Rensselaer Republican, Volume 27, Number 12, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 15 November 1894 — Literary Notes. [ARTICLE]

Literary Notes.

“Ah, sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, a seed of evildoers, children that are corrupters; they have provoked the Holy One of Israel unto anger, they are gone away - backward.” Copper cents are legal tender for nil amounts of twenty-five cents and under. A good many people “kick” when asked to take pay in such currency for anything above the Falue of a postage stamp, but they can’t help themselves if the customer cares to insist on his legal right. Fortunately, no one can make any person accept more than twentylive pennies in any single transaction. The vivacious Frenchmen of Paris save heard about the Lexow committee at New York and are said to “hone” for a similar ‘organization, ft is charged that the police force of Paris could give their New York Drethern pointers in official corruption. They are past masters of the art of blackmail, and the efforts of New York’s “finest” in this line are regarded as very crude and clumsy on the gay boulevards beside the Seine. ■ A full grown, antlered buck, hotly pursued by a hound, was chased into Ashland, Wis., Oct. 23, and after a run of several miles through the streets, dashed into a window and up a stairway of a residence where it was killed after a desperate struggle. An attempt to take the annimal alive was made, but he had received a broken leg md other serious injuries and it was thought best to kill him. Where the dog scared the deer up was untnown.

The celebrated steamship Majestic m her last trip over from England lad a hole in her hull during the entire trip. Strange as it may seem, jo disaster resulted. This remark - ible immunity from serious eonsejuences is, however, easily explained the "hole” being the very Rev. Samlel Reynolds Hole. D. D., dean of Rochester Cathedral, England. The lean is one of the most popular preachers of England. He was an mtiroate friend of Dickens a*d Thackeray. Mr. Hole will lecture m this country and doubtless hopes io ‘‘hole up” some of our superfluous :ash for winter use. French politics appear to be very much like the American article. The ntw President, Casimir-Perier, has already become unpopular and the Parisian press seem to have ’ormed a conspiracy to abuse hirh to jhe best of their ability. The President is accused of being cold and haughty, proud to arrogance, unapproachable and a lover of military display. Rochefort writes to L’lntransigeant from his London exile: I have been accused of comparing Casioir Perier to the commander of a band of tonvicts. 1 recant, He is simply the dull •ergeant. ThatriAa falr example of the tone &f all that class of French newspapers toward the President. Chicago continues to sail through leas of tribulation. Anarchistic rioters have been succeeded by deteptive horse butchers who skillfully tvade the efforts of the health offi♦ers to suppress the traffic. A regular “hoss sausage” factory is said to be in operation at Hammond, that finds its principal market in the ?reat city of which it is a suburb. The broken down horses of the netropolis are bought, ground up, ind sent back to regale the unsuspecting lovers of winerwurst and >ther forms of encased nourishment. Too bad! And yet, who knows how tong Indiana cities will be allowed to tat legitimate flesh? Chicago enterprise seldom stops with a “home market.” These harpies, ghouls and piratical tradesmen are sure to seek a wider field.

v The vicissitudes—the ups and downs —prosperity and adversity—of human life were strikingly illustrated in the case of the late David Buchanan, who died at the Delaware county poor farm Oct. 21. At one time Mr. Buchanan was one of the best known men in Muncie, prosperous, honored by his partyiwith a nomination for sheriff. The day before that election his wife died, the next day he was defeated. Later on he became financially involved. Shortly after that he became blind and was paralyzed on one side. His health becoming partially restored he married a widow lady, in spite of the protests of his six children, although they are said to have refused to care for him. Skillful treatment jestored his eyesight, and Mrs. Bu-

chanan for a time managed to maintain him, but last July she was compelled to send him to the poor farm. When the county undertaker brought the remains to the widow's home the children demanded possession of the body, and a most unpleasant scene resulted. A compromise was finally agreed upon and the body remained in charge of the undertaker until the funeral took place at the M. E. church. Clodwig Carle Victor Hohkn=esh* Prince „vo& SdSiLLiJioyciaat, a remote uncle of the German Kaiser, has, through a combination of more or less fortunate or unfortunate circumstances, succeeded to the Chancellorship of the empire, and will try to sustain the dignity of the position whose first incumbent was the only Bismarck. He also succeeds to the Premiership of Prussia —a position made "vacant by the resignation of Zu Eulenberg—thus “killing two birds with one stone,” so to speak. If the German people can “stand it” to commit the destinies of their country to a man with a name like that we can surely put up with the situation. It is a wonderful titular aggregation, the like of which Americans are fortunately not compelled to contend with. It settles one thing, however, beyond dispute: That the new Chuncellor is a Dutchman will hardly be denied by his worst enemies. Even in death superfluous oi ample wealth follows the fortunate owner with blessings and privileges that poverty-stricken humanity can not hope for or aspire to. There was Mr. Joachim Infante, a wealthy gentleman of Spanish descent, a citizen of New Orleans, who died on shipboard while returning from foreign parts. Ordinary mortals would have been “buried at sea” —to find an unknown grave beneath the surging wave. The captain of the ship proposed to dispose of the body in the customary way, but the wife and daughter pleaded for leniency, and it was finally decided -expenses being no object—to take the body tc New Orleans. The ship’s carpentei made a rough coffin, and lined il with tin. The corpse was placed in the “tank” and was covered with brandy—twenty-four casks being used. When the improvised coffin was opened at the undertaker’s in the Cresent City the remains were found to be in a perfect state ol preservation.

The Russian cowboy is what Poultney Bigelow calls the Cossack iD Harper's Magazine for November. In Mr. Bigelow's opinion, the Cossack will not again figure heavily in European warfare. The most picturesque of the Czar’s soldiers is dis‘ appearing, like the cowboy, under the combined influence of discipline and advancing civilization. A charming calling costume f rom Paris, engraved in Baude’s characteristic style, several beautiful evening toilettes, house gowns, and street dresses are the distinguishing features of Harper’s Bazar for Oct. 27. Other noteworthy features area very timely paper on “Dinner Customs,” a description of the Shaker community at Mt. Lebanon, N. Y., and a forecast of musical events in New York city during the winter. Ha"rper’s Weekly for Oct. 27, contains timely articles on the war in the East, giving illustrations of Port Arthur, one of the strongholds of ihe Chinese navy that is now being besieged by a land and sea force of Japanese, and also giving portraits of the Japanese military leaders. A full page is devoted to the Japanese navy yard at Yokosko. “The Judgment ißooks,” a story ol two installments by E. F. Benson, an English writer, besrins this week. It is a live story that cannot fail in keeping the interest of the reader. “The Master” is continued, and the career of its unfortunate hero is strongly drawn in this issue. James Barnes contributes the second series of the battle pieces of the war ol 1812—a very interesting letter, hitherto unpublished, giving a pictture of the rejoicings after the victory of the “United States” in its conflict with the “Macedonian.”