smithclay/nortonstories huggingface dataset:
Year: 1872

Planets are continually intcgrating
ditfused materials which they encounter
in their progress through space, and it
has been estimated that the earth adds
to itself nearly one hundred and fifty
billions of such meteoric particles every
year. Secondly, it has been proved that
every planet must be slowly losing q
part Of its molar motion of graviatjon.
Tho effect of tidal waves, which are
caused by the gravitation of LIQUID TO-.
ward other planetary bodies, is to retard
diurnal rotation; and, in fact, the ter
restrial day is heightened by reason Of
the friction of the tides, and is destined
in the remote future to give abou. 4S5
hours between sunrise and sunset


The earth is also losing molecular mo-
ton by radiation. That some terrestrial
heat is lost without compe easation-and
very slowly, of course-can hardly be
doubted and for the state of things
thus untimely to be produced we may
find parallel in the present condition
of the moon. That appears to afford
an example of the universal death which
in an inconceivably distant future awaits
the entire solar system. If alons with
the dissipation of the molar and mole
cular motions the planets are also losing
angular velocity, this loss of motion viii
ultimately result in their integration
with the sun. OF two facts which bear
upon the subject, one (familiar to all
tardation of Encke's comet by the re-
sistance of the medium through which
it moves.


The other, which, so far as | know,
has not hitherto been mentioned, is that
all the planets are nearer the sun than
they ought to be, according to Bodies
law, the variation being most conspcu,
Gus, as might be expected, in the case
of Neptune. 1t is at least worthy of
notice that the discrepancy is such as
might have been caused by q slow djmi
mutton of the angular velocities of the
planets. Another fact, that the inter
planetary spaces are filled with matter,
and that, consequently, all planetary
bodies rushing through them must meet
with resistance and lose momentum,
proves that immense momentum will be
eaten up by the resisting force.


This loss of tagential momentum must
bring all the planets into the sun. AS
tne tne plaHet Slowly oTa"s Heai inc
sun its lost tangential momentum is re-
placed, and somewhat more than re
placed, by the added velocity due to the
increased gravitative force exerted by
the sun at the shorter distance. At the
last the planet must strike the sun with
TREMENDOUS force. The heat generated
by the earth and the sun alone in such
a collision would suffice to produce a
temperature Of nearly 100000 degrees
centigrade. OF course disintegration
would Immediately follow, and the next
stage is the dissipation of the whole into
a pebula.-Prof. John Fiske.
Year: 1872

1t is easy to understand why Brussels
lace is so costly, when we reflect that
the finest specimens of it is SO compli'
Gated as to require the labor of seven
persons on one piece, and each operative
is employed at distinct features of the
work. The thread used issof exquisite
tineness, which Is spun in dark, under
ground rooms, where it is sufficiently
moist to prevent the thread from sepa
rating. 1t is so delicate as scarcely to
be seen, and the room is so arranged
that the light admitted shall fall upon
the work. 1t is such material that il
renders the genuine Brussels ground SC
costly. On piece of Valenciennes not
two inches wide, from two hundred to
three hundred bibbins are sometimes
used; and for larger with as many as
eight hundred on the Same piece.
Year: 1872

Many ladies prefer to attend to the
more delicate parts of cookery them
selves, as the pie and cake baking, etc. {;
they have a natural fondness for it, or
they feel that it is well for them to take
unintentional distu bance they some
time make in poor Bridget's dominions!
OF course it is the part Of a well-trained
domestic to run at her mistress beck
and call to supply all her needs, to
"clean up after her." and to make no
remarks but, on the other hand, every
lady should do her work as neatly aud
with as little disturbance of kitchen
routine as possible. 1t is a mistake, for
instance, to suppose that each distinct
operation in cake-making, to be neatly
done, requires the use of Il separate
utensil Here are sugar, flour, butter,
and milk to be measured, eggs to be
beaten, and soda to be dissolved. One
flour, as they are both dry, and after
ward for the butter and milk. Soda
may be dissolved in the bowl in which
the eggs are beaten, after the eggs have
been added to the cake. When all is
finished it will be found that very few
dishes have been so;led. This is OF
course small item, but it "tells in the
long rum"


In Pacific railway traffic an interest
ing item is the shipment from San
Francisco east of a consignment of pears
and grapes for a gentleman in Belfast,
Ireland. 1t went forward by Wells,
Fargo e Co. S express, and was expected
to reach is destination in twenty days
Sending these "extra hazardous" per
ishable goods half way around the globe
is certainly striking incident of mod
ern transportation.
Year: 1872

THE MATTER OF SIzE-If a greyhound
were as large as an elephant. and had the
power and stride that would correspond
with his size, he would kill himself in run
ming mile. The material of his frame
would not stand the strain The draught
horse is never a race horse. Beyond a
certain weight, the loss of the power of
heetness begins. Nature puts her ma
terials into the best forms for securing
her objects. The swallow is switter than
the swan. Ship-builders have found. to
their sorrowful and disastrous cost, that
above certain size a ship is protitless
Taking into consideration the materia! OF
which ships ATE made, the modes OF
handling them, and the needs of com
merce, two ships, possessing the aggre-
late capacity of the Great Eastern, are
worth twice as much as she. The state
ment will doubtless be good for all time.
There is limit. fixed by nature, in this
matter of size, on all the instrumentali-
ties of human commerce of every sort,
beyond which results are unsatisfactory.
There will never be a railroad with
twenty-five feet gauge; there will never
be another Great Eastern.
Year: 1872

A STRANGE CAsE.-The Harrodsburg
(Ky.) People submits the following case
upon the authority OF a trustworthy
gentleman of Mercer county: During
the war Mr.. NJ. was so badly wounded in
the arm that amputation above the elbow
was found necessary. After the opera
ton the patient complained of much pain
and discomfort in the hand. He said
that it was 'crumpled up and uncomfort-
able and gave him no rest. One Of the
attendants told him he would go and
straighten the hand. The attendant ac-
cordingly went and took the severed
member from where it was buried, placed
it in natural position upon board and
rehuried it. As soon as the operation
was finished the without having
been informed what was done-declared
that his hand felt much better, and soon
ceased to experience any trouble from 1t.
Now, what sympathy could the nerves OF
the arm have with that part which had
been taken awayi The existence OF
nerve memory accounts satisfactorily for
the fact that patient may feel a pain in
the hand or foot after it has heen cut off,
but how account for the perception by
the nerves of the altered condition of the
amputated member?"
Year: 1872

The wood most commonly used in the
manufacture OF lead-peacils is the Flor
ida cedar, except an inferior grade,
chiefly for the use of carpenters, which
is made from white pine. The lead IS


the well-known plumbago," or graph


tie, of the best quality of which there is
now only one available mine, that being
in Asiatic Siberia. Hence the limited
supply and high price. Many pencils
are now made by grinding and cleaning
what was formerly regarded as refuse in
working the plumbago, and making a
paste by mixing it with clay. In mix
ing the clay AMI graphite great care must
be taken in selecting and cleaning the
clay and getting the proper proper
tions. The mixture, after being we'll
kneaded, is placed in large receiver,
and forced out through small groove
at the bottom in the shape Of thread OF
the thickness and style required--either
square, octagonal, or round. This
thread, or lead wire, is cut in bars of the
proper length, then Strengthened, dried
at moderate heat, and packed in air.
tight crucibles and placed in the furnaces
The grade of the lead depends upon the
amount of heat it is exposed to, the
amount of clay used in mixing, and the
quality of the plumbago. The lead is
colored by various pigments. The wood,
after being thoroughly seasoned, is cut
in thin strips and dried again, then cut
into strips of pencil length. These
strips are grooved by machinery, then
carried on a belt to the gluing-room,
where the lead is glued in the groove.
and the other half of the pencil glued Oh.
After being dried under pressure, they
are sent to the turning-room, and round
ed, squared, or made octagonal by very
ingenious little machine, which passes
them through three sets OF Gu 'tefs, ana
drops them ready for polishing or color
ing the former is done on lathes by boys,
and the latter by machine which holds


the brush and turns the pencils fed to it
through hopper. After the pencil is
polished, tits cut into an exact length by
a circular saw: and the end is cut smooth
by drop knife. the pencil resting on an
iron bed. The stamping is done thus
a hollow die is heated, the gold or silver
foil is laid on the pencil, which rests on
an iron bed, and the die is then pressed
on it by screw lever. The pencils are
then ready to be packed for the market.
Year: 1872

LIGHT. The lamplights of Edinburgh
recently struck work, and that the streets
might not be left dark at night the au-
thorities ordered that the lamps should
be left burning all day. But John Mus
grave and William Robinson did not
like to see the public money wasted IN
this way, 80 they extinguished some OF
the lamps. When taken before Ballle
Miller they pleaded guilty, bat added
that they thought they had done
meritorious and by no means criminal
deed-why burn lamps when the sun is
shining The Baillie asked them if they
were willing to become lamplights; they
said that they were not, but one OF them
avowed his readiness to light the lamps
he had put ont. This would not do, and
so both were fined s5 for practising their
private thrift on public works.
Year: 1872

Among the sad stories told of the Metis
disaster, is the following: In the saloon
of the Narragansett, sat young woman,
poorly but neatly dressed, weeping silent
ly near the spot where the dead body of
her husband lay. She was asleep when
the collision occurred but was awakened
by the shock, and told her husband to
get up and see what was the matter. He
did so, and soon returned saying that
the Captain had told him there was no
danger. He got into bed again, but his
wife could not sleep, and was soon again
alarmed by the sound of many feet run
to and fro. A moment later the steward,
brave man of whom all spoke well,
rushed into the state-rOom and told them
to put on life-preservers as the ship was
sinking. This was terrible shock, but
they hastened to obey the order. The
two children of the young couple lay
asleep, one a baby six weeks old, the
other a boy of three. The father took
the biggest child in his arms, the mother
clung to her infant, and the two struggled
to the deck. The saloon was knee deer
in water by this time, and in less than
FIVE minutes-possibly the poor woman
has no very exact idea of the lapse OF
time-man and wife were in the water
The waves ran high, and soon the hus'
band and wife were swept asunder. The
former lost strength, relaxed his hold OF
the child, and both were drowned. The
mother held her babe above the hungry
waters until her strength, too, was ex'
hausted, and then a wave larger than the
rest dashed it from her arms, and she saw
it sink slowly to the depths below. Just
as she was exhausted, and after the life
preserver had slipped from beneath hel
arms. the Moccasin came up and she was
recalled to life which, for the present at
least. is bitter indeed. II have my hus
band here" she SAID, "but they can never
find my babes in so large sea-"
Year: 1872

FORBADE The BANs.-A little church
in Iowa, at place called Tete des Morris,
was lately the scene of such an exception,
and the uproar created by it appears to
have been intense. A young couple were
in process of being united, when a gentle
man rose in the church and forbade the
marriage. He proceeded, amid extraor-
dinary excitement, to set forth the Just
cause or impediment, which, in his view,
rendered the proposed union inadmissible.
The lady, it appears, had been previously
engaged to himself, in proof of which the
Tilted one forthwith began to read in
loud voice some of her lrve.letters which
he drew from his pocket, and which were
couched in a strain of extraordinary


warmth and eloquence. On this, the
friends of the bride, naturally averse to
publicity being given to her gushing
effusions, set up an indignant outCry, and
tried to silence the read.r. His friends
on the other hand, stood by him and
insisted he should 90 on. A violent
alteration ensued, which the clergyman
vainly sought to suppress, and at last the
church became what a Dubuque paper
calls ga perfect pandemonium" of shout.
ing and recrimination. With infinite
difficulty, the combatants were got out of
the sacred editice, only to continue the
row in the church-yard but the main
object of the interruption was, at all
events, secured, tor the marriage was
stopped. and is now said to be indefinitely
postponed.
Year: 1872

DETECTION OF SULP6URIC ACID IN
VINEGAR R-Tbe following process for de-
tecting the 5O0th part of free sulphuric
acid in vinegar, it is stated, is sufficient
" accurate for all practical purposes.
A fluid ounce of the vinegar to 5e ex-
amined is, by evaporation upon water
bath, reduced to about half a drachm,
or the consistency of thin extract;
when quite cold half a fluid ounce Of
strong alcohol is to be thoroughly In
corporated; the free sulphuric acid will
be taken up by the alcohol to the exclu-
sion of any sulphates; the alcoholic
Iionid solution should stand for several
bours and then be filtered; add to the
fl rate one fluid ounce of pure distilled
water, and evaporate off the alcohol by
the application of gentle heat; the re-
naming liquid is again left standing Tor
several hours and again filtered; TO the


iItrate. previously acidulated with few
drops OF bydrochloflc acid solution OF
chloride OF barIum Is added which, II
snlpbate acid be present, VIII yield a
white precipitate.
Year: 1872

PERsEvERE against all discourage
ments. Keep your temper. Employ
leisure study, and always have some
work in hand Be punctual and method
ical in business, and never procrastinate.
Never be in a hurry. Preserve sell
possession, and do not be talked out OF
conviction. Rise early, and be an
economist of time. Maintain dignity
without the appearance of pride; man.
per is something with everybody, and
everything with some. Be guarded IN
discourse. attentive, and slow to speak.
Never acquiesce in immoral rperniciouS
opinions. Be not forward to assign
reasons to those who have no right to
ask. Think nothing in conduct unim'
portant or Indifferent. Rather set than
follow examples. Practice strict temper
ance, and in your transactions remem-
Der the final account.
Year: 1872

The Indian correspondent OF the Lon
don Times recently wrote letter in re-
lation to the Juggernaut festival in
which he said he thought the cruel cere-
monies hitherto in vogue were no longer
common. In reply to this another gen.
tleman writes:


Some twenty-five years ago, 1 was
managing large estate in Lower Bengal
belonging to Hindo gentleman. In
the chief village of this estate there was
a Ruth, or Juggernaut car, which hav-
ing become dilapidated, underwent rath-
er extensive repairs. These cars are
supported on q number of wheels which
are invisible externally. On the day
when the Ruth ought to proceed on its
journey, the huge multitude found it
impossible to move it. AS afterwards
learned, the priests had locked the
wheels. For two or three days the peo-
pie tried to move it, but in vain. At
last it began to be whispered thet hu-
man sacrifice was required to inaugurate
the newly repaired car. A day or two
more, and was told that the victim had
been procured in the person of leper,
who hid sold himself for the sum OF 96.
I was also told that the Darogah, or Su-
perintendent of Police, had been hand
somely bribed, and that he would report
to the magistrate Accidental death.
did not believe all this, especially as my
informant was woman who, thought,
might have been imposed upon b, what
we call bazaar gup,' or common gossip;
but in two or three days more I was in
formed that, to the JOY of the whole
country round about, the Ruth had at
last moved, but that unfortunately, a
poor leper falling under the wheels had
been crushed to death. 1t was, how
ever, purely accidental occurrence, for
after most searching inquiry, the Do
rogah had so reported. After this ex-
perience made practice of watching
the Ruths, of which there are a great
many in Bengal, and invariably found
when one refused to be dragged by the
people, as the smaller car of your cores
pondent did, it's first motion was attended
with serious if not a fatal accident.
Your correspondent thinks the fact that
the man whose thigh was crushed drank
gin proves that he could not be a fit SUBJ
ject for a Hindo sacrifice. It appears
he does not know that all those who
swing at the Churruck Poojah are per-
sons of the very lowest caste, or rather
no caste at all, who are paid by wealthy
Hindoos to do this penance in their
stead. The fact of the mans being an
outcast, is a very strong proof that he
was purchased victim, and this is still
further confirmed by the native-like at
tempt to divert the suspicious of the
S ,hebs by the loudly-expressed blame
of the god for furnishing him. Another
suspicious circumstance is that the po-
lice had got themselves and the station
magl ,trates away from the smaller car,
so that there might be no interruption to
what was about to happen"
Year: 1872

We congratulate the cause of reform, pre-
yiously battled for by the united State party
at the addition of another graft upon the pa
rent stock. 1t is true that both the Reform
and Liberal were germs, Young and of latter
origin, yet we trust that they will bring to the
aid ofthe democracy that dash and reslstess
efficacy which, according to their estimate of
u.s. We so naturally lacked in our composition
and past campaigns. The same energical and
rapidity of concentration exhibited by them
in forming thor organization will, if brought
into the coming contest. give to our beloved
State a victory far exceeding in its glorious
results that achieved on the ever memorable
plains of Chalmette.


We did not receive the ratification of the
triune party under whose banner We now go
into battle in time to announce the great
event in our last issue, or to advertise our
common constituency that under the call of
our Parish Executive Committee previously
made for primary meetings at the various
voting precincts, to elect delegates to Con
ventlon to be holden on the l4th September
inst, that all Liberals would be entitled to a
vote.


We are all Democrats, we are all ReformeTs,
we are all Liberals iii this niomentous struggle
for the redemption OF both our national and
State rights.


Every voter Of either of these organizations
are earnestly invited to participate in the
choice of delegates to represent them.
Year: 1872

Moved by the same considerations which in
duced the Board Directors of the Picayune
Printing and Publishing Company to advise
the acceptance of the Fusion State Ticket, we
are prepared to give . decided support to that
ticket as the best attainable, if not the best
conceivable, outcome of the recent conference
of the Democratic, Reform, and Liberal com
mittees.


We could say much, and say it perhaps with
eloquence and pathOs, i'll this connection,
about what might have bOen. But this is no
time to look back upon the immediate past
with either wrathful or ruefui conntenances.
1t is no time for recrimination, for replnlng,
for cheerishing vain regrets. We are sternly
called to confront the exigencles OF the hour,
and to make the best use of the available re-
sources of the hour in dealing with fearfully
momentous problem. And we do not hesitate
to say that foremost among such resource
stands, as whole, the Fusion State Ticket
which has just been offered to our and the
peoples support.


The argument that this ticket is n OF perfect
in every particular is easily answered. No
perfect ticket was framed. Was there ever a
perfect political contrivance2 Was there
ever perfect human contrivance3 The spe-
cial imperfections of political conditions are
added to the general imperfections of human
nature to forbid even the hope of combining
all the elements that could be desired in any
political arrangement.


The Fusion State ticket combines at least
all the satisfactory elements which it was
practicable, in the peculiar circumstances, to
secure on the basis of fusion. We can say
more. 1t contains a very decided preponder-
ance of such elements; and if there be, as
there clearly seems, a definite hope of realiz-
ing the benefit Of this preponderance by sup
porting the ticket as whole, and by so doing
only, it is simply matter of prudent calcula-
ton, and unquestionably the part of states
manship and patriotisn, to comply with the
Indispensable condition.


Upon Mr.. d. l}. Penn, when he presented
himself as gubernatorial candidate under un-
worthy auspices and with Objectionable pre-
commitments, animadverted with what
we deemed just severity. Now that he accu-
pies the second place on ticket headed by
the original Democratic-RefoTm candidate for
Governor, We are ready to support him as cor
daily as we were before ready to oppose him.
He is honoraby bound to recognize and carry
out the plain implications of his new fellow
ship. He pledges himself TO be true to his
present political associations. He is all hon
orable man. a patriotic citizen. and we accept
his word without misgiving. He has our full
lest contidenee.-N. o. PicGyune.
Year: 1872

am candidate for the Office of Sheriff of
the Parish of st. Landry at the election to
be holden in November next. For what the
people of St. Landry may expect of me in
that official capacity in the future, refer to
my past survives as the executive Deputy of
the present Sheriff. G.. c. DUSON.
Year: 1872

There is story of grocer who
is so economical that he sends
home the bundles his customers
buy, and when they arrive at the
house has the boy empty the paper
bags and bring them back with
the strings they we're tied up with.
That's what We call q careful gro.
Ger.
Year: 1872

There is young lady in Mi
ford who has been taking music
lessons on the piano for some
years. 'fhe other day she sent an
order to music store in New
Haven, and fearing her spelling
might not be just right, added this
postscript. You must exkews this
letter, as pla by noat butt spell
bi ere