THE CHARLOTTE MESSENGER.
VOL. 111. NO. 34
THE
Charlotte Messenger
IS PUBLISHED
Saturday,
AT
CHARLOTTE, N. C.
In the Interests of the Colored People
of the Country.
•Mile nn>! noil known writers will contrib
ute to its columns from different parts of the
roontry. and it will contain the latest 0e«
era) News of the day.
Tor MEHsenoEKis a first-class newspaper
awl will not allow personal abuse in its col
urars. It is not sectartan or partisan, but
independent— dealing fairly by aIL It re
serves the right to criticise the shortcomings
of nil pnblic officials— commending the
worthy, and recommending for election such
men as in its opinion are best'Suited to servo
tV interests of the people.
ft is intended to supply the long felt need
of a newspaper to advocate the rights and
defend the inVrsta of the Negro-American,
especially in the Piedmont section of the
Caroiinae.
RTJBSCHIPTIONB:
«*t fwoyn in Adr ante. )
| I year - - - $1 50
■- month* - - - 100
*') months - 75
M 4 months 50
f months - - - 40
Address,
W.C. SMITH. Charlotte NC,
The number of applications for
■patents in the United States, with our
00.000,000 inhabitants, last year, was
21,T0T, while in Great Britain and Ire
and, with a population of about 40,000,-
000. the number of applications was 17,-
102. which makes the ratio of ingenuity
not very different in the English-speak
ing countries. France comes next on
the list, judging by the number of ap
plications for patents, and Germany
stands next to France.
A report has been returned by the
Government relative to the amount ol
forests consumed in th’s country to sup
plv railroad ties. We have at present
300,000 miles of railroad and the report
is based upon the return from G 3 per
cent, of the roads. From this report wc
tin 1 that, allowing the tie 3 to be renewed
once in seven years, there will be re
quired for this purpose and for the sup
ply of new roads from year to year, the
timber from 50f?,|14 acres. As thirty
years will he necessary to renew the
growth, we must set aside as a “ra iroad
reserve’’ a tract of woodland embracing
Hi.'l? 1,420 acres to supply the necessary
timber for ties—or an area larger than
Vermont. New Hampshire and Massa
chusetts combined.
In a recent article Commander H. C.
Taylor, the well known authority on na
val affairs, has made 6ome interesting
statements in regard to the needs of
New York harbor from a commercial
point of view. The complaint that, de
spite the superiority of the harbor in
every other respect, its entrance is ob
structed by bars and sand banks, and iti
channels are narrow and shallow, and
except at certain conditions of tide are |
unaviguble by the heavier class of ocean |
steamers, is familiar to every one. A j
great many different plans have been j
suggested for remedying this evil, but j
none of them seem to have found favor,
either on account of their expensiveness, ,
or the uncertainty a* to whether they j
will be of any permanent value. Com- 1
mander Taylor is of the opinion that if I
anything is done in this direction —and ;
the growing demands of commerce ob
viously require that something shall be
done—-it will be necessary to make a
careful survey of the harbor, byway of
preparation, before any definite policy ,
can be determine ! upon.
The Pension Office has prepared a cir '
cular showing who are entitled to the
benefits of the Mexican Pension Act f
which is now in force. A copy of the
circular will he sent to any one on appli
cation. The Commissioner of Pensions
has been re eiving daily bushels of let
ters from those who th’nk themselves J
entitled to pensions under the act. In
order to settle nil doubt as to who arc
so entitled General Black has embodied j
m the circular th j portions of the act ;
which indicate who a c to enjoy the j
benefits, with explanatory remarks cal- |
culated to make t uch sections clear. He
announces that only soldiers of the Mex- j
ican war who served sixty days and are 1
now sixty-two years of age can secuie a
pension unless they can prove disability J
or dependence. The widow of such
soldier is also l.arred from the benefits of j
the act unices she has reached sixty-two
years, or is dependent upon others for
her support. The Commissioner also (
informs the surviving officer* of the war 1
that the art plare* them on the same i
footing with the soldiers, and they only
receive penai >ns upon the same condi
tions. The amount of pens on can In no
ease be greater than eight dollars per
month.
!
AIMS.
Aim wall!
No time is lost by care.
Haste fails. Beware! Beware.
A true aim wins, then dare
Make each aim tell.
Aim high!
No shaft is e’er misspent
Which, aimed with true intent,
Strikes near the mark. Well meant
Is victory!
j Leesj.in Youth's Companion.
MARION.
One evening, from my seat in the.par-
I quet, I saw in an opera box a vision of
1 beauty, remarkable for the sentiment ex
i Wessed in the pose and costume. A
squint through the glass revealed a
friend, and a few minutes later I was
seated noiselessly a few feet behind her
listening to “Loh ngrin” and enjoy ng
not for the first time, the charm of a
nearly perfect woman. He. - profile came
against the dark lining of the boxes
Ccross the way; her head, like those
of maidens in the Fanathenaen proces
j 6ion. bent forward a trifle moouily; a
small, pink, round car was listening to
I the slow words of a youth directly at
1 her back, and I thought the polished
j right shoulder—shoulders are immensely
expressive sometimes—had a certain
protesting turn to it. My admiration
for this lovely vision had been open
enough the winter before to warrant
friends in retailing all the gossip of the
summer in regard to her, particularly as
to things I might be expected by no
means to relish, and I jat wondering
wether any of it was true and whether
the abstracted look in her face had to do
with what I had heard.
finally I examined the youth. He
proved tc be a noted leader of cotillions,
not ho n to New York, but already in
dispensable to young ladies and their
mammas who give balls; rightfully es
teemed, moreover, for his taste in flow
ers and the gttiug up of boudoir and
drawingroom. He, too, was woith ex
amining. I could not but think how
nice of him it was that he,like the young
ladies, his patrons and clients, should
give so much time and pains to his
dress. Handsome to begin with, al
though not cast in any heroic mold, he
was exquisite as a bouquet that comes
from the florist’s —exactly proportioned
ju-‘t right in the arrangement of the
flowers, sweet smelling and fresh, with
the ice water that artiully recalls dew
glimmering neatly on rose and leaf. His
face did not indeed sparkle, but ifc was
fresh colored and the blonde mustache
curled With exact care at the right num
ber of inches below the suggestion of a
curl on his white forehead. I envied
heartily the perfect set of his coat, the
unwiinklcd line of his trousers, and the
little pitent leather shoe that coyly
peeped below. The upper body was bent
at just the light angle at the waist,
creasing slightly the starched white
waistcoat with gold button*. A flower
corresponding with the bouquet that she
had laid on the edge of the box was in
the lapel, and his gloved hands rested
against each other lightly, yet with the
motion of an appeal—an appeal belied,
however, by the immobility of his face.
I wondered if they were engaged, hoped
they were not, and fortified the hope oy
reflecting that because they were so
alike in some things, because their
names w< re connected, because it was to
the world in all respects so fitting a
match for those reasons they never
would marry.
The act ended and I waited for him to
move, but he would not budge, though
he saw me well enough and knew’ who 1
was. I had to rise and talk over him.
The warm look of friendship the elah
orate glance my friend gave round about
for a chair for me. were not enough to
move him. She was determined, how
ever; seeing that, he rose and bowed
himself out.
“Is it true?” said I, nodding in his di
rection.
She looked away, frowned slightly,
and raid:
“Take me round to Mrs. Norman’s
box; she is nearly alone and there is so
much chattering here.”
I reflected as we parsed to the other
box that last year she would not ha\e
dared to suggest even such an innocent
th ng as this < nee ensconced in the
vest.hu e to the box of our kind chaperon
a few questions brought a i.ood of news.
“I always told you that you have the
gift of bring ng confidences down on
yourself. Well, yes, lam half engaged
to that—to that—”
“Leader of cotillions.” I sa d gravely.
She laughed. “He is more than that;
but I am net in so much clanger ns you
may think. It is a tribute to my vanity
to know that he is devoted to me. He is
very intimate with girls who make me
feel that I do not belong to them and
theirs; that 1 am not rich; that I do not
dres«, live and talk like them. They in
vite me to their bjr hulls, but not to their
sncciul dances— d*fu't you know ' And
they ask him how - hi* iwimm ng m itch
giil is, because I was the best swimmer
last \iar at Narragnnselt. Hu*' land
here she heaved a sigh , ‘ there is an
other.*'
“Great heavens! a third?’’
fche eyed me with her candid orbs and
forced a fai it, faint smile.
“Conic! \ou know I never reckoned
you among my conquests. VOll are be
yond— ab ive ine. I cannot imagine you
among them, and somehow should be
sorry to class you with them. You are
apait; you are my father con cssor.”
“Go on. then, unall penitent; perhaps
after all 1 have heard of him too. ’’
She gave me a wistful look out of large
brown eyes, an much as to say, “Don’t
believe anything wrong of me tnnf gos
sips may have reported,” waited a little,
with h« r lovely head on one side, and
then said:
“Harry does lend the cotillion well,
and he dances perfectly. Then at Nar
ragansett he had his horses, and made <
CHARLOTTE, N. C. SATURDAY, MARCH 5, 1887.
inc use one. though I told mamma it was
not the right thing and would cause gos
sip. He monopolized every moment,
and Jack—that's the other one—had to
fight for half an hour's talk. But Harry
desen't case for swimming, and I do. So
Jack and I saw Bach other a good deal
on the beach. And even after we quar
reled he would always swim out When I
got into deep water, so as to be near in
case I needed him But of course I
never took the slightest nbtice of him
then. ’
‘•Soso! You quarreled! About the
horses?”
“Weli, yes. He was jealous—and said
things- and wanted to know if I was
engaged—and made himself disagreeable
generally. It isn't pleasant to keep two
men apa rt wbo hate each other mortally
—and so 1 ehow—to like one better than
the other, and yet neither altogether. ”
“Very hard, I doubt not,” said I, and
while saying it I was surprised to detect
a bitterness in my tone.
“I understand what you mean.” she
said quickly, ‘ -but you don't know every
thing, and me least of all.”
“I withdraw the least suspicion of
irony you may have thought to detec nn
what I said.”
“ I hat is right; now you are my good
old dear, to whom I can say anything I
choose. Know, then, Haroun al Kas
chid,” (I started at the playful name she
used the winter before, when for about
three weeks I had lived a series of fool
ish Arabian Nights—until she cured me
suddenly! “know, then Haroun al Jtas
chid, that I am sure I do love Jack after
all, and would rather see his sulky face
ten minutes than Harry all day long.”
“Which can be taken in two ways,”
quoth I to myself.
“I am ill and dispirited. Ha.ry is
deep in cotillions; he leads to-night, By
the way, you must go too; I will not
hear no. And I believe he is question
ing whether he is not throwing himself
away on me I sent a ticket to Jack,
but*l feel ho won’t come; he detests
dancing and thinks Uelmonico balls low
—just imagine!—there is no pride like a
pauper's, is there?—but then I’ve been
far from well for the last two weeks. Os
course it cannot be love; nobody gets ill
from love, you know; but all I can tell
you is that I have been in a wre’ehed
frame of mind ever since I saw you last, f
and that your ugly old face was as wcl- ■
come—as welcome—as a steamer chair
to a drowning rerson—there ”
I bent formally enough over the little
fragment of a hand stiff in its glove, and
repressed a sigh. Ugly! ill-dressed!
queer: And once I, too,dreamed dreams
which this marvel of youth and beauty
never so much as susoeeted.
“I will go—and with your party—and
you must give me one dance in the hall,”
I cried, with all reasonable gayety. And
go I did.
It was like other balls of the kind.
There were the young women whom their
own families “boom” as beauties, and
those whom society at large has a con
vention to call beauties. There were
those whom the reporters for some occult
reason always push forward in the news
paper reports, and the belles from Bos
ton and New Orleans who are not recog
nized as such in New York. There were
the 1 nglish people whom all other Eng
lish say are considered quite second-rate
in London. There was the big black
crowd of men, the blase and timid,
blocking the doorways, and there was
that quick-eyed, quick-heeled, quick
motioned, but, alas, not quick witted
army of youths and men the size of
youths, the reason for whose existence is
a mystery.
Talk ng staidly to dowagers on the
dias and watching the atmosphere thick
en w th dust and perfumes and the fine
emanations from whirling robes, I soon
p'a 'ed Jack, and recognized in him a
stilwart young fellow who was too poor
to belong to the giddy rout, but too proud
not to be a gentleman.
I saw the whole tragedy: how he
would steal a Saturday and Sunday from
the sweltering town only to find Marion’s
time “taken’ by the comparatively rich
llarry during all his stay; how he be
came madly in love and madly jealous:
how he fumed to Marion and threatened
to beat Harry ns soundly as the carpet of
which he was k light; how Marion had
to resent his foolish talk; how they
quarreled, made it up, and quarreled to
make it up heartily no more.
lie followed her with his eyes, devour
ing the figure of one he considered lost,
yet purposely stood so that she could <
not see him. To do her justice, she was i
on (he lookout for him and more than '
once stood irresolute, a beautiful statue 1
of hesitation, mustering the black coats 1
with the hope that lie might shoulder 1
his big way through the starvelings at
the door. He saw it,too,and it gave him,
I really believe, a mean sort of pleasure.
Once or twice she waved a favor ia my i
direction, but I bowed a negative and (
an apology. Then I saw Jack edge (
aronnd to the head of the cotillion, and ,
knew he meant to surprise her with a
favor. He was not in the dance, but he |
had the right by courtesy to an extra ,
turn, which any le ider of the cotillion. ,
who is a gentleman at heart, is glad to
recognize in men who have no partners. ,
He was about to rake a favor from the ,
rack, now almost denuded of its brill- ,
iant burden, when Hurry came up. ,
llarry hud no partner, since the weight (
nf carea on the shoulders of a leader is ,
ton great to make it possible for him to j
do his work thoroughly and attend to a j
companion.
Harry arrested his arm, and I saw Jack |
turn away with a look that ought to have ]
set Harry thinking. Jack strode over ,
to Marion. I saw her riae, a little fright- ,
ened, a little bewildered, and off they ’
went entiiely alone, just as Harry was ,
•bout to start a new figure with other ,
couples. He ran up to them to ask t
them to be seated, but Jack would not
hear. Though his partner tried to stop,
he carried her on. I could see the veins t
an hi* temples swell, and he danced ao I
is to make Harry skip suddenly to one \
side in order to avoid a collision. Marion
waa so deadly pale that I sprang up and
came to the edge of the dancing area in
llarm. The train of her dress slipped
from her hand, and before Jack knew
it. the two were bound together by its
folds iti such away that none but tha
most expert daheer could have saved
them. Alas, Jack, if no novice, was
mote than out of practice; half a tilfn
more, and both fell, luckily near the
seated couples, but so that Marion struck
neavily oh tire floor and chair. Jack
was still more helpless, for his head
came thud against another chair, and he
ay still.
I looked to see Harry rush forward to
Sick Marion up, but he seemed readier
;o run away. He was furious at this
ilemish on his cotillion. I expected to
icar Marion call bis name orthat of Jack,
for, in moments of fright and danger, is
t not natural that affection should reveal
tself? Instead of that, it was my name
Vlarion called, and, obedient to the sum
mons. she was in my arms and hurried
nto the ladies’ dressing room before half
:he room knew that anybody had been
lurt. In the bustle incident on bringing
jack to his senses the fall of Marion was
tlmost unnoticed.
I went the other day to Marion's wed
ling, rather giddy ia mind, but I hope
tlways as a philosopher. I could not
aelp smiling underneath my face to re
member Harry’s look a few days after
chat ball, when he came into “Del's,” as
.he gnomes of society call the restaurant
>f the swell mob. I regret to say that
lack had got in some pretty work on the
faultless face, in vulgar truth had mauled
soor Harry in a most brutal fashion with
lis fists, and Harry thought that nobody
tould perceive the traces of that Homeric
mcounter.
Turning at the altar I see both of them
Ochind me, reconciled, and turning back
•gain, I listen in a dazed way to the
clergymen, and awake to find myself in
lome inexplicable way, and by paths of
.which to this moment I can give no lucid
ixplanation Marion's husband.—New
York Timet.
Devil Fish.
“Some of the b'ggest ‘squids’ or devil
fish that have ever b en caught,” said an
old sailor, “have been found around
1 West India Islands in the Gulf of Mexico
and ( arribbtan Sea. ! was first mate on
a little chunk of a sugar droughcr, as the
vessels in that trade are called, and was
bound from New York to Jamaica.
There was fever at the time, so we laid
off in the roads and the bark was loaded
by coolies with lighters. As we could
not go ashore, we rigged sails in the
long boat and used to cruise around
through the little islands hunting for
t :rtles and eggs. One day we towed
the dingy behind the long boat, intend
ing to split the party at one of the
islands. When we reached the big isl
and, we separated, part staying on the
island and some of the men taking the
two boats and going to other islands. I
and two men stayed on Devil’s Hock and
hunted around lor whatever we could
find. About 100 yards off was a small
rock, where the dingy and her crews had
gone. We could see the boat tied up
and the men loafing around the island.
We got tired and sang out to them to
come over and get us. They started
to the boat and pushed her off,
wading out a little way to keep clear of
the rocks just covered at high tide. All
of a sudden one of them uttered a fear
ful scream, and something blueish rose
out of the water and encircled his body
and neck. He drew his knife and
slashed at it, when another arm arose.
It was a ‘squid.’ The other fellow was
nearer the shore and was just stepping
out of the water, when two long feelers
wriggled up and around his legs, and in
another minute be. too, was being drawn
under the water. Their shrieks and cries
were pitiful, but we could do nothing.
We had no boat and the other party were
not in sight. The men fought bravely,
but to no end. What could they do
against fifty arms, from ten to twenty
feet long, each with a grasp of steel.
Slowly but surely they were first crushed
to death and then dragged down. Their
fighting seemed to have maddened the
creature, for shortly after the men dis
appeared the long "blue arms wound
themselves aronnd the little boat and
crushed it as you would a nutshell be
wcen your fingers. The horror we felt
at the bare sizht of the poor fellows’
agony nearly drove one of the men crazy j
who was with me. When the long boat
came back we reported the matter, but
after that we were never allowed to go !
over to the islands. Several times we
hunted for the devil fish with guns and
harpoons, but he was never seen again j
by any of our crew. —Chicago Ileratd.
Antiqnity nf Gingerbread.
It will surprise housekeepers to learn
that our homely everyday luxury—gin
gerbread—has been used since the four
tec i century. It was made then and
so d in Paris—so Moated affirms in his
“Histoirc dcs Francais.” It was then
prepare I with rye-me .1, made into a
do igh, and ginger and other spices, with
sugar or honey, were kneaded into It. It
was introduced into England by the
court of Henry IV. for their festivals,
and soon brought into general use. Since
tiicn it has retained its popularity and
contributed much to the pleasures and
enjoyments of young and old. A great
change,of course, was after a while male
in its composit ov. and particularly after
it was intioduced into this country.
Honey, being more expensive than mo- '
lasses, was less used,and the darker color ,
bidden under some other ingredient, or I
gilded. “To take the gilt off tho gin
gerbread.’ was a common proverb, and
in th- old country booths, glittering
with their rude devices in gingerbread,
are still acen in many country towns to
this day.
Queen Victoria aseended the throne at
the death of her uncle, King William .
IV., June 20, H:i7. and was crowned at
Westminster Abbey, June 88, 1838.
A TYPICAL SWELL DINNER,
HOW ONE WAS GIVEN BY ‘‘EX
CLUSIVE’’ NEW YOBKERB.
Bills of Fare With Each Guest’e
Pthrtlt Drawn by an Artist—
What waa Eaterl.
In one of her New York letters Clara
Belle says: The anti-dance dinners are
careful affairs, it need scarcely be said,
for they are inevitably compared, con
trasted and discussed by the guests
when they assemble immediately after
ward. Mrs. William Waldorff Astor’i
dinner, ontbe last of these occasions, wai
for only twelve couples. The long table
had no cloth, the beautifully polished
mahogany being bare, except for a strip
of finely embroidered velvet through the
center, on which stood rare flowers in
art vases and wax candles in elaborate
candelabra. At each guest's place lay a
band-| ainted bill of fare, with his or
her name not on it, but instead a carica
turc portrait, by mcan9 of which loca
tions were made. Those pictures did not
distort the faces, nor at all offensively ex
aggerate any personal peculiarities, but
were merely big heads on small
bodies, and altogether rather flat
tering than otherwise. They were
exquisitey drawn by some clever
artist, and one who did not
care to be known as having done
such utilitarian work, for no mark of his
identity could be discovered on the cards.
To every lady was also provided a big
corsage bouquet,tied with satin ribbon to
harmonize with her toilet. A great va
riety of colors must have been provided
beforehand and selections hastily butac
curately made by some expert after the
arrivals, because no instance of a bad
match could be seen the table round. The
gentlemen got button-hole bunches of
Sowers. Mr. and Mrs. Astor led the way
into the dining-room, but separated and
i took places opposite each other at the
centre of the board. The rest found
♦heir assigned chairs in pairs. The semi
nine toilets were beautiful and costly,
but in no instance gorgeous. Simple elu
gance seemed to be aimed at.
The repast began with raw oysters,
tiny ones,opened on the deep shells, the
outsides of which had been burnished
until they were fit for jewelry. They
were not served on plates, but in frames
of twisted and silvered wire, each of
these novel contrivances holding ten.
The next course was clear soup in hand
painted dishes. Boiled salmon, with
while sauce and Parisian potatoes, came
third, The fish was not brought on
dishes ornamented with pictures of fish.
Such crockery has gone out of fashion
with the extremely swell, and now it is
not thought refined to have representa
tions of anything eatable painted on
dishes. Even flowers are not approved
for such purposes. The idea Is, that if,
in lifting a morsel of delicate food
a rose should be uncovered, the
highly educated and acute palate of the
eater might be offended. I hie ken cro
quettes and asparagus were fourth, next
small broiled birds, then fillets of beef
with mushrooms; then ices with cake,
and finally coffee. It will be seen that
no great variety was afforded, but tho
cookery was perfect. The dinner began
at 8 o’clock and lasted until 11. Tulk
occupied much of the time, but there
; was hearty eating generally for it is con
I sidered stylish now for women to have
j robust appetites.
Was there alcohol in this dinner!
j Plenty. Total abstinence is not prac
ticcd in any swell New York familythat
I know of. A different wine was brought
with every course. And each wine had
its separate and fanciedly appropriate
glasses. C'hablis came in a small glass,
with a slender stem and concave sides,
holding no more than a good swallow,
which was taken down at one gulp by
most of the geests. That was regarded
as an appetizer, and accompanied tho
oysters. The soup was simultaneous
with red wine, tasting like Macon, and
served in stemmed glass whose sides
were convex, thus holding enough to sip
slowly during the course. The fish was
contemporaneous with a Hhcnish wine
in a gicen, thin tumbler, and in this case
decanters we e left within reach of all
the diners, so that refilling was handy.
With the chicken came red and white
Bordeaux in the original bottles. Just
after tjie beef a rum punch was served in
tiny cups of some rare China ware. The
champagne arrived with the dessert, and
there was a choice of three makes.
Chinese Theology.
Hung Lung, who keeps a palatial dive
on St. Clair street, grew quite eloquent
last evening as he unfolded to a reporter
the plan of Chinese theology. He Eaid
that the Chinese world was not created
all at once, but was made in sections,
China being the original structure, and
all mankind being composed originally
of Chinamen. At first a few stars were
sprinkled aloft, and they were pleasing
to the Chinamen. Then a bang-up sky
was stretched across and the moon anil
sun were swung into place.
By the time this had been arranged it
was discovered that there were some
wicked men in the kingdom and they
were, to use Hung Lung's picturesque
idiom, “fired out, pletty quick.”
Three or four hundred of the gods had
a primaty meeting one evening and de
cidcd to give them a little country by
themselves. Other backsliders were sent
to join them from time to time, and in
this way the inhabitants of the world
outside of China caine to overshadow
their original forefathers. —Toledo Blade
Real diamonds have been produced
artificially in Scotland, but were too
small and expensive to be a commercial
success. Paste imitations have been so
perfected by French chemists that they
serve the decorative purpose of the gen
uine stones, and can only be detected by
the test of hardness. Artificial rubies
aad sapphires have the same composition
ss the natural minerals, and nearly equal j
hardness.
Terms. $1.50 per Annan. Single Copy 5 cents.
A.DOWN THE STREAM.
The sunbeams gild the purple stream,
The bubbles float upon ita breast;
The landscape in a peaceful dream
Seems sleeping in a soothing rast.
The tall, gaunt pines adorn the cliff,
Appearing like a fortresa brown,
While she and 1 in gladness drift
Beyond the noises of the town.
Fair clouds of beauty slowly float
Above us like a snowy shroud.
And hide in shade our little boat,
As tears are hidden from a crowd.
The shores grow dimmer to the sight.
The woodlands wear their plumes unfurled,
And silent shadows of the night
Descend upon a restless world.
'Tib then we whisper, soft and low,
The sacred love-words from the heart;
The joys and pleasures we would know
Together in the halls of art.
i ’Tis then that gladness steals around
Upon us while the star-gems gleam,
’Tis then, when Love is shadow-crowned.
We drift adown the purple stream.
—H. Carleton Tripp, in the Current.
HUMOR OF THE DAY.
A parlor suit—Courting in the front
room.
A garden party—The Shanghai.—
Puck.
Go West young man and freeze-up with
the country.— Puck.
‘ ‘Man wants but little here below”—-
! zero.— Boston Courier.
Congressmen use six hundred towels a
day. They ought to have “clean hands.”
| -Norristown Herald.
Maud 8. is said to have a stride of fif
| teen feet. How a man must envy het
■ when the sheriff’s after him.-Philadel-
I Mu Call.
Customer. “Don't show me any more
Astrakhan. Pray wbat is that fur?”
Clerk.—Fur? Why, fur to keep yer
I hands warm!"— Harper'» Barer.
The toboggan business is only a tem
j porary mania. We’ll bet a new hat that
I every slide in the country will bo aban
-1 doned before July I. —Detroit Free Press.
A naturalist recommends eating raw
i onions for insomnia. The theory prob
\ ably is that you will go to sleep to
: avoid smelling your breath.— Next Yark
I Tribune.
“Would you marry an old man for his
money?” asked Mildred. “Well, I de
clare," exclaimed Laura with a startled
air, “you surely don’t suppose anything
else would induce me to marry him!”—
Pittsburg Dispatch
Mrs. Briuimer—Why, Mr. Brimmer,
here’s a fly. Where did he come from
ibis cold weather? Bee him hover around
| that book. What is he after? Mr. Brim
-1 mer—Looking for the fly leaf, I suppose,
j —Boston Budget.
“If there is anything I like better than
classical music,” said Major Brannigan,
in a high voice, as he moved with the
; throng out of the concert room, “it’s
j lemons. They both set my teeth on
j edge.” —San Francisco Post.
\ The minister's quite discouraged,
As he looks at the empty pews;
So few bavo his efforts encouraged.
So few who care for his views.
And he says, with a voice full of sighing,
“The gospel most people are scorning;
I Ah! This world is giving to lying.
Yes, lying in bed, Sunday morning.
—Goodall's Sun.
Maladies of Caged Birds.
j The melancholy part of the study of
. caged birds is the abundance of dileases
| to which they are liable. Especially dur
! ing the winter and the early spring the
pathetic little captives are apt to suffer
and die in a wav which makes the very
fact of their captivity a reproach. After
examining the grisly catalogue of their
complaints, we have come to the conclu
sion that the excessive dullness of their
lives in cages drives them to the only in
dulgence which is possible to them, that
of overeating themselves. The excited
bird which falls from its perch, in the
middle of a burst of song, smitten with
apoplexy; the hot and lumpy bird which
is a victim to hepatitis; the corpulent bird
whose figure no dandelion leaves or Ep
som salts will reduce; the epileptic bird
that drags on existence by 3ipping tinc
; turc of lobelia and drops of castor oil,
all these melancholy invalids would have
escaped their sad condition if they could
have resisted the tempting hempseed
and the luscious milksop. But how are
I they to drag life through thtir long mo
i notonous days? In the utter insipidity
; of aviary existence the open and inex
> liaustihle box of food decoys them like a
vice, and they succumb to temptation,as
Mine. Bovary did, from sheer unmitiga
j ted ennui, hometimes, in the later stage!
of decline, all reticence is thrown aside,
and the unfortunate songster sits all day
long at the feeding trough, shelling and
throwing aside the food that it positive
ly cannot swallow, and yet must be
handling. In these sad cases a live spi
der is sometimes found beneficial, as for
hysterical human patients the family
doctor may recommend a pantomime or
a fancy hall. We cannot but think that
more study might with advantage be
given to the question of the food of
caged birds, since this seems to be the
difficulty upon which their management
always strikes. It is curious that bird
fanciers |iersist in feeding their chargee
with hempseed. probably because the ir
responsible little wretches gobble it up
with so much greediness. But this it
no more a reason for giving it to them
than the fart that children like maca
roons would be a reason for feeding
them daily upon this indigestible dain
ty. Bird* require at least as much care
as children in selecting for them, not
what they prefer, but what it best.—Sat
urday Beiiew.
Queen Victoria will receive a Jubilee
address from the thirty or more survi
vors of the famous Light Brigade ol
Balaklara.