Illinois News Index

McHenry Plaindealer (McHenry, IL), 1 Jul 1885, p. 3

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" » W f ' ' Zwm? i-! - ' **•*. **-<•»*• •/» •*- - *• ~ • %/ .w.;»,w. <^NB* POPULAR SCIENCE. A REMARKABLE LETTER. IJliuutlraUr J. VAN SLYKE. Editor and Publish*. ' -HENRY, ILLINOIS. THE widow of the late President Barrios has one of the finest houses in ; New York. It is on Fifth avenue, and cost $300,000. EDWARD EVERETT HALE will devote the summer in Paris to searching for s details of Franklin's domestic as well as public life in Paris, for a forthcom­ ing book on "Franklin in France." A CLERGYMAN of St. Lonis says that the aggregate church attendance in that city on Sunday is 10,000, while on a recent Sunday 40,000 people wit­ nessed a cowboy exhibition, 20,000 at­ tended base-ball games, 20,000 spent the day in beer gardens, and 5,000 heard "Bob" Ingersoll. IN a Boston court Judge Allen ad­ ministered a severe rebuke to clergy­ men who marry minors without the consent of their parents, the case in hand being a wife deserted by her hus­ band, and she was but 15 when the clergyman married them. He said that the laws of inarriage should be stringent and well enforced if we would check the fearful tide of divorces. THE institution of agricultural learn­ ing established by Messrs. Moody and Sanky at Mount Hamnion, Franklin County, Massachusetts, occupies sever­ al hundred acres of excellent land, and is now in successful operation. It has cost already $250,000, and much more is needed to complete it on the plan con templated by its founders. A new building was dedicated last week, the cost of which, $20,000, was defrayed entirely by the royalty on Mr. Sankey's Gospel Hymns. WHEN Garabaldi died Victor Hugo sent to Caprera the characteristic mes sage: "It is more than death; it is a catastrophe." Frenchmen will . be tempted to repeat his own epigram over the patriot-poet's ashes. Like the Italian hero, Victor Hugo was asso­ ciated in the popular mind with an era of creative genius that has passed away: Even if he had ceased to be an active force either in the politics or the literature of Europe, he was almost the last representative of the heroic age of French Republicanism. TENS of thousands of plovers' eggs are every May consumed in London, alone, and the epicures of the great provincial cities are ready to buy at a handsome price all that find their way into their towns. Vast quantities come from the heaths of Brittany, from the wolds of Yorkshire and Devon, or from the boggy uplands of Wales; and the Scottish moors are searched as keenly as the interests of grouse and other game will permit. But the principal ground where the plover egg crop is harvested is in the far North and the remoter Hebrides. ON the same principle, apparently, that the young woman, who, after "get­ ting religion," found that her sealskin sack and other finery were dragging her down to hell, and gave them to her sister, a Western liquor dealer adver­ tises as follow: "Having experienced a change of heart through the blessed efforts of Brother B. and Sister S., I desire to state to my numerous friends and patrons that at the end of the cur­ rent month I shall retire from the ac­ cursed liquor traffic forever. Until that time my stock on hand will be of­ fered at greatly reduced rates. Come one, come all!" RECENTLY workmen on the Northern Pacific Railroad, near South Prairie, Washington Territory, came upon a fir log eight feet in diameter fifty-six feet below the surface of the ground. It was in a soft state, but after being ex­ posed to the air for a short -time be­ came nearly as hard as a stone. The grain of the fir wood remains plainly to be seen, but in color it might easily be taken for walnut While the wood was yet soft some made pipes of it, which after hardening became very handsome. Others made razor hones and different articles, for all of which it is excellent material. BUFFALO Express: We lately saw a "funny thing" that pleased us much, for it seemed to presage of the humor of the future. It was in an English comic paper--London Fun, we think. (And here let us remark that they in England are a century "ahead of us in intricate jocoseness). This paragraph whioh haunts us yet like a voice heard in a dream--asked in, substance, "What is Mr. Gladstone's favorite study?" and then proceeded to answer the question by saying, "GeOMetry." By a special arrangement with an English contem­ porary we are ena tried to elucidate for the benefit of the American reader. The letters in capitals, "G. O. M.," are the initials of the affectionate by-name the British public has given its great statesman--"Grand Old Man." Now let the American reader compute the amount of mental strength he could have derived from finding out this re- „ suit for himself. THE burial of "a Mrs. Sterry, at Greenville, Connecticut, a few days ago, must have been a rather exciting affair. It was the desire of De Witt C. Sterry, a Protestant Elder, brother of the dead woman's husband, that the funeral ser­ vices be conducted by Protestants, while the relatives of the woman were equally determined that the burial should be after the Catholic form. Each side engaged a clergyman, and the two ministers, the Bev. Hugh Montgomery an<| the Rev. Father Shahan, reached the house at the same time, coming from opposite directions. They sat down in the parlor facing each other for- five minutes without speaking. Then they arose, pas?ed out «| opposite doors, and weut home. Tho friends thereupon took charge of the funeral, and the remains were interred without the services of a clergyman. By a compromise between the factions the intermentwas nmde ,^# fat cemetery.. ' • DARING a snow storm last February a London firm put up for posting, among others, a letter to a Glasgow firm, containing a check for a sum little short of $5,000. The chefek not reach­ ing its destination, in due course pay­ ment was- stopped at the bank, and, notwithstanding that every inquiry was made, nothing was heard of the letter at the time. Eventually, however, the check was brought to the firm who had drawn it, together with the letter, by a police inspector, who had found the letter adhering to a block of ice float­ ing in the Thames off Deptford. The supposition is that the letter fell in the street, was carried off in the snow to the Thames; and then, after a week's immersion in the river, got affixed to a block of ice. SUNSET Cox knows the value of an advertisement He went to the White Hou?e one day lately with a draft of a little letter in his pocket. "Mr. Presi­ dent," he said, "it would help the sale of my book very much if you would write a few lines saying it is so and so; something pleasant, you understand." The President looked perplexed. "Why," said be, "I haven't seen it I don't know what it contains, what " "Never mind that," replied Mr. Cox, "I can tell you in a minute what the general drift----" "But," argued the President, "I don't know what to say." "Well, if you will simply write some­ thing like this, for instance,"--and Mr. Cox pulled the draft of the letter out of his pocket--"I will be satisfied." The President at first wished to sign only the statement prepared by the author of the "Three Decades," but Mr. Cox insisted that the whole state­ ment §|iould be in Mr. Cleveland's handwriting. And he carried his point. \ MR. H. H. JOHNSON, the English traveler, has recently returned from an expedition which he made from Zanzi­ bar to one of the most remarkable mountains of Africa, or, indeed, of the world, Kilimanyaro. This enormous mountain measures sixty by thirty miles, and its highest spire, Kibo, is 18,000 feet above the sea. The region about this mountain is a paradise, and, as far as it goes, refutes the idea that the Dark Continent is the white.man's grave. One needs nothing more to travel safely through this region than his skin and a good supply of rockets and Roman candles. By firing off a few of the latter every night you clear away all hostile negroes during your next day's journey. A second ingen­ ious device of this traveler when in danger of having his throat cut and his "soul erased" by a friendly chief, was to exhibit an Albino negro and softly whisper the word smallpox in the friendly chiefs ear. A discharge of artillery would not open a passage through a crowd more quickly than these magic words. HERE is a Jewish opinion on the new version of the Old Testament The Jewish Advocate says: "A large com­ pany of Christian clergymen in this country and another in England have been engaged for fifteen years in the preparation of this book, and we are now to have the result of their joint labors. The object of this revision, or new tanslation, appears to be to obtain a closer and more exact rendering of the original, and incidently to modern­ ize the book by the substitution of mod­ ern words for some which have become obsollute since the version now in use was prepared, some 250 years ago. It is said that the revisers have examined carefully every sentence of the book with the view of correcting errors of translation, and that, in order to insure perfect accuracy, they have diligently compared several of the most ancient copies in existence. Emphasis has been given to the fact that the revisers are not all of one creed, almost every section of the Protestant wing of the Christian Church being represented. That provision was wise, for a creed yery stubbornly held is liable to effect the impartiality of judges in a matter vitally affecting the basis of creed. But it is strange that if accuracy was the object principally desired, no Ro­ man Catholic church was invited to assist, and still more remarkable that in translating a book, the original of which was written in Hebrew, by Jew­ ish poets and seers, no invitation was extended to a Jewish scholar, who surely might have been expected to have superior qualifications for the work." How They Do It. The tailor presses his suit The shoemaker lays his awl at her feet. The blacksmith strikes the iron when it is hot • The carpenter says her society adz joy to his existence. The woodchopper offers himself as her feller.' The mason believes his chances rest on a good foundation when he informs her that refusal would be mortar-lying to him. The sailor first ascertains how the land lies, then approaches her when she's in stays and informs her that she's in need of a first mate. The dairyman declares he is bound to heifer and can love no udder. The furniture dealer is so much ih love with her that he is willing to ao- cept her affections in installments, one- tenth down. The poet WOOB her with a sonnet and her big brother starts out in search of him with a shotgun. The "funny man" approaches her with jokes and puns, an^ has the dog set on him and loses the skirts of his swallow-tail. Finally the champion roller skater rolls into her good graces and she elopes with and marries him.--Boston Courier. NATURE never builded BO perfect, that fashion did not try to improve the W°*k. SOMAN GLUTTONS. Ibine Pictures of Ancient Extravagance. Crassus, when a candidate for the Consulship,gave a feast of 10,000 tables, to which all the citizens of Rome were indiscriminately invited. Casar, to selebrate the funeral of a daughter, ajave one of 22,000 tables, with accom­ modation for three guests at each. This rotertainraent was repeated and ex­ ceeded for his triumph. He brought together more gladiators and wild beasts than were ever pro­ duced on any former oc- sasion in an amphitheater, but his exhibitions of this kind were so com­ pletely outshone that it were a waste of time to dwell upon them. In a docu­ ment annexed to his testament, Au­ gustus states as a title to public grati­ tude that he had exhibited 3,000 glad­ iator* and brought more than 3,500 wild beasts to be killed in the circus. In the course of the festivities insti­ tuted by Titus to celebrate the opening of the Colosseum, 5,0C0 wild beast3 were let loose and killed by the gladi­ ators. The Emperor Probus collected for a single show 100 lions, 100 lion­ esses, 100 Libyan and 100 Syrian leopards, 300 bears, and 600 gladiators. Having caused the circus to be planted with trees to resemble a forest, he let loose 1,000 ostriches, 1,000 stags, 1.000 ioes, and 1,000 boars, to be hunted by the populace, who were to keep what­ ever they could catch or kilL^ The fiercer animals were encountered by the gladiators. It does not appear how long this show lasted. Tiberius, whose life at Capri was a disgrace to human nature, was fonder pf saving money than of spending it, and ho left an immense sum in the treasury, which his successor, Caligula, managed to dissipitate in two years by extravagance of the most senseless kind. As if in rivalry of Cleopatra, he swallowed precious stones dissolved in vinegar, and caused his guests to be helped to gold (which they carried away) instead of bread and meat. One of his favorite amusements was shower­ ing money among the populace from the Basilica of Julius Ca sar. He built galleys of cedar, covered with jewelry, and large enough to contain vines and fruit-trees, and had canals cut for them along the coast. The stable of his favorite horse, which he talked of nam­ ing Consul, was of marble, the trough of ivory, the harness of purple, and the collar of pearls. The set of emeralds and pearls worn by one of his wives, Lollia Paulina, was valued at £400,000 sterling. The principal extravaganco of C laud- ius was in public games. One of the shows organized for him was a naval combat on a lake, in which the galleys were manned by 19,000 men. He was fond of good cheer, and was in the hab­ it of inviting himself to the tables of the rich. He came on one occasion with ,000 persons in his train. It was to Nero that Tacitus applied the expression, incredibilium ciipitor. What he not only desired but achieved in the way of cruelty and vice would be declared incredible if lioman history I had not already shown what revolting atrocities may be conceived by a dis­ eased imagination and executed by ir- j responsible power. After the burning I of the city, he gratified his taste, in on- | tire disregard of the proprietors, in re- j building it. He at once appropriated a number of the sites and a large por- ! tion of the public grounds for his new palace. The porticos, with their ranks of columns, were a mile long. The vestibule was large enough to contain the colossal statue of him, in silver and gold, 120 feet high, from which the Colosseum got its name. The interior was gilded throughout, and adorned with ivory and mother-of-pearl. The ceilings of the dining-rooms were formed of movable tablets of ivory, which shed flowers and perfumes on the company; the principal saloon had a dome, which, turning day and night, imitatei the movements of the terres­ trial bodies. When the palace was finished he exclaimed: "At last lam lodged like a man." His diadem was valued at half a million. His dresses, which he never wore twice, were etiff with embroidery and gold. He never traveled with less than 1,000 car­ riages. The mules were shod with silver, the muleteeis clothed with the finest wool, and the attendants wore bracelets and necklaces of gold. Five hundred she-asses followed his wife Popp;ra in her progresses, to supply milk for her bath. He was fond of figuring in the circus as a charioteer and in the theater as a singer and actor. He prided him­ self on being an artist, and when his possible disposition was hinted to him he said that artists could never be in want There was not a vioe to which he was not given, nor a crime which he did not commit. Yet the world, ex­ claims Suetonius, endured this monster for fourteen years; and he was popular with the multitude, who were dazzled by his magnificence, and mistook his senseless profusion for liberality. On the anniversary of his death, during many years, they crowded to cover his tomb with flowers. The utmost excess in gluttony was reached by Yitellius, who gave* feasts at which 2,000 fishes and 7.000 birds were served up. He prided himself on his culinary genius, and laid every quar­ ter of the Empire under contribution to supply materials for a dish, which contained livers of mullet, brains of pheasants and peacocks, tongues of flamingoes, roe of lampreys, etc., etc. Tacitus'states that he spent what would be tantamount to several millions ster­ ling in less than eight months in eating or giving to eat.--Quarterly Iievieiv. The Rattle of McFlinnigan'a Gulch. At the battle of McFlinnigan's Gulch I was suttler of tho Four Hundred and Seventh OskoBh Volunteers, belonging to Snutzer's brigade, of the Thirty- eighth Division of the Western half of the army of Ninniogwaniskote. I deem these particulars necessary for the com­ plete understanding of my narrative. On the morning of the 3d of August, 1804, Billy McDougal came to me and asked me if I knew that there was as many as ten or eleven rebels within a a radius of 200 miles of our camp. I told him I did not, and when he as­ sured me that it was sO. I told him to run to Gen. Snutzer as fast as he could, and tell him to delay the action until 1 could get my dishes washed, arid I would ceme to the front It may be well for me to explain here that Gen. Snutzer's quarters lay aboyt ten minutes' w^vlk from my tent; and that there were three roads leading to them. One lay directly over an aunt hill, a second to the east and a third to the west of it. Had McDougall taken either the east or west road he would undoubtedly have arrived in time; but he chose the fiddle, and thus did not get to Gen.- Snutzer until the battle had commenced. TUis was a grave error, as nothing should have been done until I arrived on the field. Gen. Snutzer should be reprimanded j for his hasty action, and I trust that ' now the facts are known, it will be seen i to by the War Department I came upon the scene just as Mo Flinuigan opened upon our gallant sol­ diers with a shower of stones, and real­ izing the peril in which I stood I im­ mediately took shelter behind a tree, where I could see all that happened and occasionally send suggestions to Gen. Snutzer. Had he followed my suggestions, as he shonld have done, I am satisfied that our victory would have been much more decisive. When the bull finally charged upon the column I deemed" it advisable to change my position, and so I hastened as rapidly as I could to a post about ten miles to the rear, on top of a big barn. From this point of observation I could survey the whole field at my leisure, and find as much fault as pos­ sible with the plan of operations. At one time I thought the rebels were going to be victorious, and not caring to see our brave soldiers defeated, I climbed down from the barn and re­ tired several hundred miles further north. I rejoined the brigade again within the week. Through the kindness of the editor I have been permitted to glance over the manuscript of "A Countraband," and I should like to say a few words in regard to it In the first place he says that the Fourteenth Kalamazoo was "in Snutzer's Brigade. I cannot see what his object is in thus misrepresenting the facts, when he must know that it was the Thirteenth, and not the Four­ teenth Kalamazoo that was with Snutz­ er. I would be loth to accuse the gen­ tleman of falsehood, but I ic ill say that he lies.--- The Ram bier. The Lime-Lilu Club. For some time past there ha? been ill-feeling between Pike Root Perkins and the Hon. Justified White, caused by a dispute over the query: "Is Life Worth the Living." As the meeting was ready to open Brother Gardner called the pair to tbe head of the hall and said: "One reason why some people decide dat life am not wuth de libin' am bekase dey make life a burden to deirselves an' werry onpleasant to odders. One real mean man in a community kin make 500 people doubt if virtue am rewarded on airth. One canting hypo­ crite in a town kin keep a slartder-mill grindin' night an' day. One infidel in a county kin cause 5,000 well-meanin' people to kinder doubt if dar' am a Heaben or a hereafter. "Bekase you two differ in opinyun you go at it an' help to make life on- pleasant to each odder. It doan' strike you dat anybody else kin be right, or dat you may be entirely wrong. Brud- der Perkins calls Brudder White a fule bekase he can't agree wid him. Brud­ der White calls Brudder Perkins a bigot bekase he won't accept his opihyuns. Each has his friends an' supporters, an' dese sup­ porters divide oil an' feel aige wise to­ wards each odder, an'before we know it de quarrel has involved 200 people. Gem'len, de pusson who argu- ties dat life am wutii de libin' must prove his argyments by his ac­ tions. He who feels that life ain't wuth de trouble of hangin' aroun' on airth can't do better dan to walk down to de wharf, hitch a grindstuu to his neck, an' jump into water twenty feet deep. "You two brudders take each odder by de hand. Now fhake. Now goto yer seats. Each one of you has a right to his theories and beliefs, but neither one of yer has de right to denounce de odder. De world am big 'nuff to hold all de theories of all de inhabi­ tants. . We have plentyof room fur all de beliefs we kin believe in. Dar am acreage fur all de argyments we kin argy. When we realize dis we mus' feel how silly it am fur de Hon. Centrifagal Johnsing to call Judge Merriweather Tompkins a charlatan be­ kase Mrs. Johnsing had thirty-two pus- sons to her high tea, and Mrs. Tomp­ kins couldn't count but thirty-one at her low coffee."--Detroit Free Press. Eggs of Wild Birds. Most persons are aware of tho fact that the eggs of prairie hens were re­ garded as great dclicac'es by the early settlers in the west. They were sel­ dom put on the market, and, as a con­ sequence, peoj>le living in shanties en­ joyed luxuries beyond the reach ol most city epicures. The eggs of wild turkeys are regarded by all who have eaten them as vastly superior to the eggs produced by any kind of domes­ ticated fowl. The eggs of the pea-fowl and Guinea hen are also regarded as delicacies by epicures. These birds are but partly domesticated, and their eggs have a gamy flavor, probably be­ cause birds eat large quantities of in­ serts and the seeds of wild plants. Partridge eggs are regarded as supe­ rior to the eggs of any of the birds pre­ viously mentioned, and are preferred for drinking with choice wine. In En­ gland during the months of April and May the poulterers' shops in lurge cities are supplied with plovers' eggs. They are displayed in little nest-shaped baskets, lined with moss. The retail price of these eggs range from 3 to 5 English shillings per dozen. Some­ times the basket will contain two or three partridge eggs, the remainder of the dozen being the eggs of the plover or peewit The eggs are collected by a class of men who dislike to work, but who make a business of hunting for the eggs of wild birds. It requires much skill and cunning to find the nests of plovers. A skillful hunter is often able to secure three dozen plovers' eggs in a day. He runs the risk of being arrested for tresspassing, and of get­ ting eggs that have been spoiled by the process of incubation. He receives for tho eggs about a third of the price the dealer sells them for. Hunting for plovers' eggs is not a very remunera­ tive employment, but it appears to offer unusual attractions to certain persons who are willing to tramp all day over furrows and broken ground in order to secure a few tiny eggs. All attempts to put a stop to the collection oi these eggs have been unsuccessful, and so many are collected that it seems strange the birds are not exterminated. THE Kochiani is the purest breed of Arabian horses. Their genealogy for 2,000 years has been most strictly pre­ served. They are derived from Solo­ mon's studs. This race of horses can bear the greatest fatigue, can pass days without food, show undaunted courage in battle, and when their riaers are slain will carry them to a place of safe­ ty (Niebuhr). The Kadischi is another celebrated race of horses, but not equal to the Kochiani. According to Burk- hardt, the finest race of Arabian blood horses may be found in Syria, and of all the Syrian districts the breed in the Hauran is the best; but all the horses of the noble breed are not equally dis­ tinguished. Among these there are only a few, perhaps not above five or six in a whole tribe, of the first-rate class in respect to size, bone, beauty, and action. A BLUSH often announces the depart­ ure as well as the arrival of shame. PROF. MIALL says that there are to be found associated with seams of coal, and especially with the underlying shale, the flattened impressions of crea­ tures which once had life, though at first strenuously dcubted. A BRILLIANT black varnish for iron, itone, or wood can be made by thor­ oughly incorporating ivory black with sottmon shellac varnish. The mixture should be laid on very thin. But ordi­ nary coal-tar varnish will serve the 9ame purpose in most cases quiti as well, and it is not nearly so expensive. LENSES for the great Lick telf scope are said to have been at last successful­ ly cast, and need only polishing to be ready for use. The San Francisco Call says: "In looking through this tele­ scope it is reckoned that the moon will be brought vrithin thirty miles of the earth, and that discoveries will be made on that planet to solve problems here­ tofore held to be unsolvable. THF. treeless condition of parts of the South American pampas, of the La Plata region, at least, is attributed by Mr. Arthur Nicols to tho work of an omnipresent ant, which feeds upon leaves and quickly destroys tree, seed­ lings and other tender plants as soon as the leaves appear above ground. In­ dian corn grows freely on these plains, its growth being so rapid that the in­ sects do not succeed in completely de­ vouring the young plants. MICROSCOPIC organisms not only de­ stroy the plant and animal forms fa­ miliar to us, but they appear also to build up such forms, and to be neces­ sary to their very existence. A French biologist, M. Duclaux, has just made some experiments which tend to prove that plants will not germinate unless microbes exist in the soil, and Pasteur had already been led to the conclusion that microbes are essential to animal life, as digestion cannot be performed unless they are present. A GERMAN physiologist, Prof. Eulen- berg, has found that different parts of the body are very unequally sensitive to differences of heat and cold, the sense of temperature being most acute in the forehead and the back of the hands, and least activq in the back and upper part of the abdomen. At the former spots differences of about a third of a Fahrenheit degree were dis­ tinctly perceived, but at the other two points differences wero only detected when reaching nearly two degrees. AFTER tea has been steeped in boil­ ing water for three minutes over iive- sixtlis of the valuable constituents are extracted. At the end of ten minutes the leaves are almost entirely ex­ hausted. Prolonged infusion give no additional strength to the liquid, but it does cause the loss, by volatilization, of the flavoring principles. Hard waters are to be preferred to soft waters in the teapot, as the hard waters dissolve less of the tannin out of the leaves. The bearing of these laboratory results on the art of making a good cup of tea is obvious. Du. J. M. ANDERS has reached the conclusion that only flowering plants, grown in well-lighted places, generate ozone; and that the most odorous flow­ ers produce the greatest quantity. The ozone attacks the organic matter of the air, and by oxidation renders it inert: and Dr. Anders does not doubt that flowering plants is clear weather give off enough of the natural purify­ ing agent to be of hygienic value in­ doors. Foliage plants although yield­ ing no ozone, may be of advantage in contributing to the maintenance of a healthful degree of humidity in the at­ mosphere of rooms. Ancient Degs. In the Danish "kitchen-middens," or heaps of household refuse, piled up by the men of the newer-stone period --a time when our Scandinavian forefath­ ers used chipped and polished flints instead of metals for their weapons-- are found bone-cuttings belonging to some species of the genus eanis. Along with these remains are some of the long bones of birds, all the other bones o: the said birds being absent Now it is known that the bird bones here found are the very ones which dogs cannot devour, while the absent ones are such as they can bolt with ease, and it has been ingeniously argued from this that the remains in question did reallv belong to a domestic dog, as, if the animals to which they appertained had been wolves, they would have made short work of the long bones as well as of the others. Other dog bones are found in Denmark in later periods. At the time when the flint knives were succeeded by bronze a large dog existed and at the time when iron was used one larger still. In Switzerland, during the newer stone period, a dog existed which is probably the oldest of which we have any record. It "partook of the character of hounds and setters, or spaniels," and, in the matter of its skull, "was about equally remote from the wolf and jackal." This dog, too, like its Danish contempotary, was suc­ ceeded in the bronze period by a larger variety. Thus we see at a time when our ancestors were living "in dens and caves of the earth," in a state of civili­ zation about equal to that of the Afri­ can or Australian aborigines of the present day, the dog was already sys­ tematically kept and "selected," that is any good varieties which appeared were taken note of and kept up.r-rCa®- xell's Natural Hintora. Double Vision. Modern experience proves the verisi­ militude of ancient fable. Pentheus, it is related, so earnestly desired to piy into the mysteries of Bacchus' sacrifice that he climbed a tree. Instantly he was struck with 2'hrensy, an alHictiou which caused him to see things double. To place the stern heel of modern an­ alysis upon this fable, would, it seems, render it laughably absurd, but actu­ al investigation shows that the "fa- balist" has observed a close relation to actual life. Many a man, hanging around Bacchus, has been afflicted with double vision. There are times when the Bacchus hanger-around has to put. his paw over one eye in order t() deter­ mine which street car he should take. He sees double. When he goes home two women open the door for him. He hears but one voice, but the movement of many lips, proves that more than one mouth speaketh. The yourg man should not attempt to pry into the af­ fairs of Bacchus, for double vision shall surely await him. Of all the gods who occupied prominent places in the hot house of mythology, Bacchus is the mo3t truthful. He say: "Gentlemen, if you fool with me you shall see 3ouble." Who can dispute him? No man can say: "Bacchus, thoulie$t"-- Arkansaw* Traveler. ' ' ALL nations have agreed in the ne­ cessity of a strict education which con- listed in the observation of moral du­ ties. THE greatest homage we can pay to truth is to use it. Capt. Hugh I .en-is Renounces Democracy and Becomes a "FuU-Fle<lge<1 Republi­ can"--His Reasons lor This Important Step--Au Able, Manly, and Patriotic Let­ ter. The Madison (WiB.) Journal is in re­ ceipt of the following letter from Capt. Hugh Lewis, in which he fqrsakes the Democratic communion and unites his fortunes with the Republican party. Capt. Lewis is a one-armed veteran who fought valiantly throughout the war, even after he was crippled, and has al­ ways been up to this time a prominent and exceedingly active and influential worker in Democratic circles. He now holds a well-paid position in the veter­ an messenger corps of the National House of Representatives, and, it is understood, was recently offered pro­ motion, which he refused. His motives for change are evidently, therefore, purely of a patriotic nature, and not emanating from personal considera­ tions : For twenty-flve years I have been an act­ ive meuibor of the Democratic party, doing everything- in my power to place its candi­ dates in control of the various departments or government. During1 that considerable period I have marched in its processions, contributed and disbursed money for its cam­ paigns, associated and bten intimate with many of its leaders, and Ailed to the best of my ability some of its humb.e offices. I have studied the ways ami doings of its sages and counselors, watched closely its general course --more recently at short range--<11 pest ed and proclaimed its professions of principles, and learned its platforms almost by heart. Should 1 not know the Democratic party? I think 1 know its secret workings, its capa­ bilities, its heart, its conscience. I a'so think I know its true value to the citizen, itB true worth to the t-tate. The conduct aud enunciations of the Dem­ ocratic party have not always met my ap­ proval, and I have openly so delared as oc­ casion arose. Sometimes I had misgivings concerning the sincerity, of those who as- sum d to be its oracles and high priests; and my faith in the ability of those whom tho world believed to be patriotic to cope with those who cared nothing for principle or country was not always lirm. Sometimes, too, in spite of campaign enthusiasm and tho rigor of party ties, 1 found myself debating whether the Democratic party, with so much in it that I, a Democrat, could not indorso, was tho one to be fully intrusted with tho control aud guidance of tho destinies of a nation as mighty as ours. Although hope had these contentions with doubt, yet tho name of Democrat sounded sweet in my ears, and I struggled on for suecoss, really believing that after all victory would bring to the front the ablest and truest generals, the wisest and most conscientious statesmen of my party, in whose hands public atlairs would bo safe, the country prosperous, tho people contented and happy. l*ist fall the long-lookcd-for and long- fouglit-for victory camo. The Democracy, chastened l>y many disasters, was placed at tho head of public atfairs; tli9 real trial of its virtues and statesmanship which I had ex­ pected would wipe out all my doubts had at last come. Three months of that trial are now before us, and what a mlserablo record it is! As "a now broom always sweeps clean," so the opening months of tho Cleve­ land administration must be accepted as more cautious and conservative than any that will follow. Yet what do we soo? Instead of broad, progressive statesmanship; instead of an honest, healthy reform of the civil service; instead of guidanco by men of ripe attain­ ments and full experience; Instead of a clean-cut and high-toned administrative pol­ icy, we have a long series of falso pretenses, demagogy, personality, and blunders. We see appointed to hign ofiicesdrunkards, social if not criminal outcasts, and partici­ pators in election butcheries and frauds; enemies of fair and free elections; enemies of our benellcent public school system; former and present enemies of the Union- men uncleansed of treason, unrepentant, unreconstructed, and with their disabilities yet upon them. Can soldiers who left limbs on the battlefield stand these things? Can they condone and indorse them? If there be any such, I am not of them. I want no more Democracy upon my plate. I fought hard to (ret the present administration in, and I shall tight still harder to get them out. They are not the men to rule tho country in this day of enlightenment and progress. Look at tho vast system of blackmail and perjury inaugurated by the Postmaster Gen­ eral. Were affidavits for political purposes, against friends and neighbors, over heard of before? Wero men over before libeled and slandered at wholesale by agents of the Gov­ ernment;1 Was there ever a time when so many disreputable appointments had to be reversed to satisfy public opinion? Was there ever before a timo when it was a polit­ ical crime for a man to attend a cauous and vote or speak his party convictions? No. And after tho current four years I trust the present reign of falsehood, mas­ querading, sham, retrogression, and black- mall will end forever. This step of mine is taken upon no sudden impulse. It has been well studied, well con­ sidered--has been growing upon me for some time. After seeing the Democratic leaders placed in charge of the ship of state 1 have lost faith in even their fair-weather seamanship, and therefore, just as my party is entering upon an ora of power and patronage, I take occa­ sion to announce my convictions so that no one can impugn my motives. More espe­ cially as I shall no longer to looked upon as an indorser and dofendcr of those things which 1 cannot possibly defend and indorse, and so I shall bo no bearer of false colors, open to no charge of espionage or coward­ ice. Let me bo fully understood. I am no Dem­ ocratic mugwump, kicking against disap­ pointments or fruitless office seekings; but I am and wish to be considered a full-fledged Republican and in perfect communion with tho Republican party--the only party capa­ ble of properly governing this country and fulfilling the manifost destiny of its people --the party that, after seeing thetn both tried, most nearly meets my approval and accords with my convictions. I fear no consequence, ask for no quarter, expcct no reward, but am doing simply what I believe to be right. I would rather live on musn and milk with a party that attempts to be lair, patriotic, and honorable, than be the grand mogul of the present crowd of black­ mailers, slanderers, and dispensers of pat­ ronage by means of falsehood and false pre­ tenses. HUGH LEWIS. Rebel and Union Man. Speaking of the Ohio Republican platform the Nashville Banner says: "The old cry against the rebels has lost its power as a political war song, and the Republicans will not help their cause by trying to keep it up. The country is progressing and leaving be­ hind the war prejudices and passions; it will leave behind the party which at­ tempts to keep them revived." The people of the North will be found, however, generally to hold the proposition that one man in Georgia should not count for as much in national affairs as two in Ohio. Grover Cleve­ land was elected President by the un­ constitutional suppression of honest votes in the SouthernRepublican States. The Solid South is a bloody fraud, and in violation of the terms and conditions of the peace that followed the South­ ern surrender. The idea that the States that were true to the nation con­ quered those that attempted the de­ struction of the Union, simply that the conquered rebels should be re-estab­ lished as the ruling class over the whole country, and that all opposition to this class is sectional and tends to the re­ vival of the war, is one wliich should not be entertained in any part of the country. We object to the possession by the "man who fought against the na­ tion of two or three times the political force in shaping national affairs that the man has who fought for nationality. We are willing tostaud on equality with the rebel brethren, but the object of the conquest of rebels was not that they might rule over us; and they have the potency to do because, through the al­ leged abolition of slavery and the sub­ stantial disfranchisement of the black race, the rebel is rewarded by holding two votes--his own and his black neigh­ bor's. We propose to have this ques­ tion settled on terms that recognize the equality of citizenship.--Cincinnati Commercial-Gazette. ILLINOIS LEGISLATURE. WHES the Ssa&te convened on the morning June 19, a message from the Governor waa iw ceived, which stated that he had signed flCinitW dough's election bill, Harper's bnrgliiy and the bill changing the nam» of the *n«M|«iii; Industrial School to that of the VniventorS Illinois. The Senate p PS MI the bill appmiptftk& in« $t\0tX>,w» for general State purposes tbe school fund. Senator Whiting's drajnaee bill was called up and j assed. The bill appropriating $2fi,d)0 for repattt to buildings and patting a sewerage system la the Jo!lot Prison waa passed, as wan also tbetax levy bill. Senator Snyder called up the HonM bill in relation to the time of holding Circuit Court in various counties, and it was pawed by a vote of 3 > to ;*. \ Senator Merritt called np resolution deploring the death of 'Victor Hagot which was adopted bf a standing vote. was another row in the Honse over a motkm t* recons.der the vote by which Mr. Qnina's bill abolishing prison contract labor was defeated. The bill was finally passed by a vote ot 79 yeM to :is nays. The Board of Trade's measure fea reference to the Committee on Appeals wot through. Ruby's bill amending the llqnor law! by prohibiting the sale of intoxicants in qtlaa- ticies less than live gallons within two miles of any incorporated town or village, schoolhonse, church, or fair ground, was also passed. Baird's bill revising the fish and game laws was put through, as was also the Senate bill allowimr l'ark Commissioners to levy assessments oa abutti nn property for keeping the parks in r»> pair at the rate of one mill per dollar. THE House enjoyed the novelty of a Saturday session on June 20, for the first time in seventf weeks, meeting, however, with a scant quortuit. For this reason, the body being more manage* able, business was dispatched with great rapid- , ity, and a useful forenoon was passed In a haf* monions legislative effort. The order of the dajr was the Senate bills upon second reading, and some twenty-tive were read and advanced a stage. A number of Senate bills appropriating money for the support of State institutions wero sent to third reading, and both of the Normiil School bills were made the special order for the 23d. There was no session of the Senate. THE Senate held a very short session on Jnna 22, and did very little work. One Honse bill, known as the school superintendents' bill waa read a first time and advanced. Half an hoar was spent in endeavors to get up various bills, and the Senate adjourned without doing any­ thing further. In the Honse, Mr. Messick called up the resolutions introduced by him at the lam part of the session in reference to the death at the late Judge Joseph Oiltespie. The same were adopted by a rising vote of the House. Mr. Cherry introduced a joint resolution to have our Congressmen and Senators work for the re-enactment of the arrearages of pension law for soldiers. Adopted. Mr. Boutell had his resolution memorializing Congress to adopt a definite Indian policy called up and adopted. When the Chester l'enitentiary bill was reached, on motion of Mr. Crafts, the $lo,w item for con­ tingent expenses was knocked out. The bill was then advanced to third reading. There was a wrangle between the members as to wlimt disposition shonld be made of Merritt's Sen­ ate bill, declaring "all corporations doingbust- ness in Illinois shall be considered cMzens thereof." The bill was finally ordered to a third reading. The Senate bill appropriating money for the ordinary expenses of the State Labora­ tory of Natural History and State Entomolo­ gist's oftice was ordered to a third reading. Sen­ ate bill No. MfS, to amend the law in relation to elections and to provide for filling vacancies ta elective offices, approved and in force July 1, 1S72, and Senate bill No. i>9, to regulate primary elections of voluntary political associations aaat to prevent frauds therein, were passed. AFTER an animated debate, the Senate, ON June 23, adopted the joint resolut'ons for a rev­ enue commission. Mr. Gillham called np his bill to prevent frand in the manufacture and sale of commercial fertilizers, and the same was passed. A communication was received from the Governor announcing that he had signed tho Cnrtiss election bill, the bill regulating primary elections of voluntary political as­ sociations, and the bill prohibiting the sale ot intoxicants within two miles of any fair ground, church, or school-house. The Governor Bent to the Senate the name of B. F. Funk, of McLean County, to be Trustee of the institution for the education of the blind at Jacksonville. In the House, the Copperas Creek bill waa killed by striking out the enacting clause, and the bill appropriating $200,000 for the erection of a soldiers' home was passed. The appropriation ($152,000) for rebuilding the Normal School at Carbondale was ordered to a third reading, after a noisy debate. The mem­ bers at one time were so boisterous that Speak­ er Haines quitted the chair in diBgnst. Mr. Full­ er taking nis place. Mr. Collins, chairman of the investigating committee, presented a report of the expenses of that body, and it was placed on file. Adjourned. THE truck bill was taken np and debated In the Senate on June 24, but no action wis reached. At the instance of a large number ot delegates from the trades unions of Chicago. Senator White pushed the convict-labor to the order of second reading. A numbe; House bills were read a third time and the only noteworthy ones being as folio wi requiring the State's Attorney of Cook to make semi-annual reports of all fees, and forfeitures collected; a bill approptial __ $iiitooo for the Woman's Hospital of Chicago; two amendments to the law of special assess­ ments calculated to simplify the collection of special assessments; a bill permitting judges to order special venires of jurymeu not exoeedinjg mo. in cnses where such officers may deem it de­ sirable so to do: Representative Webber's thor­ ough revision of the drainage laws of the State. Several little bills of no particular moment wen also passed, and for an hour Senator Southworth amused the Senate with a hiuhly humorous speech on a bill presented by Senator Morris de­ claring Lusk Creek not a navigable stream. The House of Representatives engaged in a wrangle over the exi>ense accounts of members for visiting State institutions, but they were finally allowed. The general tax-levy bill was ordered to third reading, after reducing the amount from $2,000,000 to $l,5t»o,ooo. The bill allowing the Clerk of the Criminal Court of a county to hold office until the November election of lH8t> was also advanced to third reading. The report of th'? committee appoint­ ed to investigate charges of corruption was laid before the House. The report embodied a summary of the evidence, much of which, being utterly irreconcilable, was pre­ sented without comment. The committee dis­ misses Presto W. Kidd, author of the newspaper paragraph which brought about the investiga­ tion, as an "irresponsible person;" censures Speaker Haines for "conduct unbecoming the pres ding officer of the House;" acquits the Klgin Board of Trade as a body of misconduct, but finds that there is sutiicienJ|grouiut for the indictment of its Treasurer for trying to use money for corrupt purposes, and administers a mild reprimand to Representative Bruce Ken­ nedy for making unfortunate "jokes" regarding the canal claims. All the members sign the re­ port, K. L. McDonald dissenting to the clauses referring to Kennedy. After a heated discussion a motion to receive the report, discharge the committee, and "banish" the report from the journal of the House was adopted. THE Senate, at its session on June 25, passed the "truck" bill, forbidding mannfacturing in­ stitutions to pay their employes with merchan­ dise orders. Senator Rinehart. an opponent ot the measure, voted aye, and immediately gave notice that he would move a reconsideration. The Senate i assed the general appropriation bill with the House amendments. The House amendments to the levy bill were non-concurred in, and, the House adhering to the amendments, the bill was sent to a conference committee. The House bill appropriating > to continue the Illinois exhibit at the New Orleans Exposi­ tion another year passed the Senate. The Northern Normal appropriation bill passed the same body, the Isakewell order having been stricken out. The convict-labor bill pro­ duced a prolonged conflict, the Senate remain­ ing In sessiou nearly all night, and scenes of the wilde-t disorder were enacted. In the House the bill granting a portion of the bed of Lake Michigan to the Lincoln l'ark Commissioners passed, and the motion to reconsider the tabling of the report ot the investigating committee was itself tabled. Chicago members raised a storm when the bill to prevent fraud in the manufacture and sale of dairy products waa called up, but their obstructive tactics were un­ availing. and the bill was ordered read a third time. Then the bill could not be found on file* and charges were made that it had l ean stolen, but it was finally explained that the bill clerk, who was absent, had the document locked in his desk. Ray's criminal-continuance bill was passed, as was the resolution directing the State to pur­ chase copies of the book known as "Haines* Treatise on Township Organization." The meal- lire in relation to foreign surety companies W$M killed after a somewhat prolonged struggle^ The general deficiency bill was returned from the Senate with the report that the $100,000 re- ducti m was non-concurred in, and a committee of conference was appointed. Several appro* priation bills were passed. Putting Her Foot on Hint. "How cold my feet feel on this floor?'* remarked a young lady at a l)allt) hall, to young Simpkins, who is sonMh what of a fool. -- f; "How I wish I waa a magician; j£ would immediately change myself into a tiger, and then you could put youar feet on my beautiful hide," replied Simpkins. _ "If you want to change yourself iut<* any animal, why don't you talk abool changing yourself into a sheep? II, would be so much easier for you, should think, to change yourself into H " sheep than into a tiger, "* replied th#| ' young lady, who does not dea:re to eu«* courage Simpkins in his foolishness. --»• Texas SiJ'tings. ' WHAT tree most resembles the remains of a line havana cigar? A white ash. ' . THE membership of the Grand Army of ' the Bepublie is SWIM. ' M ...

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