North Carolina Newspapers

' i ; fKc people's p " l:v.&e.t. BCOM, Publishers and Proprietors. JOB PKENTZNG n: nr.: a :2isicn w1 i Ay. Ay la HrylM wlia all i U tally yewrared to ae wt wtta MiTUlM, ttATOH. An AT m - VERY LOWEST-PRICES rEHMS: CASH EN" ADVANCE. Sttolii to geMts, gilatimt, gritaKnr, JJIatltts mi gtnerit Jfnfoaam(' Ob Oojy one year, ... ."TTVTT . .CM " " six months, .......... .75 ; " three 44 ........... m : i """" " i "" """T-" " " ' " "" "" """ " U gr m a trwj vol. xxxin: SALEM, N. C, THUESDAy, JANUARY 15, 1885. NO. 2. I i ' . 1 i I 1 THE HEW YEAR. A song for the Old While it' knell is tolled, And its parting moments fly! - But a song and a cheer for the glad New Year, While we watch the Old Year die! Oh! it's grief and pain, Ne'er can come again, . And it's care lies buried deep; But what joy untold - Doth the New- Year hold,' ' And what' hopes within it sleep 1 ' . - . : A song, for the Old ' While it's kneU is tolled, " " " And the friends it gave so true! ' .; . But with hearts of glee , ' Let us merrily . v- I : Welcome in the bright, bright New! For the heights we gained, ..'' For the good attained, We will not the Old despise; But a joy more sweet, Making life complete, - In the golden New Year lies! L A song for the Old While it's knell is tolled! With a grander, broader'eal, And a forward view ? Let us greet the New, ' Heart and purpose ever leal! ' Let the ills we met, . And the sad regret, . With the old be buried deep;' Foijfwhat joy untold . ... ; Doth the New Year hold, And what hopes within it sleep! ? - George Cooper. ' ; POLLY AYANTACRAGKER. A SEW TEAK STORY FOR THK GIRLS. "She is the meanest girl I ever saw in my me, saia Alice nays. 4 'A regular little miser' added Mary Reynolds. "Who is?" asked Jessie Fergus, the new scholar. . "Why, that girl overthere in the corner Dyine register niDDiing away at a soda cracker. She never brings anything but a cracker or two for her lunch, 'cause " she's, afraid, I suppose, that if she brought any goodies some of the girls might want her to go halves." , "We call her Miss Polly Wanta- cracker." , , "What is her real name ?" asked Jessie l "Oh! her real name's Stella Rnrtnn feut Miss PoHv Wantacracker is a much more suitable one according to my way oi minKing." "PerhaES she isnoorand ran't nffnrfl anv eroodies for her lunch ' nnrrmatpA - . , ro Jessie, who was a sweet tempered, kind neaneu gin. s . ; , V Well, if she's poor, I don't see how ehe can afford to come to such an exnen- Bive school as this and dress as nicely as she does.'! c s " That dress she's got on (doesn't it fit horribly, though?) is made of cloth that wom two uQiiara yarn. - saw some like it in mv father's store last wppV And she gets pocket-money every month from somebody. 4 The letters come to 'Mrs. Blossom's care, and. I've seen Miss Tolly Wantacracker open them and take money oui. . ' . i "I peeped over her shoulder once,'' said Mary Reynolds, and spied a five-dollar-bill. 'Aren't vou eroinsr to treat? cays I. 4 Not this time,' says she, with a perfectly sickening smile, and. after that she never opened her letters in the school room. Look at her now. She's glancing this way. Don't she look ashamed? She knows we're talking about her." - . . . . ' . - S 4 Poor girl !" said Jessie ; 4 4 to me she looks more grieved than ashamed. And isn't she pretty? I wish I had her lovely, blue eyes and . beautiful, curly hair. It curls naturally, that is plain to be" - "Oh! there now;" interrupted 'Alice Hays, spitefully, " the girte won't think much of you if you are going totand up for Miss Polly Wantacracker, I can tell you that." ? " I shall stand up for her," declared Jessiq, with sturdy Scotch self-assertion, 44 until I am convinced that she deserves the harsh things you say about her no matter what the girls think. I like to judge people for myself, aDdI haven't been here long enough to form any de cided opinion about anybody. Maybe in a month or so T, find out whether Stella Burton is 'a regular little miser' or not. And until I'd o, I'm most certainly not going to take sides against her." But when "a month or so" had passed Jessie reluctantly admitted -that she had ccme to the conclusion that Alice and her friends were right. She had watched the daily nibbling of the crackers at lunch Jime and had seen the reception of the monthly allowance. She had noticed the costly material of which Stella's dress, cloak, hat, and even aprons were, made, and had been much mortified by the - girl's persistent refusals to share her Jessie's candies cakefe, or fruit. . 44 It's because she's afraid you might texpect something in return," said Mary . Reynolds, with a scornful toss of her head. 4 4 When she first came here, six . months ago, we' told her that all the girls itook it in turn to bring sweets for the lass, and she turned as red as a beet and said, 4please leave me out. I can't af 5 ford it.'"- 4 'I womler what she is saving her money for?" Bella Smythe joined in. "Perhaps to buy a gold watch. But I'd , do without a gold watcbforever before I'd be such a stingy thing." The Christmas holidays drew near, and the pupils of Blossom academy started a ; subscription list for, the purpose of rais "sjng the means with' which to purchase rer their, principal and teachers some handsome eift. 44 1 can contribute noth ing,' said Stella, when they laid it on her desJc. 44 That's too bad," sneered Alice Hays. " We'll have to take up a centnbution for you." And thev did, and the next dav at recesaStoiia sented most ceremoniously, with a paper bag of cheap crackers. Not a word did she say when it was placed in her lap but when school was over Mary RejnoW whose way lay in the same direction as herf for a block or two, saw her hand the bag to the poor old woman who kept a small peanut stand on the corner, "Did you ever see such coolness !" said the girls m chorus when the heard of it. And answered themselves, 4 'Never "m . another chorus. - ' Well, the holidays passed. School was to begin again upon the 3d of Jan uary, and on the evening of the 2d Mrs. Blossom, the principal, gave a welcome back New Year party to her scholars and their near relations. Stella came with the rest, dressed in a delicate lavender silk polonaise, looped over a dark purple velvet skirt, and. embroidered with bunches of lovely purple pansies, a bunch of real ones serving her for a breast-pin and -another making, by contrast, her' golden hair look still more golden, . "How Sweet she looks," whispered Jessie Fergus to Bella Smythe, . "Who?" answered that young lady. "Ohl Miss Polly Wantacracker. I must confess I don't see any sweetness about her.' I'm going to sit beside her at the supper table and see if she only eats crackers then. Arid she did. She sat on one side of Stella and Mary Reynolds on the other, and while eating from ie heap of dainties on their own plate they kept a sharp look-out on the heap on hers. She ate very slowly, but,- one by one, cake, mottoes, bunch of grapes, al monds and raisins quickly disappeared. 4 'She never ate them," whispered Bella to her cousin Caroline, who sat next her. "She's eaten nothing but some macaroons and her ice cream. They're gone into her pocket. We've got her now. Come to the dressing-room when she start3 for home and you'll see some fun. Pass the word to the other girls." j , So when Stella started for the dress4 ing-room, a short time after supper, she was followed by nearly all her school mates. And, when she found herself seized on the right by Bella Smythe and on the left by Alice Hays, while Mary Reynolds sought for and found the pocket in her skirt, and in the pocket were cake, the mottoes, the grapes and the almonds and raisins tnat had. been served to her at the supper table. 4 'Oh, for shame, Miss Folly Wantacracker !' burst from the lookers on. "They are mine," said Stella, defiantly. "I did not steal them. They were given to me and I have a right to do with them as I please." " "For shame!" said the girls again. And 4 'no ladylike girl would do such a. thing," added Bella Smythe. 4 'Dressed in silk and velvet, too," said her cousin Caroline. "With a gold chain and locket, and getting $5 a month spending money," said Alice Hays. ! , Stella looked from one scornful face to anotner; the tears came to her eyes, but she forced them back and with trem bling lips she turned to Alice and said: 4 4 Your carriage will be here for you in a few moments, will it not, Miss Hays?" "It will, Miss Polly Wantacracker. And what then?" was the reply. "Will you take me to mv home in it? And" : " "Well, if that isn't sublime coolness," interrupted Alice. "And will you take," Stella went on, not noticing the interruption, "Miss Smythe, Miss Reynolds and Jessie Fer gus with us if they will go?" "Indeed, I'll go!" exclaimed Jessie, springing to the girl's side. 4 And I'm $re Mary and Bell will, too. Girls,i you must. I. feel that we have misjudged Stella, and that now she. is offering us a chance to do her justice. And" in what better way could we coufd - anyone begin the New Year than by setting right, as far as possible, the wrong of the old?" L There was no resisting this appeal. And when a few moments after some one called out, "Miss Hays' carriage !" away went the five girls to' stop in a little less than half an hour before the door of a Beat brick house in a pleasant old-fashioned street. ' ' - -.;- - There they got out of the carriage and Stella led them in at the front door: and up the stairs until thfy reached! the attic, where she softly pushed open the door of a low-ceilinged room and an old woman sitting in a rocker by a tiny stove, started out of a doze to welcome her. 4 'Dearie's been as good as gold ever since " she began, and then stop ped suddenly and stared in surprise at me unexpected visitors. "Thank you, Auntie Brown. Come girls," said Stella. And following her to the bed in the cor ner they saw the sweetest, prettiest;- lit tle girl sleeping there that ever went to dreamland. "What a darling!" i ex claimed they. 4 'Who Is she?" 'My sister," answered Stella, proudly. "And she has no on; to take care of her but me, except Auntie Brown, who lives on the floor below, and is kind enough to look after her a little when I am obliged to be away. ' And now I will tell i you how we live. A very distant relation of mine (I have no near relatives but Dearie) owns our school building, and it is through some arrangement between Mrs. Blossom and him that I am being educa ted there. And I study very hard, as you know, 'for I believe the better education a person has the better her chance of succeeding in. the world. And beside his kindness in this way, my fifth' cousin sends $5 a month. That $5 just pays my rent, and the dollar and a half that I earn a week by knitting woolen baby shirts apd socks for a store near by, is all the other money I have. My clothes are made (I make them myself, and that's the reason they so fit badly, Miss Hays) from the wardrobe of my dear mother, who became very poor before ; she died, and could leave me nothing else. The gold chain and locket she gave to Dearie. Dearie was two years old when mamma left us ; she is four now ; ; and during the two years she has been all mine 1 have tried to make her life happy. To night I told her that I was going to see Santa Claus I could give her noth ing but a cheap doll for. her Christmas and that I wouldn't bring her from him some goodies" "Don't say another word, don't say another word," cried Miss Hays! "What young wretches we have been." 4 4 Why didn't you tell us before?", asked Bella Smythe. "Because I thought it would seem too much like begging, you. are so well; off, compared to me. Beside, I've never reallv wanted for anvthinor? and no for j 0 . - - Dearie, she's one of the merriest children in me worm, ana ininus her sister, Aliss Polly Wantacracker " ; "Dont! don't!" begged her listeners. "Please tfet all that be forgotten. And do, we beg of you, let us four girls be aunts, cousins, grandmothers, or some thing, to Dearie from this day forth.? . 'Bless her heart, she's awake," Said Jessie. - And the little one tossed the curls out of her . eyes raised her head from the pillow sat up in bed looked gravely from one to an.otb.er with big, blue, won dering eyes, and she lisped in a sweet, chirpy, baby voice, "'How do, ladies; me wish you a happy New Year." Mar garet Eytinge. Fish and Fowl at One Shot. I send you a particular incident that happened with me while going around the shore of a pond near Kalamazoo, Mich,, in search of crippled ducks. The morning's fight being over, I fired at a duck in the bushes, and, upon wading out to get it I noticed considerable com motion among the bushes just beyond the duck, and supposed, of course, that I had killed another duck. You can imagine my astonishment when, instead of a duck, I found that a two pound black bass with a No. 4 shot in its head was making the disturbance. I have seen a pigeon and a squirrel killed with the same charge, but when you get fish and fowl at the same time it simply beats the record.--Ftreft and Stream. THE LAND OF THE BANANA. GUKFSES AT TILLlOl U7X XV HO. STTKAS. , How tb Indiana Cain a Living trm j Small Frnic Plantation Their ?TIodea of Jife. 1 A letter from Truxillo, a seaport town of Honduras, Central America, to the New York Tima, says : Scattered along the Honduris coast, north of Truxillo, are many little villages where a few half breed Indians, and perhaps a foreigner of lighter color, make their, homes, and where the former gain a meagre subsis tence from fruit plantations. You ean not see these villages as you pass along the beach on shipboard and the whole country looks like one vast wilderness of green. In the middle of the day not a sign of industry nor of habitation is evi dent, but toward night, when the sun is uvuu wo uih uvuuuuiu, mat form a rich background to the green be low, scores of canoes or dories will be seen putting forth from the shore. Each one will be filled with fruit. In the stern the owner of the iew bunches of bananas sits guiding with his paddle the lighfj craft, dexteriously steering it through the rollers and fetching his bananas dry to the ships side. In the bow sits his wife or son, who bends the paddle with a strong, arm. Throwing the bunches upon the ship's deck he hauls himself up, receives his money for the cargo he has brought, drinks with unrelaxed features a glass of whisky or wine that the captain has brought him, and then returns to his home. Indian life in Central America is not to be desired. The natives live in little thatched huts, with.no comforts, sur rounded bv vermin, and snend mnat nf the time in chewing 6ugar cane. A few cocoanut trees stand in front of the .house, and back of it a few banana plants ape shooting up. In every village, be side the Indians, there are half a dozen Caribs, perhaps one or two Spaniards, who, on account of political or other troubles, have found it necessary to emi grate i to a new State. These men are not of the best class, and mixing with the Indians, a half-breed population has been,' the result, and a bad one at that. Every Indian who has made a little money or got a start in his plantation, immullafAliT . r. nn n w. il.nt 1 r uuu.uihiqij I LIU l AiC 11 a Opt&U iard.j There are. hundreds along the coast who will pass themselves off for : Spaniards, but who have not one drop of Spanish blood in their veins. The only difference between an Indian and a half-breed is that the latter has a little : more cunning and an aptitude for mak- : ing more money. During the night after a steamer has been, off the village bedlam reigns. It J becomes a time of carousing, drunken ness . and gambling. Every Indian has learned to gamble. The Spaniards taught them that, and they are ready learners. Twenty one is a favorite game, and dice playing is practiced to a great extent, with all the simple ways of gambling. Monte is perhaps played as much as any game. Poker is a little too intri cate for the average Central American Indian, though many of them who have sufficient money allow themselves to be fleeced by Spaniards in the great Ameri can game. , Gin is the national drink of Honduras, and gin docs not improve the humor of the Indian. Then he has a native drink, a sort of pulque, which Ilondurians are supposed to drink liquor brewed in their own country only, on which the government relies for its in come to a large extent. Liquor from the States will find its way in, however, and ho one need go thirsty for want of it. Late in the evening the Indians have become thoroughly excited and their money is nearly used up. Reeling through the streets, shouting and fight ing, they make the night hideous. The fighting once commenced, it keeps on and a wholesale spearing goes on. I saw a man with twenty-seven scars on his back and shoulders "with one or two cuts on the neck. He had received them in .village fights. You could not persuade that half-breed to leave his native village, however, and he would remain there un til he was cut to pieces. No matter how drunk a native may get he will not at tack an American in that condition, or any foreigner of position. Indeed, they always hold an American in reverence and think he carries a revolver. The Central American Indian respects a re volver, and especially one in the hands of an American. An old planter said he had gone for four years without a re volver, but- every Indian and Carib firmly; believed he had one. Re volvers are being imported into these villagps nowadays in large quantities, but somehow the Indian does not get the knack of using them with any ac curacy, and they are in a measure harm less enough with them. The danger is greater to themselves than to others. The gambling and drinking is kept up all night I until the money is spent ana the noisy Inhabitants tired out. i Christmas is the great time for carou sal. Hence it js that at Christmastime the planter with a little capital can step in and purchase new plantations for a mere song. The native must have money ifor his Christmas carousal, and his plan tation; must go if necessary. It is in this way that Spanish residents have built up their large banana farms. The Indian or half breed who sells out his 'little place, after his grand spree finds himself without means of support. He gpes immediately to work, or rather sets -his wife to work, and clears up a new ione. He gets it well started and has cut some fruit when Christmas comes around and away it goes for rum. This is a great reason why the Central American never gets ahead any. Again, they are easily .cheated, and will sometimes make contracts for their fruit, which will keep them in poverty. Therjiave not the moral power to stand, up for themselves, and readily .fall in the trap of designing schemers. i What little work is done on an Indian half-breed's plantation is done by his women, and that is little enough. No attempt is made to obtain a full yield from the ground. Undergrowth of all, kinds is allowed to choko off the young plants. When the time for gathering the fruit comes the women often have to cutravath out or drag their bananas through, or back them out. as they call this work. While the women are thus at wdrk the men are chewing sugarcane In front of their houses, the children are jwandering around under the cocoanut trees, isome naked and some with an apology of covering,' growing up with out any education and without an incen tive to get out of the state their parents have lived in. Yet they are half-civilized, ;and each year, perhaps, sees them in a little better condition than the last. There is hope for them only through -education and connection with the en terprising foreigners who come into the country, with whom the , native must contend. Leave them to themselves and in a year they would be in the same con dition that Cortex found them when l he visited the little city of Truxillo and built his wall there, which has constant ly been a reminder to them of the civi lization of the world outside. Planta tions that are owned by the. natives tare never kept in good order, and the fruit raised is consequently not what it should be. What the country is capable of in this line of industry alone has never bren realized by its inhabitants, and it is only the enterprising American who, settling on the rich fruit land along the coast, discovers that he can have a perfect gar- uou ai uts icefc. Silk-Making In China. I : The home manufacture of silk' in China is almost universal, and affords remuner- auve employment to hundreds of thou sands of women; In many cases the wives and sisters of poor laborers become the mainstay of the household. The pro cess is very simple, and as follows: In a moderately warm room a matting is strewn with fresh mulberry leaves. Upon uiese are piacea several hundred silk worm eggs. As fast as the silk worms eat the leaves fresh ones are sup plied, care at the same time being taken to remove all those mildewed and moldy. The feeding is done once or twice a day, and takes about fifteen minutes each day. At the end of about forty days ninety per cent, of the eggs have become large co coons. These are scalded, slit at the cnu, ana the dead worm removed. -The empty cocoon is then put on a small bamboo stick that fits it loosely! end of the thread is. Pulled out and ttarh1 The then i to a small piece of lead, shaped like a top, i rum wnose upper suriace projects a long, thin stem, terminating in a hook. The top is then twirled,- and the weight and rotation serve to pull out the thread and spin it at the same time. When two feet are thus spun the spinner grasps the top, reels the spun thread upon ho Btem and fastens it with a running noose upon the hook. The top is again twirled and another two or three feet ex tracted and spun. Again the top is grasped, the noose untied by pulling the thread from beneath the hook, and the second reeled upon the stem. When enough thread is spun and reeled upon V. A - .v. i.i4 ; j . luc Diciu iuo inner is rcmuTou ami serves as a bobbin in thestibseauent weaving a new stem is inserted and the proces. re- Degun. mis ingenious but simple method produces a thread homogeneous and perfectly smooth. The latter is now cleaned and, if desired, colored ac cording to the pattern to be made. J It makes a silk finer than the finest cambric: To increase its thickness the thread is doubled, trebled, or quad rupled, and then respun. The loom varies according to the wealth of the weaver. The common type is a simple affair, simi lar to the rag carpet looms of New Eng land. These, in skillful hands, turnout a superior kind of dress goods. More complicated looms are at times employed, but are not popular. The entire outfit in China costs about $1 for the eggs $2 for the loom, and ten cents for the top and stems. The leaves are gathered bt the children, and the labor is supplied by the women of the household. Silk in China varies from fifteen cents to ft a yard. Upon this basi an intelligent and active woman ir China makes tweaty five cents a day without interfering with her domestic duties. This is equal tc $1.75 in this country. There would seem to be. therefore, a splendid field in bui country for this industry. Chicago JTmm. How to Bay a llorse. ' An old horseman says: If you want to buy a horse, don't believe your own brother. Take no man's word fori it. Your eye is your t market. Don't buy a horse in harness. ' Unhitch him and take everything off but his halter, and Uad him around. If he has a corn, or a sriuT or nas any other tailing, you can see it. Let him go by himself a way, and if he staves right into anything you know he is blind. No matter how clear and bright his eyes are, he can't see any more than a bat. Back him, too. Some horses show their weakness at tricks in that way when they don't in any other. But, be as smart as you canf you'll get caught sometimes. Even an expert gets stuck. A horse may look ever so nice and go at a great pace, and yet have fits. There isn't a man could tell it till some thing happens. Or he may have a weak back. Give him the whip and off he goes for a mile or two, then all of a sud den he stops in the road. After a rest he starts off again, but he soon stops for good, and nothing but a derrick, could move him. The weak parts of a horse can be bet ter discovered while standing than while moving. If he is sound, he will stand squarely and firmly on his limbs without moving any of them, the feet flatly upon the ground with legs plump and naturally poised, or if the foot is lirted from the ground and the weight taken from it, disease may be suspected, or at least ten derness, which is a precursor of disease. If the horse stands with his feet spread apart, or straddled with his hind leca, there is a weakness in the loins and the kidneys are disordered. Heavy pulliig bends the knees. Bluish, milky cast eyes in horses indicate moon blindness or something else. A bad-tempered horse keeps his ears thrown back. A kicking horse is apt to have scarred legs. A stumbling horse has blemished knees. When the skin is rough and harsh, aad does not move easily to the touch, the horse is a heavy eater and digestion is bad. Never buy a horse whose breath ing organs are at all impaired. Place your ear at the side of the heart, and if a wheezing sound is heard it is an' indica tion of trouble.' 1 ' Fishionable Foot-Gear. t In the matter of walking boots tke purists lead the van. Nothing could be simpler nor more absolutely unadorned than the foot covering par excellence of to-day. No fanoy work, embroidery, stitching, beading, or even irrelevant fancy buttons are visible. The boot Is ornamental only in its quality, which is of kid. the finest and softest. The toe portion is roomy yet shapely. The heel, with not a suggestion of the "Frencn jend" about it, is yet graceful, and tho sole of the foot is broad enough to al low the girl of the oeriod to "ret down her foot" emphatically without a wince, or to promenade without having to stop at every other shop window, apparently to admire the display within the glass bound cases but m reality to give a rest to the pinched and rebellious f oot-r Jftio York Pott. , It is probable that bicycle and tricycle will become in the future as much of a staple article of manufacture as the com mon roaa wagon oi to-day. In England $15,000,000 are now invested in theif j production, employment being given to ten thousand persons. : AROUND THE WHITE nOUSE. nrroKVATxov covcsktoto txi Ten It waa nallt aad How It U furnished To-Dar Tki Varloao loom. . The White House is the official resi deye of the President of the Untie! States. The nation has provided a con vesient and comfort ibis home for its chief magistrate, and one which repre sent with adequate magnificence the po sition of the United States among the gnat powers of the world. Ministers ano other distinguished persons from foEign countries entertained at the White House find there aa elegance and refinement not surpassed in the palaces Europe. It will soon be a hundred years when the first commissioners of the nascent city of Washington advertised for a de sign, es they expressed it, of " the Presi dent's house." As an encouragement to competitors their invitation offered a premium of $500 for the best design sub mitted. Living at Charleston, 8. C, was a young man named John Hoban, who had studied hard in order to qualify himself for success in life. He competed, and successfully, and not only received the premium, but the offer of an engage ment at 100 guineas a year to superin tend the construction of the building " "- 4u lulu unucu, i i.i. xi q ac cepted, and accordingly made his resi dence in Washington. His first pro fessional triumph was the beginning of many, and when he died, in 1831, John Hoban left a large fortune, the result of his skill and diligence." During his studies abroad he had ob serfed with admiration the graceful lines of a mansion in Dublin, the residence of the duke of Leinster. He followed the general plan of this buildiog in the de sign, which proved acceptable to the commissioners. The corner-stone of the projected re publican palace was laid October 13, 1793, with the "pomp and circumstance" of tbe Masonic ceremonial. President Washington was present at the head of the leading men in tho administration of the government, and thousands of en thusiastic citizens witnessed the event. During the next seven years tbe graceful pile, which at this time is second only to the capitol among the numerous fine structures in Washington, slowly rose from its well-chosen site, the center of a Slot of twenty acres, sloping gradually own to the river at the rear of the man sion. At the end of that lime it exhib- ,ited the same exterior as now two stories ! and a basement, a length of 170 feet and Dreaatn oi eighty-six feet, a large por tico of Ionic columns in the front, a cir cular colooade at the back and sur mounted by a wide balustrade. Th building material was Virginia freestone pauueu wnue. iience the name by which the Executive Mansion is best known. . Washington died before it was ready for occupancy, but it was so newly completed a few weeks before his death that he and his wife made a visit of in spection to it. Tho cost of the White House was not large. By the timo when the hurried expedition and retreat of a portion of the British srmy deserted it rriracy, in 1814, less than $330,000 had been spent on it. After that de plorable ercnt Congress authorized the expenditure of $300,000 on it renova tion. It was reopened Januarr 1, 1813. Largo sums hare been expended on the building and its furnishing since that dato. It was partially refurnished when John Quiocy Adams became occupant, and wholly with the beginning of lYesi-' dent Grant's administration. As it now costs the gorernmcnt $39,000 to main tain the White House, exclusire of what the occupant pays out af his salary of $50,000 for personal servant, household supplies, horses and carriages, the dif ference between the expenditures in the infancy of the Republic and in these dsys is hown ia a striking light. The wife of the first President Adams, writ ing to a friend soon after the Executire Mansion becama her home, described it in the following language: The bouse is on a grand and superb scalo. requiring about thirty servant to attend and keep the apartmanU In proper order, and per form the ordinary bu&ioew of the hooaa and stabkn. Tba lihtin of the apartinenU, from tbe kitchen to parlors and chamber, la a tax in ile 1, but tbe fires we are obliged to keep to secure us from daily ague are cheer ing. Bella are wholly wanting; not one hunx throughout tbe whole house, and promiae are all we can obtain. , Mrs, Adams used what is now the gor geous East Room as a place in which to dry the family linen. The grounds sur rounding the house were uncleared and rough; hence the necessity of this ex- Sression of thrifty housewifery. How liferent from now, when the manaion is partially hidden by the profusion ft fohago which shades it from the summer sun. Beautiful trees and flowers, well kept carriago roads, emerald lawns and marble fountains cover the space which, for tho mojt part, was a forbiddingly lagged waste when tie first lady of the White House presided at its hospitalities, and the delightful conservatory at the west side of the mansion had not then been thought of, much less provided. The White House is arranged that the executive offices, the President's reception-room and the cabinet room take the whole of the west side of the second story, in which also, but on the opposite side, are the family rooms ; and below, in the first story, are the state parlors and the great dining-room used on state occasions, to see which is a great delight of the country visitor to the capital city of the Union. These are, indeed, as t'real lovely" as lady inspectors pro nounce them to be, and call for descrip tion which caa hardly fail to be appetiz ing. The East Room, used by Mrs. Adams as a place wherein to dry household linen, is the largest room in the house. It measures eighty by forty feet, and is en tered from the beautifully-frescoed ves tibule of the mansion. At evening re ceptions it is seen at its best, when tho richness of it furniture, hangings and decorations is aided by bril liant light, and flowers and plant, that so diffused and these so dis tributed as to give a tout-ensemble of unsurpassed splendor. The lofty ceiling of the magnificent apartment is divided into three panels, embellished with costly decorations, from each of which hangs a chandelier of cut glass.' Its floor is cov ered with costly velvet carpet. . At ia terval around the room stand eight mirrors in gold and white frames, sup ported on carved mantels. Here, too, is the portrait of Washington, by Gilbert Stuart, which Mrs. Madison cut from its frame and carried away with her in her flight at .the advance of the British in 1814. It had been the property of the government eleven years at that time. The painting pf Mrs. Washington, by . F. Andrews, was bought in 1S78. Tbe i green room u entered from the large j apartment. Its name Indicates its pecu- uaruy, ail its lurniture ana decorations being pale green. The blue room, named, as b also the red room, from lis prevail ing color, is oval in shape. Here tha President receives his guests at recep tions. Family life at the White House hss its center, so to speak, in the red room, which is the well used parlor of the mansion. In it are a fine portrait of Abraham Li a- a'v''' .r - coin, which hVag. above the mantel- da preasure. piece, and a mahogany table about a ' The finest grades f erode robber hundred years old, possessing the deep rare, the trees being tapped rich color and fine grain cf maho-aay, . B1 th,iP Inhered by mesas of pad and by its mawiveneas and honest char- j dies which are dipped ia a tab of sjs? acter presenting a rebuke to the com paratively "shackley" character of tha so-called mahogany table of these de generate days. Tha eorridcr Into which the slate par lors open is hung with paintings of tha Presidents, and at intervals rare plants are placed along its sides. Guests find its tempting length of promenade a relief from tbe restraint of the crowded parlor ia which receptions are held. The magnificence of Republican sim plicity finds its highest expression on those occasions when the President en tertains the diplomatic corps, his cabinet, Senatore and Representatives, the jus tices of the supreme court, and home and foreign notabilities not distinguish able into classes. These great occasions are celebrated in the state dining-room, situated at the western end of the corri dor, into which all the state rooms open. The dinner hour is eight, when the Presi dent leads Jhe way to the table. By 1 1 the banquet is over. Duriog it con- tinuance charming music is performed la j the vestibule. The sumntaons entertain- ment is served on a table set with the White House china, showing the fauna I and flora of the American continent la I its designs,' and massive silver and dainty vessel oi cut gla. Light is disused from wax candles In gold and silver can dlesticks, and mirrored sconces ia silver frame set ia the walls of the apartment. Kverythiog ia the room is costly and mag nificent. Guests are elejpntlr attired. Fa many cases a proportion of them in gor geous uniforms or court costume, and the ladies improve the opportunity of augumenting their charm by wearing the finest toilets. There is nothing wanting to the perfection of these enter tainments, in which onlj about fifty caa narUke at one time. State dinners at the White House occur only during the win ter. Nine Miles ef Flowing Naphtsi Jfew York Ti A letter from Baku, Russia, to t&e says: Here the all- prevailing petroleum asserts its presence at every turn. The fresh breeze which steals through your open window at davbrcak bejra with it the rnmni breath of the countless factory chimneys. wnose i-moae nangs in one eternal cloud over our entire suburb of Baku. From Cape BailoJ. on the other side of the town, to our location on these ridgy up lands, nine miles beyond it, the hillside are furrowed not with "purling stream but with seemingly endless lcogths of iron tubing, through which flow unseen rivers of petroleum. Lakes of the precious liquid reflect the sua from every hollow, and the mighty reservoir, which towers above the "Black Town like a modernized Coliseum, containing, aa the residents proud I v tell me, 10,000,000 gal lons, is filled to the brim, not with water, but with petroleum, suggesting unpleasant thought of a possible deluge that would combine all the terrors of the flood with thoe of the destruction of Sodom,. Whether the exquisite of th town hare their boots "shlned" with lubricating oil, and scent their handker chiefs with nsphtha I have not vet in quired. But after being offered clarified od to taste as a great treat at on of the factories I should hardlr be surprised to see petroleum selling in the grocers stores in place of mo Lasses, and to find my opposite neighbor at dinner pledging me in a brimming glass of kerosene or seasoning his fijh with "residue fat in stead of melted butter. I wonder what the ancient fire worshipers of Baku would say if they could come to life again once more upon their own sacred bill and see how modern civilization has transformed it. One can fancy bow amazadly the poor Zoroastriaoa would stare at smoke breathing ' chimneys, monster boilers, clanking engines, reservoirs a big a a barrack yard, distilling machioe and steam-worked pump, lines of rail run ning down to the sea from the principal factories. And great would be their dismay to find their "eternal fires " of their ancient worship going out one by one from the draining of the naphtha springs that feed them. X aa-Eati a r In Sinatra. Marsden. in Lis account of Sumatra, aays that although he has heard report of the cannibal habits of some of the tribes, he had always discredited them until the truth of the statement was made entirely clear to him. He save that the Battaa, one of the peoples of Suma tra, eat human flesh regularly, not to satisfy the cravings of hunger, but as a sort of ceremony to show their detesta tion of certain crimes by this most igno minious punishment, and as a savage dis- flay of revenge and insult to their un ortunate enemies. People killed or badly wounded by them ia war are eatrn, and the captured sold a slaves. These same Baits show a certain amount of culinary art in the preparation of this rood, lor they broil the Cesn over a brisk fire, and flavor it with salt, lemon aad red pepper. A f nend of the writer's, who for more than forty years has been in the employ ment of. the Dutch government, bear personal witness to the prevalence of the custom in Sumatra up till recent time. He was once making scientific. Investiga tions ia the interior of that island, and was being entertained ia the most hos pitable manner by the native rajah, or chief, of the place he was then ia. A feast had been made to which he was bidden, and to which he went, taking his own native servant with him. The banquet had proceeded for some time without interruption, when at last, as crown- of the feast, a beautiful brown roast joint was brought from the back of the house to tbe open, airy place where the repast was being held. This was cut up without remark and handed round, and the Dutch gentleman was on tho point of eating his portion, having rals'd j part ci it to his lips, when his servant rushed forward and stopped him, saying, "Master, master, do not eat ; it is a boy 1" The chief, on being questioned, admitted. with no small pride at the extent of hi hospitality, that, hearing that the white man would feast with him, he had or- dered a young boy to be killed aad cooked in his honor, a the greatest del- ficacy obtainable, aad that the joint be- lore them was the best part, the thigh. Vpaor Scime JraUy. - sciEimric A5D industrial. A lata larestlraiioa shows that Aus tralia contains 1W species f saakes thirty-fi ve of them harmleaa, aad seventy- I three venomous. Leather car wheels are made ia France. The lave a tor la M. da la Roche. Uataa aed bua!o hides are cut iato strip, aad . built up loto solid disks, which are I ana seta over a amoay ere tnat ine coax- tag may naraeo. ihvs proce is re peated until a cake of gum of the sire and shape of a aqnaah is formed, when the paddle Is cut out aad the lamp is ready for market. In lobsters and crab the mouth is situated underneath the head, aad con sists of a soft upper lip. then a pair of upper jaws provided with a short feeler, below which is a thia lower Up. Then follow two pairs of membraneous under laws which are lobed aad hairy, and hairy, and next three pairs of foot jaw. Th horse shoe crab has no special jaws, the thighs answering the purpose. A new proces for disinfecting rags supposed to be infected with the cholera contagion constat ia driving iato th bales a scries of hollow screws, throurh which sulphoious air or" su rerheated i sicsm is lorcea. ia experiment recentir made the best result were obtained with ? a a , the sulphurous air. Fire minute after the screwa were throat lata a ba! It found that a perfect fumigation had been accomplished, aad the bale, on being torn apart, was found to have been permeated by the sulphurous fumes in every part. Travelers in rolar regions have sus- vlved exposure to a cold as great as sev enty-five degree below zero Fahrenheit. On the other hand, the inhabitants of some part ef the globe are forced to ea dure at certain periods a natural temper- store considerably curher than 100 de gree above zero, A still greater heat greater even than CO) degrees may be borne by the homas body for a short time. Brewster mentions that Chaatry and five or six frieodt remained two mio tic ia the sculptor drying furnace, bringing out a thermometer which stood at 30 degree. Chantry' workmea en tered the furnace when the temperature was as high a 340 degree. Wooden Legs far Teteraav rVe have the names of about H.000 veterans, who have applied for repairs," said Mr. Ramsey, who has cbarjre of the artificial limb department of the surgeon general's office, to a Stsr reporter. Yoo know we cl them out with new sets of leg, arms, or other apparatus every five year. It i now getting toward the close of one of those period, and we hare repaired 11,000 veteran." "Aren't the one-legged men dying offf asked the .Star man. "Now that's aa Interesting questiea. I guess they are. I presume many of them whose names we have have sine died, but I can't tell certainly. Now, as I've said, every five year we recon struct the maimed veterans of the army. but they have their choice to take the repair or the muaev. Tae allowance for a leg Is seventy five dollars, for any thing lea than a leg i fifty dollar. From one period to another many old veteran drop out. Some of them make one or two applications, and then we never bear from them again. Naturally, we conclude when they don't send foe their money or legs, they must be dead and have no more wse for them. But we don't limit ourselves to men who have actually lost, their limb. A man who ha simply lost the u of his limbs is entitled to a woodea' leg or arm, as the case may be, though h can't wear them. So you see we cant keep a record of all the oae legged men, but I gue there aren't a many as there used to be. Yet there are lot of them, aad many who barrel aay legs at all, aad some with neither legs nor arms. Then there are many who have not lost their limbs, but who have to power to move. There is oae man who get two arm and two leg allowance, who can not move aay part of hi body etcej the little finger on the left hand, which be caa bend the least bit. , There Is another, a New England soldier, whose arms and leg are dead, and who is blind ia both eye. Not long ago a man came ia here with no arms aad est down at oae of the desks and wrote with his teeth. It was not particularly fine writing, but you could read it, I know of another man he was in the sharpshooters service who can't be stood on hi feet because he i bent la the back, so that his head would strike the floor first. Think how many years these men have suffered, aad many of them are still living t Why. there hardly enough left of them to hold to gether. "Willow wood geeereUv, and there are a variety of sty.es. They caa take their choice. Some take the straight stick aad stump it through life.1 Some lrgt have tubber feet aad rubber joint. There is one mad with a very floe "ball and socket' joint at the foot, There arc many men with woodea legs whom yoo would never suspect. W furnish limb to some brave and dUtisguished men. There are several Seers of high rank who come here for arm aad leg. There is a young lieutenant we reeeaUy supplied with one arm who la, I believe, the onlj urvivor of tae Custer maasacTe, H'csV ixptr Star. Holiday Xlaeo-Ple. , Ia th old tim the Christmas season properly began on the 16th of December (described ia the prayer-book calendar a O Sapientia). and ended January C, with Twelfth-night. When the learned Dr. Parr was aked what day la Decem ber it was proper to begin eatiax miace- pie, be said, "Begia on O Sepieatia; but please to say Christmas-pie, not mince-pi mince pie la PuriUnicaL" If there is any merit in eating mince-pie, as this association of it with I he holy sea son seems to imply, then we have a cer tain test of the piety of the Pilgrim to New England, for they and their descend -ant did aot hesitate to eat mi ace-tie any day ia the jear they could get it, and had so much grace that they could take It with impunity for breakfast oa a sum mer morning. Uxrjer't Jfopau. St, Stephen's college, Delhi, boats of a prodiCT ia the person of a blind stu- dent named Chaada Siagh. He cannot . read or write, but has such a wonderful memory a to be able to repeal all hi text-books English, French aad Urda by rote, aad to rapidly work out sums in arithmetic, even the multiplication of aay number of figures by another equally J larg. Tho wiatsc days are mUax. John, Tk sbM arooa J M ow Tb NmBMr birds bv mRavsHts. TVs frt ks on Ihm Boww; Aad cady blow M, Jomb, WWro late law roos srsua Of fcaUvr! nrilin cWwtel Um ear. By form. tUid aal kua TW wtatr dars are ootniac Joaa, Aad raw y Is oar star. A Uxkt fc.a i, barrel IW4 1, Tho moU ! m tbe dxxa; Oar rtulivw rrj f w brntt. Jotm. Wfcao lWi bo breal to fv A eoarw a coca to powrt j. That aay awVr otUts. The wtawe dare are comiac. Jots, Aad row aavo Ubored "wy wveaa, wH bo al 1 Ya vw loM lit lab asaoae; For aa roar karJ work dona, Joaa, AM 3 th (npn ! tail. Tor aa Uae yy w dreaawd wwre oan TWVs ante hwiaraa taLaa4. Tho wtnW das) are eomlof. John, Tto ttaprata cUr twar TawrVii toe y enute twaVle aigraSo, Aad 3 ais bom wit rWr; Bat lii not to wit Jut Oxactol Uota Iba L-m. Wtt Uad baUrs. dari twt, Aad aaaxttt to k-p Um Tb wotc 4st are coouar. Jotus. The frwt b oa the ra - . There's mow wpoo Bay ashlar braaat. There1 freary la soy brale; Bot, aa! my krre far row, Joaa, Crowa lW, day by dor. The srertl that filNrs roved my smart. Caa aerr steal tXal away. J. .V. if aUaewa IITMOR Of THE DAT. - A hard case A watch's. , Contempt cf court The fellow who has just been refused. It takes a pretty good taller to patch a do; peat. -rw J rt Jvraai. The latest retains Hasbaads reUlag horn from th club. G'fewy CrtLtr. Marriage eromote longevity aaoag men, notwiihttaadieg its teadeacy to produce premature baldness. zW CrVr. A London r.hystciaa aay death has no sting. Did he ever pre hi finger oa the Czhtiag precinct of a dead hornet? A hen' heart teals ISO time a min ute. Perhaps that is the reason why it body wabbk ao much w hen a wemaa "boo it. y,m Tori JWraI. A Stock Yards young lady at a tall th other evening referred to her geaUe man escort a aa laiiaa, "for. said she, he" alasjs on my traiL" Cia9 ia. Dame IKatnre meet fwroa3r lhaiow-t ber tnfU. 'tis Maid TsLaa rwabi his owe bat alare, sbe ixu evtry roraaeris A man arrested la northern Texas for counterfeiting had six diffrreat die. If he had beea arrested for stealiag a horse he would have Lad only oae die, jt- A scientific paper says that the car of a clam is at the base of the foot. It must bo faaay to see a c'-atn walking around Uatealag for earthquake. &aa VaarijiV W. There is a glacier la Alaska mavis g along at the rate of a quarter of a mile a year. It arts verv much like the aver age small boy oa his wsy to achooL SvrUffea FY V. Sitty Harvard freshmea have dropped their Latin, eighty their Greek and 100 their mathematics. None of them have dropped their baseball or their boating, however, aad college culture Is etUl aa!. LU Verier. A New York editor ha been struck by the fart' that ao many youcg men are now wearing glaasea, and as as: "Are Americans grewtag weak-eyed r lithe glaaoe are of the si a gle barreled paltera, it is more likely that they are rrewiig weak-headed. .YrrWw JicrU. . araexvo nas. Now tbe ojkkr are arrayed oa Maay a doky bare 'a Boor, Ewer ewata bmal bis maul tUwad Uao beanwd-op gnal) store, With what Ukwal rtpertaUoe Io lby waicn tea earn effwar, . Tia tbe saliva oarwlaUoa Load proclaim the rare rw arttatoa raaa A lady Freach lady la ahowtag a visitor the family portrait la tha tin ore gallery. .That officer there ta the nai form." she My, - "was mj great frrai- Eiod father. II was a brave a a Uaa, t one of the taost unfortunate ef men he never fought a battle ia which he did not have aa ana or leg carried away f Then she add proudly: "II tack part ia twenty -four -eofageaaU. CiaoaM Sea ate-paxr vs, Eepertera. The following extract I from a Ualted State Senate page' recollection, pub lished la SL. AsoLWea- While w were employed to wait tjpon the Senator, outaiders would often encroach upon our good nature aad ask tt to do thsngm. S e alwsy refused to attend to these matters, If they were put la the shape of a demand Instead ofa request. There were several newspaper reporter ia the gallery over the Vsoe I 'resident' chair, to which I have re ferred, who frequently Ignored our right. A reporter wouid wiah to ask a eoeaUoa of a Senator, and, not caring parucylarly to come down the stairs aad send ta hi card, would drop a note from the gal lery, ez porting oae of n to pick it cs ad hand U to the Senator to whom it was sddreaord, Thl was a rather offi cious request sometime, a we were tired aad worn out from ex resale run ning, aad would hardly feel like roisg up to where tbe reporter was, ia the roundabout way in chkh we ahoeld have had to go, to deliver him the In formation caid for, aad then come all the way back. But, whether we were tired or full of activity, we did not like the matterof-couree manner ia which some of the reporter had demanded our service; aad we would often let the note remain where it had fel'a oa the carpet. Sometimes, out of pugnacity, w would rarrouad the paper aad waJt around it, gazieg at it apparently with great curioaty, but eviaciag no inclina tion to touch it. Finally, when the re porter would lean over the edge of the gallery, and, la a very obsequkru mae ner, would bow his head ad amlle aad go through a lot of gymnastics to Indi cate to everybody else la the gsHeri that th ffluib" would not "go off," aad he would be cxccdif ly obLewd if oae of our exceHenciee would gracioualy coavey the paper (o it desired deetiaa tioe, oa of us would pKk it up; but net until then. 1 .