly their method Of
applying it is fur preferable to that
practioed by ourselves in the process
Of preserving timed meats, which
appears to consist in boiling them for
such a length of time that almost all
their favor is destroyed, and the ulti-
mate result Is mass Of tasteless
shreds OF muscular FIBER, O
Year: 1879

New York Herald.l


1t is not easy to imagine the sur
prise and disgust of the canoeists at
Lake George on Thursday, when the
first prize of their padding race was
won by a Methodist preacher. It was
bad enough that his boat-an awk-
ward, heavy, unsightly9 craft-should
pass the light Nautilus, Rob Roy,
Shadow and other models over the
graceful lines of which canoeists quar-
rel so fiercely, but that the navigator
should be preacher-well, it would
be only the way of the world if the
defeated paddlers had assembled i'm
mediately after the. race and re-
solved that the community viewed
with unaffected horror the spec
tacle of a religious teacher appear
ing at a place where bets were
made and lager flowed and, second,
that although some of the apostles
worked fishing boats there was nc
scriptural authority whatever for the
use of a canoe by a preacher, and GER
tainly none for his snatching a gold
medal, one of the mere vanities OF
life, from lot of good fellows who
wanted it themselves. Public senti-
ment, however, will side with the
preacher. The world has been learn
ing, in late years, that preachers are
creatures of flesh and blood, like the
rest of us, and that physical exercise,
and plenty of it, is absolutely neces-
sary to them if they are to have the
clear heads and stout hearts that their
duties demand. The glorious deeds
Of the various churches were done
when preachers lived out of doors,
breathed plenty of fresh air, main.
tanned a proper balance of body and
mind and studied man and nature
elsewhere than in books.


The Catholic missionaries and the
Methodist circuit riders-mon whose
achievements are the wonder and
pride of the whole religious world
could paddle the canoe, ride a horse,
knock down a rowdy or make a go-as-
gOu- plCdoC tramp dCluoo IlOuSu nCOuu-
try against the crack professionals OF
their day, Is it possible to imagine
any one having ever gone to sleep
under their sermons2 As for the
| Lake George preacher, who hung
about the edge of the canoeists just
1 before the start, longing to contest
the race, yet too modest to partici-
pate until specially invited, we war
rant that he exceeded himself in the
first sermon he wrote after the race
that he has suddenly acquired un-
bounded influence over the small boys
of his congregation; that the pillars
of his church, in spite of momentary
conservative shudder, are hugely de.
lighted--on the sly, that the great
body of outsiders, for whom the
church in all its branches is angling
so industriously, will hereafter go to
his church when they attend any, and
that he himself has the best digestion
roddest blood and olearest head that
san DO found among parsonages 10 hii
Iueighborhood' c
Year: 1879

The subscription price Of the DAILY
PUBLIC LEDGER is s5 per annum and
SOC per month fOrlsss than one year. The
WEEKLY LEDGER Is 81 per annum-
postage free.


Persons leaving the city for the summer
can order the DAILY LEDGER at SOC pei
month in advance, with the privilege Oi
changing postofice.
Year: 1879

Chicago has a bald men S society. A
requisite for membership is bare
spot on the top of the head not less
than four square inches in extent. The
object of the organization is to dis
cover a cure for badness. The presi-
dent has not a hair on his head, and
was elected for that reason.
Year: 1879

SUBSCRIBERS who wish 10 re-
new will do us n favor by SEND
ING MONEY before their time
expires, as. our mail list is very
large, and our force TO do the
work small. NO USE TO SEND
ORDERS WITHOUT the MONEY.
Year: 1879

HEAVEN help the State of Cali.
fornia when the city of San Fran.
cisco shall be surrendered to the
Sand Lots and the State shall be
given up to the city. We shall
then have in rank offensiveness the
imp eriun in in1perio-the govern
meDt within government-which
writers on law have always so much
deprecated. The two Houses OF
Legislation of San Francisco
mark the pomposity of the phrase
will be the formidable rivals of
the two houses of legislation at
Sacramento. In fact, the citified
legislature, which will deliver to
the provincial body the programme,
all cut and dried, which it is ex-
pected to carry out. Then we shall
have reform with q Vengeance. The
upshot would be in time staggering
load of debt, universal disgust and
a remodeling of things with Il ven
geance-on the principle of locking
the stable door after the horse is
stolen.
Year: 1879

WITH the railway commission of
three men a fact accomplished the
people might as we'll bid good by
to any hope of cur5ing corpora
tions. To remove any of these
Com missioners requires the con-
currence of two-thirds of both
houses Of the Legislature, and Of
the Governor, also, we believe.
With a Legislature which meets
for but sixty days once in two
years the prospect would be
gloomy one indeed. II it be true
that the railways can buy Cali.
fornis Legislature, it would then
only be necessary to buy one more
than ope-third of either house to
block all possibility of redress.


We are told by pious writer of
hymns that God moves In mys-
terious way his wonders to perform,
but certainly the modern reformer
can discount all sublunary wonders,
and almost approach the supernal.
His methods smack much Of indi-
rection and, we may add, stultifica-
tIon. The Railway Commission is
really a scheme to betray the State
to the corporations.
Year: 1879

est and most inflammable
elements Of human nature to attain
their end. The man Of average
common sense may be sure that a
cause is desperate indeed which is
in need of such auxlliaries. 1t is
an evidence of weakness and a
note of despair. The State Of Cali
fornia is wide domain. Scattered
throughout its ample boundaries
are many communities which are
seeking a scape-goat. BY some per-
version OF common sense they eX-
pect to visit upon the railway the
spltes and disappointments OF
years, and they expect to do it
through the agency of a Railway
Commission of three men who,
were they once vested with SUI
preme power over railways, would


be the surest guarantee that the
will of Stanford & Co. was to be
henceforth supreme.
Year: 1879

Why is it right to steal from the
Government


Why is it wrong to kill the man
who says be told you so ?


Why do people always discuss Eu-
ropean politics as though they under
stood ihemy


Why q man should always get mad
if you frankly aud for bis own good
tell bin be is making fool of him.
self?


Why is it 80 hard 10 find man
when you want to borrow money
from him!


Why is it so hard to borrow the
money af.er you have found him?


Why man always wishes he had
chosen some other profession


Why q man is always going to
take q vacation next Summer 2"


Why a man thinks every year that
be won't be as big fool this yeaf as
he was iastl


And why be is, though, all the
same2


Why a man never tries to best
down the price Of q railroad ,ickets


Why every body effects profound
knowledge Of growing crops and crop
prospects


Why men always lie about the size
Of the FISH they catch and the number
of ducks they shoot?


What girl ever sees in q great
selfish. deceisfol, hulking, animal Of
. man to marry bim for. any how?


Why it takes Eve grown people to
take one sleeping infant to the circus
ITO see the animals Z"
Year: 1879

The pig is an animal that has its
wits about it quite as soon after birth
as the chicken. therefore selected
il as subject of observation. The
following are some Of my observa-
tions- That vigorous young pigs get
up and search for food al once, or
within one minute after entrance in
the world that il removed several
feet from the mother, when aged only
few minutes, they soon fnd their
way back to her, guided apparently
5y the grunting she makes in answer
to their squeakiDg. Ia the case / ob-
served, the old SOW rose in less than
an hour and half after pigging, and
went out to eat the pigs ran about
and tried TO eat various matters, fol
lowing their mother out, and sucked
while she stood eating. One pig l
put ia a bag toe moment it was born.
and kept it in the dark until it was
hours old, when | placed it outside
the sty, distance of ten feet from
where the SOW lay concealed inside
the house. The pig soon recognized
the low grunting Of its mother, went
along outside the siy struggling to
get over the under or lower bar. At
the end Of FIVE minutes it succeeded
10 forcing its way through uader the
bar at one If the few places where
that was possible. No sooner in,
than it went without q pause into
the pig house to its mother, and was
at once ike the others in its behav-
iOr. Two little pigs | blindfolded st
their birth. One of them i placed
with its mother at once it soon found
the tess and began to suck Six
hours later / placed the other little
distance from the SOW it reached her
in half a minute, af.er going about
rather vaguely; in half q minute
more it found the teat. Next day
| found that one Of the two left with
the mother, blindfolded, had got the
binders off; the other was quite
blind, walked about freely, knocking
against things. 10 the afternoon 1
uncovered It's eyes. and it went
round and round, as if it had had
sight, and had suddenly lost it. In
ten minutes it was scarcely distin-
guishable from one that had sight all
along. When placed Ola char it
knew the height to require consider
ing, went down on It's knees and leap
ed down. When its eyes had been
unveiled twenty minutes | placed it
and another twenty feet from the
sty The two reached the mother
10 fve minutes aud at the same mo-
ment
Year: 1879

A correspondent in he household
department of the Free Press gives
this advice to ladies, in regard to the
use Of soap: Always use the best Of
soaps for toilet purposes, as cheap
poor soaps do more 10 injuring the
skin than any other cause. The
safest sCap in market is the colorIess
CASTLE olive oil soap is also good
glyeeriDe soap is good for winter use,
especially if the skin is liable to chap;
tar soap is recommended for those
who have eruptions Of the skin oat-
meal soap will make the hands soft
and white Soaps made from vege-
table ellis are much better than those
made from the fats of animals; al
none Gil soap is favoriie on account
Of its delightful perfume taken from
the oil Of which it is made, and
therefore requires no other seeming.
Lard soaps are hard snd solid aud
by some are preferred to vegetable
soaps.
Year: 1879

They were on the ice, one after
noon, be in The glory of his new found
love, she with brand new pair OF
skates on her pretty feet They were
very sweet on each other and skated
hand in hand, now forward now
backward, gliding smoothly and
gracefully, totally unconscious of the
smiles of the spectators and the chaff-
ing of the small boys. He was skst-
ing backwards and had hold of Der
band, a strong hold with Just the
least more pressure than would have
been desirable under other circum-
stances. He was pulling her along
and talking sweetly the meanwhile;


Darling Celeste, shall we always
glide together through life as smooth
ly as we do now ?


George dear, | hope sol' smil-
ingly


And shall we ever be to each 9th
er as dear as we are nowN


20, George, always


And, Celeste, shall our clasp OF
the band be as warm in the future az
it ia now2'


'0b, George, it will y lovingly.


Dear Celeste, you are so kind
to keep me drst in your affec-'


'Ob, Georger


There was 3 crash before that last
exclamation. Celeste was skating
backward and they were looking into
each others eyes. Her skate caught
in a crack in the ice and there was q
fall-George on top. a series oi
mild shrieks, vision of dimity, and
then two skaters left the ice. Celeste
has lump on the back Of her head
as big as the prize pumpkin, and
Georges nose looks like a ripe 6g
and is all skewed around like a mules
jaw. Oh, George!
Year: 1879

Having given the cat-o'nine tails


her milk, and patted the dog in the


manger-he seemed TO smell q rat


| put on my borrowed plumes and
left home just as the cuckoo clock


was striking nine, bent on accom-
plishing one of TWO things-either to


beard lion IN bis den or to break q


butterfly on wheel | called at my
6sh-monger and poulterer's but be
had nothing in his shop except fish
out of water (very much like whale
and March hare; but his wife said
be was absent on wild-goose chase,
and bad set some springs to catch


woodcocks before be went, so would
be sure to have bird in the hand in
the course of the morning. / ordered
a couple of Welsh rabbits, and went
on my way. had bought an ounce
of civet of the spotbecary, when,
hearing cry of Wolff rushed in
to china shop, and there encoun.
tered bull, which I took by the
horns, aud was thanked by the mayor
for my courageous conduct On my
way back crossed the fields, and
had the rare good fortune to catch
weasel asleep, and-attached to the
spot by the erOaking Of a frog out q
wooing (without the maternal con-
sent ito fnd 9 toad With a precious
jewel in his bead Luckily, l saw q
snake in the grass just in time).
Nothing else remarkable occurred,
except that | met the lion of the sea-
son on a white elephant, accompanied
by little dog proud of its side-pock-
cts, AID saw a man with bee in bis
bonnet nursing dear gazelle, and
throwing pbysic to the dogs. / shed
some (crocodile's tears at the sight
Il forgot TO mention that i was pur-
sued by wolf in sleeps clothing,
and bear with a sore head, bot my
dogs of war saved mel. The ca.
was still looking at the king, and the
fox at the grapes, and tie fretful porcu-
pine had not parted with her quills,
when / reached home, where found
g present awaiting me of two dozen
(four-snd-tsenty) blackbirds all
ready prepared tor nv Christmas