Newspapers / The Commonwealth (Scotland Neck, … / July 23, 1885, edition 1 / Page 1
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nn THE DEMOCRAT PUBLISHING CO., PUBLISHERS. SUBSCRIPTION PRICE $1.50 PER. YEAR. VOLUME I. SCOTLAND NECK, HALIFAX CO., N. C. THURSDAY, JULY 23, 1885. NUMBER 35. THE LIBERTY EELL. I. PHILADELPHIA. 1778. Squarely prim and stoutly built, Free from glitter and from gilt. Hain-from lint-el up to rwi-w fry bare and brow n Stands the hall that hot July tVbile the folks throng anxious by flbere the Continental Congress meets with in the Quaker town. Hark: a stir, a sudden shout, vA a boy conies rushing out, Signaling lo where his grandsire in the bel fry, waiting, stands "King! lie cries; "ine ueed is donel King! they've signed, and freedom's won!" And the ringer grasps the bell-rope with his strong and sturdy hands; "While the bell, with joyou3 note Clanging from its brazen throat, Rings the tidings, all-exultant peak the news to shore and sea: "Man is man a slave no longer; Truth and Right than Might are stronger. Praise to Go l! We're free; we're free!" II. SEW ORLEANS, 1885. Triumph of the builder's art, Tower and turret spring and start As if reared by mighty genii for some -prince cf Eastern land ; Where the Southern river flows, Ati'i eternal summer glows Dedicate to labor's grandeur, fair and vast the arches stand. And. enshrined in royal guise, Flower-bedecked 'neath sunny skies; Old and time-stained, cracked and voiceless, but where all may see it well; Circled by the wealth'and power Of the great world's triumph-hour Sacred to the cause of freedom, on its dais rests the Bell. And the children thronging near, Yet again the story hear Of the Bell that rang the message, pealing out to land and sea: "Man is man a slave no longer; Truth and Right than Might are stronger. Praise to God ! We're free ; we're free !" III. Prize the glorious relic then, With its hundred years and ten, By the Past a priceless heirloom to the Fu ture handed down. Btill its stirring story tell, Till the children know it well From the joyous Southern city to the North ern Quaker town. Time that heals all wounds and scars, Time that ends all strifes and wars, Time that turns all pains to pleasure, and can make the cannon dumb, Still shall join in firmer grasp, Still shall knit in friendlier c'asp North and South land in the glory of the ages yet to come. And, though voiceless, still the Bell Shall its glorious message tell, Pealing loud o'er all the Nation, Lake to , Gulf, and Sea to Sea: "Man is man a slave no longer; Truth and Right than Might are stronger. Praise to God! We're free; we're free!" K S. Brooks, in SL Nicholas. TWICE MARRIED. A strange but true story. A marriage license was issued in Chi cago a short time- ago, connected with which there is a story as strange as any ever conceived in the brain of a profes sional story-teller. It is a story which requires not the art of the story-teller to make it interesting; the bare facts are enough. The parties to the contract were married over seven years ago, were never divorced, and yet procured a license to get married again. To begin at the be ginning: In the spring of 1878 Wilhelm Her mann emigrated from his native home in Wurtemburg, Germany, intending to set tle with some relatives in a small town in the State of Louisiana. When he got as far as New Orleans he decided to stop there some time, r,nd about two months after his arrival he was married to Amelia Kettich, the daughter of an old German resident of that city. Three days after his marriage he was enticed by a chance acquaintance into one of the low beer saloons on the levee at New Orleans, was drugged, robbed and carried aboard a German trading vessel bound for New castle, Euglaud. It was eight months later before the vessel reached that port. Immediately on gaining his liberty Her mann sought the German consul at Newcastle and narrated the story of his wrongs. He beirced the consul to assist. him to return to his wife and home at New 'Means without delay; but the consul refused, saying that, as Hermann had no naturalization papers or anything in the way of a legal .claim oh the United Vtates, he was still a German citizen. Then the consul sent for the captain of Hermann to the German authorities. On his arrival at Berlin he was pressed into the army, and bound over to a four vears' term of military service. He un-aerH-e ne drudgery and severe disci pline to which unwilling recruits are sub jected in the German army for a space of Beany th'-es years, when, seeing a chance to escape trivm the country, he deserted. All this time he had been constantly opking forward with an all-abiding faith, and love, and hope to a reunion with his bride. He reached New Or leans exactly four years after his first ar nval in that city. He then learned that h'swife, thinking he was dead, had married again and had left the city, no one knew whither. He started out to search for her. For nearly a year he wandered over the greater part of the southern States, following manv clews &ich turned out to be false, until at - recived letter from herself. She W lum that she had given him up for jost unhi she chanced to see his adver- ment tor her on a stray, page of a vrieans newspaper; that she had .nea William Chapman; that her BeCOnd hllshanrl V,o,l 4-1 a . va 4jcii wcu latuct uuiur- nate in business, and, had changed his f ai? of residence several times hoping PHi it!rluck; and that theY had now Western Kan V:,CU uawn m a small frontier town in sas. She proposed to leave vnapman and go with him, her own true husband, if hi. jame for her. ! He immediately started for Tabuta, Kansas, where his wife resided, arriving there five davs later. The day following his arrivalWilliam Chapman, the second husband, was found lying dead on his own doorstep with a bullet through his brain. Two days later Her mann was lodged in the county jail on a charge of willful murder. The morning following the arrest the prisoner was taken before the local jus tice for examination. A crowd of rough, bearded frontiersmen thronged the little room where the proceedings were held. Justice was usually swift and stern in that district; in serious crimes Judge Lynch reigned supreme. In this case, so far as the spectators knew, the pris oner had been arrested on mere sus picion as being a stranger. If evidence turned up to prove him guilty there was no jail strong enough to hold him from the vengeance of the people, nor any legal power sufficient to stay the execu tion of his death-warrant or punish those who carried it out. The first witness was Mrs. Chapman, a fair, childish-looking little woman, whose woe-begone face and widow's weed sent a murmur of sympathy through the spectators. She testified that the previous Sunday evening she had paid a visit to a neighbor. Had been gone about an hour, and on coming home found her husband lying dead on the doorstep. Her husband did not carry a pistol ; there had never been a pistol in the house to her knowledge. She be lieved her husband had no reason to commit suicide; was certain he would not do such a thing. He had sold cattle a few days before, and had the money in his pocketbook that day $120 in currency, lie had a small gold watch in his vest pocket, with a black silk ribbon and charm attached. The watch was hers a present from her mother several years ago. Both money and watch had disappeared . She did not miss them until the day after, owing to the excitemeut. She presumed rob bery had been the motive for the crime ; she knew of no other. "Do you know the prisoner?" asked the Judge. "Yes," she faltered. "Do vou know his business in coming here?" No reply. The question was repeated. "Oh! Judgj," she burst out, with a torrent of sobs, "he is my husband, my true husband! But he didn't do it! Oh, Judge! God knows he is innocent!' A buzz of excitement spread through the room. "Siience!" said the Judge, rapping his . desk sharply. Then it was found the witness had fainted in her chair. Presently she re covered, and eventually the story of her first marriage and the recent discovery of herself by the prisoner was wrung from her. Only once the prisoner spoke. "Tell the whole truth, Amelia, and fear nothing," he said. She said the prisoner had been to her house the day of the murder. Her hus band the deceased was off on the farm at the time. She had decided to break the news to him that night and go olf with her first husband the acciised the next day, and would have done so but for what had occurred. Medical evidence was given to prove that the deceased had not committed suicide. Then the policeman was called. He testified, to the steps taken to discover the murderer. He discovered the fact of the prisoner's visit to Chapman's house,, and on this ground had made the arrest. The prisoner had freely told the story of his marriage, and that his business here was to get his wife who was living with Chapman. The only money the prisoner had on his person when arrested was about $25 in greenbacks and silver and $40 in gold certificates. He had neither pistol nor watch. Then the prisoner was asked to testify. In simple, homely ' language he told of his search for his wife, his visit to the village after recpiving her letter, his meeting with her not knowing or car ing whether her second husband was at the house or away and of receiving her promise to meet him at the railway sta tion and depart with him next day. At the hour the murder was committed he was alone in his bedroom, trying to pass away the time with a pipe. He asserted he never saw Chapman in his life, and had no desire to do him harm nor any enmity whatever against him. He simply wanted his wife. He would have been willing to tell the story to Chapman, but his wife preferred to tell it herself, and. he was satisfied. The landlord of the hotel where Her mann had stopped said he did not know whether the prisoner was in his room at the hour of the murder. He paid little attention to his guests except about meal hours. He remembered seuding up some beer, but did not know what hour it was at the time. Here the case rested. Some of the men in the crowd dropped out, with a hard look in their faces. It was evident Hermann s doom was sealed. He was certain of a few hours' respite,, but once the sun went down those men would surely gather around the prison. the doors be burst open, and within a few minutes the victims body would dangle from the limb of a tree, wbile his soul winged its flight to the great judge of all. It had occurred so often before that every one knew what the departure of the "vigilantes" meant for the prisoner. Probably the latter guessed it himself, but if so his looks did not betray the fact. He was apparently cool and self oossessed certainly neither dazed nor frightened. He was led back to the prison while the judge went through the form of pre paring an indictment. No one knew better than the judge himself that this was but a farce. The sun was beginning to sink below the Western prairies when a man rushed into the judge's residence iu a state of wild excitement. It was the constable who had arrested Hermann. "For heaven's sake, judge," he ex claimed, "come with me to the prison! That man is innocent! The real mur derer has been arrested one of the Buz zard rang, whom we have been hunting for months. Chapman's money and watch have been found on him." Judge and constable rusheo to the prisonT It was rapidly growing dusk, and already little knots of men were gath ering around. The judge ht alantern and mounted the steps in front of the prison, "Hallo !" he shouted at the top ''I want to speak to all of The fast increasing crowd gathered near. Then the judge ordered the con stable to tell the story. ' "Duck Buzzard jugged hurrah !" shouted the crowd. "Let's go for him, boys!' Hermann was liberated there and then without wa:ting for legal forms. "I will fetch your wife; wait at mv house for her," said the judge, kindly." And here occurs the strange p&rt of the story. Why or how it was the nar rator cannot explain, but Hermann abso lutely refused to see the woman. He went to the railroad station and sat in a dark corner until a train came along. Nearly two years passed. About a month ago he met his wife accidentally in Chicago. Old acquaintance was re newed and the old love reasserted itself. The marriage license and the marriage followed in due course. That saved . troublesome explanations. And if Her mann had any superstitious ideas that the fates had decreed against his union to the one woman the world had for him they are all gone. Chicago Tribune. . . v" Beyond the Veil. The sun, as it lingered on the edge of the horizon sinking so slowly that one might say it regretted to leave the world in darkness lighted up his face until the grandchild asleep on his knee would hardlj have recognized him had she opened her eyes. Old and feeble and gray ready to bid farewell to earth he was a child again, and his mind had the thoughts of a child. The sun had gone down and the dusk had come on for him ten thousands of times without question, but this time he felt afraid and whispered : "Oh! sun, do not leave mc just yet. Wait until I am a man, and I shall care not whether it is day or night." And the sun whispered back to him: "I have seen you pass from childhood to manhood and back. You cannot travel the path again." "But wait a little longer. When I have grown to be a youth the coming of night will have no terrors for me." "Alas! old man," answered the de clining sun, "a grand old tree cannot become a shrub again. It may be splin tered or uprooted by the hurricane, but it must die as a tree." "Then remain with me!" pleaded the old man. "My limbs are feeble, and your light will safely guide my footsteps." of his voice. "That I cannot do, but I will send th4tne moon to cast her rays upon the earth and soften the darkness of the night." And when the moon came the old man's locks were changed from the gold of sunset to the silver ot evening, and the furrows of age were melted and soft ened until they could no longer be seen. And he whispered to the moon : "Do not leave me to-night, for I am old and afraid of the darkness of night." "I cannot stay bevoud my fixed time," answered the moon, "but when I go I will send the stars to keep you company." "I had a wife children friends. Bring them back to me from the mys terious unknown." "Alas! but the dead are dead !'' And the moon went away and the stars came, and the old man pleaded : "I am old and lonely. Bear me com pany during my brief stay on earth." And one bright star answered for all the rest: "A hand greater than man's controls our movements. Look beyond us. " And the stars drew aside the mystic veil, and the old man's eyes looked be hind it. They lighted up with the fires of outh of hope of anticipation of deep satisfaction. His aged face grew young his limbs regained his strength his blood coursed as in the veins of a man in his prime. The stars held the veil aside but a moment, and yet he had seen enough. The child slept on, but the arms around it gave up their strength. The night-winds toyed with the old man's gray locks, but he gave no heed. A hand was laid on his shoulder and a voice whispered in his ear, but he gave no sign. The grand old tree had given up its life on earth to begin anew behind the veil. Detroit Free Press. A Singular Race. In Sumatra there is a very singular race, called the Kubus, who are too shy to mix with the other races of the island, and dwell in the recesses of the forests. They are looked on as inferiors by the Malays, and thought to be little better than beasts. Such is their shyness that they will never willingly face a stranger. Their trade with the Malayans is conse quently carried on in a strange manner. The trader'announces his arrival by beat ing a gong, and then retires from the place of rendezvous. The Kubus ap proach, put their forest treasures on the ground, beat a gong, and retreat. The trader returns and lays his commodities down in quantities sufficient, as he thinks, for the purchase of the goods on sale. Then he retires, and the Kubus reappear and consider the bargain. And so, after more withdrawals and approaches and gong-beatings, the respective parties come to an understanding, and carry o3 independently their bargains. The Ku bus in their wild state do not bury their dead. They live on snakes,grubs, fruits, and the flesh of any deer or pigs they can slay. They are skillful spearmen, and throw stones with marvelous accur acy. They know of no state after death. In some physical respects they assimilate closely to the anthropoid apes. Historic Buildings in Washington. The old capitol is a thing of the past. The building has been transformed into three private residences. An army offi cer occupies one and a justice of the United States supreme court another. The old capitol was built in four months and - cost $30,000. On the Fourth of July of the year 1815 there was a crop growing on the ground where on Mon day, December 4. of the same year, Con gress met. The British destroyed the capitol in 1814. They also partially de stroyed the white house the same day, August 24. The following Congress met at Blodgett s hotel, wnicn was located on the present site of the postoffice de partment building. After the capitol building had been rebuilt the temporary, or as it has ever since been known as the old capitol, was turned into boarding houses. They were most patronized by Southern Congressmen. John C. Cal houn died in one of them. New York Herald. A THRILLING SCENE. An Ex-Confederate Describes an An i deraonvllle Fourth of July, . Coming out of the woods into a small field of young cotton, the old gentle ' man paused and told us we were stand- ing on ground that was part ot the old prison pen. There was no sign at this point of ditch or stockade. The field , was freshly plowed and the growing ' plants green and strong. The crop was that of a colored man, whose home we might have guessed was near from the voices of negroes singing that floated to us through tbe copse of young pines to our right. Graham temporarily forgot ! the historic interest of the spot to listen to the rich melody and the eccentric beating of time by the score of singers. Walking across the little field we came to a ravine and the spot where "Provi dence spring" had spouted up its waters into the prison with a suddenness caus- mg tne prisoners to deem it a miracle wrought by heaven in their behalf. Still strolling on we reached where bad been tho entrance to the stockade. The cabin whence ihe singing came was not a hun d red yards distant, and so enjoyable was the sound of it that we involuntarily ceased conversation to drink it in. "You think that worth listening to." said our venerable escort, when the song was ended; "but over twentv years ago I heard, just where we now are, a grander song the noblest burst of vocal melody that ever fell on mortal ear." We asked that he tell of the occasion. We seated ourselves upon a fallen tree, but the old gentleman remained standing before us, cane and hat in hand. "It was a chorus of more than 30,000 throa s within the stockade there, cele brating tbe Fourth of July, 18(54. It was under circumstauce3 such but let me explain the circumstances." He placed his hat upon a stump near him. and transferred his cane to his left hand.. On ihe first day of July, 1864," he resumed, "there were v nearly 34,000 prisoners confined there. The weather, excessively hot, was producing much summer sickness among the soldiery guarding the prison. The latter was largely composed of Georgia State troops from the northern counties. To remove both from the region of their homes the militia of the southern counties were taken to Atlanta and that of the moun tain section assigned to duty at Ander sonville atfd other southern points. So prevalent became malarial illness among latter and so often was it fatal that they became demoralized. Add to this source of uneasiness the steady advance of Sherman's army, desolating the homes of many of them and leaving their families without bread. Such wa3 the anxiety of thes men that by the first of July the g&ard had become smartly decimated by desertions. On the nights of the first and second over 300 desertions were added. One entire company marched orf, rank and file, taking their arms with them. This decimation of the guard had, by the 3d, become a serious affair to the commander of the post, and when at nightfall Wirtz became suspicious that the prisoners had gotten wind of the situation and might be planning a break for liberty, he tele graphed General Cobb, commander of the third military district, with head quarters at Macon, for reinforcements. But Cobb had none to send, and could only promise .to come in person. "The following morning, the 4th of July, discovered yet further diminution of our force. I went on guard mount at 9 o'clock. My position was at the top of the stockade wall ; about there," point ing a little to the right of where had been the entrance. "The scenes within the prison were somewhat unusual. Here and-there groups would form and hold undertoned conversations. Witnessing thi3, Wirtz grew yet more uneasy and ordered all his force under arms. "A little after 11 o'clock Captain Wirtz and General Winder, with a small escort, walked to the station. A few minute3 later a lone locomotive came steaming through the pines from the di rection of Macon, from which, when it drew up at the depot, stepped General Cobb and two officers of his staff. There was a few minutes of conversation be tween them and Wirtz and Winder, and then the party, with the escort, marched toward the stockade. "While Wirtz was forming the troops of the post into a hollow square, facing to the centre, General Cobb and staff stood with Winder in the shade of yon der tree. Looking at Howell Cobb, I remembered his having been secretary of war of the United States. It was evi dent he was going to speak, and I was glad that ray station was near enough to hear him. It was about five minutes be fore twelve o'clock, noon, when, accom panied by his staff, Wirtz and Winder, he walked to the centre of the square and, with Wirtz's assistance, stepped upon the large stump you see there. " 'Soldiers of the Confederate States,' he began, 'what news is this that has been borne to your district commander from the commandant of this post? Can it be possible that soldiers of the South Georgians have been guilty of deser tionof abandoning the duty assigned them of guarding yonder horde of van dals, whom your more valorous brothers in arms have captured upon many a well fought field?' "At this instant, twelve o'clock, from the centre of the prison pen was heard a sound of song. Turning my eyes in that direction, I saw that several thousand men had congregated, while others were hastening toward the assemblage. Per haps not more than fifty voices were wording the first verse of the familiar anthem. The speaker outside was con tinuing expressions of astonishment at what he had heard, when the chorus was reached, and with detonations like an explosion 5,000 voices pealed : The star-spangled banner, oh, long may it wave O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave! "The song-burst had startled the sneaker or drowned his utterance. for he had suddenly stopped and turned his j face toward it. When it had ceased, and only a few score voices were singing the second stanza, he commanded Wirtz: 'Go stop that noise!' Wirtz hastened away aud Howell Cobb re sumed: " 'Would you see that horde turned loose within your state, to pillage and burn your homes, with, your wives, sis ters and daughters at their mercy?' ; "The verse was sung and the chorus reached again. The congregation num bered 10,000 more than before. Heav ens! what a swell of sound! The very air seemed to quiver with the concussion the stockade wall to tremble. The guards kon mount stumbled with won derment. Wirtz, who had reached the great gate, stood stock still as if para lyzed. The soldiers forming the square were all now facing the prison. "The storm lulled, the speaker sought to resume, but his manner was discon certed. Wirtz was moving nervously about, but essaying nothing. They heard the breeze of song sweeping the lines of . the third stanza, but knew it only foreboded the return of the tempest And now it comes: The star-spangled banner "There are twenty thousand throats swelling the call of the pennant under which they had fought, and five thousand more joined in the invocation O long may it wave, O'er th8 land of the free and the home of th brave. "The echo of the last word has but struck the branches of the pines, when they begin to repeat. Higher, wider, deeper, stronger, louder, the swell! It peals it roars it booms it thunders! It is an artillery of song! The speaker outside stands transfixed. He has heard the anthem before, but never as now. Perhaps it is reminding him of the high position he but lately held under the flag it defines. The listeners appear almost panicked.. A guardsman's gun drops from hi3 hands without his mis sing it. "Again they repeat, and now the scene grews wild. Thirty thousand voices are clanging the chorus thirty thousand bosoms swelling with thought of ' coun try arid flag and loved ones from whom they are parted - Men with but one leg clamber lip and, supported by their stronger comrades, wave their caps a'oft and join the chorus: The star-spangled banner, O long may it wave O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave. "Once more they repeat, and now all the prison is in the sky-rending peal the very walls, the gound. Poor, fever wasted frames, within an hour of disso lution from their spirits, half uprise and propping upon one hand raise the with ered fingers of the other aloft while they unite their cracked voices in the refrain they will h?ar never more: The s'.ar-spangled banner, O long may it wave O'er the land of the free and the home of the brjve." "Rob Roy" in Indianapolis Journal. A Chinese Gambling Den. On the east side of Dupont street, near Clay, a building is being altered for the purpose of establishing a restaurant in it, and in connection therewith there is be ing fitted up a room which will be used by Chinese gambles. The room is twenty-five feet wide by eighteen deep. The studding has been covered inside and out with grooved and tongued pitch pine. The outside of each partition is covered with sheet iron one-eighth of an inch thick, and fastened by means of round-headed carriage bolts, set about five inches apart. The only entrance from the street is through a narrow door set in the western partition, and hid from view by a broad staircase that leads to the upper floor. The casing of this doorway is covered with steel strips a quarter of an inch thick and several incheB wide, which are as well secured to the partition by iron bolts as possible. On the floor, in place of the ordinary threshold, there is a thick iron plate. From the interior the door is fastened by means of a swivel bar, which fits into the sockets, and in addition thereto there is a heavy iron-bound piece of tim ber six feet long, which, if occasion re quires, may be thrown against the door as a brace from a floor hold. The door itself is of three-inch pine, covered with a quarter-inch steel plate, strongly riv eted. In the rear partition there is a door that opens into a large kitchen con nected with the restaurant. The kitchen is in a room the walls of which are of brick. Two windows light the room, but each of these has heavy iron gratings set in them. This place is so strongly fortified that, under the most favorable circumstances, officers having wedges, axes, pinch-bars and iron mauls could not effect an entrance into it under an hour's very hard work. The purpose of the door opening into the Kitchen is that in case a raid is made, the players may carry the evidence which, if found, would lead to conviction, into the cooft shop, and destroy it by throwing it into the furnace. San Francisco Call. Where Congress Met. The first Continental Congress assem bled at Philadelphia September 5, 1774; the second at Philadelphia, May 10, 1775 ; the third at Baltimore, December 20, 1776; the fourth at Philadelphia, March 4, 1777; the fifth at Lancaster, Penn,, September 27, 1777; the sixth at York, Penn., September 30, 1777; the seventh at Philadelphia, September 2, 1778; the eighth at Princeton, N. J., June 30, 1783; the ninth at Annapolis, November 26, 1783, and there December 23, 1783, Washington resigned his office as commander-in-chief ot tbe army; the tenth at Trenton, N. J., November 1, 1784; the eleventh in New York, January 11, 1785, when the new government was organized and Washington,, the first President, was inaugurated. The Fed eral capital remained at New York until 1790, when it was removed to Philadel phia, remaining there until 1800, when it was permanently established at Wash ington, D. C, Congress fir3t assembing in that city November 17, 1800. The Bear and the Wolf. The Bear and the Wolf had been Warm Friends for many years when the Wolf one day asked for a Loan to help him out of a Tight Squeeze. To his ut ter Astonishment the Favor was Prompt ly Refused. - "Haven't we been Friends?" asked the Wolf. "Truly, we have." "And don't you wish to be in the Fu ture?" "It is for that reason," answered the Bear, "that I refuse the Loan. If you have no Trouble in repaying me you will Depend upon me in all Future Emergencies. If you Fail to repay you will become my Enemy for Life." Moral Go to your Friends for sym pathy to your Pawnbroker for loans, Detroit Free Pres. SPINNING AND WEAVING. aw' 1 The Work of To Day Compared With That of Ancient Times. Spinning aud weaving in ancient times were principally performed by women; indeed, the words woof, weaving and web are allied to the word wife. How ever, in ancient Egypt and in India men also wrought at the loom. Probably nothing could be simpler or ruder than the looms used by ancient weavers. Were we to compare these with the looms and other weaving apparatus of to-day, and reason therefrom that, as the loom so must have been the cloth produced thereon, we would make a very great mistake. There are few arts whioh illus trate with equal force the argument in favor of the perfection of ancient art so well as this of weaving. It would appear that our advancement is not so much in the direc'ion ot quality as in that of quantity. There are few things we can do that were not done by the ancients equally perfectly. Rude as were their looms in ancient Egypt, they produced the far-famed fine linen so often mentioned iu Scripture and the writings of other na tions. In order to show that this is not to be regarded as a merely comparative term applicable to a former age, we will here quote from G. Wilkinson respecting wme'muramj cloths examined by the late Mr. Thompson, of Clithoree: "My Srst impression on seeing those cloths was that the first kind was muslin and of Indian manufacture; but this suspicion of their being cotton was soon removed by the microscope. Some were Irauspareut, and of delicate texture, and ihe finest had 140 threads to the inch in the warp." Some cloth that Mr. AVil kiuson found ia Thebes had 153 threads to the inch in the warp, but this is coarse when compared to a piece of linen found in Memphis, which had 510 threads to the inch in the warp. How tine must ihese threads have been! In quoting this extract from Wilkinson to an old weaver he flatly said it was impossible, is no reed could be made so fine. How ever, there would be more threads than aneiu the split, and by adopting this we can make cloth having between 400 and 500 in the inch. The ancient cloths are much finer in the warp than woof, probably from want of appliances for driving the weft close enough, as they do not appear to have lays as we have for this purpose. Puny refers to the re mains of a corselet, presented by Amasis, king of Egypt, to the lihodians, each thread of w hich was composed of 665 fibers. Herodotus mentions this corse let, and another presented by Amasis to the Lacedoeinonians which had been car ried up by the Samians. It was of linen, ornamented with numerous figures of am mals worked in gold and cotton. Each thread of the corselet wfas worthy of ad miration, for, though very line, every one was composed ot 360 other threads, all distinct. It was probably something of this sort that Mose3 refers to when he mentions the material of which the corse let or girdle of the high priest was made the tine twined linen. Jewish women are represented in the Old testament as being expert in the art of spinning Aucient Babvlon was also celebrated for her cloth manufacture and embroidery work, and to be the possessor of one of these costly garments was no ordinary ambition. It is no wonder that when Achan saw amongst the spoils of Jericho a goodly Babylon garment. he coveted it" and took it. The figure represented on th mcient seal of Urukh had. says liawlin- j son, fringed garments, delicately striped, ' indicating au advanced condition of this kind of manufacture five or six centuries before Joshua. It may be mentioned, however, taat such manufactures were r. ancient times, especially in Egypt, na lional. Time was of little importance labor was plentiful, and no craftsmen were allowed to scheme or plan, or in troduce any change, but was expected to aim at the perfection of the operations he was engaged in, and this led to per fection in every branch Every trade had i's own quarters in the city or nation, and the locality was named after the trade, such as goldsmith's quarters weaver's quarters, etc. This same rule seems to have been practiced by the Hebrews after their settlement in Pales tine, for we find in Scripture mention of the Valley of Craftsmen. We also find that certain trades continued in families. In ancient Egypt every son was obliged to follow the same trade as his lather Thus' caste was formed. Whether this same was carried cut in Babylon, Persia and Greece, we do not know ; but certainly in J,h.ese nations there are in all cases offi cers directing the operations, and over seers to whom these again were respensi b'.e, so that every manufacturing art wa3 carried on under strict surveilance and to the hiehest state of perfection. As the uossession of artistic work was an ambition among the wealthy or favored portion of. the community, it led to emulation among the workers. Profes sor Kawlinson, in his "Five Ancient Monarchies." speaks of the Persians emulating with each other in the show they could make in their riches and va ricties of artistic products. Speaking of the Persians, Professor Rawlinson sars that the richer classes seem to have iol lowed the court in their practices. In their costume they wore long purple and flowered robes, with loose, hanging sleeves, flowered tunics reaching to the knee; also sleeved, embroidered trousers tiaras, and shoes of a more elegant shape than the ordinary Persian. Under their trousers they wore drawers, and under their tunics, sh.rts, and under their shoes stockings or socks. In their houses their couches were spread with gorgeous cov erlets, and their floors with rich carpets habits that must have necessitated immense labor and skill, and indicated great knowledge in the manufacture of textile fabrics. London Queen. The Great Eastern and Noah's Ark The exact size of Noah's ark hf s not been determined definitely, but, accord insr to Sir Isaac Newton's calculations based on his estimate Ot the length of a cubit in feet and inches, the historical barge must have been 515.62 feet long, 85.94 wide, and 51.50 -deep. The meas ured tonnage of the ark was 18,232. The Great Eastern was GS0 feet long, 83 feet wide, and 53 feet deep, and she measured 28.093 tons. Although the Great Jtast ern was not so well proportioned as the ark she probably had double the carrying capacity, if her coal and machinery were left out of her, because she was made of iron and the ark was A wooden ship. ffew Tort un. ELIZABETH ZAKE. This dauntless pioneer maiden's name inscribed in gold on the scroll of Fame; She was the lassie who knew no fear When the tomahawk gleamed on the far frontier. If deeds of daring should win renown, Let us honor this damsel of Wheeling town, Who braved the savage with deep disdain, Bright-oyed, buxom, Elizabeth Zane. T was more than a hundred years ago, They were close beset by the dusky foe; They had spent of powder their scanty store, And who the gauntlet should run for more? She sprang to the portal and shouted, "I; T-is better a girl than a mail should die! My loss would be but the garrison's gain. Unbar the gate!" said Elizab3th Zane. The powder was sixty yards away, Around her the foemsn in ambush lay; As she darted from shelter they gazed with awe, Then wiUliy 3houted, "AsquawT "a squaw!" She neither swerved to the loft or right, Swift as an ante'.ope's was her flight. 'Quick! Open the door!7' she cried, amain. For a hope forlorn! !T is Elizabeth Zane!" No time had she to waver or wait, Back she must go ere it be too late; She snatched from the table its cloth in haste And knotted it deftly about her waist, Then rilled it with powder never, 1 ween. Had powder so lovely a magazine; Then, scorning the bullets, a deadly rain, Like a startled fawn, fled Elizabeth Zane. She gained the fort with her precious freight, Strong hand j fastened the oaken gate; Brave men's eyes were suffused with tears That had there been strangers for many years. From flint-lock rifles again there sped 'Gainst the skulking redskins a storm of lead, And the warwhoop sounded that day in vain, Thanks to the deed of Elizabeth Zane; Tal;- not to me of Paul Revere, A man, on horseback, with naught to fear; Nor of old John Burns, with his bell-crowned hat He'd an army to back him, so what of that' Here 's to the heroine, plumb and brown. Who run the gauntlet in Wheeling town! Hers is a record without a stain, Beautiful, buxom, Elizabeth Zane. John S. Adams, in St Nicholas PUNGENT PARAGRAPHS. A sliver in the bush is worth two in hand. Removing a superfluous heir Getting rid of your next of kin. Cinder-Eila The girl who shakes our ashes. St. Paul Jlcrald. A fowl bound A volume in turkey morocco. Boston Post. The mosquito always files his bill be fore he puts in his claim. New lork Journal. It is not hard for a man to mind his own business, but it is tne monoiony which he can't stand. Bjston Pott. Whpn n. man's mind is unsettled, it is often ascertained that his bills are in the same condition. New. York Journal. Nilsson says she never wearies of hear inr herself sinor Vrobablv because she neer ha3 to pay to get in. Detroit Fre Press. Wagner composed only eleven operas. It is believed he would have composed more, but he had used up all the noises. Graphic. "I canot sing the old songs," For I am full of grog; But I will sing "Sweet Violets" If you will hold the dog. Hatchet. A man's lines have not fallen in pleas ant places when he cannot go off fishing until he has put up the clothes lines for his wife. Fall llicer Adcance. A maniac heeled with a six-shooter has about the same horse power as two companies of militia called out by the governor. Detroit Free Press. A chap got 2,000 Iowa people out on the public square to see his winged horse, and then c:lmly showed up a horse-fly aud took to his heels. Free Press. Persons afflicted with diphtheria may console themselves with the thought that they arc not giraffe3, and cannot have two yards of sore throat. Chicago Sun. While medical students are being harshly condemned for robbing graves, it is forgotten that the students intend to fill them up again when they go into practice. Picayune. HE CATCHES IT. The small boy bounding o'er the lea. With cap in hand and shouts of glee. Pursues the nimble bumble bee. He catches it; then to the pool He speeds, his burning hand to cool, And whishes he had gone to school. Emerson says: "All the world loves a lover." That may be true, but wide ob servation has taught us that the love of all the world doesn't make the lover any more contented so long as one little snip of a seventeen-year-old girl says that she can be to him only as a sister. Somer' zille Journal. It was a mischievous Boston girl who, in the marriage service, repeated the clergyman's solemn line, "Promising to love, honor and obey," in this novel form "Promising to love, honor and be gay." He wanted to smile, but didn't dare; neither did he dare to insist that she say it right. Waterburij American. Now nature wears a joyous smile, The giris are wearing feathers, And the dude is out in his new white tile, And a pair of patent leathers; Once more the days are warm and bright, The birds are gaily singing, And the ice cream peddler's bell at night In the thoroughfare is ringing. Boston Courier. , "I got a letter from sister Jane to day," remarked Mrs. Caution to her hus band last night. "She wants to know whether I am still in the .city this hot weather." "Well, dear," said Mr. Cau tion, "if you write to her tell her you are not still in the city, and that I have never known you to be so anywhere, for that matter." Pittsburg Chronie'e. It is stated that the Chinese govern ment, casting aside national prejudice, has called in the aid of European miners I to work its coal mines. There are im .mense deposits of coal in China, and, with the aid now called in, they are ex ?pected to be very quickly developed. There is said to be about one thousand cycles in constant use in Washington, Ik
The Commonwealth (Scotland Neck, N.C.)
Standardized title groups preceding, succeeding, and alternate titles together.
July 23, 1885, edition 1
1
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