smithclay/nortonstories huggingface dataset:
Year: 1876

II was natural that in many of the churches
yesterday the preachers should have dwelt
upon the thoughts suggested by the birth OF
the year. Thus Cardinal McCloskey and
Mr.. Hepworth both met in the reflection
that the year gone by has left many of our
promises broken, our resolves unfulflled.
Both drew the lesson that love of God is tho
one cure-all for our ills, so that in the utter
ance of the solemn prelate of the old dog
matte Church and that of the young
pastor of an untrammelled congrega-
tion we can trace their inspiration
back TO its source in common Gospel
Observing this point where they meet tho
incubation Of love of God-we can pause
TO wonder that sectarian hate could find
foothold anywhere between Christian and
Christian. Mr.. Beecher's sermon was diff
ferentiated from the New Year thought 10
the changing influences of time. He con-
tended that things should live in essence
and not as figures of memory Painting
with pre-Raphaelite detail the Saviour AZ
He lived eighteen centuries ago he considers
archeologizing Christ, while what man wants
is to feel the breath Of living Redeemer in
his nostrils. 1t may be that Mr. Beecher
wished to show how hard, for instance, it is
to write the Life Of Christ" acceptably now
adays, while it is easy as wishing to
realize Him in our hearts This -
a wholesome religious thought and the
better that it may be an unfavor-
able hint to Mr. Beechers publishers.
In Mr. Harris sermon at the Allen street
Methodist church we find the illusions 20
the New Year more direct and local than in
any other, He pointed his moral with refer
ence to the ladies' tables on Saturday, and
adorned his tale with homily upon the
salutation of the season. In view of the un-
certainty of time he thinks it sounds 'Iike a
ghosts laugh ;" but we hope that it may
prove "a spirit Of health" to all his hearers,
and not what Hamlet feared his fathers
spool might otherwise be. Mr. Conway's
elaborate essay on "The New Testament"
is worthy Of careful perusal, as well from it's
learning as from its evident earnestness. 1t
contains new thoughts, bat on a weightior
subject than the New Year
Year: 1876

The Presidents Reply 90 Congress.
/ II may be taken for granted that there is
nothing more important to the American
people than the character of their own
government Wars with Mexico or Spain,
new treaties of commerce, &c, are specu-
lative or possible events, but the election
of President this year is certainty in
which the whole country has an immediate
interest. It is time that both great parties
should have some knowledge of the inten-
tions Of their leaders, and specially of the
persons who are to be candidates for the
Presidential nominations. We hold it un-
worthy of any man claiming to be fit to oc-
cupy the Presidency TO steal into conven-
tion and, by the arts of cunning or bargain
ing to win place upon the ticket. Who
ever aspires 10 that great Office should be
manly enough to say so.


II this is true Of candidates generally it is
especially true Of a candidate who is also
the President. General Grant, if he is
candidate for denomination, has inestimable
advantages over all his competitors. They
are derived from the influence Of his Office.
He is also, in that case, the author Of an in
novation on republican customs. He is
bound, therefore, more than any other man
in the country to declare his purposes in re-
spect to the Presidency. To refuse to graf
ify the natural and just demands of the peo-
pie is virtually breach of trust.


The policy Of silence which the President
has hitherto maintained must soon end. For
Independently Of the broad and general rea-
sons which make it matter of honor for him
to relieve the national suspense, he is now
confronted with an official question. He has
declined to answer the conventions Of his own
party. He has treated with naughty silence
the protests Of the press. We are now to
see whether he will treat with equal
contempt the formal interrogatory of
Congress- The people have waited, not
impatiently, for his response to the anti-third
term resolution passed by the House of Rep
resentatives on December 10. The House
then declared by the overwhelming vote of
232 yeas to 10 nays that in its opinion ''the
precedent established by Washington and
other Presidents Of the United States in re-
tring from the Presidential Office after their
second terms has become by universal con-
currence a part of our republican system
of government, and that any departure from
this time e-honored custom would be unwise,
unpatriotic, and fraught with peril to our
free institutions" This was q direct
challenge to the President, through whom
alone this peril to our free insti-
tutions can come. Can he afford to
neglect it? He might frame excuses for not
answering party conventions and protests of
the press, but he cannot pretend that Con-
gress, as the official and immediate repre-
sentative of the people, has no right to put
him to his purgation. We expect, therefore,
that as soon as Congress reassembles Pres
ident Grant will make frank, honest re-
sponse to its authoritative summons. To
refuse to speak now would be to confess
that his designs on the Presidency forbid
him to be candid, or to treat the nation with
undisguised contempt.
Year: 1876

are seven months 20 work In. and while no
advantage should be sacrificed which simple
justice and common prudence alike demand,
every step short of that should be taken
rather than fail The present Regatta Com
mittee is an excellent one and can safely be
intrusted with such power.
Year: 1876

The MYSTERIES or CHcAoo's crooked
whiskey will soon be laid before the public.
The modes of cheating the government differ
but little from those employed in st. Louis.
1T is, however plain in all cases that only
through official connivance have the frauds
cane
Year: 1876

The two questions Of most interest to the
public which are to come up at the Convention
of the Rowing Association at the Fifth Avenue
Hotel tomorrow are Where is the race TO
be rowed? and Are the English or Irish
University oarsmen or both, to compete
Our national university course ought, as the
English one was, to have been fixed long ago,
but several of the colleges will probably vote
tomorrow for a place wholly untried and
equally unfit for their purpose-New Lon
don. Harvard and Dartmouth are to so
vote; Bowdoin, very likely Brown, Trim
ity and Wesleyan, very likely, while
the five votes from the Middle States will
almost certainly be for Saratoga. Whichever
way, then, the two remaining votes go, if
they 90 together namely, those of AM
herst and Williams-so so will go the race.
Last year the majority for Saratoga was not
large but it was well understood in some
quarters that this was to keep the town up
to its work All this doubt now may be
again for bid, but it is hazardous
ground To choose the best place
in all respects has never before
been nearly so important os now and will
hardly be so again this century. Visitors
from all over the world are expected in un-
precedented numbers and our country and
its products are to be thrown open to their
inspection. a first class athletic contest,
especially between gentlemen, is always in
teresting to most men, and ladies, too, and
often exciting. The greatest one we have
ought this time to be conducted with pecu-
liar care for not only will our guests desire
to witness it, but many of them, coming
from nations far ahead of us in athletics


will view it naturally with critical eye
The course should be the best we have; so,
too, the accommodations for the visitors. Is
it wise, then, at this juncture, to depart from
a track which has been twice proved excep-
tionally fit for the American style of univer-
sity race, and especially when there are near
by the greatest and best appointed accom-
modations for guests that can be found in
our or any land and 60 to an untried track,
certain (being tidal one) to give very per-
ceptibe advantage to the crews drawing
favorable positions, and so be unfair; and
where, in the month the race is to be rowed,
there will hardly be comfortable bed room
for the fathers Of the hundred
and moro oarsmen alone, to say nothing of
TIE thousands Of graduates and the legion
Of other friends who would like to see the
race, the public at large, and especially our
foreign guests? 1t will prove a piece of bad
Judgment and extreme discourtesy to public
feeling which will very rightly go far-much
farther than did the wretched mismanage-
ment Of the Convention at Springfield a
month ago-to throw our university race
into disrepute, and it will be plain to every
one where to place the blame.


Again, if the word is that but one Of the
foreign universities accepts the invitation to
participate, care should be taken to leave to
a competent committee full power and in
structions to strive their utmost to yet in
sure the presence of two, if not all three, Of
| tina renowned institutions 50 invited There
Year: 1876

TIE MILD WEATHER OF yesterday proved a
great inducement to pedestrians, and the
churches reaped the benefit The spring
temperature, however. did not sit comforta-
bly, on the heavy winter clothing worn by
the wise majority who distrust "Old Prob
at this time Of the year even when bearing
thermal gifts.
Year: 1876

THE SPANISH PRESS took the reference TO
Cuban affairs in the Presidents Message in
very unequal spirit Indeed, although they
had day extra to think over it before writ
ing about it, they do not seem to have been
able 10 make up their minds as to what the
enigmatic passage really meant Thus we
end that the liberal Impdrcidl views it with
Measurable calm, while the iberia, with our
old friend Don jose Ferrer de Couto in the
character Of a picddor pricking it on to mad
ness, plunges at the Message like an angry
bull at red rag. We have, indeed, had toe
many enigmas from President Grant, and
this last perhaps the most undignited o.
ali We surely can afford to speak our mind
plaiuly to Door. worried SPAIN
Year: 1876

A Kansas lady gives the following
cure for Group, which she vouches for
as reliable. She has had much expe-
rience with a child always troubled
with croup-has tried hivesyrup,
goose grease and scores of other reme-
dies, and finds the following better
than all


Take of honey one tablespoonful,
pulverized alum one-half teaspoon
full, saleratus one and one-halt
teaspoonful, and ons-half the white OF
an egg. Beat all to a cream, and give
fourth teaspoonful. This will be
enough to give relief if taken as soon
as the first symptoms of Group appear,
which is a hoarse cough, the horror
of which can be realized only by those
who have heard it, and have watched
night after night with child sick with
Group. Ifit has become necessary to
vomit the child, give one teaspoontul,
and if the case is stubborn one re-
peat the dose IN half an hour. In an
extreme case, when this remedy has
not been applied soon enough, she
recommends to take piece Of flannel
large enough to cover the throat and
lungs well, grease it with fresh lard
and wet it with camphor, then warm
it and apply. This will relieve the
hoarse breathing in a very few mo-
ments. If given in time no outward
application will be necessary.
Year: 1876

AT last we began to hear pistol
shots near by in the next ravine. We
knew what that meant !! The other
party was out practising too. Then ]
was in the last degree distressed, for
of course they would hear our shots
ard then send over the ridge, and the
spies would fiud my barn door with
out a wound ora mark and that would
simply be an end to me ; for of course
the other man would immediately be-
come as blood thirsty as | was.


Just at this moment little bird no
larger than a sparrow flew by aud lit
on a bush about thirty PAGES away,
and my little second, Steve Glls, who
was dead shot with a pistol--much
better than I was-snatched out his
revolver and shot the birds head off !!
We all ran to pick up the game, and
sure enough, just at this moment,
some of the other duelists came re-
connoitering over the little ridge
They ran to our group to see what the
matter was, and when they saw the
bird Lords second said:


That was splendid shot. How
far off was it ?"


Steve said with some indifference {:


"Oh, no great distance. About
thirty PAGES"


"Thirty PAGES = Heavens alive !!
Who did it ?"


My man-Twain.


'The mischief he did Can he do
it often 2


"Well, yes. He can do it about
four times out of five


knew the little rascal was lying,
but l never said anything. l never
told him SO. He was not of dis
position to invite confidence of that
kind, so let the matter rest. But it
was . comfort to see those people look
sick, and see their jaws drop when
Steve made that statement. They
went off and got Lord and took him
home when we got home, half an
hour later, there was note saying
that Mr.. Lord peremptorily declined
to fight.


hit Ws The "rf mark stSs Git sfsETsa ss te'5 esss bsyS
shots if he had put those thirteen
bullets into me it would have narrow
ed my sphere Of usefulness a good
deal. True they could have put pegs
in the holes and used me tor hat
rack but what is hat-rack to man
who feels he has intellectual powers ?
Year: 1876

According to the statement OF
the President that unfortunate and too
trustful functionary has been imposed
upon again, and this time it is Pierre
oont who has betrayed him. On all
sides the Presidents Brutuses seem to
arise, and he is being involved in the
web of deceit woven by those whose
fortunes have been made by his favor.
Not long since Babcock imposed upon
him, and though he was taken back
after his little legal adventure in St.
Louis he was finally made Il scapegoat
and elected from the iuner temple OF
the White House. Pierrepont thinks
he has been badgered enough about
that letter, and so he ''imposes' upon
his master by stating that only after
Grant had urged him three times did
did he write the notorious eplstle
which opened a way Of escape for all
the unconvicted public thieves in the
country, inaugurated the policy which
drove Marsh to seek shelter in Cana
da, and threatened all who could be OF
special service to the Government If
if they divulged what they knew,
The President is consistent and does
not hesitate to make scapegoats OF
even his Cabinet officers when they
divulge secrets about him to protect
themselves.
Year: 1876

Dear Sir Your favor of the 18th
this day received. Swan q Walkers
trees are grown by root grating. we
grow our trees by budding into seed
ling stocks. The gentleman you
speak of must have been miStake"
when he told you he was in our office
and was informed that we grew our
trees by grating. y


We have found that we get a tree
with better roots, and we believe q
more healthy and hardy tree by bud
ding into tree which has all its
roots, than we can by grating a scion
into piece of a root, or root grating
as it is termed.


The reason Swan & Walker can
sell trees at SIS per hundred, is that
they send out very small tree, the
cost of raising same being small as
they do not grow them more than one
or two years, and then freight on
them is light, as they can get a great
number in box y
Yours, r. G.. CHASE & Co,
Year: 1876

A man VINO pfldeQ nlfnsell on his
morality, and expected to be saved by
it-who was constantly saying: 81
am doing pretty well, on the whole !;
l sometimes get mad and swear, but
then 1 am strictly honest / work on
Sunday when am particularly busy,
but l give good deal to the poor, and
I never was drunk in my lfe'-this
man once hired a canuy Scotchman to
build fence around his lot, and gave
him very particular directions as to his
work. In the evening when the
Scotchman came in from his labor, the
man SAID:


"Well, Jock, is the fence built; and
is it tight and strong p


81 Gamma say that it is all tight and
strong" replied Jock, but it's 4 good
average fence, anyhow. Ifsome parts
are little weak, others are extra
strong. l don't know but l may have
left gap here and there, yard wide
or so ; but thenI made up for it by
doubling the number OF tails on each
side of the gap. l dare sa. that the
cattle will find very good fence, on
the whole, and will like it though |
Gamma just say it's perfect in every
part"


"What !" cried the man, not seeing
the point, edo you tell me that you
have built fence around my lot with
weak places in it, and gaps in it! Why
you might as we'll have built no fence
at all If there is one opening, or a
place where an openin. can be made,
the cattle will be sure to find it, and
will all 60 through. Don't you know,
man, that fence must be perfect, or
it is worthless 2"


81 used to think so" said the dry
Scotchman, "but / hear you talk so
much about averaging matters with
the Lord, it seems to me we might try
it with the cattle. If an average fence
won't do for them, / am afraid that an
average character won't do in the day
OF Judgment. When was on ship
board, and a storm was driving US on
tbss ssnnchor sncfhs 'be Baap Baap'eea eehae orfai lift
back: There is broken link in the
cable Did the captain say, when he
heard that No matter, it's only one
link. The rest of the chain is good.
Ninety-nine OF the hundred links are
strong Its average is high. 1t only
lacks one per cent. of being perfect.
Surely the anchor ought to respect 80
excellent a chain, and not break away
from it A! No, indeed :? he shouted {:
Get another chain !! "


He knew that chain with one
broken link vas no chain at all. That
he might as we'll throw the anchor ov-
erboard without any cable, as with a
defective one. SO with the anchor OF
our soul. If there is the least flaw in
the cable, it is not safe to trust it. We
had better throw it away and try to
get new one thst we know is per-
feet.
Year: 1876

In rural Presbyterian congregation
in the western section of Canada the
people, for various reasons, were desir-
Gus of change in the pastorate. A
meeting was called to consider how the
desired change could be effected. Two
elders were induced to go and talk with
the minister about the matter. They
went on their mission with no little trep-
idation but were greatly relieved by
the cordial manner in which the good
minister received them. He listened
quietly to their hesitatingly-told story,
and at once acquiesced in their desire
that he would resign. Elated with their
success, they hastened to report the re-
suits to the people, All were greatly
gratifed at the prospect of such an am
icable arrangement and feeling some
sense of gratitude to the minister for his
many years of service and especially for
his ready compliance with their wishes,
they determined to present him with an
address and purse. A public meeting
of the congregation was held, at which
the pastor was invited to be present, an
address was read to him containing
strong expressions of appreciation and
gratitude for his manifold labors and of
strong personal affection for himself, and
the purse was handed to him as token
of their continued esteem.


On rising to reply, the pastor was
deeply moved and spoke with a faltering
voice. He stated that, influenced by the
statements of the elders who had called
on him, he had resolved, at much ex-
pense of feeling to himself, to resign his
charge. Pausing for minute, as if ov-
ercome with emotion mot few of the
tender hearted betraying their sympathy
with him-he went on to say that, in
view of the affectionate and touching ad-
dress he had just received, so very nu-
merously signed and accompanied by so
generous a gift, he felt constrained to
abandon his purpose, and would, there
fore, remain with them and devote his
future life to the best interests of peo-
pie who were so warmly attached to him
and who so highly valued his humble
services.


The reply was SO obviously dictated
by genuine simplicity that no one at the
time had the courage to rise and explain.
That minister is still pastor of the same
parish. The incident transpired some
ten or twelve years ago and contains a
good moral. Editors Droaoer IN Harp
er's Magazine for Jan.
Year: 1876

An old lady who took the cars on the
New London Northern at one of the i'm
portant functions, recently. deposited
her large traveling-bag in the wood-box
and the brakeman soon after, going after
some wood, drew it out and looked at
it in the greatest amazement. But he
was brought to his senses by a sharp
rap from the old lady's umbrella, who
demanded to know what he was doing
with her traveling-bag, at the same time
calling the conductor to her assistance.
Well, she thought that a pretty place to
keep wood, the only safe spot she saw
for her traveling-bag.
Year: 1876

lis rule of manners TO avoid exag-
geration. A lady loses as soon as she
admires too easily and too much. In
mau or woman, the face and the person
lose power when they are on the strain
to express admiration. A man makes
his interiors his superiors by heat. Why
need you, who are not gossip, talk as
gossip, and tell eagerly what the neigh
bors or the journals say? State your
opinion without apology. The attitude
is the main point, assuring your compan-
ion that, come good news or come bad,
you remain in good heart and good mind,
which is the best news you can possibly
communicate Selfcontrol is the rule.
You have in you there a noisy, sensual
savage, which you are to keep down and
turn all your strength to beauty. For
example, what a seneschal and detective
is laughter 1t seems to require several
generations of education to train
squeaking or shouting habit out of
man. Sometimes, when in almost all
expressions the Choctaw and the slave
have been worked out of him, a coarse ma
ture still betrays itself in his contempti-
BILE squeals of joy. The gain is, not to
shine, not to conquer your companion
then you learn nothing but conceit-but
to find companion who knows what
you do not; to tilt with him and be over
thrown horse and foot with utter destruc-
tion of your logic and learning. There
is defeat that is useful. Then you can
see the real and the counterfeit, and will
never accept the counterfeit again. You
will adopt the art of war that has de-
feated you. You will ride to battle
horsed on the very logic which you found
irresistible. You will accept the fertile
truth, instead of the solemn customary
lie When people come to see us, we
foolishly prattle, lest we be inhospitable.
But things said for conversation are
chalk eggs. Don't say things. What
you are stands over you the while, and
| thunders so that cannot hear what YOU
say to the contrary. A lady of my ac-
quaintenance said, al don't care SO
much for what they say as | do for what
makes them say it" The law of the
table is beauty-a respect to the common
soul of all the guests. Everything is
unreasonable which is private to two or
three or any portion of the company.
Tact never violates of moment this
| law never intrudes the orders of the
house, the vices of the absent, or tar
iff of expenses, or professional privacies
as we say, we never talk shop" before
company. Lovers abstain from caresses,
and haters from insults, while they sit
in one parlor with common friends.
Would we codify the laws that should
reign in households, and whose daily
transgression annoys and mortifes us,
and degrades our household life-we
must learn to adorn every day with sac
rifices. Good manners are made UP of
petty sacrifices. Ralph Waldo Emerson.