smithclay/nortonstories huggingface dataset:
Year: 1875

There is a popular prejudice that hard
water is dangerous to the health, and on that
account we are constantly warned by phys
icians to beware of it, but in England one OF
the leading authorities on this subject, DR..
Letheby, after devoting many years to an in
vestigation into the properties OF the water
introduced into English cities, and to a study
of the sanitary reports ON the subject, comes
to the conclusion that moderately hard water
is safer and more healthful than soft water.
Hard water is not only clearer, colder, more
free from air, and consequently more agreea-
BILE to the eye and to the taste than soft water
but is less likely TO absorb organic substances,
to sustain the life Of zymotc organisms, or
to exert solvent properties upon salts OF iron
or upon leaden conducting pipes. The lime
salts exert a beneficial influence upon the
animal economy, and even protect the sys-
tenn from dangerous outward influences. DR..
Wilson of EdiDburg has also collected valua-
Bile material on the subject and comes to the
same conclusion as DR.. Letheby. He takes
the ground that the human body requires for
its nourshment and support supply OF GER
tain mineral salts, among which carbonate
and phosphate OF lime play an important
part in building up the compactness of the
bones and in other functions. We usually
obtain phosphate of lime in our animal and
vegetable food, but net from the water we
drink. Carbonate of lime, however, is not
contained in adequate quantity in our solid
food, but generally obtains in spring and well
water.


1t has been incontestably shown that in
mountainous districts, where the water is
more or less hard, the inhabitants exhibit the
best physical development. On the other
hand it is believed that in large cities the
mortality is inversely as the hardness OF the
water supplied to the Inhabitants. A water
which contains about six grains of carbonate
OF lime to the gallon, is suitable for use IN an
household purposes. As drink, and for
cooking food, such water offers tne heces- ,9s
in the simplest. most natural and most easily
digested form, and is at the same time
more agreeable, fresh ard sparkling. 1t is
evident that our preconceved popular no.
vi,ing. and that it may be better to use such
water than to have recourse to rain or ice
water.-Western Rural. A.
Year: 1875

A CURIOUS law has just been introduced in
the New Jersey legislature. 1t provides that
fine not exceeding five thousand dollars and
Imprisonment for a term not exceeding one
year shall be imposed upon any person who
shall transfer his property t., avoid taxes or
who shall incumber his estate for the purpose
OF claiming deduction for debts.
Year: 1875

We do not read anonymous letters and communi-
cations. The name and address of the writer are in
all Indispensable, not necessarily tor publication
but as a guaranty of good faith.


We cannot undertake to return or reserve commu-
nicatiOns that are not used.
Year: 1875

by the SherifFs officers. The Sheritts
deputies are also securing the city with
out result. The police. are still Of the
opinion that Tweed passed out of the
front basement door and was taken to
SiXueth street and East river, where he
embarked in a small steam vessel.
Year: 1875

NEW oRK, December "a report
is in circulation, but casrot be verified,
that Tweed escaped week ago and Is
now we'll away from the country. Sheriff
Conner and Warden Dunham are liable
to a fine Of $1,000 and one years lmpris-
oniment for their neglect, and if Tweed
is not forthcoming they will be apt to
get the full extent of the law.


Excitement SUI Running High.


There was no cessation to day to the
excitement created on Saturday night
throughout the city, by the announce.
meHt Of the escape OF Boss Tweed. Police
Commissioner Matsell has no theory IN
regard to the escape, but said emphsti'
cally that, in his opinion, there was
collusion somewhere. Superintendent
Walling said at late hour this morning,
that thus far not the slightest clue had
been obtained by him which might
put him on the track of the fugitive, as
the police were unable to fad any person
who saw the coach which 1t is supposed
carried Tweed of, or the driver Of the
coach. who had been left at his residence
Year: 1875

The Jeffersonians, AT least q portion Of
them,-after wandering about in vague, un-
certain manner 50 long, have at last struck
the right track, and, if they have the courage
to follow it and will not allow the Cosmopoli-
tans and the bum1ners to drive them out Of
it, they may at last accomplish something
useful and not be the mere ornamental ap-
pendage to the Cosmops which they now are.
At the meeting Of the council held at the
Sherman House on Friday evening there was
very free, although somewhat Irregular
talk about the future policy Of the Club,


which was at last summed up in a series Of
resolutions, which provided, among other
things, that the late charter election was a
fraud and has been virtually SO decided by
Judges Booth and Farweu in the pending
quo warranto case, and therefore the city
authorities should abandon all further action


IN the premises; that, under the Constitu-
ton, their tenure Of Office cannot be
extended beyond the time for which they are
elected; that, in order to relieve the CITY
Government from further expense, litigation.
and confusion, and to ascertain finally the


"" ~ tae peop!e, the proper city Ru-
thorities be requested to submit the charter
of 1872 to the people, at the general election
in November, for adoption or rejection, when
the voters can determine whether thew will
accept it or remain under the original organic
law Of the city y; that nit is e1pedient and
necessary to hold a general election fo1 citv
officers on the first Tuesday after the Arst
Monday In November next" And a. s;ania-
can't sequitur to thesa Recommendations, Tia
Year: 1875

The note found in bottle near Lake View,
purportng to be in the handwriting Of DON
ALpsos, the aeronaut, has been pronounced
forgery by the Manager Of BARSuMs Hip
rodrome. It is pity that the sensational
fool who concocted the forgery could not be
punished in some manner which would for
evermore prevent him from tampering with
the feelings Of the friends and relatives OF
the lost men There is no excuse for such
brutal business.
Year: 1875

Since April last large amount Of these
taxes have been paid, and the proceeds have
been applied to the redemption Of the out
standing certificates; Of the taxes Of 1873
two-thirds have been collected, and Of those
Of 1874 several millions will have been paid
during the present month But, for the ex-
penditures Of the current year, the deficit in
the collection will have to be met by The is
sue OF other certificates AL these taxes are
a lien On the property, none Of which can
be sold or morsgaged without the previous
payment Of taxas- AL persons who have
mortgages On their property, and are under
contract to PAY tho taxes thereon. run thu
Year: 1875

Col. VALENTINE BAKER has been dismissed
from the British army Tho indiscretion Of
g moment has ruined his life. But how
differently they manage these things in our
enlightened country. Better be minister
in the house Of the Lord in Brooklyn than a
dveller in the tents Of the army in England
Year: 1875

The theatrical season is just about to be-


gin. In New York, such an announcement


makes futter. Everybody goes to his or
her fayorite theatre, watches the new play
with keen interest, and decides On its merits


In Chicago, everybody waits for somebody
else to go and pass Judgment Oh these first
courses in the theatrical bill Of fare for the
season- The mark Of proyincialsm is on our
theatre-going classes. They are afraid to like
play unless somebody in the East has liked


it beforehand. A better drama than either


"Big Bonanza" OF "Two Orphans" pro-
duced here for the first time, would
not run week Audiences could
not be got for it. The morse1 that
tickles our theatrical palate must be favored
with Eastern applause or English approval.
The large class Of citizens who believe in the


good influence Of the theatre as an educa-
tional force, and who regret the meagrenesa
busy people, must, for mere consistencys
sake, desire to hasten the day when Chicago
is to be as truly metropolitan in her play as
she Is in her work. But this can never come
to pass until we decide for ourselves,
and encourage play because it. Is
good, not because somebody else has
said it was good Our present provincialism
in this respect is an injury not only to Chico
20, but to the whole country outside of New
York City. For the whole country, with
possible half-e1ception in favor Of Boston,
shows the sane s1aviah tendency to ape the
opinions Of the biggest city, and refuse ap-
proval to anything which New York man
ager, company, audience, and newspaper have
not graciously granted the provinces pernis-
sion to like. The result Of this is that new
play can be produced, as rule, only in New
York. It will not pay an outside MAIL
ager to encourage local talent by put
ting q home-play on the boards. The
expense OF mounting it will be as
great as that involved in reproducing
q worn-out Eastern sensation, and its at
tractvenesa to the public will be in inverse
ratio to its newness, freshness, and local
tone. The reputable theatres Of the me-
tropols cannot produce more than haH-a-
dozen new plays, at the outside, each season.
Thus it happens that the demand for dra-
matio writing is pitnu11y small, and the
supply, Of course, corresponds to it. The
American mind may be called essentially
dramatic. With fair field, We would pro-
duce great playwrights and great plays. Asit
is, our contributions to stage literature COL
sist mainly in vapid revampings of French
sensations, and the literary classes ct the
country are full Of mute, inglorious
SHKauAas and Go1DzsnTHs- The managers
Of two Chicago theatres are about to
make an attempt to break down this foolish
dependence On the East Both will produce,
early this season, plays written BY gentlemen
Of this city. # the ''d first nights" are fail
ure, because people are afraid to 60 and
Judge for themselves, this will probably be
the end, at least for q long time, Of the at
tempt Il not our example will be initiated
elsewhere, and better day will dawn for the
American dramatist and the American stage.
Year: 1875

country will at once spur up bis friends to
realizing sense OF their duties, before wick
ed St. Louis steps in and gets him away.
There never was such q harvest for Mr..
Moody to work in. as St. Louis, and the few
good people there will make extra efforts to
secure him. We cannot spare him, how
ever, and for this reason his friends must 60
to work Immediately to prevent that wicked
place from getting ahead Of them.
Year: 1875

Il writer from Kansas to the Rural
says: "One man showed me two
pieces Of wheat, one of which was hard.
Iy worth cutting, while the other, right
alongside of it, was as good as could
be desired. lie said the only reason
he could give for it was that previous
tc sowing the latter piece he soaked
the seed in strong brine to get oats out
Of it, and as the bugs commenced
working at the roots they had been
kept off by the little saline matter that
adhered to the grain. Another man
said he had 5 acres Of spring wheat
that the bugs were working on very
badly, and thought be would risk
barrel OF salt on it at least lie SOW.
ed the salt broadcast over the ground,
and in a few days time not bug could
be seen, aud his wheat came on and
made great deal better crop by tho
application of the salt than it would
have made even though the bugs had
kept away. Other ideas were put into
execution, but with no good result.


l have said that | noticed the raw
ages Of the bugs everywhere l went.
but | will except the salt district Of
the smoky Hill Valley, where their
presence was hardly, if at all pcrcepti-
ble. Taking all these things into con-
sideration, it seems to me to be very
rational conclusion that salt will either
kill or drive the chinch bug away from
the crops on which-it is applied.
Year: 1875

A FEW of the more sensible followers oi
the Democracy are beginning to believe
that their faith in the "return to reason" oi
some of its leaders is again to suffer disap-
pointment. They dislike the Republican
party, but prefer it and its administration
of the Government to the Democracy, when
the latter, as it invariably does, resorts to
the methods Of demagogues to secure pub
lie approval. The immediate occasion ot
their present discontinue is the antagon-
istic attitude of their party in Ohio and New
York. Rag money is their especial aver
sion. They would prefer even hard money
with Grant as President than rag money
without him.
Year: 1875

THURMAN, OF Mansfield, Ohio, last Sat.
urday, betrayed his anxiety that the Demo
cratic party shall not be held responsible
for the declarations contained. in its Buck.
eye rag-money platform; but he did not
say word in approval of the platforms Of
thst party in New York and elsewhere, in
which hard money Ia indorsed. The in
ference from this is that Thurman Is better
satisfied with the Ohio platform than with
any other than has yet been framed.
While this position is not exactly consist.
ent with his speeches in the Senate, 1t will
pass as respectable effort Of befuddled
Democratic leader to explain the impos.
sible. The result of such exhibitions,


however, will be to disgust the. public with
q party which is one thing st one time
and another thing at another time. No
party can be everything and all things at
all times and places and retain the respect
Of the people. Just now the Democracy
is trying this game, while, with here and
there an erratic exception, the Republican
party is gradually becoming consolidated.


as the only one in the country that can be
trusted to preserve the credit ofthe country
and protect the integrity of the currency.


The more talk we have Of the kind that
Mr.. Thurman has favored US with, the
worse It wfll be for the Democracy and the
better for the country at large. /, s5iI,l i
Year: 1875

fact in their personal experience, Other
officials of higher grade were also made
TO feel it in pointed manner, and alto
gether 1t served as an influence which con-
tinually sapped> away the very foundation
OF his popularity. But this, his greatest
fault may be forgotten in the charitable
desire to preserve his memory as great
and good man. man among thousands, dis
tinguished for traits Of character which
will ever stand forth as beacon lights to
guide the footsteps of the youth of his
country.


His many personal friends in the Dis
trict, endeared to him by acts Of kindness
and charity, as well as by deeds to show
his friendly interest in the progress and
welfare of the entire community, will join
in the public grief at his loss, but with q
deeper and more earnest regret than is
usually occas:oned by the, death of q public
servant The fleeting scandals with which
his enemies attempted to blacken his
character are known to us to have been
without foundation in fact and, whatever
msy be his political faith, there exists not
one citizen Of the District who will now
say aught in derrogation of Andrew John
sons private character. He is gone to
reap his reward; the judgment of judg-
ments has been visited upon him, and,
while some Of his public acts may have
left baneful results behind them, let no
man say that he did not do shis duty as 1t
was given him to see the path of duty.
Year: 1875

In his report, Admiral Porter, of the
United States navy, says: In organizing
the system on which navy has to be
built it is necessary to take into con
sideration-frst, the needs of the coun-
try for the protection of its commerce;
second, the extent of coast to be defend
ed and the exposed condition of the Gea-
board cities; third, the relations of the
country with the other powers of the
world and the advancement continually
made in the science Of maritime war
fourth, to look deficiencies in the face,
and, at whatever cost, place the navy in
condition to meet any emergency.


This is not the case with our own navy
at present When its condition is fully
considered it would be the height of
folly to call it " etficient;" for, while that
delusion lasts, no supplies will be given
by Congress, and we will grow yearly
more inferior to other powers. War is
at all times dreadful alternative; still
more so when forced upon a nation so
utterly unprepared as we are at present.
L speak strongly on the subject, because
I know the real condition of the navy
and its present inability to meet the
wants of the nation, and may yet live to
see my country Inundated from the fact
that no attention has been paid to the
recommendation OF those whose duty
it will be to lead our ships into action
or direct their movements in time oi
war.


Now is as good time as any to in
augurate comprehensive system OF
naval defense, which would be the
proper term tc apply to the operations
of non-aggressive nation that does not
require navy with which to wage aggres.
sive war, but simply to protect its coasts
and commerce. We can only maintain
our position among nations by following
in their wake in naval matters, if we dc
not as we once did, set them the example
in the quality of our ships and guns
We have never had q settled policy will
regard to the class of vessels we should
build, and beg leave to suggest sys
tenn, which, if adhered to, will soor
place us in o very respectable condition
enable us to defend our coasts and dc
great damage to our enemies.
Year: 1875

1t is known that Captain Lowry, of
the United States ship Canandaigua, was
furloughed for the reason that he allowed
to be printed in newspaper published
on board the ship some structures upon
the Navy department 1t now turns
out that the article was not printed in
the little paper ON the ship, but that it
was written by marine, published in a
New Orleans paper, and foolishly credi-
ted to the little ship paper. The Picayune
says:


1t is now perfectly well known that
the Canandaigua Herald was always
myth, having been a mere squib,
pleasantly gotten up by one of the
marines on board for the amusement of
his comrades; and that in all probability
neither Captain Lowry nor any of his
officers had any knowledge of it or the
identity of its author. 1t was not until
Captain Lowry's trouble with the de-
partment, and the association by public
journals of that trouble with the imagi-
nary Canandaigua Herald, that all the
facts came out, and it was discovered
that the mysterious journalist was q
common marine named Tom May. Tom
May had not always been marine, how
ever, nor did he spring from the class
which generally supplies this glorious
country with marines, nor, indeed, for
that matter, with the average military
officer. 1t will surprise no one who
reads his writings to hear that he is an
alumnus Of Yale College, though it may
require little exertion to believe that
he graduated at West Point, became q
leutenantcolonel in the army during
the war, and belongs, by birth, to the
best stock in Pennsylvania and Mary
land. Such is the case, though, and
while we are not disposed to inquire into
the process by which gifted gentleman
has been brought SO low, the recital OF
these facts is deemed necessary to o
clear understanding of the affair.


1t only remains to be said that as soon
as May heard Of the furlough of Captain
Lowry and it's assumed cause, he went
to that officer with full explanation OF
the Canandaig,ta Herald hoax, and a
declaration that he was ready to as
sumo whatever responsibility might be
involved. The vessel has sailed now,
and Captain Lowry, we learn, is on bis
way to Washington; but if the public be
correct in supposing that the supposi-
tious newspaper and the retirement OF
Captain Lowry are in anywise connected,
we trust the foregoing narrative may
meet with due consideration.
Year: 1875

A sewage farm near Northampton,
England, contains three hundred acres,
of which one hundred are under cultiva-
ton, but the experiment is not yet very
successful. There is one good field of
italian rye grass, one good and one in
different field of mangold wurzel, and
one good plot of beans. A large field of
italian rye grass failed entirely, fine
crop of weeds growing in its place.
Other failures, which are not specified,
have taken place. 1t should be re-
marked that these failures do not yet
condemn the trial, for agriculture has
not yet attracted the careful attention of
the sewage commissioners, probably in
consequence of the only partially finished
condition of the works. Nevertheless
sewage farming does not appear to be q
success elsewhere, and it is reported
that the sewage is not thoroughly de-
prived of its organic matter in passing
through the farm. 1t is even thought
that the contagion of infectious diseases
is not destroyed in passing over the
ground.
Year: 1875

Gustave Planche, the noted French
critic, was poor, as literary geniuses
generally are. He submitted to hi
poverty half through a stoical disin-
terestedness and half through careless
ness which came from his temperament,
treating questions of interest with the
disdain of poet and the simplicity of
child. The editor of The Revue des
Deitr MondeS tried to clothe and feed
him without alarming his pride, but
with Indifferent success. On several
occasions he entered into conspiracy
with the hirer of Planche's lodgings to
steal the critics worn-out clothes and
replace them with new, made after the
pattern and color of the old Planche,
being absent-minded, did not remark the
substitution. This Observation-Disclosures
was one of his most striking traits. One
day some one remarked black stain on
his trousers, and spoke to him of it,
adding that it was the more conspicuous
being on gray. "What gray9" asked
Planche. "My breeches are brown. 1"
"What, do you call that brown 2" The
critic looked down at the article in ques-
ton, and saw that it was indubitably
gray. "Yet / would have sworn that it
was brown" said the wearer. He evi-
IDENTIFY thought of garment he had worn


times past


In his wanderings he sometimes did
not return to his lodgings for two or three
days at time, when his landlord took
advantage of these absences to rent his
room for night or two. Two or three
times Planche returned unexpectedly,
when the landlord persuaded him that
he occupied another room than his own.
At first Planche, on these occasions,
thought there was some mistake, but
when the man of the house repeated
with an air of conviction that the room
into which he was ushered belonged to
him, and pointedto to his books and papers,
for which he had a quick memory, he
allowed himself to be persuaded.


Through love of isolation or the fear
of being assisted, he kept his address
secret. For long time even the editor
of his magazine, M. Bulos, did not
know it, and only discovered it by acci-
dent He saw him in little hat shop
having his reddish-brown bald hat, in
ertrenlis, put under the iron, and drew
near and overheard the address. 1t is
hardly necessary to say that new hat
found its way to his lodgings, and that
he did not note the difference between it
and the old one.