smithclay/nortonstories huggingface dataset:
Year: 1875

At the Convent of the Visitation, Monte
Marie, there was no midnight mass, as IN
former years. This is a privilege the nuns
of the Visitation alone enjoy, and it was no
little disappointment to them and the young
ladies of the academy, who had made great
preparations for the event, that tkey should
have had to give it up. The indIspositlon
of the celebrant was the cause of this change
in the usual order of the services.
Year: 1875

WAS not word Of truth in the story The
HERALD selfadmits as much. - : and one
can only wonder why 50 patent lie could
have been invented and circulated" This
language is not in itself model of taste, but
applied to the New York HERALD is mani
fest injustice. Would it not have been more
creditable and considerate in the English
Journal to have been first sure that the story
was published by US as original matter ?
Could it not have taken the small trouble to
see that it was copied from another paper as
an extravagance, and so alluded to editorially
bv usp
Year: 1875

large win have no option but TO
support him. III there should be two
or three other republican candidates he
will 90 into the Convention with greater
strength than any of them, and the rivals Of
Blaine would perhaps sooner have Grant than
him The idea OF the Sun that the Method
ist influence with the Southern negroes is
strong enough to give Grant the delegates
rect, and with such compact body of sup
porters he need not despair Of controlling the
Convention He is likely to have threefold
more votes on the first ballot than any other
candidate, because the delegates from every
State in which the republicans are minor
ity will give him their support The relig-
ious question will win him the Southern ne
groes sa DsaSSe, and his official patronage
will enable him to virtually appoint the
delegates from every other State in which
the republicans q minority. With the
opposition to him divided between Blaine
and Bristow it will not be difficult to get
ahead of both and carry off the prize if
backed by the Methodist influence through
out the country President Grants strong
loint is his control of all the Southern dele
cations through the Methodist influence over
the blacks, and when he has once achieved
the republican nomination the whole party
will do its utmost to secure his election.
Year: 1875

We trust the members Of Congress will
have pleasant time when they reach their
homes to exchange holiday greetings with
their friends We fear the occasion will be
more festive and exhilarating on the repub-
lican than on the democratic side. Mr..
Blaine, the republican leader in the House,
cannot fail to be in high spirits, considering
who is pitted against him as the leader on
the democratic side. He can easily wind
poor MIR. Morrison around his finger in every
debate and win succession of cheap VIC
tories. "Pig iron" Kelley should also be very
happy during the holidays, as he will re-
ceive many congratulations for the honor
conferred on him by the free trade, hard
money Speaker, who slaughtered some of
the ablest men of his own party for very
slight leaning toward Mr.. Kelleys views.
Mr.. Morrison will also pass the holidays
happily as he has not yet encountered the
formidable antagonist who is likely
to strip him of his blushing hon
ors in the arena of debate. There
are few other members whose joy is likely to
be exuberant while exchanging the compH-
ments of the season. When the admirers of
Mr.. Cox and Mr.. Wood approach these de-
lighted gentlemen and congratulate them on
the political honors they have received at tho
hands of the democratic Speaker whom they
assisted to elect it will require all their
courtesy to maintain the dignifed smile of
the one and the jovial cordiality of the other
Mr. Hewitt and Mr. Chittenden are members
whom it will be equally adventurous for
their friends to congratulate on the official
recognition given them by Governor Tilden's
Speaker. The holidays will be an occasion
when political eganS ter7'ibles should be kept
shut up in the nursery, lest they spoil the
pleasant festivities of the season.
Year: 1875

The small village Of Bethlehem, where
Christ was born, was 80 Insignificant at the
time Of that great event that, if the modern
press had then existed, it may be doubted
whether the circumstances would have been
reported with fulness enough to satisfy
legitimate curiosity. Rome was then the
capital of the world but if there
had been an enterprising Roman news
paper entitled to be called the Rome
HERALD, it is not at all certain that
its conductors would have detailed alert cor
respondents to report the greatest fact in the
history of the human race. Judea was an
outlying province of the Empire; and even
if there had been wide-awake provincial
newspaper at Jerusalem it might have had
no conception that the lying-in of the wife of
an obscure peasant from Nazareth, which
happened in a stable because there was no
room for her at the inn, was the master event
in the annals of the human race.


Mankind will always have reason to regret
that the enterprising modern press did not
exist either in Rome or Jerusalem at SO inn
portant an epoch, and that even if it had ex-
listed the most important occurrence Of the
time would probably have escaped its atten-
ton But what would we not give for file
of Rome HERALD, or even of Jerusalem
Telegram, published at the time The
slightest mention in small type in the OBJ
scurest corner of such journal would have
been invaluable to subsequent generations.
The more authentic fixing of the date of the
birth of the Saviour of the world would have
been worth great deal. For want of such
facilities nobody knows when Christ was
born, and we are quite uncertain whether
our Christmas celebrations come in at the
right point of the calendar. 1t was not till
the fourth century of the Christian era that
the 25th Of December was fixed as the
proper date, and the day was then Sc
lected by the Church on mere vague
tradition, without accurate data Nobody
can ever know whether the 25th of December
is the correct date or not, and the improb-
ability of shepherds watching their hocks
by night at the time of the winter solstice in
so severe climate as that of Judea may,
perhaps, justify doubt. But if there had
OCSA hh aoClfO ucMSpdPcA PlSoo ~ thot OiiAie,
recording all events as they occurred, it
might be possible to fix the date with GER
tainty; but we know nothing about it, and
the world must always remain in ignorance
as to the real date Of the most important event
that has ever occurred in its history. The
contrast between ancient and modern times
between the period when there was no press
and the presents strikingly illustrated by
our uncertainty as TO the real date of an
event which eclipses every other in the his
tory of the world.
Year: 1875

The telegram from Vienna that Turkey 10
preparing for war was intended apparently
to Affect some financial interests between
that city and London but the statement
made simultaneously in Berlin, Vienna and
London as to what is to be done by the great
Powers is evidently worthy of more conf
dence. 1t is given out as their programme
that the ambassadors at Constantinople OF
the neutral Powers shall hencetorth consti-
tute practically the government of Turkey
in Europe that ''the reforms in the prov
inces" shall be under their special direction
and control rather than in the hands Of the
Sultan simply, of course because the Sui
tan cannot possibly become a reformer in
Christian sense, and that if he pretended to
this would only be the repetition Of time
honored political swinde. The effect Of
giving such power to the ambassadors would
be analogous to the appointment of q re-
ceiyer In any ordinary case of financial en-
barrassment. This body Of ambassadors
would, in fact, constitute sort of component
receivership, and would be preliminary to
settling with the creditors and winding up
the concern. At this rate it will not be many
years before the Sultan will be sent to Asia
Year: 1875

1t is no new thing for the Congress which
precedes q Presidential election to occupy
itself with political maneuyres intended to
bear on the approaching contest. But this
year the disease has set in at an early stage
and bids fair to rage with unusual virulence.
1t would naturally grow from four years to
four years, both by the force Of habit and by
the increasing patronage of the government
but it is worse than ordinary now, because
both political parties have facilities for play
ing the Presidential game during the session
The House is controlled by the democrats,
the Senate by the republicans, and, what
has never happened before. we have Presi-
dent near the close of his second term who
is bent on reelection He dips in his oar
and assists to beat the legislative waters into
Presidential foam.


President Grant began to give the proceed
ings of the session an electioneering turn
when he put in his bold bid for another term
by broaching the school question His
most formidable rival, Mr.. Blaine, attempted
to take the wind out of his sails by proposing
a constitutional amendment on that subject





bloody shirt as a party flag and urging an in
vestigation in Mississippi. Neither Presi-
dent Grants bid in his Message nor Mr.
Blaines amendment nor Senator Morton's
waving of the bloody shirt would have been
resorted to if this were the year after instead
of the year before Presidential election.
The democrats of the House are attempt
ing a counter game, but they do
not play it with skill The anti
third term resolution which young MIR.
Springer so suddenly sprung on the House,
though temporary triumph, was substan-
tial mistake, because it is for the interest of
the democratic party that General Grant
should be the republican candidate, and
forcing the republicans to vote against a
third term blunted the most trenchant of the
democratic weapons. Speaker Kerrs strange
composition of his committees was equally
maladroit as Presidential man9uvre. While
meant to be in the Tilden interest it
strengthens the democracy in those States
which are most hostile to the New York can
didate 1t has weakened him at home by
disgusting the strongest democratio mem
bers from this State. The sights
put on Messrs. Wood, Cox, Hewitt
and Ward will make trouble for Governor
Tilden in the State Convention for choosing
delegates next spring. He has active demo-
cratic enemies in New York, and they will be
strengthened by the blunder of insulting the
constituencies of these experienced Congress
men. 1t has become impossible for Gov
ernor Tilden to go into the National Conven-
ton with the unanimous delegation of his
own State, and failure on that point is fatal.
This attempt to purchase the West and South
will so ALLEVIATE the democrary of New York
that he will have no vigorous support He
hos merely enabled Mr.. Kerr to use the free
trade and hard money sentiment of the party
in his own interest, and the Western democ-
racy will prefer Kerr to Tilden as candi-
date if they are compelled to swallow the
common platform Of both Governor Til
dens subtlety has been too fine he has
overreached himself and given both oyster
and shell to the Western democracy.
Year: 1875

1t is proposed by philosopher, who is,
perhaps "only nor nor west mad, that the
country shall be saved from the dangers Of
negro suffrage by the balance wheel Of fe-
male suffrage, with an intelligence clause"
BY giving votes TO the slaves it is admitted
that we have adulterated the political life Of
the nation, and to the extent Of that adul-
teration debased and degraded the body poll
itie: but the addition OF the women as voters
will neutralize the evil effects, because their
vote will outnumber the negro vote, and SO,
practically, count Sambo out provided, Of
course, the suffrage is given only to the white
women. That is, Of course, the meaning Of
'the intelligence clause" which therefore
could only stand the assaults Of demagoguery
till it was thought by some one down in New
England that the votes of the colored sisters
would be useful Then Dinah would come
in beside Sambo and we should have the
prettiest kettle of fish, politically speaking,
the world ever saw. There is only one point
Of view from which this proposition can be
said to offer any advantage. Things are
pretty bad as they are but before they can
mend they must, perhaps, be worse, and this
will make them worse
Year: 1875

The action Of Harvard, in accepting Yale's
invitation to four-mile straghtaway race,
in eights, with coxswains, gives the latter an
opportunity which, save in one contingency,
may bring her far greater renown than she
has ever yet known. Should she now,
believing that she can row Harvard and whip
her and that the two conditions-that the
race be in skies and without coxswains-
imposed by the Rowing Association in its
challenge to the British universities, will
prove fatal to a race, challenge the
latter to their own sort of con-
test-namely, four-mile in eights with
coxswains-she will make it so hard for
them to decline that she may have the only
race with them after all, and may win it.
But, on the other hand, should Harvard beat
Yale, and then the British do the same, it
would be Harvards turn, and if she should
succeed in returning the favor Oxford did
her on the Thames it would seem only right.
In any event the challenge to the English
ought not to be long in going out, for there
is really no time to lose. If accepted it will
put Yale to her best efforts in the way of
training, and, if Harvard joins, will probably
induce the three gentlemen Of her last crew
who, though still at the University, had in
tended not to row, to reconsider. Her ac-
ceptance Of Yales challenge makes it
strongly probable that she has rowed her
last race in the association. For rowing in
six without, and in an eight with acoxswain,
requires such essentially different sorts of
work, that where, as this year at Harvard,
first class oarsmen are scarce, it will be almost
impossible to have two separate teams, and
as the eight are now in for it the six must
give way Bowdoin, too is already reported
weakening, and it will not be odd if, on the
reassembling of the colleges after the
HOLIDAYS or at the meeting of the as
sociation in this city, on the 4th
of January, word may come of the
nine New England colleges preparing to
row by themselves if they can find what they
have never yet found in New England for so
many crews-an absolutely fair course-to
say nothing of adequate hotel accommoda-
tions for even third of their friends.
Should these crews or the pick of them, row
the visiting Englishmen and be beaten they
will yet have accomplished one good thing
they will have gotten the latter here and If
before they let them go they will permit
Cornell or Columbia to interview them some
afternoon for about seventeen minutes on
wicked Saratoga Lake, possibly, in their
cooler moments Afterwards, they may not
regret it.
Year: 1875

A BIC Man was seen in Havana, and i'm
mediately some impetuous people declared
he was Tweed 1t is not likely that Tweed
would 60 to Havana, because that city just
now is as much prison as LUDLOW Street
Jail, and less comfortable. But while we are
speaking Of Tweed whereabouts we may as
well ask Mr.. David Dudley Field what he
meant by telling reporter Of the HERALD
the other day that he could communicate
with William NJ. Tweed within an hour?
Was it one OF those yapid jokes in which old
men sometimes indulge, Of mentally sub
stituting another person Of the same name
for the person meant? If Mr.. Field was
speaking Of William NJ. Tweed and not
William NJ. Tweed, Jr., there is in this in
formation an important clew for the police.
Year: 1875

Amp Now AUDITOR THAnE explains that he
vas able to reduce his Indebtedness to the
Troy City National Bank from fifty thousand
aollars to five thousand dollars in q single
- by the sale Of -four, which he had been
,rrying ia this city. We think, however,


.b in spite of any explanation hs may
wake AZ this time, bis official conduct can
g Judged only by the entire testimony in
case, and it is for the Canal Investigating
Commission 10 determine the question
Year: 1875

ExTRADrTIoN ON THE BoRDER.-A curious
case has arisen under the Extradition law
on the Rio Grande border which, like every
thing else in that interesting locality, seems
difficult Of solution. While the proceedings
we're in progress the Judge before whom the
case was brought was removed by the Gov
ernor and the prisoners counsel appointed
to the Bench in his place. As the etiquette
Of the Mexican Bar does not require judge
to refrain from giving decision in case in
which he has acted as counsel. and as, in
this instance, the new appointee has the
question of rendition under adyisement, the
outlook for the alleged criminal may be re-
garded as very favorable.
Year: 1875

Yin. LESTER WALLACE sends letter to the
HERALD contradicting statement to the
effect that he is sixty-two years old We
concede that nothing can be more annoying
TO an artist than overstatements Of his age,
because somehow in the case of an actor
this question, 50 interesting to most people
who frequent the theatres, is intimately asso-
ciated with his business and his art. But Mr..
Wallack is too well known as an artist of
rare excellence to be injured by any mis-
statement. All the patrons of his model
place of amusement know the worth and
completeness of his acting, and many Of
those who have seen his strength az an artist
increase with his years would gladly ex-
change their youth for his years even il he
were az old a. the paragraph represented
HIM
Year: 1875

The decline of our mercantile marine Is
one of those painful topics which it has been
the fashion to discuss with q good deal of re-
gret and but little hope Thousands of
Americans visit Europe yearly, making the
Atlantic trip on steamers carrying the Eng


lish. German or French flag Doubtless
many of them would prefer to take pas
sage under the Stars and Stripes,
but although they are the wealthiest
of our citizens we have heard of little
beyond their desires. Our laws, which are
Chinese in this respect, refuse Ameri-
can register to foreign built vessels, and as,
up to very lately labor and material were SO
much cheaper on the Clyde and the Mersey
than with us, American capital shrank from
the attempt Of building ocean steamers to
compete with those built abroad. 1t would
be improbable. and that settled it. But
these conditions have changed. Iron is
now low enough in price, and wages
Of mechanics and laborers sufficiently
reduced to make the building Of ocean steam
ers profitable. The vast drain upon our
commerce for freightage and passenger fares
paid into the Golfers of foreign corpora
tions makes it a necessity as soon as it is a
possibility to stop this financial TRANSMISSION
and let our money circulate in American
veins. The very trade which the provision
ing and fitting of such vessels, if American,
would bring, is at present poured into the
laps Of Liverpool, Glasgow, Bremen and
Hayre


1t is now proposed to build here a line Of
ton, engines, fittings and speed shall have
no superiors in the transatlantic trade. Sub
sides are out Of the question they are pre-
MUM on commercial sloth as well as bur
den on the country for the benefit Of q class
Hence the money must come from
those Immediately interested in ocean
freightage and from those who are willing
to assist really national undertaking at a
fair rate of profit. 1t is contemplated to
raise the capital by subscription
in shares Of one hundred dollars
each, par value, 80 as to put it
crate means as well as capitalists. We
wish the project every success. Outside
Of the commercial advantages which are
things Of the present there is another which
thoughtful Americans will not overlook.
This is well emphasized in the following
from Postmaster JEWELS report touching
the conveyance of our ocean malls
s'The great bulk Of our mails for Europe is
carried by steamers under foreign flags, sail
ing from the port of New York. As a matter
Of national pride, as an aid to the revenue of
American commerce and as means of sup
plying an efficient steam marine available
for immediate use by the government in case
Of war; provision should be made for the
transportation of our mails on important
ocean routes in steamships oficered and
manned by our own citizens and sailing
under our own flag.


The want Of such line is severely felt.
Its further non-existence would be a shame
70 American enterprise, and we believe that,
carried forward as we have indicated, the
project cannot fail to attract the favorable at
tention Of all patriotic and liberal minded
Americans, who thus can serve their country
while safely investing their spare funds.
Year: 1875

Some time ago there was an order


ISSUED from the General Superin-


tendent's Office of the Chicago & AL


ton Railroad requiring agents and


other employees connected with the
trains upon the road to wear badges
when upon duty, designating the po-
sition they have, that the travelling
public might, without mistake, know
who to apply to for information or
protection required. This order, in
due time was sent to the different
agents along the line of the road,
together with the badges they were
to wear.


Among the agents that received
this order and badge was Mr.. J. B.
Madison, of Washington, upon the


Western Division of the road, who
Immediately carried out the order.
He was very much pleased with the
badge, as it was quite ornamental,
and showed to every one the posi-
tion held. He thought it would save
many questions as to the rank he
held upon the staff of this large cor,
poration, so he wore it continually
not only around the town, but to
church and other places of amuse-
ment-and when he took off his hat
he would place it in a very conspicu-
GUS position, that it might draw at
tention. The young men of Washing
ton began to feel quite taken abaek
by the attention given to the young
railroad agent, therefore they set
their heads together to get rig on
him, which they saw fully carried
out lately to the delight of all the
citizens of the above named city.
They purchased very fine sword
and belt down the road somewhere,
and then wrote letter purporting
to come from the General Superin,
tendent, informing all agents that
in future they wonld be required to
wear the sword and belt, as it would
add greatly to the appearance of the
leading official at the station, as well
as give him something with which
to defend the patrons of the road
from the confidence men and pick
pockets that are always to be found
at railroad station, This was tax
en- north and given TO the train men
who, on the arrival of the train at
Washington, delivered it to Mr..
Madison, who promptly put it on;
and he was seen prominading the
streets in full dress, strutting about
as proud as a Major General. The
novelty of the thing created consid-
cradle laughter among citizens, who
began to question him about the
cause of all this display; whereupoq
he showed the instructions, Some
one told him that the whole thing
was joke put upon him, and that
he had better see if the thing was
general throughout the line; so he
repaired to the Office, and by tele-
graph asked the agents at Laeon and
Wenona if they had got their swords,
&c, to which they replied they had;
that they were the laughing-stoek of
every one, but they did not mind it,
as they would soon become used to
it. Getting this assurance that there
was no joke about it, he resumed his
business without any further trouble.


Before night the joke had gone
the length of the wires on every di-
vision of the road, and a ripple 0f
laughter was continuous from Chica-
go, Louisiana and Washington, to
Chicago, and probably by this time
to every telegraph line in the Union.
If Mr.. Madison ever hears the end of
It he may bless his lucky stars.