smithclay/nortonstories huggingface dataset:
Year: 1878

The petition of Julia E. Smith and Abby H. 6 Smith of Glastonbury, to the Senate of the

 State of Connecticut

 This is the first time we have petitioned your honorable body, having twice come before the House of assembly, which the last time gave a majority that we should vote, in town affairs, but it was negatived in the Senate.

 We now pray the highest court in our na- tive State that we may be relieved from the stigma of birth. For forty years have we suf fered intensely since the death of our father, for being born women. We cannot even stand up for the principles of our forefathers, who fought and bled for them, without having our property seized and sold at the sign post which we have suffered four times and also seen eleven acres of meadow land sold to an ugly neighbor for fifty dollars; land worth more than two thousand. dollars, And threat is given out that our house shall be ransacked, and despoiled of property most dear to us, the work of lamented members of our family who have gone before us. And all this is done without the least excuse of right or justice. We are told that it is- the law of the land made by the Legislature, and done to us two de- fenceless women, who have never broken these laws, made by not half the citizens of this State. And it was said in our Declara- tion of Independenc, that Governments de-

 

 governed" For being born women we are obliged to help support those who have earned nothing, and by gambling, drinking and the like, have come to poverty. And these same can vote away what we have earned with our own hands AndAwhen men meet to take of the dollar poll tax, the bill for the dinner comes in for the women to pay. Neither have we husband, or brother, or son, or even nephew or cousin to help us. All men will acknowl- edge that it is as wrong to take woman's property without her consent as to take mans without his consent, and such wrong we suffer wholly for being born women, which we are in no wise to blame for. To be sure for our consolation, we are upheld by the learned the wise, and the good, from all parts of the country, having received communica- tions from thirty-two of our States, as well as from over the seas, that we are in the right, and from many of the best men in our own State, but they have no power to help us. We, now pray your honorable body, who have power, with the House of Assembly, to relieve us of this stigma of birth, and grant that we may have the same privileges before the law as though we were born men. And this as in duty bound we ever pray.

 JULIA AND ABBY SMITH.

 Glastonbury, Conn.,, Jan. 29, 1878.
Year: 1878

CLTRAMoNTAEIsM IN FRANcE,-It is clear to most lockers on, that nearly the whole of the clergy of France, and small but impetuous portion of the laity, are animated by strong Cltramontane spirit that is to say-in order to define the sense in which the word Ultramon- tame is habitually used in France-with an in- tense desire to claim and to obtain for the Church and for it's ministers recognized right of action and interference in political, social, and worldly matters The efforts which have been made of late years to bring the entire priesthood of France into one mold of thought have now borne such full fruit that almost all the younger and more energetic members of the clergy have joined the Ultramontane move ment while such of the bishops and older priests who formerly held out against it are giving way in appearance, if not in conviction, and no longer offer any opposition to it. So far all observers will probably agree in sub- stance; but at the next step in the description, dIfnculties may arise, for a thorough knowledge of the undercurrents of French life is needed In order to enable foreign spectators to perceive thai while the mass of the clergy, under the pressure of seminary teaching and of episcopal direction, has been growing toward Ultramon- tanism, the mass of the educated laity, under the pressure of public opinion, has been grow ing away from it. It needs close watching to enable us to recognize that believing French

 men are becoming more and more moderate in everything which lies outside strict fath that while they resist the tendency to indifference or to active unbelief which fills the air around them, they are deeply pained and irritated by the aggressive attitude of the Ultramontane minority at their side. Influenced as they cannot fail to be, by the generally progressive tone of the society in which they live, the greater part of the French Catholics regard re- hgiOn, not as state which provokes them to struggle for any political or special objects but as purely personal condition which they adopt and work out for their own satisfaction ex- clusively. Of course there are many obvious exceptions; they are, manifestly, in France as elsewhere, enthusiasts who graft some outside purpose on to their faith. But, taking the Catholic gentlemen of France as a whole, it will certainly be recognized, by those who re- ally know them. that their use of their religion does not generally stretch beyond the discharge of regular duties andthe pursuit of their own moral amelOration. They hope that Ultra montansm is a passing accident, not perma- neut principle of Catholicism and that there may be some day, at last final separation between faith and politics. Bkckwoods Mag- Gziae.
Year: 1878

On the nineteenth instant. at Richmond, the
sixth annual meeting Of the American Public
Health Association will take place. at which
time will be gathered there, probably. as many
physicians as have met for many years. The
late Epidemic throughout the South has added
more than ordinary interest to the deliberations
Of the body, and the results to come from them
will be looked forward to with great curiosity:
The Yellow Fever Commission will then1, present
cd data. .,


Drs. S. Chopin and White will attend, and
probably several others Of the medical frater-


It is to be hoped that something Of the true
source and nature of the fever will be developed
during the convention.
Year: 1878

In the following letter. directed to one OF the
large I'm porters Of this city. Collector Smith has
taken q pc sition that will secure the approba-
tion of nil of our citizens who transact business
with The customs department. There Is egiti-
mate allowance made by importers for loss In
ehe handling Of merchandise. The excessive
sampling to which they have been subjected if
more than the law warrants Or the interests Of


the service demand. Our importers should aid
the Collector In the manner indicated In his let
Year: 1878

Geatlemen-I have been informed Of your com, 81 m
imnorted hy YOU, al d that formal complaint
has been Withheld for fear that your facilities
for doing business at the Custom House would
be curtatled.


In reply you are informed that no greater
favor eau be conferred upon the Collector and
appraiser than by promptly reporting every in
stance of this kind You are assured that such
action shall not work your injury, nor impede
your facilities for the transaction OF business.


Very respectfully, ~rrr
Year: 1878

DESIRE. TO INFORM THE TRADE
That i'm consequence of the prevalence Of Yellow Fever
during the past Summer, they did not make their usual


Fall and Winter Purchases,
did they, during the Epidemic solicit orders to be
filled in New York. feeling assured the delay md expense
attending their execution would have given dssatfsfc~
tion. We are now receiving


LARGE AND WELL-ASsORTED STOCK
Year: 1878

Supposing specie payments were re-
sumed tomorrow, and we had ap-
parently clear sailing before us. and
supposing the European war cloud
should burst the next day, what would
follow! Gold would leap up again, a
great part of what little we have of it
would be gobbled up by foreign agents
and then collapse and confuse worse
than ever. Says Patterson in his
"Econoaiy of Capital lis there
not something wrong here Ought
the presence or abuse of a few millions
of gold to make the vast difference
between national prosperity on the
one hand and national disaster and
widespread suffering on the other
How will posterity speak of us,
when it sees that we made the huge
fabric Of our national industry stand
like an inverted pyramid resting on a
narrow apex formed of chamberful
of fellow dross! Will they not laugh
at our folly, our barbarism p
Year: 1878

Even the democrats of staid and
conservative Vermont have seen the
new light. Their convention the
other day adopted the following:


The convention adopted resolutions
congratulating the country on the
restoration of home rule in the south,
and the overthrow of military domi-
nation brought about in response to
the demands of the national Democ-
racy, and demand retrenchment and
economy in federal and state admin.
istrations, the strict accountability OF
all officials, honest payment of the
public debt, home rule, no federal in.
terferenee in municipal or state
elections, a just and equitable tariff
one currency for all, and gradual
substitution of greeubacks for nation.
al bank bills.


This don't sound bit like the st.
Louis platform of two years ago.
Year: 1878

the transfer Of the wealth Of Peru
and Mexico to her shores. Our great
est Development followed the OPEN
ing of the mines of California. If
gold and silver were like wheat and
beef and there was no limit to the
production but human industry, the
world would advance in prosperity
rapidly and continuously; but now the
growing business Of mankind is made
to conform itself to the accidental
supplies of two metals, which by uni
versal custom are recognized as the
medium for the transaction of busi-
ness.
Year: 1878

protect them by a judicious tariff from
the competition of foreign cheap
labor. The other is to reduce the
wages of American workmen to the
starvation standard of the foreigner.
Which way does patriotism prompt us
to choose! Toward which plan do
justice and civilization point! W. nee
not press this problem upon intelligent
Americans, for their unanimous de-
cision is for protection, fair wages
and employees we'll read, we'll fed and
happy.-Americam Manufacturer


That sounds very prettily, but it
will be remembered that we have had
the highest tariff in the world since
1872, and our working men and women
protected and unprotected, have fall
len to lower depths of misery than the
laborers of any other country on
earth.


In good times the profits of pro-
tecting tariff go to the mill owners;
in bad times there are no profits for
any one. And good and bad times are
other names for periods of an
expanding and contracting currency.
Year: 1878

The gravest problem now forcing
itself on the American people is the
question of finding employment for
labor. 1t must not be answered from
the basis Of selfishness but from the
standpoint of justice and Christian
mercy.


The Scientific american has these
reflections:


Within the past two years a great
number of new industrial operations
have been established in the United
States, from which come two very
importantresults-the employment Of
labor saving machinery in cheaper.
more rapid production, and the incite.
ment to the greater activity in i'm.
provement and invention Of appli.
ances. With the fact accomplished
that one machine can do the work of
dozen men. we are the evil of some
thing worse than convict and Chinese
cheap labor in our midst. We have
an enormous addition to our popula-
ton in the shape of automatic labor
saving machines. If one superintend-
ent can take care of ten or twenty
men. so here one man can take care Of
half dozen machines doing each ten
mems work. The machines have the
advantage that they cost nothing for
provisions-slaves unfed, unclothed.
and harnessed down for life, breath
ing steam and living on fire.


While there is such an enormous
increase in the power of production
with no increase in the demand for
consumption, it is necessary that
much invention and effort should be
at work to increase the industrial EN-.
plOyment of the people. and to in
crease the wants and requirements
Of a higher civilization new rendered
feasible. While our people are thus
thrown out of one employment. an.
other should be offered. It is a fixed
law that every citizen should have
what he pays f0r-all the benefits and
opportunities which the nation has
power to bestow. Employment is the
first right OF man; traffic pleasure or
associations resulting from labor are
secondary considerations. To have
employment the people Of the United
States should be engaged in producing
everything which the world produces.
not incompatible with climate or ma
ture. A close observer Of the indus
trial economy of GeSmany, France.
and Great Britain finds such a number
of profitable industries there existing.
and Of which America has no knowl.
edge, and for the productions of
which we pay our money, as would
give every person in America steady
employment. The care Of the United
states should be, while affordin0 an
asylum TO the Over-crowded popula-
ton Of other nations, to enable them
to bring their industries with them.


As long as Minnesota has new
lands to settle, and other lands to be
increased in value by the process OF
settlement, it is ali well with us.
But if the world does not grow in 9th.
er departments OF labor a. rapidly az
We are growing in agricultural deyel.
oPement our crops win rot in our
granaries. And the world now il
standing still. The very rush to the
soil is simply tho result Of failure ev-
erywhere else.


And the worlds progress Is arrest
ed becaass it II chained to the car Of
gold sna silver monsy. Europs,s
prodtgious ady1nee n mental pover
Year: 1878

MEETING OF THE STATE CoMMTTrEB.


Tho State Committee Of tho ersenback- labor party
met az their rooms, corner OF Twentieth street and
Fourth avenue last evening and transacted considers.
BILE routine business. The names Of seven members
OF tho party for each Assembly distrtct and
the two wards were passed upon by tho committee.
These seven men TO supervise tho enrolment OF
tue party and to secure places for the enrolling.


Preparations were also made Tor the barbecue
which s to take place at Hamilton Park on the "a aud
Sd OF October
Year: 1878

A prominent dealer in confectionery
has recently been prosecuted in Boston
for selling candy colored with chromate
of lead. The jury brought in verdict
of guilty. But exception was taken to
the verdict on the ground that candy is
not food" AS If one might legally
and safely administer poison to the COM
munity, provided he did it with sugar
plums, rather than with sugar! The
exception, doubtless, will be over
ruled.


A main point in the defense was that
the amount of poison taken at any one
time into the system with the CANDY was
not sufficient to do harm. But the one
important and terrible fact in all lead
poisons, is that they are what is called
cumulative" Large doses of many
other poisons may produce very dis
astrous effects at the time, and yet bt
soon eliminated from the system. Bu
lead is not eliminated. Its small dose
remain in the system, where they con
stantly accumulate, to work the wors
mischief in time. This is what render
the painters business so dangerous. TIL,
workmen in white lead factory seldom
remain more than five years, and whel
they leave, they look like walkin,
corpses.


Let it never be forgotten that some O
the slowest poisons are the surest. An
let parents, especially, know what thei
children eat.
Year: 1878

respected. She is about fifty years old.
Stroud is not far from sixty. She was his
second wife, and be her second husband.
They came from the East few years ago.


MENTION is made of the suicide of Angus
tus Aull in Cincinnati. Another chapter,
even more painful than the first, has now to
be added. Aull had been lately married, and
was living with his wife, at No. 255 Clinton
Street. Both were well connected, and to
all appearances had bright future before
them. Early Monday morning Aull, while
still in bed, with his young wife lying beside
him, placed the muzz of loaded pistol
over his heart and pulled the trigger. In half
an hour he was dead. The terrible sudden.
ness and awfulness of the occurrence threw
tae wife into paroxysm of fright and grief,
from which it was impossible for her to re-
cover. She was too much prostrated to
give any testimony before the Coroner, and
that evening died. A sadder fate is not often
chronicled than that which in one day over
took this young couple.
Year: 1878

The National Association of Cigar
Manufacturers met in consultation with
the local manufacturers, in New York
City, TO protest against the order re-
Gently issued by the Secretary of the
Treasury, which forbids any person to
make cigars in the same room in which
he sells them. The ostensible object of
this is to prevent frauds on the revenue.
Z. A. Smith, President of the National
Association, reported that the Committee
Of Ways and Means have determined to
adopt different method, and one which
they think will prevent all frauds in
the collection of internal revenue on
cigars. The contemplated change is to
stamp each cigar; the stamp on each
one Of the cigars contained in any one
box to bear the same number as the
number Of the stamp on the box.
Year: 1878

A BoaoTA doctor attests the great age
of Miguel Soils, half-breed farmer,
who is believed to be one hundred and
eighty years old. He has proof of con
tributing to a religious fund in 1712
Questioned as to his habits, Miguel told
the doctor that the secret of living a
century or two was very simple-merely
never getting drunk and never over
feeding. al eat only once day-a big,
hearty meal, which it often takes me
half an hour to get through with; but
you see, it is not impossible in hall
hour to eat more than you can digest in
the next twenty-four hours" He went
on to say that he hadn't made up hi,
mind about meat, but did not eat much
Of it.; he tasted on the first and middl,
days Of each month, but drinking al
the water he could swallow; he Away
let cooked victuals cool before tasting


that was why his teeth were sound.
Year: 1878

ARE all the fools dead2 No; but they
are trying to get out of existence as fast
as possible. The record says that a
Troy woman took strychnine because
her husband wouldn't run in debt to
get her velvet cloak; Chicago youth
swallowed an overdose of morphine be
cause bad woman locked him out of
her miserable heart and house; six
teen year old Kentucky girl took rats
bane because an old married man told
her he had no business to love her: an
Arcola, ILL.,, man hung himself in the
smoke-house because he possessed only
ten thousand dollars, and feared he
might come to want. These are little
bits of samples of what is going on in
the busy world. Every day brings a
fresh item.
Year: 1878

A few days ago Times reporter Wis
tied the Nez Perces camp above Fort
Leavenworth. and through the courtesy
of Lieutenant Wieting, was permitted
for short time to observe the condition
of the red captives. Everything about
the camp bore cheerful aspect and ap-
peared remarkably clean. This is in
measure due, perhaps, to the habits of
bath every morning. The nsodus oper
culiar, one portion of the process being
sweat bath. When the camp was first
establisf ed the artisans who were COM
petent for the work built "sweat-
house." consisting of deep hole in the
ground within a few feet of the river
and covered ingeniously with earth
making the roof appear like mound
with the top like the bottom of an iron
kettle. An aperture was left on the
east side; in front of this a fire was
built and several large stones which had
been collected were heated red hot. In
the bottom of the hole was placed suffi-
cheney of water to create steam; the
rocks then were thrown in, and the mem
bers of the tribe one after another went
into the oven, for such it is, and re-
manned until the body was profusely
covered with perspiration. After this
leap through the aperture to the oper
air, and plunge into the cold waters Of
the Missouri finished the bath. Thi'
custom is an old one with the Ne,
Perces, and the bath is taken reaularl!
every morning no matter what the con
dition of the weather is, or what the all
ments of the body may be, so long a
the man or woman is able to walk
This proceeding, which is not unlike


Turkish bath, is said by the braves VIII


can speak a little English to make In
dian much good
Year: 1878

The Gagged lion or tiger Is seen at a
great disvantage: he is prisoner, and
cannot be expected to show of. At the
London Geological Gardensa playground
has been attached to the cage of the
tigers, sufficiently large for them to sport
in and exhibit some of their jungle hab-
its. Mr.. Buckland thus describes in
Land and Water what he saw while look
ing at the tigers in their playground:
1t was indeed beautiful sight to see
these lovely gigantic cats, the four tigers,
gradually emerge one by one into their
new, large, open playground. When
they arrived at the opening it was beau
tifal to watch them crouch down, max
ing themselves appear as small as posi-
BILE.


Finding nothing hurt or alarmed
them, they curiously examined the
trunks of the trees and rock-work placed
there for their especial benefit. They
trusted to their sense of smell rather
than to their sense of sight.


One of the greatest ornaments the
tigers head possesses besides the regula-
ton V mark over the eyes, which is OBJ
1servable in all thoroughbred tigers, the
loveliness of their countenances is much
enhanced by the long graceful whiskers,
situated for the most part on each side
of the upper lip.


To the lower end of each whisker is
adjoined very large bulb of nerve-mat-
ter, and from this bulb of nerve-matter
goes directly to the brain nerve. This
nerve is in fact telegraph-wire, and
the whiskers are the office at which news
is received.


When the, tiger is crouching for or
gradually creeping up to its prey in the
| Jungle, these whiskers act like so many
sentries, which warn it to keep to the
right or left, that the coast is clear or
| obstructed, so that when the animal
eyes are fully occupied watching its
prey, the whiskers act as watchful SEN
tries to guide it.


When the four tigers were loose in
their playground, and the door closed be-
hind them, they at once began to play,
and very beautiful were their move
ments as they ran after each other, tum-
bled and gamboled like young kittens
before fire, their coats looking like
satin in the warm sun.


All of a sudden new and to them a
most interesting object made its appear
ance. This was a young and a very
white zebu calf of few days old, which
came out of its shed. that was situated
in full sight of the cage only few yards
off,


The moment he saw it one of the
tigers crouched to the ground, and re-
manned stationary and statue-like, watch
ing the innocent-looking baby zebu. He
was all fixed and statue-like, perfectly
motionless, except the very tip of his
tail, about two inches of which kept
jerking from side to side, signifying great
anxiety, expectation, and readiness fol
immediate action.


Presently the other three preceived
that their comrade had seen something
They also instantly assumed various at
tiudes, indicating their intense desire te
kill this young zebu calf and eat him.


This group of four magnificent tigers
all intent upon one and the same object
was grand in the extreme. 1t was alst
very interesting to observe that the
mother of the young zebu seemed tx
know instinctively that her calf was il
danger, as she seemed to warn it in hel
peculiar way.
Year: 1878

A YOUNG woman, with pretty face
and modest ways, took room in a
Springfield hotel. The other guests
pitied her because she seemed timid and
unprotected. Before the week was out
three men had called to see her. One
was the husband from whom she had
eloped. A second was the man with
whom she had eloped. A third was a
man with whom she had promised to
clone. but had Tilted. The simultaneous
meeting of these four persons was so in
harmonious that all were turned out of
the house.
Year: 1878

LAST month the Perm-Ekatherinoslav
Railroad was opened and for the first
time train passed the Ural Mountains
Perm is Russian town, capital of the
Government of the same name, nine
hundred and fifty miles east by south of
st. Petersburg, and has an extensive
trade, and a population of over ten
thousand. Ekatherinoslav is capital of
Government of that name, large pro-
portion of which is capable of develop
ing great wealth in cattle.