Democratic Sentinel, Volume 9, Number 11, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 10 April 1885 — INDIANA LEGISLATURE. [ARTICLE]

INDIANA LEGISLATURE.

A physician connected with one of the hospitals in New York where children receive special attention says that many of the cases of spinal trouble brought to his notice are the direct result of the careless handling of baby carriages. The matter of how nurses and others handle these little vehicles is one to which parents may well pay Attention. The following lines Were discovered on a slip of paper found in an old-fash-ioned bottle in the center of an oak tree, cut down at Goshen, Conn.: She was young And she was fair. But the Indian Raised her hair. It is believed the paper was concealed in the tree about 110 years ago by a 'woman named Hunter, whose daughter 'was killed by the Indians. The life of George Eliot, written by Mr. Cross, is the most interesting literary production of recent years. It contains indisputable evidence of the loyalty of her nature, and the purity of motive that controlled her private acts. But, with all due respect to this great mind and heart, there are many people who will question her queer criticism •on “Jane Eyre,” where it says “she wishes the characters would talk less like the heroes and heroines of police □reports. ” One of the most remarkable oils yet discovered is that found in the Arago •oil basin in Wyoming Territory. In a shaft put down on the east side of Bath Creek, to a depth of twelve feet, oil flows in of exceptionally high specific gravity. It is, when first exposed, of a brownish color, and can be cut with a knife like soft butter. It gradually turns black on exposure. It has little color when it first comes from the shaft, though what escapes on the south side of the adjoining ridge has a slight pungency, which it loses on exposure. * Anciently, in many parts of France, when a sale of land took place it was the custom to have twelve witnesses, accompanied by twelve little boys; and when the price of the land was paid, and its surrender took place, the ears of the boys were pulled and they were severely beaten, so that the pain thus inflicted should make an impression upon their memory, and, if required afterward, they might bear witness to the sale. Later, when a criminal was being executed, parents whipped their children, so that they might take warning by the example and keep in the path of virtue. The Bev. Aaron Cleveland, the President’s great-grandfather, settled in Halifax in 1750, the year after the city was founded, and established a church known as “Mather’s Church,” after the great New England divine of that day. He remained five years, and was succeeded by a Scotch minister. The church then became known as St. Matthew’s, and was the first Presbyterian church in the British lower provinces. It is the leading church in the city to-day. Its library, established by Mr. Cleveland, still contains many volumes presented by him and bearing his autographs. There are many relatives of his still in the province. The first patent granted to an inventor in the United States is mentioned in a speech of ex-Senator Wadleigh, of New Hampshire,in the Forty- fifth Congress. The Senator said: “An intelligent gentleman of my own State has referred to me an act of the General Court of Massachusetts Bay, passed in 1646, granting to one of his ancestors, Joseph Jenks, the exclusive right of making and selling his improved scythe for the space of fourteen years. That, I think, was the first patent granted to an inventor in America. The improvement referred to changed the short, thick, straight English scythe into the longer, thinner, curved implement with stiffened back now in use." *The Montreal Witness pays this tribute to the progress in architecture in this country: “The United States is soon going to take the lead of older countries in the matter of modern architecture, as it is natural it should. A rapidly developing country, constantly requiring new conveniences, offers the most promising field for the ablest men of the age, and scarce a week passes that the American illustrated papers are not adorned with pictures of some new public building.

! grand in extent, of original design, and !of surpassing beauty. The young Western cities which have sprung up within the aesthetic era are fairy lands as compared with the new towns of thirty years ago.” Dickens is said to have found the original—or at leqjfet the suggesti on—o’ Sam "Weller in Samuel Vale, a popular low comfedy actor, whom he saw in his youth. Vale’s quaint comparisons (which form also one of the humors of Sam Weller’s conversation), for which his every-day talk was distinguished, were lavishly introduced by the actor into his part, and made a distinct hit. Among those which have been recorded we find the following: “ ‘Come on, as the man said to the tight boot;" “ ‘Why, here we are all mustered,’ as the roast beef said to the Welsh rabbit ;” “ ‘Where shall we fly ?’ as the bullet said to the trigger“ ‘I know the world,’ as the monkey said when he cut off his tail“ ‘There she is musical and melancholy,’ as the cricket said to the tea-kettle.”

A Danbury man was sure some one was tampering with his meal-barrel. He drew a pencil-line to show just how high in the barrel the meal was, and the next morning the meal was fully two inches below the mark. Then he had his idea, which was to set a steeltrap in the meal. It worked well, and when he next visited the place the trap was gone, and there was a good deal of blood about, at which he chuckled greatly and told his neighbor, who praised his shrewdness, and together they kept watch for some one with damaged fingers. Before they found him this shrewd man went in haste one morning to the barrel to take out meal. There was a click, and he was caught in his own trap, which the thief had returned and set just as he did at first. He has had one finger set, and hopes to save two more from amputation.— Danbury News.

France has followed the example of Germany in raising microbiology to the rank of a recognized science. The establishment over which Dr. Koch presides in Berlin is the completest and best-equipped in Europe. He has four army surgeons as assistants; and some sixty or eighty students, among whom are not a few savants of standing, are daily pursuing their researches in his laboratories. Dr. Koch, who was a modest veterinary surgeon in Breslau four years ago, and who has never had a regular academical training, was looked upon with some distrust and jealousy by the German universities when h.’s studies in bacteriology brought him into prominence and won him the support of Prince Bismarck and the favors of the Government; but the opposition to his methods and theories has almost subsided, and he was named professor in the Medical Faculty of Berlin a few weeks ago. M. Duclos, one of the mpst distinguished of M. Pasteur’s pupils, has been appointed the First Professor of Microbiology at the Sorbonne.

Mr. David Dudley Field, in a lecture before the American Geographical Society at New York, expresses his dislike of the system of naming towns in this country, and gives his opinion of what would be the proper thing. He objects seriously to the nomenclature in vogue in the rowdy West. He does not like such names as You Bet, Sawdust, Big Coon, Cut Shin, Toad Vine, Skunk Lake, and Fish Hook. Yet Mr. Field will hardly claim those names to be un-American. There is a breeziness, a neat abandon about them which is as clearly recognizable as the air of Yankee Doodle. It is true that the objects selected as having some connection with a town’s location or origin are not the most attractive in every instance; but just at that period in a Western town’s history when it gets its name the chances are that more attention is paid to polsfer than to etymology, and that the pioneer in selecting a title has profound regard only for its applicability. The only fault with him is that he gets sometimes a trifle frisky. When Mr. Field goes further, and attacks the practice of giving American towns classical names, or of adding the French “ville” to a proper name, as “Jonesville,” or “Smithsville” he takes a stand where he will find sensible people supporting him. Equally will he be supported in his advocacy of the soft Indian names to towns in the land from which the Indians have been driven. Even Oshkosh may pass— it is American. But ought not something to be done with Bismarck, Dak., out of regard to the American hog, and to Babylon, L. L, on general principles ?

The appellate bill was put on its passacre in the Senate on the Ist inst. An amendment was proposed by Senator Lavis reducing the salaries of the Judges from s4.< <»0 to $3,500 a year, and a motion to reject it was defeated bv a vow of 25 to 20. The bill was then referred to a special committee, with instructions to incorj orate the amendment. Mr. Hilligass called up Representative Sayres’ bill to prohibit compulsory contributions from employes by companies or corporations, and on his motion the constitutional rule was suspended toi its immediate consideration on the third reading. ’J he bill specially affects the Wabash Railway Company, which requires its employes t< each give 5U cents per month from their wage? tor the sup]H>rt of a hospital for injured or disabled railroad men The bill was passed; alst the bill authorizing appropriations from tin county treasuries for the educ tion of paupei children. In the House, Mr. Smith’s bill concerning apjteals to the Supreme Court wascommltted to a s|>ecial committee of three to make certain amendments. The committee api>ointe<i to consider Senator Weir’s hill exempting Mate officers and’ Prosecuting Attorneyacting as r Jators for the State from the payment of costs in suits, made a report r •commending an amendment that the State should T>ay the costs of such proceedings in which the tin ling of the court was for the defendant, which, after discussion, was adopted. Senator Schloss bill for the relocation ot county seatwas amended in accordance with the report ol the special commi tee so as to provide that nc removal shall be Jess than three miffs, that tht decision of oonnty boirds on such matters m<y lie appealed from, and that th y sh II donate the oia building and grounds to the town whence the county seat was removed.. A concurrent resolution providing for the payment ol the expenses of the investigation ot the condition of the new insane hospital was passed. Senator Johnson. of Tippecanoe, introduced resolutions in the Senate, on the 21 inst., which were unanimously adopt.-d.'expressing it as the desire of the Legislature of Indiana that Gen. Manson. Lieutenant Governor, should be given “honorable recognition befitting his merits." The general appropriation bill occupied a large part ot the session. In the House the consideration of the specific appropr ation bill, which wns the special order tor the morning hour, was postponed until the :id, so that it might be printed, and the House bills on the Speaker's table might be disposed of, this action indicating that the House was still in no great hurry to adjourn. Mr. Shanks called up the substitute fee and salaiy bill, proposed by the committee on that subject, and objection was raised to its consideration on the ground that it was not the regular order of business. After a long discussion the bi 1 was recommitted. A copy of the Senate amendments to the bill prohibiting base-ball playing on Sunday was sent in and the House concurred in the amendments, which passes the bill in both houses, and it now only awaits the Governor's signature to become a law. In the absence of an emergency clause, it will not go into effect, however, until the Jaws are published and distributed, which will be about July 1. A concurrent resolution to amend the constitution by striking the word “male” therefrom was defeated. Gov. Gray signed the following bills, and the same are now laws: An act to validate the acknowledgments taken before officers whose commissions bad expired; amending the act providing for the organization of Circuit Courts; fixing the time for holding court in the Thirty-fifth Judicial Circuit; legalizing certain acts of the Board of Commissioners of Brown County; concerning libraries in certain cities; to cou inue the terms of court, which would expire during trials, until the end of the same. The bill to reimburse Township Trustees for the loss of funds in the defunct Indianapolis bank gave rise to a prolonged debate in the Senate, on the 3d inst. A long and strong argument against the bill was made by Senator Winter, who said it was a fundamental principle of government that public officers should be made responsble for the loss of trust funds, and It would be a dangerous precedent to now pass the bill. The bill finally passed—27 to is. 'the Senate increased the allowance of Purine University to $24,000, and agreed with the House to adjourn sine die Monday, April 13. In the House the bill prohibiting telephone companies from charging more than $3 per month for the rental ot one instrument or #5 for two when used by the same person was passed. The Senate concurrent resolution complimenting Gen. Manson on his distinguished services to h:s country and his party and recommending him for substantial recognition by theadminlstrati. n was concurred in by a unanimous vot •, Messrs. Smith and Townsend, from tpe l epnbli an side, speaking in its favor. Helms’ bill, rrovid ng that a wife-whipper shall be punished by receiving from fifteen to forty stripes on his bare back, was called up and considered, on a motion of Mr Smith to make the maximum punishment thirty-nine stripes, in accordance with the scriptural provision. 'lhe bill was engrossed. The following bil s passed: Legalizing the incorporation of the town of I acoma, Harrison County; authorizing Boards of County Commissioners to change and straighten the course of streams; authorizing the construction and maintenance of free gravel roads and turnpikes.

A favorable report on Senator Adklnson’s bill providing for the appointment of a fee and salary commission was concurred In by the Senate on the 4th inst. The consideration of the general appropriation bill by the Senate committee of the whole was resumed. Senator Willard moved to amend the item making special allowances for improvements at the northern prison by requiring that the expenses shall be paid out of the earnings of the institution. The amendment was adopted. An amendment was adopted giving the insane hospital a special allowance ot $15,000 for additional water supply. An item was added to the bill giving S4OO to the State Horticultural Society. The consideration of the bill was continued and the Senate arose from its session as committee of the whole. In tne House, Mr. Brown’s bill providing that polling places shall be opened at 8 o’clock in the morning on election days was called up and discussed at considerable length. Speaker Jewett came down on the floor and earnestly supported the bill, claiming that ft was in the Interest of day laborers, who could n ot always go to the polls when they pleased. Mr. Sayre and others opposed the measure for the reason that *it would afford opportunities for fraudulent voting before daylight in the morning The bill passed—yeas 51, nays 25—but, nft'-r some ot ier business nad Intervened, Mr. Wilson, speaking to a question of privilege, claimed that there had been a mistake in the roll. It was called for verification, and it was found that Mr. Fatten, who was recorded as l aving voted "ave," had not voted at all. The Speaker had thoerror corrected, and declared that the bill had failed “or want ot a constitutional majority, ami a message was sent to the Senate recalling it. The following bills were passed: For the payment of certain claims of certain officers and privates who served in the Indiana Legion; to prevent discrimination in rates bv telegraph or telephone companies.