Democratic Sentinel, Volume 1, Number 21, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 6 July 1877 — PEOPLE AND THINGS. [ARTICLE]

PEOPLE AND THINGS.

There are 100,000 Germans in Texas. Spring-showers —Clerks showing new goods. Short nails make the tiuger tips grow broad. Fresh butter is now following fresh beef to England. Never apologize for a long letter; you only add to its length. Retiring early at night will snrely shorten a man’s days. Alabama is now pelling iron iu Pennsylvania to good profit. Immigration from Russia brought us 5,959 individuals last year—mostly Mennonitics. There has been so much rain in lowa this spring that the graßßhoppers wear India-rubber boots. The debt of New York city is over $160,000,000, and growing at the rate of $2,000,000 a month. Mrs. Cox, of Holderness, N. H., 101 years old, is now enjoying for the first time in her life the delight of whooping cough. The Philadelphia Zoological Society has a collection of 10,730 animals, composed in part of 405 mammals, 500 birds and 102 reptiles. Wagner recently told M. D. Conway that if ever he came to the United States it would be to make his home here. He thinks seriously of it. Two colored men, formerly slaves, and so illiterate uutil ten years ago that they could not read, are successfully editing a Missouri paper. The New Hampshire newspapers are engaged in trying to discover the person who lias the largest hand in the State. A womtuj thus far has the honor. Twenty-bight Chinese boys are on their way to English and French naval colleges. Japanese example has evidently told even upon Chinese anti-Eu-ropean feeling. For the erection of a monument to Linnseus 36,000 crowns have been subscribed. The monument will be unveiled on January 10, 1878, the hundredth anniversary of the death of the naturalist. The orator of class-day at Brown University this year will be a colored youth named Irman Edward Brown. He was chosen by the vote of his classmates. The honor is esteemed the highest one that can be gained in college. Several new fragments belonging to the Elgin sculptures in the British Museum have been lately discovered in excavations made on the south side of the Acropolis at Athens. The identification litis -been made by means of plaster casts forwarded to the Museum. V/ Massachusetts railway superintendents arc about adopting the practice of requiring all passengers to enter the cars at the front ends and leave them .at the rear ends. The object is not only to save time, but to avoid crowding and consequent liability to accident. -/ A Paris showman, whose daughter was recently married, presented to his son-in-law, as her fortune, an elephant that danced a fandango, a camel that went down on his knees with its head to the east at sunset., a dog that reckoned up accounts, and two canaries that played cards. A man in prison stretched his hand through the grating of the jail door in Liberty, Mo., recently, and married a young lady on the steps of the building. He had been imprisoned a year for obtaining money under false pretenses. The bride returned to her home and the groom to his cell. California is losing its reputation as a land of pure delight. The thermometer lately cut some queer capers. It waltzed from 102 to 105 in the shade. Remembering the enthusiastic praise of tho equality of the climate aw r ay off at the Golden Gate, this thermometrical attitudinizing makes us perspire and doubt.

A queer case of action on contract lias been instituted at Cattaraugus, N. Y. A young woman, the plaintiff, sets forth that her father, the defendant, promised her SSOO commission if she would procure him a Avife. She did it, and he married the Avoman, but noAv refuses to pay up, declaring indignantly that he did his oavu courting. Six car-loads of fine blooded stock were scut from Kentucky to the Government of Japan recently. The stock consisted of six thoroughbred stallions, tAvo thoroughbred fillies, two trotting stallions, three trotting mares, one Clydesdale stallion and mare, seven bulls, nine heifers and twelve head of Jersey cattle. Carefully culled statistics are adduced to show that the chances of life are longer in France than elsewhere in Europe. Of a million inhabitants who reach their 60tli year, Italy has 71,602 ; England, 78,010; Holland, 76,984; Sweden, 78,187; Denmark, 86,657; Belgium, 88,432; France, 101,495. Great Britain has the best show of centenarians. , Tiib Czar and his eldest son, tlie heir apparent, have no fixed allowance of pay. They take Avhat is necessary for their expenses out of the rents of the crown domains and out of the treasury, the sums taken from the latter being termed “ indemnities. ” All the other members of the imperial household have their allowances regularly fixed, and are not permitted to go beyond the limit. LIFE. Ali, this mystery, so rife AVith mysteries, this life! AV’ho can know it V Prophet nor poet, Nor prince nor peasant. This terrible present; Of all that has been, sum and history; • Of all that shall be, source and prophecy; This living past, present futurity; This was, and is, and Shall be so— He may not know. AVe ?—we are but men. Alone God sitleth, on his throne. Amen ! — R. R. Rowkcr, in Scribner for July.