smithclay/nortonstories huggingface dataset:
Year: 1875

The proposition of the Union Pacific Rail-
road to make to the Government a contribu-
ton of half a million dollars year for the
establishment of sinking fund to extinguish
its debt, seems at first sight the most practi-
cal and substantial indication that any of these
Government roads have yet given of dispo-
sition to recognize the obligations they owe
the Government, as we'll as those the Govern
ment incurred toward them. If there are any
objections to their proposal we should be glad
to see them stated. AS now reported, their
plan seems to be entirely satisfactory, and
likely to be decided benefit to the Govern
ment. If so, it should be promptly accepted.
Year: 1875

life was paramount 10 my life. We have stood
much, but lt would be poor boy VINO could
stand by and see his mothers brains beaten out
by drunken father. | do not wish 70 say mucn.
nave only TO regret the SAD fate OF my lather,
and at my hands; but God knows mad no lnten-
uon OF taking HIS liie.u


AS he said this he sunk down In his cell aud
buried his face IN his hands. he refused 10 con-
verse further


SCENES IN THE NEIGHBORHOoD.


The nelghoorhCod in which the tragedy oc-
CURED Is very quiet one, and the house In which
The unfortunate family live quite as neat and re-
spectacle AS IL to be found In more pretentious
streets IL Is four story and Dasement brick
house, and, as stated above. inhabited by TWO
families, the upper parr being occupied Dy the
Bailey family AS soon as the killing occurred the
news new like wildfire, and in a few minutes tnat
morbid curiosity when seems 10 possess all human
breasts when some deed or blood has been COM
mitted drew hundreds OF people 10 the Immediate
vclnily. Many atempted to enter the house, hut
this was stopped by the police


The nelghb0rs speak In the highest praise OF the
two young men Bailey, and say they were always
very quiet ana peaceable The elder one Is u
prlnter by trade, and works with a Mr.. Green,
book and job printer. OF No. Is Jacob street.
Year: 1875

In our advertising columns will be found no.
tice Of the second trip Of the Mary Washington
on the excursion inaugurated under the auspices
Of the Memorial church. The boat will leave at
O'Clock ,. n, and return promptly ct II o'clock,
which will enable the party to reach their homes
before midnight. There viii be no liquor on
board, and the sale OF tickets Is limited to less
than half the boats capacity. There 10 no more
delightful enjoyment than 9 Well-mRnsgsd ex-
cursion on the river, and from the efficiency dis
played In the Management Of the first Of this
series, We are assured that they will furnish the
popular recreation during the warn months.
Those who enjoy quiet and orderly trip down
the river should net fail to secure tickets for Thurs
dRY niRht.
Year: 1875

manner Of pretty and fanciful forms.
Thus, at one dinner party basket
formed Of brown nougat was handed
round. 1t was filed with apricots
moulded in peach tinted ice, and Of deli
cious apricot flavor. At another, the
basket was of white nougat, and the ice
crelm was colored aud moulded 70 rep
resent pink and crimson roses. On an
other occasion large silver dish was
borne in, on which was placed a bundle
Of asparagus, the stalks held together by
a broad blue satin ribbon. The ribbon
was united, the stalks fell apart, aud one
was served to each guest, together with
a rich s-uce from silver sauce boat.
The asparagus stalk was composed of
vanilla ice and the green part of pistac-
chic ice, while the sauce was deli
cately favored cream. The imitation of
the vegetable was perfect in every par
ticular, and was thoroughly deceptive.
The floral decorations at dinner parties
are usually on far less extensive scale
than with US. A single basket, tastefully
arranged for the center of the table, is
considered quite sufficient, except on oc-
casions of extra msgnifcence and inn
pOrtance
Year: 1875

The New York Times, in commenting
upon the case of two girls recently
driven from the public schools Of that
city by the taunts and sneers leveled at
their homely apparel, says IF popular
education be of any value at ALL it
should not be checked by such useless
and dangerous customs as that we are
considering But where is the remedy2
The children must not be the first to be
blamed. The fault in the first instance
lies with their parents, many of whom
set bad example themselves. Many of
the girls in the schools could be much
more suitably dressed than they are, and
at considerably less expense. Then they
would gain in appearance what they
would lose in the indulgence of their
own vanity; their parents would be
richer in pocket, and all the children in
the public schools would feel themselves
in the class room, as they ought to feel
on basis of social equality. Teachers
can also do much to remedy the evil
There is good reason to fear that many
teachers rather encourage it. They are
perhaps not at all free from little per-
sonal vanity themselves, and they may
prefer to see their class room made more
cheerful with many ribbons and far too
elaborate toilets, forgetting how much
real injury is thereby done to the cause
which, in all sincerity, they have most at
heart To secure a perfectly efsctusl
remedy parents and teachers should CO.
operate. Children attending the public
schools should be neatly and tidily
dressed. This cannot be too impera-
lively insisted upon. But there the line
should be drawn, and we believe that
most parents would be too glad to fall
within it. If any should happen not to
do so, they might advsntageously be left
to remove their children TO schools
where such unseemly extravaganza
would be less dangerous to the popular
interests,
Year: 1875

The following is taken from letter
written on the 10th of May by Mr. Dane,
keeper in charge of the Bishop Rock
Lighthouse, to his wife:


With heartsick grief / write this to
inform you Of the dreadful wreck that
has happened here, less than half mile
in sight Of u.s. On Friday night, the 7th
instant, | had the watch up to pm,
when the man who is doing duty here
during the absence Of the principal
keeper took on; but, seeing a thick fog
coming on, | still kept on the lantern,
and ordered the bell to be set going. At
$40 p. IN. fog very thick, timed the bell
properly at ak strokes per minute, and
saw oil vas right, and | left the lantern
at 10 pm. aud vent to my bunk, but
| esuld not sleep. At ll:35 pm. Will
liam Mortimer came running down and
called to me, and said he could see a yes
sci on the rocks. / jumped up and went
out on the parapet without stopping to
dress, and saw the masthead and star
board light of large vessel by telescope.
| should take her for a large steamer.
She was burning blue lights and firing
off guns and rockets. She seemed to be
sinking The last gun was fred at l: 80
am. 9Th instant. | relieved ]. Gould at
A am. Fog again raised at Gam. l
could just see the topmast out of water.
We could count about 26 people in the
rigging. could see one lady in the lee
side rigging, two men by her 1t was
dreadful sight. At about Z am the
mast fell, and | suppose every person
persisted, but still hope few or some
might have been saved. Sunday
Three bodies aoated past US this after.
noon, close No one knows what was
felt in this house by all hands to see so
many Of our dear fellow-creatures suffer
ing and dying so near to us.
Year: 1875

A writer in the Home Journal says


A Persian dinner party is far less
conducive to indigestion than is one of
our town. Not only are the courses
fewer, as l before remarked, but the
viands are less rich in quality, and are
served in smaller portions. Delicacy Of
flavor, and not solidity, is the result
aimed at by true French Gordon bleu.
There are also considerable taste and in
genuity displayed in serving the ices,
which are brought to the table in all
Year: 1875

John Cabell Breckenridge is dead, 1t
was his privilege to serve in the Councils
Of his country before public officials had
cushioned their conscience on the soft
and easy doctrine that theft is no crime
unless it is discovered. BE lived without
the ostentatious trappings OF ill-sotten
wealth and limited his display to the
clothing of his character in the purple
and fine linen Of true integrity,
Year: 1875

Boiled linseed oil will keep polished
tools from rusting, if it is allowed to dry
on them. Common sperm oil will pre-
vent from rusting for short period. A
coat of copal varnish is frequently appli-
ed to polished tools exposed to the wealth
er. Woolen materials are the best for
wrappers of metals. Iron and steel goods
of all descriptions, are kept free from
rust by the following Dissolve half an
ounce of camphor in one pound of hogs
lard, take off the scum and mix as much
black lead as will give the mixture an
iron color. Iron and steel, and machin-
cry of all kinds, rubbed over with this
mixture and left with it ON for twenty
four hours, and then rubbed with lin
en- cloth, will keep clean for months.
Year: 1875

Benjamin Franklin attributed his sue
cess as a public man, not to his talents
or his powers of speaking for these
were moderate-but to his known integ-
rity of character. Hence it was, he says,
that had SO much weight with my fell
low-citizens. / was but bad speaker,
never eloquent, subject to much hesita-
ton in my choice of words, hardly cor
rect in language, and yet l generally
carried my point. Character creates con-
fidence in men in high stations as well
as in humble life. 1t was said of the first
Emperor Alexander of Russia, that his
personal character was equivalent to a
constitution. During the wars of the
Fronde, Montaigne was the only man
among the French gentry who kept his
castle gates unbarred and it was said
of him that his personal character was
worth more to him than regiment of
horse. That character is power, is true
in much higher sense than that knowl-
edge is power. Mind without heart, in
telligence without conduct, cleverness,
without goodness, are powers in their
way, but they may be powers only for
mischief. We may be instructed or
amused by them; but it is sometimes
as difficult to admire them as it would
be to admire the dexterity of pickpock-
ct, or the horsemanship of highway
man. Truthfulness, integrity and good
ness-qualities that hang not on any
mans breath Il from the essence of man.
ly character, or, as one of our old writ
ers has it, that inbred loyalty unto virtue
which can serve her without livery.
When Stephen of Colonna fell into the
hands of his base assailants, and they
asked him, in derision Where is now
your fortress? Here, was his bold re-
ply, placing his hand upon his heart.
1t is in misfortune that the character of
the upright man shines forth with the
greatest luster and when all else fails,
he takes stand upon his integrity and
upon his courage
Year: 1875

There is one family that never will
forget our President, despite these ten
denotes Of political parties or partisans.
The story we give was furnished us by
one who knows its truth, and as it has
never got into print we narrate it as
evineing the fact that General Grant
has got heart, at all events. The wife
of a deflulting officer called upon Pres


dent Grant last December to implore
the release of her husband from the AL
hany penitentiary. She told the Pres
ident, that, crushing as the sorrow was
to herself, she would try to bear it, but
that every morning without an exception
since herhusband' incarceration, her four
little children had come to her bedside
with the fearful inquiry "Will dear
papa come home to-day =? :" This plea
of my children will, know, ere long
drive me into insanity. And now," said
she, "my little ones have varied that
agonizing questioning, with apathos that
is maddening to Won't pa come home
Christmas ," Madam, / will consult
the Attorney General and do whatever
| can for your husband with hisapproval."
/" i know that will be useless" said the
grief sticken wife. His decision will
only be adverse, and l may as well
go home and tell my children at once
that their papa cant come home, and
give up in despair" Wait a moment"
said the President, and sitting down he
hastily penned note to Attorney Gen
eral Williams, and nervously handing it
to her, said: Go and tell your children
that their papa shall come home Christ
mas. Almost fainting, the woman
was carried from the executive office
with the open note in her hand. On ex-
amining it, it was found to be peremp-
tory order for the immediate release of
the husband and father. But this was
not all. All over the page were great
blots of the Presidents fast falling tears
as he wrote. On the night before Christ
mas there was one house in Washington
joyous as it had been desolate, and other
eyes dropped tears as the recital was
made of President Grants tenderness
and mercy in restoring their long absent
papa to the children of Paymaster
Hodges.
Year: 1875

A Foolish Death was the
result of a foolish wager in Paris, re-
Gently. A young man made bet that
he would smoke twelve cigars, one after
another. At the end of the eighth he
began to feel unwell, and when he had
finished the ninth he was attacked with
giddiness and shiverings. He refused
to leave off smoking, but went home in
charge of some friends. A medical man
was called in, who could not, however,
help him, and he died during the night
Year: 1875

Grace is quality different from beau
ty, though nearly allied to it, which is
never observed without affecting us with
emotions of peculiar delight, and which
is perhaps, the first object of the arts of
sculpture and painting to study and
present.-Ailison.
Year: 1875

Never paper wall over old paper
and paste. Always scIape down tho
roughly. Old paper can be got of
by damping with saleratus and water.
Then go over all the cracks of the wall
with plaster of Paris, and finally put on
a wash of a weak solution of carbolic
acid. The best paste is made out of rye
-four, with two ounces of glue dissolved
in each quart of paste; half an ounce
Of powdered borax improves the mixture.
To remove paper from walls saturated
steam is introduced into the rooms until
the paper is thoroughly moistened and
limp.
Year: 1875

General Grant seems to be the luckiest man
we have ever had in American politics
When his administration was running
rapidly down at the heels the republicans
passed an initiation BILL which gave him an
opportunity of vetoing it and putting him
self at the head of the hard money party, al
though at the time he hardly knew the diff
ference between hard money and soft money.
When his action on the Southern and other
questions seemed to have completely with
drawn from him the confidence of the public
the democratic party Of Pennsylvania must
permit troupe of tramps and vagabonds to
meet in convention and pass resolutions vir-
tually leading to reputation. The result of
this is to throw General Grant into gndis-
puted prominence as the leader Of the
friends of sound currency and financial
integrity. And now we have Jesuit priest,
in sermon delivered in New Jersey last
Sunday, publicly denouncing the adminis-
tration, and asking God to hasten its END.
If anything is calculated to make General
Grant the next President of the United States
it is declarations like. this and from men of
this calling. Once draw this line in politics,
once throw out the slightest intimation that
it will be for the interest of the Order of
Jesuits or of the Roman Church that General
Grant shall be defeated and we shall have
such an uprising of the Protestant sentiment
throughout the East and West as will COM
pei his reelection. 1t does seem as if
those who should feel the deepest interest in
the defeat of President Grant are by some
malign influence conspiring to make his
nomination inevitable and to give his re-eIec-
ton every prospect of certainty. There
surely never was luckier man in our Amer
can politics.
Year: 1875

In 1872 Maine gave General Grant over
thirty-two thousand majority in 1874 the
republicans elected Dingley Governor by over
eleven thousand majority. On Monday the
republican majority was whitfield down to
less than five thousand according to the
reports at hand as we write; and
this in spite of the most vigorous efforts
of leading and prominent men, like
Blaine and Morton, the former speaking
in his own State, and to his own people, who
are personally attached to him.


Evidently the speeches did not hit the
mark Why? On the financial issue the
people are certainly of the same mind with
Mr. Blaine. Both parties in Maine favor specie
payments. Where they disagree with the
leader they are proud of is on the question
of the bloody shirt" Mr.. Blaine, it is
said, sent for Senator Morton to shout
Murderp' in the Maine woods but the
people were not scared even the ex-
Speaker could not frighten them. Per-
haps this will teach some of the
republican politicians elsewhere little wis
dom. The Northern people seem to have
made up their minds that the war is now
finally over that the negro has had, on the
whole, very fair chance, and must hence
forth take care of himself that he is abun-
dainty able to do so, and only needs to be
let alone to get on as well as anybody else


The Maine election, following the demo-
cratic victory in California, is disheartening
to the republicans It's effect will be felt in
Ohio, Pennsylvania and this State. The
people are tired of old cries and of appeals
to their fear of the democratic party. The
elections this fall cannot be carried by the
beating of gongs. That begins to be very
Year: 1875

The story which we print this morning of
the breaking of one of the famous Uda fire
ladders and the consequent death of three of
the men who had ascended it is perhaps, the
most painful and inexcusable episode in
long series of calamities Some excuse may
be found for most of the disasters we have
recently recorded, but for this there is no
palliation.


First of all, the adoption of the ladder by
the Fire Department was the result of a no
torious job. What was begun in corruption
has ended in death, andy it is only due to
the foresight of Captain McElwaine that the
three murders which came from Yesterdays
experiment were not supplemented by many
more


In the second place the experiment ought
never to have been made, not only because it
was hazardous but because it was unneces-
sary. The corrupt bargain through which
the department was induced to purchase the
right to use the continuance ought to have
cast suspicion upon its usefulness, and at
least prevented display of any mere fool
hardness. The contrary effect seems to have
been the result In spite Of the exposure of
the false and corrupt means by which its
adoption had been secured, the Chief of the
Fire Department was determined to test it to
the utmost, and his efforts have ended in q
triple murder. What were Mr. Bates motives
we know not, and what excuse he may be
able to make to his own conscience we care
not to inquire, but all the world can see the
| II q Il.
ments he ordered. We would not condemn
him in haste, but the occasion is a bitter one,
and he must be able to make some explana-
ton more tenable than a whim of his own to
test useless contrivance. The fault may
not be his, and in that case we must know
look to the inquest to reveal the whole truth
in this matter, and shall be satisfied with
nothing short of complete history of all the
transactions which led to this direful
murder


Another fact must not be overlooked. Here
was ladder in eight sections and ninety
eight feet in height. Seven men were to
climb it ; but, after three of them had as
cended above the third section, it swayed
and broke, ana the poor fellows were dashed
to death on the hard street below. Then
came the discovery that it was made of ex-
tremely brittle material and that the
frail structure upon which these hardy
fremen were ordered to expose their
lives was only white pine. The wick
edness and avarice revealed by this fact
are inconceivable. housemaid would not
risk herselfand her pail upon structure made
of such wood, and yet Nash and his COM
panions at the word of command were ordered
to ascend hundred feet into the air upon
white pine ladder. Words can only belittle
the terrible facts of this disaster, and we must
wait for calmer moment even fitly to con-
demn the cupidity and the recklessness
which led to the catastrophe.
Year: 1875

course will be the polite one. If the in
flationists should get control of the National
Convention next year they will nominate a
Western candidate. Governor Tilden's sue
cess is staked on the ascendancy of the hard
money democrats. They need an intrepid
leader He is in position to be that leader.
But unless his aggressiveness is equal to
that of the inhationists T; unless he teaches
them that in this battle ''there are blows to
take as well as blows to give : unless he as
sumes the offensive and rallies the people to
his support, as he has by his unsparing as
saults on the Canal Ring, he will be swept
down by the vigor of his opponents. He
may win the fight if he is daring
enough. If the Syracuse Convention
puts sound timber in its platform, and on
the evening after its adjournment Mr.. Til
den's friends compliment him with sere-
made, we should rejoice to print a speech
repeating in relation to initiation his recent
language at Buffalo respecting reform III
will follow where any dare lead; will lead
where any dare follow" He could make no
greater mistake than vain attempt to propi-
tlaJe the lnHhtlOnistS lie musJ succeed Dy
defying and defeating them, or he cannot
succeed at all. With truth and reason on their
side all that the hard-money democrats need
is an indomitable leader of unshrinking, ag-
gressive courage. Mr.. Tilden will have no
competitors for that position of honor and Of
danger, and nobody can step between him
and the reward if he compels the inhationists
to ''hide their diminished heads" The
his hands in such contest as Aaron held up
those of Moses during the progress of the
battle
Year: 1875

Just now the advocates of temperance ar
suffering from one of their periodic spasms
of virtue. They have disinterred the hatchet
and taken to the warpath with the avowed
intention ofsuppressing traffic in liquor on the
Sabbath day. They have strong case, in so
far as the traffic under existing conditions of
the law is illegal. The justice and expedi-
ency of allowing persons holding a special
doctrine on temperance to compel others
who do not agree with them 10 abstain from
the use of liquor on one day in the week
may very well be questioned. 1t is a very
grave interference with the rights of indi-
viduals and opens the way to vexatious
abuses of authority. The sale of liquor on
Sunday is a matter of public convenience
and one which touches nearly the vast body
of the people. Governments have endeavored
to suppress this Sunday liquor traffic, but in
no single instance has success attended
their efforts and even could the law
be properly enforced tho advisability
of making the drinking of glass of beer on
Sunday penal offence would still be very
doubtful. Liquor used to excess is injurious;
but, after all, those who use it to excess are
but very small proportion of the popula-
ton, and it is not reasonable that the popu-
lation of a State should be debarred from the
use of refreshments because some few per-
sons here and there may drink to excess 1t
is the more absurd that no legal restrictions
will prevent the class disposed to drunken
ness from obtaining liquor, 80 that the tenn
perance advocates who wish TO prevent the
sale of liquor on Sundays do not SO much
prevent people from getting drunk as
hinder the general public from obtaining
reasonable refreshments. The only result
likely to spring. from the renewal aGtiUitH af