smithclay/nortonstories huggingface dataset:
Year: 1873

Within the past few weeks, renewed in
tCrest has been excited in the life and
career of Matthew Lyon, and new fact
has been brought out in his history. AS
illustrating the temper of the times, as well
as giving an incident in his life, which
seems to have escaped the attention of all
his biographers, it may not be uninterest-
ing to recall an event which occurred in
Rutland in October 1894. The legislature
was then in session in the "Old state house
the same building is now standing on
West street, Immediately west of the Ad-
vent chapel-and Colonel Lyon was re-
preventative from Fairhaven In a letter
from Lyon, now before us, the event is
stated to have occurred on the 1st day of
October but as the legislature did not as
semble until the second Thursday of that
month, and from another fact to which we
shall hereafter allude, it is probable that
the tenth day of October, 1894 was the first
and only time that Rutland was disgraced
with such sight. Before this time, Con
gress in order to raise funds with which to
carry ON the government, had enacted an
excise law, the heaviest taxes being levied
on distileries engaged in the manufacture
of whisky. At that day, the distilling of
whisky was considered "A proper legitimate
and respectaJIe business and was, more or


less, engaged in throughout the country.


Western Pennsylvania was more particu-
larly interested in this kind of business ;
II large proportion of her capital was in
vested therein a considerable number of
worlxmen We're employed, and upon its
profits the people of that section depended
for their actual support. Let this business
be interfered with or injured, the whole
community felt the depressing influence at
once. The excise law, of course, inter-
fered with and injured the business, all
kinds of industry were paralyzed, and, in
the excitement of the hour, all classes, re-
sident in that section of the country,
deemed the law specially and intention
ally aimed at their prosperity. The peo-
pie, without reference TO their particular
occupations, banded together to resist the
enforcement of the law ard the collection
of the excise tax on whisky. The troubles
Year: 1873

limited, by law, to three hundred and fifty
four millions of dollars, which is all, or
viii within few weeks be issued This
does not afford sufficient currency with
which to transact the ordinary business of
the country There may or may not be
the same amount of specie in the country
that there was thirteen years ago, but this
really makes no difference because gold
ahd silver can never become general cir
culating medium. The deficiency in cur
rency, with which to carry on the business
OF the country, is supplied by treasury
notes-generally known as greenbacks
The country needs just SO much money
with which to transact business If the
amount is increased an initiation of business
Is caused and speculation, with attendant
extravagance, results. Decrease the
amount and general stagnation of busi-
ness follows. These results are as newt
able as the seed time and the harvest. I'm
less something Unforeseen occurs, the pay
fsnent gold interest," the Importation of gold
from Europe to purchase the products of
our SOIL and judicious sale of gold by the
government will, within six weeks-or by
the assembling of Congress place our cur
rency and specie nearly upon a par If at
this time, for Congress can then act in the
premises, the national banking privileges
are thrown open to all, with the provision
that for every dollar of national bank bills
issued dollar Of treasury notes shall he
destroyed, it seems to us that great step
will be taken toward the resumption of
| specie payments. Banking is profitable,
and associated capital will engage in the
the business and furnish currency as fast
as needed, and rs fast as greenbacks are re-
tired. These bank notes being good be
yond all contingency, the people
will have confidence in them, and
with specie, for time, at or
near par, he demand therefor upon
the part of bill holders would be insignif-
cant. So long as the government circu-
lates its treasury notes as money, it will be
impossible to return to specie payment.
Put the furnishing of money into the
hands of associated enterprise, with the
bills secured as they must be, confidence
! would return at once. The currency of
the country docs not exceed, we are told,
the amount in circulation in the times be-
fore the government took upon itself the
business Of issuing its treasury notes and
making them legal tender. If this is so,
the retiring of greenbacks nnd the substitu-
ti0n therefor of national bank bills will be
the first great step toward the restoration
of confidence and the consequent return of
so,called specie payment
Year: 1873

We congratulate the citizens Of Waling-
ford that they are taking steps to perpetu-
ate the proceedings of their recent CEN
tennial celebration. 1t will he seen, from
a notice published in another place that
several prominent citizens of Wallingford,
including the officers of the celebration,
haye united in call for public meeting
To take the necessary steps for publishing,
in permanent form, the proceedings upon
that interesting occasion. We trust that
they will go further and, in addition to pre-
serving the record of the doings on their
one hundledth birthday some competent
person may he appointed to edit the same
and, also, to write complete history of
the town
Year: 1873

lbNllOlt Titt ltSo.


Among party of Swedish immigrants
arriving here Tuesday morning was a
comely young fellow about twenty years
old, and plump little lassie perhaps two
years younger. Anybody could see that
the young man was in love with the girl,
and also discover that she was a great CO.
quette. They walked up Third street arm
in-arm, up Larned, over on to Woodbridge,
and he almost loaded her down with candy,
figs. apples, and the like. Her mother, a
wel-tO-do widow, gave both tall old bless
ing as they got back to the depot; and as
the young man is in poor circumstances it
is pro able that she told him he could new
er call her his mother-in-law and he get off
abusive hits and tough jokes about her. At
least it was something to make him feel
very badly for he went off down below the
flour sheds and took off his coat, boots, and
vest and leaped into the river. He was
observed by half dozen men, who "snak-
ed" him out in Il hurry, and he was led back
to his friends, who were all greatly excited
over his conduct. The girl wept, the
mother got her voice up to Wachtel's high
est and then told him what she thought of
such business, and some of the men threat
ened to hold her head under the pump.
The young mau is going to have his little
lassie or else he's going to a world where
there is no marrying or giving in marriage !;
and he sat crying bench, with the river
water trickling dOwn-his back from his wet
hair, he didn't seem to care u cent which
horn of the dilemma he took.
Year: 1873

| An eX-private, giving anecdotes con,
nected with the late war, relates an Incl
dent of a soldier he calls Jim, that beats
Enoch Arden all to pieces. lin was
made cripple at the battle of Stone
River After the war a comrade met him
sitting in provision store in Columbus
He was still a cripple, but his face had
the old quietness OF content in it.


He said; Yes, I'm doing pretty well
nco making much, but doing pretty we'll.
Have just been up to see my wife. She
married another man, you know. No!
Didn't you know it a.? Divorced? D.? No She
just married him, and threw me overheard,
you know. 1t made me a little mad
tell you. But she married good man,
and there's the rub, you see He's got a
farm and good house, and he took my
wife and children right in, sir, and treated
them like a gen tleman. 1t cut me a lit
tie to have the woman throw me off, but
/ looked at the question from her stand
point, and it's all right. Then 1 got
worked up a little, and thought 1 had
better steal the children from their STEP
father. So l went up to see them again.
Would you believe itP They said they
didn't want to live with me if they had
to leave their mother. So 1 said, All
right, and came right away again You





my lame leg and arm l couldn't support
her right, and the little duck told me So
with her arms around my neck. This
finished me, you know"


"But," said my friend, "the woman is
legally your wife"


u know it, said JIM" but if l was
stubborn and claimed her, you see, she
would have to take in washing to sup
port the family. Legality isn't the
thing. can t do anything much, and it
wouldn't be comfortable, you know, to
have her working for me. l couldn't t
stand that half SO well as the way it is
now. No, sir, legality don't help the
matter l will never be comfortable any
way. Shed marry after l was dead, so
what's the use of whimperipgT


Poor JIM He was oanstitutionally
oqql ia the last. He accepted misfortune,
defeat, wounds, loss of wife, and all in
the same spirit with which he went into
battle.
Year: 1873

Harmony in the married state is the
very first object to be aimed at. Nothing
can. preserve affection uninterrupted but
firm resolution never to differ in will,
and a determination in each to consider
the love of the other as of more value
than any other object whatever upon
which a wish has been fixed How light,
In fact, is the sacrifice Of any other wish
weighed against the affections of one
with whom we are to pass our lifel And
though opposition in single instance
Will hardly of itself produce alienation,
yet everyone has his pouch into which
all these oppositions are put, and while
that is filling the alienation is insensibly
going on, and when filled is complete. 1t
would puzzle either to say why; because
no one difference has been marked
enough to produce serious effect by
ITSELF But he finds his affection wearried
out by constant stream of checks and
obstacles. Other sources of discomfort,
very common, indeed, are the cross -pur-
poses of husband and wife in common
conversation; a disposition to critcise
and question whatever the other says-a
desire always to demonstrate and make
hlm feel himself wrong, especially in
sympathy, Nothing is so goading. Much
better, therefore, If our companion views
thing in a different light from what we
do, to leave him in quiet possession of his
view. What is the use of rectifying him
II the thing be unimportant; let it pass
for the present, and wait for softer mo-
ment and moro concilatory occasion for
revising the subject together. 1t is won-
derful how many persons are rendered
unhappy by inattention to the rules of
prudence
Year: 1873

Human life, my friends, is not one
chance but thousand. You are a bus
mess man, perhaps, and your ventures
have miscarried, one after the other, and
now you look sadly back through long
vista of disappointment and defeat. But
meanwhile you are known to be 8 good
man and true-a kind husband and faith
er, loyal citizen and faithful friend
and many a man who has passed you in
the race for wealth and fame may look
with envy upon the love and respect you
have gained by your personal character
and services. Your want of success in
business life may be due to some peculiar
lack of yourself or may result from
something adverse in your surroundings
but remember that while your undertake
ings may fail over and over again, you
yourself may be glorious success. But
if you fail in manliness, courage and in
tegrity, then all outward successes amount
to nothing.
Year: 1873

That is exactly what the most of us
are doing. We are not ready to be hap
py to-day, this week, this year, but to-
morrow, next month. another year, our
cup of JOY will be full. When the prom
ised times come, and the acme of our
hopes in certain direction are reached,
health may be wanting friends dead, and
life, however full of all we thought to
make it rich and worth the having, be
empty and dreary. But he who takes
the best of now and here" and enjoys it,
puts himself into possession of that which
can not be taken away. Certainly it is
right to provide for rainy day, in health
to prepare for sickness, in youth to lay
up for old age; but there is much more
time than many of US think while doing
this to be happy in the present, and
there are thousand paths to happiness
if we but have the skill and desire to find
them. -


We are eager in the pursuit of some
far-of result to take time to be happy to-
day. How often do we look back on
years that have fled and see many ele-
ments of truest enjoyment, which at the
time we took no notice of, and which,
could we count them in now, would fill
our cup of joy to OVERLOOKING Shall we
learn no lesson from this?
Year: 1873

Men who isolate themselves from So
ciety, and have no near and dear family
ties, are the most unfortunate of human
beings. Byron says that "happiness was
born in a twin" but the phrase, though
pretty and poetic does not go far enough.
We are gregarious, and are not intended
to march through life either in single or
double file. The man who cares for no.
body, for whom nobody cares. has little
to live for. You must have heap of
embers to have glowing
fire. Scatter them apart, and
they will become dim and cold. So, to
have q brisk, vigorous life, you must
have group of lives to keep each other
warm, to afford mutual encouragement,
confidence and support. If you wish to
live the life of man and not of fun
gus, be sociable, be brotherly, be charita-
bic, be sympathetic and labor earnestly
for tho good of your kind
Year: 1873

I met him in the cars,
Where resignedly he sat;
His hair was full of dust,
And so was his Gravel;
He was furthermore eInbeliished
BY a ticket in his hat.
The conductor touched his arm,
And woke him from a nap;
When he gave the feeding flies
An admonitory slap,
And his ticket to the man
In the yellow-lettered cap.
The heads of many men
Were bobbing as in sleep,
And many babies lifted
Their voices up TO weep;
While the cool dust darkly fell
On bonnets in heap.
When suddenly a jar,
And a thrice-repeated bump
Made the people in alarm,
From their easy cushions jump,
For they deemed the sounds to be
The Inevitable trump.
A Splintering crash below,
And n doom-forb04iiGg twitch,
As the tender gave q Iurpi
Beyond the flying switch,
And mangled mass of men
Lay writhing in the ditch.
With a palpitating heart
My friend essayed TO rise;
There were bruises on his limbs
And stars before his eyes,
And Ii is face was of the hue
Of the dolphin when il dies.


- >
was very well content
In escaping with nay life;
But my mutilated friend
Commenced legal strife,
Being thereuntO melted
By his lawyer and his wife.
And he writes me the result,
In his quiet way as follows:
That his case came up before
A board of legal scholars.
Who awarded him his claim
OF 81 ,5C0.
Year: 1873

NJ. Prudhomme in the decline of life
was talking with his nephew, to whom
he related stories of his youth.


But uncle" suddenly exclaimed the
young man. what struck you most dur
ing your life p


MY dear boy, it was your aunt"
Year: 1873

A servant girl told her master the
other morning that she was about to give
his wife warning and quit the house
Happy girl would that | could give
her warning and quit the house too =
was the brutal response.
Year: 1873

SEC. 1912 of the Political Code says:
"No person is eligible to the office OF School,
Superintendent who is not professional
teacher possessing first grade Certificate.


This is species of Legislation at war with
the theory of our government, and repngnan'
70 the voters of the State. What right has
the Legislature to restrict the liberty of the
voter as TO whom he shall vote for, for this
Office? Who is to be the Judge of the qaalifi-
cations of an officer but the voter himself
If the Legislature can legally impose re-
striclion of this kind, it can add others thai
will disqualify every man in the county OF
leave but one eligible man, and thus make a
farce of the elective franchise. Such egs-
lation will stand in no court of sense in the
country Formerly our Superlntendenis were
prohibited from teaching, now they cant be
Superintendents unless they are teachers
Ninety.nin teachers out of hundred onl,
teach from necessity, and quit it as soon as
more promising positions offer, and they are
a worthy class of our people, and generally
do go up and become lawyers, doctors,
statesmen or eminent in some profession, and
here comes law disqualifying them, even
when they have reached the highest pinnicle
of fame, from being Superintendents OF
common schools and every body from VOTING
for tbcm. Go ask the first teacher you
meet: What do you follow? Teaching
Are you always going to teach? The ans
wer will be: "Only till ! can do better.
But all such legislation eminates from weak
superficial minds, and the public should pay
no attention to it, as the man that Is elected
will get the Office, whether professional
teacher, or holding first grade clrililcate OF
not
Year: 1873

A VALUABLE LOAD OF BRIcKs.-An
important shipment of silver bars was
made by the Swansea silver smelling and
refining company recently, from the bank
ing office OF Adam Smith u Son, Chicago.
The shipment consisted of one hundred
and forty-nine silver bricks, which con-
tanned forty-seven thousand three hundred
and forty-two ounces of pure silver and five
thousand ounces of gold, and was valued
at $4,000. The metal was the product
of seven days smelling at the works,
which are now turning out $4,000 worth
of gold and silver every day. A shipment
equaling in value is made each Saturday
to the United States assay Office in New
York, where the bricks are again smelted.
and whatever gold they contain extracted.
The bricks are sent through in the care of
the American Express Company, and are
not encased or protected in any way. In
looking at them one would be easily de-
ceived as to their weight and value. The
one hundred and forty-nine bricks shipped
made load which two large horses haul
ed with difficulty.
Year: 1873

Some time ago, being in company with
a medical man, we fell into conversation on
the uses of microscope. in the management
of which he was an adept. Now, said he,
I will tell you a story of what happened to
myselt-one which [ think illustrates the
Importance of this instrument to society,
although l was put in a very unpleasant
position, owing to my acquaintance with
it. l have, as you all know, given a great
deal of attention to comparative anatomy,
especially to the structure Of the hair as il
appears under the microscope. To the
unassisted eyes, indeed, all hair appears
very much alike, except as it is long OF
short. dark or fair, straight or curly


coarse or fine. Under the microscope


however. the case is very different; the
white mans round, the negro's oval, the
mouse's apparently joiuted, the bats Jagged
Year: 1873

We got some sage brush to burn for light.
AS we had no means of keeping light,
and the bottom of cave No. 2 was strewn
with large rocks, difficult to climb over
and among, we went as far as we could
and then turned back. The third cave
was opposite the entrance to No. l, and
upon examination presented the same fea-
lures as the others. The first cave entered


was the largest. We then turned our
faces lakeward, found our traps uumolested
during our absence, and had dinner"
Year: 1873

As men are unconscious Of how much
harm they do, aud Of how much unhappi.
ness they unvittingly cause, so they may
do great deal more good than they think F;
they may do great deal intending it but
no man ever works strongly and boldly and
whole hearledly, but what, | think, be
does more without knowing it than he does
knowing it, 1t is not what you say to your
class, teacher, that measures the influence
that you are exertiug upon them. If you
be faithful, if your heart is 10 the work, it
is not that of which you can make stats.
tics 10 the social circle that measures your
influence there. Far more influence comes
with activity than is shown by the immedi.
ate fruit Of that activity, Tho shadow Of
Peter worked Just as much as Peters body
itself worked and genuine men and wo.
men work both by substance and by shad-
ow-by purpose and by unconscious inau-
once. There he mauy who mourn the want
opportunity, and yet endeavor to conform
to the disposition Of their Master, and to
carry themselves through life wisely and
well, who will wake up by and by, when
they stand in the presence Of the all.reyeal-
ing eye, with sweet surprise and adoring
gratitude. to see how much more, after all,
their life meant than they themselves
thought. In your boyhood, as you will
very well remember, you used to write
with invisible ink aud there was nothing
for the recipient to do but TO take the paper
and hold it to the fire, and straightway out
came the message There is much writing
with invisible ink in this world. There is
great deal Of trumpeting activity. There
is also a great deal Of activity which does
not report itself to the senses, but which is
powerfully inhuental-namely, a godly
life; patient continuance in well-doing
attainment in humility, fidelity, truth
standing faithful to the end in the place
where God has put you. You cannot tell
what you are doing. No man can tell it to
you. You are writing with invisible letters
on thousands of chiIdren's hearts on the
hearts Of passers.by; on the hearts Of
friends and neighbors; on the hearts Of
those whom you meet in every circle where
you move. There are a thousand infu.
ences radiating from you in your lifetime
which will bring forth their seeds abun-
dainty in the kingdom Of Gods glory


". Beecder.
Year: 1873

There is one thing no family pretends to
do without. That is hammer. And yet
there is nothing that goes to make up the
equipment of domestic establishment that
causes one-half as much agony and profan-
ity as a hammer. 1t is always an old
hammer, with handle that is inclined to
silver, and always bound to slip. The face
is as round as a full moon and as smooth
as glass. When it strikes nail full and
square, which it has been known to do, the
act will be found to result from a combina-
tion of pure accidents. The family ham
mer is one of those rare articles we never
profit by. When it glides off a nail head
and mashes down couple Of fingers, We
unhesitatingly deposit it in the yard, and
observe that we will never use it again
But the blood has hardly dried on the rag
before we are out doors in search of that
hammer, and ready to make another trial
The result rarely varies, but we never pro
fit by it.


The awful weapon goes on knocking OF
our nails, and MASKING whole joints, anc
slapping off the handle to the confusion oI
mantel ornaments, and breaking the com
mandments, and cutting up an assortment
of astounding and unfortunate antics, with
out let or hindrance. And yet we put ~
with it, and put the handle on again, anC
lay it away where it won't get lost, and dc
up our mutilated and smarting fingers
Aud yet, if the outrageous thing SHOULD
happen to get lost, we kick up regular
hullabaoo about it, until it is found again
Talk about the tyranziag influence of
bad habit 1t is not to be compared will
the family hammer - DanJury Neps.
Year: 1873

True Piety sparkles with joy all over.
A true Christian life would make even a
little child love to be Christian. One who
has the spirit of the Lord Jesus Christ will
be as he was; and wherever be came every
body hocked to him. Even the old sturdy
priests and pharisces could not keep away
from him. Mothers with their children came
to him Children themselves ran to him,
Aud the wicked .-those who were not account
cd to be worthy of standing in society free
they thronged his footsteps. Wherever the
Master came there were sympathy and at
tractiyeness and wherever there is true
piety, it should be sweet it should be
fragrant it should draw the bees, the very
inseets--to it.-Beecker.
Year: 1873

REroRrs ofproceedings at the close Of
the scholastic year at the two principal
institutions Of learning in the State en-
gross the greater part Of our paper this
morning to the exclusion Of both tele-
yraphic and editorial matter. Ifit can
afford any consolation to disappointed
readers this morning, we may assure
them that the telegraphic dispatches
received last night contained nothing
Of startling importance, nothing out
OF the usual tenor of the news OF the
day