smithclay/nortonstories huggingface dataset:
Year: 1877

II recent holiday lecture at the
royal institution, Prof. Tyndall, speak
ing of the painless death by electricity,
remarked that Franklin was Svice struck
senseless by the shock. He afterwards
sent the discharge of two large jars
through six robust men who fell to the
ground and got up again without know
ing what had happened, neither hearing
nor feeling the discharge; and Priestly,
too, who made many valuable contribu-
tions to electricity, received the charge
of two jars, but did not find il painful.
Pro. Tyndall said this experience agreed
with his own, that, in the theater of the
royal institution, and in the presence of
an audience, he once received the dis
charge of battery of fifteen Leyden jars.
Unlike Franklin's men, he did not fall,
but, like them, he felt nothing he was
simply extinguished for sensible in
terval. This may be regarded as an
experimental proof that people killed by
lightning suffer no pain. Now, the
measured velocisy of electricity is many
thousand times greater than the measured
velocity of sensation in the nerves.
Hence the electrical conclusion reaches
the center of life, without any possible
announcement by the eye or ear or
sense Of feeling. There is abundant
evidence that death by rife ball travers-
ing the brain is for the same reason en-
tirely without consciousness or pain. A
rife ball, however, is tortoise compared


With the electric fash.
Year: 1877

THE pope has become very much al
tered. His feet do not carry him any
longer. His face, formerly fresh, and of
jovial expression, is now shrunk and of
listless aspect. He rarely leaves his
bedroom, and receives visitors there,
between FIVE and seven in the afternoon,
more reclining than sitting in an arm
chair. He has a large table before him
on which a few candles only are placed
between them there stands crucifx
His memery is failing him very much in
matters of quite recent occurrence,
though he remembers well the things of
a long time past. Many doubt whether
he will complete his S5th year.
Year: 1877

ACCORDING to the New York Express
lent does not require you to borrow
long face, nor lend loaf of bread to a
hungry fellow, but to give j. if he needs
it; nor to borrow i'll manners and temper;
nor to keep from Others what you can
spare yourself; nor to pray without
ceasing nor TO vail yourself because you
are not handsome; nor to dye your hair
black when gray is the natural and be-
coming color; nor to be hungry to-day
that you may be glutton tomorrow
nor to borrow of yeur neighbor when
you have got money of your own, and
but this will do for the first day of lent.
Year: 1877

Have had a talk with Gravlin about
White had talk with him about
the court at Woodstock he said he
ought not to have hardness against
White, but White had been to court
and testified against him; October |
went to Gr1ylin's house Graylin
said, 'Dunston, never had anything
against you, only that you did not
kill White when you had trouble with
him.
Year: 1877

timents. This practice, however nee
essary it may have been deemed as a
war measure, was not calculated to
engender respect for the sacredness OF
a seal.


In the very large number OF per-
sons employed in handling letters it is
easy to believe there must be many
quite unworthy of the confidence re-
posed in them. Besides, in most
country offices the safeguards which
the letter of the law requires should
be thrown around mail matter are dis
regarded.


We are decidedly of opinion, found
ed on ample evidence, that the public
mails are far from beng an absolute
" safe medium for the transmission OF
confidential Communications n. Y.
Sun, Dec. 26th.
Year: 1877

Well directed energy and enterprises
are the life Of American progress; but
if there is one lesson taught more PLAIN.
ly than others by the great failures OF
late it is that safety lies in sticking to
legitimate business. No man-man-
ufac,urer, trader, or banker,-has any
moral right to be energetic and enter
prlsing as to take from his Legitimate
business the capital which it requires
to meet any emergency.


Apologies are sometimes made, tor
firms who have failed, by recurring to
the important experiments they have
aided, and the unpumbeied fields Of
enterprise where they have freely scat
tered their money. We are told that
individual losses sustained by those
failures will be as nothing compared
with the benefits conferred on the COM
munity by their liberality in contribut-
ing to every public work. There is
little force in such reasoning. A mans
relations to creditor are vastly differ
ent from his relations to what is called
the public. The demands ofthe one
are definite, the claims of the other
are just what the ambition of the man
may make them.


The histories of the honorable sue
cessful business men unite to eXalt
the importance of sticking to a legiti-
mate business, and it is smost instruct
i've to see that, IN the greater portion
of the failures. the real cause of disas-
ter was the branching out. beyond at
legitimate business, in the taking hold
ofthis and that tempting offer, and, for
the sake of some great gain, venturlng
where they did not know the ground,
and could not know the pittall.
Year: 1877

Washington, Feb. 24.-Last nights
threatening political situation was
greatly frightened this morning by the
action of the 32 Democrats who rebelled
against the caucus determination, and
uniting with the Republicans, defeated
three consecutive motions for delay.
Still greater encouragement was given
the friends of a lawful and orderly COM
pletion of the count, by the highly cred
liable, but very unexpected ruling of
Speaker Randall against dilatary mo-
tions. This, if continued by the speak
er, will undoubtedly insure the compile
tion of the count next week, and the
probability Is that the flibusterers will,
after a few more efforts, abandon their
present programme as hopeless. 1t is
moreover known that certain number
of Democrats voted for recess from
this morning till Monday morning with
the sole purpose of making efforts in
the mean time to convince their rash
colleagues of the impolicy of resisting
the operations of the electoral law by
any furtherdilatory proceedings, wheth-
er in the gnise of legitimate motions or
of open tilibustering. The recess finally
taken at O'Clock had no political sig
niicance, but was merely the result of
the fatigue of seven hours continuous
and excited session.


On the whole, the political situation
tonight may be summed up as follows:
Yesterdays decision in the Oregon
case is conceded to have carried away
the last Democratic hope of securing
the presidency, and Cronin's nose no
longer illumines the way to the White
House. Hayes speedy and peaceful
Inauguration is assured, unless the fill
busterers invite revolution and anarchy
by defeating the tribunals verdict.
Such an attempt is possible, but not
probable, and even if made, will not at
tain the ultimate object for which it is
counselled and designed.
Year: 1877

LEMONS FoR CoNsUMPTIoN.-An
exchange gives the following recipe
for consumption. Put dozen of
w hole lefnoGe III hot sra,or and IIoiI
until soft, roll and squeeze until the
juice is ali extracted, sweeten the
juice enough to make it palatable,
then drink. Use as many as a doz-
en- day. Should they cause pain
or looseness of the bowls, lessen the
quantity and use five or six day,
until little better, then begin and
use dozen again. BY the time you
have used five or six dozen, you will
begin to gam strength and have an
appetite. OF course,as you get bet
ter, you need not use as many. Fol
low these directions, and we know
you will never regret it. Only keep
it up faithfully. We know of two
cases where both of the patients
were given up by the physicians,
and were in the last stages of con-
sumption, yet both were cured by
simply using lemons according to
the directions we have stated. One
lady in particular was bed ridden
and very low; had tried everything
that money could procure, but all in
vain, when, to please a friend, she
was finally persuaded to use the
lemons. She began to use them in
February, and in April she weighed
l40 pounds. She is well woman
to-day and likely to live as long as
any of US.
Year: 1877

DULL BoYs.-Don't be discour-
aged. Slow growth is often sure
growth. Some minds are like the
Norwegian pines. They are slow
in sgrowth but they are striking
their roots deep. Some of the
greatest men have been dull boys.
Dryden and Swift were dull boys.
So was Goldsmith. So was Walter
Scott. Napoleon when at school
had so much difficulty in learning
his Latin that the master SAID he
would need gimlet to get a word
into his head. Douglas Jerrold
was So backw ard in his boyhood
that at nine he was scarcely able to
read. Isaac Bardon, one of the
greatest divines the English Church
has ever produced, was SO dull tn at
his father more than once said il
God took away one Of his children
he hoped it would be Isaac, as he
feared he would never be fit for
anything in this world. Yet that
boy was the genius of the family,
Year: 1877

TEMPTATIoN.-We have great
deal to say to our young friends
about temptation, because IN youth
persons susceptibilities are great
er than at any other time. There
is much to be said besides telling q
person what he should avoid, or ad-
monishing him to shun this or that.
The best way to avoid a thing is
20 cultivate something antagonistic
to it; in fact, if one does not do
this, his chances ofsuccessfully car
rying out his resolves are only half
what they might be. If a person
can acquire relish for GOOD. whole
some, improving society, he will be
in less danger than if he simply
summed bad company, and the same
may be said of a good many other
things. Among the greatest pro-
tective agencies is a taste for read
ing. One seldom sees a person of
such tastes in the ranks of the fast
young men who are getting in their
crop of wild oats. There is nothing
much cheaper than such a taste; it
is wonderful how cheap are all kinds
of culture compared with the diff
ferent sorts of dissipation. A
young man who has his business to
study and whose livelihood and
hope of advancement in the world
depend altogether on his own ex-
ertions, will have brief time to de-
vote to other things, but such time
may be well filled up, and by culti-
vating taste for that which is
improving and eleva ing in what
ever department it may be, any in
clination in an opposite direction
is effectually destroyed.
Year: 1877

j LITTLE BY LITTLE.-If you are
getting little by little, every day, be
content. Are your expenses less
than your income, SO that, though
it be little, you are constantly ac-
cumulating and growing richer and
richer every day? Be content; SO
far as concerns money, you are do.
ing well.


Are you gaining knowledge every
day? Though 1t be little by little,
the aggregate Of the accumulation,
where no day is permitted to pass
without adding something to the
stock, will be surprising to yourself.


Solomon did not become the wisest
man in the world in a moment. Lit
tie by little-never. emitting to learn
something, even for single day
always studying little between the
time CT rising ~ III. the morning
and lying down at night this is the
way to accumulate full store-house
of knowledge.


Finally, are you daily improving
in character Be not discouraged
because it is little by little. The
best men fall short of what thew
themselves would wish to be. II is
something, it is much, if you keep
good resolutions better to-day than
you did yesterday, this week than
you did last, better this year than
you did last year. Strive to be
! perfect, but do not become down
hearted so long as you are approach
ing nearer and nearer to the high
standing at which you aim.


Little by little, fortunes are accu-
mulated; little by little, knowledge
is gained; littlo by little, character
and reputation are achieved.-Ec.
Year: 1877

Mountain Tourist.


So remarkably large has been the
demand for the now widely noted
work the Rocky Mountain Tourist
that an entirely new edition has
been necessitated, and is just ready
for issue. While the first edition
was an elegant thing, the second
edition is really superb, and the
Rocky Mountain Tourist in it's new
form, royal octave, thirty-two pages,
printed on the finest of super-sized,
calendered paper, handsomly bound
with engraved cover is without the
slightest question the richest and
Year: 1877

A young lady in town who does
not pride herself particularly on be-
ing political economist, thinks the
sooner greenbscks reach "pa," the
sooner she will be able to invest in
new Fall bonnet.
Year: 1877

ToUCHY PERsONs.-Ther are people
yes, many people-always looking ont
for Sights. They cannot carry on the
daily intercourse of the family without
finding that some ofense is designed. -
They are as touchy as hair triggers. II
they meet an acquaintance who happens
TO be pre-occupied with business, they
attribute his abstraction in some mode
personal to themselves, and take umbrage
accordingly. They lay on others the
fault Of their irritabiity. Indigestion
makes them see impeltinonce in every
one they come iii contact with. Innocent
persons, who never dreamed of giving Of
Tense are astonished to find some unfor-
tunate word or momentary taciturnity
mistaken for an insult. To say the least,
the habit is unfortunate. 1t is far wiser
to take the more charitable view of our
fellow beings, and not suppose that a
slight was intended unless the neglect was
open and direct. After all. too, life takes
hues in great degree from the color of
our minds. If we are frank and generous
the world treats us kindly; if on the con
trary, we are suspicious, men learn TO be
cold and cautious to us. Let person get
the reputation of being "touchy" and
everybody is under restraint, and in this
way the chances Of an imaginary offence
are vastly increased.
Year: 1877

BURDETTE, the Burlington Hawkeye
humorist, has written moro really funny
things than any other of the humorists
during the past year or two. His task has
not been Il light one, as this extract from
a recent letter from him to a gentleman
in New York will show 1--WE have
been having even more than our usual
sha re oftrouble. Sickness and suffering
have never been out of oCr home for an
hour since we had home, and now the
shadow Of a creator trouble than all hangs
over it. The baby has been and is very
i'll, and we fear every morning that the
evening viii find our home without n
baby. 1t has been very hard to attend tc
business and write fun all this time"
Year: 1877

In Lee county, Texas, Courts are too
slow to suit the people, who don't like the
quib5les of the lawyers. There is a per-
manent Vigilance Committee there, and
in the last two years this self-constituted
committee of guardianship have helped
fourteen people out of the world by rope
or shot. Some Of these were taken out
OF jail, others were caught at their homes
and despatched by whichever process was
the safest and surost. The last reported
act of the Vigilantes was to take four
young men from dancing party to death


There was dance and house full or
guests of both sexes. Some masked men
entered the house of revelry, picked out
four Coung men and led them away from
their partners. They knew very well
what was coming and when being escort
ed out they invited the girls with whom
they had been dancing to come along and
SEQ them hanged. The report does not
state whether or not the girls accepted the
i''''""O', pu' III Cilc SraH VI tho morn
ing, when the dance was done, the dis
persing party saw the spectacle of four of
their late friends and companions hanging
to an oak limb, about two hundred yards
from their late scene of revelry. These
things are so common in Gdding's, Lee
county, that the thnned-out party went
on with the dance while some Of the guests
were being hanged in sight of the house.
Year: 1877

HALF the fools in the United States
think they can beat the doctors in curing
the sick two-thirds imagine they can
beat the ministers preaching the gospel
and all of them are sure thoy can beat tho
editors editing tho papers.
Year: 1877

An agent or attorney for the Governor, a
man who is evidently friend OF his, selected
in this instance because Of his ability to take
q one-sided view of the question and to de-
nounce everybody else as ignorant; man
who is evidently cadet or a part OF one,
over the signature of g Martinez" in your
issue OF to-day, to use his expression, filings
at the militia OF the State for flinging at the
Governor, and takes column of your room
to answer few squibs not occupying third
OF that space. He reproduces the quotation
Year: 1877

TENURE OF OFFICE OF CITY AND COUNTY
CONSERVATIVE CoMNITTEES.-The State Cen
tral Conservative Committee on Tuesday
night construed the words "the commit
tees to be renewed by district or ward
meetings every four years. which are
found under the heading OF "City and
County Organizations in the plan OF the
state Conservative organization, to mean
that the terms of the present city and
county Conservative committees shall ter
inmate at the expiration Of four years from
the date of thcil original election.
Year: 1877

1t will appear from this statement of


ASSETS AND LIABILITIES,


which the committee believes to be fair and
lust. that il the business Of publishing is
continued, either in the hands Of the COM
mittcc, as now, or by contract with some
outside party, as is proposed, the Publlca-
ton Committee is perfectly solvent, even if
not one cent is ever realized from any assets
there may be Of the late secretary towards
making up the amount of his dcfalcation.
No part OF this Indebtedness Of the late sec
retary, which amounts to $4,000, as now
ascertained, is included among the assets in
the above statement, though all those obli-
cations given by him which arc considered
binding, either legally or morally, on the
Publication Committee are included among
the liabilities. So that whatever portion, II
any, of this deialcation shall be hereafter
made up from any assets OF his will increase
to that extent the above stated excess, OF
aSSets
Year: 1877

the same time it introduces an entirely


new question: much graver one accord


ing to the fashion of :hs day" Is Hayes


an ass 8"


Erring Brethren!


The logic of that phrase is simply that
might is right. If the South had succeeded
in its war the argument would have worked
the other way. There would have been no
" erring" on her side.


Error is not matter subject to final AT
bitrameut by the sword. Reason must fur
nish it's last solution. Public opinion is
the tribunal which come day will be sufi
cientlS enlightened to decide ultimately
whether the South was right or wrong in
it's estimate of State reserved rights. Pas
sion has a good deal to cay in the course of
an argument like that-passion and local
interest. During the war of el2 Massa-
chusetts could see the reserved right OF
secession without specs. Just ffey years
after,-in ls62. she bad grown so old as
not to see so WE'LL And she had no specs.
Experience may yet furnish her with q
medium clear enough to see the truth
again, or circumstances may bring 1t 30
near home to her that specs will be IN
necessary.


Whenever tyranrical general legislation
bears heaviiyea-ea particular section,
whenever the North or the Northeast or
the Northwest or the West finds itself
grievously and maliciously disseminated
against by the Federal Government, as the
South was, then that section of the country
will be able to see States rights in the
proper light, whatever that may be. After
several other great sections shall have un-
dergone political experience of Federal
similar to the experience of
the Southern States, even without its mil
itary accompaniment, then the country at
large may be said to have seen both sides
Of the question aud public opinion on its
merits will have become q capitalization
Of logical truth without the obscuring alloy
Of passion.


Then the great question of the ultimate
right and remedy of each State will be
till then.


In the meantime, it will be as useless as
mpertlnent 10 Walk OF 'efrlng OTelnEep.
We of the South do not believe that we
erred. We believe that we were perfectly
light, and we shall continue to believe so
until 1t can be shown that in case of Fed
eral usQrpa;ion there can be some other
remedy rs ethcacious as peaceful secession
would be. 1t is useless to reproach Us, to
argue with US, or to menace us. a man
convinced against his viii is of the same
opinion still. We are of the same opinion
still. Tie rest of the nation mag persecQte
us, they may relegate Us TO the carpet
oaggers ard negro rule, they may con-
iscate every atom OF property, they may
us, bat they will never get Us
into ;he role ofthe repentant sinner. Never !!


Scissors! Sclssorst
Year: 1877

Such is the glu. of money on the London
Stock Exchange that any man in good credit
can obtain the loan of almost any SUD, for, say
a fortnight, at the rate OF II per cent per an
num- Yet even on these terms there is scarcely
any demand.
Year: 1877

l wish to express my most sincere obi
cations to the citizens of Moline for the
very generous support given TO me on Tues
day for the Office of City Clerk. As the
question of party politics did not enter In
TO the contest, and as received my sup
port from Republicans and Democrats, and
from those representing every nationality
residing here, the compliment is all the
more gratifying, furnishing, as it does, the
very best proof that can be produced of the
appreciation on the part of our citizens of
my past official course. / hope that my
conduct Tor the next Two years may be
such as to justify a confidence SO very
gracious and cordial


STEPHEN t. WALKER.


Moline, April 18th, 1877.
Year: 1877

There is to be balloon ascension on the opening day of the permanent exhibition at Philadelphia. Tbe balloon is about 50 feet in diameter and s5 feet high, and will be inflated with hot air from an iron fur mace or brazier in the basket. Pulverized coke is the fuel, and the aeronaut is his own fireman and engineer. Prof. Coleman the inventor, dispenses with the network usually employed and substitutes for it a series of cords sewed to the seams of the gas bag. He says that he will cross the At lantic in this balloon during the Summer.
Year: 1877

HAYES ON HIS SOUTHERN, PoL1cY.-"My belief is, that thls course tends to give good government to the South, it tends to secure peace between tue sections and be- tween the races and parties at the South. and it tends to secure the rights, interests, and safety of the colored people. There fore am in favor of thls policy. do not know whether shall succeed in carrying it out. because there are northern and southern men who in various ways may possibly thwart me but of one thing ] am confident, namely, think it my duty to try to carry out this policy and am go lng to do it."
Year: 1877

THE Cos Coz BRIDGE The Cos Cob bridge, near Greenwich, on the New York, New Haven and Hartford railroad, was burned on Wednesday morning of last week. Vice President Reed was promptly on the spot, and speedily organized force of men and commenced the driving of piles for new bridge. The work was carried on night and day, and last Monday after noon the 4:40 express passenger train from New York passed over the bridge, and trains now pass regularly and without de- lay. MT. Reed has given his whole atten- tion to the superintendence of the work, and has been able to send train across the riv- CT in five and half days after the burning of the bridge. This was quick work, and the travelling public are. indebted to MT. Reed for his energy in pushing the work of construction so rapidly, and preventing the continuance of even the short delay of trains which the loss of the bridge caused. The portion of the bridge which was burned was five hundred feet in leugth.- Hartford Couront.