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OF OEPSESSIOX POINTED - , OUT AND THKIK 1USMEMXS. _ ^of Middlemen Hd Fluctuation* | , to Price Aro Among Them--Statistics on £%r ,p- IJvo-Stock Exports -- Cattlo Diseases , ®* Overcome--System of Taxation i\. Demands Improvement, fi : _ Secretary Rusk, of the Agricultural . Department, in answer to numerous in- A v - ,^lQ'ries asking about the cause of wgri- &>! '<<CKltur.il depression, has written a letter g . «»«,.for publication, in the course of which he Assays: - rjiv- The present agricultural depression, it seems V to me, can be traced to a combination of many *^cauRes, so many that probably no one man can *}' „ «"uuiTi»rate them all. I will only endeavor to oi 't , point out some wtiich seem to xne more directly I,, " * responsible. They may be divided into Uo :•* : 1, Those causes inherent to tba teji*,..- .farmers thw--Sl»BS, .and for which they alone r ,* <"FHI provide a .possible remedy. 2.-Those over ' Va\ • •which the farmer bbpself has no direct control, and the remedy f«$c;which must IKS provided as •$fmx aa remedy la posstble by law, and for such FI „. .'V legislation the msponaibUlty devolves upon the ~ theHtatea and of the Na-legislative ^.tiou. What the reapo bodtoaof iu&Man IfaRaer mostdo. I will confine myself to a mere enumeration of the first class > . of causes Indicated, On many farms, I regret to say, we ftnd a depreciation of' the productive if^Jaffipowarof the laodaue to careless culture. We ,% /•sflnd a want toj often «l bueineaH-like methods, * ;f«Uke to the fact that *.i earlier times laziness |s, < training was not reg:>./ded as an essential pre- ; ; paration for the farmer"a work, whereas to-day, ..J?,with altered conditions, when every penny, and , I may say every moment of time, has" to be ••v. i;-, .profitably accounted for, and in the face of •• i * world~ wide competition, a successful farmer gy&j^must be as well trained and careful in business S3U-V?;a& the store-keeper, and his equal in intelli- *! igcnce and general education. Nor are the itu- F ' : ,l«ortaDt questions of supplv and demand of market prices studied with the vigils ee which ;jg. characterizes the methods of our merchants and "-manufacturers. These last, moreover, have the advantage of transacting their business in im- i 4 mediate proximity to trade centers, where the life' v v widest information in reference thereto is read- k!'>4 obtainable. Our farmers' orgauiza'.ionK are . wisely seeking to supplement this waut for the .farmer; the agricultural press is earnestly working in the same (Unction. and one of the " . most important dutipa devolving upon this de- partment consists in gathering and promptly If? , distributing reliable information on all those .-.ubjects which are essentially interesting to the ; farmer. It remains for liiui to avail himself of • trie Information thus supplied as his chief pro- i%!,' tection not only against oversupply of certain products but- against possible over-reaching on 3?'* the part of purchasers. The farmer must look Pfe S with suspicion upon any attempts to abridge ;W* v'the sources of his information. His odvantage ' will always be in the fullest knowledge of the 4? » factB. He must carefully study the character SSl;;»ud the quality of his products rather than .Si, rnrnisU." Thtiit prodnoed oa <mr Isbn^t of oar agricaltuml the «a«rtetic rasearctk by ot Agrtooltar* into ttM differ­ ent sections of this country, investigation of their aoiii and climate, aal tbs application, in general, of scientific principles to agriculture, all combining, make this assurance doubly sure, provided always that this diversiOeation be en. couraged and fostered by the appUcatton of the principle of production to the development of It is sfci ipljr the otecl AFFAIRS IN ILLINOIS. tSTEKKSXlSO ITEMS GATHERED raok vAttiois dooiCES. ' mere quantity, and always bear in mind that whether prices are high or low it is always the best goods at the best obtainable prices that are the most readily sold. Many of our farmers NfO"" bava been land-greedy and ttiid themselves the -1 * o wners of more land than they can properly »">.5 care for in view of tiie comparatively high price 1*.*J ' S<jf labor in the rural districts, and in view of tbe , -'fact that but a small |Kiiti on of mankind, com- •i • ; Sv paratively, can profitably control tne laix>r of v others. The prudent farmer will limit his efforts I-"'that which he can efficiently perform. At'ain, j.V ' r more attention must be given, especially on our 'PSjij * Western fai-ms, to the raising by tbe farmer, for &;/ ' his own use, everything that may be utilized by '?*<• liintself and his household, so far as soil and t climatc and soil will permit. I have passed over these various causes. V **-tbriefly- 1 do not deem [t necessary to dwell ti" "t- .- upon them at length, V»ai will merely reiterate thejfact that for them the remedy is fearible, and it depends upon the farmers themselves to provide it. No one can relieve them of this re­ sponsibility, but 1 am thankful to Bay that, i owing partly to their own efforts, there exist to- ' day in many States valuable initrumentalities : capable of mater ally saving them in their work, and to-day, iu this country, no farmer need be „ without all the aid that ktioAladge and science ;X caij impart. PAnitf MOUTOAGE8. •»'" _j The burden of mortgages upon farms, homes \ " and lands ip unqnasfcionably discouraging in \ % the extreme, and while In some cases <teo doubt « 1- ^his load may have been too readily assumed, r'fi ,f"'s Htill in the majority of cases, the mortgage has ' „ ^ been the result of necessity. I except, of , _ '."t course, such mortgages as represent balances If' »« of purchase money, which are, rather evidences of the farmer's ambition aud enterprise than . : of hie poverty. On the other hand those mort- ' *' * gages with which land has been encumbered from the necessities of its owner, drawing high / rates of interest, often taxed in addition with a heavy commission, have to-day, in the face of • ^continued depression in the prices of staple products, become very irksome and in mauy cases threaten the farmer with the loss of home • * and land. It is a question of grave difficulty . ^ ^ to all those who si ok to remedy the ills from, \ 'r„: which our farmers are suffering. At present i • •*, prices the farmer finds it takes more of his jSC' *•'prbducts to gat a dollar wherewith to pay back 7i~ * the dollar he borrowed than it did when he ;J borrowed |t. The interest accumulates, while ^ payment of the principal seems utterly hope- less, and the very depression which we are ais- ' cussing makes the renewal of the mortgage most difficult. Many people a' e disposed to as- i aociate this phase of the subject witn the ques- |t -. •' tion of an undue limitation of our currency. »• ' , Many carry this line of argument to extremes, ; but it is by no means impossible that thfse subjects are corelated. However, the question .of currency is now receiving special attention from another branch of the Government; legis- jatlon on the subject is now pending before - ' Congress, and we can. no doubt, look for an . ' 4 early and satisfactory solution of this vexed ' •<•' problem. E^ After discussing ths question of tsransporta- v;; .. / tion, gambling in farm products, combinations pv and middlemen! he comes to tbe considera­ ble ' tioD ot K.'jK • PROTECTION' FOR IIIF, FARMER. / . -*i I now come to the consideration of one of .tbe </• gravest causes in my opinion of ths present aj- ricultoral depression, but which I am happy to H state can lie effectually und directly dealt with • i through national legislation. Few jjeople realize ,if that our imports of agricultural products esti- , mated at prices paid the consumers are about equal to our agricultural exports estimated at prices paid to the farmer, yet such is the case. Our imports of products sold in competition with those actually produced on our own soil, amount to nearly $115,003,000, and as much more ; could be produced on our own soil under favora- i, ble conditions. We must surely conclude that we have here another cause of depression. The ! subject is so vast that I can not dismiss it .> briefly. Indeed, I can do no better than to re* l>eat here views already expressed by me on tibia subject: IMPORTS OF AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTS. Of all thp wonderful phases of development of which t.ha United States furnishes such fets- " striking examples none is, perhaps, more re- R&. ' markable than the wouderful increase--totally ;'.) disproportionate to our increase in population h.' T --in our imports of produi-tn which are dis- ' tinctly agricultural. In 185.) the imports of lt%v: r? such products amounted to #40,000,000. For the # "I fiscal year ending in 1H8'J they amounted to the •s» s ' enormoua Bum of $35t>,00^,090, an increase of j, j nearly 900 per cent., while tne increase in popu- J/' 3 lation during the corresponding period was con- .. . siderably less than H00 per cent. Tnis is all the gfe' more remarkable when taken in conjunction ;« with the fact that this is pre-eminently an $y ' 'agricultural country, opehing np year after "- "i year, with a rapidity that has alarmsd the pro- ' ducers of the old world, immense tracts of •?U*>' V country to be devoted exclusively to tillage; all V the more remarkable when we if alize, further- ^ more, that over 70 per cent, of our total ex- %.. s ports are the direct product of the soil. Ac- '> companying this extraordinary movement there Jf ^ has been duiing the past decade, in which M- • •*'; the greatest increase of- such imports has taken ' jilace, a steady decrease in tho prices of home- '-7 ' grown products. To any reasonable man the '+{• t conclusion must be obvious, namely, that in the ; * line of products, with the exception of cotton, upon which our farmers chiefly depend, there * is grown up a well-nigh -- i which the labor of the 5$'; has grown up a well-nigh ruinous competition in which the labor of the peasant of Europe, of the miserable fellah of Egypt, and of the un­ fortunate half-starved Indian ryot, working for . pauper' wages, neglecting all the amenities' of Spfci-Mi life in order that women and children aB well as men may work in the fields, is pitted against - that of the Anieric ai farmer, relying upon his yff' own and hie ern's labor, or where he employs fe'.-'ij •" hired help, paying them a fair rate of wages ac- ' • f.'j'.j". cording to our American standard, besides pro- •* ' \Tding them wfth the same food and shelter as "J hejgiwi to his own lamilv. * ? Growing a surplus of wheat, that surplus "iSr " whose price is forced down by the competition of Bussia aud India, regulates the price of the *dfJ*' entire crop. The product of our vast corn fields, $<4 for which a comparatively insignificant foreign ', i demand exists, must be utilized largely by the farmers for the raising of cattle and hogs. The foreign market for live cattle which exists in Omit Britain is so hampered by the oppressive regulations requiring slaughter at point of landing as to exercise little or no beneficial in­ fluence on the price of his product, while the new industries on the farm extension to our agriculture of tbe protection so beneficially attended in the past to our manufacturing industries. In the days when the farmers wore prosperous, when good crops were accompanied with high i rices, and the vahie of agricultural land went un accordingly, the farmers, to a man, stood by th j principle of protection urged on behalf of the manufactur­ ers, who, burdened then with the heavy load of taxation Imposed upon them by the civil war, were threatened with grave disaster in the face of European competition. Now, in tbe face of tbe ssvere competition which to-day confronts the farmer in foreign markets, duty, fairness, and in the long run self-interest, de­ mand that we should afford him the Ixnicflts of a home market foi all that he may be able to produce on our own soil. This includes all the sugar and molasses, all animal products, wool, silk, flax, and other fibers, all our breadstuffs, fruits, hay, hops, rice, tobacco, vegetables, and wines, but many of these things will never, can never, be produced on American soil in competi­ tion with the labor of European mines, espe­ cially when, as in the case of sugar, the industry abroad has been helped by liberal Government- bounties. It is worth while noting that the price per pound of the great bulk of the sugar imported was, at the point of shipment, 2.91 cents. It should be borne in mind that, while we estimate In our statistics the value of im­ ports at the price in the foreign port of ship­ ment, the value of the export is on the other band, estimated at. the price at the port of ship­ ment in our country, so that to the former must be added transportation, commissions, ex­ change, and dealers' profits, which, without the duty, would add fully 25 to 30 per cent, more to arrive at its value at the point of consumption; this would bring up the cost to the consumer or our agricultural imports to nearly #500.030,000, or estimating solely such as could be, with proper encouragoment, grown on our own soil, we have a value of not much less than $330,000,- 000 as the possible reward of diversified agricul­ ture, a sum almost equal to our agricultural exports, estimated at farmers' prices--that is, less cost of transportation and commissions or other shipping charges to point of shipment. Before leaving this subject, a glance at the competition which our farmers have hitherto been compelled to meet, even on our own soil, will be found most interesting. Of the $7,- 000,000 or $8,003,000 worth of live animals im­ ported into this country, the greater proportion were of ordinarily marketable sti-ck, as contra distinguished from pure-bred stock imported for breeding purposes and admitted free. Of all other animal products, including wool, there is not one that can not now, indeed that is not now, being raised upon oar own soil, and yet, including wool and hides, the imports of these animal products amounted in the year referred to to over #'i0 000,OJO ; to this add .$-iti.0;)i),000 for fruits, tJ8.00J,000 for barley, over S-,0.H),(KM) for hay and hops, $3,50 ),00.) for rice, 611,000,000 for tobacco, $3,000,000 for oils, $2,503,000 worth of vegetables, the same of eggs, over a million dol­ lars' worth of cheese--these represent some of the imports, aggregating nearly .¥115,000,00.), which, in spite of the productiveness of our own soil, are brought into this country and sold in competition wi ll our farmers. The Region of the United States whore this competition is doubtless most ^severely felt, is in New Eng­ land, the Beat of manufacturing enterprises which owe their existence to the fostering care of protective tariff laws, and what is the result? It seems to me that our system of taxation demands improvement iu certain directityis. The cost of supporting the Government Deads to be most equitably adjusted anrmg the differ­ ent classes =®f our people. At present in many States the burden of local taxation praBses heavily upon farm property, its very nature rendering it easily accessible. Every corpora- tion created by the Htate, and to which Bpecial privileges are grin ted either by State, county, or incorporated village or city, should be taxed in proportion to il B earnings, and in all ways the principle of taxation should be to place the bur­ den of maintaining the government-, whether State, municipal or national, npvii the luxu­ ries and comforts which the wealthy enjoy, and to reduce it to a minimum in its application to the hardly earned property of the poor man. No doubt many more causes could be assigned for the present agricultural depression, still lesB is there any doubt but that other and more efficient remedies than those suggested might be found. I may say will be found, to relieve it. 1 have merely tried to indicate what soemed to me the more important causes, and to point out such remedies as a long and solicitous consid­ eration of the situation, and, I may add, long familiarity and sympathy with the hard work­ ing, frugal class which ia the immediate and chief sufferer, have suggested to my mind as beth necessary and feasible. I candidly "confess that my personal sym­ pathies are with the farmers, and they must bear with me if I offer them an earnest word of caution. No possible relief can come to them or to the country, no permanent remedy for pres­ ent ills is to be found in measures which are rather the outcome of resentment than the product of reason. I would say to the farmers, stand firm as the ever-lasting ni ls iu demaud- ing what is right, and resisting any possible infringement on your rights as citizens by any other class or cothbinatiofi of people, but be«- ware, lest in your just eagerness to secure your own rights, vou seek to infringe upon the rights of others. Sfo measure that conflicts with the rights of any one class of citizens, but what is sure to follow the course of the boomerang and return to injure the hand that shaped it. On the other hand, let it be borne in mind by all other classes of our citizens, that the present conditions demand consideration now aud that consideration must be full and fair; for the time being it is paramount to all questions, and ft necessary, every (tfber interest must be pre­ pared to stand aside in favor of measures look­ ing to the relief of agricultural depression. • J. M. MUSK. M'JHXLEY'S BILL tflLL PASS. f-X* A., f h • - - - - continental countries in regard to American ' pork have reduc 3d the exports of that product hi nee 1881 over 40 per cvnt. annually. Under *;such cireumBtanceB there can be but one cause assignable for the neglect of American fanners "to turn their attention to other crops in the line •I of such agricultural products as we now im­ port, and that is that in this tbey would meet ^ \ " an overwhelming and disastrous competition With Amendments, It la Sure to Keceive Congressional Approval. The Philadelphia Presn prints the most complete and careful poll of the majority in Congress ever made by a newspaper. The purpose was to ascertain the views of individual members as to tbe necessity of passing a teriff revision and reduction bill as speedily as possible. Interviews were had with 209 Senator! and Bepresentatives. The Prem inter* viewers have found what opposition exists to the McKinley bill on the Republican side of the House, and br extending the interviews to leading Democrats have found the particular line of attack upon tbe bill liliely to be adopted by tbe oppo­ sition. The fact of supreme importance is that a bill revising tbe tariff and reducing the revenue will be enacted before Congress adjourns for the summer. '1 he Press bas interviewed 159 Repub­ licans, and, with two exceptions, they all agree that a Bepublicsn tariff bill will be passed, and that while differences exist as to tbe make-up of schedules, the en­ tire party Is in accord on the general jprinciple and purpose of the McKinley Whle the interviews show a strong , sentiment on the part of Bepublicans in favor of the bill, even if some features of it are not wholly in accord with the indi­ vidual opinion of the member called upon to express his views, tbere is a singular dearth of strong criticism on the part of the Democrats. In a general way the Democrats protest against the bill without going into par­ ticulars. They admit the probability of its passing, but they are evidently dis­ pleased with a measure which offers the masses of the people free sugar on the one hand and the farmers of the country additional protection on the important articles which they produce on the other hand. The result summarised is as follows:" Total number of interviews. 209; total number of Bepublicans interviewed, 159; number of Bepublicans who believe a bill revising the tariff and reducing the revenue must be passed before this Con­ gress adjourns, 20; nam1 er now ready to vote for the McKinley bill as it stands, 141; number who believe the McKinley il UvUCo I Hi llit J'lltt1 »->l 1X1 n | '»VA1UV/V( " "*,v * • . v • j - , • m . . . • obstructive measures adopted by several of th© i bill is sore to b® mnde satisfactory to tb6 party and the country by amendments, and passed, 118; number who are not sure about it, 7.--Philadelphia special. THE Democratic newspapers that are calling farmers "mortgage dopes," "blind protection fools." "paupers of the G* O: than they are now confronted with in tne rais- i P.," etc., will not make votes in the & • ing of cereals and live stock. Obviously, then, • • the only course possible to enlightened etajes- 'A' A manship is to assure the farmer adequate pro- fc,,', l, taction in the diversification of his crops and & the production of a larger proportion of toe W . • - articles which we now import. • These may be summarized as follows, the I; figures given being for the* fiscal year ending it '•'£ June 30,1683, and the values those at the ports of export: - ^ 'r Sucar and molasses ......$93,301,894 * Animals and their products, except - wool 43,253,014 Fibers, animal and vegetable 60,458,936 " . . Miscellaneous, including breadatuffs, V ', fruit, hay, hops, oils, rice, seed, to- "W/'- bacco, vegetables, wines, etc ...71,254,500 For obvious reasons I omit any reference here to tbe #90,000,000 expended for tea, coffee and v' ~~ & * coeoa, but omitting those we have still the '% swu> na of W86,2ra,V38 imports of agricultural farming districts. There' is no class of men in the land who labor with their hands who do so much reading and solid thinking as these same farmers who have offended free-traders. A DANBURY lady bas a dress worn by a bride in the year 1700, that weighs only three ounces. It is white, ent low in the neck, sleeveless, and irell pre­ served. , • EDWABD J. SANDERLIN, of Denver, is the richest man in the West. Ho made a forti^^l jg Jjia barber shop. * ̂ . ? - « .V -i. *# v. fv x *> . * * * ? What Oar Sclchbera Aro Doln(--Matters of lienerml and Local Interest -- Mar­ riages and Deaths--Aoetdeata and Cdnss --Personal^ Pointers. --Thsre will be no more coal dog in any of the northern or middle nor in lome of the southern coal districts of Illinois for an indefinite period of time. This is the result of three days' confer- 3nee between the operators and the min­ ers, which met recently in Chicago. A dispatch from that city says: When the joint committee met. on Wednesday morning it was thought that all it bad to do to bring ,about an amicable settlement of all differences bet ween the two parties, and so pre­ vent any strike during the coming year, was to perfect a plan agreed upon the evening before, to adopt the profit-sharing system. During the atght, however, the operators discovered that ihey had left out of their calculations the Jay laborer^, and i# they, too, had to have a share of the profits at the figures upon which :he plan was based there would be no profit left satisfactory to" the mine-owners, Tho miners, however, insisted u]>on having the percentage of profits they had been contemplating. After ibree hours ,,of discussion the committee, through A. L. Sweet, reported to the convention 'hat it had been unable to accomplish anything. The miners went into executive session, and after ?jur hours of deliberation decided to strike. They hope to reoi>en negotiations, and )an do so as soon as they cm secure the co­ operation of the Southern miners. --The following patents have been fa­ med to Illinois inventors: H. W. Adams, Sandwich, corn-shelter: C. Ti. Baker. Sloline. two-wheeled vehicle; W. A. Bar­ ker, Savanna, device for attaching hay loaders :o vehic'iss ; W. H. Rrechtel, Chicago, permuta­ tion lock; C. Bolander, Chicago, bag holder; E. Brunhoff, Chicago, gate latch; N. A. Bucking­ ham, Jacksonville, sash fastener; ,1. V. Burke, Chicago, filter; T. R. Butmau, Chicago, Hue :leaner; G, B. Carpenter. Chicago, t mt; W. Carroll, Chicago, electric lamp-post: SI. Carpenter, Chicago, coupling and Ira ft apparatus ; H. Condron, Chicago, plane bit; <i. W. Cook, Chicago, sash fastener ; R. J. Edwards, Galena, automatic determining levice for phonograph ; W. T. Grant, Jackson­ ville, gate; C. Guidotti. Chicago, infant's gar­ ment; F. Henkel, Chicago, combined bottle receptacle and stopper: O. A. Howe. Chicago, invalid beds lead; V. L. Kollberg, Chicago, ma- ;hine for flanging boiler beads; J. It. McMillan, Chicago, clasp; G. R. McGinnis, Cisco, corn planter; C. laolloucoff. Malta, sweat pad for horse collars; W J. Morden, Chicago, com­ bined cable aud steam track crossing; H. J. Morton and B. B. Anarews, Chicago, lumber irier; W. E. Mul1in%, Chicago, butchers' imple­ ments; J. B \ " ' rack. Schmidt, Chicago, lock; C. H. thaffer, Rock •ord, electric tiro alarm ; E. T. Skinkle, Chi- :aso, ammonia expansion coil; G. H. Spalding. Chicago, corn harvester; H. Westphal. Chi­ cago, traveling display stand; Margaret A. Wilcox. Chicago,-combined clothes and dish washer; F. E. Wolff, Chicago, earth closet; C. Wrlgley, Chicago, welding compound. --Chicago New#: Marshall Field has ariven a 198-year lease of the lot at the corner of LaSalle and Monroe streets to :he representatives of the Woman's Chris­ tian Temperance Union, and on this property the Union will erect its proposed vemple of temperance. The rental of ;he ground will be $40,000 a year. The building which it is intended to erect will :ost $800,COD, and will be twelve stories ligh. On the lower floor will be a hall With a seating capacity of abont twelve hundred. Ths upper stories will be ased tor offices. --The State encampment of the 8ons of Veterans will be held June 22-28. --Alderman McAbee, Of Chicago, has been indicted by the Grand Jnry. He is (ceased of conspiring to effect election 'raudsinhis (tbe Twenty-foorth) ward kt the recent election, end as co-conspir- itors the indictment mentions M. J. Corcoran, John Horn, W. H. Mitchell, Jobn DingwpU, James Lynoh, Stephen Cowe?, and Captain James White. In addition to this omnibus indictment, "Cor- ;oran is especially favored with two on ais Own private account, being accused in jhem. of perpetrating elefction frauds, ill of the charges grow out of the claim made by Horn and Lynch and "Steve" Collins and one Brown, restaurant wait­ ers, that they had been employed by Mc­ Abee and Corcoran to engineer a gang of repeaters at the seccnt Aldermanio elec­ tion. --Frank Woodruff, who attained noto­ riety in connection with the Cronin case at Chicrgo, has been let off with a six months' sentence for horse-stealing. --The divine who preached the funeral lerrnon of Daniel Webster, Eev. William Barnes, died at Jacksonville last week. He was one of the most noted Presbyte­ rian minister of the country. . Mr. Barnes was born in Ohio in 1816, was a Tale graduate in the same class that numbered tmong its members Charles Sumner and Edward Everett. He was pastor of a church in Boston wheu Webster died, and was chosen as officiating clergyman out )f the half hundred of the city's noted preachers. During the last, thirty-five years he had lived in the West, most of the time in Jacksonville. Judge William H. Barnes, of the Arizona Supreme Court under Cleveland, is hi6 son. -- Judge Schofield of the Supreme Court has ordered a reversal of judgment in the caseB of Mabel King and Annie Patrick, two female convicts confined at the Joliet Prison, and they have beer taken back to White County. The women were sentenced a year each for aiding two prisoners to break jail at Carmi, and will aow probably escape fnrther penalty on account of a flaw in the indictment. --Mrs. Dora Kreitzberg, one of the aldest citizens of Southern Illinois, died at her home in Marine last week at the advunced age of 98. ' --William Grab am, one of the old pio­ neers and early settlers of Central Illi­ nois. died at his home in Illiopolis a few lays ago.. --A terrible tragedy occurred last week it the residence of Mr. Stewm, a prom­ inent farmer residing ne»r Nokomis, Montgomery County. William Bassett, aged 25, hailing from Vandalia, had been paying attention to tbe daughter of Mr. Stewart, but the girl did not return his love. Bassett went to the residence to 3ee Miss Stewart. Upon being told by her that his intentions were not agreeable to her and must cease he suddenly drew his revolver and shot himself through the temple, dyinjg in a short time. --There is a gang of sharpers going through Central Illinois swindling the me.mbere of the Farmer?' Mutual Benefit Association and the Farmers' Alliance. Tbey claim to represent Franklin MAC- Veagh & Co., of Chicago, and the goods when delivered are worthless. At Illi­ opolis the farmers cornered two of these sharpers and came near mobbing th^n. They gave back a portion offthe money and left for parts unknown. ---In the United States Court at Spring­ field, Judge Gresham and Buna refused to appoint a reoeiver for the Say Lew# District. --FeUawing is tfce last w ckiy bnileUB of the Illinois Weather •bd Crop Bureau; The Wnpcntanot t®» weefc ha# b«tn np to a seasonable avenge. Fr0S*»lmvi> Iwen reported, hut «i» far a* heaid from h*.v« not aff«et«d the growing crops tajattousl?. An nvtzaga aiAorat of sunshine has been re* ported, and the rainfall has been below a aea- Bonatde average, except in the southern coun­ ties of tbe State. Extracts from observers' reports: Bond County--The last week bas been favor­ able for crop* and term work. Grass looking well. Rainfall, .99 inch**- Douglas--Mucn progress has }>een made with farm work. About two-thirds of the ground plowed for corn; oonstdemibla planted. Orchards are in full bloom. Edwards--Oats seeding about done. Plowing for corn. Rainfall, 1.55. Fulton-Weather dry and-cool, Wheat and oats need rain badly. No rain fell doling the Franklin--Wheat looks still better. Fruit prospects fine. Rainfall, 2.50 inches. Henry--Rain needed badly for wheat and oats. No raiii fell during the weA. Hamilton--Oats sowing about done. Corn breaking going on. Wheat looks bad. Meadows fine for the season. Fruit and all trees budding and blooming out. Rainfall, .2-2 of an inch. Iroquois--Oats about all in aud in fair con­ dition. Farmers busy plowing for corn. Rain needed. Rainfall, .07 of an inch. Kendall--Grass fully up to the average. Oats all sown. Corn ground being prepared. Rain­ fall. .21 of an Inch. Logan--Very dry; rain needed for growing crops. Rainfall, .01 of an inch. Iiakf - -The weather of the last week has af­ fected fiops favorably. Rainfall, .13 of an inch. Mai shall--Some little corn has been plantec^ but the ground is too oold for it to crow. Bain needed for grass, oats, and wheat. Rainfall, .03 of an inch. McHenry--Oats abont, all sown. Farmers plowing for corn ; nice plowing, but a warm rain would do good. Kainfall. .1! of an inch. Ferrv -- Vegetation advancing rapiftly. Or­ chards' in full bloom. Oats sowing progressing slowly. 'Wheat and grass looking welt. Kainfall, 50 inches. Pope--The season is two weeka late. Grass and clover looking well. Apple and cherry trees in bloom. Bainfall, .10 of an inch. S Sangamon--Conditions are favorable. Bain­ fall, .28 of an inch. Schuyler--Wheat needing rain. It is" already suffering on account or tke drought. Oats not doing well. A few fields of corn planted. Main- fall, .04 of 'an Inch. Stephennon--Early sown oats coming up. Oats seer in? nearly done. Fall grass lias done well during the week. Kainfall, .08 of an inch. La Salle -tVost l:»th and 20th, but no material damage. Excellent prospects for small fruits. On the whole very fair weather for termers. Itainfall, .18 of an inch. Macoupin--Many farmers plowing up their wheat. H --A Springfield dfopatch to the Chi­ cago Tribune says: The German Lutheran Synod of Illinois has distributed pamphlets protesting against the enforcement of the CduflPpulsory hducation law. Several hundred copies-' have b en circulated here and several thonwmd in the State. It is claimed that the law is an infringement of the BL8W 'AT PROHIBITION. IMTOBfAW UKC18XON BY TBI U. ft. StPBBSIS COUKT. ": •; V-rf, •ft JteJi the education of their children, obstructs in an arbitrary way tlio free development of parochial as well " as that of all private schools, and clothes the public school boards with such un­ checked authority as Will legalize any act of ititerlerence with private schools except that of direct control; that it denies to the defendant in suits under its provisions the right of fair trial and establish'** a dangerous vrecedent for future encroachments upon leligions and pa­ rental educational privileges; that it is respon­ sible for a dangerous element introduced into politics, compelling members of Christian churches to .enter the aiena of politics in the defense of their religious rights; and, finally, that it manifests an inimical spirit toward pri­ vate and parochial schools. --At a recent meeting, of the Central Illinois Mill^s' Association, held at Springfield, • Resolution was passed which says: , We have rcRfl wttn great satisfaction the bill introduced in Congress by the Hon. Benjamin Butterworth, of Ohio, to prevent option dealing, and we shall hail its passage as a harbinger of better times for our depressed industry. We fully recognize that, option dealing iu wheat is alike hurtful to the farmers aud tbe millers. The price of grain should lie regulated by the law of supply and demand, and not by the foot-ball ot grain gamblers on tbe so-called boards of trade, who have crovn rich in the pursuit ot their nefarious business at the expense of the miliar and the farmer. Copies of the resolution will be sent to the Illinois Senators and Congressmen, with the request that they urge the pas­ sage of the bill. --Senator "Hank" Evans, of Aurora, was passing along Madison street, Chi- • cago, the dther day, when a drunken loafer insulted a girl, catching her in his arms and trymg to kiss her. What followed is thus Ielated by tbe Chicago Inter Ocean: A number of people saw tbe affair, but no one interfered until the tall statesman from Aurora came up and demanded an explanation. He asked the loafer why he had Insulted the girl*, and received for an answer that it was ncne of his bu-iiness. "Well, out in the corn try, I make all such af fairs aB this my business." fays -Hank," at the same time giving his long arm a swing which let the open palm of his liand fall with a terri­ ble smadt upon the impudent fellow's face. It was a complete surprise to everybody present, but the fellow recovered in un instant aud be­ gan to kicli aud claw at the Senator, promising a ro-u!ar street fl^ht. But he was mistaken Senator Evans caught him by the shoulder with his left hand, and held him like a vise, while with his right, hand he boxed his ears right and left for a minute, and then dropped him in the gutter as he would an ugly cur he had shaken the life out of. No. a word was said by the Senator, and wben he had finished the job he resumed his walk down the street as though nothing had happened. The loafer crawled out of the gutter to the aidewalk and followed Evans to the corner to resume the discussion, but without stopping in his walk, tbe Senator let out his left hand and landed him a blow that sent bim staggering to the middle of the street before he fell. That ended the fight. The police did not interfere, probably for two reasons. Mr. Evans stauds six feet four inches and has strength according to his height. He was not fightinn. He simply took it on him sell to punish a drunken loafer who would insult a young girl on the street. --Tho annual report of tbe Commis­ sioners of Publio Works of Chicago shows that during the last year about 54 miles of water pipe, and over 32 miles of sewers were' laid. The people paid foi the improvement of pver 115 miles ot streets, and the stieet-car companies put down more than 110,000 square yards of pavoments. The tot.il length of the streets of Chioago is 2,047.28 miles, of which over 578 miles are thoroughly im­ proved. The sidewalks laid during the year have a total length of 1914 miles. The streets are illuminated ly 32,774 street lamps, and by 403 electric lights belonging to the city and as many more the property of private citizes. Last year Chicago UBed up over 40,000,000 gallons of water. The entire cost of the water works up to December 31, 1889, was $13 772.562, and the total inoome $23,083,- 352. The city's frontage on Lake Michi­ gan is 29 miles, and the river frontage is about 58 miles. There are two lakes and a part of a third within the city limits, with aft aggregate area of about 5 miles. --Tbere is considerable protest being made among farmers and stockmen around Springfield a ;amst the location of the World's Fair on the lake front in Ch'cago, a place that it is claimed is ut­ terly inadequate to tbe purposes of so great a show, > , --The Waogh and , the Western nail mills at Bollevilla and the Valley Steel and the Tuder Iron Works at East St. Louis have been consolidated under the n«m« of the Valley Iron and Steel Works, the capital of which is $450,000. --Gov. Fifer has refused pardons in the following cases: Dr. Joseph Bryant, convicted of manslaughter in DeWitt County in 18S9 and sent to Joliet for one year; James Cameron, convicted of burg­ lary in Cook County in 1889 and sent to Joliet for four years; William F. Shaw, convicted of receiving stolen property in Cook County in 1889 and sent to Joliet for two years; Edward Patterson, con­ victed of bnrglary in Cook County in 1887 and sent to Joliet for five $»ars; Peter Grosjean, convicted in Jersey County in 1884) of murder MID sent to Joliet for twenty-five yea*s. x C1 Vv?1 m»sn Brostht Into a gtats in Ortsfii*1 fMitafeei Can Not Be Selisd-Th* Court Claiati that tbe Iowa Law Interfere* with Interstate Commerce. [Washington special!] The United States Supreme Court on Monday rendered an opinion adverse to ths constitution­ ality of State laws in prohibition Sfates provid­ ing for the seizure of liquor brought from other States. Such laws, it is held, are interferences with interstate commerce. The case in which the decision was made was that of Leisy against Hardin, brought here on an appeal from the 8u- pr« me Court of Iowa. Leisv, a beer manufac­ turer of Peoria, shipped l>eer to Keokuk, which was seised in tho original pack­ ages by Hardin, a 8tate official, as having been suit thira in violation of the Jo»« law. The Supreme Court of Iowa held that the law under which thid official acted was valid, but the Federal Supreme Court to-day reversed that decision. Justices Gray. Harlau, and Brewer dissented from the opinion of the majority of the court.. The opinion cited a number of cases bearing upon interstate com­ merce ; among others-tiie license cases" laws pasted by Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Khodo Island in reference to the SRIO of spirit­ uous liquors, came under review in the court aud were sustained, although the members of the comt who participated in the decisions did not ioucur iu any common ground upon which to rest them, in which Chief Justice Taney is quoted as holding that spirits and distilled liquors aro uiftversally admitted to be subjects of ownership and property and therefore subjects of exchange, barter and traf­ fic, like any other commodity in which a right of property exists; that Congress, under its general power to regulate commetce with for- < ign nations, may prescribe what merchandise shall be admitted and what excluded. But in­ asmuch as the law of Congress authorized the importation of ardent spirits, no State has a rigut to prohibit their introduction. After re- fen itt^ to these and other deciaiona bearing on State liceuse lawa, the Court in its opinion to-day says; • These decisions rest upon the undoubted right of the SiaUts of the Union to control tht'ir purely internal affairs, in doing which they exercise powers not surrendered 10 the National Government; but whenever the law of the State amounts essentially to a regulation of com­ merce with foreign nations or among the States, as ic does when it inhibits, directly or indirectly, the receipt of an imported com mod it v or its disposition before it nas ceased to become an article of trade between one State and another, or another country and this, it comes in couJiiot »ith a power wuich, in this particular, has been exchuively vested in the General Government and is therefore void. "The plaintiffs, citizens of Illinois, had the right to import their beer into Iowa, and had ' the right to sell it, by which act alone it be­ came mlugled iu the common mass of property v uliin the State. Up to that point of time, in the absence of Congressional permission to do so, the State had no power 10 interfere by suture, or auy other action, in prohibition of importation and sale by tbe non-resident im­ porter. "Articles which Congress recognizes as sub­ jects of interstate commerce may be controlled by state laws amounting to regulations, wbile they retain that character; but to concede to a State the power to exclOde such articles with­ out Congressional permission is to concede to a majority of the people of a State represented in the Stale Legislature the power to regulate commercial intercourse between the States." .1 list ices Gray. Harlan, and Brewer, iu sum­ ming up the reasons which satisfy them that the judgment of the Supreme Court of Iowa sliouId be affirmed, say: "'l'lie power of regu­ lating or prohibiting the manufacture and sale ot iuloxicatiiig liquors lielongs, tis a branch of the police power, to J,he Legislatures of the Rev­ et al States, and can be judiciously and effect­ ively exereis.*! by them alone according to their views of public policy and local needs, and cau- not practically, if it cau constitutionally, be wielded by Congress as part of a national aud uniform system. "The Iowa prohibitory lawa were enacted by ti e legislature iu tbe oxerciae of ita undoubted pi.wir to protect its inhabitants against the evils, physical, moral and social, attending tbe free use of intoxicating li.piors. They are not aimed at interstate commerce, and have no re­ lation to the movement of goods from one State to another, but operate oily ou intoxicating liijiiois witliiu tho limits of tne State. They in­ clude nil such liquors without discrimination, and do not even mention whore they aro made or whence they come. Tliey affoct commerce much more reu.otely than laws ota Stale--the validity of which is unquestioned -- authorizing the construction of bridges aud dmnsacioss navigable waters within its limits, which wholly obstruct the course of commerce aud navigation, or than quarantine laws, which operate directly ui«)ii all ships aud merchandise coming Into the ports of the State. If tbe statutes of a State restricting or pro­ hibiting the sale ot intoxicating liquors within Its territory are to be held Inop- era i_ve and void as applied to liquors aeut or brought from another Si ate and sold by the importeiB in original packages, the consequence must be that an inhabitant of any State may, under the pretext of interstate commerce, and without license or supervision of any publio authdiily, carry or send liquor into and sell iu any or all of tiie other States, despite auy legis­ lation of those States on the subject, and al­ though his own State should be the only one u bich had not enacted similar laws." Nothing short of affirmative and explicit legislation on the part of Congress will con­ vince tho dissenting justices that it contem­ plated or intended snch a rt*ult. They quote lroni the decision iu the license cases in which the court sustained those views, and conlcnd tliat the silence and inaction of Con­ gress upon the subject during the long period since the liconse cases appear to require the inference that Congress intended that the law should ,t,remain as thereby declared by the l ourt, rather lhp.ii lo Warrant the presumption that tot gress intended that commerce among tho States should be free from the indirect effect ot such an exeicise of the police poncr lor pub­ lic safety, as was adjudged by that decision to he withiu tbe «*»u*tituiioual authority of the btate. P The court (also decided tbe case of Henry Lyug against the people of the State of Michi­ gan, involving the validity of the Michigan law taxing beer la the otiginal package manu­ factured iu Wisconsin and sold in Michigan. The cotirt denies the power of a State to ex­ clude directly or indirectly the subject! ot interstate commerce by the impo­ sition of burdens thereon, or to regulate such commeroe without Cougressioual per­ mission. 'Jifco asms rule, it is held, which ap plies to tbe sugar of Louisiana, tbe cotton ok bouth Carolina, the wilies of Cali'ornia, and the tobacco of Maryland and Connecticut ap- plitatoall commodities iu wliich a right of iratllc exists, is recognized by the laws of Con­ gress, the decisions of «ourts ana the uaagea of the commercial world, should apply in this case. Tho decision of tbe State Court of Michigan, .deciding that Lyng was liable to tax, is in this case als% reversed. Justices Gray, Harlan and Brewer disseuted from the opinion of the court ou the same grounds atated in tne Leisy-Hardin case. • Testing Its Hearing. A patlictic anecdote is told of the Countess of Orkney, who was deaf and dumb. Shortly after the birth of her first child, the nurse saw the mother cautiously approach theoradlein which the infant was sleeping. The Countess, having perfectly as­ sured herself that the child really slept, took out a largo stone which she had concealed under her shawl, and to the horror of the nurse, who, like all persons of the lower order in her coun­ try, indeed in most countries, was f ully impressed w;ith an idea of the peculiar cunning and maliguity of "dumbies," raised it with intent to fling it down vehemently. * Before the nurse could interpose the Countess had flung the atone; not, how­ ever, as the servaut had apprehended, at the child, but on the floor, where, of course, it made a great noise. The child immediately awoke and cried. The countess, who had looked with maternal eagerness to the result of lier experiment, fell on her kness in a transport of joy. She had discovered that her child possessed the sense of hearing which was wanting in herself. Establishing a Precedent. A nervous, dyspeptic book-keeper was busy at his desk near a window ou his books, says the Macon 'Telegraph. A pmall boy was on the sidewalk, blowing one of Chose balloons making 41 continual cat-cry. The book-keeper stood it as long as he possibly could, so, calling the boy, he gave him a nickel and asked him to move on. The lad caught on that his music was worri­ some, and hastened away to post his chum, who was soon at the same stand, blowing for dear life and a nickel. The book-keeper looked out, and, seeing it was a different 'lad, was in the act of repeating his former request, but see­ ing the first lad peeping around the corner, having a dozen or more with him, a policeman was called. Theboys wer« reprimanded in the Recorder's Court next morning and turned loose. . AKATBRg COmt WIFE. What the Xarrlkft" Contract Caatprteea la Tohkia. Dr. Hocquard, who recently returned to France alter a residence of two years in Tonkin, tells about the Anaamese bride of a French officer stationed at Namdinh. The doctor visited the of­ ficer at his home in the big town and tbere met a very pretty native girl about 18 years old, who wore a robe of violet silk and more rings on her fingers than Western belles regard as in good taste. "You see I have married tfn Auna- meae," said the officer, laughing. "That is, I have bought her of her par­ ents for 45 francs. They signed the contract before the notables of their vil­ lage, in which they relinquish all their rights over their daughter. I can do with her as I please, but I must treat her well. If I choose, I. may return her to her parents, and they must re­ ceive her again. It is a very easy sort of divorce. She cannot leave me with­ out my permission, and if she runs away from me her father is responsible and must return to me the money I paid for her. That is the Annamese law." "That seems to be a very practical and economical arrangement," remarked the doctor. "Not so much as you think," replied the officer. "I give Ti San1-for that is her name--fifteen piasters a month for her wardrobe, to say nothing of the presents I make her from time to time, and the disagreeable surprises to which she treats me now and then. The other day, for instance, Ti San blossomed out in a beautiful robe of brocaded silk that I had given her. Then with one of her friends she left the house for a promenade, and while strolling around town she saw a party playing cards in a gambling house. "Like all her people, Ti San* is pas­ sionately fond of gambling. Nothing could tempt her to pass that house, and so in she went, seated herself at the table, and was soon absorbed in the crame. There she sat uutil she had lost all her money, her jewels, and finally the clothing which she wore, and when she returned to me the next mora ing she was arrayed in a lot of rags that had been given her out of charity. "That is not all. Tbe contract that I made with her parents provides that I must feed her well. That clause seems to include her entire kindred. She had been with me only two days when her family (and you know families are not small in this country) swooped down upon us and installed themselves in u house near mine. Every time I enter my kitchen I find my cook pre: paring rice for all these ravenous i>er- Hons. I offer them a thousand iusults, but they never wince, and nothing will induce them to budge from my premises until they have had a good square meal. You see. marrying an Annamese firi has its decided disadvantages." Horseshoes for Luck. "Never, take the horseshoe from the door," is the advice given in a recently l>opular song, which precept is followed by the injunction that while there the bit of iron will surely bring good luck. Be this aa it may, there are certainly many thousands of people who to-day, while, perhaps not superstitious in other things^ are either believers in the adage, or else, for the sake of effect, in ornamentation employ the horseshoe as an emblem of good luck by giving it a prominent place in household decora­ tion. The great fad is to pick up a horseshoe in the street, and he who is thus "fortunate" is supposed, according to superstition, to secure extraordinary luck as long as,.the shoe remains in his jxissession. But all are not thus favored, and in order to secure a shoe, a visit to the blacksmith 01* junk man is found to be necessary, making it especially profitable to the latter. A visit paid to a junk shop at the West end a few days ago showed to what an extent this crazt has reached. Among the odds and ends there classified were exhibited some hundreds of horseshoes iu variola, conditions. j • In reply, as to the final disposition .of the slices, the jnnk man said: "I am not in the habit of selling them to blacksmiths or foundries, for the reason that I can make more in selling them to private parties for the purposes of ornamentation. In that pile there are many shoes almost new. They are brought to me by boys who pick them up in the street, by my collectors and others. I sort them over and get, on an average, 10 cents apiece for them, according to the fancy of the buyer and the condition of the shoe. Who buys them ? Why, from the number of peo­ ple who have patronized me I. should say almost, everybody. One man to whom I sold a »hoe,« keeps it in his m >ney drawer, and says'that it lias made his business good, but I guess that his nwn strict habits have had something to do with it. It is funny how a supersti­ tion will take hold of people. Rich as well as poor are believers in the horse­ shoe. Go into the home of the|former and you will find the horseshoe in its place over the door, handsomely gilded or otherwise ornamented; while a visit to the latter will find the shoe over the door, but in the same condition as when purchased. Another thing about the horseshoe, according to tradition, the shoe must be hung with the open side up, so that luck will fall into it from above and find a safe resting place. Should the shoe be hung open side down, it will not catch luck as it falls. So it goes, my particular luck in the possession of so many being Uie hand­ some profit which 1 derive. I know of a former 'old maid' who had waited long and patiently for a husband, but up to a certain point, without success. She bought a shoe one day, hung it up over her door, and to-day is a wife. Have a shoe V" said the junk^nan. as the writer turned to go. "Thanks," was the'reply, "I have two hnng np at home."--Boston Hermld. £ Gopher's Protracted Nap. Early in 1861 a young farmer of Bul­ loch, Oa., furnished a home for him- self and bride. The kitchen was a log one, w ith one of the old-fashioned hard clay floors. He had built over a gopher hole, and of course the hole was filled up and the owner was forgotten. The farmer weni off to the war and when he came back he found some charred timbers. The house was re­ built and the dirt floor was still a feat­ ure^ As the years sped by additions have been made to the house aud fam­ ily, too, for the former had to grow with the latter. But the kitchen was never romodelled. Last week the mother, who first set foot on the clay door t wenty-nine years ago this spring, was sitting by a window, when chancing to look down on the kitchen floor, she was astonished to see it show signs of being disturbed underneath. For five min­ utes she watched it intently, and then called othqr members of the family, who entered just iu time to see his tjopherahip emerge from hi* Ipfr alj^V --Philadelphia Inquirer. *\v- 3 Oft* THF. Will bf the bdiMs • $35,000 to found a home for old aAdds has been declared invalid by tbe1 eoort* the testator having been of unsoun4 mind. THF. oldest living college GRADUATE TA the United States it Amu» F. Parker, who graduated from the UoiretHEty of Vermont in 1813, and is now 96 yeanr of age. IT is said that nearly all the postal clerks and carriers who become thievee Ijegin by stealing letters addressed to lottery agents, which they know are al­ most bure to contain money. * AMONG the exhibits at the convention of the Western Packers' Canned Goods Association, in Indianapolis, were two cans containing beef sonp, part of a lot prepared for the United States naw Ibr 1819. " f OSCAX Ttrrrtfe" of Santa CRAE, was splitting kindling wood when be tackled a large piece of redwood. He found a five-cent piece of 1850 lodged ia , the center of the limb. It was black­ ened by the sap. AN English woman who has written a history of Wales and dedicated it to the Prince of Wales lias ?ent him a pre­ sentation copy which is bound in solid gold extracted from the recently devel­ oped mines in that country. THE most costly book in the world is a Bible in Hebrew. An offer of its weight in gold was once made, and it was ascertained that this offer amounted to $102,000, which was refused, and the volume ia still in the library oi tho Vatican. THE Phenhf (CoL> Gazette is responsi­ ble for the statement that a farmer near that place took out of one hill no less than two htm tired and fourteen sweet potatoes, not one weighing leas than one pound, and many tipped the scales at twelve. , i had been in business for thirteen without making a cent couldn't figure A GROCER in Lynchburg, Va., who i years figure out how it was until his head clerk taken sick, thought he was going to die, and owned up to having embezzled abont seventeen thousand dollars. Miss ELLA EWIXO, living near Rain­ bow, Mo., 18 years old, is now seven feet • eight inches high, weighs 225, wears a number 15 shoe, which she has to have made to order, and her shoe­ maker had to order a special last. Tbe girl's parents are about the usual size. THERE is a boy by the name of Smith living at Hartford, N. Y., who has bat one leg, the other one having been amputated close to his body. With One crutch and one skate, he can skate as fast as any boy of his age. With two crutches, he can run much faster than his playmates. He is 14 years old. _ _ THE last Sultan of Turkey was ac­ customed to Bhut himself up with la negro slave and his favorite wife in a secret room of his palace, and there gloat over his treasures. Plunging his arms into a heap of gold dust and let­ ting it slip through his fingers seemad to give him more satisfaction than gag­ ing ou his pile of jewels. First Days in New Houses. ' Moving-day is almost gone. It is al- most night. Tumble everything into the new house. Put up the bedsteads. But who has the wrench, and who the screws? Packed up, are they? In what box? It m^y be the one of the half-dozen. Ah! qow I know in which box you will find it. In the last one you open. Hungry, are you ? No time to talk of food uutil tbe crockery is un­ packed. True enough, here they That last jolt of the cart finish' teacups, the jolt before that frae some of the plates, and Bridget drops the rest of them. The P of crockery-merchants is moving-tlay.' I think that tbey must, about the first of,May, spend most of their time 1st praying for success in business. Seated on the boxe3, you take tea, and then down with the carpets. They must-be stretched,' and pieced, ami pulled, and matched. The whole family nre on their knee3 at the work, and red in the face, and before the tacks are driven all the fingers have been ham­ mered once and are taking a second bruising. Nothing is where you Ex­ pected to find it. Where is the ham­ mer? Wlie are the tacks ? Where the hatchet? . Where the screw-driver? Where the nails? Where window- shades? Where is the slat to that old bedstead V Where are the rollers to that stand? The sweet-oil has been emptied into the blackberry-jam. The pickles and the plums hare gone out together a-swimming. The lard and the butter have united as skillfully as though a grocer had mixed them. The children, who thought it would be grand sport to move, are satiated, and one-half the city of New York at the close of May-day go to bed worn-out,» sick aud disgusted. It is a social earth­ quake that annually shakes the city. ' It may be that, very soon, some of our rich relatives will, at their demise, "will" us each one a house, so that we shall be permanently fixed. We shonld be sorry to have them quit the world under any circumstances; but if, de­ termined to go anyhow, they should leave us a house, tbe void would not be so large, especially if it wore a house well-furnished and having ail tbe mod­ ern improvements. We would be thaukful for any good advice that they might leiave us," but should more highly appreciate a house. May all the victims of- moving-day find their home attractive! If they have gone into a smaller house, let them congratulate themselves at the thought tHat it takes less time to keep a small house clean than a big one. And, better than all, by tbe time that moving-day comes again, may they, have made enough money to buy a house, from which they will never have to move until the House of Many Man­ sions be ready to receive them!--Tal­ ma ge in Ladies' Home Journal. * Consoling. MW Amoo--- Bridget the parlor wi­ dows are so dirty I can't see tlunigh them. * Bridget--Wull, mum, J only j»t came from the front door, and beyant the faces of Miss Fashion and her young man in the bay-windy opposite, thur's nothin' across the way wort lukin's^-*^ New York Weekly. . ' Ax act of kindness, a word of sympa- j thy, may render the whole line «>f life ( different from what it would otherwise i have been. There are erises in many a ! life when the course it shall take for weal or for woe depends on a slight in­ fluence--almost a single word. Kow careful then should we be that our in­ fluence may at all times be in the right direction! j A GABDEXER who had predicted rain t for the day tints gave his reason for do- ; ing,so. "Most always wben I don't K- pect it to rain, it doe* rain. To-day 1 don't expect it ta min at all, at all, so I know ifll rain.*--Harper** • C j P W • ' •"I .A Vvvy $ <-ri i '•tsi m ' ; i'i •-A * '"i • y - r - ^ * £ 1