Newspapers / The Wilson Mirror (Wilson, … / Oct. 8, 1890, edition 1 / Page 2
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TEA CULTURE. RAISING THE FRAG ANT IiEAF IN CHINA. Preparing: the Leaves for the Mar Icet How the Chinese Make a Cup of Tea The Universal Bever age. Tea, or "cha," as it is called by the Chinese, is extensively cultivated in both the temperate and tropical portions of the empire. The plant is a species of Camellia, and when growing unrestrained frequently attains the proportions of a small tree. But under cultivation it is kept pruned down to the dimensions of a shrub from two' and one-half to three feet apart. The best plantations are located on hillsides, in sandy or light soil. It flow ers annually, developing a small ..white blossom, single and odorless. The flavor of the leaf, as might be supposed, varies according to the climate and soil in which they are grown ;but the varieties ex ported to "foreign markets, and known as green or black teas, obtain their special characteristics more through the methods employed in curing and manipulating the leaf than from the soil or. locality in .which they are grown. That is to say, reen or black tea may be produced in in any part of the country, and indis criminately from the same leaves; but through long practice and experience it has been well ascertained which sorts can be prepared with best results in each dis trict, and greens are now chiefly pro duced in the provinces of Honan and Ho Peh and in the vicinity of Canton. The best blacks the Oolongs, Congos, and Souchongs come principally fron Amoy, Foochow, and Formosa. The most highly esteemed- qualities are obtained from the young and tender leaves picked in April. The later pick ings the second, third, and sometimes a fourth possess more strength and pungency of flavor, but lack in delicacy of color and aroma, in the order of their growth. For home consumption the leaves are prepared by drying in the sun, or slightly firing them in baskets over hot coals. But to enable the export tea to perscrve its qualities, and to guard against the possibility of sweating as the cargoes pass through the tropics on their way to Europe, the leaves are specialy pre pared and throughly dried in iron pans over hot fires. Copper pans are never employed for this purpose, as is generally believed; nor would they, if made use of, color the leaves green by such a process, for hot, dry copper does not give off verdigris or other coloring matter, and the metal, which is kept sufficiently hot to burn the leaves, were they not continually stirred by hand, could have no possible chemical effect upon them. This point does not, however, admit of discussion, for, as stated, copper pans are never used. When first introduced into the hot pans the leaves soften, whereupon they are thrown upon tables and are then throughly rolled under the hands of the operators until the oil and acrid juices are expressed. The leaves are next dried in the sun, and again in hot iron pans, where they are kept in constant motion to prevent scorching. Common black teas (such as Congos or English breakfast teas, and Oolongs) are, besides being rubbed and rolled, allowed to undergo a species of fermentation which gives them the peculiar flavor. Green teas are treated more delicately, are more carefully class ified and sorted, some grades being per fumed by the admixture of strongly scented flowers, while all are colored' in imitation of the pecular bloom remain ing upon the finest basket-cured teas. The coloring matter employed is of pow dered gypsum, slightly tinged with Prussian blue, the quantity added to the mass of leaves being as minute as to be considered quite harmless. The Chinese drink ii.eir tea without milk or sugar. A simple infusion is pre pared by placing a few leaves in a shal low cup and pouring boiling water there on; the cup is covered by the saucer, the liquor being sipped from the cup through the space formed by slightly tilting the saucer. The teapot is a common utensil amongst the poorer classes, who cannot afford! this wasteful method of preparing the beverage. Tea is consumed by all classes and at all times. In summer the benevolent, or those who can afford it, place large tubs of tea in their houses, from which the thirsty coolies or passers by refresh themselves. Tea should be prepared as an infusion never as a decoction. The latter treat ment extracts and dissolves the tannic acid, the acrid oils, gums, and coloring matter of the leaf, producing a drink rank in flavor and certainly deleterious to health. - To scientifically prepare tea, a porcelain teapot, which has first been scalded with hot water, should be brought into requisi tion; into this throw the leaves, in the proportion of a scant teaspoon ful for each large cup, not forgetting an extra dash 4 'for the pot ;vupon the leaves quickly pour boiling water water which has not been previously boiling or simmering upon the fire, but fresh soft water brought to the boiling point for the first time ; after standing (but not on the fire) three or four minutes, according to the sort of tea, the infusion is ready for drinking. This perhaps is hot the cus tomary, economical method of our house wives, but is recommended as securing the finest flavor or aroma of the leaf, and as a wholesome drink. Boiled tea is de testable and poisonous. -Farm, Field and Stockman. The Home of X.acemaking. Belgium is by all odds the greatest lacemaking country in tho world. Laces seem to be the favorite work of women in all parts of Europe, but no nation can comxtare to BeLorium in the variety or fineness of the work. There are no lace made in the United States; that is for the market. Now and then some lace makers may emigrate to this country, but if they continue in their work their pro ducts do n6t come into the market and really cut no figure at all. The reason for this is obvious. When one of these miserably paid toilers reaches America it does not take her long to find out that she can make many times more money than she can by her lace work, and so she will soon find other and more remu nerative employment. Besides, the pro gress of a lacemaker is very slow. Of some kinds of laces a maker can finish, perhaps, two yards in a day; but in other kinds those of the finest textures she cannot make as much as an inch in a day. Those laces that are finished on pillows arc the kinds that are made in the least time. Fine laces are very durable, and with proper caution will last for genera tions. But they require great care, be cause, being so very fragile, they are easily torn. Chicago Post. lightning: Flashes. Instantaneous photography ha3 cor rected many false notions which were once held in regard to rapid movements. The eye was deceived by the impressions made upon it. Many readers are aware that the movements of a horse's feet and legs m running and jumping were not understood by artists until the exact pos tures were caught by the camera. No object has caused more discussion on the question whether or not we can trust the evidence of our senses, than the flash of lightning. In almost every instance and to almost every eye, the bolt seems to descend in a zigzag course. Artists always represent the flash under the form of a broken line. The ancient Greek artists showed the thunderbolt of Jove as furnished with points, the shafts of which were zigzag lines. This proves that the human eye has given the same testimony in regard to the matter for thousands of years. , Now that instantaneous photography shows that the discharge from the clouds, like that from one side to the other of a Leydcn jar, is in nearly a straight line, the problem is to account for the appear ance which this line presents. One of the most plausible explanations yet given is by a recent contributor to Nature. The theory of this writer is that tho common 'streaming' flash, for example, is seen by us piojectcd upon rolling masses of cumulus clouds forming a back ground against which the lightning is seen. As most thunder-storms are made up of such clouds, a background of that sort is not often wanting. To test the theory, and to see if the eye is capable of correcting its own blunders, we should watch a flash from its start to the ground. Usually tho clouds are piled in loose fleeces above, and there the flash should appear zig zagged, while in its lower course, against a background of rain, it should appear crinkled. If only it could be seen against a clear sky, its real- path would at onco be discovered. Youth's Companion. French Glove Makers. In the southern part of France, said a kid-glove expert to the Saunterer, there is a kid glove that holds its own in the market for durability and finish and com pares well with the very best; but, of course, they are not altogether equal to the Paris made article. The skins for these gloves arc imported from South America, and whole towns in the south of France are given up to their manufac ture, as for instance Grenoble and Mileau. The glovemakcrs are not a very prosper ous class of people. Like the lace-makers, they are poorly paid, but the latter have a harder lot in his life than the glove makers. For instance, the glove-sewers can earn $2 a week and the glove-cutters, who are the more important of the two, receive from $1 to $1.25 a day. It is an artistic occupation to prepare these' table cut gloves, and the man or woman to whom the work is intrusted has no easy job to perform. The skins are stretched upon a table to their extreme limit and then cut. This stretching is done so that the sizes may bo accurate and there may be no elasticity left in the skin to worry the wearer. It would be almost a calam ity if some beauty should put on a pair of kid gloves and they should stretch out of shape before the ball or the reception is over. To prevent this, these skins are carefully stretched before tho glpves are cut. In Paris the glove manufacturers arc more particular on this score than in any other part of the world. Chicago Post. The Birth Kate of France. The decrease in the birth rate of France, with its effect on the future population of that country, has long been a subject of debate among its public men. Statistics have shown that this decrease has been going on -for years. It now turns out that England and Wales are in a similar con dition. The returns of the Registrar General for England and Wales show that the excess of births over deaths has been "steadily declining for several years. In 18S9 the excess was 367,224, while, according to the results of the last two census years, the increase should have been 289,423. The birth rate was also remarkably low, being 25 per thousand below, the average of the previous de cade, while the marriage rate has not corresponded to the increased prosperity of the country. These statistics, with the large emigration, show, in the opin ion of the New York News, that in time there will cease to be an increase in the population of Great Britain, providing the ratio of decrease in birth continues. But England has more population now than she can well support, and this may be Nature's way of adjusting herself to man's requirements. DEATH-LIKE TRANCES. A NUMBER OF CASES OF SUS PENDED ANIMATION. Killed for Coining to Iife Again The Jolting of a Hearse Wakes Up the Corpse. There is nothing more repugnant to the human mind than the awful possibil ity of a living person being consigned to the tomb. Nevertheless, such cases have occurred, and, unhappily, recent proofs arc forthcoming that they still occur, de spite the fact that in most countries pre cautions are now taken to prevent prema ture interments. In England, as a rule, the bodies of deceased persons arc not buried till signs of decomposition begin to manifest themselves; and elsewhere it is enacted by law that interments must not take place till three or more days after death. Nearly three-quarters of a century ago a somewhat gruesome book was pub lished. The rlrst section of its formida ble title, which is too long for quota tion in its entiretv. runs: "The dansrer of premature interment proved from many remarkable instances of people who have recovered after being laid out for dead, and of others being entombed alive for want of properly being exam ined prior to interment." And the au thor submits the following grim quota tion as a prelude: 4 'To revive nailed up in a coffin! To return to life in dark ness, distraction and despair! The brain can scarce sustain the reflection in our coolest moments." Having thus, at the outset, put his readers in a dreadfully uncomfortable frame of mind, he proceeds to pile on the agony by citing numerous well au thenticated case3 of persons supposed to be dead coming to life. Several of these owed thir restoration to conscious ness to the officiousness or irreverence of friends, who, persistently declining to be lieve that they were absolutely dead, forced liquor down their throats. A chapter is devoted to the remarkable case of "Sir Hugh Ackland, of Devon shire, who, after being laid out as a corpse, was revived by a bumper of brandy." Of cases on record of a bygone time we will only quote two, by reason of their exceptional peculiarity. The Hon. Mrs. Godfrey, sister of the great Duke of Marlborough, while preparing for chapel on Sunday, fell down, to all appearance, dead. In spite of the positive assurances of the physicians, who declared her to be irrecoverably dead, her loving husband, Colonel Godfrey, persisted in believing that she was only in a trance. So she lay tilf the following Sunday, when exactly at the same hour as her seizure, just as the chapel bell was once more ringing, she awoke. She was not aware that she had been in a state of suspended anima tion for a week, and the first thing she did was to scold her attendants for not waking her in time to go to Church, as she had intended to do. That the res toration of an interred person to life should have a romantic sequel and result in a cause eclebre seems anomalous, but such a thing did occur in the olden time. Two neighbors living in the Uuc St. Honore, Paris, who were very great friends, had respectively a son and a daughter. The young people were very much attached, and would have married had not a wealthy suitor appeared on the scene, and, with the consent of her parents, obtained the hand of the daugh ter. The young lady submitted, as French girls think it their duty to do in such circumstances, and she prudently declined to see her first lover any more. Melancholy, however, brought on a malady which so benumbed her faculties that she was thought to be dead, and was accordingly consigned to the grave. Her former lover, who could not believe that even then she was lost to him, Eersuaded the grave-digger to bring the ody to his house. There he used every means to restore animation, and suc ceeded. Convinced that now she belonged to him, she agreed to his proposal that they should escape to England. Ten years afterwards they returned to Paris. A chance meeting between husband and wife convinced the former that the latter was still alive, though he had buried her with becoming grief. He claimed her for his own, the claim was resisted, and, despite every augment to the contrary, tho Judge decided in his favor. Again the lady and lover sought happiness in flight, and they lived abroad without further molestation. Now for some recent cases. The follow ing one is reported from Nevada, Mo., on August 24, 1888. While the remains of twenty-three unknown dead bodies were bein removed from Decpwood Cemetery, in that town, Superintendent G. V. McCain discovered a body which was partially petrified, and, from its position, evidently had been buried alive. The body was that of an infant, probably a year old, and was lying on its face with its legs drawn up and the bottom of its feet resting on the coffin lid. Early in February, this year, the Phil adelphia Prcs3 published" a remarkable case, vouched for by Mr. Thomas Hooper, formerly of that city, but now a resident in New York. It is that of a lady, the wife of a musician, who. apparently, died in Media some years back. Her body was placed in a casket and taken to the churcn. where funeral services were held. At the close of a solemn address the minister said that all who wished might take a last look at the remains. Among those who went forward wa3 a woman, and she, after bending earnestly over the coffin, exclaimed, "Sec, her eyelids quiver !" Great excitement fol lowed, but a doctor present ridiculed the suggestion, declared that life wa3 extinct and urged immediate interment. The husband, however, insisted on the appli cation of restoratives, the wife was re- ujul-u uomc, me grave exotnes. wert stripped off, and within four days, thanks to continuous effort, - she was quite welL Six years after her restora tion to life, she, while singing at a musi cale, was suddenly stricken with blind ness, and blind she still is. Dr. Kenneth Cornish, late sunreon to the British Royal Humane Society knows a clergyman in London who narrowly es caped interment in Milan four years ago while in a state of catalepsy. He con siders that the practice of preparing the body for burial almost immediately after death has proved fatal to the chance of life possessed by many a one whose friends would have made any sacrifice to save them. Some people have a morbid dread of being buried alive, which haunts them through life, and sometimes they devise special instructions on the subject. This was done by the late Colonel Vyner, of Leamington Priors, who died last December. His will con tained a bequest of 10 to his doctor to examine him carefully after death, for the purpose of ascertaining that he was 'really and undoubtedly dead, and authorized him to use whatever means he should think necessary in order to make himself absolutely certain of the fact. London Standard. v a gtjatiiikax.au" beauty. Sow the Relict of an Assassinated Dictator Lives in Hew York. Conna Francisca Apaucia vel Vescuci adiayo del Quesaltenaugo Barrios is very possibly the most interesting feminine feature of 2ew lork societv at this present moment. The immense wealth, uncommon beautv and stranire romantic life of the fair Guatamalanese onlv add to the abounding charm she possesses by right of her delightful personality. Very few who know that Mnie. Barrios is the mother of seven handsome children can realize that she is only 29 years of age, ha3 the freshness and slenderness of a crirl. and adores dancincr above all other forms of recreation. This is so, neve thclcss, and when she appears in her thin DiacK crowns ot her choice, wearing $300,000 worth of diamonds, her South em skin richlv tinted with health and youth, the President's fair relict very irenerallv outshines all other women present. She lives in a palatial home on Fifth avenue, and divides her time very equally between caring for her small sons and daughters, and practicing the classical music of which she is passionately lond. Mme. Barrios has an endless train of ad mirers, but remains absolutely indifferent to the most brilliant men in iew lork. bhe acknowledges her fondness tor so cietv, but avows her intention of remain ing faithful to the memory of her soldier husband. The story of how the general won her hand is well known, but only her closest friends are aware of his devotion that scaled her love as a wife. It is both in teresting and pathetic to hear her tell the story of how she arrayed herself in all her jewels, and, surrounded by the lead ing women of Guatemala, sat in a box at the theater waiting for Barrios to be proclaimed dictator. She never once doubted his success, but when the curtain fell prematurely, showing the martial picture of the President rent in twain, she knew the temper of the people too well to question the result. She was hur ried out of a side entrance, her life in jeopardy, learned of the assassination of Barrios, and the next morning fled from her native land. Mnie. Barrios has two sisters unmar ried' and both living in New York city. They are several years younger than she is, Independently wealthy, and both very brilliant types of Central American brunettes. Illustrated American. Doctoring, at the Dru Stores. "There is a new way of doctoring the citv." write a pharmaceutist. in "I don't mean that there are new remedies and treatments. There are young doctors whose business is not such as warrants an office, and they go about like doctors in the olden time3, from pillar to post. Take it in this store, for example. I know of four young doctors who come in here at different hours and meet patients. Then the doctors go from here to other drug stores, so that by the time the day is over they have traveled a good many miles. The patients they sec do not pay much, individually; they can't afford it. But they are sick and must be healed, and they are not the sort of people who J go to hospitals. It is a good thing for the sick who can t auord to nave aoctors come to the house ; it is a good thing for young doctors who are not able to pay office rent, and it is a good thing for the drug stores, for they almost invariably get to sell the medicines that are pre scribed." New York Jfercury. Sound at Different Angles. In some recent experiments on the. range of human hearing, the ticking of a watch was distinctly audible at a distance of 10 feet on a line "at right angles to the head. On moving the watch 15 degrees in front of the line, the tick could be heard 14 feet away; at an angle of 40 degrees only G feet, and at 55 degrees, only three feet. Placed 25 degrees back of the line the watch could not be heard beyond 6 feet. The total range of hear ing was about 95 degrees, the direction of greatest accuteness being 15 degrees in front of the imaginary line through the ears. Descending from the horizontal, the hearing distance increased from 10 feet to a maximum of 12 feet at 35 de grees, and then decreased until reduced to 3 feet at 50 degrees. On carrying the watch upward the sound decreased steadily until at an angle of 60 degrees it could be heard only 3 feet away. The Cobb!- v. Such belief! erroneous. It if tr" the improvement mnachi footwear so inexpensive that A moderate . circumstances can replace the old sho . r' b fceeiinp- trip oo,M 13 er the rubbish heap. There xfer people who earn their dsilr hllJV gathering up old shoes ad ielliaTv l? seek out the cobblers, hsre be and find customers for thm i t oyc. to l compelled to "walk on their nrr v called upon to produce tvice cr til the amount named. The collier 7! have lost croat ire Vm J mi , . . ' aoi fle oe, m tins ceneratioa. tor exuct. neighbor's boys and gave hia barred directions about his studv and the prob able location of the sermon, acj him post-haste to get it and return L fast as possible. The service proceeded and still t. boy did not appear. .The voxr preacher was m ogony. He had sever preached without notes, and the i-er?rir. ation stood in great beads on hh fore head as ho wondered what he would dj if the sermon did not come. Finally, just a the last stanza of lie hymn which preceded the sermon vw being sung, the boy appeared, rnsU np the aisle conspicuously and handtd the minister his manuscript. Tha clergyman took the package nervouslT opened it, and during profound stilbes! announced the text Not until he hvl spoken it, did the meaning of it tu over him. It was this: "Rejoice with me; for I hare iczii the piece which I had lost!" This was too much for the aalieacet The people laughed outright. Lat the lesson was a good one for tho raisisier, who never forgot his sermon agib while in that parish. Youth's Com panion, An Island Washing Away. The empire is in imminent danger of losing another of its minor possessions to wit, Sable Island. The captain of the Canadian Government steamer New field, who has just been paying aji un cial visit to this little island on the ex treme South coast of Nova Scotia, report! that the land is fast disappearing U-fcre the encroaching sea. In the days whea the venturesome Marquis dc la llo.l.e, following the example of the illustrious Cartier, sought to establish a French convict colony on the island, it mcAurcl a good forty miles in length. Within the last ten vears two light houses have been washed away, and the sea is now eating into the sand which surrounds the third. Pall Mall BuJ-tt. Mr. Henry George said, during a recent visit to the Social Reform Win:; of the Salvation Army in EnLdand,. Le had come to see for himself the beginning of the Army's noble attempt to grapple with this great social problem. He wis rejoiced to see that its leaders at any rate recognized that it was not by virtue of God's law that any man willing to work should be unable to find work, lie was sure the Almighty never iutcn.ie l destitution, starvation or poverty to be the lot of mankind. In God's sight all men were equal, they were alike create! by Him, and were entitled to enjoy the reward of honest labor. Until this fact was recognized, and the laws rn.i'lc by man relating to the land which was given by the Almighty to man were altered, they might expect to hive to contend with such a state of sxkty ai they had at present. Both the method and results when Syrup of Figs is taken; it is pleasant and rcfrcsHngto the taste, and acu gentlryet promptly on the Kidneys, Liver and Bowels, cleanses the eys tern effectually, dispels colds, head eches and fevers and cares habitual constipation. 8vrnp of Figs is the only remedy of its kind ever pro duced, pleasing to the taste and ac ceptable to the etomach, prompt 13 its action and truly beneficial in its effects, prepared only from the nost healthy and agreeable substances, its nxany excellent qualities con mend it to all And have made the most popular remedy kcowlhu Syrup of Figs is for sale in nd $1 Bottles by all leading gists. Any reliable Wf may not nave n on u" . 1 'SSoSu fid snap C0-. 8AM FUMOiSCZ CAL.
The Wilson Mirror (Wilson, N.C.)
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Oct. 8, 1890, edition 1
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