smithclay/nortonstories huggingface dataset:
Year: 1875

ITS PRESENT CONDITION - REMNANTS OF


PAST GREATNESS.


A correspondent of the Boston Globe
has been visiting the farm of Daniel
Webster at Marshfeld, and writes The
mansion house is typical American
homestead, quite extensive, with the air
of comfort and convenience, and in some
way impresses one as the abode of past
greatness. Sufficiently ornate to satisfy
good taste, it has an unpretentious grand
eur that accords well the spot. Though
occupied as private residence and not
open for public inspection, still the writ
er and friend were most politely received
and shown the principal rooms by the
excellent lady of the house. The first
room visited was the library, which is
the finest and naturally the most inter-
esting apartment. 1t is situated in one
of the wings of the house, and was de-
signed by Julia, the lamented daughter,
especially for her fathers use, and in its
plan and arrangement does great credit
to her taste and skill. 1t is left nearly
as possible as it was at Mr.. Webster's
death-the great massive writing table,
the favorite chair, the pictures, and or
naments remain mementoes of other
days and vividly recall the great life
with which they were so intimately as
sociated. Most of the books have been
removed from the cases for sale, but
their places are supplied with articles of
Uertu and ornaments of great variety
and value, the collection of lifetime.
The high vaulted walls are adorned
with pictures and busts, many of the
former family portraits, the most con-
spicous being one of Mr. Webster, by
Healy, painted at the time of the sigma
ture of the Ashburton treaty, and an
other of Major Edward Webster in the
uniform of the Massachusetts Mexican
volunteers. The staff and white felt hat
are suspended in their accustomed place
over the picture of their former posses
sor. Other rooms, the music room, the
dining and morning rooms, the star
chamber, and Mr.. Webster's room, in
which he died, were shown us, and the
particular features and souvenirs pointed
out. They are all preserved in appear
ance as when the household lost its mas
ter and the nation its greatest intellect.
In the dining room many pictures OF
| favorite cattle, drawn from life hang on
the walls, while in other miniatures of
grandchildren and sketches of Webster
in rude home garb and white hat attract
the eve. From the window of the morn
ing-room, looking out upon the great
elm, the final farewell was taken two or
three days before his death of the herd
of $50 cattle, driven up for their owner S
last view. Mr.. Webster had strong
attachment for his cattle, and talked to
them and fondled them as though they
were intelligent beings. The rooms
have that home-like aspect in keeping
with the character Of one " to the man.
or born" who here sought relief from
the cares of state and life, and ever
yearned for the peace and pleasure of a
beloved New England home in which he
was reared.
Year: 1875

The husband was of quick temper and
often inconsiderate. They had not been
married a year, when one day, in fit of
hasty wrath, he said to his wife:


want no correction from you. If
you are not satisfied with my conduct,
you can return to your home whence /
took you, and find happiness with your
kind"


"If L leave you,' returned the un-
happy wife, "will you give me back that
which l brought to your"


Every dollar l covet not your
wealth, you shall have it all back"


"Ah," she answered. Il meant not
the wealth of gold. thought not of
dress. | meant my maiden heart-my
first and only love-my buoyant hopes,
and the promised blessings of my wo-
manhood. Can you give these to me?


A moment of thought, of convulsion,
and then taking her in his arms


" No, no, my wife, 1 can not do that,
but will do more; | will keep them
henceforth unsullied and unpained. L
cherish your blessings as my own; and
never again, God helping me, will 1 for
get the pledge l gave at the holy altar,
when you gave your peace and happi-
ness to my keeping.


How true it is that a soft answer turn.
eth away wrath and how many, oh,
how many of the bitter strifes of life
might be avoided by remembering and
acting in accordance Herewith.
Year: 1875

The dancer, dressed in corsage and
very short skirt, carries willow wheel
of moderate diameter fastened horizon
tally upon the top of her head. Around
this wheel threads are fastened, equally
distant from each other, and at the end
of each of these threads is slip-noose,
which is kept open by glass bead.
Thus equipped the young girl comes to-
wards the spectators with basket full
of eggs, which she passes around for in
spection to prove that they are real, and
not limitations. The music strikes up
jerky, monotonous strain, and the dancer
begins to whirl around with great rapid
ity. Then, seizing an egg, she puts it in
one of the slip-nooses, and with a quick
motion, throws it from her in such way
as to draw the knot tight. The swift
turning of the dancer produces contri-
fugal force which stretches the thread
out straight like a ray shooting from the
circumference of the circle. One after
another the eggs are thrown out in these
slip-nooses until they make horizontal
aureole or halo about the dancers head.
Then the dance becomes still more rapid,
so rapid, in fact, that it is difficult to
distinguish the features of the girl the
moment is critical, the least false step
the least irregularity in time, and the
eggs dash against each other.


But how can the dance be stopped ?
There is but one way,-that is, to re-
move the eggs in the way in which they
have been put in place This operation
is by far the more delicate of the two.
1t is necessary that the dancer, by sim
gle motion, exact and unerring, should
take hold of the egg and remove it from
the moose. A single false motion of the
hand, the least interference with one OF
the threads, and the general arrange
ment is suddenly broken, and the whole
performance disastrously ended. At last
all the eggs are successfully removed
the dancer suddenly stops, and, without
seeming in the least dizzied by this dance
of twenty-five or thirty minutes, she ad
vances to the spectators with firm step
and presents them the eggs, which are
Immediately broken into dish, to show
that they are genuine.
Year: 1875

KEEP THE GATE SHUT.-An English
farmer was one day at work in his field
when he saw a party of horsemen riding
about his farm. He had one field that
he was especially anxious they should
not ride over, as the crop was in a con-
dition to bebadly injured by the tramp of
horses. So he dispatched one of his
boys to the field, telling him to shut the
gate, and then keep watch over it, and
on no account to suffer it to be opened.
The boy did as he was bidden; but he
was scarcely at his post before the hunt
ers came up, peremptorily ordering. the
gate to be opened. This the boy refus-
ed to do, stating the orders he had re-
ceived, and his determination not to dis
obey them. Threats and brides were
offered alike in vain one after another
came forward as spokesman, but all
with the same result; the boy remained
immovable in the determination not to
open the gate After a while, one of
noble presence advanced, and said, in
commanding tones; my boy, do you
know me !? am the Duke of Yelling
ton, one not accustomed to be disobeyed:
and command you to open the gate,
that and my friends may pass through" ]"


The boy lifted his cap, and stood un-
covered before the man whom all Eng
land delighted to honor, and answered
firmly :" | am sure the Duke of Yelling
ton would not wish me to disobey or
ders. | must keep this gate shut, nor
suffer any one to pass but with my mas
ter's express permission" Greatly pleas.
ed, the sturdy old warrior lifted his own
hat and said | honor the man or
boy that can neither be bribed nor
frightened into doing wrong. With an
army of such soldiers, | could conquer
not only French but the world" And
handing the boy glittering sovereign, the
Duke put spurs to his horse and galloped
away while the boy ran off to his work,
shouting at the top of his voice Hur-
rah hurrah I've done what Napo-
leon couldn't do-Tve kept out the
Duke of Wellington"
Year: 1875

A WINDOW ORNAMENT FOR WINTER.
"A pretty window ornament for winter
can be made by gathering few pitch
pine cones, drying them so that they will
open, dipping them in water and sprink-
ling few grass seeds into the opening.
BY setting the stem end in water a few
hours the cone will close up, and the
grass will show itself in few days and
continue to grow as long as the cone is
kept moist. They can be hung by a
string in the window or placed on the
flower stand,
Year: 1875

A PRUULAMATIUN
TO The People Of Belloacs Falls and sur
rounding TO'ons
and well selected stock OF
READY MADE CLOTHING
FOR MEMS AND BOYS WEAR


A full line of


GentLemens Furnishing Goods,
and the NoBBIEST line of
Year: 1875

The London Graphic says: Monto Cristo's escape from the sack in which he was flung into the sea from the Chateau d'If has been initiated by m ingenious Persian. Having incurred the displea- sure of high functionary at Shiraz, Mo hammed Mirza was condemned to be fas- tened up in a sack with viper, a cock and n cat, and after an hours time, when this happy family had improved their acquaintance, the sack and its contents were to be thrown into the river. For tunately for Mohammed Mirza, his exc cutioners forgot to search his pocket, which contained small knife. Directly the mouth of the sack was closed upon him and his companions he cut in half the viper, which was already encircling his leg the cock and the cat were next dispatched, and our Persian occupied the remainder of his hour by stimulating a violent fight of the three animals, and giving forth the most excruciating cries of agony. In due time sack and all were consigned to the water and then Moham- med Mirza speedily freeing himself from the prison, gained the other side of the river, and came post haste to Europe, for the future voluntary exile from his fatherland.
Year: 1875

There might have been a disastrous fire on Fourth street, on Saturday, but for the heroism displayed by man named Sweetman. He was passing along when he saw little flames creeping around the chimney, and he dashed into the house. He shouted |" fire until the house rang; while he seized bureau and threw 1t over, he called to one of the family to go and sound the alarm. The bureau was left lying on the floor, and Sweetman gathered up table and ran into the yard. He sent a small boy to sound another alarm, and ran in and began racking bedstead to pieces, at the same time ordering the women to throw everything out of doors. He got the bedstead down and ran out of the house and rushed third boy to fire alarm box, and then went ill and care fully brought out the wood-box and Q foor-mat. The women were meanwhile showing the parlor furniture out doors, and as soon as Sweetman had flung the looking glass through the back window, and tore the baby's crib to pieces, he ran in and helped them, while another messenger was sent to jerk an alarm out of a letter-box on the lamp-post. While Sweetman was thus working horoically, another man climbed up on the roof with pail of water and put out the fire, and three or four came upon the scene just in time to prevent Sweetman from throw ing the piano down the cellar to give himself room to work.-ECehdnge
Year: 1875

The passion of drink must be sup planted by higher passions, higher in- dulgence, says the Rev. Philip Brooks. Those who drink and reform have an emptiness which must be filed. The vacancy must not be left. By supplying the man with higher enjoyments more can be done than by legislation. If by Legislation intemperance could be sud- denly turned away, unhappy lives and homes converted into better and sweeter ones, there is left that passion which drink has supplied. More must be done. Strength of mind must be supplied by arousing the better md higher passions. Life would thus be made better, happier, and richer if every means of social and intellectual culture and pleasure were used to fill the vacancy left by the want of that stimulus which filled it. If I knew any young man who thought wanted to rescue himself from the power of drink would urge him to confess be- fore God, before his own soul and before his fellow men that he will never drink again. But after that is done I should endeavor to fill his life full of other and better interests. I would try and intro dlce him to culture, or in other ways to help him to a better md more earnest life, and finally would bring religion to bear upon him-not the religion which is restraint, but which is satisfaction. In dealing with the drunkards would ad- wise those working with them to not stop with getting them to sign the pledge, but to follow them until they are sure their lives are full. More sympathy should be expressed and shown, in order that the feeling of degradation may be less keen in the unfortunate. They should have influence, social, sympathe- tic and religious, thrown around them. The power of the will must be restored, and it can be brought about by the trans porting of man to a higher life.
Year: 1875

Here are useful suggestions from a member of the British Parliament, Lord Derby, who is robust, manly man. He says:

 "Tal1e two men, if they could be found, exactly alike in mental and bodily aptitudes, and let one go on carelessly and idly, indulging his appetites and generally leading life of pleasure, and let the other train himself by early hours, by temperate habits, and by giv- ing to muscles and brain each their fair share of employment, and at the end of two or three years they will be as wide apart ill their capacity for exertion as If they had been born with wholly different constitutions. Without normal healthy condition there can, as rule, be no good work; and though that qualification cannot absolutely be secured or preserved by any rules, little common sense and care will go a long way both in securing and preserving it. On that point I would give you these hints: First, that it is not mental labor that hurts anybody, lln- less the excess be very great, but rather fretting and fidgeting over the prospect of labor to be gone through so that the man who can accustom himself to take things coolly, which is quite as much a matter of discipline as of nature, and who, by keeping well beforehand with what he has to do, avoids undue hurry and nervous excitement, has Q great ad- vantage over one who follows different practice. Next I would warn you that those students who think they have no time for bodily exercise will sooner or later have to find time for illness. Third, when an opportunity of choice is given, morning work is generally better than night work; and lastly-a matter which I should not stop to allude to but that I know the dangers of an over-driven ex- istence in a crowded town-if man can not get through his days labor, of what ever kind it may be, without artificial support, 1t should be a serious consider ation for him whether that kind of labor is fit for him at all."
Year: 1875

When the summer of youth is slowly wasting away on the nightfoll of age, and the shadow of the path becomes deeper and life wears to it's close, it is pleasant to look through the vista of time upon the sorrows and felicities of our earlier years. If we have homo to shelter and hearts to rejoice with us, and friends have been gathered around our freside, and the rough places of wayfaring will have been worn and smoothed away in the twilight of life, and many dark spots we have passed through. will grow brighter and more beautiful. Happy, indeed, are those whose intercourse with the world has not changed the tone of their holier feeling or broken those musi- cal chords of the heart whose vibrations are so melodious, so tender and so touch ing in the evening of their life.
Year: 1875

In former letter alluded to the de- serted old farms to be seen between Weare and Henniker, New Hampshire. l These old farms are situated back on the hills and away from the socials of life. The soil has been exhausted by constant cropping, and the chances for even a comfortable living are but '" few and far between" The buildings are much too large for the demands of modern fami- lies, and the cost of repairing would be heavy burden. Taxes are nearly treble what they were formerly. The cost of living added to these expenses make 1t impossible for @ man to live decently on farms. There is now and then a hardy, courageous Irishman who dares to face the difficulties of such situations. And he would not, if he possessed the ability and the foresight of the native. It is fact that we can't deny, that many of these old farms are not worth taking the gift of for home, and the sooner we own up to this fact the better it will be for us, and we may then start with consistent record. The only way to bring this hard upland soil back to fer tility again is to let the frees grotU. Con sequently, most of them will pass into the hands of moneyed men or corpora tions, and lie till the growth of wood Is called for. It takes but few years for it to mature for the ax.

 Two crops may be cut in the allotted life of man. We say, then, let the bushes grow. Ay, help them to do so by scattering the seed. Then old fields might be planted with the pine with but little expense. Draw light furrows, into which scatter the seed, and in few years there will be forest again.

 Another discouraging feature to a life on these hill farms is the roads, both summer and winter. Help being scarce md wages high, the highway tax is not worked as it used to be. The old, the lame, the halt, and almost the blind are accepted as laborers. Consequently not so much work is done. The roads are getting narrow and flat and rough, on account of the unremoved stones. In winter, teams are so light it is almost i'm possible to keep good roads. From twelve to twenty yokes of oxen used to turn out at the call of each highway sur veyor in the winter. Now, often whole district will be found with only a single yoke, and now and then one with none at
Year: 1875

Hadst thou equal love to mine,

 No such love there Ger had been Hadst thou hate as I have love,

 No such hate the world had seen ; Take this tiny locket, love,

 Shaped as golden heart, Wear therein this semblance, love, Whose most precious gem thou art. In mine heart thine image rests, Lovely prize, unworthy shrine May the pure gold prison me,

 Or that purer heart of thine. Thou art prlrer, fairer far

 Than pure gold of diadems Lovelier art thou, lovelier,

 Than the loveliest of gems.
Year: 1875

This is story from California. If told of any other country in the world, we'd doubt it. A fine bay horse was found suspended one morning recently from 8 cherry tree by the neck and dead. He had been left hitched to a branch of the tree, which had grown so rapidly during the night that it raised him off his feet and hung him. And they don't think of fencing in California.
Year: 1875

I saw Daniel O'Connell on the morn ing he received his sentence, says a writer He came alone into the little robing-room where I used to keep my wig and gown, and donned his profes- sional habiliments-hi silken robes of Queens counsel and his bar wig. As he exchanged for this the curly, nutty- brown "jasey" he usually wore, I ob- served his head was entirely devoid of hair. He was as bald as the first Cesar.

 When the chief justice, Pennefather, pronounced sentence-he had been the agitator's personal enemy and profession al rival through his whole career-I noticed bitter smile fit over the old mans face. O'Connell then retired through side door, where Col. Browne, the chief commissioner of police, was waiting to receive him. Browne, who is alive still, told me that he had his own carriage drawn close up to the outer door, into which he handed the State prisoner, taking a seat by his side and drawing up the blinds. Crowds of frieze-clad peasants lined the quays ; an infuriated multitude surged through the streets of the metropolis. The morning was gloomy; thick flakes of snow were beginning to fall; deep execrations filled the air as the popular favorite was borne slowly away, for the coachman was un- able to move his horses faster than at a foot-pace. Observing this state of affairs, and that the angry mob was pressing close upon the carriage, Col. Browne, who in his time had led more than one forlorn hope, told me that he felt the emergency of the situation. He took out case of loaded pistols, cooked and laid them upon his knee. When O'Connell saw this he smiled "A wise precau- tion," he said, "but useless. If l were only to raise my hand you would be in eternity ; md these words which he uttered were full of significant meaning. When it's passions are aroused Dublin mob is very terrible. It took Q chief justice out of his carriage once, and tore him to pieces on the spot. One word from O'Connell on that morning would have caused revolution. Formidable military precautions had been taken the troops were under arms, cannon were so placed as to command the thorough fares-but I do believe that if the signal had been given the whole country would have arisen, and to annihilate an entire nation by grapeshot would not have been an easy matter. The prisoner was conveyed in safety to Kilmainham, but for many days afterward the prison was surrounded by an infuriated throng. There never, believe, lived in the his tory of any country a man who had the same extraordinary hold over the affec- tions of an entire nation as O'Connen had over the Irish. He was the greatest popular leader ever known.
Year: 1875

In his address before the graduating class of the Albany Medical College, Ex- Governor Hoffman related this incident ::

 "I would not say anything to lower the tone of your professional or personal morals, but I fancy there is @ certain kind of deception which is not sin. l was sitting at dinner once with an esteemed country medical friend, and noticed him rolling ill his fingers pills from the bread at his side. I asked his purpose, and he replied that with that simple remedy he had worked Q cure in the case of lady who had consulted, in vain, some of the most celebrated physi- clans in the State that she had slight relapse, and had sent to him for some of the same pills which he had given be- fore. He did not seem to think he was doing very wicked thing nor did it strike mo that he was. I suppose he would have been a little flustered if his patient had asked him to write out the prescription. This he knew she would not do. She had faith in him, and in no one else, and would have trusted no one else to make up the pills Whether this deception--a professional white lie-was censurable according to professional ethics, I cannot say The standard of morals even among the faculty is, am sorry to say, not always the same. Re gently I saw report of a suit at law be- tween two physicians. It was a islander suit. The trial involved, among other things, inquiry into the use of homeo- pathic medicines by an allopathic physi- clan, and the professional propriety of so doing. One witness of high professional standing in his own neighborhood, testi- fled, in substance, that if an allopathic doctor administered homeopathic reme- dies without letting his patient know the fact, it was quite right and regular but if he told the patient that they were homeopathic medicines then he was al- together wrong and irregular. In other words, regularity lay in the concealment of the truth. I, an unprofessional man, do not mean to express any opinion upon that point but I do think my friend with the bread-pills was regular"
Year: 1875

Building StOne-I am prepared
to furnish builders with any quantity
from one to five hundred cords of as
excellent building stone as can be fur
nished from any quarry in Wood Coun-
ty. Apply to


If HENRY OsTERMAN.