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VA« SLYKE, MCHENRY, Publlsl ef, ILLINOIS. " h' *L.X r>- _ JpiORD TmonrsoN's poem ojpon the of the Duke of Clarence de- « scribes that princeling as "tender, v>- ©^ereut, and pure." Ob, LordI ' ^ "--•-- .-- I.il l.. i • i IH.f.m. l«p . T~ v* "A PERFECT neck must be twlceas Idhg as its circumference."--Phila­ delphia Record. This is chucking cpmfort under the chitt of the ge§.tle- ,V|(WBII who wear cuffs for collars. THERE is always a best way of do­ ing everything, if it be tb boil an Manners are the happy ways of {oing things; each one a stroke of genius or of love, now repeated and rljirdened into usag$ ^ / THERE is a time in everyman's life When it-takes a little attack of sick­ ness to cure him of his disgust of life. There is nothing like a doctor telling $ man that he is sick and may die, to %ake him want to live, H >:• r LET your thoughts be of ttfchers rather than of self. Introspection is like digging up flowers to see how they grow./ Unconscious work is the t best work. Look out and not in. If f |ou perpetually think of self, you and patne Duty will part company.' ' 35VEKY time a new baby is b^ in ^family, the fond father and mother rtart a bank account for it, which they draw out and use for themselves before the new baby is six months old. If all of us had the bank ac­ count that our parents planned for •:M|& we would rival Jay Gould. x } . f 1 ^ :THERE are three things that our common schools should be compelled to do. First, get the young in love With land and home--make home so intensely interesting that the chil­ dren will prefer it to all else; second, teach them to make agriculture profitable; and third, make farm life Intellectually and morally on a level With the best possible life elsewhere. -SOME English editors profess to be- Il^ve that the United States Govern­ ment was hasty in insisting upon apologies from Chili and some repara­ tion fully three months after the in­ sult to cur \flag and |he outrage on our seamen. This is simply ridicu­ lous. Great Britian would have, opened Are On Valparaiso within ten days after the Baltimore incident if Chili had not apologized before that * time. : - You have seen a magician tiikke a slouch hat and by a few twirls of a africk make it spin in the air and be­ come a thing of symmetry and beauty. Likewise has many a business felt the magical touch of the intelligent advertiser. He has found the pro­ prietor discouraged, downcast and ap­ parently doomed, and by his advice and assistance has brought the con­ cern out of the slough of despond into the clear light of substantial success. I IT was a wise man who said: **Leave nothing to what is called " ^iick' and you will generally be what to called 'lucky."' So in advertising. | , Take every possible precaution that Will assure success. Secure the best ^ advertisement obtainable--the one Of all others that will be most likely ^ to bring you business. Then see that it goes in the right mediums--the papers that will bring you the largest i-' ;- returns. By giving painstaking care to all of these essentials you will probably find that yon will have fL\ „%ood luck" in advertising. } Si' • ISr, ' " , * JJU<. «> WHAT do we hear? That the divine l&V' Sarah has been getting herself en- i"' f tangled in the laws of the sovereign ^ State of Georgia, by going out hunt- " Ing on Sunday! The blue laws Of Z1 that section of the South are very 1 severe, and perhaps the fair come- «' dian may be forced to fly from justice, pi* <jyer mount and through valley, like fl - her celebrated predecessor, Marion t^'v. *" . De Lorme. And it appears further " ' tliat the good folk of Georgia is more ivthan usually offended at this breach * j*,<of Sunday laws, bccausc Sarah, with her little gun, brought down several iff.v buzzards. Now, the buzzard is sacred in that latitude, for he is the scaven- £fer of the South. Mayhap Sarah's buzzards will cost her dear. that 3Sze at the nozzle of a' ,er with It at that point quantities of ^air. Two pipes lead frotn the nozzle of the fireman's pipe to a rubber mask enveloping the face. Through one passes the fresh air, while the other is used for (exhal­ ing the air after it has been breathed. If the device works there should be a provision for supplying It, not only to all fire­ men, but to the inmates of such places as the insane asylum at Pon- tiac and the surgical institute at In­ dianapolis. ~ YHERE are a great many pie in town, but don't go to see them too much. No njan with a bad tasted in his mouth, and pains runninjfaip and down his back, cares to have vis­ itors. We have noticed that people who make a profession of visiting tKft A *K\ f v**v V*v»j ttic vau Utica Tf UU Mvivl know when it is time to go. In their efforts to say ̂ something cheerful, they are playful, and no sick man likes that Above all, don't pray with a sick man. Teli a sick man to prepare for death, and it will scare every chance of recovery out of him. If you are sorry, send him something to eat. He won't care for it, but those who have the Worry and care of him, can eat it. Half the people out in the cemetry are there because their friends wore them out when they were sick It would be very im­ pious to write "Talked to Death," on ^a tombstone, but it would in many instances be true. THE latest device in the way of ar­ tillery is a small canon which is to be fastened under the body of a horse, the muzzle projecting between the creature's fore legs; the idea being that the rider may discharge the piece at advancing infantry at short range. It is not stated how the horse is expected to behave during the operation. If the gun kicks, will the horse be allowed to kick back? It is to be hoped that smoke­ less powder is to be used,, else will the poor beast be in danger of suffo­ cation from the sulphurous fumes of his own weapon. There would seem also to be a possibility that the nose of the horse might be added to the missiles sent against the enemy. The trial or the scheme in Ireland, under the direction of General Wolsqley, does not seem to have been bril­ liantly successful, but a new series of experiments are to be tried In India. The idea seems to be that in India any strange idea will work, even if in the rest of the world it is found to be utterly impracticable. SPEAKING of the terrible disaster of the burning of the Surgical Insti­ tute in Indianapolis, the Sentinel of that city says: "For years it had been expected and predicted, and the horrors of it drawn in word pictures practically just as it occurred. It was rightly considered inevitable. It was known by all to be a mere mat­ ter of time till it occurred, until the people would be shocked by the knowledge that the long-expected and long-dreaded had happened, sickened with the details of its horror and stunned with the terrible harvest death reaped by it." Such facts add to the horror. That the city author­ ities should know of and wink at such a crime is appalling. ^The Sentinel adds: "The Sentinel bows its head in shame that it has not raised its voice long agojigainst this standing menace to human life." As such dis­ asters usually come in duplicate and triplicate the lesson is clear. Let the authorities of all cities be on the alert. Imperfections of the kind about buik ings where the sick and helpless are gathered are wholly in­ excusable, and thp authorities per­ mitting them and those owning thefia should be held responsible, I#; NOTHING aggravates the average ^Jlemberof a church so much as to in­ ornate that he is not any letter than the average ran of people. A good many church people are disliked be cause of their air of holiness, and tfte church itself suffers'because of the litolish conduct of some of its mem* Tiers. "Pious" had become a term of ; ffeproach, and you often hear one church man say of another church- Dan: "He is too pious," by which is meant he snivels too much, and tries to look good instead of trying to act good. Indeed, in the church lt- A j^elf you will find the pious abusing each other • for a lack of piety. A bishop lately stated that out of every 'twenty-five professing Christians, twenty-four were hypocrites. Had a worldly man made such a statement, the pious would have gone rapidly from one fit into another in their ef- forts to abuse him as much as.ticf de- obrved. A DENVER man has Invented a de- Ite * Jiice, by the use of which a fireman may venture into densest smoke .and be assured all the time of a sup- jpjly of fresh air. The .device is based on the discoveiy that a column of wa- !°- ter four inches or less in diameter A 8«nalbl« Woman. one morning, rec«itly, I a gentleman yho had Early called to see not yet left his becl. I was met at the door by a woman whose sleeves were rolled up. who wore an ample apron upon whjch were various spots of flour and whose face was not entirely free from similar spotis" It was "bake-day"' but she did not embar­ rass me by any reference to the fact or any apology as to her appearance. She asked me into the parlor and af­ ter sending one of the children up­ stair! to notify the father of my presence, re-entered the pafrlor and chatted until her husband appeared about various topics in an entertain­ ing. easy manner quite as though she had been expecting and was all fixed up to receive me. It was simply de- lightfaland my great grief is that I have no sufficient excuse to make another early morning call at the same home.--Pree Press. Natural Kconomlnt. ' Most women are natural economists. They have twice the skill of saving that men have. Think of the "auld clothes made to look amaist as well as new:" think of the old bonnets re- trimmed and brought out in the lat­ est style; think of the twisting and turning, the contriving and saving, to which many a woman resorts to keep her family locking respectable, while her husband never thinks of stinting himself in cigars or liquor. Many a man is kept from pauperism by the contrivings of his wife: many a family owe the comfortable house they inhabit more to the economy of the mother than the savings of the father. Before men talk of the ex­ travagance of women they should en­ deavor to learn a lesson from their economy. FIRST Experienced Matron--Do you. love your husband as much as you did when you married him? Second Ex­ perienced Matron--Y-yes, 1 guess I love him just as much--but I know him better now.--Exchange SuwstMoil ConiurBinjt th» Or««!h JUeatio* Adulter at to*. This being the time of the y«-ar when the new season licorice product is placed on the market, it will be well to put our readers oi| their guard as to the qualities and Comparative purity of the varieties, now being marketed oy importers and manu­ facturers. Pure licorice is extracted from the root Glycyrrhiza glabra. The root is round, succulent, tough, and pliable. It is furnished with sparse fibers, rapid in Its growth, and, in sandy soils, penetrates deep in the ground. The juice is an excellent dulcent, well adapted for the treat­ ment of catarrhal affections and irri­ tation of the throat. The method of producing pure licorice is, shortly, as follows: The roots having been dug up, thoroughly cleansed, and half dried by exposure to the air, are cut into small pieces and boiled in water till the liquid is thick and turgid. The decoction is then allowed to rest, ana arter the dregs ha ye subsided, is decanted aud evaporated to the proper consistency. The extract thus pre­ pared is formed into rolls, from five to six inches long, and about one inch in diameter They are of the best qualities, and are called Solazzi and Corigliano. The bars are dried and wrapped in laurel leaves. They are of Italian origin, from Which country the very finest, licorice is produced. The qualities of licorice in various countries differ very materially. The juice from Turkey and Greece has a bitter flavor, that of Spain is sweet and pleasant, but the product of Italy is far richer and more aro­ matic than any other varieties. There is no doubt that licorice is adulterated to an enormous extent previous to importation, more par­ ticularly by the French and German manufacturers. .T^ie English makers of licorice goods of the com­ moner and cheaper kinds are not asiiaiued to increase the ouik of the imported juice two or three times its original weight, by incorporating with it large quantities of glucose, common sugars, starch and tether faiina; whilst many of the less scrupulous traders sophisticate licorice goods with much viler and more harmful adulterants. The best juice com mands a minimum price of about 80s, per hundredweight, cheap altulter- ated goods, not dissimilar m general appearance, can be obtained from 35s. to 40s., and this second-rate stuff is still further tampered with before it comes into the hands of the consumers. Mr. Bernard Dyer, F. I. C., F. C. S., recently remarked that "there seems to be no doubt that a large propor­ tion of the licorice in the market notably that from French sources--Is grossly adulterated, and so far as re :gards such specimens as I have an alysed, there should be no difficulty in dealing with the matter under the Sale of Food and Drugs Act. The qualities of the brands most to be de­ pended upon, after Solazzi and Cori­ gliano, are the Italian ones of Pigna- telli, Grasso and ZtKia." No doubt the trade has suffered very greatly by the wholesale introduction of harmful adulterants into licorice goods, the rejil value of the true juice, which is both beneficial and nutritious, being destroyed by the admixture of for­ eign matter. We cannot, of course, blaipe the retail confectioners for such vices; they suit the pockets of their customers by buying of the man­ ufacturer such goods as they can sell; but we are firmly of opinion that the once flourishing condition of the licorice trade would be revived if licorice workers used juice of only the best brands, and dealt solely wl*h firms of well-established reputation who stock the justly celebrated So­ lazzi juice.--London Confectioner. The Saddle Horn M an iaveatment. Every man of sedentary habits, when he feels his first youth slipping away, finds that to keep his health he must take some kind of exercise. If he neglects this imperative call he will find that his youth not only slips away, but that he passes through middle life with.a rush, and becomes old and broken before his time. To keep his youth for the longest period, to preserve the vigor of middle life, and still be sturdy in a green old age, there is no exercise which will con­ tribute so much as trotting and gal­ loping/over country roads and grassy lanes: The fresh air blows the cob­ webs from the brain, the lotting of the horse secures a good digestion and a healthy appetite, and brings about a wholesome, physical fatigue which induces restful sleep. There­ fore, where it can be afforded, the saddle horse is one of the best Invest­ ments a man can make. He is npt apt to tire of it, and therefore fall to get th§ full benefits of the invest­ ment, as men do with billiard tables and gymnasiums in their houses. But to get at the same time the greatest enjoyment and the most benefit from saddle exercises, every man who in­ dulges in it should try to become a skillful horseman. There are many schools of riding and probably each of them has some peculiar method; but riding, after all, is but the ap­ plication of common sense, and any intelligent man, not abnormally awkward, who will think about what he is doing can make of himself, if he choose, a very good figure as he can­ ters along a park road or highway, and, while enjoying himself thor­ oughly, increase those stores of health upon which the necessities of busi­ ness and professional life require that such serious drafts shall be made. appe self-denial our own iru Courage in Lite, Life is not entirely made up of great evils or hoavy trials, but the perpetual recurrence of petty evils or small trials in the ordinary and ap­ pointed exercise of the Christian graces. To bear with the failings of those about us--with their infirmi­ ties, their bad judgement, their ill breeding, their preverse tempers; to endure neglect when we feel we de­ served attention, and ingratitude when we expect thanks; to bear with the company of disagreeable people whom Providence has placed in our way, and whom He has perhaps pro­ vided or purposed for the trial of our virtues--these are best exercises of patience and self-denial, and the better because not chosen by our­ selves. To bear with vexation in busi­ ness; with disapi&intmenfc in our ex­ pectations; with interruptions of our retirement; with folly, intrusion, dis- our Will, " contradicts our this habitual acquiescence » be more of the essence of n any little rigors d( Nflg. These constant^ inevitable, butlvi.rjor properly improved, furnish as$jood moral dis­ cipline, and might, in tfce days of ig. norance, have superseded, penance.-r Hearth and Hall. ^ --V CUII n u btaii T|«A, \ QUIDNUNC--Have you evib studied the labor problem? Uhzic^j--Well, I should say I had; and I have solved it. too. Qnfrtniinr--How? Lazicys --I let my wifedo it all.--1ihe*Jester? MR& LIVEHIGH (with an eye to a pair of ear-rings)--I see that diamond mining can no longer be conducted profitably without blasting. Mr. Livebigh--Guess that's what makes 'em so blasfcd expensive.-^Jewelers' Weekly. HUSBAND--I mast tell you of a funny thing that happened to-day. Do you remember that this mornW you sewed a buttol on my trousers^ j Wife--Why, certainly. What of it? I Husband--It isstiit there.-- Brooklyn Life. .; . MRS. MCSMITH--t always have a presentiment whenever there is going to be any sickness i& the family. Mrs. Bumpus--So do I. Every time Mr. Bampus brings home ;i fry in a box he is sure to have a sick headache In the morning.--Brooklyn Citizen. MR. MOVEOFT--Well, my dear, how do you find the neighbors here? so­ ciable? Mrs. Moyeoft--Very. Three or four of them hive already sent in to ask if I would kllow their children to use our piano tk practice on.--New York Weekly. 1 A.---WHAT'S the raatter with you? Why is itthat yoti are taking your wife's dog out for a walk? B.--Ah, since she has learned that it is against the law to take a do# to a beer saloon she never permits me to go out with­ out Ca?sar. Fliogctsile Blatter. MR. YOUNGHUSBANI)(coming home finds his wife at the stove)--So you are doing your own cooking? Tell me, now, what is it that you are Cook­ ing at that stove, Molly? Molly-- You musn't have sornnich curiosity, I don't know myself vet what it is going to be.--Texas Sittings. A Novel I ownrtalloa. A very simple method of laying the foundations on a swampy location, which did not furnish a lirm subsoil, was employed by an American en­ gineer for supporting' a low wooden building to be used for storage of machinery. Casks were set-*in holes in the ground along the line of posts, and were filled to the depth of about one foot with iron turnings. The posts were set in the easlys which were then filled with iron turnings compactly rammed in place. A solu­ tion of salt and w»ter was then slowly poured over these turnings, which compactly soMitied into a hard mass. The heat of the oxida­ tion of the iron was so great that' the posts smoked and were charred, the latter fact probably being the rea­ son why they have cot as yet ex­ hibited any signs of decay; and in this respect the use ol iron turnings furnishes an advantage over the use of «ooerete for cask foundations. BLOCK. A I>ls»«trous Bliixe Hr«?ak« Onf ft>i a tall Store and fDentroya Two, l|iUion Dollars" Worth of Property--f.tst 6t •• «lp^l lUSMI*. Cresoent CHjr Flam^. ' % At New Orleans two millions rf mrrrif!^ went up in smoke the other night by fcb© destruction of a large retail dry goods establishment in the city; The scene of the fire, says & dispatch, was in Canal street, the priiiuipnl thoroughfare of the city, at the point where .it is intersected by Bourbon. Schwartz's establishment, a commanding structure and but recent­ ly completed, occupied the corner of Canal and Bourbon. It was a four-story building, with mansard roof-^a brick, Stone, and iron edifice, surmountek by a high clock tower. At 10:15 o'clock a waiter in Moreau's restaurant, on the opposite side ofCanal street, perceived a small tongue of flame licking its way along the cornice of the roof and uasieiifu to give ilie alarm. u"iie de­ partment responded promptly, but ex­ perienced great difficulty in getting to work, and the whole edifice was ablaze aefore a stream eeuld be brought to bear Ujon it. the flames spread backward to Kraus Btxs.' establishment and across Bour­ bon street to Clouverius* drug store simutaneously, and the department found itself in a moment powerless to cope vith the destroyer. A general alarm a*<i then a repeated general alarm were seat in, and suburban engines were pressed into service. Backward the fire spread to Hoffman's, to the left it attacked Werlein's, and crash fol-, lowed crash as the falling roofs over­ burdened th« floors beneath, already laden with slocks of merchandise, and each gave way in tur* until the interior fixtures of the stores and their contents were piled in .a blazing heap on the ground. On the opposite side of Bourbon street Clouverius' building was the first to col­ lapse, and it carried with it the walls of Dunkel's establishment. McCloskey's confectionery establishment was a mass of seething name, aiui Kreger s build­ ings were also burnlag fiercelyf RvjJ;. the Nickel-Plate shoe store intervened to save the main entrance to D. H. Holmes' immense establishment in Ca­ nal street, and that porUprn of the store was bift little damaged. Schwartz's stock, valued *tover $500,- 000, was insured for $363,010, and the building for $35,000, considerably below its value. Holmes' stock W8? insured for twice as much, but the damage to ft is not thought to be so great. Clouver­ ius carried $8,000 insurance on et»ck and the others were insured in proportion. Every insurance company in tht city has about an equal share of the loss. The risks have been divided. Most of the buildings were newly erected and considered separate and excellent risk*. The individual losses, so far as they cai» be ascertained, are as follows: LOM. Inaorano* Schwartz & Sons *300,£C0 9966,000 Stiinvoient and Protective Order of i* Iks. W. T. Clouverius Wenner'B Gardeu. D. H. Homes Muie. Gnddmrd............ Mine. Godln j. ai. riomtiaa John Curry. Ancient Olibnter. . J-Wonder how manyof those Ameri­ cans who eat at the great restaurants of the Paris boulevards are aware of the fact that the dishwater In which the plates and dishes are v^shed is only changed and renewed onCeUn every twelve months? Yet this is the strict but scarcely sober truth. The method is far less unclean than it appears at first sight. For the dishwater, after standing for a week or so, develops strong ammoniacal properties, which have the effect of immediately removing all grease from the places and dishes dipped therein. The grease thus loosened by the am­ monia remains floating about on the surface, and is skimmed off once a day, placed in a tub, and disposed of by the chef as one of his perquisites. By the end of twelve mouths tho dish­ water has become converted into al­ most pure ammonia--New York Tribune. Ancient J?ettery. The primitive potters kneaded clay by hand and baked the articles made from it in the sun, but they were wry porous and fragile. Then it occurred to the potters to subject them to the action of the fire, and thus to Increase their consistency and resistance, but the wares still re­ mained porous, which led to the dis­ covery of making them impermeable by cover! ng them with glaze. The e^rly glaze was, however, hardly more than a varnish, and the white enamel glaze of the present day has been attained by a long series of ex­ periments too Intricate to detail In this column. Pottery which is coated with this enamel is by the French called faience. In Italy It is known as ma­ jolica, because the methods employed by the Italians were imported from the island of that name. Pat VT1H» Would Think of Them? It Js well known that dry sand is one of the best things that can be used for killing an incipient oil fire, and some factories where oil is used have been equipped with pails for this materia] in various departments. It is now suggested that many dwell­ ing-house fires caused by lamp ex­ plosions might be averted by keeping some ' of the ornamental vases in the rooms filled with sand, so that it would be always at hand and ready for use in case of need. A further in­ cidental advantage of this precaution is that fragile pieces of porcelain by being so ballasted, would be much less liable to breakage. ') L Origin of an Okl Bayln*. "Good wine needs no bush" means that anything of good quality needs no puffing up, but will recommend itself. A bush of Ivy, boughs of trees, flowers, etc., hung over the door, used to be a sign ;in England that wine, etc., might be had within, but where they kept good wine there was no need to put up a bush, as the fame of it would spread without advertise­ ment, and people would tell each other where- to go for good wine. Strictly speaking, the hush should be that plant being- sacred to Bao» cbus. •• An arteona Cari««iiy, One at the greatest natural worter!- ties in the world, says an Arizona official, is embraced within the sec­ tion of mountain country lately set aside from Yavapai. Arizoria. The natural bridge of Pine creek, an arch carved by the forces of nature in their grandest display, will yet be the Mecca of the tourist from every por­ tion of the Union. It is situated about, seven miles from the little settlement of Mazatal City and about same distance from the lumber ^tep of Pine. The bridge, though igrandest scale, is well hid- view from nearly alf points hills above, and not until arrives at the lip of the lat lies concealed at the valley does the vast fight, with the stream Tire top of the n acres in extent, on either side* and he owner of the of tU> j c; ui den upon the deep gor bottom cavern con rippling in bridge, alxjut1 meets the the hi% is being utilized property as a ga%.n ami orchard. Toe cavern below ^ the shape of a bow apparently su\rtea by two grand arches that joia mighty le. From stream .he arch the *riy •°s"pSEls>7MSd'" *he Irftngue of American Wheelmen <gi Charter-Sa* Down to Hi* Death- -An Knttre family r"rom Fm and \«ar. u THJS boys of Madison CountV haty killed nearly 17,000 English sparrow* since the war began. For further I ticulars see their school reports for month of nuary. THREE little boys vrnr* BROWNED wl skating in the lake at Chicago. They were PhiUp ',r aged 9, Prank Scholl, agtd 10, brother Willie, aged 7. GOVERNOR FIFEI* arp -inbpd Thomas' W. Shields and William M. WHilsm*, of Cairo; Thomas S. Rldgeway, of Shaw- W neetown; Bobert Bell and Silas 2r^ y X.tunifs, uf MoUut Ci*i Ii>e5, liieiiiutrfa the Ohio Biver Commission. 4% FARMEB CH UBIVES GIBBONS EAT DOWFT " to rest on the Jacksonville and South-: Mid fell asleep. Ttaf pouth-bonint*Sifi Express s'rufk and killed him. HAnfetijo fourth death fiat' the family insMe of wwjjjj? Tre»b.-s. /; THE story that the ,f**~" tory machinery is to be Springfield, Mass., rcoe^*('^lt* . impetus by the discharge ©? all th»4|i* _ force. The eontia^t for the dials ft# the Aurora faetorv for the vr<*?nt h»» faotArr at Snrmsfiieio. S. G. Cregier MoClo»k«y.. 15,000 8,000 SO.OCO 15.0CO 1,000 8,000 I'.OOO 103 to. 000 10,000 40.000 *3,000 6.000 40,000 60Q»000 10,000 9,04)0 14,000 V«,30» 6,000 23,000 oojooo ,nz Bros Philip Werlein The buildings destroyed collectively are estimated to be worth fully a quar­ ter of a million, while many other buildings were badly damaged, as well as tBoir contents, and not included in the above estimated loss. GROWTH OP WINTER WHEAT. Reports from Several States Show It Has Not Pawed tlie Critical Condition. Winter wheat has not yet passed be­ yond the critical state, and the next few weeks may make considerable changes in the situction. An authentic report says: In Illinois the outlook is at present encouraging. From 47 per cent, of the correspondents come reports that the crop is in first-class condition. In an additional 30 per cent, of the State the condition, while not quite up to a full average,.is still very fair. Not quite one correspondent in five gives the condition as poor. The causes that have brought about this poor condition in these coun­ ties is the same that existed at the last report in wheat, namely, the dry fall and the failure of much of the grain to come up. In Indiana the condition at this time is somewhat better than in Illinois. Some of the wheat is reported as weak, but not more than 21 per cent, of the correspondents report the condition as poor. On the other hand, nearly 60 per cent, declare the outlook as good, and in the other sections it is fair. The standard of condition in Ohio is below that of Indiana, 40 per cent, of the correspondents returning the outlook as good. About 45 per cent, give the con­ dition as fair, and the others as poor. In some of the counties the snow has gone, and the freezing and thawing may have a very bad effect on the grain, especially where the condition is low. In Michigan 75 per cent, of the corre­ spondents report the condition as good, 20 per cent, report fair, and only 5 per cent?, poor. In many of the counties the wheat has been covered with snow the greater part of the winter, and in the other counties was covered during the coldest weather that we have had. Jupiter and Venu*. JUPITER and Venus played a taking open-air engagement, but they are now starring alone.--Boston News. VENUS and Jupiter, although drawing apart, present a lustrous and beautiful appearance in the western sky. Jupiter is a noble star, but for effulgence Venus rather takes the shine off him.--Cincin­ nati Commercial-Gazette. DURING the recent "justaxposition" of * Venus and Jupiter they were still 400,- 000,000 miles apart. That is enough to make the average space-writer open his eyes.--St. Paul Globe. IF the recent astronomical flirtation between Jupiter and Venus results in the world coming to an end it will be another evidence of the truth of the old adage to the effect that there's always a female in it.--Des Moines Leader. WHO knows but that the late conjunc­ tion of Venus and Jupiter may have marked the disappearance of tho grip? This theory is at least as plausible as any other on a subject about which no­ body really knows anything for a cer­ tainty.--Boston Globe. v To Manage Huabandit. THE best suggestion came frofft felly Devereanx Blake, who proposed as the best rule for marital happiness that the wife should not always ask tho husband where he was going when he went away and where he had been when he came back. Lily is * i|arling.--St. Joseph Gazette, SoRosia, while admitting the amena­ bility of husbands to management by their wives, Is careful to define the only method that can be regarded as infalli­ ble. This means to a glorious end is described in sugared terms but, brought down to pith, it consists in the delusion of man, the making him believe that he Is having his own way, while, in fact, his better half Is having hers.--Pittsburg column on the con ye.. the bed of the boulder-8t to the roof is about lt>0 fe< will average 80 feet in widtli length of the great tunnel i 500 feet. The material of the bridge it fln®. stODe, which has be^h fluted" and cfti- { -- - -- -- - . , ven by the action of water into many! Bnd the ?Aal foree will have t> look for grand and beautiful shapes. Ivor is the grotesque missing, for the imag­ inative may see at every t%rn pro­ jections that are oddly sijggestive of many forms of animal and vegetable life. Far up under the roof, reached by means of ladders, is a lengthy cave, leading far back under the western hill. There is, opening upon the wing of the bridge, a labyrinth of; caves, which are almost as interest­ ing as the bridge itself. The caves have not been thoroughly explored, but extend back thousands of fee$. Oowmn the owner of this "two-storied ranch," has spent weeks in under­ ground travel, and there yet remain a number of caves which he has not yet visited. One especial gecullarity of thlsmys-* terious and uncanny neighborhood is the fact vthat the waters of several springs above have the property of petrifying all objects with which they come into contact. Over the brink of the cliff the waters drip, gradually turning to a silicate of lime the vegetation below. Moss grows in luxuriance upon the cliff in long fes­ toons, the outermost being green and thrifty, the second yellowed with a coating of lime, and the third and inner line completely petrified, the delicate, lace-like tracery of the moss showing beautifully distinct in its mineral counterfeit. And thus the cliff creeps forward and the caverns are lengthened. Mr. Gowan states that these petrifications extend to the farthest depths of the caves he hae explored. . ® One remarkable petrification is a cedar tree, broken off about sixteen feet from the ground. It is but a few feet from the cliff and the falling spray has not as yet done its full work. The exposed roots and a few short limbs have been turned i^a ston and. the vegetable matter of v&e stump has nearly disappeared. These, briefly sketched, are the attractions offered by the natural bridge to the curious and to the lovers of nature's subliniest beauties. The pathway may be rough and the jour­ ney arduous, but none will ever re­ gret a. brief visit to this spot. • -| . * ' * ' S The Inntinet of Treofe : Every one has observed how certain trees in a forest reach upward and outward for the sunlight. They can­ not exist without it, and amid the crowd of competitors with which they are surrounded, they have a Very hard struggle to obtain those life-giv­ ing beams. Some kinds of trees which do not require much sunshine often envelope and half smother those which require more, and which are compelled to run their trunks up to a-great height in order that their crown of leaves may be exposed to the light. Frequently such trees resemble tall columns when viewed from the aisles of the forest below, as no branches appear upon their trunks until they nave attained the top of the surround­ ing foliage. But if one would use his eyes to the best advantage, it is not enough to observe merely that some trees reach after the light more eagerly than do others. The differ­ ence in the kinds of trees that behave thus should also be noted. Poplars, walnuts, hickories, wil­ lows, birches, pines and locusts thirst for the sunlight, and can not thrive unless they have plenty of it. Yews, beeches and spruces thrive In the shade. The resider would find a most In­ teresting study in noting the prefer­ ence shown by different trees in this respect. Their instinct in following the dictates which nature has given them sometimes appears . almost as surprising as that exhibited by ani­ mals. * •* jtcv t, <• a t . .I.*. p- ' i Smelling Contests. The young people of Lewiston, Me., have a new scheme for entertain­ ment. At a gathering the other night a smelling contest was the thing that made the most fun, ac­ cording to the Lewiston Jotirnal. There had been obtained from a local druggist eight bottles containing as many different liquids of different odors, all common but one, and each numbered on the corks. The game was to smell of these and iaentify them, and write the decision oppo­ site numbers on a card. Sow, it is a well-known fact to those who have studied the tnatter that the sense of smell is the most deceptive of all the senses, for the reason that after smelling of three things in quick suc­ cession the nose refuses to do duty with most people, and beyond that everything is mixed and confused. A young lady and gentleman each iden­ tified seven out of eight of them; nine more identified all hut two. But generally the things written down were wide off the mark. Bisulphide of carbon--the only uncommon one-- proved a sticker. It was written down as extract onions, oil of brim­ stone, laudanum, boiled cabbage, and white rose. Hie contest was the fun­ niest kind of fun. • / * ; MM-' • new positions, THR Illinois IMv's'on of the League <n American mjertly cu¥te^| a charter from the 6*ate, aa*t j first Section resulted in the eholM of * the ^ Gf-»nld, ot / Cbfeago, Chi* f Coneut; A. XVBilling!*- ley. of Springfield, Vice CYneu!; Eurton . r. White, of Chicago, Secretary a*»4 Treasurer. The principal olvfect th# 5 league has in view in incorporating is to make a systematic effort lo fwtire vorable legislation, and by other mffcni promote, the improvement of country 1 roaiis. •••• THESE,!® EVIDENCE of the pois­ oning of t' e entire family rf James Morton, five miles south of Salem, to­ gether with that o* the attend'n? physi­ cian, Dr. Thomas Green, of Salom. Morton and two daughters were sud­ denly taken seriously ill, Friday. Dr. Green workei all nUrht apply ng reme­ dies. Morton, however, died before morning, and the condition of the daugh­ ters continued eritica'. Th•» Doctorate breakfast with the m embers of fhe fam- ,'.t lly who were not sick, ard FOOU after­ ward he and all were sittack d, and a messenger was promptlv hurried off for other physicians. Foul play is suspect* ed, and, it is saiu, . evidence is stron against one person. * GEOROE GANNON, employed in the Iroquois furnace at South Chicago, w«a 5 the victim of a remarkable accident that will cost him his life. A dozen of tho men were taking a momentary respite from their labors, when it was remarked; that the fires were getting too hot, and $) Gannon stepped forward to open the* furnace door. As hs did so the- draft the chimney was checked and the hotj blast struck the workman in the face.' As though struck by an electric current! he sank to the floor limp and lifeless.; He was carried to his home, but he can-' not recover. His physician says his in-; Juries consist of internal burns and a contusion on the head, caused by his fait. AT Springfield the Columbia Electrio, Transmission Company was inoor-i porated, with $500,000 capital. The in-! G. Armstrong, and Clarence Grigga.j Mr. Armstrong said: "Wo have incor-! porated this company not for expert-1 mental purposes but to demonstrate that! power can be transmitted long distances and to utilize the water-power now go­ ing to waste in the territory adjacent toi Chicago. In Germany last summer 300' horse-power was transmitted 115 miles.; We are now making arrangements byi which we will control a water fall of| 2,000 horse-power eighty miles from! Chicago. A plant will be erected there, i wires strung, and by means of high tea-; sion currents this will give us as least! 1,500 horse-power In Chicago. As the; cost of each horse-power in this city at; present is $70 a year, at that figure wej should have an income of $105,000 ft) year from this plant alone, and the COSKI to us would be merely nominal." • Mps. THOMAS EMEBY, who resides in Clay City, and was given up to die with consumption, commenced eating thei flesh of a dog and is now able to sit up.| She has been eating tills meat two' weeks! " ' PENSION AGENT ISAAC CLEMENTS, OFF Chicago, was notified of the remarkable; death of an aged female pensioner, th®! widow of an 1812 vetoran. The lady*s| name was Catherine Baker, aged 8ft; years and widow of Dunning Baker, a. private in Capt. J. Cook's company of. Kentucky State militia. Mrs. I5aker| lived at Metropolis, 111. A few days ago; the aged lady received a letter from one- of her sons whom she had not seen fori thirty years telling her he was coming) home to visit her. Th* receipt of the? letter greatly excited the mother aildl she became ill from sheer excitement; and joy at the prospect of again seeing; her son. Evidently the son was fcaj a highly nervous state himself and; while journeying toward the home hej had not seen for so many years ha stopped off at a station and sent a dis-; patch to his mother telling her that he| would soon be with her. It was a fataij message. Worn out with anxiety and watching, the aged mother was thrown! into a still greater state of nervousness.! It was only a few minutes after the re-! ceipt of the telegram that the whistle ot, the train bearing her beloved son sound-! ed on her ears. It was too much for thej old woman. She fell to the floor, and in; a few moments was dead. Her SOB! reached his home soon after. He was; almost wild with grief, which was inten-. sified by the fact that he himself had' been the innocent cause of her death. AFTER escaping once from two foot­ pads, A. P. Fowler, of Chicago, was the same evening shot by them in the left leg. Mr. Fowler was accosted by twe men, one of whom carried a revolver and the other a club. They demanded his money and valuables, but Fowler convinced them he had none and they allowed him to pass. The men crossed the street and there stopped J. H. John- gon, a colored man. Johnson showed fight, and in the scuffle one of the men shot at him. The bullet missed Johnson, and struck Fowler, 100 feet away. It lodged in his leg, but the wound wae not serious. The robbers escaped. THE Board of Supervisors of Sanga­ mon County has appointed Miss Annie Hannon County Superintendent of Schools, to fill the vacancy occasioned by the death of her father, N. B. Han­ non. • ;• IT is now proposed to form a new trot­ ting association, to comprise such town® as Quincy, Keokuk, Burlington, Hanni­ bal, and Canton. Gibson Brown and D. F. Miller, Jr., of Keokuk, are tk* prime movers, and were in Quincy to confer with Thomas 8. Baldwin, owner of Baldwin Park. Mr. Baldwin decided to enter the new circuit, and It is •*- * k* - 'B pected that the new association will he in t-hape to do business by the Km » the fall race meetings..