Newspapers / The Wilmington Messenger (Wilmington, … / May 23, 1897, edition 1 / Page 5
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WILMINGTON, N. C, SUNDAY, MAY 23, 1897 TOLD BY DICKENS TOUR MANAGER - The WHERE IS NANS EN'S GOD T CONTAMINATED WATER HOW EPIBUS WAS LOST MARRIED SEVENTY-TWO YEARS Reminiscences of the Man Who Piloted the ; Novelist Through America I Does any one remember George Dolby? I imagine not. Thirty years ago this very) winter he was one of the busiest and best known men in America. In 1S67 Charles Dickens determined to give a se ries of readings in the United States. Mr. Dolby, as manager, preceded him, and as sumed entire charge of the busines ar rangements. That the venture was a suc- cess may be judged by the result. Dick remained five months in America, ens during which period he gave seventy-six readings. The receipts for these enter tainments were $228,000, the expenses $39,- ouo. i - I went to call upon Mr. Dolby not long ago, because everything pertaining to the personality of the novelist has for me a wonderful fascination. I have talked with Scott, who was Dickens' valet, and so have! formed a new and pleasant idea of the genius of the master, as yet viewed from the standpoint of his servant. Prior to his death I sat for two hours with the late Frederick Chapman, the head of the firm j who were Dickens' earliest publish ers, and listened entranced ta his related reminiscences of the great author'scareer. But neither of these men knew Dickens so intimately as did George Dolby, nor had they any such opportunity of study ing his moods of characteristics. Time and fortune have been unkind to the former manager. I found him in hum ble lodgings, broken in health and spirit and partially dependent upon charity Yet he received mei graciously, and once aware of the object of my visit he became en thusiastic. It was easily to divine that ,his rS connection with the novelist had formed the chief episode in the life of the white-haired old man sitting before me. "I became acquainted with Dickens in 18G6,"j said Mr. Dolby. "In that year the firm of Messrs. Chappell offered him 1,500 for thirty public readings in London and the provinces. I was selected as mana ger II shall never forget the first inter view! I had with him in relation to the pro3eict. I went to the office of 'All the Yearj Round,' in Wellington street and submitted my plans, with which he ex pressed himself thoroughly , satisfied. When I took leave he shook me heartily by the hand and, with a deep, earnest look in his eyes, said: 'I hope we shall like each other on the" termination of the tour las much as we do now.' "Thereafter until his last public appear ance I was his only manager. I accom panied him everywhere, while engaged in reading, and went with him to America. My experience with him was always de lightful and I love to recall it." From the Chicago Record. A Baptist Defends Episcopalians A Pigh Tribute to the Late Bishop Atkinson. Rev1. J. C. Hiden, of Grave Avenue church, Richmond, formerly pastor of the First Baptist church or this city, is well known to be a staunch Baptist; but he evidently does not like to see injustice done to his brethren of other denomina tions. In his "Notes and Comments" in his last "Religous Herald," he discourses thus: "Some time ago, when the Episcopal convention was in session in New York city, the New York Herald had two very small editorial notes on the proceedings of the body. One item informed the pub lic that the standing committees were ap pointed on Thursday, and that other im portant matters would ie attended to on Friday. And then The Herald asks "if the convention will take some means of showing that it is about to earnestly work for the spread of religion," or "are the Catholics to have the field to them selves?" Some of the most earnest work ers for the "spread of religion" that I have even known were Episcopal "clergy men." One of the hardest and most persistent-workers that I ever met was the Rev. Mr. Watson, of Wilmington, N. C. Nor was his colleague, the Rev. Mr. Pat terson, less zealous. I doubt if a more devoted, earnest, self-sacrificing " minister ever lived in North Carolina than was Bishop Atkinson. He loved his work. He was no time-server or self-seeker. When his friends proposed to increase his sal ary, he positively declined, saying that his salary yielded him a comfortable living, and he wanted no more. Nor could they overrule his decision. He gave the movers in the matter good rea son to believe ..uat he would be decidedly displeased if the subject were not dropped and they dropped it accordingly. "This was a man!" Nor did this admirable preacher stand alone. He: was simply primus inter pares, when compared with other Episcopal clergymen" of North Carolina. It may be doubted If Virginia ever produced a purer or a more conse crated minister than was Bishop Meade, whd baptized Robert E. Lee and taught him "the catechism." The curtly and learned Wilmer, the profound and schol arly Sparrow, the eloquent, and searching Johns, are ah splendid replies to the sneering question or tne XMew xoris Herald. vl DeLesseps' Diplomacy When De Lesseps was in Egypt, aspres ident of a canitary commission,, in 1834, It became his duty to inspect k great number of convicts in the Egyptian gal leys, and among these he found iupward of 400 Syrians from Nazareth, all Chris tians, says the San Francisco Argonaut. The Nazarenes begged him to do some thing to get them free. De Lesseps set about procuring their release. As Me hemet AH, the viceroy, had reasons for wishing to stand well with the French, he told De Lesseps that he would quietly procure the liberation of five prisoners a week until they were all free. But presently De Lesseps' doors were beseiged by the relatives and friends of the remaing prisoners. The Frenchman was so nearly torn to pieces by these im portune people that he purposely had one of his suits of clothes literally torn into tatters, and on the next occasion when he was to see the viceroy he wore it. . Mehemet was astonished at such an extraordinary costume. "What has happened to you. Monsieur le Francais?" the viceroy asked. - "Oh, your highness," answered De Les seps, "no one but yourself has put me into this plight: for in ordering that those Nazarenes should be set free at the rate of five a week you have left me the prey of the families of those who remain 'in the galleys. They are tearing me to pieces; and so it will be as long as any are left. There were 412. Your highness, by computing, can see how long I must go in rags!" What the Matter Was "What is the matter?" asked one con gresman to another, who seemed to be in an unhappy frame of mind, today, says the New York Tribune. "Matter? Matter enough! Postofflces that's what's the matter, if you want to know. Now take such acase as this one. A few days ago all the candidates there were five or six of them withdrew and agreed upon a man who, they said, was satisfactory to everybody and asked me to recommend his appointment, and I was eiad to do so. Now, here today come all these telegrams saying that a great mistake has been made, and asking me to withdraw my recommendation. Now I'll be hanged before I do. That man I recommended at their request shall be appointed if I well, if I have to make the apppointment myself. I suppose I must have received and answered more than a hundred letters and telegrams about that postmastershlp, which pays the incumbent considerably less than $1 000 a year." And the worried congress man strode out of the room. The M raculons Escapes of the Norwegian Explorer In the North Pole Search t The Christian Commonwealth, Lon don, asks, "Where is Nansen's God?" The same question will arise in any mind which follows his intensely interesting- narrative. There were three events which; should strongly Impress the divine care upon almost any mind. The first was the ice pack upon the Fram, when she was frozen down. The pack went as far as possible without sinking the vessel, and then ceased The second was the escape of the ky acks. Nansen swam after them in salt water which was below the freezing point, and . was so exhausted and numb that he dispalred, for a time, of being able to climb upon them after he had reached them. The third had the most remarkable concurrence of circum stances. They knew nothing about where they were; supposed themselves to be far west in the mythical Gillies land. As thev coasted along they landed to unbend their limbs and cook their bear-meat. Nansen thought - he heard the bark of a dog. Had they landed a mile earlier or later, or had the dog not barked, they would not have been rescued. The dog did not bark at them they were nearly a mile away, but gave two or three yelps on a bear-track; These are three out of a large number of escapes such as -the rescue of Nansen by Johansen just as he was sinking below the ice; the re co very of Nansen from lumbago; the nearness of the kyacks to the anchored ice when attacked by walruses. Per haps the most wonderful thing is that, utterly lost as they were, they moved on a straight line for Jackson's station of the existence of which they were wholly ignorant, because Jackson did not to go north for a year after Nansen had left Norway. They could not have gone straighter to Jackson had they known their location and the country, and had known precisely where the English expedition was located. "We must notice another event. The snow became so bad that further progress was impossible and they were compelled to stop for two weeks, hoping for rain to melt the snow. When they stopped, they were steering south. Thus com pelled to desist from a fatuitous course, they drifted to the west. That drift saved them. It took them to a point due north of Franz Josef land, so that when they resumed their journey they were.' going straight toward safety. Time after time they were going direct ly to destruction, and were hindered by what? By accident? Where is Nansen's God? The Interior. . He Had a Conscience. It is seldom that a conscience fund needs to be established in the office of a railroad, yet a letter received by B. L. Winchell of the Union Pacific. Den ver and Gulf road recently indicates that such a fund would receive addi tions of coin from time to time, says The Denver Times. The letter, which is addressed to Mr. Winchell as general passenger agent of the Denver. Leadville and Gunnison railroad, reads as follws: "Dear Sir: About five years ago, while working at Morrison, Col., I was taken over your road by somevof the railroad men and I was not required, to pay. They came to the creamery and drank buttermilk in return, but I think I owe the company for a ride. Since that time I have become a Chris tion, and I desire to pay every cent , that stands against ne, so that when Jesus comes I may be found watching (Luke 12:37) and be caught up to meet the Lord (I Thess. 4:16-17). The num ber of miles that I traveled was about forty, and at the rate of 3 cents a mile -that would be $1.20 and this at 6 per cent, interest for five years would be about $1.56. Please accept same and oblige. Hoping you are ready to meet God and are happy in Jesus, I am yours very respectfully, "D. G. VOIGT." Accompanying the letter is a tract of some religious society entitled "A Pray er From Hell." . The parable of Laza rus and the rich man is expounded at length in the tract. The sender of the letter is mistaken in saying that: 3 cents a mile is all that is necessary for the transportation of passengers of lo cal roads in Colorado. The rate is 4 cents a mile and the railroad is consid ering seriously of sending to the de linquent the bill for the other charges; "The Third Rail Means Death." - (Springfield (Mass.) Union.) . The successful employment, of elec tricity by means of the third rail for passenger traffic has naturally aroused decided interest throughout the coun try, it being appreciated that this is probaDly the "beginning of its substitu- tion for steam as a motive power. The1 Hartford Times, recognizes that the new system "is the best and most per- feet electric railway in the world," and j anticipates that great numbers will go to Hartford this summer to see how it works. The Times also calls atten tion to the fact that "one result of general adoption of the electric system on railroads would almost certainly be the absolute inclosure of , the route" i for "the third rail means death." The Times calls attention to -the fact that "the mere requirement that such (railroad) employes must wear rubber shoes and rubber gloves indicates the character of the situation." Colored Students at Harvard (Indianapolis News.) The first negro to win a Harvard degree was a member of the class of 1870. Sev eral negroes subsequently took special courses, but none graduated until 1890. There are now six on the rolls. The most prominent, who was graduated last year with honors, is now in the law school, and is president of the Harvard, Forum. The present senior class in the university has three colored members. One of them named Williams, a Virginian, took two prizes while at Phillips, Andover, and has maintained a similar high standing In the university. Another named tiregory. from New Jersey, is well up in his studies, Is a fine debater, and a fine ball player. A third named Napoleon Bona narte Marshall has fame as a debater and greater fame as an athlete, particularly as a quarter mile runner. A freshman named Lee is a tenis player of note and a substitute on the 'varsity bail team The only difficulty these men have at Harvard is lack of means. They-are not ostracised in any way. Putrid Material and Filth In the Drinking Waters of Various localities (Prom the Arena Magazine.) Disease-producing organisms have been frequently detected in the exam ination! of river and well water. With a knowledge of the very dangerous character of these germs such water would be drunk with much hesitation; The hyjdrant water of Freilburg, Ger many, frequently contains the bacillus of green pus. The number of bacteria in drinking waters fluctuates greatly. Upwards of fifty per cubic sentimetre will be found in ordinary hydrant water; in good pump water, i00 to 500; in filtered river water, according to Gunther, 50 to 200 are present; in unfiltered river water, 6,000 to 20,000. According to the pollution of the water the number may reach 50,000. In densely populated and manufacturing districts the rivers and brooks are to the highest degree con taminated, and the color, consistency and odors of many waters indicate that they deserve the name polluted rather than water unqualified. The number of germs in a single drop of heavily decomposed fluid, such as may gain access to rivers in the form of sewage, often amounts to millions. In the Spree -river, at Berlin, accord ing to Investigation made in the Hy gienic Institute of that city, there are from 3,200 to 150,000 bacteria per cubic centimetre, the average number being 37,525. At the Stralau water-works the number was 400. The water of the Odor, collected within the limits of the city at Stettin, was found by Link to contain from 5,240 to 15,000 bacteria per cubic centimetre; that of the Limmat, at Zurich, 346 in one specimen and 508 in another (Cramer.) Adametz (1888) has described eighty-seven species, of bacteria obtained by him from water in the vicinity of Vienna; Maschek fonud fifty-five different species in the drinking water used at Leitmeritz, and Tils (1890) has described fifty-nine species obtained by himself from the city water used at Frieburg. As showing the influence of locality on the number of bacteria present in different parts of the river the follow ing observations are of value. The water of the Seine at Cholsv. before reaching Paris, was found to contain 300 bacteria; at Bercy, 1,200; at St.Den is, after receiving sewer water from the city, 200,000 germs per cubic centimetre (Miquel.) Let us now examine into some of the conditions surrounding domestic wells and springs in the larger towns and villages, conditions which so i prevail sometimes even about rural homes. We shall then be better able to under stand how a well, like a Nevada silver mine, may have "millions in it," and how "the old oaken bucket" may bring from the depths elements of disease with the same draught that refreshes the thirsty throat. For convenience a well is situated in the back yard, per haps a rod away from the house, or it may even be nearer. Certain other things, also for convenience sake, are grouped close about the back door. Here is a cesspool but a short distance perhaps only a few feet, from the well; there is a vault, a filthy institution which is an open disgrace to civiliza tion. A little further away is the gar bage heap. In other adjacent locali ties are the chicken coop, the pig pen and the stable, with their accumula tions of decomposing filth: It may be that . in a corner . a dead animal has been buried to save the trouble of con veying it to a distance. A damp and reeking spot near the back door marks the place where the slops have been de posited since the drain to the cesspool became stopped up with the accumu lated refuse of half a dozen years. Every one of the sources of contami nation mentioned is a contributor to the well. A part of the putrid material floats upon the ground and is disposed of by evaporation, but the greater por tion of it soaks into the ground. It is a common error to suppose that what ever has disappeared into the ground is destroyed. The filth which has dis appeared from the surface may be out of sight, but it is not out of existence. If the soil, is filled with refuse of vari ous kinds the well will be contaminated Every rain washes the filth a little deeper down until it reaches the well iprope? or, one of the underground veins of water by which it is fed. It may not be generally known that a well will draw water a distance of six ty feet. More Guess on What Texas Alight Do (Galveston News.) To be plain about it, if all the cotton raised in Texas were made into one shirt, the garment would fit- a man 20,000 miles tall. The Texas crop of 15, 000,000 pounds of wool would make him a pair of socks. The leather product of the state would make him a pair pf shoes, the soles of which would nearly cover a pair of states as large as Mas sachusetts. The 600,000 head of beeves and 125.000,000 bushels of corn would feed him bread and meat for six months and if all the horses in Texas were, one could ride a horse big enough to nibble grass on the Blue Ridge and fan the flies off his haunches, which would loom up in the neighborhood of the Missis sippi river. The hairs of the" animal's tail would be as large in diameter as telegraph poles and as ' long as the Hudson river, and it mould take the bite of a horsefly fourteen times the size of an elephant to make him snort. Greece. . Clime of the forgotten brave! Whose land, from plain to mountain cave, Was Freedmom's home or Glory's Grave! Shrine of the night! can it be That thtis is all remains of thee? Approach, thou craven, crouching slave; Say, is not this Thermopylae? These waters blue that round you lave, O servile offspring of the free. Pronounce what sea, what shore is this? The gulf, the rock of Salamis! These scenes, their story not unknown, Arise, and make again your own; Scratch from the ashes of your sires The embers of their former fires And he who in the strife expires Will add to theirs a name of fear That Tyranny shall quake tohear, And leave his sons a hope, a fame. They too will rather die than shame; For Freedmom's battle once begun, Bequeathed by bleeding sire to son. Though baffled oft is ever won. Lord Byron. Story of the Fight as Seen From a News paper Standpoint (From the Washington Post). Later reports - indicated that the Greek collapse in Epirus was a miser able fiasco, and the people who paid to f see some? real generalship and some clever fighting are entitled to have their money refunded at the box office. The first day the Greeks had much the best of the argument. Steve Crane led the profession with a beautiful two- column, double-leaded two-step, and caught the Turks napping. While Crane's forces engaged the en emy in front Rudyard Kipling and his command attacked the Turkish rear, and by a syndicate p rearrangement these two valorious leaders worked the deadly parallel column on the demora lized foe. . . There was a bright Grecian streak in the atmosphere, and the bookmakers were giving remarkable odds on the fight. When the second day's fighting open ed everybody said it was a Grecian cinch in a walk, and Grecian money went begging. ' . . , When the firing, opened between the outposts at Pentepighadia the welcome word was carried tohtbe managing edi tors of the battle that Richard Harding Davis, fully provisioned and highly pajamaed, was oearing down on the enemy on the right at tne head of a band of Evzones, who were armed with the Remington strip. At this juncture of the struggle the Turks began to feel like 30 cents and other small change. . The stragetic triangle was playing to beat the band, and the Turks were fan ning the atmosphere in great shape, go ing out in one-two-three order. Up to this time it was what Hazel Kirke would call pretty work; Then came the crisis. It was none of your off-hand, special-sale-day crisis. Nor "did it partake of the stereotyped, the villain-approaches stage effect. It was one of those deli berate, well-written, and carefully re vised affairs, and it marked the turn in the battle with a ghastly, blue-pencil appearance. When victory had executed a little airship j exhibition and was about to utilize the Grecian baners for perching purposes the startling announcement was made that, owing to the breaking down of the press, Sylvester Scovel would be unable to make the expected attack on the Turkish left flank. It was a crisis that tried the- space work souls of the entire command. Retreat without an effort meant dis honor, while an advance under the cir cumstance might mean annihilation. After a short conference it was decided there would be no back pedaling, and the order to advance was telephoned up and down the line. Blucher Scoval could have saved the day, but his mesenger boyishness pre vented. With a mighty roar the contending forces clashed, and the sight that fol lowed would have caused a circulation war to go off in some nook and weep highly salted tears oiver its own insig nificance. Above the terrible din of battle could he heard the inspiring black-face, double-pica shrieks of these valorous leaders as they urged their men . to fight. (To describe this scene properly would be a gross plagiarism on John L. Sullivan's story of Mrs. Fitzsimmons' heroic work at Carson City). The roar of the Mergenthalers was terrible as they poured the hot lead into the matrices and made history at the usual space rates. There was an occasional pause, when the sharp clicking of the type writers showed they were getting in their work on the Turks in much the same manner they did up that Chicago banker. In the last half of the ninth inning, with two men out, two strikes on Ed hem Pasha not a Turk on the bases, and the crowd leaving the grand stand came the- blow that killed father, Ed hem was desperate, and, making a vicious swipe at a paragraphic inshoot, he caught it for three bases. A sickly yellow kiddish expression took possession of the face of the Greek pitcher. It was plain to be seen that he had contrated a complication of the glass arm, charleyhorse, and punctured nerve. . . . . A passed ball, a base on balls, another hit, a wide throw by the short stop, and the Greek demoralization was com plete. The Turks trotted around the bases like intoxicated sailors on a merry-go-round. The score and the plot thickened like newspaper office paste in warm weather. The groans of the dead and wounded were remarkable, particularly those of the dead. (Arrangements are in progress to have these new things in groans produced oh the phonograph.) But why prolong the awful recital. There was nothing for the Greeks to do but fall back to Art a. Thus was the horrible retreat inaugurated. The quarters of these gallant com manders looked like they had "been visited by one of those individuals who occasionally drop in to whip the editor. All was confusion and next morningish. As the- demoralized column approach ed the suburbs of Arta, and managed to fight through the lines of the fakirs engaged in selling war relics, there burst upon them a specter of the illu minated supplement variety. For a few moments they were dazed. As it approached it grew nearer, and suddenly they recognized Gen. (Miles He was accompanied by his full uni form and staff of stenographers, topo graphers, and photographers. Reluctantly they told Gen. Miles of their defeat He wanted them to turn and made a fine rally against the Turks, but they respectfully and firm ly declined to respond to the encore. This is the true story of the rout at Epirus. Historians and Gen. Miles' of ficial report may be able to make a bet ter showing for the Greeks, and some people who are continually poking about in war records may try to square Sylvester Blucher Scovel, but these are the stubborn and tantalizing facts. ' The next day the Grecian sugar mar ket slumped ight points, and there were heavy declines all along the line. If the sugar trust stands in the way of Cuban recognition there will be no recog nition. Atlanta Constitution. Heland His Wife Still Hearty-Their 428 Living Xecendants Their Busy Life (From the New York Sim.) On May 4 the Rev. Andew Patrick and his wife, Olivia, of Grays, Knox county, Kentucky, had been married exactly seventy-two years. Both are in good health and In enjoyment of all their faculties. He is 92 years old and she Is 86. He has living decendants In the fifth generation. Mr. Patrick was born In North Caro lina in 1805, and at early age be moved to Tennessee. At Elk river.that state, he met his wife, then Olivia Manor, and they were married when she was a lit tle less than 15 years old. Soon after ward Mr. Patrick moved to Whitley county, Kentucky, where he lived until a few years ago, when he went to the adjoining county of Knox and settled at Grays, a small station on the Knoxville division of the Louisville and Nashville railroad. " Thirteen children were born to Mr. Patrick and his wife.six boys and seven girls. The oldest of their children is now 70. He, like his father, is a Bap tist minister. The Rev. Andew Patrick has 428 living decendants. There are 104 grandchildren, j 304 great grandchil dren, and 20 great ; great grandchildren. He has a grandson 53 years old who has grandchildren 5 or 6 years bid. Mr Patrick has been preaching for sixty years, and during that time has had many interesting experiences. He was pastor of two mountain churches contemporaneously, for thirty years, and served another one for twenty con secutive years. The other ten years of his ministry were spent in evangelistic work. As his preaching was done in a sparsely settled mountain region, where the people were generally poor and money scarce, Mr. Patrick could not depend upon the revenue derived from the pulpit to support his family, and so he spent the week days working on farms or following the carpenter's trade. He carried the gospel to many "mountain homes where the name of God had "never before been spoken, and delivered many hundreds j of sermons where not a church could be found. During his early ministry, he preached mostly at the Grove churches. The peo ple would gather from surrounding neighborhoods in some grove and sit upon rude "benches, with no" shelter other than the trees, and lister to the preacher for two and three hours at Ja. time. This was a privilege which many of them would not enjoy twice a year. How Some English People Talfe The English are often inclined to make fun of or to grow indignant over the manner in which Americans speak and write the language. The captious critic in this town may, however, hear some wonderful variations of that language by the natives, if he keeps his ears open. You go into a resturant, for in stance, and you hear the average well dressed person speak as follows: "Beesliot day (a beastly hot day). Ah, st'awb'izn k'eem (ah, strawberries and cream). Ven nice, eysh think (very nice, I should think). Shleyg vew sam? (shall I give you some?) Stawhiz yef fine thish yah (strawberries very fine this year). Ha suthinta drink withem?) Pawt?v She'y? (port? sherry?) Sowder enmilk? (soda and milk?)" Stead, who has recently written an essay on the mutilation Of- the language of which he is such a master, would be choked if he heard this characteristic dialogue between a coster boy and his girl: 'Arriet "Tike me ter Madam Tusser's on Benk 'Allerday, wil yer, 'Arry?" 'Arry "No, mate, I cawn't stand some o them bloomin' toffish for me. I don't feel at home among em." 'Ar riet "But the Chamber of 'Orrers Cs orl right, ain't it,' Arry?" ?Arry "Yus.but wot, mate let's go ter Kew Gardings; there yer kin see natur' at er best." 'Arriet "Wot kind o natur' human natur' ?" Decidedly, Americans, Afri cans, Chinese, and Australians are not the only races that play mad pranks with the vernacular of Shakespeare and Milton. Washington Post. Dolph and Kipling The late Senator Dolph was not abreast of the literature of the day, and often tumbled into laughable situations, says the New York Press. He Introduced a bill for the relief of a gallant union soldier of the name of Mulvaney, and was congrat ulated by Senator Manderson, who said: "Mulvaney is the best fellow that ever lived; a lively, fighting, big- hearted,lova- ble, humorous Irishman. You would be surprised to know how often I have spent the days and nights In camp with him, and how much I enjoyed it." "Is that so?" said Dolph, warmly. "I hope you will vote for the bill. I don't know Mulvaney myself, but he has been highly recommended to me and It seems to be a most deserving case." "By the way," added Manderson, "I have another friend you ought to know. His name Is Kipling Rudyard Kipling." "Kipling. Kipling: never heard of him," mused Dolph, "but if you are going to In troduce a bill for his relief let" me know. I'll help you all I can." Grinned Facing Death This is a story of a judge who died re cently, and who carried a sense of humor almost to the grave, says the Boston Budget. It happened during his last ill ness that he was reading a newspaper. In the midst of reading he was suddenly heard to burst Into a chuckle. Of course. the friend who was with him at the time wanted to know the cause. "I was lust reading an account of an accident by lightninp ' explains the judge. "The lightning struck a house that was supposed to be protected by a lightning rod. It killed a cnild who was in the house and never touched the rod." "Well," remarked the friend, "I don't see anything funny about that." "Don't you?" said the judge, with another chuckle, " Spare the rod and spoil the child,' you know. The President's Home. (Syracuse Post.) In some respects it would be better to build a home for the president entirely distinct from the executive offices. Then the privacy of his home life could be pro tected and he could feel that at some hours of the day or night he could escape entirely from contact with office-seekers, sight-seers, and curiosity hunters. Or, if a combination of official and private resi dence be preferred, there might be an ad dition to the present White house which would not mar its symmetry and would give the enlarged accommodations need ed. The American people are not disposed J to be niggardly in these matters, and . they would be glad to see the president ' properly housed in a manner befitting the ' dignity and Importance of his high office. ; JOSEPH'S CANAL IN EGYPT An Engineering Work That Is Still Useful After Four Thousand Years (From Engineering.) How many of the engineering works of the nineteenth century will there be In existence In the year 6000? Very few, we fear, and still less those that will continue in that far-off age to serve a useful pur pose. Yet there is at least one great undertaking conceived and executed by an engineer which during the space of 4,000 yers, has never ceased its office on which the life of a fertile province abso lutely depends today. We refer to the BahrJoussuf the canal of Joseph built, according: to tradition, bv tho con nt To wu, uiu wnicn constitutes not the least of the many blessings he conferred on Egypt during the years of his prosperous rule. This canal took its rise from the Nile at Asiut, and ran almost parallel with it for nearly 250 miles, creeping along under the western cliffs of the Nile yalley, with many a bend and winding, until at length it gained an eminence, as compared with the river bed, which enabled it to turn westward through a narrow pass and enter a district which was otherwise shut off from the fertilizing floods oh which all vegetation in Egypt depends. The north ern end stood seventeen feet above low Nile, while at the southern end It was at an equal elevation with the river. Through this cut ran a perennial stream, which watered a province named the Pavonm. i , . , . endowing it with fertility and supporting a large population. In the time of the annual flood a great part of the canal was under water, and then the river's current would rush to a more direct course into the pass, carrying . with It the rich silt which takes the nlare nf manure anr ikeeps the soil in a constant state of pro- auctiveness. ah tnis, witn tne exception of the tradition that Joseph built it, can be verified today, and it is not mere sup position or rumor. - Until eight years ago It was firmly be lieved that the design has always been limited to an irrigation scheme, larger, no doubt, than that now in operation, as shown by the traces of abandoned canals, arid by the slow aggregation of waste water, which had accumulated in the Bir ket el Querum, but still essentially the same In character. Many accounts have been written by Greek and Roman histo rians, such as Herodotus, Sirabo, Muti anus and Pliny, and repeated to monkish legends, or portrayed in the maps of the middle ages, which agreed with the folk lore of the district. These tales explained that the canal dug by the ancient Israel ites served to carrv the surnlus waters nf the Nile into an extensive lake lying south or the rayoum, and so large that it not only modified the climate, tempering the arid wlnfla nf the doaert nnH nnnvarflnc them Into the balmy airs which nourished tne vines ana olives intQ a fulness and fraerance unknown in anv nart nf the country, but also added to Tthe food supply of the land such Immense quantities of fish that the royal prerogative of the right of piscary at the great weir was valued at 250,000 annually. This lake was said to be 450 miles round and to be navigated by a fleet of vessels, and the whole ccircumferenee-was the. sperm nf industry and prosperity. Sweet Wooing on the Wing "It seems quite a fad among the mar ried men of the day to tell how they got their wives, but T have yet to discover the benedict whose experience was simi lar to my own." The speaker Is a jolly man of fortune and he told his story just after his male guests had thrown aside their cards, says the Detroit Free Press. "I grew up in the south before they had thetr serious trouble down there. Between my i family and that on -the next planta- tion there was a feud something like that between the Montagues and the Capulets. The colonel and my father did not go on each other's trail with a shotgun, but they let each other severely alone except when one could stab the other, socially or politically. "The colonel's daughter and I fell in love when we used to meet as school chil dren and on the mountain gathering wild flowers. When I told my father later of my affection, he stormed and raved and forbade me ever seeing or again hold ing communication with the girl. She, too, had declared herself and the same sentence was imposed by the fire-eating colonel.. Neither of us made any rash promises, but we were so closely watched that we could never get within sight of each other. rler pigeons, and as a token of by bud ding affection, had given the colonel's daughter some. In our time of distress this infantile generosity came back as a blessing. Her maid and my man would meet in the creek bottom and exchange pigeons. Hers would go home with a mis sive of love about its neck and mine bore the same precious message to me. Thus we courted and thus we planned an elope ment that was brought off successfully. For a day the two hot-headed old fathers made the air hot and sulphurous. Then after the usual red-tape in those times of 'chivalry they met, became reconciled, sent for us and heartily -joined in the laugh at the way in which they had been outwitted." Shorter Wars Since 1865, with the general introduction of the telegraph, the electric cable, and the modern system of railways, war has become a matter of a few months at most. In 1866 Prussia 'defeated Austria in seven weeks. Prussia defeated France in about two months. The war between Russia and Turkey began in April, 1877, and was practically finished by the close of that year. The war between China and Japan began about midsummer, 1894, and ended in March, 1895. The present war between Turkey and Greece seems to be practically ended in about four weeks from the outbreak pf . formal hostilities. It seems to be -shown by experience that two important civilized nations in these uct a vl leiegrapn uiu railway cauuoi conduct wars for any length of time un less the contending countries are separ ated by the ocean or some other natural barrier. Boston Advertiser. y Irish Landlords - The ways of Irish landlords always were and still are strange and wonderful. They have taken Lord Salisbury again Into some favor since his . reception of their deputation, and seem to ground new hopes in tne Conservative govern ment on words which, divested of orator ical ornament, were a mere reminder that "Providence helps those who help them selves.1 In the past the Irish landlords knew very well none better how to help themselves to other people's property. It Is not likely, however, under Lord Salis bury, or any one else, that those good old times will ever come again. London Truth. An Objection "No, sir," said Senator Sorghum with fiicsti cuipuaais, x Bim.il never leei satis fied Until these caricaturists are sup pressed." "You object to a public man's having his facial expression altered for the amusement of the public?" t . "It Isn't that. I. hold .that there is no reason why a man - who gets office should any more than a private citizen, have his features advertised so that every creditor and every man with a subscription paper can recognize him at a glance." Wash ington Star.
The Wilmington Messenger (Wilmington, N.C.)
Standardized title groups preceding, succeeding, and alternate titles together.
May 23, 1897, edition 1
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