smithclay/nortonstories huggingface dataset:
Year: 1875

An inventive genius at Minneapolis,
Minnesota, has patented an apparatus
which he calls carshoc, for preventing
cars from leaving the track in collisions or
by running upon a broken or dislodged
rail. 1t was given trial a short time
since. in which it did all and more than
was claimed for it. A rail was taken from
one side of the track. and car with the
shoe attached, backed down at the rute of
twenty miles an hour. Just before reach
ing the break, the engine was detached,
and the car flew across the break, the front
truck striking the track all right, and the
rear truck missing it by a few inches, the
shoe gripping the track and stopping the
car without damage about six rods from
the break. On the second trial the car
struck the track all right, and went on
half mile as if nothing had happened. In
this age of railroads, such an appliance as
that. if placed upon ali cars, would be the
means of saving thousanls of lives an
uually.
Year: 1875

CURIosTTIEs OF WELDING. There has
lately been shown in this country very
interesting specimen of blacksmith work.
By means of Sehicrloh's S welding compound,
it is alleged that, in one example of bar
of Bessemer steel, five different kinds of
iron and steel have been perfectly welded,
without changing its shape in the least.
The bar was rolled into form at Thompson s
steel works, in Jersey City, and is ] by q
inches in the cross section.


First, a piece Of Bcsscmor steel, cut from
the end of the bar, was welded fast to it
again, the heating and welding occupying
eight minutes. On the reverse side of the
bar piece of fine cast steel was welded in
six minutes. Further along on the bar u
piece Of blister steel was welded in eight
minutes; This same steel cannot be weld
cd with borax, as the high temperature
needed with the flux makes it as brittle as
cast iron under the hammer. Opposite
this piece of wrought iron was welded in
six minutes, and further along on the bar
a piece of cast iron WAS welded in three
minutes. This was n piece of the mold
board of plow. The bar, with its addi-
tions, was then ground and polished on the
edge, 50 as to show the points at which the
welded metals came into contact. No weld
was visible on any one of them, and the
difference in the metal could only be told
by the color after polishing. This solves
a great many important problems in iron
manufacture. among others the welding of
Bessemer scrap.
Year: 1875

During the past nine years we have
kept up a continual hammering at all
our great manufacturers to get them
to adopt the bituminous and semi BIZ
luminous Goals as steam generators.
We have from time to time, by argu-
ments and analysis, clearly shown the
advantage that such Goals, and at the
same time limited that a familiarity
with their use might serve them a
good turn in case of a strike and
an emergency like the the present
The great manufacturers fuel Of the
future is bltuminous coal, and it will
be but few years before it will take
the lead in the market and monpoliz-
ing the greatest attention from our
coal merchants. Already the trade
is assuming large proportions; anthra-
cite coal is destined in time to be used
in small quantities and only as luxury
in consequence of its high price and
ultimate scarcity. New develop
ments may from time to time be
brought forth, but they can hardly
keep pace with the rapid growth Of
the population. On the other hand,
the almost universal distribution of
bltuminous coal and its low cost mark
1t clearl y as the future manufacturing
fuel of the country. Already we
learn of anthracite coal being used in
the far West (price, SIS to $50 per
tom as a luxury, in the same manner
as we at the present time burn Eng
lish camel coal in this city as lux
ury. 1t is also limited that but a few
years Will alapse before we find our
anthracite coal quoted as heavy ar
ticle of export to England and other
foreign lands, where they are rapidly
beginning to recognize its merits as a
house coal in consequence Of its beau
ty and cleanliness.


50 we say to manufacturers educate
yourselves into the merits of Cumber-
land coal as yoar futu,e fuel, and be-
gin its use to-day, in order to stimu-
late its production in larger quantities
and at low figures. and Iron
Record.
Year: 1875

How TO BURN CoAL.-A writer to
the Joennol Of Health offers the fol-
lowing suggestions concerning the eco
nomical combustion of coal "a very
common mistake is made and much
fuel wasted in the manner of replen-
ishing coal-fires, both in furnaces and
CRATES. They should be fed with lit
tie coal at a time, and often but ser
wants, to save time and trouble, put
on a great deal at once the first result
being that almost all the heat is alb
sorbed by the newly-put-on coal,
which does not give out heat until it
has itself become red-hot. Hence, for
a while, the room is cold, but when it
becomes fairly aglow, the heat is in
sutferable The time to replenish
coaltire is as soon as the coal begins
to show ashes on their surface; then
put on merely enough to show layer
of black coal covering the red. This
will soon kindle, and as there is
not much of it, an excess of heat will
not be given out. Many almost put
out the fire by stirring the CRATE as
soon as fresh coal is put on, thus leav-
ing all the heat in the ashes when it
should be sent to the new supply of
coal. The time to stir the fire is Just
when the new coal laid on is pretty
we'll kindled. This method of manag-
ing coal-fire is troublesome, but it
saves fuel, gives a uniform heat, and
prevents the discomfort Of alterations
of heat and cold above referred to"
Year: 1875

The half of hospitality lies in the
speeding of parting guests. Lavish
welcomes are easily enough bestowed,
but the hospitable thought must be
very genuine, indeed, which dares to
leave the guost as free and welcome to
go as to come. We all suffer, now and
then, from undue urging to stay when
we prefer to go, and nearly every one of
us is himself sinner in this regard,
too. No sooner does the guest intimate
a wish to terminate his visit than We fly
in the face of his desire, and urge him
to stay longer. We sometimes do this,
too, as a mere matter of duty. when IN
out hearts We care very little whether
the guest goes or stays. We feel our
selves bound to show our appreciation
of our friends visit by asking that he
prolong it. Now. true hospitality ought
to learn better than this. Our effort
should be, from first to last, to make
our friends visit thoroughly pleasant
and agreeable to him. We strive for
this result in Fastening to offer him the
most comfortable chair and to set out
our best viands, if he break bread with
us. 1t is that he may enjoy his stay
that sc take pains to talk only upon
agreeable topics. In short, from the
time he crosses our threshold until he
rises to leave we make the moments slip
by as pleasantly as possible. But the
moment he asks for his hat our courtesy
fails us. Hitherto we have studied to
anticipate and crafty his every wish.
Now that he wishes to go, however,
We eudeavor to thwart his pleasure. We
selfishly try to turn him from his pur-
pose to ours. We wish him to stay when
he wishes to go. Courtesy would
prompt us to give his wish precedence of
our own, but as rule, we ask him to
sacrifice his own to our pleasure
Selected
Year: 1875

Very few persons understand how
greatly health and happiness In tins
world depend upon the regularity of
their daily habits-the constant recur-
renee of those events which we are apt
10 refer to as tiresome and monotonous.
During the early and later periods OF
life this "even tenor l. essential TO our
weIl-being; and though we may feel
like kicking the traces when at the
zenith of power and activity, and some
times Fly off at tangents, or get I1d oi
our superfiuous energies IN odd anu
eccentric ways, yet we usually come
hacE or nj least try to come back to
our moorings, and gladly accept the
treadmill path of daily duty, which, II
il brings no ecstatic pleasure, leaves no
remOrse.


Every one can understand how DIS
agreeable il would be not to be able to
make sure of ones dinner; to he de-
priyed of bed and sleep; to loose the
endowment of abundance of good water,
a daily bath and a daily paper; but
upon the recurrence of many more anu
much smaller minutia do we depend
for our daily comfort? ? We ike certain
kinds of bread at every meal: we want
meat always cooked in certain favorite
WAYS, and expect to find 1t so as natIlr-
ally as we expect the sun 10 snihe. We
get to seeing certain things In certain
places, and we would not miss them
upon any account, tree, a bush,
picture, or a chair. which occupies the
same place for years, acquires value
TO our consciousness which only the
habit of seeing it can give 1t. The
world seems very large in growth, and
full of many and varied interests, but
it contracts as we grow older, and the
objects of value to us narrow them
selves down to those which we know to
be real, and which form our lives.
Naturally, as these grow fewer In
number they grow dearer. and the more
we dislike to miss them from our slght
and sense. No lives are so happy as
those which are so well ordered that
there is little to resign, and to which,
therefore, every year brings added IN
terest and added enjoyment in the
regular discharge of individual and
social duty.
Year: 1875

The London Globe says: at is said
that among the possessions inherited
by the present Duke of Richmond was
found a bank-note for ESQ, 600. This
unique piece of paper money OF whose
existence We have no doubt, was pre-
served with great caution, and by means
which must have been a source of peril
to friends and foes. We are informed
that the late Duke caused the note to
be deposited in casket, and this
casket was so fastened that any one who
attempted to handle it at once received
six pistol-shots. The ingenious casket,
We are told, became burdensome pos
session to the present Duke. His an
cestor had not transmitted to him the
secret by which it might be opened
with safety, and he was, therefore, not
unnaturally timid in the examination Of
his treasure. Under these circum-
stances, We are not surprised to learn
that he finally determined to deliver
the casket and its contents to the Bank
of England, and to permit the officers
of that establishment to investigate
the ingenuity of the blecontrivanoe.
The duties Of property would even be
in excess of its rights if every inheri-
tance were tied up in this way"
Year: 1875

"The bell at st. Martins and the Alb
very soul. When we got to the clois-
tiers we found multitudes striving for
admittance. We gave up our ticket,
but unluckily We ought to have kept
it. We followed the man who unlocked
a door of iron, and directly closed it
upon us as two or three othere, and we
found ourselves in a tower, with dark,
winding staircase of a half hundred
stone steps. When We got to the top
there was no way out. We ran down
again, called and beat the door till the
whole place resounded with our cries.
Here we stayed half an hour in perfect
agony we were sure it would be all
over nay we might never be let out ;
we might starve; We might perish
At length our clamors brought an hon.
est man, a guardian angel then thought
him. We implored of him to take care
of us, and to get us into part of the
Abbey where we might see the grave.
He asked for the Bishops ticket we
had given it away to the wrong person,
and he was not obliged TO believe we





truth in our grief that although we
were most shabby, and hundred fine
people were soliciting the same favor,
he took us under each arm, carried us
safely through the crowd, and put us
in little gallery directly over the grave
where we could see and hear everything
as distinctly as if the Abbey had been
a parlor. Little things sometimes af-
feet the mind strongly. We were no
sooner recovered from the fresh burst
of grief than l cast my eyes, the first
thing, on Handel's monument, and
read the scroll in his hand. / know
that my Redeemer hveth. Just at that
moment the great doors burst open
with a noise that shook the roof the
organ struck up, and the whole choir,
in strains only less solemn than the
'archangel's trumpet begin Handels
fine anthem. The whole choir advanced
to the grave, in hoods and surplices,
singing all the way then Sheridan as
chief mourner then the body-alas
whose body with ten nOblemen and
gentlemen pall-bearers ; then the rest
of the friends and mourners f; hardly a
dry eye-the very players, bred to the
trade of counterfeiting, shed genuine
tears.


As soon as the body was let down,
the Bishop began the service, which he
read in a low but solemn and devout
manner. Such an awful stiffness
reigned that every word was audible
How / felt it? Judge if my heart did
not assent to the hope that the soul OF
our dear brother was now departed in
peace
Year: 1875

How we launch the bolts of reproof
against the foolish youth who wsntonly
squanders his inheritance How we
sermonize upon the subject of improvi-
dence, when gold has been lavished by
a foolish hand With that pitying eyes
we look upon the individual whom the
world terms spendthriftl What wise
saws and sage sayings are uttered upon
the sin of moneyed extravaganza Dis
NAL, indeed, are the wailings over the
man who dissipates his birthright, and
scatters broadcast the wealth which good
fortune has placed within his Golfers.
And with what admiration do we not re-
gard the thrifty and the prudent
gatherer of riches See how carefully
he converts units into hundreds,
hundreds into thousands, and thousands
into millions Every coin he husbands
with praiseworthy economy, and watches
its increase with the Joy of a mother as
she beholds her progeny waxing strong
in health and numbers. Not a penny
leaves his fingers unless to be well re-
turned in a necessary equivalent. As
there is no term at all to the keeping of
the spendthrift's riches, so there is no
limit to the increase of the prudent and
and careful money merchant. He not
only has more than enough to meet all
his wants, and to enable him to perform
few charitable duties, but he acquires
the means of making rich his relatives
and dear friends when he quits this
world for higher sphere. Yes, where
mere dross is concerned our censure or
our admiration can be easily and per-
manently evoked. But did it ever oc-
cur to the reader that there are other
spendthrifts and other prudent and
thrifty people besides those who waste
and save money? Are yOu sure that
you are not spendthrift pa much
more reprehensible spendthrift than the
sqanderer of filthy lucre? Don't you,
by overwork, by neglect of sunshine and
air, by an obstinate and indefensible
clinging to old preiudices in medical
matters, by your late hours, your foolish
habits in general, your constant over
drafts upon your nervous revenue, your
UNEQUAL taxation of the brain, stomach
and organs of circulation, your wretched
waste of vitality in a thousand different,
needless and ruinous ways, spend in the
widest and most senseless extravaganza
Inht WHICH COuStltutto Noui SAiobShNS
Are you not daily-nay, hourly,
squandering the principal constituents,
ingredients-thev very essences OF life !?
Not only life, but of long life? And
knowing that you have done, or are
doing so, do you, like the prudent
business man with reference to his
lessened capital, seek to renovate, build
up and restore what you have lost ?
This is a momentous question. "What
shall it profit a man if he gain the whole
world and lose his own soul ?" is start
ling interrogation. And, without be-
iittling the spiritual Importance OF that
interrogation, let me ask what is the
profit Of fortune if the life-capital is
bankrupted He that is wise-he that
accomplishes the just and true end for
which he was created-will avoid being
a spendthrift with the vital forces. If he
has unwittingly overdrained his stock
of vitality-if he is now doing to, per-
haps unavoidably, let him fly to Nature
(who will not fail him) for new stock,
and restoratives which are life itself.
Year: 1875

Our age is specially distinguished as
an extravagantly ambitious and acqui-
site one. In no age of the world was
ever the love of wealth more absorbing,
nor were men even more desirous to OBJ
tain it. Perhaps one-half the evils of
social life result from the excessive in
diligence of this overmastering pas
sion. 1t blinds the eyes to moral good,
it saps the principles of virtue and hon.
esty, it throws a veil of discomfort over
the simple and purer enjoyments of
life or blots them altogether out of
view, it induces Thousand vanaties, it
fosters q world of sin, it is as unwise as
it is unsatisfactory, for it makes men
glance to God, their duty to their fell
low-men, and the general well being of
the society to which they belong. All
the right enjoyment and best happiness
of life are dislocated and perverted by
it. 1t would hardly be inferred, from
the lax or Indifferent way in which the
pulpit ordinarily regards it, that the
uncurbed love and pursuit of wealth,
for its own sake, was denounced in the
strongest manner by the divine Author
of Christianity.


The enterprises of business and the
pursuits of commerce offer a noble
field for energy and action; but why
should they be followed to the exclu-
sion of every other? The interests of
a happy and healthy existence must be
numerous and varied, yet how often
are all others excluded by the all con-
suming usurpation of these Suppose
the pulpit we're to institute universal
protest, a kind of united crusade,
against this monstrous and growing
evil suppose it were to point out stu
diousIy and clearly at what a sacrifice
such a condition of things is main
tanned suppose it were persistently to
impress upon those who had obtained
a competency in business, instead of
going on adding gold to gold, house to
house, field to field, the desirability of
giving themselves to other objects and
pursuits, and of allowing the hundreds
of others, comparatively indignant, the
means of obtaining a subsistence. If
the pulpit were to do this vigorously
and energetically, its advocacy might
go far, ultimately, to infuse a new ele-
ment and motive in society; to induce
a new set of principles for its govern
ment and guidance (; to reveal fresh
and wider horizon in the economy of
life. OF course its influence at first
would be relatively small. There
would be world of prejudice and pre-
dilection to be removed there would
be numerous cases in which the man of
L y L
ton by attachments more or less in
severable. But supposing the pulpit
were only faithful to its mission, sup
posing it was effective only on a moiety
of the cases presenting no real obstacle
to such course, what an enormous
measure of good might be brought
about To many the very idea would
be a new one-a sort of revelation pre-
sented to them with the force of desi
rable possibility for the first time.
Year: 1875

1t is night now, and here is home.
Gathered under the quiet roof, elders
and children lie, alike at rest. In the
midst of great calm the stars look out
from the heavens. The silence is peo-
pied with the past-sorrowful remorse
for sins and shortcomings, memories of
passionate Joys and griefs rise out of
their graves, both new alike calm and
sad. Eyes, as shut mine, look at me
that have long since ceased to shine.
The town and the fair landscape sleep
under the starlight, wreathed under
the Autumn mist. Twink h. among
the houses. a light keeps watch, here
and there in what may be q sick chamber
or two. The clock tolls sweetly in the
silent air. Here is night and rest. An
awful sense of thanks makes the heart
swell and the head bow, as I pass to my
room through the sleeping house, and
feel as though hushed blessing were
upon t.-Thackeray.
Year: 1875

An old man up in Connecticut had
a poor cranky bit of wife, who regu-
larly once a week got up in the night
and invited the family to see her die.
She gave away her things, spoke her
last words, made her peace with heaven,
and then about eight o'clock she got up
in the usual way, and disappointed
everybody by going at her household
duties as if nothing had happened.
The old man got sick of it finally, and
went out and got coffin, real nice
cashmere shroud, a wreath of immor-
telles, and with Farewell, Mary Ann"
worked in a handful of silver-plsted
screws. Laying the screw-driver besides
the collection, he invited her to holler
die once more. ''Do it, said he, and
in you go, and this farewell business is
over" Mary Ann is at this moment
baking buckwheat cakes for large
and admiring family. while they dry
apples in the coffin up in the garrett
Year: 1875

Believe me. Bess, when declare


A title deeds my heart,
And you the party Of the first,


And l the second part
That have an attachment true


Is useless quite to mention;
In vain l seek to serve you and


Arrest your sweet attention.
You know you owned some love for me
When the question mooted
But now il seems 20 me you act
As if YOU were non-suited
Ny case is one in equity;


I've pleaded with precision:
You know the points; why will you then
So long reserve decision ?
/ make no dilatory plea;


I'm driven to distraction
Unless soon obtain relief,


I'm sure / shall take action.
At first civil suit III bring


At Cupids special session;
And there. plaintiye lover, ask
For Judgment by confession
Now don't demur when this you read
But own you feel compunction.
For my suit will prosecute


In spite Of your injunction.
And if, my Judgment in despite,
You will not hear me still
I'll get an order from the court


T. administer your will.
trust you'll file an answer brief
To this, my declaration,
Or else shall proceed to make
A crOss-eXamlnation.
Year: 1875

Think over all possible ways of en-
larging your business and ask Yourself
honestly which will soonest, most
surely and most largely contribute to
that result with the least expense. Is
not the answer found in advertising,
which while it talks for the merchant
also leaves him free to attend to all who
are moved to do business with him.
Year: 1875

The CHILDREN OF THE ARABs.-The
mothers and fathers IN Arabia make a
great difference between their sons and
daughters. They think it a dreadful
thing for little girl to presume to
come into the world, and often hurry
her out of it without much ceremony.
Some years ago it was common through
out the country to offer up female
children as a sacrifice but in later
years il is done as matter of economy
and the poor little creatures are some
times buried alive and sometimes
thrown into the sea. When a little
girl is born the mother cries as if her
heart would break, and all her neigh
bors call to sympathize with her mis-
fortune. They have many proverbs
about the calamity. 1.-The threshold
weeps forty days when a girl is born :"
''To send women before to the other
world is benefit"


When boy is born there are great
rejoicings; friends and neighbors call
to bring presents, and offer congratula-
ton and dainty preparation of rice,
sugar, and spices, called ''mughly," is
made, and sent around to all the rela-
tives as an expression of goodwill and
happiness.