McHenry Public Library District Digital Archives

McHenry Plaindealer (McHenry, IL), 2 Dec 1885, p. 6

The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

fHaiudcalrr ). VAN SLYKE, Editor at id PttblMwr. McHKNBY, - - ILLINOIS. VABMU JOHX. hia Jou-ney, Fanner John 1 tida Baornlnj; Mfe and •on«d; : «9«lo&MBdhia old ibo«i on, t " Farmer John; h* thlnkOITXlook wound." the dog: "Oct down, you punt - - . . . , y ) yoM ao glad you would eat me up? I Old OOW look* at the gate, to grwt Um: 11M baraaa pricked up their eara, to meet aim. -Well, well, old Bay! _ Ha, ha, oldOrav! 2>o yon get good Xeed when I am awayr n. "YOB teml A rib," aaya Fanner Mm; "ft# oattle an looking round and aleak lit eoit la going te be a roan. AM* beauty, too; bow he baa grown| « »:% Wall wean tbe calf in a week," jr: |Hi Farmer John, "When I've been all yon again about the trough, watch you and pet you while yon drix greater comfort than you can think 1" And be pete old Bay, •» >tv. ; 4, And he uapa old Gray; " 'UiI thia la tbe oomfort of going away.* in. "For, after all," says Farmer John, "The best- of a journey is getting home; rn aeen great sights, but I would not glim Tfcla apot. and the peaceful life I live, 4 For all their Talis and Borne; , • : - , Theee hills for the city'a stifled air, , -j' ,* And bif hotels, and bustle and glare; ' Land all houm>s. and roads all stones, ' . -- Xhat deafen your earn and batter yoar lMtpMt Would you, old Bay? i Would you, old Gray? i:f Dial's what one gets tor going away." IV. srS1-1 •There Money ia king," says Farmer John, "And Fashion is queen; and it's mighty queer To aee how sometimes, while the man , la raking and scraping all he can, , The wife spends, every year, £nough, you would think, for a score at wivw, To keep them in fuxurv all thoir lives I • ' 'The town ia a perfect Babylon 1Y> a quiet chap," says Farmer John. "You see, old Bay, You see, old Gray, (. Tin wiser than when I went away.* , V. ;; "IN® ferond oat- this," eavs Farmer John, $ "That happiness is not bought and sold. And clutched in a life of -waste and hurry, " In nights of pleasure and days of worry; And wealth isn't all in gold, Martgae and stocks, and ten per cent., Bnt in simple ways and sweet content. ; Few wants, pure hopes, and noble en da, •> Same land to till, and a few good Irieuda Like you, old Bay, Like you, old Gray-- - Ttatfs what- I've learned by going away." VI- ;'••• And a happy man ia Farmer John; O, a rich and bappy man is be 1 HRe a«e« the peas and pninpkina growing, , The corn in tassel, the buckwheat blowing; And fruit on vine and tree; , • Tbe large, kind oxen look their thanks, ]A AB he rubs their foreheads, and strokes their flanks. The doves light round htm and atraft and coo; gays Farmer John, 'I'll take you, too-- And you, old Bay, And you, old Gray, l Next time I^travel so far away." --jr. JT. Trowbridge. UPRISING IN THE EAS1 , Recent Unwritten History of Men Events in European Turkey. Doings that Led Up to the Step--The Leaders Who Are at the Head of the Warriors. ibility, writes & ?aris corres­ pondent to the New York Times, there will S'l)e war before the spring of 1886, and, if , for no other reason, because campaigning M." J. in Bulgaria is quite impossible after the 1st y',' of October, at least in snch a way as to , * * •' bring about a definite solution of the vari- J ous questions at issue. We may then take it nearly for granted that the winter will be ' passed in negotiations which may or may £ not put off the hour of reckoning, but that < the end is at hand. And during that winter will come up and be settled another ques- tion, that of alliances, which, after all has ft' ',. " been said, is the one great question that pre - £ . e occupies the continental cabinets. Here no % one can venture to speak save at a guess, - " for it is just as likely that the Sultan and ¥>* 'King George of Greece will work together ^0';% as that the latter shall be thrown in with the Serbs, dislike of the Slavs being as .great among the Hellenes as ever was their |itfl , * hatred for the Osmanli. That the Turks, if not interfered with by Russia, can crush . Serbs. Bulgarians, and Greeks, either sep- tQarately or united, no one can doubt who Sf watched the events of eight years back, and having seen the various Balkanian * McGregors on their native heaths has learned the truth of the local saying that " "one Montenegrin equals three Turks, six Ep|, Serbs, and ten Bulgarians, and has but one IfrV- peer> tbe Albanian." But, as with the crushing of the aforesaid, or rather after ' that crushing, both Bussia, and Austria 'fi:* would be forced to interfere in favor of their V . respective pets, diplomacy intends to do fifj, * what it can to avoid a conflict which must , result in a general European conflagration. fterrm-T ®Bt Mo not propose to discuss, the proba^ ^ bilitiee of any particular combination, be- | lieving that all combinations, even the most unlikely, are possible. I simply wish to tell something of the promises of that . . revolution, which, beginning in the valley of the Maritza, may end--heaven knows . where; and also soB^etKiug, from my per- |v,,, sonal relations, of those who have already ^ . played, or who are destined to play, lead- m. ang parts in that tragi-comic drama on '• which the curtain rose last month at Phil- Ul ! ippopoj>lis. ^ Great astonishment was manifested by all who followed the Bulgarian question since, the constitution of the principality, in 1879, that Prince Alexander should have adopted the views of M. Petko Karavelof, toward whom, although now his prime min­ ister, he had, in 1879, 1880, and 1881, al- was exhibited sentiments of repugnance and animosity, chiefly--I may say entirely --because the individual was the leader of the liberal party, representing the opinions of the mass of the nation, as of the 192 members composing the Narvdue Sobranil 180 belonged to it. This party made no secret of its tendencies, which were toward* a revival of the treaty of Si n Stefanoand so worked, having agents in Macedonia as well as in Boumelia, where their propagan- dum met with unanimous sympathy among the populations. Prince Alexander's situ­ ation was extremely difficult. The consti tution of Tirnova admitting the principle of universal suffrage, the Bulgarian cham­ ber was ruled by the Sophia committee, composed of men whose platform was the union of the Bulgarian people under the same administration, which, they asserted, •would be to the advantage of the nation, weighed down at present by expenses im­ posed by the organic statue, which it could not support in consequence of the paucity of its financial resources. Twice in the space of three months--twice did the Prince dissolve the chamber, which had always elected Karavelof as President, MM. Sla- veikof and Zankof Vice Presidents, and then it was that the so-called National Lib­ erty Party forwarded to the cabinets of all the powers which were signers of the Ber­ lin treaty their program developing their aspirations, "as set foith in our journal, the Bulgarian Union." The title of this organ of the Liberal party was in itself significant, and the contents of its columns were not less so. One or two solutions were offered to the sovereign--either he must govern with the party whose platform was the violation of the Berlin treaty in its most essential parts, or he must upset the constitution. He elected for the latter; the Bossian General, Ernreith, was appointed President of the Ministerial Council, mar­ tial law was proclaimed throughout the principall y, and the Liberal leaders, Metko Karavelof, Zankof, Slaveikof and Souk- Barof were imprisoned. In so doing Prince Alexander gave satisfaction to the Berlin and Vienna cabinets, who insisted inon the maintenance of the treaty of 1878, and at the same time and equally to the cabinet of St. Petersburg, which. for different motives, wished Austria and Ger­ many to understand that it was in favor of peaoe, and in no way encouraged Bulgarian aspirations to entire independence. But, on the other hand, the Bulgarians were dissatisfied, and the agitation which followed this coup d'etat convinced Battenburg that, wishing to keep his throne, he must re-establish the constitu­ tion, which he did two years later. And here begins to be seen darkly, and as through a glass, "the effect of some foreign influence, as some think, although unable to name exactly what that influence is. More probably the Prince began to appre­ ciate the inconveniences resulting from for­ eign influence, and so frankly adopted the ideas, hopes, aed policy of the liberal party, which, since 1881, has become the oniy party in the country. Prince Alexander has Deen happily inspired. He is the tool of the Liberals, it may be, but he has re- gnined all his popularity, and his deposi­ tion would be the cause of the most serious agitation throughout the whole peninsula of the Balkans. And it is precisely these •elleities of independence w-hich has ren­ dered Bussia so antagonistic to the Bulga­ rian union, which she advocated in 1878. Last year Aleko Pasha was not renomi­ nated as Governor of Eastern Koumelia in consequence of his unwillingness to submit Bussia. dictation, and a creature of Bussia, Gavril Christovich, was appointed, who concluded with the Bussian Consul Gen­ eral Sorokine a treaty by which he engaged himself, formally, to obey in all points any order sent from St. Petersburg. With Gavril was*also appointed, as vice Gov­ ernor, a native, one Katschof, formerly a village schoolmaster, also a marionette of the Kussian Consul General, the feebleness of whose character and whose want of in­ telligence were proverbial, and. this leak­ ing out. the people became indignant, So­ rokine introduced a system of terrorism; civil employes and gendarmes reigned su­ preme, and the project of the promised union was pigeonholed. And so matters went on from bad to worse until toward the month of February, 1885, when the Oppoltscheutz societies which had been used by Sorokine to over­ throw Aleko Pasha, broke with the direct­ ing clique, and. joining with Liberals, be- fan preparations for a national movement. iast March a secret committee headed by Zacharii Stojanof was formed and began the publication of a newspaper, the Barba, in which the situation was exhibited. Very soon the Barba became the most exten­ sively read journal in the province, and gained partisans ever day to the idea of im­ mediate action, notwithstanding the assur­ ances of the officious and official organ and of Sorokine that the moment was not pro­ pitious; that, as Bussia was not yet prepared to second it, any movement in Boumelia and Macedonia must be abortive. Every argument was useless; the people knew that they ema­ nated from the same source which a twelve­ month before had preached in favor of union, and so in July the headquarters of the conspirators were transferred from Philippopolis to Dusseen Deri, a village sit­ uated at an hour's distance from the capital, where their chiefs would be in safety. The only danger apprehended was from the Vomaki, a Greek population of the Achmet Agha, which, in exchange for the complete independence of the territory, guaranteed its strict neutral­ ity. This treaty was signed in August, and on September 16--September '28 for us-- the rising was to take plaL-e. But some one was indiscreet; several districts pronounced, and the government was obliged to act. The arrest of Stojonof and eighty others were ordered for the 18th--new calendar-- and in prevision of this the insurrection broke out immediately. Major Katjscho and Capt. Sokolef countermanded the orders given by Gen. Drygalski, Majors Nikolaief and Filof relieved the guard sta­ tioned at the Governor's koreak, a detatch- tocnt of gen d'armie on its march to Golemo- Koreare was dispersed by the mutineers, and Gen. Drygalski himself was driven into his lodgings by a company of militia which he supposed, having so ordered it, to be encamped two miles from the capital. The rest you know. The details were com­ municated to me by the members of the revolutionary committee by which were prepared the expulsion of Gavril Pasha and the Bulgarian union. * Of the individuals who have most con­ tributed to the enfranchisement of the Bul­ garians, the most oppressed of all the na­ tionalities subject to the rule of Islam, sev­ eral have especially distinguished them­ selves, and among these the two most remarkable are Karavelof and Zankof, on whose shoulders has fallen the mantle of the first apostles of Bulgarian independ­ ence. Hitovo, Toton, and Giorgie Karave­ lof, whose attempts at an insurrection were so mercilessly crushed by Midhat Pasha in 1867. Hitovo was killed, Toton disap­ peared in the Balkans, Giorgie Karavelof escaped into Servia, and thence directed an active propagandum among his compatriots, with whom he acquired great popularity, and among whom he organized committees of action in 1875 and 1876. Giorgie, how­ ever, died before his dreams were realized, on the very day that Sisiov fell - into the hands of Bussia, but his place was filled so immediately by his brother, Petko, that few men even among the Bulgarians themselves know that the present ministerial President and the patriot of I860 are two different individuals. Petko had lived in Bussia, and followed the Bussian army, where his intelligence and energy were so highly ap­ preciated that he was appointed sub-Gov­ ernor to Gen. Tcherkasky in the fortress of Widden. After the peace he was elected as deputy to the chamber of Tirnova, and became distinguished for his oratorical tal­ ents, and his ultra-liberal political ideas. Karavelof, whom I knew at Bucharest in 1877, is one of the most repulsive men to look at whom I ever met. He is short, squat, disagreeable in his habits, wears long, unkempt hair, which it might be un­ pleasant to investigate, and is a worthy de- scendent of those Ourgi who so disgusted the Byzantine Epicureans of the fifth cen­ tury. His education is very limited; he speaks French with difficulty, and his political tenets are strongly dashed with so­ cialism, but his activity is prodigious, his patriotism sincere, and his popular­ ity among his compatriots is strengthened by the support of the Panslavist commit­ tees of Moscow he is a powerful factor with which Prince Alexander is obliged to keep on good terms. Quite as popular, quite as influent as Karavelof, and of more ability, because bet­ ter educated and more versed in the ways of diplomacy, is his political adversary, Dragan Zankof, Dragan, who is now 59 years of age, has traveled. He was a schoolmate at Sistov and at Tirnova, and later professor of the Bulgarian language in the Turkish College at Constantinople. Galata- Serai was also a member of the Synod of tbe Bulgarian Church, composed of twenty-four persons, of whom twelve were chosen from the clergy and twelve from the most learned laymen "of the com­ munion presided over by the Exarch, when that personage resided in the city of the Sultan, and it was during that period that he made the acquaintance of the French dip­ lomats, to whom he was always sympa­ thetic. When, in 1867 and 1869, the scis­ sion between the Exarchate of Bulgaria and the Greek Patriarchate took place, Zankof, distrusting the vitality of the National Church, counseled submission to the Bo- man curia, and, in order to set tfie example, embraced Catholicism, in which step he certainly would have been followed by both the Exarch and Synod but for the excessive pretentions of the Vatican, which resulted in the constitution of an independent Bul­ garian church, remaining, however, at­ tached to the Greek rite. In 1876, when I met him in Belgrade, he left his Constan- tinopolotan chair with Marco Balabanof, visited in the name of the Bulgarian patri­ arch the European capitals, and published at London a circumstantial recital of the sufferings of his fellow-countrymen. In the following year Zankof accompanied the Bussian army of invasion, and was named, first, Governor of Sistov, afterward of Tir­ nova, where he remained until the govern­ ment of Prince Alexander was regularly es­ tablished. when he entered the National Assembly, of which he was one of the Vice Presidents, and the real lender of the Lib­ eral party--that is, of those ,who accepted the treaty of 1 Berlin in its entirety. Although hostile to the conserva­ tives, Dragan accepted the post of am-' bassador to Constantinople under the con­ servative ministry, and thus lost much of his popularity, the committee of the Bul­ garian union, the Tzelokoupina "Bulgaria, only agreeing to his appointment in the future ministry upon the representation of a French engineer, M. B., who has played a very important part in this movement," by whom the leaders were convinced that a ministery of the Karavelof color would be unacceptable to the continental powers. From that time he and Karavelof have worked in harmony. Together they or­ ganized the liberal opposition and paved the way for the present manifestation, which is the consecration of the liberal platform. At present the liberal party is unique in Bulgaria. It has two camps-- one a whip, the other a tory camp. The fiist is led by Zankof, the second by Kara­ velof: but their programme and tendencies are indentical. Karavelof is in power to­ day; to-morrow it may be the turn of M. Dragan Zankof, who is better educated and shrewder than his rival. Just a few lines respecting that old Ser­ via which King Milan proposes to annex if he can. Old Servia i}id once belong to Servia, but since the battle of Kossova in 1389, when Amurath I. destroyed the Ser­ vian monarchy, it has belonged to the Arn- aouts--not the Albanian Amaouts, but the decendants of those Serbs who after Kos­ sova embraced Islamism. Of all the prov­ inces of the Turkish empire old Servia is the least known, its ultra-fanatical and ultra-turbulent population being hostile to all foreigners, ot whom a remarkably small number have ever visited Arnaoutlik. Al­ ways on the war-path, these Arnaouts--the term in Turkish signifies valiant--move about in search of something to steal or somebody to kill, and, for choice, operate on their neighbors across the border. A fart of their territory, including Nisch, rokouplic, and Vrania, was annexed in 1879, but from what happened then we may anticipate a great deal of bloodshed how should King MilAn put his ambitious de­ signs into execution. THE CONSUMPTION TIRE. troublous times. The California left New York on October 6, 1848, and was brought as far as Valparaiso by Capt ... . . ... . Forbes. There the captain became ill, The following letter, written- to a | and the 8fceamer sailed to Francisco Singular Vegetation Found In the Coffl&a of the l>ca<l. Petrolenin. Petroleum consists of a great many different fluid", which range in volatil­ ity from the boiling point of ether to nearly a red heat. Such being the case, as soon as the oil is heated at all, the most volatile products begin to come over, at first colorless as water, but very gradually assuming a yell few tinge until the most dense distillation coming over at the last is quite d4rk brown in color, so that if all the dis­ tillate were allowed to ran into a tank together, it would not look very differ­ ently from the original petroleum. In the ordinary process of refining petro­ leum the distillate is divided into three portions: The first is the lightest, col­ orless portion, nearly ns volatile as ether, and is called crude naphtha, or "benzine." Like the crude petroleum, this crude naphtha may be distilled and divided into gasolene, A, B, and C naphtha, which are used in gas ma­ chines, for mixing paints,' and other similar purposes, sometimes also for burning in lamps and stoves. The middle portion of the distillate, Which is neither lery light nor very heavy, and having but little color, is the crude illuminating oil, or kerosene. As it runs from the still it has a very offensive odor, due to the decomposi­ tion of certain portions of the petro­ leum at the high temperature reached in the still. To remove the offensive compounds, the oil is first agitated with about five per cent, of strong oil of vitriol. This combines with the of­ fensive oils, forming a black, tarry res­ idue that falls to the bottom of the tank as soon as the oil is bronght to rest. This mixture of acid and oil is called "sludge," and is used in large quantities in the manufacture of com­ mercial fertilizers. After the aeid is drawn off and the oil washed with wa­ ter, it is again washed with a strong solution of caustic soda, which re­ moves the excess of sulphuric acid, and also some peculiar acid compounds that exist in the oil. The oil, after another washing with water, is nearly colorless, with the peculiar balsamic odor of kerosene, and possesses the slight opalescence peculiar to theso oils. As usually prepared, they belong to the class known as "high-test" kero­ senes, and consist almost entirely of oils that exist in the petroleum al­ ready formed, being merely separated from the lightest and heaviest portion a Such oils are called the educts of the petroleum. The heaviest portions of the distillate contain paralline, and are called paralline oils. They also are mainly educts of the original oil; they, however, contain a much larger pro­ portion; than the kerosene of the pro­ ducts of the oiL A tarry residue re­ mains in the still, called "residuum." Laughter at a Medicine. A short time Bince two individnals were lying in one room very sick, one with brain fever, and the other with an aggravated case of mumps. They were si> low that watchers were needed every night, and it was thought doubt­ ful if the one sick with fever could re­ cover. A gentleman was engaged to watch over night, his duty being to wake the nurse whenever it became necessary to administer medicine. In the course of the night the nurse and the watch both fell asleep. The man with the mumps lay watching the clock, and saw that it was time to give the fever patient his potion. He was un­ able to speak aloud, or move any por­ tion of his body except his arms, but seizing a pillow he managed to strike the watcher in the face with it. Thus suddenly awakened the watcher sprang from his seat, falling to the floor, and awakened both the'nurse and the fever patient. The incident struck the sick men as very ludicrous, and they laughed heartily at it for some fifteen or twenty minutes. When the doctor came in the morning, he found his pa­ tients vastly improved; said he never knew so sudden a change for the better, and now both are np and welL "Who says laughter is not the best of medi­ cines ? And this reminds the writer of another case. A gentleman was suf­ fering from ulceration of the throat, which at length became so swollen that his life was dispaired of. His household came to his bedside to bid him farewell. Each individual Bhook hands with the dying man, and then went away weeping. Last of all came a pet ape, and, shaking the man's hand, went away with his hands over his ©yes. It was so ludicrous a sight that the pa­ tient was forced to laugh, and laughed so heartily that the nicer broke and hia life was saved. A Passage That Lacked Brilliancy. "Bromley, you never heard cnch an eloquent sermon before. I aiA sure. There was no lagging of interest. Such brilliant passages---" "Yes, Darringer, I admit that. Still I slept during one of the passages." "You did, eh ? Why, Bromley, what passage was it?" "The passage of the colleetion baa- ket."--Philadelphia Call. IK the new uaage fMhionable dinners are not long. near relative in 1848, recently fell into my hands, writes Mrs, B. M. Prince, of Blooming ton. 111., to the Chicago Tribune. The writer, an octogenarian, is still living, and I am induced to make it public, together with some other matters pertaining to this sub­ ject, hoping it may stimulate inquiry into so curious a topic. The letter re­ lated to the removal of a number of relatives from an old burying ground in one of the cities of New England) and substantially read as follows: "The disinterment was done under my personal supervision, as carefnlly and respectfully as stroh things should be. The first of the graves opened contained the remains of your grand­ mother, but being too decayed for re­ moval, she was placed in a new case. Your grandfather's coffin, however, was entire, and was taken up without in the least disturbing the contents; only the fastenings of the lid were gone, and the admirable preservation of the coffin indnced me to contemplate for the first and last time the semblance of my respected ancestor, who had de­ parted this life nearly sixty years be­ fore. The skeleton was entire, and growing over it, inside the coffin, six feet under ground, in a dry gravel soil, was a little vine, which had year after year spread its meshes like a web over the entire corpse, and seemed to be still alive and growing! It was snowy white and cold as ice, a fit inhabitant of the dark and silent grave. "In the coffins of your mother and brother the same little vine was found growing. If you remember, consump­ tion has for many years made sad havoc in our family, and these three are said to have died of this disease. "Now, there is a tradition among the Germans that if a descendant pluck from the corpse of the last victim of consumption this little vine, it will eradicate the disease from the family. If there be anything in it, which I hardly believe, consumption has been destroyed from ours, for I had the temerity to tear it away from the re­ mains of your brother, the thought Of which makes me shudder even now, disclosing, as it did,*the ghastly skele­ ton which this growth had kindly en­ deavored to conceal. "In another grave I found sprouts growing from the head, the hair of which was well preserved, though buried well nigh three-score years. This vine, or sprout, was also white, but sparkled an like ice-plant, and on examination it proved to belong to the common sorrel family, whose tenacity of life enabled it to grow four or five feet under ground." Many years ago, in Smithfield, R. I., a family were fast becoming extinct from consumption. Through the ad­ vice of friends, the last victim of this disease was disinterred, and, on open­ ing the coffin, this vampire or consump­ tion-vine was found growing from the breast of the dead. The body was af­ terward burned, the friends hoping in this way to exterminate this dreadful malady. In an old abbey in Dumferm- line, FSfesbire, Scotland, workmen, while excavating for laying the found­ ation of a new building, came upon well-preserved stone sarcophagi, tightly covered with slabs of stone. On removing the cover, seemingly this same curious vine or fungus was found growing over the Skeleton. In another of these'fttoce receptacles lor the dead, which were evidently maby hundred years old, the body of some great dig­ nitary was found in perfect preserva­ tion. Crowds came from near and far to view these remains, and there was some controversy at thd time as to the unusual growth in the coffin, and the identity of the unknown celebrity. The removal of my informant soon af­ ter the event prevented further partic­ ulars. ' In conversation with an old ceme­ tery superintendent, he admitted some­ times finding a net-work of rootlets in the coffins of those long dead, and noth­ ing more; suggesting the discovery of what was supposed to be the grave of Roger Williams^ "in which, when opened, no remains of the skeleton even could be found, for the roots of an ap­ ple tree planted above had embraced the skull, trunk, and limbs, and pre­ served their shape." Nature, the won­ derful alchemist, having completely transformed and utilized the poison­ ous elements, thus adding another proof of the countless resources of the Creator, who can turn to purpose even the refuse and decay of the grave. Many are the tales told and read of wonderful growths of hair found in the coffins of the dead, years after burial, which cover the unsightly remains as with a garment, clearly showing that Nature in its most repulsive forms is endowed with an artistic sense which would fain hide what is hideous and change ugliness into beauty and use. The First Steamer at San Francisco. "So that's the old California, is it?" soliloquized an aged pioneer, standing on Spear-street wharf, under the bow­ sprit of a bark-rigged vessel whose battered sides bore evidence of many a year's struggle against , wind and wave. "Yes, that's the California," was the reply from the man in charge of a re­ pairing crew who were replanking the forward part of the ship. "She was the first steamer that ever entered this port. Her boilers were taken out of her in 1875, and since that time she has been in the lumber and coal trade, with an occasional cargo of tea from Yoko hama. She's an old-timer, I tell you." It was ascertained that A. B. Forbes, the well-known insurance agent of this city, knew something concerning the ancient craft, and to that gentleman the reporter made application. "I was purser of the California in 1850," said Mr. Forbes, reflectively. "My-brother, Cleveland Forbes, who died in 1857, was her first captain and brought her around the Horn. William H. Webb, of New York, was her builder. Webb built the Panama and Oregon, sister ships of the California, all constructed for the mail service be­ tween Panama, San Francisco, and As­ toria. The Oregon was lost in Puget Sound about eight years ago, and the Panama was broken up at this port in 1870. The California has survived them all, for besides being one of the stoutest vessels that was ever launched she has been one of the luckiest. Tlbe Fremont and the Constitution are often given the honor of being the oldest vessels now running into this port, but neither of them ante-dates the Cali­ fornia. The Fremont was built in 1850, and the Constitution did not arrive here until 1851 or later. The Califor­ nia and her sister ships were built un­ der the supervision of naval inspectors, it being one of the conditions of the contract between the Government and the mail company that they Bhould be so constructed as to be capable of car­ rying batteries in case of war or any emergency that might ariae in those under the command of James Marshall. No one aboard heard the news of the discovery of gold in California until the vessel arrived at Valparaiso, and at Panama they saw the first dust and witnessed the excitement which had ex­ tended to all the Western coast. Among the passengers were many men who have since become prominent in the history or business of the city and State. Ar­ riving here, everybody aboard save the captain and a seaman named Foggin, who was kept from deserting by being locked up in the cabin, hurried away to the diggings. Foggin afterward re­ mained aboard on being given the position of chief engineer at a salary of $500 a month. On her first voyage from this port to Panama we were un­ der the necessity of engaging seamen at wages ranging from $200 to $250 a month; the cook, a. darkey named George Washington, received $400, and the captain only $150, he being under contract with the company to receive this salary, which was considered a high rate of remuneration at the time the California left New York.--San Francisco Paper. , Afghan Match-Making •the fixing upon a desirable match for their sons and daughters is a source of constant anxiety in every Afghan family. Amongst the noble, political and tribal considerations chiefly deter­ mine the future of the daughter. But there is a class of women who make it their special business to negotiate mar­ riages. These Mrs. Gadabouts are in the position of superior domestic serv­ ants or nurses, and are exceedingly ingenious and expert in the art of match-making. These female gossips rove from hduse to house, and make themselves acquainted with the domes­ tic affairs of one family in order to convey them, to another. They be­ come familiar, by researches in zenanas, with the expectations and plans of anxious mothers for their marriageable sons and daughters. Every one knows the object of their visit, but these fe­ male matchmakers are absolutely necessary in the present secluded state of Mohammedan households. Sometimes when two families are about to negotiate a marriage between the son of the one and the daughter of the other, an omen is consulted in the following mannor: Several slips of paper are cut up, and on the half of them is written "To be," and on the other half "Not to be." These pieces of paper are then placed under a praying carpet, and after the liturgical form of prayer is over, the anxious father de­ voutly raises his hands in prayer to God for guidance, and expresses his submission to the all-wise decree of the Almighty in the matter of his son's or daughter's marriage. Then, putting his hand Under the carpet, ho draws out a paper. If on it should be written "To be," he thinks the marriage is or­ dained of Gcd; if "Not to be," no overture or negotiation will be listened to. Sometimes, however, the interests of state, or the value of the dowerv, or the termination of a long-standing blood feud, Will induce the pious chief­ tain to put aside the omen as having been influenced by the powers of dark- iss! The marriage-day in a country like Afghanistan does not always pass off as happily and merrily as the proverb­ ial marriage-bell. An Afghan evan­ gelist, Syud Shah, was on one occasion visiting his own native hills of Kunar,* when he suddenly came upon a field of battle. There were the chiefs and war­ like youths of the two contending vil­ lages fighting furiously. And on the aide of the hill was placed the covered doodle or palanquin, with a couple of female attendants beside it. Inside was the bride. After the marriage cer­ emony had taken place, some irregu­ larity had been discovered, and the en­ raged villagers, headed by their chief, had followed the procession with the intention of capturing the bride. Hence the fight. To quote Syud Shah's words, "they fought until mid­ night, and one man was killed." The marriage procession then went its way, and the terrified bride was carried off in victory. Such is wedded life amongst the Afghans.--Home Jour­ nal. Lord Houghton. I next met Lord Houghton at dinner in Albany in the winter of 1876-7,where he was the guest of Lieutenant Gov­ ernor Dorsheimer. The ten intervening years had told apon his personal ap­ pearance, but more upon his manner. He seemed very fidgety and nervous. He was constantly doing something that did not then "need doing; he was either pulling at his wristbands, or at the sleeves of his undergarment, or trying to get some new effect from his shirt-collar. His head struck me as too low on the top to answer the pur­ poses of a man of a very high order of character, or to win love and respect in any great degree, but his pure blue eyes were as striking and attractive as ever. No one could look into them a second time and not see that they were the eyes of no ordinary or commonplace man. He laughed frequently and ex­ plosively, apparently aa a matter of po­ liteness rather than because he was amused. His talk was agreeable, and his manner that of a man who had no concern about the impression he was producing--the perfection of high breeding. He made one statement after dinner of more than transient in­ terest; one of the company having re­ marked that a cousin of Lord Hough­ ton had to his sorrow invested in the Confederate cotton loan of 18G3, an­ other gentleman present remarked that Gladstone had some of that too. "Oh yes," said Lord Houghton, laughing. "What," said our host, "is that so?" "Yes," replied Lord Houghton, "but not a great deal." This recalled to my memory the fact that when the London press copied from the New York papers a list of the subscribers to the Confederate cotton loan, among whom Gladstone was down for a few thousand pounds, many prominent persons enumerated on the list pub­ lished cards denying that their names bad been placed there with their knowl­ edge or by their authority. Mr. Glad­ stone, however, was not of the number. He made no denial, but the London , press very considerately forbore any subsequent allusion to the subject.-- Hon. John Bigelow, in Harper's Magazine. Impossible. Sharp Boy to Father--"Pa, there's something wrong with the man yon hired to chop the wood." - Father--"Why?" Boy--"Because he chopped it short enough." Father--"Come, sir, what did I tell you about showing a proper respect for the trnth? Chopped it snort enough! Impossible!" -- Arkansaw Traveler. , PADDED TO SHAPES OF BEAUTY. Exquisite Curve* of JLovellntiaa Dne to,th« Holt Wool of the Australian Lamb--A Coa- tumer'x Revelations. One night, while watching, the ballet in a spectacular piece, a reporter turned to a well-known customer, who sat next to him, and asked if he. didn't think the prima ballerina had A beauti­ ful figure. "She ought to," was the reply. "Why?" asked the reporter. "Because she bought much of it from me." "Much of what?" • "Of her figure; and I could say the same of nearly every man and woman on the stage--principals, ballet, and supers." There was no chance for further con­ versation that evening, but the re­ porter bore the conversation in mind, and calling on the customer the next day asked for somo points on the art of making up the human form--that is, for information as to how much of the human form is the gift of nature and how much of it the gift of man. The reporter had known that many attributes of state beauty were arti­ ficial, but after this conversation he ar­ rived at the conclusion that no man or woman need hesitate to go on the stage, because deficient in face and figure. A trifling expenditure of money will place such a man or woman on a par with Apollo or Yenus. '•How are these for legs?" asked the costumer, spreading out a pair of tights. "Beautiful!" exclaimed the reporter, for the tights were not of the ordinary kind, but so woven that their alines seemed to follow the contours of shapely legs. These tights came in five sizes. They are made of stocking material like ordinary tights, but one can tell on feeling them that the parts which cover the calves of the legs are thickly padded. The padding is of Australian lambs' wool, which is so elastic that when the tights are on the padding stretches itself over the calves and enlarges them. No other portion of these tights was padded. The re­ porter was informed that they were in­ tended to remedy only deficiencies in the calves, and were much worn by actresses when their costumes necessi­ tated the wearing of dresses which reach only to the the knee, and by act­ ors in costumes which showed the calves, such as knickerbockers or old French costumes. . Tights for the ballet come in the same variety of sizes, but are more elaborately padded so as to meet the requirements of the case. Ballet dan­ cers usually wear what&re called shape dresses--that is, short dresses which barely cover the hips. Consequently more deficencies are likely to be notice­ able than in the case first mentioned. To remedy these, so-called calf and thigh pads are made, the Australian lambs' wool being woven into the stock­ ing material at the points mentioned. For actresses who appear in male cos­ tume, calf, thigh, and waist tights are provided. In these the hips are made shapely and at the same time so fash­ ioned that the waist looks small. Then there is an arm pad to go with short- sleeved dresses. This is also made of stocking material, padded with Aus­ tralian lambs' wool, at the proper points. It fits tightly, and when a iiesli-colored "skin" is worn over it the wearer appears to have a lovely, plump arm. Indeed, it should be stated that in all cases the padded tights form only the foundation. "Skins" have tQ be worn over them alL A slim actor need not be afraid to play a heroic character; for he can be made stalwart--one-half as big again if necessary. For him there are padded shirts which give him a splendid chest, and also arm.and shoulder pads. There are special arm pads for Roman char­ acters, and shoulder pads are often used to make tke shoulders even, for frequently one shoulder will be lower than the other. The reporter asked the costumer if he could make a crooked leg straight, and he replied that he often cured peo­ ple of bow-leggedness, and made their limbs straight--an operation beyond the skill of the most accomplished sur­ geon. Padding out the hollows and a judicious proportion of padding at other points is all tl^at is required. Of course there are special ways of pad­ ding for certain lines of character, and the costumer can turn a shapely man into a hunch-back or into a fat man. Then there are speoial cases in which the deficiencies are so difficult to remedy that a plaster cast is taken of the deficient limb, and a skillful work­ man set to work to make a special pair of tights which will hide the deficien­ cies shown in the plaster cast. This usually has to be done in case of bow- leggedness ; also in case of large calves and small thighs, in which case the tights have to be nicely graduated. As an example of the difficulties he some­ times has to deal with, the costumer told of a case in which he had to pro­ portion a pair of legs, the calf of ono being 12] inches, that of the other 14 inches. The deficiency he has most frequently to remedy for women is the dent made by the garters. Actors most frequently want calf and thigh tights. The reporter was surprised to hear that the wearing of padded tights is as com­ mon among actors as it is among ac­ tresses. Nino out of ten actors pad. Of the women on the stage the ballet dancers make the greatest demand for tights, as the exercise of dancing hard­ ens and thins the leg. Many fashionable tailors send their customers to this costumer for padded tights, The demand at the time tight trousers were worn was enormous. He also supplies dudes with corsets. Offi­ cers of the National Guard often wear corsets. Since ladies' riding habits have become shorter a special line of ladies' padded tights are made for ria- i n g . . . . Verily the human form divine is largely a question of money.--New York Sun. Next? Once there was a hired man who was constantly astonishing his employer, a farmer, by doing strange and unex­ pected things. One day the farmer went into the barn and found his man had* hanged himself. Liooking at the dangling body a fow minutes, he ex­ claimed, "What on earth will that fel­ low do next?"--Argonant Storyette. LIEUT. FBEDERICK SCHWATKA. is de­ scribed as a stalwart, powerful, tough looking man, with a head as big as a walrus's. He is said to be a brilliant talker, which is more than may be said of him as a writer, though his writings are full of interest.^ KEEP clear of all personalities in gen­ eral conversation. Talk of things, ob­ jects, and thoughts. The smallest minds occupy themselves with person­ alities. RECOLLECT what disorder hasty or imperious words from parents or teach­ ers have caused in his thoughts.--- Locke. PITH AND POINT. A TART answer--That yon, I will hav^ft on&--Carl Pretzel's Weekly. "J" THE man who sits down to wait fc|jL;. somebody's old shoes will need a cushr- ion on his chair.--Chicago Ledger. "You have a very feasible case," re­ marked a lawyer to a client as fcir Socketed a hundred-dollar retainer.-- Brooklyn Times. . , "WHAT is the best way to keep chickens?" "Eat'em up before thgi . colored brother gets a chance to steal em."--Texas Siftings. THE proof of the pudding is in th* eating, it is true; but that cannot e^>. plain away the loud talk of a bad egg. -- Washington Hatchet WE never get in the rear of a yerjr neat and modest looking button-hoMl bouquet without wondering what it would say about the company it had got into if it was allowed to speak its mind.--Fall River Advance. ~ "Is IT right to tell lies?" asked JFT;.: Sunday-School teacher who had a class of small boys. "No, sir," responded every one. "Why isn't it right to tell lies?" "Coz you git licked for a-doiqf of it," came from a little fellow with sore back, near the foot of the class.--*- Chicago Ledger. r _ IF there is ever a moment in a manlf) < life when he does not care whether % beautiful piece of chilled steel work­ manship is ruined, or the world is com­ ing to an end, it when the dentist la . yanking him around the room at tbi| end of a pair of new self-gripping fof» cept--Fall River Advance. COXSACKIE, New York, has two banda; a juvenile drum corps, a choral union, five church choirs, and an epidemic of measles. The citizens propose to st«gr right where they are until a profes­ sional base-ball club is organized. Then they will fiee to the woods to escape the "last straw."--Korristown Herald. AN importer of African elephants says the animal will be instinct in an­ other hundred years, unless a stop is put to the indiscriminate massacre now going on. This need not worry the young man who wants to see the animal a hundred years hence. He can always "see the elephant" by going to New York and making the acquaintance of the bunco man.--Norristown Heratfe A PSEUDO philosopher says: "All * woman asks is to be loved. She does, eh? We labored under that delusive phantasy before we were married, but, alas! the days were few before a change came o'er the spirit of our dream. Love don't amount to much to a woman who sees all her friends going to a watering place for the summer while she stays at home because her husband can't af­ ford it.--SL Paul Herald. "GRANDMA," said a young scapegraol, "do old people live very long?" "Somtt* times," said the stern old lady. "Do yon think you will live to be very old ?* persisted the hbpeful. "I hope," said the old lady wearily, "that I shall live long enough to see you grow up to be a well-behaved young man." And the, incorrigible responded: "Well, grand­ ma, you needn't wait, I'll telegraph."-- Buffalo Commercial Advertiser. HER LOVE. rus footstep on the stair I hear, He comes ! Bo still, iny beating heart! That stop is music in mine car, And bids each care ami grief depart. He's drawing near; he's at the door, Oh I 1 t ray darling in, I pi ay: I've longed to see him, oft before, But nover aa I do to-day. The door is open and we moot, And I once more my darling hug, And rain tipou him kiss as sweet, My Fido, daar, iny precieus pug! --Boston Courier. • THIS is told of an Assemblyman in Albany: A colleague accused him of striving for the nomination to a certain high office. He denied the statement in­ dignantly. Rising to a question of privi­ lege, he waxed warm upon the subject. "Why, Mr. Speaker," said he, "if that place were offered me upon a golden platter I would not accept it." Up rose a rural member who had a squeaky voice: "Mr. Speaker," he piped, "will the member inform the House what would become of the golden platter f* --Harper's Bazar. "Is THERE a letter in the po3toffiee for me, mister?" "Who are you?" "I'm Jones-' boy." "And who's Jones?" "Why, he's my daddy." "Yes, but what's your daddy's name?" "Didn't I just tell you it was Jones?" "Of course, but I mean his first name." "That's the first name he ever had, I reckon." "No, but I want to know the name he goes by at home." "Well, he goes by so much that he's never home.** '•But what do you call him?" "Mom calls liim 'limpy,' and sis calls him 'fireworks,' and I call him a durn fool." --Yonkers Gazette. No Hereafter. Mrs. Timpkins had not been feeling well, and Mr. T. had felt the results of it in various ways. Sunday morning he went to church*as a sort of a vacation, and when he came back his wife wanted to know all about it. "Who was there?" she asked, after several other questions of a more spiritual nature. "Oh, everybody as usual. I saw Joe Fieldrig among the number and was a little surprised." "Why?" "He isn't orthodox." "In.what respect?* "He doesn't believe in a hereafter." "I never heard that before. How do you know?" "Best evidence in the world. He's going to get marrie^ next week." Mrs. T. had a relapse.--Merchant Traveler. A Big Speculation. "Hello, Thompkins, my dear fellow. You're just the man I've been looking for." "No! is that so?" "Yes. Look here, I want to borrow $10 from you. Must have it Very important." If you can let me have it I will pay you $20 to-morrow--100 per cent. Big spec. See ?" "Well, that does look like a good in­ vestment, but, I tell you what, I've got a bigger scheme yet" "What's that?" "Why, I'll give you my note for $10 and date it ahead one day; and then you can come round to-morrow and just give me back my note and $10. See?"--Y. Mail and Express. " Portrait of Bank Notes. On United States notes, $1, Wash­ ington; $2, Jefferson; $5, Jackson; $10, Webster; $20, Hamilton;$50, Franklin; $100, Lincoin; $400, Gen. Mansfield; $1,000, DeWitt Clinton; $5,000, Madi­ son ; $10,000, Jackson. On silver cer­ tificates--$10, Robert Morris; $20, Commodore Decatur; $50, Edward Everett; $100, James Monroe; $500, Charles Sumner; $1,000, W. L. Marcy. On gold notes--$20 Garfield; $50, al­ ias Wright; $100, Thomas H. Benton; $500, A. Lincoln; $1,000, Alexander Hamilton; $5,000, James Madison; $10,- 000, Andrew Jackson. A RECENT census of Greenland Mi cates a population of 10,000.

Powered by / Alimenté par VITA Toolkit
Privacy Policy