Year: 1874

Sheffield.

 We can think or talk of little else but of

 that terrible calamity in the region of

 Northampton, by which so many lives

 were lost Never before has such gloom

 rested upon Massachusetts as o'ershadows

 the Old Bay State to-day, and even to her

 remotest borders the shock was felt when

 he wires brought the sad intelligence of

 last Saturday: Let Death come when it

 may and it is terrible; the passage of one

 soul to the Unknown solemnly calls to the

 living, but when hundreds in a moments

 time are swept away, we shudder as we

 hear in thunder tones the warning voice,

 Our days are numberedn ? a great solemnity

 peryaded the churches here on Sunday

 when the pastors announced the latest tele- graphic news from the scene of suffering.

 ......Rev. MT. Kellogg supplied the pulpit at the Congregational church. At the M. E. Church the people were favored with sermon by their pastor from the text, Gre ate in me clean heart It was discourse peculiarly appropriate to these house clean ing days when every housewife is sup posed to be setting her house in order. He clearly set forth the pleasure and benefit denved from thorough house cleaning, (we are glad there is one man here who ap- preciates this extra laborD He then made application of the text to the renovation of the soul, which needs it's annual cleans- ing too that all the cobwebs which ob- scure our faith may be brushed away, and the dust which aims the brightness of the soul be removed. The sermon was most original and one suited to do us all good. ... It was our pleasure to visit the High school few days since. We congratulate the pupils that they have found in MT. Hall so thorough teacher, and we believe he is well fitted to do them good. We listened with interest to recitation in Mental Arithmetic, which the teacher considers one of the important studies, though many of the pupils think it the greatest bugbear of school life, next to composition writing, and this is only because the study is neg lected in our common schools, and the scholars are hurried into the practical part of mathematics without being able to ana lyze or give the reason for the rules. Pu- pills taught in thls way need slate and pencil attached to them, and must carry it with them through business life We recommend the study of intellectual arith- metic to all who wish to become independ- ent mathematicians. .... Business is reviving in our village; the merchants are thriving and as yet have not been obliged to sell calico at eight cents in order to draw GUS tom, (we wish they would, however,. The baker comes from Barrlngton twice each week through our village streets, and the sound of his merry Sleigh bells reminds one of the winter gone, but look and taste of the good things his cart contains refreshes the inner man. We hope the-people will patronize him, as it is real convenience to many to obtain ready made food in this way Miss French is doing large busi- ness in the millinery line. She receives goods each week from New Y York, and yet | the people call for more of these bright flowers and ribbons. She has hats of va rious styles, but of the spring fashions this year we can only say as of old, Vanites panftatane, ownia eanit0s' LUNA.