Plymouth Weekly Democrat, Volume 14, Number 21, Plymouth, Marshall County, 28 January 1869 — Page 1

WEEK L Y DEMOCRAT. volume xrv. PLYMOUTH, INDIANA, THURSDAY. JANUARY 28, 1869. NUMBER 21.

PLYMOUTH

Poctrn.

ONE YEAR AGO. KT MRS. H. B. TOWK. one year aeo a rinui iil: voice, A clear h'ae eye And cluiteriu? cnrU of -anny hair. Too fair to die. Only a year no voic. no HUfta, No ii'.;-.nre of eye. No clustering carls of golden hair. Fair but to die. One vear :.ro. what love, what themes Far ir to life ! What ioyous hopes, what high resolves, What generous strife ! The sil -nt pier are on the wall. The burial stone. Of all th it beanty. life and joy Remain alone I ne year, one year, one littlo yeir And -"i mach gone ! And vet the even flow of life Moves calmly on. The erave grows irrecn, the ilowers hlooni fair Above that he id : No sorrowing tin, of leaf or spray Says he i dead. No BMM or hnsh or morry bird-. That sinir above. Tell ns how coldly sV".s holow The form we love. Where hat thon been this year, beloved What hast thou seen? What ri"ine fair, what glorious life Where thon hast been? The veil ! the veil ! so thin, so strung? "Twixt us and thee ; The myotic veil I when shall it fall. That we may see ? Not dead, not sleeping, not even gone. Bat present still. And wailing for the comini: hoar Of God's fWSSl will. Lord of the livinz and the dead, Onr Saviour dear: Wc loy in sOtase at Thy feet Tn,s sad. snd vear! Selected Jttferdlaim LOYE'S REFORM. The oihcr morning I was disturbe d at tl:e unseemly hour of nine, by the announcement that Frank Laxby had called, and was desirous of seeing me. I was rather surprised at this informa ti la, and was considering whether it was rr re probabh- tb.it my friend hid stopped out four hours later or hid risen three hours earlier than was his wont, when the door opened, and in he walked, with an e epression of calm benignity in his countenance, which left nodoubt of his having had his requisite amount of sleep. Besides this, he had a flower in his notion h le, instead of a ebmr in his mouth, which latter would of course have been tie case had he been taeating thesober hour of nine a. m. in an unbecoming naoner, and as if it were merely a late h ur of the nigiit. M Has anything serious happened ?" said I, as soon as I had oiTered Frank a seat, or have you turne 1 somnambulist, and Walked down here in your sleep f" "No," he replied, quite in his usual tone S'ld manner; " but I knew you were only e-ming to town last night, and I wanted particularly to see you as soon as possible at'erwards. Besides, I had another very kxI reason for gj'.ting up before twelve Uli morning." "What was that?1 I inquired. 'It is rather a long story," he answered ; " but if you will order breakfast I will repeat it to you." I accept the bribe," I exclaimed, ringing the bell. " Three months ago, then," commenced Frank, "my father male me, what I considered at the tim a very unreasonable proposition. Ho suggested that I should get married." Here the servant entered, with the breakfast things, an J even he coul I not holp smiling at the absurdity of such a suggestion to such a man. "The notice appeared to me " continued Frank, "as it now .ipp'.ars to you, to b' an absurd one, and I hinted as much to ny respected parent. Instead of agreeirg, however, to what I said, he did that which I had no right to expect from so n ar a relative he asked me what reasons I could show for supporting my objecto' )U9." " He might as well have asked you y ur reasons for drin- ing too much pide tue, I remarse : "I drink very little of it now," he said, and, without heeding my ill suppressed attonishment, he pulled out his watch (that watch from which he used to be go ofxn parted ! ) and observed, that s he had but little time to spare, he should feel obliged by ray not interrup'ing him too often in his narrative. Having obtained n.y implied acquiescence on tais point, ho Continued as follows: "I was unwilling to undertake a regular attaek on the holy state in the presence of my own father. I, however, endeavored to explain to him that I wished for seme time at least, to pursue the life of a very independent gentlenan, and that, matrimony had no part in the programme of that care; r. "My father calculating on an avarice which I do not possess, informed me that tf e lady he snouh' suggest possessed untcld wealth, though, by-the bye, I distinctly remember his telling me of it on a previous occasion. I explained to him that my contempt for richrs war. considerable; to which he replied, that he hoped I did not, at all events, entertain a similar feel irg towards the paternal opinion. Of course I was too dutiful to answer my parent in a spirit of candor, and my filial behavior on this point kd to a request that I would h11o'.v myself to be introduced tr- the lady to whom he wished to pay the compliment of offering mj aa a husband. It appe;. -d that ube posse-sc 1 beauty to a considerable extent, and, although the Mfc herself had never seen me, it was not supp sed for an instant, either by my father or myself, to at could have the 'least obJt tion. " I delayed giving a final answer ; beOiose, being anxious to obtain money beyond my Uüual allowance, I thought respect and civility would best become me. At last there wis no help, and I was obliged to decline being led, liite a perfect sheep, to the altar ; upon which my father hinted that I should take a ;;:! departnre from Lis residence, and not tr. uh!e myself about (jailing again until I was prepared for the alarming sacri ice ; adding, Li a tone evidently meant to be in?ulling, that h shouldn't wonder if my feelings were already engaged." " And were they fM I Inquired. "They Wire in pari," continu I .a, 'but not I the extent which the old boy Imagined. About a fortnight previous to the convert ttion which I have repeated, having beard a great deal about the advantage of early rising J iieUrrrun3 to

try it, anxious, as I always have been, to experience every sensation sanctioned by morality and custom. Well. I tried it ; I got up at half-past eight, walked to Kensington Gardens, and soon met with the advantage in the shape of a young lady, who wa9 not only exceedingly pretty, which Is- the case with many English women, but moreover exceedingly well dressed, which is the case with very few of them. "The Goddess of Early Rising was sitting on one of the benches, reading a book. She c mttttVM d reading while I was passing, which I thought unkind ; per haps, however, it was only tc show heeyelashes. It would have been more than rude it would have been absurd for me to have addressed her, as she was attended by an evil spirit, whom I should have supposed to be her companion, were it not that she appeared to be treated with consideration and kindness. ' I liked e.rly rising so much the first time, that I tried it a second, third, and fourth, and met with the advantage in th-? shape of the goddess on each occasion. At nil events, I had not frightened her from the particular ground over which she appeared to preside ; and I knew that she had noticed my presence there, from certain indicatl ns which passed between herself and the evil spirit -n my approach. " On the fifth morning the goddess entered the gardens alone, and I instantly began thinking of the best form of prayer to offer up to her when I perceived that, instead of pausing at the accustomed seat, she continue 1 to walk for some distance I kncwr that she :aust have expected me there at I he usual time, and therefore that she could have uo wish to avoid me ; but knowing also t hat any one addressing a lady without having had ' the honor of an introduction,' runs the risk of being mistaken lor alMjrnian,I naturally hesitated a little. "If the goddess wished to enfer into conversation with me, I was determined she should have an opportunity of giving me a hint the slightest in the world would have been sufficient that such proceeding would not be displeasing to her. Accordingly, I walked behind her as closely H I could, and prayed that she would drop either her handkerchief or her glove if it had even been her parasol, I wouldn't have called her awkward that I might rush to restore it, and commence a conversation, of which I had an irresistible and ensnaring opening ready prepared. M I watched for the fall of one of these objects as eagerly as the sportsman who is expecting the rise of the game. But the t-1 asuredid not come ; perhaps she thought I might keep it ; at all events she did not give rac the chance. " What was I tc; do ? I could not have the impudence to walk before the girl, and drop my own handkerchief. It. would have been rather too much in the sultan style, and she could not have been expected to pick it up. L threw myself on a bench for a few minutes, and, upon 1 oking round, saw that the object of my thoughts had reached the gate of the gardens which lends into Hyde Park. I followed her, and. upon looking back when I waf at some distance from the entrance, percvi v ed the evil spirit hurrying towards it. I at once understood that she had been expected there some time previously, and that it was by the merest accident and one very unlikely to occur again, that the goddess was at that moment walking by herself. " My resolution was taken immediately. I would address her ; but what was I to say ! I migiit have said I thought I had had the pleasure of meeting her at Mrs. Johnson s, or that 1 fancied she was a lady I had been introduced to in Timbuctoo ; but thee mode1 of address were commonplace, rihould I ask her boldly whether she would have any objection to my smoking a cigar while she was in the park ? The very levity of the question would have saved my vanity in case of a rebuff, but it also appeared somewhat disrespectful, and I therefore resolved not to put it. Moreover, I n w saw that the chased goddess was walking at a pace the quickness of which was little flutcring to me, and in order to obtain ufiy chance of conversation with her, I should have to run a considerable distance, and speak to her in a series of gisps. My resolution was therefore abandoned : I would not address her at all for the present. " Of course, however, I was not so ignorant of the first rudiments of the London art of love as not to follow her home. She lived close to the park, and, as she stopped abruptly at her boose, I had to pass the very door. Out of sheer kindness to my vanity, I persuaded myself that she .smiled gracefully :s she glanced at me, although it subsequently appeared that she had done nothing of the kind. " Not being a dramatic, author, I did not dream of getting up a flirtation with the Diva's mail, and paying her far hvprer sums than the postal regulations could require for transmitting letters to her misstress it is a process which does not always sueceed even on the stag-. but 1 loitered about the house from day to day and probably was mistaken by the police for i burglar of superior attainments until at last I ascertained the hour at which my enchantress made a regular sally from her palace. I followed her for sometime as faithfully as her spanielindeed rather nure so for the animal once put him ef completely in my power, and I w is only prevented by the recent act against elog s'ealers from walking ofl with the quadruped, and calling the next

lay for the reward, which, if I had seen the owner, would have been great indeed. "Nothing came of all this, until one day Florence Wilton which I had aeÄ;rtained to be her name, and which appeared to be somewhat theatrical was ooeerreu ny her ardent admirer to enter a music shop in company with her evil spirit. On their leaving the shop, I entered it, and, finding they had been pur chasing tickets for a concert which was to take place that evening, I immediately bought one myself, and had to pay twice the ordinary charge, because Jenny Lind wa3 to appear there, as if she were the person I wished to see. u When the time for the concert arrived, luck and the box-keeper placed me next to Florence, so close that I could have squeezed her hand if I had thought proper; but I thought i; improper, or at all events that she would not allow it, and I therefore pr tended to listen to tie music. Next to Florence on the other side, was the evil spirit, and behind 1 r sat Florence's father, a gentleman whom 1 at once respected as one respects the auf hor of a favorite work. After the first part of the concert old Wilton withdrew for a few minutes. At this moment Florence dropped her programme, hfrt onintentionallv. and ' even uuconsclousl?. Did 1 .. 1 that Juncture gtoop to pick it up, and present it v On tho contrary I coysredjt

with my foot, and waited anxiously, but confidently, for what was to follow. "'How exquisitely BelV odoratn was sung,' said Florence ; 1 and Studdini, how admirable was his romance !' u 4 Studdini, though his upper notes are decidedly harsh, and his lower ones much wanting" in mellowness, is, nevertheless, a pleasing vocalist,' returned her companion. 4 What is the name of the air he sang?' ' Oh,' replied Florence, ' it was something about love and ingratitude. What was the name of Studdini's air ?' she exclaimed, looking in vain for the programme she had dropped. Hl Pour ((int ii'mnournv ssfH pminffratef I said markedly, as her eye caught mine. "She bowed her thanks in a confused manner.and proceeded to inform her friend of the title. "The next thing I had to do was to apologize for my politeness, and to hope that my speaking uninvited to Florence ha l not given offense. "She informed me that what I had hitherto said could give oflense to no one. But her blushes, as I looked inquiringly at her, convinced me that, in spite of her pretended unconsciousness, she wa3 aware that I had been addressing he per3oually, while, at the same time, uttering the mere name of a song. I believe that, under pretext of a further apology, I was g- kig on to attack 1 ie prejudice of society, which prevented conversation between two personshowever desirable such conversation might be on the one side in all cases w here an introduction had not been ob tained, wnen I was stopped by Mi3S Wilton, informing me that if I imagined I had offended her by uttering a few words, it was strange that I should endiavor to improve my position by making long speeches. This observation thick in my vanity, and wounded it very severely. I bowed and left the theatre, but not until I had pushed the fallen programme out of sight " I soon returned, and presented Miss Wilton with a programme, which I said I had observed her to be without, and which I pretended to have just procured, whereas I had thrust it into my pocket immediately on seeing her own fall to the ground. She smiled as she accepted it, but I trembled as I saw the father enter, lest he should discover the point ot the epigram, or, in other words, see the note which was contained in the folded bill. The note was written in the style wc all know so well, and I will, therefore, not trouble you with its contents. I will only say that its object wa3 an unhostile meeting between myself and Miss Wilton on the following morning, without seconds, ground fixed in Kensington Gardens. I slept but feve hours that night, partly from love of Florence, partly from supping with Ii and II , and stepping up till live, when the meeting was to take place at eight. " The next morning:I was lirst on the ground." " More fool you !"' said I, interrupting him " No wonder the girl gives herself airs when you behave in such an absurdlyattentive style to her." " Silence, barbarian !" Frank exclaimed, and then continued his story. " Though Florence declared she could never meet me again, she very kindly pointed out the means by which I could gain admission to a bal' which was to take place the next evening and at which she was to be present. I -poke to her on the subject of marriage," (hear, hear, and laughter from myseli); "and was somewhat astonished at her saying she had already been offered to one young man, who had at once refused her, and that she had from that time indignantly resolved to give up all thoughts ot matrimony. "That very morning," continued my visitor, " I called on my father, and told him briefly that I was desirous of getting married, though not to the lady for whom he so kindly destined me. My father taxed me with oily, reproached my intellect with infirmity, and ended by saying, that the young lady whom he had in view, was more amiable, m )re pretty, and more wealthy, than any other I was likely to meet with, and that I was at liberty to go to the prince of iniquity if I refused to marry Florence Wilton ! " 1 If her name is Florence Wilton,' I exclaimed, 1 I'll marry her.'

" ' Why so?' said my father ; 1 have you spen her, then t " 4 No,' said I, unwilling to compromise the girl ; 4 1 have not seen her ; but Florence Wilton is a very pretty name, and no one with any other name shall be my wife.' " 4 And the young lady you say you are so desperately in love with? ' my parent suggested. " 4 Oh, if I marry Florence Wilton I shall be equally pleased I must marry my dear Florence, I declared. 44 4 Why you must be mad to take such a fancy to the girl without having seen her !' was the next paternal remark. " ' What am I to do?' I demanded, 4you call me mad when I wish to marry that d trling Florence, whom I have never seen and forbid if I speak of marrying any one else.' 44 4 Marry Florence, by all means,' said my father, smiling ; 4 she will be at the ball you say you are going to to-morrow night, and I will introduce you then to the whole family.' " 4 1 will dance with her to-morrow night, and marry her the day after,' I exclaimed frantically. " ' Good morning ; you're insane at present,' my father answered, as he retired to another room. 44 When the bail arrived I was introduced to Florence, and, as had been arranged, no signs of recognition were exchanged. But when we were alone, she fetill seemed disposed to forget that we had ever met, and treated me with the most rigid politeness. I attempted to touch her heart, but to reach her intelligence every now and then was all I could do. I paid her a few compliments, but she analysed them, if she attended to them at all. Then I ti ied to make love to her, but one can't mal e love to a marble statue, excepting in a ballet. At the close of the ball she became a little more friendly : but by no means in a tender manner. Before leaving, she informed me she was going out of town the next day, and was uncertain as to when shs should return to London. She shook hands with me as I handed her Into the carriage, and I never saw her again " 44 That comes from runnirg after a girl too much," said I soothinglv. 44 1 wish you would not 'interrupt mc," pursued Frank. "I was saying that I never saw her again until a fortnight af terwards, when she accepted me without affectation. " Do you think, then, that she knew i w re tin- person who had refused her )i ind when she saw you in Kensington Hardens? 1 asaeu. " That Is the first question I shall put to hr.r iltar ws ;r? mrrle'Y' b? ftpr

"Well, even now," I continued, "you have not told me why you have risen so early to day, which is what you began your story with. Of course, in the mean time, I condole with you seriously, at your good fortune." 44 Why," said the soon-to-be-married man, " you only returned to England last night, and I had to call on you, get you out of bed, give you your break f. ist, dres3 you, and bring you down to the church, where I am jut going to be married, before twelve o'clock." "Before twelve o'clock?" I exclaimed. 44 Well, to oblige a friend, I don't mind ; but really it's a thing I wouldn't do for myself." Frank walked down to the church like a hero, as his noun of bachelorhood drew to a close. He departed this lifo at five minutes before twelve, and it was I who watched his last moments.

Old Maids. There is a stigma of reproach cast upon the terra 44 old maid " too often justly so, I admit. But where does the fault lie? I know two women who may be classed in this category unmarried, forty years old. or thereabouts. Both are of rood family, the daughters of wealthy men. The one. some dozen years ago, finding, as no sensible woman can fail to do, that fashionable life had nothing in it to satisfy her, made a stand for herself. She told her family that she most have a life of her own. She had no especial gifts, except a remarkable aptitude for business inherited from her father. Ina quiet way she had turned her attention to fruit-growing, a branch of industry offering many attractions to her, and into that business she de termined to enter. Fortunately, she had sufficient money, left her by her grandfather, to be able to carry out her plans, despite the sneers of her fashionable accpiaintance, and the objections and obstacles raised by her home circle. She established herself oa a fruit-farm in the western part of this State. Her work prospered. Now she is the owner of several hundred acres, and has constant and remunerative occupation of a kind agreeable to her. After a few years her father died, and, instead of the rieh man he was estimated, he was found to be bankrupt. This daughter had a comfortable home and support to offer her mother and invalid sister. She has quite a settlement of work-people, men and women, to whom she and her sister minister in various ways. In fact, she lives a life which is useful to others and develops her own powers, and in the consciousness of that she finds happiness and peace. "Xt tc Wine, in Old Botth," in Ftb. No. of Lip- , pincotCs Marjuzim. How Some Joint Stock Companies are Formed. Written for the Cincinnati Chronicle. 44 CrusE these hard times. The question now before the house, Mr Sharp, is, how we poor devils can manage to raise the wind; and it is more puzzling to me than ever the pon atiuomm of Euclid appeared to the dullest typo that has t sayed its solution since it was published to the world. What can we do? 44 If such a question forces Itself upon Semmy Ford, the times are bad indc ed," responded Bill Sharp. 44 We must, try something new." 14 There's nothing new to try. Everything is exhausted. I haven't an expedient nor a resource of any kind left. We have attempted all sorts of dodges; engaged in magnificent gift enterprises, in which every ticket drew a valuable prize ; advertised dollar stores, in which gold watches worth from 100 to $500 were the principal stock in trade; pulled and Mowed 4 Professor Soph's Magic Curcall' till the gudgeons will bite no more; offered 'The Secret of a Certain Fortune,' for tifty cents till that has entirely played out ; proposed to send sewing machines for 10 that are better than either Wheeler & Wilson's or Singer's, till the receipts scarcely pay the advertising bills, (which, to be sure, is the only expense we incur in thai matter); and what we haven't done that honest men are justified in turning a hand to, it is im possible for me to discover. ' So you think you have ti ied every thing V" 44 Everything that a gentleman can con sistently engage in 14 But you have never formed a iomt stock company." 44 Correct, Bill." 44 And it's a good spec, when properly managed." 44 Tj neiuestionably. oure an angel tor the suggestion. A joint stock company is a happy idea, and there's money in it ; but, my dear boy, what shall be the dodge ! What shall it be formed to operate ? In what shape shall the little arrangement be introduced to the de .r people V 41 That will require thought. In a mat ter of such magnitude we must move with becoming deliberation ' i- . . .. , Tir du; wc cant wan, you kliow. n e have pressing need of ready cash, and must move at once." 44 Well : what say you to a Lead Company in Kentucky, or a Coal Company in West Virginia? " 41 The Lead Company, by all means. That is more speculative, and we can show it up in magnificent style in a prospectus. It will work to a charm, sir. We will have the 4 Kentucky & Ohio Lead Com pany chartered by special act of Legis lature ; capital stock, it 250.000 !' I know a tract of land on the Cumberland river, of about four thousand acres, that can be bought for a song ; and then, as these mat ters are ordinarily arranged, turned over to the company at a heavy figure. Bill, we'vo struck a fortune ; we're all right '" 41 1 go halves, of course. 44 Most assuredly. The idea is yours; we'll work it up iu partnership, and Um n divide the spoil. I'll draw up the rharter and write a prospectus, and we'll have matters comiortably untler way in ten days. Gad! the simple idea makes me feel like a nabob." Iu les than ten days the charter was passed by the Legislature, approved by the Governor, and, printed on the same f-Lect with a flaming prospectus, mailed to thousands of capitalists and business men i Kentucky, Ohio and Indiana. The shares, that were nominally valued at $50 each, were offered, 14 to a limited amount," at $10, with the assurance that within six months they would command a premium in the market. Applications came pouring in faster than they could be answered. The office of the 44 company "was crowded from morning till night by people wlm, in their eagerness to inv t. wete notpartiCQ' lar how rudely they jostled each other; and it was reported that a small man, from Madisonville, paiel a considerable bonus for the chance ol a faoad-shQUlik- r. d indiIvidual who had elbowed his way to the 1;:V la cp:.-: "Mil "Htaoir ind ffeq

only surrendered to the small man after the most earnest entreaty and the payment of greenbacks 44 in hand." Ford was right when he selected the Lead Company for a heavy business, and his management of its organization proved him a very Napoleon of 44 operators." As this is essentially a true record, the main interest of whieh centers in its exactness, the writer has been particular to ascertain the gross amount of cash received for this stock, and finds it to be $103,700, of which si'i.OOO was paid for real estate, and $10,000 devoted to the working capital. The absolute control of the company was still left in the hands of its projectors, for they held in their own names more than half of Its stock ; and after paying incidental expenses they divided a cash profit of $80,000 as the product of very light labor during four months. Had their programme been madc,on a basis a little less liberal, the profit would have been double this sum. In this company more than one man invested the care'ully hoarded savings of 3'ears, and only to hud, after a few months, that he had paid his cash for something without value, and intangible as a elream. It was the South Sea Bubble, with the scale reduced. In the past five years not less than twen-ty-fhv j nnt stork companies have been organized in Cincinnati on no better basis than that above indicated. It is safe to state that many of them were projected with no other intention than selling out the stock at the most it would bring, and then abandoning the enterprise The I t.vk of no incorporated company is worth having, unless the company courts a rigid investigation of its plans and resources; and it i3 certainly true that every project of this sort that places its stock on the market at less than par is open to a lively supnicion. It is safe to believe it a swindle till it i3 proved otherwise. In this age of the world, with an active competition in every branch of industry, and the surprising advances of fcience in simplifying labor, no man should expect to trow rieh by a miracle : but every one should remember that the reward of honest and properly directed industry, is ample and well assured, and content himself with seeking a fortune in the legitimate channels of trade. (Edipus.

Replies to a Life Agent's Circular. Trrn following somewhat facetious replies to a L.fe Agent's circular, requesting Information as to the health and habits of an applicant, were received at a prominent Life ( ffie : 1. How long have you known ? Since two years after I was born. 2. What re his general habits? In winter, red flannel and blue beaver ; in summer, a straw hat canted to one side, and nankeen trousers, very loose in the legs. 3. What is his profession ? Congregationalism 4. Do you know, or have you heard, that he has ever bec a afflicted with Gout, Asthma, Consump'ion, Spitting of Blood, or any other disorder to shorten life ? No; hot he can have it if it Is required by the company. 5. lias he ever had Vertigo, or singing in his head 1 Ves, he snores nightly, and dnil' hears the music of the sewing ma chine. G. Has he ever been afllicted with Fits or RnntnreT Never had a fit in his life his tailor being very unsuccessful but once had a rupture with his landlady. 7. Has he ever had Fever and Ague? Had a fever last summer when the thermometer was at ninedy. 8. "What state was he in when you saw him last ? The State of Michigan. 0. Has his application ever been rejected f Yes, once prompt! v. by a 1 idy. 10. Do you think his life safely insurable ? Not at his own valuation. Bought St his own estimate, and sold at that of the people, he would break any bank in the country. 11. Do you call Iih lungs sound ? No, I call them inflated air tubes. 12. What age do you consider him! Old enough to know more than he does. 13. Does he smoke or chew ? He smokes when he choose?. 14. Is he of stead v habits? Yes, he is agent for Fairbanks' fcales and balances. I V What U his height? That depends upon the thickness of his boot-. 1 1 Has he children f Yes two nephew?. 17. Is he ordinarily sober f I never heard him laugh but once, and that was at his own joke. Anecdote of General Washington. Washington had accepted an invitation from Arnold to breakfast with him at West Point the very day the plot was discovered, but was prevented from keeping his engagement by what men call chance by the earnest request, namely, of an eld officer, near whose station they passed, to ppend the night there and inspect some work in the neighborhood. Next day, while Washington with his staff, including La Fayette, were seated at table at this officer's quarters, a dispatch was brought to the American General, which he Immediately opened anel read, then 1 iid it down without comment. No alteration was visible in his couutenancc, but he remained perfectly silent. Conversa tion dropped among his suite ; and, after some minutes, the General, beckoning La Fayette to follow him, passed to an inner apartment, turned to his young friend without uttering a syllable, placed the fatal dispatch In his hands, and then, giving way to an ungovernable burst of feeling, fell on his neck and sobbed aloud. The effect produced on the young French marquis, accustomed to regard his General (cold and dignified iu his usual manner) as devoid of the usual weaknesses of humanity, may be imagined. " I believe," said La Fayette iu relating this anecdote, "that this was the only occasion, throughout that long and sometimes hopeless struggle, that Washington ever gave way, even for a moment, under a reverse of fortune and perhaps I was the only humau being who ever witnessed in him an exhibit iou of feelirg so foreign to his temperament. As it was, he recovered himself before I had perused the communication that had given rise to his emotion ; and when he returned to his staff not a trace remained on his countenance either of rricf or despondency." 44 Ht iond the Breikerx" in Ftb. Ar". of MppincotC Mdgcutine. A n an- bird in llorhPFtor, N. Y., ha been taught to Fing 41 Yankee Doodle.1 Though occasionally Interrupted in his Strains by a few notes of Ihm native tnuMc, yet h. MOW! his patriotism by (ailing back on 44 Yankee Doodle," which he prefers. His performaneo i o ex i : that one iu another room, .icnrirg it, would at once recognize the tune, and pnppow that om rn was WhJlUinf It

FiCTS AHB FIGURES. A Paris bride paid $16,000 for her handkerchiefs. The salt mines of Austria are worked by a million miners. Wnv is a hen immortal ! Because her son never sets. Sunday evening sittines in Rev. IT. W. Beecher's church are advertised at $1(5 each, yearly. Velocipedes are prohibited in New York Central Park, because thev will frighten the horses. A hoy of fourteen was recently married at Holly Springs, Ißsa, to a woman of thirty-two. TnE Rev. David Winter, of Dayton, Ohio, has married over 4,000 peopledüring his ministry. St. Lot-is hnd thirty-three murders thirty suicides and five fatal coal oil explosions in 1808. Thr hair of James Ferguson, of Buffalo, a worker in copper, has, it is said, turned perfectly green. TnERE are twelve churches on Erie street, Cleveland, Ohio, within a space of less than a mile. A ktve thousand dollar monument is U be erected over Sam Houston's now name less grave, at Huntsville, Texas. ArnunoN and his wife made their bridal trip in 1808 down the Ohio, from Pittsburgh to Louisville, oa a flat boat. Philadelphia has three hundred an i eighty-live churches, which will not nearly give sitting room to all its people. There's a pr -.raising young giant in Cheshire, Mass , only sixteen years ol 1, and already six feet and three inches in height. Two hundred and eighty-four wives and one hundred and seventy-six husbands Mied petitions for divorce in Chicago last year. John B. Gouon was bom in Sandgate, England, in 1817. His father was a Peninsular soldier, and his mother a school teacher. Six new postofflces have been named " Norwood " since the publication of Henry Ward Beecher's story in the New York Ledger. During the past yeor there were 896 commercial failures in New York; 83 in Philadelphia; 59 in Boston; :?7 in Baltimore, and 28 iu Chicago. Of the six last elected Pennsylvania Senators Buckalcw, Cameron, Cowan, Brodhead, Bigler and Scott none have

ever served in the lower House. Whittier says that in the name "Maud Muller," the MulJer should be pronounced so as to rhyme with duller. He says that is the New England pronunciation of the name. A Californian speaks of 1,200 acres as a " small farm." Two hundred acres of wheat is a 44 small pateli." Some farmers have as many ps 5,000 acres devoted to wheat in one season. A machine has been invented and put into operation in California, which i' i said has cut, thrashed, cleaned and sacked the wheat from twenty acres in ten hours, with only three men to work it. The town of Wells, Vt., has a citizen who married at 17. His first child was a a daughter, who married at 13, and eighteen months afterward made her hither a grandfather, at the early age of 31 years. Some one versed has calculated that it will take fifty men, working twelve hours a day, seven years, four months and thirteen days, to read through all the rM'blic documents issued in the United States every three months. It is now seen that cotton has not exhausted the cotion fields of the South, but bad tillage. A bale of 500 pounds of cotton, when burned, leaves but four pounds of ashes. All the rest goes into the air from whence it came. A Philadelphia surgeon, who was on his way to perforn an operation on a patient, had his carriage robbed and lost his surgical instruments while making a temporar i top, 14 whereby,1' adds thereporter, 41 ue operation was prevented and the patient i life saved." In the Sinusement world the following are among the dead of 18GS: Bospini, Samuel Lover, Sterling Coyne, Mary Gannon, Julia Dean Hayr.e, Menken, Helen Western, Anna Lac tste, C. M. Walcott, Sr. ; John Sefton, Charles Kean, George Jameson, Wm. Hanlon, Ronzini, Bahrator Tagliona, Wm. Harrison, George Christy The annual incomes of the various English Iiishops range from f 10,000 to about $75,000. Canterbury enj ys the latter and Sudor the former amount. London and Windsor have each an income of 50,000 a year, and Durham $40,000. The other Bishoprics arc worth from $20,000 to $27?000 a year. One of the most productive taxes in the city of Berlin ta on dors, amounting to three thalers on everv animal. The number has increased about 7,000 in four years, and is at present 20,t50, of which 2,000 are useful, (generally used in draw ing truck). This duty produces even year for the municipality about 00,000 thalers. The Protestant Episcopal Almanac for ISliO gives the following general summary of statistics of that church in the United Slates; BVaocs 47; Bishop elect, 1; clergy, 2,0C ; baptisms, 29,585; confirmations, 18,406 ; communicants, 157, 1 . marriages, 7,350 ; burials, 11,454 ; ordinations, deacons, 85; presbyterie-, M ; candidates for orders, 230 ; Suuday school teachers, 17,150; contributions, $3,113,158.37. Orangk? were frozen solid on the trees, at Augustine, Fla., on Christmas day. The weather was the coldest known in that loealitv sar.ee 1S05. The thermometer at daylight stood at twenty degrees above zero. It afterwards touched seventeen de grees. In a climate where even white frosts are unusual, this was very severe. Lst year, at the same time, the Florida ladies were dressed in lawns. A writer to the Waco (Texas) Register, gives a summary of the profit of his larm operations during the past j ear. He has had 580 acres under cultivation 480 in cotton, and 159 in corn. From this, with the labor of forty-two freedmen, he has i raised MB bales of cotton, and nearly 10,000 bushels of corn. He has sold his cotton on the ground for $24.075, and reckoning his corn at the going rates thirty cents pec bushel that would amount to $3,000, making the entire value of his crop $27,075. To oflnet thK then U the cost of labor cf bis hands, f 8,225 ; provisions for same, $1,887; incidental?, 11900 ; making ISM entire cost of producing this crop, $12.312. This 'tftrea a nice little profit .of $15,869 Mli' rcn,i n.f une ypar' frmlnf.

Texts and Sermons. The text is the key-stone of that formal structui the modern sermon. It was not, however, so in former times, for we are told that the old divines frequently preached without any text at all ; and we knew a celebrated clergyman who generally wrote his fermons before he selected a phrase from Scripture to prefix to them. The connection of the txt and sermon is often forced. Rowland Hill, the eccentric Eneli-di preacher, wfohing to denounce the practice-then prevalent among the women of wearing showy headdresses called 44 top knots," preached from this text : Matthew xxiv. 17" Let him that is on the hOQSe-f2) nt cow r!orn," and pointed to the latter part of the phrase, 44 top knot come down," as a Scriptural denunciation of the coiffure in vouc. Rowland Hill was an inveterate clerical punster. 1 reaching on nae m-;.. t TVirmirig, a low district near London, he assured nis hearers, who had been among the most dissolute of ti.at unsavory qaaftei, that such Wsppima (whopntngrl sinners even as they were might hope to be forgiven. One preacher took for his. text the word 44 and," and another "but." The latter, as Dean R unsay tells the s'ory, was a candidate for a lectureship, and had to deliver a discourse before the trustees of the endowment, in tue way of competition ; so he was determined to show how clever be eonld b, and took for his text the single word 4' but." He dedsmsd from thence the nrcat truth and the important doctrine Hint no position is without some corresponding cross or opposite trial. Naamaa was a mighty man of valor and honorable, but he was a leper. The five cities of the plain were fruitful as the garden of Eden, t'-.it the men of s dom were awful sinners. I called you, but ye answered not, etc. When he came down into the vestry after his sermon the senior trustee of the lecture5- hip met him and said, 44 Sir, you give us a most ingenious discourse, and we arc much obliged to you; but we don't think vou arc the preacher that will do for us." This wi.3 a practical applicalion of his sermon that the pulpit orator hsd not calculated upon. One of Dr. Hawk's most effective "charity " sermons was preached from the text, to beg I am ashamed,'1 but a meaning was given to it quite different from the original intention. He turned it effectively to his psmpose by 'he Rjoss that he -.vns ashamed for his hearers that the neglect of so good a cause as that for which he was pleading rendered it necessary to bc fr it. ttek ert Tom fi, in Ilirptr JKsMPasMML

jnaflhrr Household Fraad. From flour to whisky, from milk to Fe ruvian bark, there hi none perfect no, not one. Adulteration, admixture, impurity, these all are proved against wha'- evrwe cat or drink, or wherever that we vindicate ourselves. They form part of our pomades and perfamea, and they infect the subtle powder, by whose means the cheek nnd brow of beaut conceal the ravages of time. One other disclosure is Deeded, and then vre shall lean that silk and wriolfini. eottobl and linens, are adul terated, and that short measure is by no means uncommon, if not with the retailer, at least with th" manufacturer, who stamps the number of yards upon the original packages. The last assault is made upon rcrose ne oil, that lovely compound which illuminates so many households and who?c va garies have 4 put out the light " by many a happy fireside. This is the Eamiuar peril oftheeiay. The pioneer is safer on the Indian frontier, and the powder ma?nzine, into which the can luss laborer enters with lighted pipe, is more secure than the heart hstone oa which the elan of the kerosene falls. Professor Chandler has submitted to the Board Of Health the analysis of seventy e ight nmnlescf kerosene oil bought at random in various steire.s about the eity. A seventy-ninth sample was procured from the Boston manufacturer, DostSSSn, cud was tin, a If sufe oil on (be I :.' Professor Chandler says thai every refiner can send a perfectly safe kerosene to market if he chooses : he may make it stand fire at 110 degrees F., 190 degrees F. IM dtftiu F., or any other temperature he may select ; it is mere ly a epuestion of a few cents, more or less par calion. And here comes the consumer with his desire to buy ( heap. Competition is exhibited, ami cheap oil is made, which is adulterated to the last degree Tne ct of a good ei! U not nuch m w than that of a poor one, Prossssof Chandler in quires if any one Would hesitate to pay five, ten, or lift-- en cents per gallon for the difference between an oil which is per fectly Si.fe, and one which is liable to e!cstroy one's wife or children at any moment by a most horrible death. And as to the poof oil so common' told, he mys it would he safe r to huTO gunpov.Vcr in one b lamp, because that suostance wouio re main eptitc out of the way of fire, but this oil is so volavde that it s eks the flame of itsowu accord. The Professor recoausendi the enactment of stringent laws compelling the refiners to rem fC dangci DM MMtsuns from their kerosene, and inflicting heavy penalties upon thoe who are reckless enough to endanger the live s of mnocent purchasera. Retailers of kerosene be would have licenced by the Board of Health. There is an easy test ot the epiality of kerosene, a' d thai is to find its 44 burning point,'' which i-houhl not be below 110 degrees Fab. This fine test BSey be' BJMtdi by applying a lichte-! match to a little ol the oil contained in : CJp or saucer, and if it can be made to take fir.- it should reconsidered at onee M Hi fe even though the experiment be maele in one of the hottest days of summer. Should it not take fire, it rdght still be a dangerous oil, as safe oil rau-t no? voive a combustible vapor below 100 -gre Fahrenheit. Ex psrimenters should understand that great care is necessary in applying this ttfct It ir seriously proposed, in New York city, to put up an elevated plank road, to be used only fbf v Ind pads riders each one to pay a tmall tee upon starting out. The rosd, it is listed, could run over the roofs of bannen, The idea is certainly an original one. It comes from Mr. Dana, of the Ne w Yrk , who is an enthu siast on the veh elreoV subject, and has been copied and tavorably eomnicutcd upon by nearly all the newspapers of our Amern! " ne tMpUSSM Cauvorni N do not feemto appreciate velocipedes. One of them says: "Hew would a man who h is felt bU blood stirred by a Its n ;' dash iu a Ct lifornia saddle feel on finding himself tru idling through the streets Uke a se hool b.y? We won astexm think of riding a broom handle s rocking hobby hors."