Ligonier Banner., Volume 13, Number 44, Ligonier, Noble County, 20 February 1879 — Page 7

The Ligonier Bamuer, " 3. B. STOLL, Editor and Proprietor. LIGONIER, :.: : - INDIANA.

PERIHELIA AND PESTILENCE. ABOUT the time of our Great Fire, some searcher after the curious broached the theory that the visitations of pestilence and other disasters to the human race were coincident with the - passages of the major planets of the solar system through the geriheli’a of their respective orbits. ‘The theory was *‘ supported’’ by a citation of historical facts tending to prove it; and the dreadful forecast was made that, as all these greater planets - will pass the perihelia between the years 1880 and 1885, the world will be visited by a plague-sweep, earthquakes and tempests, much more appalling than any that have occurred within many past centuries. o ’ The prediction attracted some attention at the time, and was then almost forgotten. But the breaking out of the plague in Russia within a very short time of the period of perihelion seems to have caused widespread alarm; and the daily papers “are full of it.”’ Many letters have recently been addiessed to the 7'ribune a.skinfi for an expression of opinion in regard to it; and in response we present the following, written at our request by an expert in the science of astronomy: Ly : -

The years of perihelion passage will be: Jupiter, 1880; Neptune, 1881; Uranus, 1882, and Saturn, 1885. Also, about the 28th of May, 1881, the planet Mars will be in the perihelion point of his orbit. In order to ascertain the momentum of these facts as ‘bearing upon ‘sublunary things, we note: 1. The perihelion of a planet's orbit is not a substance or thing that can exert an influence, neither is it a point that always preserves the same posi.tion in the heavens with K reference to the stars.. If any effect be due to the passage of a_planet "tihrou%h; its perihelign, it must be simply because the planet is then nearer than when in any other part of its orbit; and it is a necessary inference that the effect may be mathematically correlated 'to some ~function of the distance. L

2. The most reasonable supposition with regard to this interdependence of power and distance is that the effect varies inversely as the square of the distance. That is the relation known to exist in the case of the attraction of gravitation, and light and heat. If it be claimed that the effect is electric, or magnetic, then we have no %:)od reason to suppose that any other ratio prevails; since in the absence:of. any lineal conductor (as a Lf)iece of wire), any definite quantity of power radiating from any point must be distributed over an area the magnitude of which is directly proportional to the square of the distance; wherefore the quantity of power impressed upon a square foot or square mile of such affected area will be in inverse proportion to the square of its distance from the souree of such power.’ b

3. The planets are always shining, and each one is always attracting its fellows away from /the average path around the sun. 1t would be absurd to suppose that they are not always acting magnétically, or electrically, if they do so when in perihelion. It is therefore a logical inference that the disasters referred to, if due to perihelion passage, must be due to the excess of the perihelion force above the dverage force—:that is, the difference of the two. This is very nearly equal to the eccentricity of the orbit divided by half the product of the perihelion distance and the mean distance. The mathematical reader can easily verify this statement; the non-mathematical reader musttake it for granted. = S

4. The gravitating influence of a planet, for equal distances, is directly proportional to the quantity of matter it contains; which, for equal densities, is pm{)ortional to the cube of the diameter. If distance and intrinsic illuminating power be both equal in any two or more cases, then the lifiht received would be proportional to the surface—that is; to the square of the diameter. In the case of magnetic or electric excitation, the ratio of exerted force must certainly not be outside these limits. In the case of the superior planets, which are charged with the crime of making their perihelion passages almost simultaneously, it is approximately correct to say that their quantities of matter, and intrinsic luminosities, are in the above-named ratios; -so that, without glaring error, we may apply the same reasoning to each of them. 5. We may now inquire, Is the influence of these planets on the earth a direct one? that is, does it vary with their varying distances from our planet? If yes, we meet at once this important fact, that the differences between their mean and least distances are less than the distance of the earth from the sun. These differences are, for Mars, thirteen millions; Jupiter, twenty-three millions; Saturn, fifty millions; IYranus, eighty-three millions, and Neptune, “twenty-four millions, while the earth distances are between ninety-two and ninety-three millions. of miles. The earth, therefore, in each annual revolution, changes her distances from each of these bodies more than the change of distance with respect to Uranus once in eighty-four years; which should give a pestilential visitation evety twelve months. In the case of Jupiter, which is claimed by Dr. Knapf and others to be the most potent of all, the difference of distance is only about one-quarter; and, according to the hypothesis most favorable to the theory of planetary -epidemic, the difference of action is only one-sixteenth (square of one-quar-ter) a 8 much every twelfth year, due to Jupiter’s period, as it is every year, dte to the earth’s annual motion. I[f, when the earth is in line between the Sun and Jupiter, we cany detect the - least: excess of electrie, magnetic, or actinic force above the mean, we may, perhaps, be justified in asserting that -an augment of one-sixteenth part more . will cauge dire disasters. &he rwise, “certainly not. We might easily show by figures that the combined exeess of

all four of the larger Ylanets, when acting together at simultaneous perihelion, would not be more than (say) one-tenth of that due to the earth’s yearly change of distance from Jupiter alone. The idea of earth epidemic, as directly due to axcessive action by the planets when at or near their perihelia, may, on this showing, be fairly called absurd. :

6. The most plausible hypothesis is that the planets will act on the earth indirectly—through -the medium of the sun; that they will excite .himto un‘usual energy, luminous, mz;,Fnetic, or ’ otherwise, and that this will cause the predicted epidemic. The idea is not new; and has, beside, the merit of having been advocated by some great men. The statement has been admitted into at least one scientific text-book, that there appears to be a connection between the periods of sun-spot vigor and the periods of revolution of Venus, Jupiter, Saturn and Uranus. A little tiguring will enable us to form some: idea of the value of this theory as applied to the case in point. Taking the quantity of matter in the earth, and her mean distance, as the units of measure, and dividing the mass by the square of the distance, we' have for relative power on the sun: Earth, 1; Jupiter, 11.40; Saturn, 1.02; Uranus, 0.04; Neptune, 0.02. The square of the relative diameter being taken instead of the mass, gives earth, 1; Jupiter, 4.35; Saturn, 0.92; Uranus, 0:05; Neptune, 0.02. | Applying the above-given rule for eccentricity, and multiplying into these, numbers, and also multiplying to make the earth the unit, we have: : PLANET. On masg, On surface. Jupiter. . ... ocov 000 1280 0.479 Banpa.. .0 oo 0o 10080 0.036 Uranus. ....... .v0ee.40..0,0008 " 0.0004 Neptune........ ... ......OLOOOI - o.oooul These fiugures show that in the case most favorable to thé theory the increased effect due to Jupiter is only about one-fourth greater than that due the earth; while the power of all the rest is insignificant in comparison. The effect due to the combined perihelion passages of the four greatest planets in the solar system is only about one-third greater than that produced by the earth at the beginning of each calendar year, when she is in perihelion.

The advocates of the perchelion theory may claim that this cowmparison is unfair; .in two respects: First, that the cumulative force of these planets, acting through several years, will amount to much more than if it were operating only during the shott time that the earth is nearest to the sun. Secondly, that the larger planets are confessedly ‘much hotter than the earth, and therefore are capable of exerting a very much greater electric or thermal force per ton of matter or per square yard ef surface. . Let us then take Jupiter as the unit of comparison. The above figures show that his power is increased by only one-thirtieth to one-fourteenth part, at most, by the adjuvant action. of all the rest. We are, therefore, not warranted in believing that the combined peribelion passages will work more than 3to 7 per cent. more of harm to the human race than is caused by Jupiter once in every twelve years, or a little less, when he makes his perihelion passage alone. . Of course no one can assert, knowingly, that the plague now desolating Russia will not spread over other countries of the Old World or sweep this Continent as with the besom of destruction. Such widespread devastation has occurréd before, and will undoubtedly occur again, unless checked by scientific intervention; asg history always repeats itself. But the above considerations show: that it must be entirely independent of perihelion pagsages. i - We may add, in conelusion, that the perihelion passafes referred to have not yet been made, and Jupiter, which is certainly the most potent of the lot, if there be any potency in the case, is yet 50 deg. from the perihelion point of his orbit; so that the present plague cannot be due to perihelia unless we are prepared to admii that the effect may occur before the cause has an existence.

The phenomena so full of terror to the many will be welcomed by the astronomer. He will probably be able to find out more than is now known of these plancts; especially in the case of Jupiter, whose perihelion passage will Yery nearly caincide with his opposition to the sun early in October, 1880. He will be pleased with the opportunity which 1s dreaded by’ those who, like the silly sheep in the fable, are : Frightened at the sound 8o sweet to huntsman, gentleman and hound. by —Chicago Tribune.

A Persistent Dog. More than eight years ago a poor man named Gray died, and was buried in the old Grey Friars’ Churchyard, Edinburgh. His Era.ve is now leveled by time, and nothing marks it. But the spot had not been- forgotten by his faithful dog. James Brown, the old curator, remembers the funeral well, and that Bobby was one of the most conspicuous of mourners. James found the dog lying on the grave the next morning; and as dogs arenot admitted, he turnéd him out. The second morning the same; the third morning, through cold and wet, there he was, shivering. The old man took pity on him, ang fed him. This co'nvincedy the dog that he had a right there. Sergeant Scost, R. E., allowed him his board for a length of time, but for more than six %ears he had been regularly fed by Mr. rail, who keeps a restaurant close by. Bobby is regular in his calls, being guided fb?r the midday gun. On the occasion of the new dog tax being raised, Mr, Trail was callef upon to pay for Bobby. He would have done so had the dog acknowledged him as his master, but he will attach himself to no one. On hearing of the facts of the case, the Lord Provost of Edinburgh exempted him, and, to mark his admiration of fidelity, presented him with, a handsome cellar, with brass nails, and an inscrigtiom *“Grey Friars' Bobby, presented to him by the Loxid Provost of! Eginburgh, 1877."— Our Dumb Animals. : : : :

—Birds are not noted for courage, but many of them die game. ‘

. The Art of Talking. Ir we notice closely we shall find that the people who are most popular in social life are those who understand not only how to talk themselves, but how to make others talk. Thisis a very valuable gift. To be able so to direct conversation as not to display your own knowledge, but to draw out the opinions and quicken the thoughts of those with whom you talk—this is an accomplishment indeed. It makes each a contributor to the enjoyment of all, and it leaves with each a pleasant sense of having said something which others were glad to hear. Thisis very different from the consciousness of having been bored or snubbed—or both, which -lesser folks often carry away from the presence of a fluent or tyrannical talker. There is a good deal of this sort of conversational missionary work waiting to be done, and the time ‘which we spend in chattering about the weather might be very profitably devoted to it. It should be -borne in mind that there is scarcely anyone of average intelligence who cannot, if he is drawn out, talk interestingly and instructively about at least one thing, the thing with which he is practically most familiar, or which is connected with his regular labor. ' Is your companion on the car or on the street a machinist, a manufacturer, an artist, a builder—llead the conversation around to the one subject, if there are no others, in which he is sure to be interested. The result will be that you will please him, and will gain fresh knowledge yourself. Whoever talks much thus with specialists upon their chosen department of labor or thought will get together a fund of valuable information, not to be learned from the books.—Boston Journal.*

. Fashion Notes. ‘“ CREPE D’ARABIAN”’ "i’s used for evening dresses. Fancy silk turbans are bound with gold cord. ‘ : . Plain skirts are now more popular for street suits. . Most all the new designs in silver are in repousse work. : Necklaces are worn without lockets and close to the throat. = The Pompadour collarettes are made in Breton lace as well as Duchesse. Evening dresses that are made short escatpe the ground by five or six inches. Afghans for baby carriages are made of double zephyr, in the variety Afghan stitch. : Handsome sashes are painted on the ends, instead of embroidered as formerly. v : : - Reception dresses of cashmere are trimmed with silk and imported embroideries. - ! Pearl passements and pearl fringes with silver threads are much used on wedding dresses. When diamond or pearl pendants are worn, an invisible gold chain is worn around.the throat. - The large Normandy bow worn on the top of the hair is made of broad ribbon, and consists of loops only. Mother-of-pearl buttons in tints of rose, blue and green are much used on street suits of silk and camel hair. Kid gloves are worn to the elbow to mect the Martha Washington sleeve, which is generally made of lace or tulle. j ‘ I ' Peculiar pins are now shown which serve a double purpose. They are made to fasten on the corsage, and have a ring at the back to hold the corsage bouquet. Since chatelaine watches have been so much worn, almost every imaginable design can be found among them—from the plain, heavy Etruscan to the fancy sporting silver ones.—N. Y. Tribune.

: Intelligenee of Birds. . BIrDS are guided almost entirely by their sight, and, when all Nature is shrouded insnow, they at once pick out and make for the first open spot. Wherever the ground is clear, there they know will something or other almost certainly be found. If sweeping the snow dway from a patch some few yards square be impossible, then let ashes be sprinkled freely on the surface. Wherever the dreary white expanse is broken, there the birds will gather. Meantime, those who would judge for themselves how: intelligent are birds, and how soon they can be taught to recognize those who treat them kindly, have: only to throw out each morning in their garden, or on their window-gill, or in the balcony, the crumbs from the breakfast-table, supplemented, if need be, with oats, hemp-seed, millet or buckwheat. In a week the little creatures will come to their meal as regularly as the clock strikes the hour. In a month they will almost allow themselves to be taken in the hand. Let this be done through the winter, and then in the spring let little boxes be fixed up, out of reach of cat and schoolboy, and let small bags of hay and wool be hung close by, and the sparrow will build her nest and hatch out two, if not three broods in full sight of the window. We bave only to encourage birds, and they will come to us.—London Standard. ]

.Bats and Their Ways. BATS live their active lives in the night; when sunlight comes they fly away to their holes, there to sleep until twilight comes again, when the{7 resume their occupation of insect killing. The female bat has a hard time of it; she is the nest and has to procure the food for her young until they are themselves able to fly. Often have I seen a female bat with her young clingin% to ker breast, flying about in search of food, and the litt.%e ones were not so small either. How else could they get along? The old ones make no nest; if they wanted to ever so much they could not, and the chances are that from their wandering habits they spend the day in one place and the next in another two or three miles distant, just as they happen to be when day overtakes them, and if they left their young behind them the exact locality might be forgotten. When the young ones are able to shift for themselves their mother's life is easier, and until winter eomes to kill their insect food she lives luxuri-

ousiy, Then, when all Nature is preparing to put on the livery of winter, bat 3, instead of leaving the scenes where they have passed the summer, repair to their haunts in the caves -and walls, and hanging by their hind feet in little groups of tive or six together, pass; the dreary season in one unbroken sleep.——London Naturalist. '

; Superior Abilities. ' Now THERE abideth these things, which every man can do better than anis;one’ else: - oke a fire. ' : Put on his own hat. - . Edit a newspaper. . Teil a story; after the other man has begun it. - e Examine a railway time table. Did you ever notice that if you open a railroad guide and begin to look for some particular train, that some officious man in the crowd will spring up and lay his great thumb right over the column your train is in; and try to find %ou the night express on the Chicago, urlington & Quincy, by roaming up and down a column headed ** accommodation,” in the lllinois Central side of the page? And youcan’t bluff him off, either. A few days ago, a quiet looking man on the Wabash Railway called the train boy and asked him for a railway guide for a moment. Then he began to examine the columns, and a busylooking man behind him leaned over the seat, and said:

‘ What' train are you looking for? Where do you want to go? I can find it for youif you're not much accustomed to this sort of thing.” et The stranger thanked him, and said he was looking up some of the connections of the &’abash railway, and he guessed he could find what he wanted, The busg man immediately took hold of the guide and pulled it away from him. : “You'll never find it looking that way,’”’ he said, ¢ now tell me where you want to go; I know nearly all the connections of this road; I travel over this line twice every sixty days.” After a vain effort to get his guide book, the stranger reluctantly yielded, and the busy man looked down the column ‘‘ticket fares’’ and ascertained that the stranger’s train reached Dan-. ville at $4.76, and then he looked down the column of distances and discovered that the connecting train for Vincennes left at 6584. Then hehanded the guide back to the stranger, and leaned back in his seat with an air of a man, a Christian, unselfish man, who had, at some trouble to himself, of course, set a bewildered wayfarer right. The stranger thanked him quietly and with evgry appearance of profound gratitude. o

¢ Oh,” the man said loftily, ¢that’s all right; these railway guides are all Greek to people who ain't accustomed to railroading.” | By and bye, the stranger went into the other coach, and the busy man, noticing the respectful demeanor of the brakeman as he passed out, called to the employe and asked: : ¢ Who is that man?”’ ,

.“Mr. H. C. Townsend,” said the brakeman, ‘‘the General Passenger and Ticxket Agent of this road.” ' And the busy man looked straight out of the car window a long, long time, and every time the train boy went by shouting st Railwag Guides,”’ he turned pale and shuddered.—Burlington HawkKuye. S

*A Change in Funeral Fashions. THE gradual change in mortuary customs'is a matter of occasional notice. For several years the floral fashion continued to increase until it reached a climax at Stewart's funeral. The expenseof decorating the coffin,with other displays suitable to that occasion, was $lO,OOO. This excess brought an immediate reaction, and since then flowers for mortuary purposes have almost fallen out of use. Another feature in funerals is the choice of evening as the time of service, after which the remains are taken away for interment. The escort to the grave on such occasions is limited to the smallest number that may be required. It would be well if another point could be brought into fashion—that is, an abatement in display of mourning, which indeed were a *‘consummation devoutly to be wished.”’ The present depression is seriously felt among the undertakers, who find it very difficult to make collections. Hence they are changing their policy, and instead of encouraging expensive funerals they advise the contrary, unless in cases of known wealth. This arises from the above-mentioned difficulty in getting their pay whenever the bill reackes an excessive amount. Let a reduction in the cost of mourning follow and the public will not be slow to acknowledge the relief.—N. Y. Cor. Troy Times. e i

A Hunchback’s Industry. A QUEER hunechback has just died at Rue Cuvier, Paris, at a comparatively advanced age, who, being rich, healthy and unmarried, spent his life in traveling and collectinf statistics on the subject of people deformed like himself. He left a voluminous manuscript containing the fruit of his researches. He found hunchbacks most abundant in Spain, instancing a small hamlet in the Sierra Morena, where every thirteenth inhabitant was ‘humpbacked; next to this he found the deformity most frequent in the basin of the Loire. One person in a thousand was, he estimated, hunchbacked, hence, he arrived at the conclusion that there were 1,000,000 hunchbacks in the world whose humps—averaging twenty centimeters, or about hi%)l:’t inches each—would, if placed oneabove the other, make a pile 200,000 meters high, or, as he placed it, as high as *‘ ten Cordilleras, plus twen-ty-five Mont Blancs, plus alFthe Pyramids, Y;us all the spires of all the cathedrals in Europe.” He formulates the theory that the form of the hump isin keefiing with the general charaeter of the surrounding country. He left directions for pla.cing over his grave a marble fac simile of his hump, with this e;{‘it&phz, *¢ Here lies a hunchback, who had & taste for humps, and knew more about them than any other hunchbuck.””—N. Y. World. 2 _ MRI 2 —The ways of the world- Roads.

Youths’ Department. ——————— ____.—_————-—-—————————-—————' = e 1 JAMIE’S VALENTINE. 3 Ox! I've wriften a jolly Valentine to my mamma, to-day ] Don’t believe she’ll ever guess it came from little Jamie Grey; : | I've u;lldlger that 1 love her just as much as I can old; : (Guess she knows that much already,’thout its having to be told.) I've txi)lii her she’s a rosebud, and—and the sky is blue; And sugar's awful nice and sweet, and so is mamma, too. If L could, I'd draw a picture to look just like mammsf, ‘ . (I think a!;l.e’s a lot handsomer than other mothers . are \ 3

I'll ask Nurse Brown to put it by the door, and ring the bell, ; : And I'll make her promise honestly that she’ll never, never tell, . . Oh!won't my mamma be surprisea when in a little while, i} : s Our Bndfiet brings it in to her.- I guess ’twill make her smile. : g T'll goand hide, or play somewhere, for fear she’ll . guess, you see. That atter all, her Valentine has only come from mey But won't I laugh, if pretty soon I hear her ask papa ‘ : If %€ can tell who sentit! Oh!I know my sweet. mamma : LS

Will béjolly glad to get it! Oh, 7 know one¢ thing ue, . : I just do love my sweet mamma! I know she .. loves me, too b _ Bridget says, " Why don't you send some litéle - girl a valentine?” : G Just as if a girl could be as nice as this mamma of mine! S s Now, I'll go and send my Valentine, and then go . off to play, : £ Lest mamma should find out it came from' just . her Jamie Grey. - - : But some time I will tell her, cause I know "twill { make her glad B And maybe she “will say again, * God bless my _ little lad!” A 3 —Youth's Companion,

'~ THE BEAVER. Its Wonderful Instinct and Industry— How It Buiids Dams and Houses. * Or all things connected with the in stinct of animals there is nothing more interesting than the habits of the beaver, and especially his constructionu; of his dwelling-place. This creature is called an amphibious animal, living us it does on land and water as well. Its average length is from two to three feet, having a thick, heavy body and a flat, broa.dg tail, covered with scales. This tail is used as a rudder to steer by when under water, «nd in building, as a mason would use a trowel, which in shape it somewhat resembles. Were you to examine the feet of the beaver, you would find membranes between the toes of the hind feet, none on the fore feet, which assists him, nodoubt, in his peculiar kind of work. v

During the months of June and July the beavers assemble in great numbers from all quarters for the purpose of uniting into a society, sometimes forming a troop of from two to three hundred, for the purpose of building a city! After they have thus asserabled, they go about with all the foresight of the shrewdest land speculator to find a suitable place for a settlement, which is always upon the bank of a river. If at the place they have selected, the waters are flat, the beaver never makes a dam; but if the stream is subject to rising or falling, they build a dam from one side of the river to the other, often extending over a distance of from eighty to one hundred feet, and ten or twelve broad at its base. This pile, for creatures so small, is almost incredible. But the substantial manner in which they build their work is a greater subject of wonder. If they find a large tree on the margin of the river which they believe would be made to fall across it, they proceed at once to cut it down. And how do you think they accomplish this? By gnawing at the bottom:with their four cutting-teeth, and in an incredibly short time they accomplish their purpose, even though it may be as large as a man's body! And what is most singular, they gnaw it in such a way as to make it fall across, or so that they can float it to the spot where they intend to fix their abode. They next gnaw off the branches, to make it lie leyel, and in doing this the teeth of the whole community are in request. What a lesson these creatures in the lower orders of life teach us reasoning beings in the service they render each other! Some hunt the banks of the river for small trees, which they cut down and make stakes of them, dragging them by land to the margin of the river, and, after getting them well afloat, jump on themselves and tow them down to the place of their destination. You have no idea of the difficulties they have to surmount in doing thisi Some of' the beavers must elevate the thick ends against 'the margin of the river, while others, under the water, are digging holes in the bottom with their fore feet to receive their sharp ends. Others bring earth in their mouthsor fore feet, which they use to fill up the spaces between the stakes, and beat firm with their tails! They usually place these stakes in rows, opposite each other, and of equalheight, too! After the dam is completed—which is the common property of the community, as it has been built by the united efforts of all—they separate into smaller societies and build their private residences! These are arranged with two openings, one overlooking the water, from which thely can get the cool air and occasionally a bath; the other overlooking the land. They are in form either round or oval and vary in size all the way from four to - ten feet in diameter. Some of them consist of three or four stories! The walls are about two feet thick, and are raised gerpendiculary upon plain stakes, which serve for foundation and floors. The roof is conical, and the whole is plastered inside and out in~a neat, strong and durable manner, with & mixture of mud, clay and sand —which this ingenious little ereature knows well how to mix and temper with his paws or feet, and use with a F”ra?ut‘ ‘deal of dexftericz with his trowel-shaped tail, for which he certainly ought to have an exclusive patent! Can lon believe that these creatures could build a house so strong and so snug as to be ‘Perfwfiy impervious to the most pelt nmorms.pnt« ting them'at defiance? While :th_e*y, are buildi_ngfiu -soon as any part of the material is plaged whors & 18 10 gO, théy&ufltmmgwi*fifitg blow with their'taill ‘This work is all performed "at night and with great rapidity. Tn the autumn they cover the outside of their dwellings with

il R AR EF S SR ke Ji?T_ mud, and, after frost' comes; it freezes as becomes as hard as stone. I ‘The beavers store their bark for food in their houses, just as the farmer does his corn, each apartment having its ‘own storehouse, 80, that they shall not intrude upon each other’s rights. They exhibit great sagacity in the choice of their wood, preferring the poplar or willow, both on account of the lightness of the wood and ‘the sweetness of the bark. United in common labor, they are very industrious and very peaceable, having a great aversion to a quarrel of any sort. They rear their families about the last of February, and while' the mothers are engaged looking after the young, the males are roving about in search of food. They return once in . a while t 0 lcok in upon their families, until they can take care of themselves; then spend the spring months in the woods until the season returns to rebuild, and, if necessary, to enlarge their dwellings for the winter’s occupancy. . e They have a wonderful way of giving | information at the approach of danger. The first beaver that sees it informs the others by slapping. the water with its tail, which is always a signal of danger, and which the rest are very quick to recognize. | A My young readers may be interested in the following account:- -~ - ; ¢ At the head of one of the rivers of Louisiana, in a very retired place, was found a beaver dam. = Not far from 'it% but hidden from the sight of the animals, the writer hid himself in order to watch the operations of the beavers at leisure. Ige.j'w,aited‘ until the moon shone bright, and then went with great care to the dam. -At once he cut a ‘gutter about.a foot wide through it and retired to his hiding-place. As soon as the water through the gutt‘er began to make a noise, he heard a beaver come from one of the houses and plunge in; heisaw him get upon the bank, and clearly perceived that he examined it! The beaver then, witn all his force, gave four distinct blows with his tail,’ when at once a whole colony threw themselves into the wager and wenc to the dam. As soon as they were assembled, ome of them appeared by grumbling to issue some kind of orders, for they all instantly left the place and went out on the banks of the river in different. directions. . Those nearest to the writer were between his station and the dam, and therefore he could observe their operations very -plainly. Some of them formed a substance like mortar; others carried this on their tails, which served as sledges for the purpose. He observed that '%hey ranged themselves two and two, and 'that each animal of every couple loaded the other. - They trailed the mortar, which - was pretty stiff, to the dam, where others were stationed to take it. These put it into the gutter and rammed it down with their tails. The noise of the waters soon ceased and the breach was completely repaired. One of the beavers 'then‘struc{)( two blows with his tail and instantly they alltook to the water, without any noise, and disappeared.” Does this not seem almost incredible? And yet it has been confirmed by so many eye-witnesses in other ways that we cannot'doubt its truth. -~ Let us draw from the beaver a lesson of industry. In the world’s greathive, God intended everything, both great and small, to bear its part. I canhave no patience 'with slothfulnéss in any creature, and there are so few of us who do all that we can. Surely even the smallest creatures shame us in their constant activily and usefulness. I remember reading in my girlhood a fable which made .a lasting impression upon m 2. I will givé it to you here:’ : CE T e :

‘¢ A pert Ape one daymade by chance a visit to the habitation of the Beavers, who were all hard at work in their several departments, and, addressing one of those industrious animals, who was busily employed building a curious house for himself and family, he began to make his impertinent observations on the most trivial things that oceurred, until the Beaver, finding he could not go on with his work while interrupted by this ‘ troublesome - .intruder, thus sharply reproved.-him: ¢ Pray leave me to my labor; go and pay your visits to such only who are as idle as yourself; at least you should not take up the time of those to whom time is so precious and who make use of every moment to some good purpose.’ ’—X. ¥. Observer. - . v

How the Guebre Fire-Worship Was Overthrown. . ACURIOUS story is currentin the east~ = ern portion of Central Asia respecting the overthrow of the Guebre fire-wor--shig- once predominant there by the Buddhist creed imported from China. Whether historically true or net, the | tale is at -least thoroughly character- | istic of -the people and the country / which Froduced it. It was the custom ! of the Guebres to insist that whenever ,( any attempt was made to introduce the | worship of a foreign. god, the new- ! ‘comer’s image shoufii be brought into | ‘direct contact with their sacred fire, * and that the votaries of the conquered deity should at once quit the field. Fcr many years the fire had -the best of it, and the unfortunate gods who faced it either crumbled to "ashes or melted away in a stream, according to the material of which they were. co’mfosed. At length a colony of Chinese Buddhists came in from the KEast, and the usual test was ap%l‘ied' to their sacred imag:. But the high priest of Buddha, thinking that the latter’s ,’divine_gmwe“r mi‘?hg - be none the worse for a little secular aid, had previously filled the image with water, and stopped with wax. the tiny holes which preforated its sides. ‘Accordingly, the moment the wax melted, the hitherto invinecible fire began to hiss and .sgut«terinv & very unpromising way, and finally went out altogether, - whereupon its crestfallen ' worshipers instantly abandoned the field to their opponents.—N. ¥, Times.

—-A late decision of the:lndiana Supreme Court is both intemti.ni and important. It has been ruled that a subscription made on Sunday for the benefit of the church is not binding, and cannot be scollected by a suit at law. = This follows the general rule of the invalidity of contrsots made upon the Lord’s-Day. Gt o .