smithclay/nortonstories huggingface dataset:
Year: 1876

Since commencing the publication Of
this journal we have experienced no lack Of
Willingness from our people to assist US 10y
every means in their power. We have re.
ceived much valuable assistance in The same,
in items of news, letters and original literary
articles, both prose and poetry, some of
high merit submitted 10 US tor publication
Our thanks are due our friends for assist
ance rendered us in this respect. We es-
teem favors OF this kind very highly, and
desire their continuance. a word may not he
out Of place rs to the kind Of communica-
tiOns mrs' desired hy us.


First: We never can have too many news
items, or accounts OF the local interests Of
each portion of our community sent to ".
These articles if not in proper shape for
publication, we always can, and are willing
to rewnte and condense. The information
they contain is what we want. No news
paper is ever in danger Of receiving too
many of this class Of articles. Therefore II
any of you see your own ncigh"rilood is
not properly represented, or If events have
there taken place OF loCa importance by u
unnntccd DO mot fear to- write to US, inform.
ing us of the facts in the case.


In our first number we stated that as soon
as our support would Justify, we should Try
to make our pnpera record of the literary
and scientific progr as of the Sound region
md Of the Snohomish in particular. In illl
Gllment Of this promise, we have every
Gtck given considerable space to OTigina
Year: 1876

ST. LOUIS, Feb. 24.-At the opening of the
Court this afternoon, motion for a new
trial In the Mckee case was taken up. and
the argument begun at 3 20


ct. LOUIS, Feb 24--Judge Dillon in his
charge reminded the jury that the Govern
ment owed a duty to its citizens as we'll as
It's revenue, and it lay in the province of
the jury to aequit as we'll as to convict.


The jury in the Babcock case sent word
that they had found verdict. and they
were Immediately admitted into Court. In
taking their seats the foreman handed the
verdict to the clerk, who read it as follows !:


We, the jury, find the defendant mot
guilty"


Some demonstration in favor of the de-
fandant was made but it was quickly sup
pressed. There was general hand shaking,
however, and Gen. Babcock crossed over to
the jury and most heartily and feelingy
shook the hands of each juryman, and
them for the verdict. The general
ard his friends then left the court and start
ed for his hotel; on reaching the street the
party was heartily cheered by the great
crowd congregated in front OF the custom
house, and almost everybody seemed well
pleased at the result
Year: 1876

Secretary Robson informs the House
OF Representatives that there Is no Off
cor more than sixty-two years OF age on
the active list OF the navy. This state
ment furnishes key to considerable
part OF the unnecessary cost or the naval
establishment. Under the existing laws
u great number Of vigorous. experienced
and in every way valuable officers are
forced to retire just when their services
are worth more to the country, and q
great number of indolcnt officers are
enabled to retire, on liberal allow
ance, while they are still quite
fit for duty. Then. to fill their places we
have series OF promotions, and a
corresponding increase in the naval cs-
Inmates. It Is unjust to the country and
unjust to the navy that officers should
be arbitrarily retired at q certain age
(Which certainly cannot be called very
advanced one) without reference to their
physical or mental condition, and II
Congress wishes to economiZe let it try
what reform in the retiring laws will do.
We do not advocate reduction
in the nay OF retired officers; hay
ing kept them on small salaries all
their lives It is not the part OF a
great nation TO turn them adrift In their
old age without decent means Of sup
port but we are satisfied that the re-
tired list is too large, because officers
are retired too early. Slft the matter to
the bottom and it will probably be found
that the Naval Academy turns out mid
shipmen faster than they are needed,
and the clamor for promotion In the
lower part of the line forces out the
veterans at the head. Then why not re-
duce the number Of cadets.-Ne,0 York
Tribune.
Year: 1876

The art of baking consists in heating
anything i'm an oven or fire so as harden
it. and this term is applied to the man.
facture of bread, porcelain, pottery and
bricks. The origin of baking, as of most
arts of primary Importance, precedes
the period of history, and is involved In
the Obscurity of the early ages of the
human race.


The very early mention of bread in
written history further bears out the
great antiquity of the art of baking. We
are told in Genesis, xviii, 5, that Abra-
ham, wishing to entertain the three an
gels on the plains of Mamre, offered "to
fetch a morsel of bread" and told Sa-
rah to ''make ready quickly three mea-
sures of fine meal, knead it and make
cakes upon the hearth" A little later,
the art of baking was carried to high
perfection by the Egyptians. From an
cient Egypt the art of baking travelled
with the march of civilization into
Greece. We also learn that the Roman
bakers had special privileges granted to
them. The calling Of the baker during
the Middle Ages was considered to be
one so closely affecting the interests Of
the public that it was put under strict
regulation and supervision, and con-
tinued to effect the trade until very re-
cent times.


In England as early as 1906 an act
was passed regulating the price of
bread by public assize, and continued
until 1886. In 1872 the captain of an
English ordered baker in one of the
towns of Sweden to bake q quantity Of
bread to the value of fl sterling. The
baker, confounded at so large an order,
Year: 1876

Understand the reason, and all the
reasons, why the habit is injurious.
Study the subject until there is no lin
gering doubt in your mind. Avoid the
places, the persons, and the thoughts
that lead to the temptation. Frequent
the places, associate with the persons,
indulge i'm the thoughts that lead away
from temptation. Keep busy; idleness
is the strength of bad habits. Do not
give up the struggle when you have
broken your resolution once, twice-a
thousand times. That only shows how
much need there is for you to strive.
When you have broken your resolutions
just think the matter over, and endeavOr
to understand why it is you failed, so
that you may be on your guard against
a recurrence of the same circumstan-
ces. Do not think it an easy thing
that you have undertaken. 1t is folly
to expect to break off a habit in day
which may have been gathering long
years.
Year: 1876

Mrs. SiddOns once described with no
small humor to Campbell the scene of
her probation on the Edinburgh boards.
The grave attention of the Sc0tchmen,
and their eanny reservation of praise
till they were sure it was deserved, she
said, had well-nigh worn out her pa
thence. She had been used to speak to
animated clay. but she now felt as if
she had been speaking to stone. Sue
cessive flashes of her eloquence that
had always been sure to electrify the
South fell in vain on those northern
flints. At last she said that she had
worked up her powers to the utmost
emphatic possible utterance of one
passage, having previously vowed in
her heart that If this could not touch
the Scotch she would never again cross
the Tweed. When it was finished. she
paused. and looked at the audience.
The deep silence was broken only by q
single voice exclaaming, THAT'S no
badw
Year: 1876

for one week, then draw it to year
and then to twenty! But to fully COM
prehend its weight to him you must re-
member the life he had led, the ultra
refined and naughty nature Of the man
and his intense sensiveness both TO ply
sical pain and to anything in the slight
est degree lOathsome. Remembering
these, and the burden of the secret to
be kept while the curious world which
missed its idol clamored to be told the
reason of his living death to them, you
may imagine little of the acute and
almost unbearable suffering Of those
twenty years.


At last there came a time when the
meals were scarcely touched, when
there were no orders put below the
curtained doors at all; until one day a
written paper lay there bearing a sum-
mons for the clergyman.


An old man the vicar was then-as
old as i am now-and it was he who
told me this story just as / tell it you.
He came and prayed as he had been
bidden to do, kneeling in the outer
room. He knew the door was opened
leading into the bed chamber where the
squire sat, but he had been hidden not
to pass beyond the closed curtain, and
he never dreamed of trying to do SO.
He raised his voice and prayed in terri
BILE earnestness, but no answering voice
reached him through the heavy drapery.
He might have thought that the squire
was dead but that there came written
word of thanks at last.


Next day the vicar came again, but
the doors were fast then, for he had not
been summoned, and there was no sign
from within that his plea for admission
was even heard.


That night the frightened servants
sent for him again. They could hear
and for two days now. they said, he had
not even admitted them with food.


"You shall fetch the doctor, /" he said,
''and we will enter somehow-he and l
and save him, If we can You must
all remember his orders and your oath. +"


They broke the lock of that first door
with great difficulty and the doctor and
the clergyman stepped softly in. This
door, the one that leads into the cham
Der, was ajar behind its curtain, and
when they entered they saw at glance
the solution of this ghastly mystery.


The squire lay dressed upon the bed,
his loaded pistol still grasped in the
stiffened fingers Of his thin right hand,
and his left stretched towards the cur
tain of the bed, as If he had been going
to draw it round him when the end had
come.


He had not used the pistol, though
heaven knows If there could ever be
enough temptation to excuse self-mur-
der it was here! No, in this solitude
and pain and ghastliness Of suffering,
he had waited his release.


The doctor gently covered the face
which had been SO proudly beautiful,
that the ghastly sight might hurt no
other eyes; and it never did. The
faithful old servants remembered and
obeyed their masters order even now.
For nearly twenty years they had lived
with him and never looked upon his
features; and through this one day that
they had access to his room they kept
their oath most sacredly, and left the
soft, white covering on the face which,
in its decay, they never could have re-
C gniZed.
Year: 1876

The man who has nothing to do is the
most miserable Of beings. No matter
how much wealth q man possesses, he
can neither be contented nor happy
without occupation. We were born to
lsbor, and the world is our vineyard.
We can find q field for usefulness al
most anywhere. In occupation We for
get our cares, our worldly trials and
our s0rrows. 1t keeps US from con-
stantly worrying and brooding over
what Is inevitable. If we have enough
for ourselves, we can labor for the good
of others; and such task Is one Of the
most delightful duties a worthy and
good man can possibly engage in.
Year: 1876

1t is a nice question, in many cases,
which has done the more hurt, the dis
ease or the remedy? Whether for in
stance, the child's health suffers more
from the intestinal parasites which vex
him, or from the destructive purgatives
employed as anthelmintics; whether
the cancer or the knife produces death
more speedily; whether calOmel or
quinine be not pretty much such friends
to the sick man as La Fountaine's good
natured bear was to the gardener, whose
mouth he crushed while trying to brush
the flies off as he slept. 1t is an equally
nice question to determine whether
there ever really did occur a critical
period in any disease, when the direct
actual medicine, per Sc, can turn back
the wavering life from the jaws of death
to the fiowery meads of re-established
health; or, granting the possibility of
such a rare occurrence, we do not run
too great risk, as rule, to be able to
profit by it? These are nice questions,
as have called them, nor does the pres
ent condition of medicine entitle us to
expect to see them answered. For these
reasons, among many others, medicine
cannot be called a science. 1t must not
be supposed, however, that the Doctors
Office is to become a sineeure because
his drugs are voted rubbish and his
methods falser. On the contrary, we
shall need him quite as much, and his
advice will be more valuable 10 US than
ever. He will not have it in his power
to do harm, and consequently can give
his undivided energies to the pursuit of
good. 1t shall be in his Office to teach
us the fallacy of physic. He shall pre-
sent to our minds in all its horrid ar
ray the atrocious enormity of medicine
as once it was practiced, and so she'll
save many poor sufferer amongst us
from unconscious suicide. He shall be
our perpetual beacon light against the
irOn-bOund, immitigable loadstOne rock
of quackery. where so many fair keels
lie untimely wrecked. In fine, be shall
become to us the counterpart of that In
valuable member of another profession,
known as the chamber-lawyer, a quiet
man of skill and experience, who
abounds with all the wisdom and unc-
ton of pertinent counsel, and who
never takes his client into Court, where
he is bound to lose, no matter how his
case is decided.-Atldntic Monthly.
Year: 1876

this strange cloud, that is the line Of


the upper edge, though IL varied from
day to-day. yet varied very slowly ii9s
Fo For twelve or twenty-four hours, the


same protruberances, or notches wers,


visible One man, an old sailor, de-


clared that to the best of his belief,


they were approaching land; some un-
known shore, whole iheadlands were q


thousand miles high. slsis ese39 " dalal
II Thus with continually moderating


weather and sufficient supply Of the


necessaries of life, our party of twenty
two men sailed or rather foated on for
more than week. On the seventh day


after the parties found each other in so


remarkable manner, phenomenon APP
peared which was more strange than
any they had yet encountered; moro
wonderful than anything ever beheld by
mortal eyes. For several days, on ac-
count Of the strange dark cloud their
light had been rapidly abating. Eara
ly one morning, long before the daily
glimpse of the sun was expected, far
on the northern horizon, or point in
the blackness before them the horizon
line would have been seen had there


been anything to mark it, appeared q
sudden CLEAN Of light. A sailor first
spoke of it, and was coolly informed by


Arthur that he had seen it half an hour
before and had showed it to Inman.4
'" Yes" said the latter, sand he's been


expecting to see it for three days.'eae I!


This caused general laugh, but was
nevertheless simple truth. The light
increased hourly and soon presented a
sharp outline in the, form Of segment
of a great circle. It was the rising ofa
disk of light many times larger than the
sun, and though its brightness was by
no means dazzling, it was yet as bright
as the clear blue sky behind them.
Aud now looking at the sky behind
them another strange appearance was
noted. The horizon line seemed not
entirely straight but turned upward at
each end slightly, to meet the DARK
cloud overhead. ..,-. -. #.


Watching and discussing these vary
ing and wonderful phenomena the ice
berg drifting on, another day was spent.
Tha sun was visible for only thirty
minutes during the day, though there
was not cloud in the sky, save the one
dark band that shut out more than half
of it. Meanwhile the wonderful disk
of light rose steadily until within thirty
hours of its first appearance, it was vis-
ible as complete circle about five, de-
grees in diameter. Arthur and Inman
had during these seven days of idle
floating upon the ice-mountain, been


much together, and had been engaged
in low earnest conversation, and had
| often taken observations with, various
Instruments. The moment Of the suns
appearance was noted and his altitude
! carefully taken.gs The compass was
4 carefully watched. Atmidnight the pole
i star was seen on the meridian a little


south Of the zenith! The young men
came forward the next morning with
the startling announcement" We are
/ inside of The Earthl Look out for
the Neac Worldi IS s,Y.t{ ss.s.s.5.
Year: 1876

We wish we could impress upon ev-
cry farmer in this rich agricultural
State, the necessity of keeping his
land in rich state of cultivation. We
do not care how fat the soil may be,
the present system of constant wear'


is bound in the end to impoverish the
soil. Land must have rest. In order
that the necessary producing proper
ties be retained in the soil, it is requi'
site that some little should be given
hack to take the place Of so much
taken from it; Produce Of every de.
Year: 1876

scription draws heavily from the soil.


Wheat, oats. and barley can hardly be


called as great feeders as corn, neither


does potatoes extract as much vitality


from the earth as cabbages, but in or.
der that the vitality of the land be re-
tanned, we must certainly learn that
unless we use fertilizers the time will
soon be at hand when we shall be
treated to only half crops.


1t is often remarked by those who
have given their attention to the mat
ter that the soil in the west will so
readily respond to manure. A good
thorough dressing Of manure every
three or four years seems to have more
OBJECT on the crops than in New Eng
land or New York where in some in
stances the land is manured every
year.


We have frequently noticed that on
old settled farms, stables and barns
have been moved in order to get rid of
the great accumulation of manure
around the buildings. This is all
wrong. The manure should be re-
moved from the surroundings of the
stables and the barns, and scattered
over the fields. Then the benefit to
the land would be immense, and the
trouble and expense of moving the
buildings would be saved.


One thing certain. In the older por.
tions of the State the day is close at
hand when fertilizers of every char.
acter will be in demand. The inau.
guration cannot commence too soon.
Year: 1876

An unhappy mother was found by a
funeral party at Greenwood cemetery
lying with her four little children
huddled about her on the grave of her
husband. They were all quietly dying
there of starvation amid the costly
monuments reared by civilized opu-
lence and religion, to attest the sane
tity of human affections and human
hopes. The poor creatures had been
turned out of their apartments in this
city, and they found no room left for
them anywhere among the living in
the metropolis of the great republic.
Year: 1876

The following humorous account of
the way German BARRIERS treat their
victims is supposed to be written by a
California boy to his home people:


| had my hair cut yesterday for the
second time since l have been here.
The BARRIERS here must be licensed as
professional torturers by the govern
ment. will describe the modus
Operandi. and / think that you will
agree in my opinion of them. They
seat you on chair and then tie kind
of night-gown around you, taking care
not to tuck it in at the neck, and then
they commence operations with
grand flourish of a big pair of shears,
which look large enough to cut your
head off. They then proceed to cut
the hair at the back part of the head.
This is done in an artistic manner by
pulling a couple handfuls of hair out
by the roots and reducing the person
b ng operated on TO a state bordering
on insanity. After having made the
patient sufficiently nervous they begin
operations around the ears. They go


along pretty smoothly for a few Sc
conds-just long enough to delude the
poor fellow into the belief that his
sufferings are at an end, when down


comes the shears into the ears, cutting
off: the tip and extracting = howl of
pain and rage from the sufferer. The


barber smiles blandly and assures him
that it is nothing, only a scratch, and


also tells him that he should have
lodged the shears. The poor fellow
now concludes that he will do his best
to dodge the next cut, and successful
" eludes six or seven well'directed
blows, when the barber resolves on
strategy. He gets directly behind the
chair, places the shears in his right
hand near the right ear of the person,


then taps the left ear smartly with


his first finger of the left hand. The


victim Immediately throws his head


to the right to escape the expected


blow on the left, when down comes


the shears on the right ear, cutting a
good.sized chunk off, at sight of which


The barber sets up shout Of delight
and dances around the room in state
of the greatest satisfaction. .-.*-
Year: 1876

A Western swine raiser says: "For
the past three years have been We: y
lucky with hogs. Have a pasture of
about thirty-five acres, not much grass,
but plenty of young oaks, hlckories
and hazel brush, with plenty of run
ming water. keep salt and sulphur
in trough where they can help them
selves, with pile of charcoal, and it
will surprise those who have not tried
to see them cat it after every feed of
corn. Probably a field of clover with
running water in it, would be the best
pasture that hogs can be kept i'll. Par
ships are the best root crop that can
be grown for swine. They eat them
eagerly raw, and many farmers grow
them especially to feed to their hogs" "


The writer experimental feeding
parsnips to hogs, and found that it
was profitable, and would recommend
the attention of farmers to the cheap
ness of that food. Parsnips are grown
with little trouble. The yield is enor-
nous, and hogs fat so readily when
fed upon them that there need be no
excuse for lean pork.
Year: 1876

A correspondent wants to know if
the first week in August is not the best
time to set out strawberry vines. We
answer no. Not in this latitude. It
won't do to set out strawberry vines
later than from the Goth to the 25th
of May. And they would be all the
better if set out the last week in April.
The difficulty with strawberry vines
when set out late is, there is not time
for them to take root so that they can
not stand our winters. The early
vines become vigorous, and deeply
rooted in the ground, which, with a
slight mulching, is pretty sure guar
antec they will not winterkill. The
Wilson is the favorite. though there
are several other varieties in the State,
but the Wilson yields fruit that will
bear transportation, while the fruit of
the most of the other varieties are
soft and are crushed in the boxes while
being sent to market. The Wilson is
rather a tart fruit and inferior in quail.
ity, but pleanty Of sugar makes it pal.
atable.
Year: 1876

No business occupation or employ.
ment is so sure to be remunerative as
farming, if the necessary conditions
success are complied with. Out of
nothing, nothing comes, and this is as
true in agriculture as in any other
pursuit. Hundreds of farmers are
complaining about poor success; they
are expecting something to grow out
os nothing. Their fathers and grand.
fathers have been taking off the
cream of the land, and they expect to
do the same, when, in fact, the supply
is exhausted. Plant-food has been
carried off from the farm 50 long that
there is little if any left to manure
crops. Tender plants springing up
and grow on air and moisture they


thrive in early spring, but there being
no strength in the soil, the scorching
such bakes the ground and dries them
up so that there is small return for
all the labor. The soil is not to blame.
Nature is not to blame. But the far.
mer is to blame who expects some.
thing to come from nothing. Making
the soil rich in plant food with
thorough culture will make farming
ing a renume1ative employment.-
Ohio Farmer.
Year: 1876

MR. E. s. MITCHELL, Of the southern overland mail line, left here on Wednes- day for nasty trip toand from san Diego. He had just returned from one over the route eastward as far as Silver City, and put everything right. He says the reason why we do not get the Silver City Herald, Is because 1t has not been published late Y for want Of paper. Sorry so good a pa per should stop even temporarily, but glad to know exactly why it is not received.