smithclay/nortonstories huggingface dataset:
Year: 1877

The question, "Will Farming Pay ?" was discussed before the New Hamp- shire agricultural society as fellows It IS complained that farming is unprofta- ble. Men are leaving the farm and are seeking employment in manufactures and the trade of the city. New Hampshire, the agricultural part of Massachusetts, of Maine and Vermont have gone back in population and productive agricultural wealth in the last ten years. Without seeking to touch all the reasons for t, maywe not find it largely in this, that we ask too much of the farm? Having 8 capital of $2,00O, 5000 or $5,OOO in- vested in it, we ask that the farm shall support our families, educate our chil- dren and give us comparative wealth for old age besides. And yet, do we treat 1t as other men do their business by which they succeed? If we fail in getting all this from it, we say at once that farm ing is improbable. We are unmindful of the fact that in mercantile business only one in a hundred is fairly success full, and only one in 8 thousand eminent ly so. Does not farming do as well as that and better? Does only one in 8 hundred succeed to competence and only one in a thousand to aff1uence {? And yet do we not deal with our farms in the same way that we have seen that the nation does with it's producers |? Do we not take everything off and put com paratively nothing on the land? In every other business of life all the gains 8 man gets he immediately back into his business. The merchant increases his capital year by year from gains of the preceding year, if he is a prudent man, until 1t becomes as large as he can pro- ftably manage. But if a farmer makes any surplus on his farm, as rule, does he return 1t to his land, either in in- creased facilities for farming, in enriching the soil, adding to his stock or draining his land? On the contrary, is he not much more likely to invest in railroad shares or bonds or some manufacturing enterprise, or loan it to some neighbor :? Having taken away from the farm what the farm has brought him, and ought to be returned to it again, to make it more productive, he leaves it impoverished, and then complains that the gains do not increase. Is not the difficulty that he is continually taking away the in crease of his capital and leaving it only what it was at the beginning? The mer- chant, as we have seen, increases his capital year by year; but the farmer too frequently takes his and invests it ill other enterprises, and then complains that the farm does not succeed. No farmer we ever heard of ever mortgaged his farm to put manure on it, yet men frequently do mortgage their farms for the purpose of building @ fine house, and many take all the earnings of the farm for ten years for that purpose The mortgage or the indebtedness once on farm, as gen. eral rule in the past, except in the change of fortune made by the chance of prices arising from the war, remains years, if not forever
Year: 1877

The Schenectady Union says: We are informed that bean recently came out of the ear of person residing here-and who is now a man grown-which had been there since the person was child. The child put the bean in the ear and efforts were made to get it out, but with out success. Since that time the person has had good deal of headache, and medical treatment has been resorted to frequently. A few days ago, strange to say, the bean came out of his ear in two pieces, and since then the person has been entirely free of the ailment of the head which had been previously so ire quently experienced.
Year: 1877

I've breathed to her my last good-bye-Tve

 sighed my last farewell, And now her name is shrined alone, in memory s

 deepest cell The past must be forgotten, with the bright

 hopes it put on, And she and I must live and act, as though we

 neer had known. I've breathed to her my last fareweI-the sad

 dest eer was wrr1ng, In the agony of parting, from mortal's trem-

 bling tongue; For to part with her forever, was far moro than

 could bear, And the cloud that wrapt my spirit, was the

 black cloud of despair. I listened half unconscious as she told me we

 must part, And felt the glowing current turn to ice

 around my heart But when the thought grew on mo that we

 ne'er must meet again, Oh, God the misty frenzy that went boiling on

 my brain. She lured me, angel tempter, to heavenly

 fountains brink, And her own hand filled the goblet, and her

 own lips bade me drink; But, oh misery, to be hurled into agony like

 this, When my soul, like the lost angel touched the

 highest step of bliss. Oh had I only prized her with . boyish fitful

 pride, might fling away her friendship as thing to

 be supplied But looked to her with reverence and a faith

 that could depend, And her wisdom ruled my manhood with the

 eounsels of 8 friend Oh God, restore Lethe, till quaff it's mercy

 stream, And drown in dark oblivion the nlis'ry of that

 dream; For it haunts my brain like murder, and it

 burneth like coal, And that last farewell is ringing like curfew

 through my soul. W. c. H.
Year: 1877

The Virginia City (Nevada) E,atey- prise has the following account of a horrible accident which occurred at the Consolidated Imperial mine Among the miners coming to the surface at the time of changing shafts was Hugh Nc Donnell, a native of Nova Scotia, and aged about thirty-eight years. There were four other men on the cage with him at the time. When the cage had reached within one hundred feet of the surface Mcdonnell tainted, and before his condition was known to those with him, fell from the cage. The man was caught as he fell between the cage and the timbers of the shaft and horribly torn and mrltilated, and, before the cage could be stopped, was rolled off and precipitated ,250 feet down the shaft. What little semblance of humanity was left in his lifeless form by the cage was crushed out by the fall. As soon as possible the cage was lowered and the fragments of his remains gathered up in a blanket and taken to the surface. His head, legs and arms were all torn of, and there was scarcely enough of his body left together to tell how the pieces belonged But there is one consolation in connection with the whole matter, and that is that he was senseless when first caught between the timbers and the cage and consequently suffered nothing from either that or his fall. It is not unusual for persons who have been in the hot air of mine to faint on being brought near the surface, when the first breath of cool, fresh air meets the lungs. The reason for this we do not pretend to un- derstand, but the fact is well known to all. Many run the risk of just such @ death as happened to MT. Mcdonnell, by being ashamed to let their condition be known to their comrades on the cage They, in fact, risk their lives for fear of being laughed at. The only salvation lies in informing those on the cage of the feeling and being by them sustained till the surface is reached or the cage is stopped.
Year: 1877

According to Dr. Sturges, an English physician, whooping cough is not always to be escaped by preventing contagion, for at certain age the disposition to- ward this disease is so great that the child will originate it. He says : Whoop- ing cough is 8 nervous disease of imma ture life, due immediately, like nervous asthma, to morbid exaltation of sensi- bility of the bronchial mucous membrane. Although possible in 0 modified form at all ages, it has it's period of special lia bility and full development simultaneous ly with that time of life when the ner- vous system is irritable and the mechan- ism of respiration diaphragmatic. A child of the proper age with catarrh and cough is thus on the very brink of whooping cough. A large proportion of such children will develop the disease for themselves upon casual provocation, all contagion and all epidemic influence apart" Therefore he does not think contagion plays the important part gen. orally SUI osed, and the assumption of 8 specific ,orbid poison is in his opinion entirely grn suitotls. As to treatment he says

 "The specific remedies for whooloing cough (which have their season and may be said now to include all drugs what ever of any potency) have all of them a certain testimony in their favor. They agree in @ single point whether by their nauseousness, the grievous method of their application, or the disturbance they bring to the child's habits and surround ings, the best vaunted remedies -emetics, sponging of the larynx, ill favored inha- lation, change of scene, beating with the rod-all are calculated to impress the pa tient, and find their use accordingly"
Year: 1877

Carlisle, Ark, Prairie Flower.


''It was tangle foot Tony that was
tramping with me- said Freddy"
as he ran a piece of twisted paper
down the lamp chimney to get a
light for his pipe. "We reached
Baltimore one day little after din
ner time, and as we entered the sub
urbs, being as hungry as wolves, |
told Tony to stop under a tree near
by and would go up to a house a
little way off and ask for something
to eat. l walked up to the door
and rang the bell. The summons
was answered by a servant who
kindly invited me in, notwithstand-
ing my dilapidated appearance. 1
asked for the lady of the house,
who appeared and to whom L ap-
pealed for food. She told me to
follow her and led the way down
into the dining-room. l sat down
to the table as directed and com
menced eating. The lady was very
kind, and all the time was eating
talked alphabetically of the poor
people thrown out of employment,
and of the hard times pervading
the country, and seemed very anX-
ious that l should eat enough, an
idea that my stomach and the large
roast before me also suggested. My
time was not so absorbed in eating
that l failed to notice a little girl
sitting in one corner of the room
surrounded by a promising young
family of dolls. She seemed to be
deeply interested, and just before /
finished eating, disappeared, but
soon returned, and advancing to
where / sat, laid silver quarter by
my plate. 1t brought the tears to
my eyes to see the young face beam.
ing with benevolence and turning
to the lady 1 remarked: Bid her
take it back please; l can't rob such
an angel. She is too kind. She
makes me feel my own unworthi-
ness to breathe the same air with
such innocence, untarnished by a
single spot from the wicked world
around her. Bid her, kind lady,
take it back 'Oh no. replied the
lady, keep it. In your distress it
will do you more good than she
could realize from it, and, besides,
1 wish to encourage her in such
acts so that she will grow up to be
a good and useful woman. / bade
the family adieu with many thanks
for their kindness and deeply i'm
pressed with what l had expert
enced. / walked back to where l
left Tony, meditating as / went
realizing that the world contained
some true Christians after all. TAX
ing care to remove all traces of
tears, l approached Tony who
scanned my countenance closely
and said What luck, old chap?' /
held out the money, fresh from
those pure little hands. He opened
his eyes astonishingly wide and en-


Enthusiastically cried out, twenty-five
cents! Enough for tt0o drinks.
Year: 1877

AS there has been so much en-
quiry as to what has become oi
Killer, we thought to drop you this
note for publication, that the minds
of all enquiring friends may be re-
lieved. We are still on hand, and
hope to be alive until after Tilden's
Inauguration. We have it from
good authority that he is certainly
our next President.


There is nothing unusual going
on in this vicinity, except that
everybody seems to be taking a
lively interest in getting up first
class school to be taught by Prof.
E. W. Holt. The first session will
commence next week at Union
Academy near this place. We will
simply mention here in connection
with the school that we need bet
ter house, and that we all should
put our shoulders to the wheel, and
build No. l school house here at
Bunker Hill. The grounds for
building can be had upon the very
best terms, and we are situated be-
tween two saw mills, near enough
to get lumber from either one, and
if everybody will do little we can
build the house and not cost any
one much money.


The lady spoken of in the CITIZEN
last week whose person there was
number of pins and needles taken
from is vouched for by citizen of
this place. He says he is acquaint-
ed with the lady and knows it to
be true.


Our doctors, merchants and me
chanics are all doing a very good
business, considering the-well, l
like to have said hard times--but
as there is too much said already on
that subject, we will leave it out.


Our friends, w. S. Riddle and r.
S. Hollins, Jr., paid our town a short
but welcome business call last week.
1t is unnecessary to say anything
in their behalf. They are too well
known as first class merchants.


Jan. 31st. KILLER.
Year: 1877

From the American Age.


1 suppose no thinking man of any
age, or of any land, can have failed to
recognize the tremendous responsible
ties that rest upon the young men.
Look, for instance, on a country like
this. Here every individual man has to
bear his part in the general welfare.
There are no hereditary claims to the
seats in our legislative halls; our execu-
tive offices are not bestowed necessarily
ON men and have only royal titles TO
recommend them; but from the highest
10 the lowest, every municipal, state,
and national honor Is at the disposal of
him who can win 1t. In this country
there is no limit to mans ambition un-
occupied the highest executive Office of
the Government. And the consequence
of this is plain: If the fathers are eli-
gible TO every office, and can become
candidates for every honor, then there
must be fearful responsibility resting
upon the sons, because they will one
day occupy their fathers positions.
Directly or indirectly, they will be the
makers of the laws that govern them
and us. Their wealth, their influence,
their talents, anG their votes will one
day be used for measures which mlst
seriously affect The welfare Of their fell
low-men. In fact, the whole body pol
itic must be influenced for good or evil
by the actions of those whom we call
our young men.
Year: 1877

We do not intend that Bethel
shall be forgotten, nor do we wish
you to think because you do not
hear from US every week that it is
not pl ace of interest. All believ-
erslof this, please call at our church
on Sunday mornings, see the many
bright eyes and cheerful faces tnat
assemble there, hear the well mem
orized lessons, watch the pleasant
looks of the teachers, also the
smiles of our beloved preacher.
Again, attend our singing on Sun
day evening, listen to the music of
the organ accompanied by the hap
py voices Of the young people of
this place. 1t even attracts the
aged. We also have a very inter
esting prayer meeting held every
Wednesday night. Its attendance
increases, and we hope it may do
much good in the community.


Our literary school will open the
5th Of February, still in the charge
of our gifted, scholarly, obliging
gentleman, DR.. Gardner. He is too
great a favorite to be parted with,
and we hope this year may be the
most successful of his life, and of
the greatest benefit to our school,
for a number of boarders can be
accommodated here and at cheap
rates.


Now we wish to tell you, although
the Older people think the weather
very disagreeable,i it has not kept the
boys and girls at home, for their
pleasures are numerous. 1t is true
the snow was not very pleasant,
still there was nothing of impor-
tance lost except the little doctors s
overshoes; and think if he had not
been so unmerciful to the rabbits
he would have had the benefit of
them this muddy weather.


1t has been some time since
Christmas, but we must tell you we
enjoyed exceedingly the many
charms and pleasures it never fails
to bring with it. We enjoyed our
selves very much at the PARTIES
given US, and we do not intend to
blot from our catalogue the play
"Present and advise" since we have
heard of several young ladies being
presented to young gentlemen and
they advised to marry them, for we
hope this will fall to our lot soon.


Report says our little doctor has
notion in his head to carry one of
our fashionable girls of. If he
succeeds we shall miss her from our
social circles; but there will be
others left, pretty enough to call
forth the expression from a young
man that they would "charm even
the heart of a wheel barrow" and
they are ali heart, are they not?


May Bethel increase in inhabi-
tants, flourish in beauty, and pros
per in all things, noHs prier.


ALPHA.
Year: 1877

Cincinnati Gazette.


A Gazette reader wants to know


whether the changes of the moon


have any effect upon the weather,


and, if so, why. He also asks


whether lunatics are influenced by


lunar changes, and, if not, why are


they thus called. In regard to the


first of these points we may say in


brief that modern men of science
are almost unanimous in denying
that the moon influences anything


but the tides. The popular impress
sion from time immemorial has
been to the opposite. From this
impression madmen derived their
name. Whatever may be the fact
in regard to the moon having any
thing to do with insanity, the writer
can affirm that he has seen one case,
at least, where a man became a raw
ing maniac at the full of the moon,
recovering his senses when exhaust
ion had put an end to his wild dem
onstrations, and continuing in APP
parent soundness of mind until a
few days before the full he expert
enced premonitions of his approach
ing paroxysms. He as a person
of intelligence, and well off pecuni-
arily, and was voluntarily inmate
of an asylum, being free to 60 in
and out except during this week or
so of each month, when he was be-
reft of his reason. We state the
case as it was, leaving its .explana-
tion to psychologists. There is a
widespread belief that the moons
rays are inimical to health. This,
we think, has been pronounced a
superstition by men of science.
We are not prepared 10 dispute
their verdict; yet an instance that
is well authenticated seems to justi-
fy doubt in their infallibility. Some
forty years ago, in an Eastern State,
two little girls, cousins, occupied
the same bed. They retired in ap-
parent health, but woke in the morn
ing dead lame One was never able
to walk afterward, while the other,
after using iron supports to her an
kles for few years with partial
success, was compelled to give up
all attempts at locomotion. There
was no cause that could be ascribed
for this double visitation with any
plausibility, except that the moon
was very bright on the unlucky
night, and that its rays shone full
on the bed where the girls lay. 1t
was always believed that they were
"moon- struck" if they were not, no
one could assign reason for their
lameneSS
Year: 1877




To the General Assembly of the State OF
Tennessee:


Your petitioners, citizens of Mem
phis-many of us creditors and tax
payers-would respectfully repre-
sent that our local government is
so complex, so exacting, and so un-
equal in the distribution of its bur
dens, as to become destructive of
the fundamental purpose of govern
ment-the protection of the prop
erty and labor of the citizen. We
suffer all the evils of a tripartite
government-theS State, the county,
the municipal-at an expense so
enormous as to consume more than
the net earnings of the people, the
greater portion of which is the cost
of our municipal government. As
the natural result of this vicious
form of government, business Ian
guishes, our real estate has become
almost worthless, and capital studi-
ously avoids investment here, in any
form, because of the certain confis-
cation which awaits its appearance.
We can no longer endure this state
of things, and pray you to abroga.e
the Memphis city charter, and re-
peal all laws constituting us, in any
manner, a municipality, and resolve
us back into the body of Shelby
county, and give us the simple and
limited form of government pro-
posed in the accompanying bill for
the local government of certain pop
ulations; and we pray you to speed
lily enact the same into law. Re-
lieve us of the oppressive burdens
of our municipal government, and
we will be enabled better to dis
charge our obligations to the State
and county.


Memphis owes $6,000,0OO and
seeks in this way to repudiate.
Here is the milk in West Tennes-
secs State debt reputation cocoa
nut. The Appeal has this to say


The petition for the wiping out |
of Memphis-providing for a sort
of municipal harikari-does not |
meet with general favor, as will be
seen from the following counter Pc
tition, put in circulation yesterday, !
and which will, no doubt, be sup
ported by strong array of names
To the General Assembly of the State of


Tennessee:


Your petitioners, citizens of the
city of Memphis, and taxpayers
therein, would respectfully repre
sent that they learned with surprise
that a petition to your honorable |
body is being circulated and signed |
by citizens, asking the repeal of
the charter of our city and the en-
tire abolition of it's municipal gov
ernment, and believing that such |
a course would be disastrous to the
best interests thereof, we respectfully
ask that you pass no laws tending
to the abolition of the municipal
government of the city of Memphis.


1t appears from this that we have /
citizens who think that it will not
do to commit communal suicide to
evade the payment of debt. "Let
us live, and let live"
Year: 1877

An exchange remarks that "the
depression in the cotton market is
beginning to make the Southern peo-
pie open their eyes. They can now
see that it is undoubtedly to their
interest to curtail the production OF
that staple and diversity their agri-
cultural operations" All in the eye,
neighbor. The Southern people do
not see any such a vision. All that
the Southern people can see, or are
like to see while this generation.lives,
is to raise cotton at twenty cents a
pound, and sell it at eight and nine
cents. Of course they will swear
about the low price of cotton, the
scarcity of money, and the high price
of meat and bread; but we have our
doubts about their ever having
practical sense to learn to make
their living at home. We, have
written this paragraph with the full
expectation of making five hundred
Hardin county FARMERS" mad with
US for telling them plain truth, but
we judge of the future by "all past
experience" and present surround
ings. Our people do not know that
they have a right to be independent.
Savanah Transcript.
Year: 1877

Its absolutely mournful to notice
how full of strangers the city has
been ever since election. We know
a man who six weeks ago couldn't
walk across the street without stop
ping to shake hands with eighty-five
men whom he had known ever since
they were boys, who now walks from
his home to the post Office, distance
mile and half, and never takes
his hands out of his pockets the
whole distance. e.-ErchaRce
Year: 1877

A young man at Kember's Bluff,
in this State" says Texas paper,
acquired the habit of TOSSING q
cooked pistol in the air and catch
ing it by the muzzle as it fell. The
last time he caught it was just a
moment before he died"
Year: 1877

Never, except on one occasion,
was prominent editor of newspa-
per Of Milwaukee known to refuse
to take joke, and that was the
other day noon, when the boy
mixed his spectacles and sent him
home with lantern to apologize to
his landlady for being out till mid
ninhf
Year: 1877

1t is no new thing for Grant to
lie, as he did in the matter of his
promise to Mr.. Hewitt. People will
readily recall the fact that he was
caught in a lie by President John
son and publicly SO branded by the
Great Commoner."
Year: 1877

By about the middle of next May
the public will have seen the last OF
the present three-cent postage
stamp, and begun to get accustomed
to one that is red or possibly a new
tint. This change has been rend
cred necessary, as stamp-washers
take off the oily cancellation with
out acid or alkali, and use the stamp
again. A series of experiments just
completed convince the postal de-
partment that green is the poorest
color to be found. With the change
of color there will be change OF
design. The medallion head OF
Washington Will be retained, but it
will be relieved by an open scroll OF
white and the scroll-work will be of
a.different pattern.