Democratic Sentinel, Volume 16, Number 46, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 2 December 1892 — HE WAS OVERCOME. [ARTICLE]

HE WAS OVERCOME.

Recognition of a Long-Lost Friend Too Much for the Elephant. Some of the European newspapers are telling a truly veracious story of the sagacity of a trained elephant which adorns a French traveling show. The proprietor of the circus announced that on a certain night his elephant would play the Russian Hymn on a piano with his trunk. Intense interest was aroused, and when the evening came the expectant public crowded the circus to the roof. After the usual performance four men carried in a cottage piano, which they placed in the center of the arena. Then the intelligent animal was brought in, paraded with much dignity three times ground the ring, and then, amid the keenest excitement, advanced to the piaho. With a movement of his trunk the touched the keyboard, but hardly had he done so when a surprising change came over him. He trembled with fear and rage, hurled his trunk into the air, and then with a scream of terror rushed out of the arena. There was a great hurrying to and fro of the employes, and the circus proprietor and the elephant keeper left the ring for consultation. In a few minutes the proprietor returned and announced with regret that the performance could not take place. The fact was, he said, that the elephant had recognized in the keyboard of the instrument a portion of the tusks of his long-lo t mother, who had fallen a prey to the ivory hunters of Africa. He had suggested to the keeper that another piano might be procured, but that expert had informed him that the animal was So overcome with emotion that it would be impossible for him to perform that evening. Under these circumstances he suggested that the Russian Hymn, followed by the Marseillaise, should be played -by the band. The entertainment was thus brought to a close amid the frantic applause of the audience.

Why Called Sterling. The origin of the word sterling, as applied to the English money, is a singular bit of linguistic history. Easterling, in old English, meant a man from the East, or from the continent of Europe. During the reign of Henry 111. of England the coin current became so debased that it passed for a tithe of its nominal value, and the necessity for improvement became apparent. There were no refiners in the realm who could separate the alloy from the precious metal, so a number of Easterlings were brought from Germany to do the work. The coins they sent from the royal mint were so much superior to those in common use that they were known as the Easterling money, and, by popular corruption, soon became sterling. A Race War Between Miners. For some time a race war between Italian and Hungarian miners has been, going on at Milnesville, Pa., and the other day this culminated in a bloody battle in which one hundred men were engaged. During this battle two Italians were fatally hurt and six others wounded. Among the Hungarians one man was fatally and fifteen seriously wounded. The cause of the feud is that the Hungarians have taken the places of the Italians in the mines. It is feared that the war may break out again at any time. In consequence the town is guarded by a large posse under command of the Deputy Sheriff. , Stub Ends of Thought. Love is an unforgetable emotion. Avarice is a greedy egotism. Morning is the rosebud of day. Marriage is materialized moonshine. Youth brightens as it takes its flight. Women are weapons of offense and defense. Hope is an unset jewel. Death is the door to eternity. Justice is what a jury says. Right is a matter of opinion. Protected the Railroad from Genii. At the opening of the Jaffa-Jerusalem Railway a curious Moslem rite was observed. Three sheep were slaughtered and their blood besprinkled on the rails before the first train was allowed to proceed upon its journey. This superstitious ceremony had for its object the scaring away of evil genii, who would otherwise have exerted a baneful influence upon passengers using the line. Six President, Were Once. Secretaries. Secretary Foster is the thirty-first Secretary of State, and six of his thirty predecessors became President—. Jefferson, Madison, Monroe, John Quincy Adams, Van Buren and Buchanan.