1881-04-16; Clare County Press

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Press.
$1.50 per Year, Always in Advance.
A Newspaper ft* Cjlare County.
D. E. ALWAED, Publisher.
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VOLUME III.
w-
*• AM «MU» COJkK.
Poor coat, »oU loved for many reiuomt
8ia*eVothoI us grow old, b»tra»;
TliJa luuiil tins bru&tucd you tor Ua seavwu,
TS/an Soorafc's'no moro could dt>.
Whilst 'ftnis your tliiu and wlUte-isiuaed atufl
Keeps on £tta«ktag withbut and,
Wisely, Uko uio, his blows rebuff;
Juia na-rut IM us paxt, old blond.
That biilhdnj- flown, when first I irpre you,
I mind well—memory yet us Btrong—
My friends uround to honor bore vou,
And poured their welcome forth iu song,
Your shabby pliKlit—of which I'm Tain— )
Binders thcin not nn arm to lend.
They'd freely fonst us now ngnin;
So never lei us part, old friend.
Tou're pntctjed behind, nn nncieut rending)
Thnt, too, recalls a past delight;
One night to run from Jane pretending,
I felt her noft hand dutch me tight.
Torn wore you, and that frightful tea*
H took my 3 turn two ilnj-s to mend,
While I was lield hor captive thcw>;
So nover let us part, old friend.
s yo
Which fops sniff, looking in the glass?
Or pushed al-'iig an ante-chamber,
te     For swell.-! to aneer at as to passf
;1 Throughout all Francj by faction rent,
\     Ribbons and stars fell strife can sen-i—
j A lleld-flower ia your ornament;
•     So nover let us part, old friend.
'"r
t Fear no more days of Idle ranging,
;     When our two fates become us one,
f Of pleasure with plain Intorcliangiug,
Of intcrminghul ntln nnd-sun.
For the last time I soon shnll dofl
ity clothes, j nat wait! aud wo will wtnd
Together, gently going off;
So never let us part, old friend.
—Front Btrangtr.
GLARE, MICHIGAN, SATURDAY, APRIL 16, 1881.
NUMBER 12.
h I
s.-?
\ THE YANKEE SCHOOLMASTER.
Ou "Miller's Hill" a farm-house; a
ibwland structure built of wood; whose
'4lap-boards, weather-worn and gray, were
" ' i tilling into slow decay: whose mossy
\ v K f'ooden lane-troughs swing from rusty
\ \ f irons rudely hung; whose curling shin-
j ' .' ] $1''S here and there botrayod the need of
\ ' I "food repair; whose ancient chimney,
| , a*,',-tapped with stono, with lichens partly
| *3? Overgrown above the sagging roof, looked
*" ■ . ■?. ;,dowa upon the spires of Brandon town.
J v   | An old  gray barn was built near by,
l • iff--«vith heavy girths and scaffolds high,
j - St »n^ so^ s"'s an^ m(lssive beams, and
t ' *>\-;through tlie cracks aud open seams tho
;- ,'. Jj "planting sunshine used to play in golden
r ; t feleams upon the hay, where oft, with
| _ ,?», tnuny a shout, the children jumped and
'k~" (,. -fplayed about at hido and seek, or looked
**' 'kjt rfwilh core for hidden nests in comers
\y I'lthere. Where oft at morn they used to
•!]' jf-fheiu: the cackling hen and chanticleer,
"'where, l)y the broad floor 'neath the
mows, were cribs and stanchions for the
cows, and strong plank stalls .where
'horses stood to tiat their hay from racks
of wood, aiid, in a corner stowed away, a
■' ^jjolly t atm-boys-Tmskll afroiight the golden Corn by candle-light, and hung tlieir
lanterns by the bay on pitchforks thrust
into thc Inly, whew, sheltered from the
I' | autumn raiu, with thundering flails thoy
]'  % threshed the grain.
help them "do their sums." They
brought him fruit and sugar plums; they
had thair girlhood hopes and fears; his
words wera music in their oars; eaoh
smila ho gavo them had a charm; each
frown would fill them with alarm.
What envious looks at Susan Stow, his
favorite scholar they would throw.
Her eyes and hair were dark as night,
her skin was soft, and smooth, and
white; a peach-like bloom her cheeks
overspread; her lips like cherries, ripe
and red. What wonder he could not
conceal the glad, sweet thrill he use to
feel through all hi3 palpitating frame
when to his desk she coyly came and,
looking up with eyes of love, like some
sly, timid little dove, would softly ask
him to expound some knotty problem
she had found? What being in the world
bolow seemed half as sweet as Susan
Stow? Her eyes would flash and, in return, lus face would flush and strangely
burn, and, when he tried to calculate
some long, hard "sum" upon her slate,
th e figures danced before his sight like
little gobblins, gay and white, and, when
at night, with cheerful face, he started
for his boarding place, what wonder that
he came so slow in walking home with
Susan Stow?
The woman crossed the kitchen floor
to meet Lycurgus at the door, and, with
a scrutinizing star,e she said: "Walk in
an' take a chair, an' be to home while
you are here. Oome, Busby, take his
things, my dear."
Forth from liis corner, by the fire, tho
husband came at her desire. His head
was bald, save here and tliere, stray little tufts of grizzled hair; his shoulders
stooped, his form was thin, his knees
wi-re bent, his toes turned iu; he wore a
long blue flannel frock, gray trousers,
and a satin stoek; a cotton collar, tall
an 1 queer, was rudely rumpled aronnd
each ear; his face waa mild, his smile was
blnnd, as forth ho put his ponderous
hand, and said: "I thin]; I see vou well,
I hope you'll stay a leetle spell; we're
plain folks here I'd have you know, and
don't go in for pride nor show." Then,
after stopping on the cat, lie took the
teacher's coat and hat; he hung them on
a rusty nail, and, picking up his milking
pail, lio slowly shuffled out of doors and
wont to do tlie evening chores.
Close by the firelight's cheerful glare
Lycurgus' drew tho easy-chair. The
savory steam of chickens slain came
from the black pot on the crane. Tho
kt?ttle's inerry song he hoard; upon tha
hearth the gray cat purred; whilo, by
the chimney-corner snug, the houso dog
dozed upon the rug,   Among the "chim-
But "Aunt Rebecoa " watohed in vain
tha curling smoko abovn the erano ; pfce
nodded,   dozed,   began  to   snore,  she
dropped her knitting on the floor, awoke,
her eyelids heavier grew, arose and silently withdraw.
Along the creaking stairs she crept, to
the lone chamber where she slept, find
close the window-curtains drew, to screen
herself from outward view.  She stopped
tlie key-hole of the door, she set the
candle on the floofc, looked 'neath the
valance—half afraid to find a man in
ambuscade;   then   sitting down,  aside
with care she laid her garments on a
chair,  slipped on   her ghostly robe Of
white, took off her shoes, blow out ihe
hght,  then,  iu tho darkness, from her
head removed hor wig and went to bed,
curled up, with chilly sobs and sighs, and
quivering shut her drowsy eyes.
Poor single souls who sloop alone, the
night  wind   hath   a   dismal   tone   to
vour louo ears—you start with fe?ir at
overv midnight sound you hear, when
late jit night with weary heads you creep
iuto your weary beds.   The nights seom
long, your lips turn blue, your feet gi'ow
cold—you know they do 1
Sho slept at last; she heard onco more
tho ripple break upon the shoro; again
she sat npon the strand, and some ono
clasped her fair young hand, and woris
were whispered in hor ear that long ago
she loved to hear, and, starting up, she
cried in glee : " I know you would come
back to me."    Sho woke.   Alas!   no
lovo was thero.   Her thin arms clasped
the vacant air.    'Twas but a dream. Shi
lived alone;  Withr nt f\io heard the nigh i
wind ma-c. rti'«  *n   ** -tf-wdow-pauos
the snow was wildly boating.    From below the smothered sound of voices came j
when still with Busby's social   dame, j
Tlieir guest sat by the fading fire and j
Vt atched its fleeting flame expire while :      .- ,,..   ,.,.-.-,        ,
she listened, but no word they uttereri   «fJfJfe«-^»3 gayly sotmd, apin
-      -    - * ft recoi_ f on "Iflitier-s Hill" we hear tho shouts of
I cMl&'eia.lotfd and clear; but in the barn
is heai^jjo more tho flapping flail upon
the -Bim,'- The house is down, its in-
mat^afeme, and tall Lycurgus Littlejohn |gjf ow an old man, worn with care,
with ayling form and silver hair.0 Ho
niarri^Onrk-cyed Susan Stow, and they
were l«jfpy, years ago.
Whe*v[ in the merry winter-time, thoir
chilling'children round liim climb, lie
tells ipitii of his fearful fnght, on that
far th&"mV winter night; and, of tf* *}vt
are piv\ty. heft,   when by the. flre with
head ho site and'Sinks to slum-
and qWakes Hhclshivers w'his
I" ho K'but dreaming *Ull <Sf
' >!d: ons 1^^'g^-j^u^i.
J'ii?l^,'ft0roU0,hilIl8; form, with fright.
£*t&S1Si Blowly coming towS
the tfcd. He heard the rusty hinges
creaky ho couia Bot 8tir> & co^
not fi^, he could not turn his Cd
away;* he shut his eyes and tried to
^■fc1 ^ls,b^of palid hue the
cold *roat stood .like drops of dew; at
last ty shrieked, aloud and shrill—tho
door frtfung back and all was still.
Tkiw* midnight ory, from room to
room, .resohnded loudly tlirough tho
gloom.; The farmer and his wifo at rest
witlunjheir wurm and cozy nest, awoke
and awung, m strange attire, forth from
their- tied loud shouting—"flre'" But
iindinjr npither smoke nor llamo, soon
stumbling up the stairs they came. In
cotton^edquilts quaintly dressed, they
heai'dc^'deepgi-oan from their guest, aud,
full of wonder and affright, pushed in
the doon and struck a light.
Deeji down within the feather bed
Lycurgus hqd withdrawn his head, and,
out of sight, lay quaking there, with
throbbhig breast and bristling hair.
Thoy questioned him, but he was still;
ho shocJc as if he had a chill, tho courage wa-completely gone from tall Ly-
cnrguiULittlejohn.
What humnn language can express,
the modest maiden's dire distress, while
standing still behind tha screen, a sad
spectator of the scene ? What pen or
pencil can portray hor mute despair and
deepol-nnay? A whilo she stood, and
through "the door sho peeped across the
bed-rCK]ni floor; the way was clear,
and, HE§ a vise she grasped tho sausage,
cold tu0£e, sprang from tho closet, and
from Eight sho glided like a gleam of
light, tiftvay without a look or word, she
flewliks an affrighted bird; without a
momeuli of delay, the mystery cleared
itself ftioatf!
Ajgafti the snow gleams on the ground,
could be clearly heard; but soon
lection camo that .sent a shudder through
her frame—tho sansage to be fried at
morn, tho breaksast table to adorn, wits
in tho bedroom whero their guest would
soon betake himselt to rest. The clock
struck ten, sho softly said, "I'll get it
ere he goes to bed."
The spare.bed stood within a room as
chill anS humid as a tomb; 'twas never
aired, 'twas seldom swept; in its damp
corners spiders Crept; they built their
bridges through tlio air, and no rujle
broom disturbed them there. The iwi„'
that fell on roof decayed, dripped through
the chinks that time had made, and oh
the whitewashed walls, ran down in wun«
witness the true modus operandi. Now
watch the httle fellow work liis way into
tho world, and you will be amused and
instructed, as I have often done. After
he has got his opening, ho commences a
nibbling motion with tne point of the
upper bill on the outside of the shell,
always working to tho right (if you have
the large end of the egg from you, and
the holo upward), until he has worked
his way almost around, say with one-
half an inch in a perfect circle ; he then
forces the cap or butt end of the shell
off, and then has a chance to straighten
his neck, and thereby loosening his legs
somewhat, and so, by their help, forcing
the body from the shell.—American
Farm Journal.
.   Vi
nodding
bars Hot
sleep,
■tf©
-jr-rf-V^;
' gr"
ti
i Each year the hum of honoy-bees was
j heard amid the apple tree,   the lilacs
f bloomed, the locusts fair with their sweet
■ fragranw tilled the air; tho stubble fields
| v era plowed and sown; the warin rain
array, a pair qi snuffers and a tray. The
•tinie-v.orn clock ticked slowly on; it'
struck tiie hours forever gono. "Forever j
gone," it seems to s-iy—''Forever gone," '
from day to day, in its tall case oj |
i sombre hue—'twas flfty years since it .
was new.    Between the windows,   small .
and high, the looking-glass was hung, , b capped' with snow. Hero gvory
near by; a brawn bim with wings out- ; M u holloroa g^st, when bedtime
spread, perched on thy scroll-work over- . ca°me> leth.o([ to .?rest/>.
Within its large and moldy press hung
was tho matting on the floor ; cold blew
the breeze beneath the door; cold were j
tho straight-backed chairs of wood; cold
was the oaken stand that stood on spind- [
ling legs that looked as chill as lo';P, bare (
pines on some bleak lull; high ro.se that
bed o'er things below, liko some tall ice- j three hours.   During tlie first  fifteen
he
Women and Politleg.
But for women, literature—especially
that portion of it known as belles lettres
—and tlio fino arts, would be crude rand
more barbarous than they are now.
Feminine taste, feminine sense of beauty,
delicacy and artistic instinct chiefly
prompt tho adornments which smooth
and soften manners and cultivate the
finer impulses. Even though the mas-
culino intellect is concerned hi gratifying
the indulgence of these tastes, yet it is
in response to feminine demands that
modem art and the more poetic and human side of literature largely flourishes.
It is women rather than men who are interested in decorative art; in the general
furnishing and the graceful and delicato
appendages of refined and attactive
homes; in embroidery and pottery and
carving. They give great impetus and
large support to musical education, antl
are musically sensitive and susceptible.
Women aro generous patrons of tho
lighter and more delicate phases of literature—of poetry, biography, and especially of fiction, all of which compose
a large proxiortion of the whole body of
literature. Women are worshipful and
religious, But for them tho church
would die. They are tho vital and reviving element of all congregations of
whatsoever denomination.
But for women's interests in these
various forms of human developement,
a t would find its expression chiefly in
architecture, in massive buildings, or in
structures devoted merely to material
and mechanical uses. Literature would
be Shorn of much of its grace. It would
bo harder, graver; far less imaginative.
Even feminine apparel, where some reform wohld be gladly welcomed, would
assume "a too severe, too sober, too
Bfituteil'aftd depressing; ,a form jjtiiid hue.
:-s3ii±&i»^iJ*j^^
livening, hopeful and stimulating in all
these rt-spects, we would havo a deadening and superfluous gravity. Art would
lie supplanted by mechanism; poetry by
history aud political philosophy; religion
by science.
Should tlie hopes of some women be
u.H  u« 1,1-bu  lill^u   i-fl^d nud tbe; feminine mind become
reads all the railroad cards    <^PVbt:d In P0'1^ *° «»e e?u>nt.o£ ?*'
" ~   -   refined   and  reforming m-
t£5QLy_Wahia&*
'sa^m-
Tlio Waiting Philosopher.
Some people think it ouo of the hardest strains on human naturo to be
obliged _ to -wait at a country depot for
tho train. JL philosopher takes real
pleiisure in langing around a depot for
land; beneath, a shelf, the common home
minutes
hanging in the waiting-room. If ho is
near-sighted or a poor reader he ean put
iu half on hour ut this.    Every depot
near, sounds were wafted to the ear o'er
wa\iug fields of tasneled corn, of flattering scythe and dinner horn. The reapers
reaped their golden sheaves; the swallows
left the stuccoed eaves; tho apples in the
autumn breeze grew ripe and mellow
on the trees; tho leaves were swept about
thc nir; the fields were brown, tho wood-
laiids bare; the sunw-thikes fell; the air
grew chill; the sleigh-bells rang ou "Miller's Hill."
The whiter sky was overcast, the snow
and sleet wore falling fast. Twos
Christinas eve; the air was cool; the
children hurried home from school, with
laughter loud and outcries shrill they
reached the. fiirm-house on the hill, thev
3pinster, somew.
age was seldom told; her hair was gray,
her noso was thin, it nearly touched her
toothless chin. Life's weary work and
constant care had worn a face that onco
was- f ah.
Eaeh Sabbath morn, from spriug to
spring, within the choir sho used to sing,
in ancient bonnet, cloak, and gown, the
oldest relics in the town; beside the
chorister she stood, and always did tho
best she could, aud, while with tuning-
fork, he led, she niauked his movements
with her head, her nasal voice rose sharp
and queer above the deep-toned viol
near.
and apple pies, with rolls of sausage and
head-cheese, stored on the shelves and j
left to freeze.
From out her cot tho maiden crept, ;
slipped on her shoes and softly stepped i
along tho hall and through the gloom un
til she-reached the chilly room. Unfaeen
she crossed the icy Hoot, unheard unlocked tho closet door, snatched from
the shelf, in a firm hold, a bag of sausage, stiff and cold, then turning quickly,
sought to beat a sudden, safe, and sure
retreat. Too late! A light gleamed on
the wall, aud sound of
the hull, then to the
She took the black pot from the crane,
..,.,„ -       - i removed the kettle from the chain, and
came aenss tho lute ienfloor,.norstop2J3,y mndo tlie tea and chicken-broth, drow
to shut the entry door, all striving liMt .^oflihe table, spread the cloth; then,
S
ii
k* -
fe:
m
-fm
the news to tell, exclaimed, in concert,
with a yell; " The teacher'scoruin' here
to stay; he's u\i tin; road a little way; he
stopped to talk with Susan Stow, aii' we
ran homo to let you know."
The mother bto|jped her spinning-
wheel, and put away her creaking reel,
swept up the dusty hearth with care,
rolled down her sleeves aud brushed her
hair, smoothed out her rumpled gingham
gown, and inherrocldng-chair sat down;
then, striving hard to look her best, she
calmly waited for her guest.
Her ruddy, round, and fleshy face was
bordered by a cap of lace: her nose was
nearly hid from view Dy ner plump
cheeks of healthy hue: her eyes were
bright, her hair was thin, she had a
itiavy double chin; her husband's arms,
when both embraced, could barely circumscribe her waist.
Of all large women nino in ten will
most admire the little men, and little
men—why none may tell—will lovo large
women quite as well. They woo, they
wed, the man through life is quite o'er-
ehadowed by tho wife.
Soon, parting from his rustic flame,
the tardy young schoolmaster came. His
eyes were'blue, hisleutures fair, his chin
o'ergrowu with downy hair; behind his
ears his locks of brown were smoothly
brushed and plastered down; his bony
limbs were large and long; his well-
trtii""! itra«"li« fii'fti and strong: the fall,
stout boys that years before had thrown
their master through the door his rod
regarded with dismay, and seldom dared
to disobev. The pride and hope of Hub-
bardton was tall Lycurgus Littlejohn,
who had, his fellow-townsmen said: "A
heap o' larnin' in his hoad." (Three
terms in Midblebury College had given
him his "heap" of knowledge.)
He often used to sit between the fair
young girls of sweet sixteen and kindly
fronf the table, bright and new, brought
tho best china edged with bluo.
The chores were done, the feast was
spread; all took their seats uud grace
was said. They ate the savory chicken
stew, so juicy and bo well cooked
through; beforo them, rich round dumplings swam, on steaming pltrtes,
with cold' boiled ham, with feathery
biscuit, warm and light, with currant
jam and honey, whito and crowning all
a good supply of yellow, meatly pumpkin-pie. Wliere suoh a bounteous feast
is found, who would not teach aud
"board around?"
The supper done, the father took from
off its shelf, the sacred Book, and read of
one who stilled the sea one stormy night
in Galileo; then, kneeling" down before
his chair, he asked the heavenly Shepherd's care.
Soon from the group, with drowsy
heads, the children started for their
beds; took off the httle shoes they wore,
and left them on the kitchen floor; then,
bidding all a fond "good night," with
pattering feet, thoy passed from sight.
Dear little feet, how soon they stray
from tho old farm-house far away; how
soon they leave the family fold to walk
the shining streets of gold, where every
hope is real aud sure; where every heart
is kind and pure; where every dream is
bright and fan-,—0! may we meet our
loved ones there!
The farmer left his cozy seat, with
clattering slippers on his feet, went to
fche cellar where he draw a mug of cider,
sweet and new, and from his broad bins
brought tho best and ripest apples for
his guest. Theu, by the warm fire's ruddy light, they lingered until lato at
ight, strange' legends told, and tales
that made them all foci nervous and
afraid.
on tho stalwart form of Littlejohn! She
backward stepped and stood, aghast,
then closed the door and held it fast.
With chattering teeth and trembling
frame across the floor Lycurgus came.
He placed the candle iu his hand upon
the spindling oaken stand. Then closed
thc door, and, with a frown, within a
cold chnir settled down. He threw his'
boots upon the floor, and, rising, tried
the eloset door; but Aunt Rebecca, in
affright, clung to'tho latch with sll her
might. To look within Lycurgus failed,
he turner1 away and thoi'iirlifc it nnilod;
Then, pulling'down the snowy spread,
he put his warm brick in the "bed, took
off his clothes, and slipped between the
sheets of ice, so white and clean, blew
ont the light, and, with a sneeze, close
to his chin ho brought his knees, beneath the clothes he drew his nose, and
tried in vain to find repose; while "Auut
Rebecca," from the wall, took down the
Sunday gown and shawl, she wrapped
them round her freezing form, and
blushed, to keep her visage warm.
The paper curtains, loosely hung upon
the windows, rustling swung, while
through each quivering, narrow frame
of frosty panes a dim light came that
made tho furniture appear like dusky
phantoms crouching near. Lycurgus
listened in the storm aud hugged his
brick to keep him warm, but colder
grow tho humid bed, the clothes con-
• r...i!..fl ni-oir-d his head: to feel at ease in
vain he tried; he tossed and turned from
side to side; each time he moved, beneath his weight the bedstead creaked
liko some farm-gate. His brick grow
cold, he could not sleep, a strange sensation seemed to creep npon him, while
across the floor he closely watched tlie
clo<--"t-dof.r.
Was he but dreaming? No! his eyes
beheld, with wonder aud surprise, what
mau liad never seen before—there was a
movement at the door. It tlowly turned
and to his sight came, through the dim.
uncertain light a hideous hand, tliat. i
its   clasp   some   awful    object   seemed
dow. Ifcjs often the case tliat a depot is
surroxuded by houses. Here is a great
eiianeeto speculate. If there are, say,
twelve Louses in sight, the philosopher
can waider how many are under mortgage, vh&t, percentage of husbands have
mL-ised the top-stair in going clown cellar ; hor many mothers-in-law make
homo hippy, and so on, for an hour and
a half.   ;
Then is always a dog, a small boy,
and a lone man around a dopot.   A phi-
losophei "will make advances to the dog
footsteps filled ! and nmiage to tie liis hind legs together
room eam>» boldly i and btati him off with a yelk    He will
j win the small boy's confidence with a
j smile, aid give him a cent to stand on
j his head He will get up a reunion with
t the old man and draw him out.    The
j old mar got hurt by tumbling into a
j ditch wton he wus drunk, but a sharp
! man cai start tho conversation so that
I ho will claim to have received the hurt
I while clinging Lookout mountain a rod
! ahead cf Joe Hooker.
I     Two lours and a half thus slip by on
tlio wingi of lightning.    While tlie fus^y
I fat man tith the carpet-sack has gone to
sleep in despair,   the philosopher  has
I been  hating a   bully time.    The other
I half hoir is a mero nothing.   The phi-
j losopherputs that in by asking the tele-
; graph ojbrator how long it took him to
learn ; ty taking five or six drinks from
the wate-cooler; by  walking  up and
down tin platform, and  counting the
birds   on the  telegraph-wires;   or by
■walking two or three miles down the
track to Beet the train and ask the conductor if kis family are as well as usual.
Therov is no   earthly reason why any
waiting jassenger shouldn't take solid
comfort irouud a depot.— Wall Street
Daily Riws.
How fliickens Get Out of Shells.
Take at egg out of a nest on which a
hen has Iind her full timo, carefully
holding ifto the oar ; turning it around,
you will 5nd the oxaet spot which the
little felM* is picking on the inside of
the. shell:this ho, will do until the in-
sde shel! is perforated, and fhen the
shell is fti'ced outward as a small scale,
I'-aving a hole. Now, if you will hike
one of tlv'Pftgs in this condition from
under tltelion r, move it to tho houso
"1' other i-ii'ablo place, put it in a box
or nest, ktt'P'iig it warm and moist, as
i""r tho trfi'P' rut nro of the hen an pos-
sibli—wlr'h nniy bo dont by laying it
lielwoon KO bottles of wurni water upon
-oiuc eotf'h or w.'ol—-nnd lay a glass
over tlio box or uost; then you can
hit or H'Htdt ns is most convenient, and
ercisiug a
fluenco thereiu, one might reasonably expect to see theso superfine
and, if you choose, superficial, attributes of human society, sacrificed,
in proportion to tho importance which
politics assumed. It is uot meant that
the two are necessarily incongruous, but
that, the human inind is, with comparatively few exceptions, incapacitated for a
wide compass and comprehensive grasp.
If the timo and attention which earnest,
conscientious and serious-minded men
now givo to the cultivation of their
imagination or of their artistic instincts,
or of thou- love of beauty, or of their religious sentiments, bo given to political
science, to government, and to the art of
gov.-rning, it would be at the expense of
this other sot of faculties aud tastes.
This is now observable in respect to
men. As a rule, tho.^o most interested
in art and the drama, in literature, music,
and ecclesiastical affairs, are not interested in political science or in practical
government. The painter, actor, dramatist, poet, musician, and even the
preacher, except on the moral and sentimental side, generally not only ignore,
but repudiate, politics. They are bored
by thesubject. Theysoldomfiudiu itany-
thing worthy of their attention, regarding it chiefly as stupid quarrels and conflicts which possess no imaginative interest, until it rises to the dramatic phase of
war, assiissinatiop or intrigue, by which
it is invested with the romauce that appeals to imaginative sensitiveness.
Women, if not as imaginative iu creative art as men, are more susceptible to
the influences which stimidate the
imaginative faculty than men are. They
are more sympathetic than mon. Hence
they are interested in those features of
life which have au immediate social interest rather than in a broader political
oue. If they become interested in politics, they will be inevitably exposed to
feel less interest in literature aud the fine
arts. Even if polities are improved thereby, it will be at the expense of these finer
manifestations of the human mind; and
for tho reason that these harmonize more
entirely with feminine moods and express
more happily feminine instincts, women
are not likely to abandon them for politics or politiool science.—Detroit Free
Press,
FACTS FOB THE (JUBIOUS.
GojUj-soottijBS are now manufactured
of rubber.
An elephant drinks abont forty-five
gallons of wator a day.
Thb people   of  Ceylon  worship the
tooth of an elephant; those of Malabar ',
the tooth of a monkey.
It is calculated that sixty tons of steel
are annually consumed in the manufacture of steel pens.
Bees have very little power of communicating with each other. F. Millar
gives curious instances of tiie inability
of the bees to invent for themselves a
natural language,
A quantity of flour was exposed by a
French experimenter to a pressure of
300 tons, reducing it to one-fourth its
original bulk. A portion of it was then
placed in cans and sealed, the same being done with some impressed flour. A
year afterward the cans were opened,
when the impressed flour was found to
be spoiled, while tlio pressed was iu excellent preservation.
Aspideb's web affords an excellent
barometer. An old sportsman of Cold-
water, Mich., claims that one preserved
in his house has proved almost invariably correct. When rain and wind are
expected, the spider shortens the threads
wliich suspend tho web. When reefs
are let out, fine weather may be certain,,
but if the spider remains inert, rain will
probably follow within a short time.
Twelve years after the landing of tho
Pilgrims at Plymouth there was not b.
plow in the vicinity of Boston, and tho
farmers broke up the land with hoes or
other hand implements. In 1637 there
wore but thirty-seven plows in the
wholo State, and at a later period it was-
the'eustom for one owning a plow to do
noarly if not all the plowing for a town. '
The town oftenpaid a bounty to one who<
would buy and keep a plow in rex^air
and do the work iu this way.
The swiftest bird, probably, is the
eagle of the_ sea, or ftigate-hird, often
measuring sixteen feet from tip to tip.
It hovers at an elevation of 10,000 feet
when a storm sweeps over the ocean. If
it wishes to travel, says a French naturalist, it can almost annihilate space.
It can breakfast in Africa and dine in
America. This bird reposes on its great
motionless wings, literally " sleeping on
the bosom of the air."
Thekk are in our land 25,520,582
moles and 24,632,284 females.   -Tbe na-
white and 6,577,151 colored persons.
Beside those on reservations under Gov-
'ernment care there ore 65,122 Indians
and half-breeds. The " myriads of Chinese" number 105,463, and there are
2,550 other Asiatics. For every 100,0J0
males thero are 96,519 famales ngainst
97,801 in 1870.
CnoTON Aqueduct, by which New
York city is supplied with water, wi^s at
the time of its completion, and in fact
still is, regarded as one of the wonders
of the world. Its length is 38j miles,
and it is built most of this distance of
brick, stone and cement, inclosed ovor
and under, 6 feet 3 inches wide at tho
bottom, 7 feet 8 inches at the top, and 8
feet 5 inches high. It is carried over
Harlem river on a magnificent brilgo,
1,460 feet long, and 114 feet above high-
water mark.
■V«3**»$i~pj
Queer Epitaph.
In the churchyard of Homersfield,
Suffolk, England, is the gravestone of
Robert Crytott, who died Nov. 17,1810.
It bears the following epitaph :
As I walked b.v mjBclf I talked to myecU,
I :hiiH nijeelf nuld unto mo:
" Look to thyeelf olid take o;iro of thyself,
For uobody can a for tliee."
Bo I lurued to uij'Milf and I answered myaelf,
111 tlie pcll-minit; reverie,
" Look to Uiypelf or not to thyself.
The uolt-Huine thing it will be."
P. T. Barnum is a most rigidly tem-
perance man, the teetotaJest kind of a
teetotaler, but he kieps hi/ t,nn private
b'ar tender, all tho samo.
Stanton's TTnr Conduct.
"I was talking to General McMahon,
who was for some time the principal staff
oflicer of General Dix, about Secretary
Stanton's treatment of Alexander Stephens and Postmaster General Reagan,
both now in Congress," writes Gath to
the Cincinnati Enquirer: "Stanton was-
not very friendly to General Dix, looking upon him as a possible Presidential
candidate, aud he issued orders directly
to him, saying: 'You will proceed immediately to Fort Warren, in Boston Harbor, and .receive from the naval vessels
the two traitor rebels, Stephens and Reagan, and will see that they are confined
separately, and not allowed to communicate with each other, nor to have writing
materials.'
"General Dix felt much mortified, but
he had no discretion in the matter. He
went to the fort and sent McMahon on a
tug to the steam-sloop Tuscarora, commanded by Major Fraley, of Maryland,
That officer had taken care of Stex^hens
and Reagan iu his private cabin. Thoy
had been together throughout the voyage,
and it was, therefore, absurd to sex^arate
them. General McMahon- said: "Gentlemen, I have the misfortune to be your
policeman. I am sorry to say that I
will have to tako you off sex>arately, as
my instructions are not to allow you to
communicate with each other.' 'Well,'
said Commander Fraley, 'we can take a
drink, anyway.' So they took a final
glass of wine, and Stephens was carried
off first.
"As he entered the casemate where he
was tobe confined, there was nothing there
but a miserable bed and one choir. He
looked upon the hospitality prfitfy
seriously, and said: 'Major, can I not
have a table and pen and ink?' 'I am
sorry, Mr. Stephens, but thoy have been
forbidden.' 'Can I have nothing to read,
not even newspapers ?' 'They also are
forbidden you.' Mr. Stephens sank into
tho chair, and gave a slight sigh.
"Rengan was then brought off in a
tug and put in a similar casement, with
no more accommodation, but he made
no complaint. Stex>hens asked if he
could not see General Dix. 'I will convey your request, to him.' said McMahon,
ancl he did; but tho General replied:
'Major, I don't think I can.go to see Mr.
Stexiheus. My orders are so disagreea- .
bio that I can do nothing for him. I
would only have to say no, and that I
should hate to do.'" *.
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