Saturday Evening Mail, Volume 10, Number 1, Terre Haute, Vigo County, 5 July 1879 — Page 1

Vol. 10.—No. i.

THE MAIL

A PAPER FOR THE PEOPLE.

A MOTHER'S FOURTH OF JULY OR A TJON.

HY Mas. VAX axKSCHorr*.

Bang! bang! bumpety bid ever you hear such ad

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bauf!

direful clan?"

Did ever you hear such racket wnd uoUe From two such wonderfully quiet bo.vs? I retitly declare, I am out of my head, A In o-t Ix-fore I am oat of my bed Oh what Khali 1 do to shut out this clang?

Bung! bang! bumpety bang! Rang! bang! bumpety bang! 1 h-nr the great clatter, the crash and

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rui»h to tne door, hold on to rar ears— 1 sec-U at the boy, but wipe off his tear*. HI* rather look* on, with eyes full of fun He EdnliM up the shot, and load* up the gun, 'IADU Miyit,"Boys,don't aake »ueii aelatter

HIHI ciang." Hang) bang! buinpety bang!

Bang! bang! bumpety bang! From morning till night (hint clatter and clang!

A paoM now and then: then oa with a whiz— Whirring and Jarring, nad uhatclug one's priiz. "Boy* will be boys" has always been ?ald Bnt "men will be boys," wheu playing with lead, Or shooting. this Foorth of July, with a daug. |j Bang! bang! bumpety bang!

Town-Talk,

DENOUNCING DAN.

T. T. ia of the opinion that Senator Voorbees "puts hia foot in it" when the running debate with Blaine called out tils assertion that he was as good a friend of the soldier daring the war as the late Senator Morton, aud T. T. is equally of &e opinion that a certain clique of Republicans put their "foot in it," when, .without consultation with older heads, jtbey called a meeting at the court house i^last Monday evening to denounce Daniel. A public meeting of this character, 'la quite often an unweildy thing to han* lie, and so it proved in this case. After ^he call was made public, there was a general rallv of Voorcees' soldier friends tor, surprising as it may appear to some,

Jj&he soldier eleuieut is not altogether in the Republican party. It is along time ^sincw the war closed, and In this year of il£7!J] a democratic soldier's love of party thrown into the shade recollections of /Me late unpleasantness. There was an jequal running to and fro of Republicans, 'who, while disapproving the oall, ."did not want to see It turned into a farcu. There were Nationals on the Slisne aide and Nationals on tbe other.

IjTbe upshot of it all was that Dan wasn't denounced, and it is hardly probable *.hat he will be, in a public way, while his case is in the hands of tbe committee whom the matter was referred with

Plwer to call a second meeting. If T. had been consulted he would have suggested a better plan. Daniel could

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have been more effectually denounced with a paper quietly circulated for sigJudicious canvassers would have known on whom to call, and the publication of the list would have been .he first intimation Dan would have had thai hit was denounced. The committee Appointed to draft resolutions and power to oall a second meeting, is composed JL

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)f O. J. Smith, M. C. Rankin, R. Van* Valzab, Martin Hollinger, J. O. Har'eety and Jay Cummlags—two Nationfite s, two Democrats, and two Republi rj nns, T. T. is curious to see the sort of denouncing these gentlemen will do, if

V*y over call another meeting.

(|Mtry

tT IjJ OVER.

The battles of yesterday in this counare ended, and the nation will this 'ffniornlng count up the killed, wounded auJ missing. With all tbe mismanagement, or rather lack of management In tbe celebration here, this city ia fortunately exempt from serious accidents »nd disasters. But at other points it is

Uifforent. Many of those who took part in the day'e engagements are in tbe has* itals of tbeu- own castle*: others travel their wounds in wraps. So far aa scoounta have been received, tbe dead

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ire lew in numbers, owiug as much, robably, to poor inarkmausbip aa to ^anything else. Cities and towns given *o the rack and pillage of flames are unheard of, and the Fourth prove*, so far known, to have been one of the most joonomlcal on tbe list. T. T. has no !ty for those poor creatures who woke .p this morning with a splitting headache and a parched tongue, the barren legaoy of a celebration that went exclasively to their heads. Nor does he feel kindly to tboee in grata* to boyhood who repressed the juveniles of the age, refused a little Fourth of July money, and gave to their children tbe exquisite de-

Light of seeing how much they lost by being born. But it is ail right now. Tbe day we celebrate is a thing of tbe past. Tbe twenty-four hours' frenzy, full of screech of bands, boom of oanhon, pop of cracker*, and whiz of rocketa aud wheels has passed away. Ali are sane again. Even tbe Goddess of Liberty regretfully pulls op her back hair, shakes tbe sulphurous odors from her skirts, and plaintively sighs, "It was dreffol noisy." The ebullition of patriotism is over, and the people can settle »clown to their every-day work, tbankfnl that the Fourth of July with all its redbotness and discomfort, comes only {nice a year. At somsbody has remarked

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before, it would have been a blessing to horses and humanity if our forefathers bad made tbe Fourth of July oome at a cooler season.

SHOO FLY.

The moet diabolical insect of whioh T. T. has any knowledge is the common house fly and its diabolism is all tbe more exasperating from tbe fact that its malice is seemingly purposeless. T. T. can understand the motive which actuates tbe flea, tbe mosquito, tbe vampyre bat and the unmentionable insect whiob lurks in the crevices of a dirty bed, but can anybody suggest a reasonable motive which induces the fly to settle on a sleeper's nose, and dance a hornpipe thereon So far as T. T's observation extends, it is sheer, devilish, downright malice. He can't bite or sting, and is a living illustration of the petty annoyancee which sometimes drive men mad. Tbe fly is, to T. T., a terrible mystery. Why was be created Not for the punishment of tbe wicked, for his persecutions fall alike upon tbe just and the ucjust.

STREET FACES.

You can't always judge the character of a man or woman by the face they wear upon the street. There are some people who have one face for the street and another for tbe family circle and those who have seen the one would hardly recognize the other. T. T. knows a prominent professional man whose children would not recognize him when on duty, and whose office acquaintances would scarcely recognize him at home among his children, as they clamber over bim while lying flat upon bis back on the grass or tbe parlor floor. Likewise there is a lady in whom tbe contrast between her street face and home face is so marked aa to have been a matter of wonderment to all who have been privileged to see both. The street face is bard and set in its features—steeled, as it were, against,the expression of any emotion whatever. It is a face which reveals nothing, bnt in its very impassivity is suggestive of bitter experiences, and a want of faith in human nature. In her home oirole, surrounded by husband, children, books and flowers, you would scarcely recognize ber for tbe same woman. The faoe which seemed so stern and unrelenting is all aglow ''with feeling, and the changed expression makes her positively beautiful. The street mask 3s laid aside, and her real nature appears in each mobile feature.

COME AND SEE ME.

T. T.'s observation causes bim to agree with one who says: Never take "Come and see me" as a phrase meant in earnest unless it be accompanied with a date. Such an iuvitation amounts to nothing at all. If a lady or gentleman desires your company be or she will appoint a time for your visit. "Call on me when yoa can make it convenient," "Drop in aa you are passing," "Make us a visit whenever you have an hour or two to spare," are aocial ambiguities by which men and women of the world understand that they are not expected to do tbe thing which they were requested to. When people wish to be cheaply polite there is nothing like this kind of vagueness. The complimentary small change of society must always be taken at a large discount. It is never worth its face or anything like it. Yet it ia a convenient medium of exohange, and heavy debts of gratitude that ought to be required in better coin are often paid with it. People who have more polish that principle use it lavishly—plain, blunt, honest men, sparingly or not all. Whoever makes a friendly visit to a fashionable hquse on the strength of a mere "Come and see me," will very often find that the family circle he has dropped into by request Is as uncongenial aa the Arctic circle, and he will probably leave it with a ohilly feeling that will prevent htm from venturing into the same high latitude again. But when a whole souled man, whom yon know to be yonr friend, grasps yon vigorously by the hand and says, "Come and dine with me to-day—dinner on tbe table at one o'clock—be sure and come —we shall expect yon," you ceo take it as certain that your presence Is warmly desired. It is pleasant, always, to make or receive a visit from a friend, but a nod on tbe street is all sufficient from a fashionable acquaintance.

IS IT WORTH WHILEt Tbe question "Is it worth while V* might be aptly asked concerning many things in daily life that are constantly occurring. For instance, is it worth while to tell a lie, even if it is a white one Is it worth while, in trade, to cheat your patron Is it worth while to commit theft, be it ever so small to see a decent fellow citizen going to rain and not point out tbe same to play falsa to woman, which many a man does to appear in society and before men in some other than yonr own character to spend ten dollar* waen yonr income allows but one to idle sway your time without aim or purpose, when its employment might do others and yourself good to serve all uganner of doubtful and worse things when tbe good are at hand Is it worth while 7 Out with it.

A Woman's Opinions,

S E PA A I O N

There are so many kinds of separation, the sad and mysterious one ol death) tbe merry, oareleas parting of tboee who expect soon to meet again, and, the disuniting of earthly ties forever by earthly means. This latter I hold to be tbe saddeat of all separations. There is consolation even in death, through tbe knowledge that the lost one possesses rest and perfect peace and that whatever troubles may have existed between you and tbe dead are buried forever and cannot be resurrected by the curious, gossiping and oftentimes unfeeling world. It seems to me that tbe Anal separation of busband and wife, called divorcement, is one of life's most sorrowful and pathetic scenes, and yet it is becoming so frequent that it is fast losing its solemnity, to all except the parties connected with it.

In Connecticut, last year, the statistics record one divorce for every ten marriages in Rhode Island, one to every thirteen, and so on throughout tbe country. With the marriage rate decreasing, the proportion of American births growing smaller and the number of divorces on the increase, one is inclined to ask—what will be tbe end of all this? We can scarcely take up a newspaper without reading something oh the subject of divorce. In France there is a prospect that the old law permitting divorce will be re-established, and there does not seem to be much disposition on the part of the^Unlted States to make our laws any more stringent. The statutes of Indiana are generally considered most lenient in this respect, but an examination will show that there is scaroely any section of the law that could justly be repealed.

People in general have oome to tbe conclusion that if husband and wife cannot live in peaoe together they would better live apart, and that for the good of society it is beet that tbe separation be made legal. So for as the world is concerned the divoroe is a mere matter of business, a subject of gossip, a passing event, soon to be forgotten but to tbe husband and wife, mors especially, perhaps, te the latter, it involves the destiny of a lifetime. I believe tbe statistics show that the majority of divorces are sought by the wives. This circumstance, taken in connection with the tact that women are proverbially more patient and enduring than men, would seem tn indicate that the necessity fer divorce is more often the fault of tbe husband. Women are not blameless, by any mean?, but, except in cases of infidelity, we rarely see them charged with such offenses as are almost universal with men. In the applications for divorce made by men there is occasionally a charge of adultery preferred, but in a large majority of cases the complaint is "abandonment." On tbe other hand we flnd husbands oharged with infidelity, abandonment, failure to provide, crael and inhuman treatment, habitual drunkenness, and a number of other transgressions. Many women are neglectful of their duties in a great degree, some are cross and unpleasant at home, bnt these are minor derilections, very annoying and hard for the busband to endure, but not such as materially affect tbe welfare of the family or bring disgrace upon the household. A trouble which we can hide in our own hearts and keep from the prying eyes of the world is so muoh easier to endure than one which continually disgraces us lefore the public and brings down uppn us either their pity or their scorn. ij-,:

The failure of a husband to provide must finally result in utter want and destitution. The man who would raise his hand to strike a woman, exoept in self defense, deserves tbe strongest condemnation. What oan be said of the man addicted to drunkenness, who is to-day the kind husband and father, tomorrow an insensate, irresponsible wretch, who willfully spends the money be has already earned to unlit himself for earning more who deliberately wrecks his own manhood and humiliates his family It seems strange that woman, who is supposed to hare such (esthetic tastes and such a veneration for the noble and good, oan cling to these men, defend them, and apparently love them. As for the man who commits adultery, he is too low for the pen of a woman to discuss.

Perbsps no one who has not experienced it can imagine tbe feelings of a woman who oontemplates a separation from her husband. There are days of anguish and despair when the brightness of her whole life seems obscured by the conduct of the man who controls her very existence. She bss hoped snd prayed for better thing*, bnt when she reviews her married life, made up of forgiveness on her part and broken promise* on his, and she oontemplates a future as miserable as tbe present, she can think of no refuge save death bat after awhile there dawns a feint light,— the thought of a release. She rejects it with horror it comes again and again, till finally it stands before her a clear and shining illumination, pointing out and defining her pathway. Still she

TERRE HAUTE, IN D., SATURDAY EVENING, JULY 5, 1879.

hesitates the lemembrance of the wrongs she has suffered urges ber on tbe thought of what the world may say bldB her pause bnt at last tbe step is taken. In the eyes of the law ahe is a free woman, but ber freedom is only a name gone are tbe bloom and beauty of girlhood, the hope and enthusiasm of youth, the faith and tbe amhition of early womanhood. There is no position more trying than that of a divorced wife. She is oommiserated and blamed by her own sex she is watched and criticised by tbe other. She is haunted by tbe memory of tbe days when she was loved and cheriabed ber heart is wrung with anguish at the thought of those beloved hours forever passed away and ber mind is filled with bitterness and resentment at the recollection of her blighted and desolate life. The situation of the husband is not so unpleasant. Other women are ready to smile upon him his business goee on just tbe same he is free to pursue bis pleasures without interference and this he does so assiduously that he has no time for regret or remorse.

It seems very strange that it should be ordained for men and women to meet and love and marry, and yet not be able to live happily together afterward. Of course there are many causes for domestic difficulties, but long observation and many confidential talks with married women have convinced me beyond a doubt that ninety-nine out of every one hundred cases of conjugal unhappinees oould be avoided, if husbands would only observe one simple rule,—

SPEND YOUR EVENINGS AT HOME. Not that a man should be continually "tied to his wife's apron strings" but he should pass a portion of every day in her society. There is no objection to his going down street occasionally, or indeed every evening, bat there is no exouse for his remaining till midnight or after, as many a husband does, year after year. When a woman doee all in her power to make home attractive, dresses herself carefully, and has everything oheerful and pleasant, it is very disheartening to hive her husband put on bis hat and leave as soon as he swsllows his supper. This habit more than any other creates dissention in families. It affects women differently some it makes cross and irritable others grow careless and despondent and others become reckless and defiant and find refuge in the excitement of society. Most women would prefer the companionship of their husbands to that of any one ejae, if they could only have it. When you see a woman of mature years fresh and animated and happy, you may depend upon it she has not been neglected by her husband.

There are many homes in our city today as charming and attractive as mortal power can make them, and yet to the husband they are simply a place to board and lodge. I heard a gentleman say, a few days ago: "I believe if twothirds of tbe rich men should lose their wealth, their wives would leave them." He intended this as a reproach to the wives, but I considered it as a reflection upon the husbands.

It is a common thing for men to say, "I give my wife everything she wants, money, servants, a carriage—what more can she wish It is thus they measure a woman's requirements, and in time she accepts their estimste and says, "You have denied me love, sympathy, attention, everything but money now give me plenty of that and I will be satisfied." No man can realize what it is to wait and watch in the hush of night for the ooming of a loved one to bear a footfall on the pavement, to spring up, to listen breathlessly until it draws nearer, nearer, and then passes by to drop back upon the pillow in bitter dieappointment to walk tbe floor, to draw aside the curtains and gaze longingly oat upon tbe glittering stars and quiet earth to hear at last (he click of the gate latch, the step on the stairs to spring forward with eager inquiry, and be met with a chilling evasive answer to lie there in tbe darkness and silence, long after the cause of all this sleepless anxiety has fellen into a heavy and oblivions slumber to feel the nerve* become chill and tense, to have the heart grow oold like ice and hard like steel—no man has ever lived through all this but msny and many a woman has endured it night after night uxiUl her health failed and her spirits sank within her bat others aroused by neglect to a passionate Indignation have exclaimed, "No man on eatth is worth the sacrifioe," and like sensible creature* go to bed and to sleep, trusting in the old maxim that "His Satanic Majesty will take care of his own," and that when every other place is closed for the night their affectionate husbands will probably oome home.

Husbands, fathers, spend yonr evenings with yonr families. Yon will promote their happiness and save yourself a world of trouble' Lord Byron truthfolly said:

There is not a day,

The longest, not the tweaty-flntof Jane, Sees half the badness In a wicked way On which three single hoots of moonshine smile. 'Evenings Ins city offer many temptations at hqme yoa are secure. A man

has no haven of safety like that of his household, no gusrdian angels so tender and true as his wife and children.

Susan Perkins' Letter.

FRIDAY EVE., July 4th.

DEAR JOSEPHIXE—This week has been void of news. Absolutely nothing has happened. Either the heat has had a subduing influence on pleasure seekers, or else people have been saving all extra energy to celebrate in appropriate style the national holiday. The Opera House is closed and silent the young men have spent their time in drilling for the parade or discussing where they would psrade a few are interested ia politics, and the remainder spend their leisure hours in front of the hotels or club rooms and smoke away, in blissful unconsciousness that plenty of fair ladies are waiting beauless on piazzas and steps without even cigars to solace them. If I were not such an angelic creature I would mildly suggest that all this dullness is rather hard on Susan! Why does not some one give a lawn party or a moonlight dance and invite her? She would be delighted to go and charmed to write you an account of it. The weather has been gradually preparing for its accastomed Fourth of July temperature, each day adding a few degrees to that of yesterday. The most comfortable way to spend tbe time is to monopolize some big arm chair with an interesting book, Howell, James, or George Bliot, to keep you oompany. Here in a shaded room, with the summer breeze fanning your face— and taking all the crimp out of your hair—yoa oan read, and dream, and forget the beat.

Tbe other d^yf*' & Matle and I were walking down Main street we were joined by young man. As far as dress went he hid the appearance 0/ a gentleman, bnt his flace was bloated, his walk a swagger, and to my unsophistocated ear his conversation wss silly and boisterous. As I had often heard Matle speak of him in a very disparaging manner, I was quite surprised to see that she treated him aa deferentially, and seemed as anxious to please him as if he had been the Prince Imperial come to life again. Afterwards the true reason for her behavior was explained. It seems that the young man belongs to one ol the "first families," and on that account his little sias and shortcomings are overlooked. To be sure be drinks to excess he spends money too freely at the card table and in other vioes be has little or no education, but what of that! He belongs to one of the best families in town, and hence society receives him with open arms. His more plebian neighbor, a companion in his dissipations, is unmercifully snubbed. He—the neighbor—does not know who liis great-grandmother was, or else his father washed dishes for a living! The young man himself is in every respect the equal of his aristocratic friend, but society does Aot think so.

Now Josephine I may be verdant or obtuse bnt I confess to not seeing why such things should be! I can readily see that a line of ancestors famous for deeds of honor and goodness is a thing to be proud of also if I were to choose between blue blood aad oommon, the former would be my choice. But why should a real lady or gentleman be subject to insult or slight simply beoans* she or be does not belong to an old family? Are the oldest families always the best? Are they always kind, charitable, thoughtful for others, and are their commoner neighbors the only onee who are overbearing and selfish? I know of several families not a thousand mile* from here, tbe parents of whom are superior, cultivated persons, received by tbe first and beet people wherever they go. The ehildren are as ordinary as it is possible for them to be under tbe circumstances, bat for the sake of their parents they are flattered and pauses until their vanity and general uppishnsss is almost anend arable. Again I ask "why are these things thus?'' When we all go to heaven, as good ehildren do, will the high-toned young lady consent to wear a white robe like the one her commoner sister wean? Here she does not, she sends to Paris or New York for hers. And in that same peaceful abode will the little aristocrat consent to play on tbe same kind of a golden harp that the little nobody touches so sweetly at his side All these things are puzzling bat yoa Joeephine can surely explain them.

However, I will stop moralising and wondering and tell yon about the glorious Fourth. It was ushered in by the firecracker and torpedo, and as I write this evening their eternal bang is still ringing in my ears. You know how I hate the things 1 For that very reason I think all tbe boys In town mast have entered into a conspiracy to torture me with firecrackers. I have been hit in tbe back with them have walked over them, stepped on them, and jumped sideways to avoid them I sat down on several—aad got np again very suddenly my hat was knocked off by one and another came very near going down

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my throat just as I was in the act of now reaches 1,000,009,000annually.

Tenth Year

yawning. Suppose it had exploded on its way down What would have become of poor Suaan then, and who would have picked her up and put her together again? Generally I am a friend and champion of tbe small boy, but on the Fourth of July I think he beoomes too vicious and cunning. He seems to really enjoy seeing horses i? frightened out of their wits by the thundering torpedoes, or nervous women is? and children kept in a constant flutter of dread by the same, iogtrninents of torture.

Of course everybody went up town to see the processions. Tbe scorehing sun did not keep many at home. Aged women, little babies, oorpulent men, and the irrepressible small boy, all contributed to tbe crowd, looking more or less baked as circumstances differed. Tbe Hewgags were real funny and good, although hardly enough of them to make a good sized procession. The military parade in the afternoon was also good, the McKeen Cadets especially receiving many compliments on this, their first appearance. The Fair Grounds were crowed in the afternoon—so Uncle Ezra said—so much so that it was almost impossible to see anything or find anyone you knew.

Beaides this general picnic there were numerous excursions and private picnics on a smaller scale. One excursion went down the river on a steamboat the Light Guards went to Rockville and came home looking considerably wilted a small party were entertained on Dr. Thompson's iawn another picnio was held at the spacious grounds of Mr. Geo. Duy, of Strawberry Hill an omnibus well filled inside with people, and on the top with baskets, went out to Eeene's Grove for the day. Another quite large party held a picnic at Lake Fluvanna, on Mr. Joseph Gilberts farm. I did not attend all of these picnics, and I am not going to tell you which one was blessed with my presence, for then you would know as much as I do, but I will simply say that the one I did attend was satisfactory in every respect. I was so tired out that I did not go to see the fireworks, but stayed home to oool off and write to my beloved Josephine. In the distance I can hear the sweet strains of the band. What can be more delightful than to listen to such music as the Ringgold band can give, and do give so freely. Their open air ooncerts have the praise and deserve the thanks of all Terre Haute. Well I am truly glad the Fourth is over and I venture to say many will agree with me.

I will try to make my next letter more interesting, so good-night and sweet dreams. Yours, 1 S USAN ERKINS.

How much like straws before the wind, like bubbles before tbe tide, utt poor creatures of humanity are. The waif cast out years ago may float on the face of the waters, and then at last come back to us for good or evil, as our intent might be. So much we see on every day of our jonrnaliatio life, so much is to be seen where tbe wind blows and the water flows, in all the broad expanse of time. The verses of ten years .since once in a while are thrown to the surface, barely see the light of day, and are gone again. Yet so it is with all our lives. Like a stone cast into tbe waters, tbe wave ripples over us, and, flowing back again, leave no trace by which to prove we ever existed. The hum-drum of life goes on, the^busy wheels of trade whirl round, and if we lived, and how we lived, are questions scarcely to be discussed by 'those who come after us In the boiling cauldron which makes np the babbling world. Our aspirations for feme, our hopes for happiness, at tbs last flhid the same resting-plaoe, when the pulse ceases to beat, the throbbing brain is still, the aching shoulders are forever oold, the regions of pain are dominant no more.

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THE HAPPY MEDIUM, v&'l There are society girls and home girls* One is the kind that appears beet aboard —tbe girls that are good for parties, I visits, balls, etc., whose chief delight Is in such things. The other is the kind that appears best at home—the girls that are useful and cheerful in the diningroom, the sick-room snd tbe precincts of home. They differ widely in character. One is frequently a torment at home the other is a blessing. One is a moth, consuming everything abont her the other is a sunbeam, Inspiring life and gladness all along tbe pathway. Now, it does not necessarily follow that there shall be two classes of girls. The right modification weald modify them berth a little, and unite their character in one.

HOW THEY TAKE IT. Evanxvllle Tribune.

There ia no class of pnbllc teacher* who receive so mucT as editors, and none good humoredly thai perhaps no clsss who receive so little aa tbe clergy and who take it so ill as they.

none who take it. more 1. than they, and there is

PAPER bags came into use only a few years ago, bnt tbe manufactureof them

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class of public teacheis much gratuitous advice

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