. , III ; .- ..,.......E«i k- : III
. jttlss l!-l
By W. A. CURTIS.
IRAN KLIN, MACON CO., N. C..
1891.
VOLUME VI. NO. V
WHETSTONES.
Th’eir Production Is an Impor
tant Industry.
Wonderful Stones
Making Steel Blade
Used for
s Keen.
“An important industry of the
world is the production of Whet
stones,” Baid Curator Merrill of the
Smithsonian Institute to a Washington
Star reporter.
ii
“The finest whetstones known foi
the sharpening of fine edged tools aro
In that
obtained from Arkansas,
state arc beds of what is i called ‘no
vaculite-,’ which* is scientifically known
as an ‘altered schist.’ This means a
deposit of a flinty nature, usually
combined with limestone, the rock
thus produced being chanted in such
a manner molccularly, |by process not
altogether understood, as to supply
a surface most suitable for grinding.
Arkansas furnishes the most entire
supply of novaculite for t^c. United
Slates, also filling a large part of the
export desftand, which is very consid
crablc. /hie inain deposil Of the ma
terial imn a single hill about 500 feet
high. For the sharpening of keen
briged ti^pis, razors excepted, this no
Vaculil* is unrivalled. It is a very
bcautitml stone, of snowy whiteness,
and is quite costly because it lias to bo
cut by diamond dust, owing to its ex
Ireine hardness.
“Next in point of qualify for whet
stone purposes is a gray, fine-drained
sandstone from Orange county, Ind.
It is called indifferently 'Ilindoostan
stone' or ‘Orange county stone.’ Very
commonly it is made into long spikes
for sharpening kftives upon in the
-kitchen, and for this purpose it is far
better tl.au steel. Another sandstone
employed for the same purpose is
quarried in Cortland county, N. Y.,
and is called, without any reason that
I know of, ‘Lubraler stone.’ It is of
a dark gray 'color.
“A still cofrser whetstone foi
scythes and other such tools is made
from Berea grits, a sandstone found
in (lie neighborhood of Bjerca, Ohio.
Also there are certain qualities of fine
grained mica schists—a crystalline rock
of quartz and mica—which are ob
tained frain New Hampshire, and Ver
mont and utilized for hopes where
with to grind tools of a bigger sort
But it must be understood that there
is hardly such a thing as a! whetstono
quarry. Nearly every quarry from
which whetstones are derived 'is
worked chiefly for obtaining building
stone, flie small pieces Of particularly
fine grade only being utilized for mak
ing whetstones. j __
•‘Three stones imported from abroad
aro employed in this epuntry for
whetstones^ Best known o|f these is
the German razor hone, which is com
monly used by barbers for sharpen
ing their razors and if in all pro liabil
ity the best substance for ilie purpose
knowb. It is found chiefly; near Rat
isbon, Germany, in the old river bed.
During the period of early geological
formation the river brought down to
that point mud, which wa^ deposited
on the bottom. This mud varied in
material from one season! to another,
depending upon the source from which
it was derived, so that during one year
it was white and during another blue.
Subsequently,' in the course uof ages,
the mqd became stone, and now the
white layers serve to sharpen the
blades, by ^ich civilized men all
over'the world keep their faces clean
of hair. Because the white 1 stone is
costly it is usual to back a thin slab of
it with another slab of cheap bln®
stone, fastening the two together with
cement. Such is the ordinary razor
hone of commerce.
. “There are two other foreign whet
stones commonly used in this country.
One of these is a fine-grained schist
from Scotland known as the ‘Water
of Ayr,’ and used much by carpenters
and stonecutters for rubbing down tho
6u-faces of other stones. Tho other is
the ‘Turkey oilstone,’ resembling
novacume.
“The stones used in this country for
grindstones are mostly from Ohio and
Nova Scotia, the latter supplying the
-best grade, which does excellently for
scythes.—. Of foreign grindstones most
come from England. Of all whet
stones the most curious and interesting
are those which are, utilized by en
gravers to 1 sharpen their engraving
tools,. They are of every shape imag
inable, from long needle-like points to
line-edge^ sticks, the object being to
grind thoflittle points and edges of the
steel instilments which could not be
sharpened upon an ordinary hone.”
The Jttagician Time.
Mother—What is the matter, Clara?
You look distressed.
Clara (a bride)—George has—has
had to go off on a—a trip, and he
won’t be back for—for two days—
boo-hoo1
• Same mother (some years later)—
How long will your husband be
away?
Same Clara—I forgot to ask.—
[New York Weekly.
Five Dollars Clear Profit.
Drummer (to country merchant)_
“How’s biz, Mr. Sharpe?’’ \
“Can’t complain; just made five
dollars!”
“How was that?”
“Man wanted to get trusted fora
pair of boots and I didn’t let—him
have ’em I”—[Munsey.
_-An Idea for Your Feet.
Shoeman at Field’s: We have many
complaints about tender feet and sore
ankles. If people who suffer in this
respect will take a fiat sheet of rubber
•jyiWcnt out two pieces liyge enough to
soles they will
Vunc. "'^-^Chicago Tri
Wounded Knee.
"Give up your rifle*!” Stem and clear
Ring out the words upon the ear.
Yet none of all that motley hand
Or moves an eye or stirs a hand.
In silence and disdain profound
Gaze those grim warriors on the ground,
Though round about them ringwise runs
A glittering wall of deadly guns.
Wbat ails tho'se wild and savage men
Hemmed there like cattle in a pen?
Black-haired, high-chceked and eagle-eyed,
Have they no fear, no hate, no pride?
Ragged they are, and hunger gnaws
The vitals of their sullen squaws.
“Give up your rifles!” Now they look
fake painted Indians in a book.
Each warrior’s arms are crossed, and rest
Beneath his b’auket, on his breast.
They make no sign, yet soaring high
Drifts one lone buzzard through the sky.
“Give up your rifles!” To and fro
Those gaunt fbrms sway in rhythm slow.
Listen! What means that guttural moan,
That weird, unearthly monotone?
“Enough of this!’’ The captain’s brow
Grows black. “Forward aud search them
no vy.a> 0
Down drops tlie buzzard in the blue
ts that the der.tli chant of the Sioux?
Quickly witli leveled guns the men
Step out, the ring contracts, and then
lied devil?, desperate and rash,
Fighting In ragged tire and crash
df sudden rifles; sulphurous air
:Vnd litlie fiends leaping everywhere!
Here shakes the dripping tomahawk,
There falls the splintered rifle stock.
ind yonder, with uplifted knife
The lean squaw writhes amid the strife.
And all is over. White and red
Together piled lie torn and dead.
Now rake tlie'long ravines with shot
And riddle every hiding spot!
Let none of them escape to'tell ««*
How many pale-faced warriors fell.
'Tis done, ’twns done, now as we ought
Let us remember how they fought.
Was the Old Guard at Waterloo
Less desperate than those filthy Sioux?
•‘Yield you, brave Frenchmen” was the cry;
“We never yield,” they said, “we die!”
Was Custer, when he fought that day,
More daring and less rash than they?
Murderous and. treacherous at best,
But no slurs ’gainst their courage rest.
C piaise them not, I love them not,
But ere their prowess be forgot,
And ere their tribe be dead and dumb,
Dli that some native bard would come
To sing in weird arid worthy strain
Those warjor3 of wood and plain,
To weave in sad and moving song
The story of their hate and wrong!
Perchance some sweeter time might hear
And blot the page with many a tear!
—[George Horton, in Chicago Herald.
A Maiden of Yucatan.
BY ALICE D. LE PLONGEON.
The fir^t time wo saw her, Concliita
was seated on a vory upright chair,the
high heel of her dainty shoe caught on
one of the lower bars, so as to raise
her foot to a height enabling her to
sustain her guitar in a right position.
She was one of the many guests in a
large house owned and occupied by a
wealthy planter, who delighted in
throwing open his doors to all friends
during the time of a great annual fair,
when lodgings were hard to find.
Conchita’s father was a rich planter,
making plenty of money by the labor
of poor Indians. Yes,Don F-made
plenty of money, but did not keep it,
for ho was an inveterate gamester.
All his wife’s entreaties availed noth
ing. His object in attending the great
fair in the city of Izamal (Yucatan)
was to sacrifice a few hours and many
dollars at the tables, squandering the
profits obtained froin his sugar plan
tation. lie was quite an old man, and
the only being he really seemed to ltve
was his daughter Conchita. She was
about seventeen years old, very small,
not more than four feet ten inches in
height,and proportionately slender. A
very pronounced brunette, perhaps
having a slight tiuge of Indian blood;
this was particularly noticeable in her
exceedingly dark eyes, and the obsti
nate straightness of her luxuriant
black locks. Conchita had hot a pretty
figure, nevertheless she was graceful,
and had beautiful little hands which
appeared to advantage in playing the
guitar. For the rest, though Conchita
was called a belle, she really could
make no pretentions to beauty, but a
piquant expression made her face at
tractive. The wonder was how she
managed to get music from the guitar,
her hands being so very small. She
wore a pink muslin dress, and various
ornaments of gold. It was only eleven
o’clock in the morning, but as soon as
high mass had been celebrated in the
great church standing on the opposite
side of the square, tine bullfight would
commence; and merry maids were in
evening dress ready for that enter
tainment. The bull ring stood in the
middle of the square. From the Salon
where we sat listening to Conchita’s
performance, we soon saw people
eagerly thronging to the spot; the
gayly dressed white people, and the
far more numerous natives, all
clothed in white. Big and small, rich
and poor, all must enjoy the bull fight.
Many ladies look with them several
young children, aud as many servants
to look after them.
“Cornel come!” exclaimed Conchi
We all wentto the ringiand occupied
a large box. Neither man nor horses
were sacrificed on that occasion, nor
even injured; only a few bulls'were
killed, much more mercifully than in
any slaughter house. Every one en
joyed the fi^ht; Ccnchita’s cheeks
were flushed to a pretty jjink.
When we had returned to the house
and partaken of fruit, Cjonchita came
to me with her hands full of gold
ounces, sixteen dollar pieces’; six or
eight of them Ailed her small palm.
Said she, “See what papa has given
me to play with!”
“And are you gofif^to gambler
asked I.
“No,” laughed she, “I* am going to
keep it.”
If she did lose any of that gold at
the roulette table, wo were not pres
ent ; but her father threw away a few
thousand dollars that very night, only
desisting at sunrise because he had no
more on hand to' lose. lie expressed
no regret, but played again in the
afternoon, merely saying, “Santa Ma
ria” (the name of his plantation)
“will givo it all back to me in a few
months.” ,
Evening found Canchita at the ball,
her clear brown skin made chalky
white wilh powder, in which respect
she was no exception fo the other
ladies; and all wore artificial flowers,
though natural ones coiild easily be
obtained.
>Y lien the fair was over, Conclnta
was one of (he first to leave Izamal
for her home in the more eastern city
of Valladolid. Don F.’s traveling
1 carriage was one of those peculiar
conveyances called Colau. Koche, a
wagon whose bottom is a network of
thick ropes, on which is spread a thin
mattress, serving as seat,
Conchita said she would never oc
cupy any other part than the foremost
end of it; so there she took, her place
beside the driver, a barefooted, dark
skinned native, in white ' cotton gar
ments. Conchita had bn a cambric
dress, and a Mexican ycbozo (scarf)
over her head and shoulders—for it is
only during the last fewfyears that the
ladies of Yucatan have taken to the,
use of hats and gloves. Don F——
stretched,ihimself at full-length on the,
mattress and fell asleep^ according to
h» habit. ■ ' 1
Later on we saw Conchita at her
home. She, not her mother, seemed
to rule the household. Her three
young brothers, one sister and half a
dozen Indian servants', all promptly
obeyed her orders, thoujgh she seemed
to bestow no affection oil any of them.
When next we met Cofncbita she was
in the capital, Merida, where the fam
ily had moved, occupying one of their
own houses, so that the children might
have more educational advantages than
they were afforded at Vajladolid. As
for Don F-, he was nearly always
away at tlie plantation.
With a carriage of per own, a fine
piano and first-class teacher, Conchila
was fairly contented | but a new
thought had crept intb her life, and
much of h6r time was spent swinging
in her silky pita, lnmmock, and tak
ing occasional whiffs from the dainti
est of cigarettes. About what was her
mind so busy ? Why, the poor little
thing was in love, and even her piano
hardly interested her any longer; it
required much coaxing to induce her
to practise half an hour a day. It
would have been quite different had
the course of her true love run smooth.
But alas 1 her father bitterly opposed
her marrying a carpenter, even though
that industrious young man did call
himself a cabinet maker. What was
to be done? Conchita was a very
dutiful child, and really loved her
father, he having always gratified her
little whims and fancies. So when he
forbade her to speak to or look at the
dear Lorenzo, she yielded ' implicit
■ obedience, requesting the loved one to
not even approach the window behind
whose iron bars she sometimes sat to
look abroad. '
She would pass in her carriage by
his door, where he was taking the cool
evening air, and never turned her head
his way, saying to us, ?<4t is hard, but
ho knows I think of him.”
When carnival time came round, at
the gay and brilliant balls where one
seemed to be transported to Spaip it
self, Conchita might dince with whom
she pleased save him. [Then she sighed
and said, “How hard t%the only one I
should like to dance with, I may not
even glance at With a look of recogni
tion; but some day papa will give his
consent, when he sees how sad my life
will become.” I
And he did at last; after three years’
patient waiting the wedding was cele
brated with Don F-r’s full blessing.
Just in time, for only a few weeks
after Conchita had worn white satin
and orange blossoms, she had to don a
black garb and mourn the death of her
father. ■
When we asked what she wbuld
have done about marrying,' bad he
passed away without giving his con
sent, she replied, “Remained single
all my life and Lorenzo would have
done the sanijg.”
When we last saw Conchita she was
fondly gazing on a little morsel of
humanity, and She said, “Pa(„.^&j.<gj
have loved it,”—[Boston TraliW|ll
Cremation is Older Tban Inhumation.
If sun and fire worship be the earli
est forms of religion in the world, it
is reasonable to infer that cremation is
-older than inhumation. And yet the
Chaldeans, who were fire worshippers,
regarded the burning of a human body
as a pollution of their deity, and the
ancient Parsees, as do their modern
representatives, exposed their dead to
the attacks of beasts of prey, caring
not about the flesh, and confident in
the indestructibility of the hones. It
is curious, however, that the ancient
German races did not, regard, it as a
pollution of the Earth deity to bury
their dead. The Scythians, again, de
clined both fire and earth, and made
their graves in the air, hanging the
bodies on trees, while the Ichthyo~
plmgi of Egypt sought theirs iff the
sea. These last, it will be observed,
thought to avoid corruption in the
very manner which the Homeric heroes
dreaded most—by the extinction of
the fire of the soul in water.
I The old Balearians, according to
Diodorus Siculus, adopted a curious
compromise. They affected urn burial
without burning—crushing the flesh
and bones into urns, upon which they
heaped wood without fire. And that
the Hebrews were not unacquainted
with cremation is certain, for the men
of Jabesh burned the bodies of Saul
and his sons.
The Massagetce, who, according to
Herodotus, inhabited the country to
the east of the Caspiau, had a cheerful
habit of boiling their aged, and infirm
relatives, and of feasting on theii
bodies, “esteeming universally this
mode of death the happiest,” Those
who died from disease, howevor, were
not eaten, but were buried in the earth
as altogether unfortunate subjects, to
be forgotten quickly as unworthy
members of the family. Yet as the
Massagctse were sun worshipers, we
may imagine something of the religious
element in the boiling process.—
[Scottish Magazine.
Will Explore Death Valley.
Secretary of Agriculture Rusk has
been for some time engaged in organ
izing an expedition to exp’ore
mous Death Valley in Coloradj
region is a veritable terra
tlwngJi
animals ds not d<
the valley is unknown,
dition will carry water and
mules add men.
It is a question wheth r the animals
will be able to survive the expedition.
Two of the chief botanists of the de
partment are at present working their
way into the valley from Sourthern
Nevada, while another expedition is
on a march from Southern California,
and the two expeditious arc expected
to meet, if nothing goes wrong wiWi
them, at a point previously deck}ed
upon in the valley.
Professor Merriam will leave in a
few days to take charge of the expedi
tion. There is reason to believe that
there are rich gold and silver mines in
the region named. A story is told by
an adventurous miner who some years
agb penetrated into the valley and
found the skeleton of a miner. A
wooden pail was lying xiear it and in
it was a chunk of gold of great value.
On his return to California he
showed his find to a group of miners
and their curiosity was so excited that,
other means failing, they tortured
him to make him confess where he
had found the gold, believing that he
had discovered a gold mine, the loca
tion of which he would not reveal.
Scientific men wi.li the' expedition
will make a map of the country and
secure specimens of such animals and
insects as exist there, if any do. Sec
retary Rusk regards the expedition as
of great importance.— [San Francisco
Chronicle.
Ad Idle Moment.
“What are you doing in here?”
asked the other fellow who had just
come in. ' _
!». “Just passing away the time,” w|
jj^miswer, as he handed his
^HkEiibroker, , ' ^
He Had an Object.
“Look here,” said a Sixth avenue
druggist to a boy who had come in
and gone out of the store and left the
door open each time, half a doion
times in one afternoon, “yon must be
a very careless hoy. I liavo had to
shut that door after you each time yon
have gone out. ”
“I know it,” replied the boy.
“Then it was done purposely on
yonr part?”
“Yes, sir. My brother has patent
ed a door spring, and my object was
to call attention to it. Put you one on
for a dollar which will shut that door
a million times and never miss a cog.”
— [New York Sun.
It Is an Old Custom.
“I see that they are telling fortunes
by the foot instead of the hand,” said
Timley.
“It is an excellent method,” said
Tumbel. “I read my own fortune in
that way once.”
“How so?”
“I was about to ask for Miss Rich
ley’s hand that I might know it, when
her father’s foot revealed it to me.”—
[Chicago Times.
cover
Steam Launch Was Built
bfa.Gold Hunter in Ateska.
and Boiler of Ordinary
> and Sheet Iron
tarpaulin
if scantling
in proxi
mo use, is a
lias a history
(in ”San Francisco
knoiV, and VST'.Tails. were told to a
Chrdi.icle repii, by one of the row
ing men.
‘ That’s a queer-looking boat,” said
the \ lot ary of aquatiSs. ‘ ‘It’s a steam
launch built on the big Yukon river in
Alaska by Charley Farciot, an en
gineer and prospector,in 1883. Charley
was (|ie of the men that went up: to Al
aska j-to search the Yukon river I banks
for told with the Schieffelin party.
I gutfs every .one knows that they
fount but little gold, and all returned
to Sail Francisco except Farciot- He
wouldn’t give up, and located at a
plaecfcallcd Nuklakayet, 100 miles up
the rjver. After going about in birch
bark canoes to various likely looking
places lie began to get tired of the
slow method of transportation. So
he thought a steam launch would prove
of use in his travels. But how to
build an engine was the great problem.
The hull of the boat lie and some
traders constructed from drift! wood
sawed into planks, and the fastenings
were improvised bolts of rod iron.
“Among the stores that Scliieffeliu
left t>n the river were a number of
lei^tji3 of gas pipe of various sizes
andur few sheets of thin Russia iron.
Will great ingenuity, Farciot went to
wort and actually succeeded in build
ing c renders and a boiler of the coil
type >ut of the gas pipes. Connecting
rods, eccentrics and other parts of the
engin ) were built of rod iron and auy
pieces of metal lie could pick up
arouml the trading post.
ell, the boat was finished aud
es4rinos iu place, but the propellor
Nothing daunted, Far
furnacc Jo'f clay, made
ie
nary f Was
made shaft, a.9, ^short
one, (was hammered by hand and a
goodtjob it was, well answering the
purpojse.
“Iii June, 1883, the little launch
was pjut into the water, and she proved
a complete triumph, Farciot made
several tups up and dowu various
small rivers, tributaries of the big
river,i but I don’t know if he found
any gloid. However, he told me that
the launch saved h s life on Olio occa.
sion. lie and a native employed to
steer l and pilot the boat were asleep
one night ou the banks of a slpugli,
when they were suddenly aroused by
a scraping on the side of the launch.
Farciot rose from his bed ou the bot
tom of the launch and saw three |bears
trying to climb into the boat. Quick
as thought he opened the valve of the
little steam whistle, which emitted
what the bears evidently deemed a
very peculiar sound, as they speedily
sheered off toward the shore. They
had probably been attracted by the
smell of a freshly killed deer that had
been shot ou the previous day by the
natives.
“The little launch was brought to
this city from (lie Yukon river on the
steamer St. Paul ab mt five years ago,
and lias made a few trips on the bay.
Her method of construction aiid the
material used in building the engines
have aroused much admiration for
Farciot’s capabilities among the ma
chinists of this city.”—[San jFrau
cisco Chronicle.
them.” The ai
farmer’s wrath,
discharged, the
a much easier i
is now' the fan*
AJVit^^Augwer Brought Success.
spifper mail who last
Spring found himself in Whitman
County, Washington, 500 miles from
his base of supplieraud “broke” hired
out to a farmer. He was setrto plough
ing with a pair of horses, but both
man and beasts being new to the
business, the furrows looked 08 if
they were the result of an earthquake
rather than of design, so crooked and
zigzag were they. At the close of the
day the farmer rather testily criticised
the job. The newspaper man felt that
his doom was sealed, but mustered
courage to reply: “I know the rows
are rather crooked, but the sun was
exceedingly hot today, and it warped
The answer turned away the
1, instead of being
newcomer whs given
d pleasanter job, and
»»ya»er s son-in-law.
Legless Population,
estimated that there are about
300,OM) persons in this country with
only <lne or with no legs. Many lost
their tiinbs in the war, but silica that
time tjie g*eat amputator is the rail
road. Ninety per cent, of amputa
tions jire chargeable to the railroad,
ing to a writer in the New York
yybo also states that among
limbs reported
n six month8,3 >00
Whistling for Seals.
Mr. F. F. Payne of Toronto records
an interesting fact which often came
under his notice during a prolonged
stay at Hudson’s Strait. “Here,” he
says, “the Esquimaux might often be
seen lying at full length at the edge of
an ice-floe, and although no seals could
be seen, they persistently whistled in
low note similar to that often used in
calling tame pigeons, or, if words can
express my meaning, like the plaintive
phe-ew, few, few, the first;note being
prolonged at least three seconds. If
there were any seals within hearing
distance they were invariably attracted
to the spot, and it was amusing to see
them lifting themselves as high as pos
sible o*it of the water, and slowly
shaking their heads as though delighted
with the music.
“Here they would remain for some
time, until one, perhaps more ven
turesome than the rest, would come
within striking distance of the Esqui
mau, who, starting to his feet with
gun or harpoon, would often change
the seal’s tone of joy to one of sorrow,
the others making of! as fast as possi
ble. The whistling had to bo contin
uous, and was more effective if per
formed by another Esquimau a short
distance back from the one lying mo
tionless at the edge of the ice. I may
add that-the experiment was often
tried by myself with the same results.”
— [American Naturalist.
Sitting Bull’s Pride.
During a visit of Sitting Bull aud
some of liis braves to Washington sev
eral years ago it was decided to take a
photograph of them in the Capitol.
The photographer got his camera
ready, and the group was arranged.
Several of the Indians had on their
hats, and through one of tlie inter
preters the photographer suggested
that the picture would look better with
heads uncovered. The Indians were
loath to remove their hats, but finally
after much persuasion they consented
to appear in the picture bareheaded.
Only Sitting Bull refused. He had on
a tall silk hat of an ancient date—
probably “of the vintage of ’79”—and
he was evidently impressed with his'
own apngarkhce.
7" hotoarranher appealed to him
■^^PaKr-fiTterprelerito remove the
hat; but Sitting Bull made no reply.
He merely folded his arms, threw him
self “back on his dignity” aud struck
a heroic attitude. He presented a
most ludicrous appearance, but ho
swelled with evident pride and digni
ty, and said not a word. The pho
tographer saw it was useless, and so
the picture was taken. In the group of
forty or fifty Indians there appeared
only oiie with covered head. That one
was the old chief Sitting Bull.
[Brooklyn Citizen.
A Game Oasis. „
The surveyors of a railroad line
along the south shore of the Caspian
have called attention to the existence
of a hunters’ paradise in a’region
which thus far has beeu almost en
tirely neglected by the sportsmen 61
western Europe. In the Persian prov
ince of Khorssan, and about thirty Eu
lish miles south of the Bay of Astra
bad, the coast-hills swell into moun
tains which run for nearly two hun
dred miles in a northwesterly
direction, and in several places rise to
a height of fifteen thousand feet
above tide-water. The summit region
of this majestic range, known as the
Elburz mountains, is covered with
stately forests and abounds with game
to a degree that would have delighted
even the venison-surfeited soul of Dan
Boone. Elk, deer and roes are met at
all highland meadows ;a species of wild
cows haunt the jungles of the larger
rivers, and bears aud panthers are so
frequent that the mountain shepherds
have to defend their flock3 by packs
of mastiff-like watch-dogs.—[Hew
York Voice.
False Teeth Lengthen Life.
Very few people realize how much
the dentist lias done for mankind. To
mention one thing only, the perfection
to which the manufacture of false
teeth has been carried has practically
abolished old age—that is, old in the
sense that I used to know it. You see
none of the helpless, mumbling old
men and women that you formerly
did. ThijB is not because the people
do not attain the age their parents and
grandparents reached, but because the
dentist has prevented some of the most
unpleasant consequences of advanced
years. Men of 70 no longer either
look or feel old, because they are not
deprived of nourishing food at the
time when they need it most. Esti
mates have been made showing that
the average'length of life has been in
creased from four to six years by the
use of false teeth.— [St. Louis Dis
patch. . _ ,
No Longer a Wonder.
The ox-hide shields of anticnt
warriors were said to be invulnerable
to the sharpest arrow or spear. The
secret of this strength lay in their
make- Along with the hide the shield
manufacturer used to cut off the beast
a layer of what passes nowadays for
boardi ng-house steak.—[Philadel phia
Drainage.
How few people realize the result*
of extensive drainage, such as a highly
civilized country presents. No incon
siderable changes are wrought by arti
ficial drainage. Much of surface
water, instead of being left to form
marshes, saturate the soil, or be taken
up by evaporation, is carried away
underground through drain-pipes.
Consequently, the air is not so moist
as formerly, and tliO/Soih instead of
being constantly chilled' by evapora
tion, is rendered warm and gening
This result has been particularly no
ticed in England and Scotland, where
very extensile areas lurve been arti
ficially drained. Holland lias beenj
one might say, reclaimed from the sea.
The water has been di ked out, and
many parts of tho country that wet0
the bottom of' the sea, are now dry
land, and, though below sea-ievel, form
the homes of happy and industrioui
communities. Years ago, there were,
along the lower banks of the Mississip
pi, “drowned lands,” subject to over
flow and uninhabitable, covering an
area larger thin the Stato of New
York. Many of these lands have been
reclaimed by means of-levees. Thus,
by man’s ingenuity, are the surface,
climate and general physical condition
of the earth being ckangi^l.—[Tho
Ledger.
An Aztec Smelter Found.
Some news just received from New
Mexico wiM add a now . paragraph to
Wendell Phillips’ lecture on “The
Lost Arts.” The Aztecs had a method
of smelting metals different from and
superior to the mode now in use in the
land where they lived, and two years
ago one of tjhesc ancient smelters was
found. It was not oyer five feet in
height and not over three feet square,
but was so arranged that heat could be
evenly distributed by a system of
pipes. Although the furnace has been
looted it is believed that the govern
ment is in possession of the secret and
that it will be divulged in an official
report. The special dispatch from
which these facts are obtained con
cludes with the statement that if the
report should prove favorable it will
revolutionize the mining industry in
the Southwest. Many things discov
ered by archaeologists dedicate clearly
that t/ie Aztecs and the Mayas of Mex
ico add the Incas of Peru wero peoples
of a civilization in some respects as
high as that of ancient Egypt and
Babylonia. And some philologists have
asserted that the language of the Mayas
is the oldostyetdi6oovered by research.
— [Washington Star.
A Hairdressers’ Paradise.
China must be a'paradise of hair
dressers, for at least once a day every
respectable man must have his head
6haved. Look at that fellow, nbw,
leaning over the brass basin on the pe
culiar green and scarlet staud, of a
form that all these barbers aCect,
writes a tiaveller from Canton,
lie has had Jiis queue, unplaited and
washed, and now the barber is comb
ing it out Glossy,’black, rather coarse,
but long and* abundant; it must bo
five feet long at least.
Now it is plaited and the coiffure is
complete. First the forehead has been
shaved to a line just behind the ears;
the neck has been shaved to the swell
of the head, and then the remaining
haif has been plaited in three strands,
resulting in a so-called “pigtail,” or;
as a Chinaman expresses it, a tress, as
thick as your wrist where it leaves tlie
head, tapering to nothing, and finished
oft with a tassel of black silk ribbons
that reach within a few inches of the
ground.
He is very proud of his tail, is your
Chinaman, and to touch it is to insult
him, badge of servitude though it is,
forced upon his ancestors 200 years
* ago by their Mauchu conquerors.
Last Buffalo in the Bed Desert.
There is a small herd of buffalo on
what is known as. the Red Desert, not
many miles from Laramie, Wyoming.
A party of hunters recently returned
from there and report having seen
fifteen. During their trip they cap
tured two with a lasso, but both of
them died, it is said, from the effects
of the choking they received. One of
them was taken after a chase of threo
days. Mr. J. C. Robbins was at the
head of the party, and his purpose in
capturing them alive was to add them
to a private collection of the wild aui
mals of the Rocky Mountains, which
he intends exhibiting at the World’s
Fair at Chicago. He left three hunters
in the hills near the desert for the pur
pose of capturing other animals.—
[Denver (Col.) News.
Future of the New England Country.
Our citizeus of foreign birth arc
seeking and have sought the New Eng
land farms, and are theye going
through the experiences which*made
our owu ancestors self-supporting
farmers; to wit, living prudently,
saving their money, making no show
of dress of equipage or lavish living,
and raising large families of boys and
girls, and keeping them at work in
doors and out of doors, at home.
There is no fear for the future of New
England rural life, says tjic Hou.
John D. Long in the New* England
Magazine. j
LADIES’ DEPARTMENT.
j
ITINERANT DRESS CLEANERS
A new female device for earning *
livelihood is that of going around to
he houses of society people and clean
ing and repairing fine dresses that
imvc been accidentally soiled or other,
(vise injured. The scheme was de
veloped in Buffalo, N. Y. Thine are
some women who have all they can
attend to in this line.-—[Now York
Journal. r
, 4 i »
QUEEN VICTORIA’S WARDS.
Queen Victoria has five maids to
assist at her toilet, viz., three dressers
and two wardrobe women. We are
told also by high authority that the
senior dresser, who has been i^any
pears with ller Majesty, is especially
sharged with the task of conveying
orders to the different tiadespeopl
jewellers, drapers and dressmakers-;
one dresser and one wardrobe woiqan
ire in constant attendance upon the
Queen taking alternate days. All
this when the royal iady is well and in
good spirits. At other times the
maids are mado to retire to the lower
apartments and told to sl^iy there uutil
sailed for.—[New York World.
AtKW^OiSnpsEuft'.' * <V
Patti and Lucca, and all the grei
singers 'and actresses •• and famou
beauties, who, like Mmo. Itccamie
were wondrously beautiful at an ng
when ordinary women retire from th ^
scenes of the beau momlo, understood
die value of this restorer, and owed
their well-preserved beauty to sleepf
An unusually handsome St. Louis wo
man, who has at tho age of almost 50
rears the tine, well-rounded figure aijft
jlastic step and carriage of a girl, lie
felicato, rosc-hued skin and the lni
iiaucy of youth it; her eyes, says thjt
site had made it a rule to retire at t)
D’clock, exception very rare occasions,
nud then she takes a nap in the aftor
noon to prevent the ill effects of J10
late hours which are to follow. (Ju
American womett of all classes n®d
more than any other people in t|ic
world the rest and refreshment which
3nlv sleep can givo to overwrought j
nerves and overworked systems, for
nowhere else do the’women live undjer
so much physical amt mental straiu.l—
[B-t. Louis Post-Dispatcli.
' TO BE A MODEL HOSTESS.
ATI tlie beautiful decorations on.tho
lablo will amount to nothing unless
the hostess herself wears as a decora
tion a charming manner and also an
absolute ignoring of anything except
that which will give pleasure to her
guests, says the Ladios’ Home Journal.
If mistakes should occur it will her
wiser for her not to see them. If an I
awkward servant should stumble and
upset a dish she should be as equable
as if some one had only thrown a
crown of roses about her. While it is
her duty to permit no guest tob^ie
glecttjd it As jalso her duty
seem flustered or worried, and
the best hostess always who managed
to make people feel most at ease.
pon’t attempt to do too much unless
you have servants who aro capable of
carrying out your orders. A simple >
dinner, well served, is always better 7.Q
form than an elaborate one badly
served, and with a half cooked hostess
at the head of the fable. Invite peo
plo who will help make your dinner a
success, people who talk well, and yet
do not talk too much. Flashes of si
lence arc as much of an art in con
versation as are flashes of wit. Put
together the people who will grow in
terested in each other, and under no
circumstances yield -to the selfish de
sire of somo young woman who wants
to bo near somebody who won’t be
interested in her at all, and who will
in this way cause a rift in the harmony
you desire to achieve. Have your
table as prettily decoratod as you can,
have your linen as immaculate as pos
sible, have everything hot, as hot as it
can bo, and everything cold, well iced.
Do not make tho mistake of sorving
anything tepid; and as for yourself be
as cool as your ice, as bright -a*, the
caudle light, as charming as the flowers
and as sweet as the bonbons that mean
dinner is over.
FASHION NOTES.
Heart shaped jewels are all the rage.
Louis XV. coats are adopted by
chaperon's.
Iljgh Medici collars finish many
evening gowns.
Writing table appointments are in
the new copper bronze.
Sailor suits for boys continue to bft
popular in all their varieties.
The fashionable bonnet has its
crown and brim merged in one.
Iu selecting seal garments the very
darkest skins are to be preferred.
Forethought is a great help to an
economical management of the ward*
robe.
Glorified griddle cakes are handed
about with cups of a tea at fashionable
“at homes.”
Tho corsages of evening, dresses to
be worn by yonng girls are frequently
laid iu fino tucks mounted on a close
fitting lining.
A pair of. scales for weighing the
baby is included in the newest infants’
wardrobes. The are wadded and lined!
with blue or pink.
The most tasteful in the assortment
of dinner napkins are without orna
mentation unless a single letter or
monogram in one eorner or in the
center.
Evening weddings have entirely J -
given place to the English fashion of
daytime ceremonies, for which any
hour may be chosen from 12 to 5
o’clock.
A pretty idea for table ornamenta
tion is to fold the napkin in a shape
complimentary to the gudst of the oc.
casion—a boat for a sailor, a fan toy
§ society bud.