Democratic Sentinel, Volume 16, Number 25, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 8 July 1892 — Page 6

SljelcmotrotitJentitiel RENSSELAER, INDIANA, 3. Vs. McEWEN, . - - Publisher.

THE PEARL FISHERIES.

DANCERS WHICH BESET AN OYSTER DIVER’S TASK. Bow the Business Is Carried On—Where Peart Oysters Grow—Selllnjt the Ca ch —Scenes on an Oyster Beach—The Ceylon Beds. How Pearls Are Obtained. • The pearl Is so highly prized an ornament that from the earliest times special efforts have been made to develop the fisheries in whatever part of the vorld they exist. The pearl oyster, which does not differ greatly from the ordinary variety, is.found in almost every ocean, and pearl fisheries have been successful and lucrative, not only in the Mediterranean aud along the coasts of Africa, but also in many parts of the Caribbean Sea, in the Gulf of Mexico, along the Pacific coast, in the vicinity of most of the South Sea islands, and in almost 1 every part of the Red Sea. The Persian j Gulf has from the dawn of history boen ' a favorite fishing ground for the pearl oyster, and most of the pearls known to the ancient world came either from the Persian Gulf or from the lied Sea. There is another locality, however, which contests with both the palm of superiority, for from very early times the west coast of Ceylon has been known as the habitat of the pearl oyster, and the fisheries there have been carried on with success for at least 2,00!) years, and how much longer no one is able to state. Formerly the Ceylon fisheries were the property of the kings of the country, says the (jlobo-T)omocrat, but alter the conquest of Ceyiou by the East India Company they passed into the

nominal possession of the Governor General, and after that under the control of the British Government. There they remain, and at present are the property of the Crown, the right, however, to use them being renlod out to individuals from year to year lor certain definite sums fixed at the time. The oyster grounds cover many hundreds of square miles, and have all boen accurately surveyed and the boundaries fixed by buoys. In order to conserve the fisheries as much as possible, the Government follows the policy of not allowing the whole ground to be fished over every year, but by dividing and subdi-

A TYPICAL DIVER.

riding the whole district into comparatively small plats manages that only once in 6even years shall any particular ground be culled by tho divers. By this judicious management the Ceylon fisheries have "become a source of continual profit, and every year from $500,000 to $1,000,000 worth of pearls are brought up by tho divers. It has been found by observation and experiment that about 6even years are requ»red for pearls to grow, and this being the case, the length of time a particular piece of territory is suffered to lie fallow, if the expression is allowable, Is amply sufficient to allow the oysters time to repro-

duce in surtcient numbers to render wort in the tract again lucrative. The season chosen for the annual fishing is the spring, because then the : sea is calmer than at any other time of ; the year, and there is less danger of sudden stems scattering the fleet, j The scenes during the Ashing season sre of the busiest possible description, j A week before the opening of the season the entire coast is deserted, but a few days later thousands of boats and tens of thousands of workmen present a scene equaled only by similar industries in other parts of the world. Natives are there in thousands; the Cingalese fishermen, boatmen and divers, with their curious apparel, consisting of • shawl belted around the wai6t, and their anique head-dress, the long hair baing biaided up in s knot at the top or tits Lack of the head, and fastened with . .. ■

AT WORK ON THE CEYLON OYSTER BEDS.

A SPECIAL MESSENGER TO THE OYSTER BOATS.

a fancy eomb. Merchants, traders In pearls, speculators from all parts of India and the East are also present, for this is their harvest; while caterers and purveyors also come in numbers, for it is a common saying in Ceylon that more money is made by feeding the divers than by diving. Regiments of troops from the Indian army are detailed to keep order among the motley multitudes, and a fleet of small government boats Is also present to accompany the fishing boats to the grounds and see that all regulations are observed and that fishing on forbidden ground is not carried on. Prominent among the crowds are the pearl-drillers, native Indian artisans, who, with the simplest possible mechanism, consisting only of a block of wood, a needle-drill, and a bow, such as is used by jewelers, will in a wonderfully brief time bore holes through the pearls with almost mathematical accuracy. Squatted on the gruund before the huts of their employers, they will do the work in sight of the little orowd always gathered around to witness the operation. Towns spring up as If by magic on the. shore, towns of the most unsubstantial character, for within the limits of a city comprising 10,000 people there will not be one house of materials more durable than poles and leaves; yet the season is fair, the rains at this time of year are infrequent, and no belter shelter is needed by the multitudes engaged in the pearl fishery. The boats employed in the fisheries are capacious in size, for each must carry, in addition to a master and crew of four or five seamen, from ten to twenty divers. These relieve each other, for while one party is engaged beneath the surface of the water, the others are resting, and as soon as those who went down first come up, their fellows in waiting at once descend. So the fishing goes on interruptedly during the whole time alotted to it. Little clothing is worn by the divers, except in localities where sharks are numerous, when, in order to frighten away those monsters of Iho deep, the pearl-dlfers frequently wear q white gown. Tho boats usually leave for the fishing grounds about midnight,

so as to reach there early tho next morning, and by noon a light breeze springs up, and the boats at once sot sail for home. Each diver on preparing to descend puts a clamp on his nostrils, ties between his feet a large stone, to which a rope Is attached, and thus sinks like a shot to tho bottom of the sea, releases his hold, and at onco begins to fill with tho oysters a' small bag or basket he carries in his hand. His task completed, he jerks tho rope, and is drawn as rapidly as possible to tho surface. The time during which the divers can remain under water is often grossly overstated. Some say that trained divors will remain at the bottom four, five, and six minutes, but this statement is probably an exaggeration, for actual observers of the work of nearly 1,000 divers give an average of one minuto to each submersion. Retaining the breath, however, for even this length of time, Is so forced and unnatural a process that very frequently, before tho day’s work Is completed, blood flows from the noses, mouths, and ears of the divers, and almost without exception they are unhealthy and short-lived men. When the fleet returns to the shore all is exoitement. Laborers are present to transport the oysters from tho .boats to the land; the precious cargo is counted, and in baskets of 100 each the oysters are removal to large inclosures, where they are thrown In heaps, the “catch" of each boat being kept separate. There they are left to rot, for such is the Indian prejudice against this species of shell fish that, although food is scarce and dear, no Indian can be persuaded to cat an oyster. The stench arising from the decomposition of hundreds of tons of the bivalves is often intolerable, but strange to say, no bad results to the health of the oyster settlement have over been known to follow, and in a country whore the decomposition of vegetable matter is highly deleterious, no sickness follows the decay of this vast mass of animal substance. In a few days, under tho broiling sun of India, the oysters are ripe for the next prooess, and are then thrown into large troughs, where the contents of each shell are carefully scraped out with the

fingers by laborers who are under | the constant and watchful guardianship iof Government inspectors. Examining | the oysters for the pearls is the most ; delioate part of the work, in one sense of the word, for in spite of the watchful j eyes of the Government inspectors the ! laborers often manage to secrete valuj able pearls. The regulations are severe; jno laborer, under penalty of a sound : thrashing, is allowed to lift his hand to , his mouth while engaged in this part of the work. But such is the adroitness of the Indian thieves that valuable pearls sometimes find their way to the illicit merchant from the hands of the oyster 1 washer. It is often thought, indeed, by experts that no inconsiderable part of , the take, is stolen, Jor the oysters, if j left undisturbed in the boats, frequently ' open their shells, sometimes exposing a pearl to view, which is at once uncere-

moniously appropriated by any ono who happens to see it. Loss is also sustained in another way. Whea the opener finds a pearl in the oyster he may sometimes undetected throw aside the shell and its contents and aftorwrfrd return and appropriate the jewel, but the regulations are so severe and the punishments of dishonesty so strict that it i 9 impossible to believe that any systematic thieving can be carried on. Alter being extracted from the oysters the pearls are separated into different grades by means of sieves having meshes of different 6izes. The jewels are carefully laid to themselves until the season is over,

THE PEARL-BORER AT HIS BENCH.

when, almost in a day, the coast again becomes the desert that it was btfore. m The divers do ull the work, but by no means receive all tho pay. Various arrangements are made between them and their employers; they are paid by the number of oysters they take out, or by the day, or with a certain number of the pearls found, but generally by onefourth of the number of oysters taken. As a rule they dispose of their part of the “catch” on speculation, which is a favorite method of selling the product of a day’s labor. The oysters to bo sold are collected into one pile, their number slated, and speculators are asked to bid upon them. This is a veritable lottery; no one knows that the pile of oysters before him contains a single pearl, and yet by competition in bidding the price of 1,000 oysters—for on the pearl coast this is tho proportion of shells to one pearl—is frequently run up to double what the original owner might anticipate obtaining from his “catch." The dangers of diving, aside from the physical disabilities to which divers are subjected, arise mostly from sharks and saw-fish. Although sharks abound in every tropical sea, the Ceylon divers are not very much troubled from their wateiy jfoes, the presenco of so many boats and men, the shouting, the splashing, all tending to frighten them away; but, as a protection, each diver carries with him a short, strong knife, with which to rip up the shark in case of a sudden atta k. Gome prefer a stake from a foot to eighteen inches in length and sharpened at both ends. This they consider quite lb i a defense as tho knife, for, tho shark approaches, and opens his onormous mouth, the intended victim, by a quick movement, fixes the stake between his opened jaws, which, of course, are pierced by its sharpened ends, and the discomfittod monster swims off to rid himself of his novel incumbranoo as best he can. Most r&liance, however, is placed, not on stake or knife, but on the charms of the conjurers, one or more of whom accompany the fleet throughout the day’s erUise. For a certain sum they guarantee to the divers immunity from the sharks, and are said to be quite expert in explaining any unfortunate mischance which results in the death of one of their patrons. The value of poarls has led to frequent efforts to produce them artificially, and in this the Chinese have been successful. They ascertain tho locality of an oyster bed, and remove the mollusks alive to some place where a constant watch can be kept over them. Then, opening the shell of eaih bivalve, they introduce bits of wood, grains of sand

or other substances which, by experience, have proved useful in serving as nuclei for the nacreous matter which constitutes the pearl. Curious results are obtained by the Chinese ingenuity in dealing with the pearl oyster, for by introducing within the shell a tiny image of a Chinese deity it will in a short time be completely covered with the mother-of-pearl, and present an appearance no less curious than beautiful. The pearls, however, produced Dy artificial means are often defective, but the Chinaman is equal to tho occasion, and either covers tho defective parts with white wax or hides them in the setting of the jewel. River pearls are found in great abundance in many parts of the world. Several rivers in the United States are regularly fished for pearls, which are found within the shells of the fresh-water mussels; but, as a rule, when a discovery of this kind is made, the hunt is so indefatigible that tho supply is soon exhausted. So large a number of freshwater pearls were formerly found in Scotland that for many years over $15,000 a year was realized from the business. In Germany the river fisheries are carefully preserved. Government inspectors examine the streams, and annually determine what portion shall that year be fished, and the section which this year is examined for pearls will not again be visited for ten years. So careful are the German pearl-hunt-ers to conserve their resources that with an iron instrument they open the shells of the mussels, and, if no pearls are found, replace the creatures in the water. The fresh-water pearls are, however, so inferior in size and color to those of the sea as to hear no comparison with them, and for age 3 to come it is probable that the world must rely for its supply of pearls on the oyster-beds of the Persian Gulf, of the Ceylon coast, and on the pearls artificially produced within the living oyster by the ingenuity of tho Chinaman.

Almost One-Fourth Live West.

According to the census of 1800, there are 15,000,000 people living in the States and Territories lying west of the Mississippi River, almost one* fourth of the entire population of the United States.

Where Are Their Husbands.

More than 400 married women have applied to the bureau of Charities and Corrections in New York since the Ist of January for relief for themselves and their children.

“STAFF.”

The New Compound Used on the World’* Fair Building;*. Looking at, the fair from this Island, will be seen, as from no other point in the entire lay-out, to what exquisite uses the compound called staff may be put. This material, which seems to be a revelation to the American public, has two qualities that render it pre-eminently lit lor just such work as it is here devoted to;. First, it makes the wood, around which It is placed as an exterior, perfectly fire-proof from any ordinary conflagration; second, it is susceptible of the highest artistic decoration and plastic decoration. When the buildings of the exposition are linished, they will present an aggregate, of marble palaces, colored and tinted to realize the ideals of the most artistic fancy, nay, extravagance, in color.

The manufacture, modelling and application of the staff at the Chicago fair are done by three firms. The mere manufacture of the material dees not require any special technical knowledge; mere laborers can do all the work. But it is a fact that the laborers who work in the staff rooms at the world’s fair are Belgians, French and Italians. One might as well he in Flanders or Paris as in one of these rooms, so far as surroundings are concerned. The small boy cuts a conspicuous figure herein. He is active, useful, cheap, accurate and an effective worker. He is a type of the staff maker. So are these two boys near a small chopping block. One is sitting on a roll of hemp that is twisted into one-inch rope. He places one end of the rope loosely on the block. His companion, armed with a severely sharp little axe, brings that tool down swiftly on the rope's end with marvelous accuracy, cutting it off cleanly and with dispatch, and shoves it into a basket that stands ready to receive it. When the basket is nearly full, another boy carries it away, and the cut hemp is “teased” into a loose pile. It is now ready for the mixer, who scatters the right proportion of it in his half-barrel of common cement mixed with a small percentage of plaster of paris, agitates the mass until the mixing becomes difficult to the hand, and there's an end to it. The staff is made. The cement contributes hardness to the compound, the hempadhesiveness, and the plaster of paris finish. It is then pressed into slabs which are nailed to the wooden walls of the building, or turned over to the modellers and sculptors, who work it out into mural decorations and basreliefs.—Harper’s Weekly.

Deadly Fumes.

When Mr. Charles Boner was in Transylvania he visited Mount Budos, a volcano which is never in actual eruption, but is all the time sending out streams of sulphuretted hydrogen gas. In particular there are two caves or clbfts in the whitish-gray rock, out of which this gas, mixed with carbonic acid, is emitted with special freedom. Tiie principal one of these caves is about twenty paces in depth, and, as will bo seen from Mr. Boner’s description, is much frequented as a health resort. To enter the cave in safety care must be taken not to draw the breath. A long respiration is made before rushing in, the nostrils are closed, and then with hasty steps the farther extremity is reached. A pricking feeling in the eyes is caused by the warm atmosphere. From the feet upward the whole body has the agreeable sensation of a gentle heat playing around every limb. Hut your stock of breath is exhausted, and you run back to the open air. The day before I was there a man had committed suicide by entering a step or two. He dropped at once; and when a shepherd that was tending flocks on the opposite hillside, and who saw him enter, came across to look for him, he was dead. The vapors of the cave are highly valued as a cure for gout, and for diseases of the eye. At the end of the cavern a tasteless, slightly warm liquid, clear as crystal, falls slowly, drop by drop, from the rock—the result, probably, of the condensed vapors rising from below. A loose dress is worn by those who take this vapor bath They go in, remain as long as they can hold their breath, then run out, breathe, and go In again The second cave is not far away, jnd is called the Murderer. In flying past the opening, birds drop dead Upon the ground. Close to the enhance I found a jay that had thus met its death. I thought of the upas tree and its victims.

Fishy but True.

Nothing could have come from the Census Bureau more opportunely than the bulletin relative to the fisheries »f the great lakes. It required sixtyone quarto pages for Mr. Porter to tell what he knows about our lake fisheries, and some of the 'facts reported will probably prove surprising to many readers. For instance, did any of them know that in the ten years ending with the census of 1890 there were 1,000,000,000 pounds of food fish, worth $25,000,000, taken out of the great lakes? We trow uot How many of them know that 0,896 persons were regularly employed in 1889 catching fish, and that 107 steamers and 3,876 other craft were used in the business? The money invested in fishing apparatus would overwhelm with astonishment the majority of the readers could they gaze upon it in a lump. The nets and traps were worth $823,919, and the total capital invested was $2,832,959. The yield of the fisheries in 18&9 was $2,615,784 at first hands. The rank of the. five lakes, determined by the value of their- yield, is, Erie, first; then Michigan, Huron and St. Clair, Superior, and Ontario, the actual increase in the value of the fisheries of Lake Erie being greater than that of all the others combined. The causes of increase of the value of fisheries are increase of population, the advent of emigrants from fishing and maritime countries of Europe, improved facilities of capture and transportation, and the practice of artificial propagation. The fisheries of Lake Ontario show a very marked decline since 1880, chiefly the result of legislation against commercial fishing 'in those waters.

The most abundant and valuable food fish found In the great lakes are herrings, a species of white fish quite distinct from the herrings of the West.

In 1889, 53,660,921 pounds of these were caught, valued at $717,061. i Lake trout show a great increase, j 64.62 per cent., since 1880, but the | "white iish comes next to the herring in abundance and popularity in the market. This fish, however, has suffered a very considerable decrease, 28.59 per cent., or 6,137,412 pounds, ! since 1880, the most serious decline ; being in Lake Michigan. Sturgeon j is also being diminished in the annual j yield, the falling off in ten years | having been nearly 63 per cent, from ' the catch of 1880. Sawdust from mills that covers up the spawning | and feeding grounds has much to do I with the decrease of fish in certain | fisheries, and it has become necessary I to enforce the laws that require mills to burn their sawdust and waste lumber. The use of nets with undersized meshes is also an evil that should be corrected. As the fisheries of the great lakes are the most extensive lake fisheries in the world, and represent a very important industry, it is of greatest consequence that they be wisely protected against the wasteful and injurious methods of the ignorant and vicious. Along the 3,500 miles of shore line covered by these fisheries there are doubtless many abuses that might be remedied easily if the law were enforced.

A Point of Order.

It is almost impossible to teach neatness to men and women; but it is possible to infuse into children a horror of the anti-social practice which helps a great deal to disfigure and vulgarize our cities, of throwing down refuse of whatever nature—pea-nut-shells, bits of paper, ends of cigarettes and cigars, old shoes, hats, ashes, and so on, in places frequented by one’s fellow citizens, such as streets, roads, lanes, sidewalks, and public stairways. Our indifference to this practice, which appears to be the result of a long familiarity, is incomprehensible to foreigners. It disappeared from European countries completely fully one hundred years ago. It is now found nowhere in the Eastern hemisphere except in Turkish or other Mussulman towns and cities, and is looked upon as a sign of low civilization. It is considered in every European city a grievous offense against a man’s neighbors to make any public display of filth or rubbish of any description. A horror of it might be taught to any child in the public schools. To instill it should be one of a teacher’s first duties, for it must be remembered that the chief observable superiority of the civilized man over the savage lies in the greater cleanliness of his person and dwelling. No child should leave the public schools without having a drtad of refuse ground into him. He should be taught to hate the sight nf unswept streets or sidewalks, of saliva stained marble or granite, of ashes and refuse of every description, and especially of bits of newspapers and ends of cigars, as signs of gross selfishness and a low social tone.

John Brown’s Old Home.

Kate Field tells, in her Washington, about her* first visit to John Brown's old home, up in the North Woods, some time ago, and her scheme for buying it when she heard it was for sale. Hurrying to Boston, she mentioned the case to Wendell Phillips and Ralph Waldo Emerson, who sent her nice, sympathetic notes, but neither money nor advice. A male friend then volunteered to rush out on the street and collect it among his friends, but he failed. Only one person, a lady up there, actually contributed any cash, that is, aside from Kate Field’s own SIOO. But within forty-eight hours after she had stated the case to a New York gentleman he had picked up eighteen subscriptions, each of that amount. With this $2,000 the farm was bought and a good tenant secured, who still remains. “When I revisited the Adirondacks recently, ” says Miss Field, “I found our property worth three times what we had paid for it, the house in good repair, and John Brown’s grave the mecca of all tourists. ”

College Girls Who Play Base-Ball.

Smith College girls are enthusiastic and not unskillful base-ball players. There was a spirited game on the campus the other day between the sophs and freshmen, terminating in a decided victory for the latter. It might seem to ihe professional player that a girl with a long braid of hair hanging down her back and eyeglasses on her classic nose would not be a success at pitching, but her curves were pronounced, and the sophs batted a good deal of air. The sophomores do not indulge in either masks or gloves, and play with great spirit and nerve. Of course the innings are marred by mishaps to gowns, and in the waits for repairs there is a most amicable interchange of pips and hairpins between the opponents.

The Barnyard.

It is more economical in open barnyards to allow cattle to trample the coarse materials, the manure being composted in a heap under shelter until the materials in the barnyard are broken fine by the feet of the animals, when they may be added to the heap, the whole to be composted and enough fresh manure added to create heat in the heap. When the rains are permitted to wash out the soluble matter there will not be enough available plant food remaining to pay for the hauling and spreading of the “made” manure on the land in the spring

River Depths.

An ingenious apparatus for ascertaining the depth of rivers and smaller streams has recently been successfully tried on the Elbe. It consists of a curved arm, hinged at its upper extremity, and of a length sufficient for the lower curved portion to trail on the bed of the stream. The greater the depth of the stream the more will the arm be inclined, and hence, by suitable recording mechanism, the depth can be automatically registered.

The proper place for undressed kid Is in the bath-tub.

HISTORIC PILES.

*om# Kemarkable Sepulchral and Other Mound, of Our Country. All history is silent and the tones of tradition die out before those vast remains of ahtiquity that forever will perplex the antiquarian. Science furnishes us with the knowledge of the early condition of our planet, but of our ancestors who lived and died without even leaving their names how shall we learn? Perhaps their tombs may answer somewhat. Affection for the dead in one manner or another has been common among the earliest and rudest races of men, and we assume that the first, as, indeed, the most enduring, grave was a simple mound of earth, with the coffin a rough inclosure of stones, within which were placed articles peculiar to the deceased. In time the simple mound became grander and greater, as in Egypt, where the pyramids were erected—the perfected repositories of the dead. But whether pyramid, or Etruscan chamber, or Nineveh marvel, we trace backward the graves for the dead to the mounds of uncultivated times. At first small, these mounds subse-

MOUND AT MARIETTA OIHO.

quently became of immense size, doubtless having relation to the importance of the personage to whom erected. And these sepulchral tumuli are scattered over the globe—in the new world and In the old. They dot the Mississippi and its tributaries and the low lands of the Gulf; we meet them in the tropical forests of Mexico and Central America; the British Islands are sprinkled with them; Scandinavia knows them; Italy has them and so has Marathon; while the steppes of Russia and Tartary are sown with them as is the sky with stars. In our own country many of these mounds are repositories of the dead; others are fortifications erected by some forgotten race against the ravages of its enemies. Between the Alleghenies and the Rocky Mountains, but chiefly in Ohio, Illinois, Indiana and Missouri they abound; they reach from the Gulf to the great lakes. Some of these are of immense size. On the Ohio River, at Grave Creek, near Parkersburg, Va., stands one 90 feet high and 300 feet in diameter at the base. Another at Marietta, Ohio, is among the finest specimens of the relics of a forgotten people. Who built them? History i# silent and so is tradition. Of course, conjecture is busy and tells us the Mound Builders were the ancestors of the Natchez and other kindred tribes whom the Spaniards found along the Mississippi. That they were a religious and defensive people their works attest; that they were stationary and agricultural is equally certain; and that in their mounds on the banks of the Ohio there should be shells from the Gulf, minerals from the region of Lake Superior, obsidian from Mexico, cetacean fossils from the marl beds of New Jersey, show them to be a widely spread race with intercourse among many tribes. That they were also advanced in the mechanics is also

MOUND AT GRAVE CREEK. VIRGINIA

conclusive, owing to the many accurate engravings found in their mounds. Some of the engravings were in porphyry, the cutting of which to-day would turn the finest tempered knife-blade. Although generally supposed that the sepulchral mounds contain numerous dead bodies, this is not exactly true. The latter Indian tribes laid their dead in layers, and many of them buried in the original mounds, believing them sacred. But we have no satisfactory reason to think that the original sepulchral mounds, no matter how large, contained more than one or two dead bodies each. In some places of the world mound building is still being carried on. Not so long since the bodies of the slain ©n the field of Waterloo were gathered in a common tumulus: to-day, in some English cemeteries, the process of forming a pyramid by alternating layers of dead with layers of cement is being carried out. Really no definite meaning can be attached to mound building; it is more a fashion than a characteristic of a certain stage of civilization. But it is interesting to us as the relic of a race that has gone—whither? They have succumbed before a stronger race, they have migrated to other lands, but we are never likely to learn more of the Mound Builders of the West.

Queen Carols Oilers a Prize.

On of the most interesting prizes offered at the Red Cross exhibition now being held at Leipsic is that given by Queen Carol a of Saxony for the best scheme for providing medicines, nourishment, and protection for the wounded during and immediately after a battle. Every exhibit in the Leipsic exhibition has to undergo the test of actual use before receiving a prize. Queen Carola has always taken a great interest in the Red Cross Knights, and it. was the late Minister of War for Saxony who first suggested that this exhibition should be held.

HUMOR OF THE WEEK.

STORIES TOLD BY FUNNY MEN OP THE PRESS. Many Odd, Curious, and Laughable Phase, of Human Nature Graphically Portrayed by Eminent Word Artist, d Our Own flay. Knocked Hi. Eye Out. A young and promising oculist of this town attended a meeting of the Impromptu club the other evening and was called on by the young woman in the chair to make a few remarks. “On what subject, may I ask?” he responded, promptly. “On Niagara Tails.” “But I never was there and am not prepared to treat the subject as it should be,” he pleaded. “Indeed!” and the fair creature in the chair smiled bewitchingly. “I beg your pardon. I thought oculists knew all about the treatment of cataracts. ” —Exchange. No So Mean as Xha*. Old Goldacre (to young Spendfast)— Well, I suppose you want to take my daughter away from me? Young Spendfast No, no; not so bad as that. I only want to marry her.—Judge. A Difference In Travelers. “In your travels through Japan, Mr. A 1 lover, did you not often observe things that shocked your—your sense of propriety?” “Very seldom, Miss De Prewd. I was never on the lookout for things of that kind. ” —lndianapolis Journal. A Mitigated Kefn sal. John—Will you have me, Sarah? Sarah—No, John, but you may have me if you like. Belonged to the “400.” Tom—Hullo! Invitations are out for a swell dance in Horticultural Hall on the 18th. Wonder why they left me out? Jack —Probably on account of their haughty culture. —Harvard Lampoon. No Now Suits to Buy. Tommy—Paw, teacher wants us to tell where is “the land of steady habits. ” Mr. Figg—The penitentiary, I suppose. They wear the same style there the year round.—lndianapolis Journal. A Friend in Need. Philanthropist—Why are you crying so, my child. • Little Girl—Please, sir, me mudder sent me wid fifty cints fer to git bread wid, an’ I lost it in that there dark alleyway. I’ll be licked terrible. Philanthropist—Well, well, my poor child; dry your tears. 1 Here is—a match. Perhaps you may be able to find it.—Puck. Love Me, Love My Bogs#

Johnnie—Why—dash it all—Ethel, I didn’t invite the animals! Ethel—Oh! I never stir without them. Johnnie—Well, it’ll be a deuced funny thing if we can stir with them. —Judge. Modern Farming. Bunker—l see that Ducklow, who lives out of the city now, has made quite a success at faming. Hill—Yes, I understood that he was making money from it, and I didn’t know how he managed it. " Bunker—Easy enough. His farm is right off the railroad track, and he got all the clothing men in town to put their ads in his back yard.—Texas Siftings. She Doved Kim. “Gwendoline, darling, do you love me?” “Have you satisfied my father with regard to your social and financial standing?” “I have.” “And I am to have the elegant establishment you promised?” “You are.” “Horses, carriages, diamonds, and so forth?” “Everything.” » ' “Then Ido love you, Reginald. . New York Press. Very Natural Conclusion. O’Reilly (being entertained by the cook, who produces a bottle of olives) —You’ll exchuse me, Norah, but it’s me privit apinyin that these plums is shpoiled. Norah—Sure, thim is not plums; thim is alives, ah’ they kirn from Shpain. O’Reilly—Be hivins! thin they must have kim in the shteerage.— J udge. Holding Back. Witherby—There's a button almost off your coat, old man. You ought to call your wife’s attention to it. Yon Blumer (sadly)—l’m going to as soon as I can save up enough money to get her a new gown.—Puck. A Chip of the Old Block. Binjo—What’s the matter with your clothes, BobbieSt Bobbie (meekly) —I fell down on my way from school. Binjo—Who licked?—New York Sun.

As Silly as Unique.

An American lady, bent on being original in the selection of her attire, has just invested in a wonderful dress, the trimming of which consists of 1,800 buttons of various colors, shapes, and sizes. There are 100 buttons on each sleeve, 330 on the collar, and the remainder are distributed all over the garment. Artificial cripples are made in Spain for mercenary purposes. Spanish finances appear to be chronically crippled