Semi-weekly Express, Terre Haute, Vigo County, 9 July 1897 — Page 3

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GIANTS OP OLD.

SEVERAL OF THE MOST NOTEWOR81#®

THY SPECIMENS.

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fbe PTodlgtons Strength of Polydamus, afaximinus, the Imperial Glut—Skeleton of a Tall Frenchman—How Ireland "Went the Whole Hog."

If there is one thing in the show business which.can be depended on to draw, it is a giant, provided always t£»t he be big enpugi).'

But giants existed long before this profitable bpsipess was invented, and the names of many of .them have been handed down to posterity simply because they were of "huge proportions and combined with their abnormal development a proportional amount of strength Thus, it is probable that had Goliath" 6f Gatb, whose height theologians place 'at over 10 feet, not been the strongest as well as the biggest warrior among the Philistines, we should never have heard of him. The same argument applies to Moab, king of the Amorites, and Og, king of Bashan. Orestes, too, was 11K feet high, according to the Grecian legends, and he, together with Ajax the Greater, had they not been gifted with strength in proportion to their bulk, would have been only ordinary soldiers of the Grecian army befori) Troy.

W.hen history begins^nowever—that is, when Rome began to reach its highest point of civilization in- the time of Augustus and learned men began to write about the times they lived in, instead of the times that had gone by long before they were born—we get authentic records of giants. In Augustus' time, for instance, there were, according to the authority of Valerius, two giants in Rome who were over 10 feet high. Their names were Idusis and Secundilla, and they were keepers of the gates of the gardens of Sallust. Then again we have a record in Pliny of one Polydamus, the eon of Nicas, who was over 9 feet high and whose strength rivalled that of Heroules himself. Polydamus used, in fact, to boast his superiority to that Roman deity and perform his special tricks. For example, he once slew a lion with a blow of his fist and scattered Its brains about the arena. He could with bis band stop the swiftest chariot dead, and on one occasion seized a bull by the hoof in order' to carry it away, but the animal struggled bo

violently that the

hoof was left In his hand. In the end he was killed by the falling In of a cave. When his companions noticed that the roof was falling, they left, but Polydamus was so vain about his strength that he thought be could not be killed. So.be Btaid and was finally crushed to death.

The Emperor Vitellius sent to Darius by way of a present a Jew named Eleazer, who was 7 oubits high—that is, reckoning the oubit at 18 inches, 10 feet 6 Inches— and a giant who is mentioned by the historian Tacitus was over 9 feet. His name was Corbulo, and he lived in Nero's time and was a more than usually skillful general and soldier, besides being aq enormously strong man. An account of the ancient giants would be incomplete without mentioning Maximinus, the imperial giant of the third century. The most extraordinary stories are told of this emperor of Rome. His height was 8 feet 10 inches, he could draw unaided a loaded wagrT which six oxen could not move, while h.3 appetite was so great that his usual rations for the day consisted of 40 pounds of meat and a whole amphora of wine, besides bread and dried and fresh fruits.

Mediaeval giants are plentiful, but, strange to say, the records of them are not so authentic as those of the times of the emperors. Funnian, a Scottish giant who flourished in 1837, seems to be the most authentic of these, but as he is put down as being over 11 feet high the statement should not be criticised too closely. Still more startling, however, is the following, which is vouched for by a monastery full of monks: In 1509 some workmen, digging near Rouen, came aoross a cave in which were some human bones and a copper plate, bearing the words,

Here lie the remains of the great and mighty Chevalier Rlcon de Yallemont." The skull was large enough to have held a bushel of wheat and the shinbone was over 4 feet long. It (the bone) was preserved by the above mentioned monks, and i* was estimated that the height of the defunct knight must have exceeded 18 feet. A stranger, though somewhat similar, legond comes from .Ireland, but in this case the discoverers thought that they would, to use an expression popular 20 or 80 years ago, go "the whole hog or none." It happened in 1608. Some men were digging in Ireland when they came aoross a brick tomb whiih contained a human skeleton no less than 120 feet long. But there is a "raison d'etre" for all these legends. Aooording to a German professor, these bones, which were supposed by ignorant persons to be those of human beings, were probably those of mastodons or some other fossilized remains, whioh to the uninitiated would look exactly like those o£ man.—London Standard*

A MARINE BATTLF

An Exciting: Contest In Which the Whale Vanquished His Enemies.

It happened on one occasion that we were cruising off the coast of Japan during a very successful season, and having just "cut In" a large "fish" were busy "trying out" the blubber. A violent commotion near the ehip drew our attention from the work in hand, and for the next quarter of an hour we witnessed as tremendous a fight as old Homer himself could have wished to describe. Two "killers" and a huge swordflsh (xiphias), desperate with hunger, had combined their forces and ventured t^attacka half grown bull cachalot. Nothrag, I am persuaded, but the direst necessity and pressure of want could have prompted them to undertake so grave a conflict, although it must needs be confessed that their combination was a powerful one.

It fell to the swordflsh to lead off, and be launched himself at the whale like a whitehead torpedo, pointed direct for the most vital part. But. a gentle swerve of the wary cachalot presented to the attack Instead of the vulnerable broadside the oblique, impenetrable mass of the bead. The awful blow of the sword, impelled by the furious speed of the mass behind it, struck just below the whale's eye, ripping white streak diagonally upward through the grisly substance covering tho skull, tout spending its force in the air above, while the great body, following, glided serpentlike right over the whale's head and fell helplessly upon the other side. With incredible agility for so vast a bulk, the cachalot turned, setting slightly withal, then rising, lower jaw uppermost, he caught the xiphias fairly in the ceator between those might shears, and cleft him In two halves. Aside way shake of the great head* a Bcaroe perceptiblo gulpr and the tail half of that swordflsh slid down the whale's cavernous throat with as much ease and rapidity as if it bad been an oyster. Meanwhile, the orcas had not been Temiss in supporting the spirited attack of their ill fated ooadjutor. One hung upon either flank of their giant foe and worried him as dogs worry a boar.

But their time had come. After vainly endeavoring by rolling and writhing to free himself from them, he suddenly changed his tactics. Rearing himself majestically out of tJie seething eddies like mighty column of black rock, he fell backward, tearing himself away from the cliHglng monsters. Up rose his enormous tail from the boiling vortex, and, descending like a gigantic scythe, literally crushed one of his aggressors beneath it, t^e btow reverberatta® MfcethtUHier. The

survivor fled, but tho infuriated Titan pursued, leaping, like a dolphin, half out of the sea at every bound, and although we could not see the end of the chase we had little doubt that Oroa gladiator paid the full penalty of his rashness under the lethal sweep of those terrible jaws. —Cornhill Magazine. ..

A LIGHTHOUSE GIRL.

Abby Burgess Makes a Brave Rescue of Her Imperiled Chickens. Gustav Kobbe writes a paper on "Heroism In the Lighthouse, Service" for The Century. Mr. Kobbe says: Several of the violent storms that have whirled oyer Matinicus Rock have tried tho fortitude of the little band of faithful watchers upon it. One of these watchers, Abby Burgess, has become famous in our lighthouse annals, not only for long service, but also for bravery displayed on various occasions. Her father was keeper of the rook from 1853 to 1861. In January, 1856, when she was 17 years old, he left her in charge of the lights while he orossed to Matinicus island. His wife was an invalid, his son was away on a oruise, and his other four ohildren were little girls.

The following day it began to "breeze up." The wind increased to a gale, and 6oon develqped into a storm almost as furious as that which carried away the tower on Minot's Ledge in 1851. Before long the seas were sweeping Over the rook. Down among the bowlders was a chicken ooop, which Abby feared might be carried away. On a lonely ocean outpost like Matinicus Rook a chicken is regarded with affectionate interest, and Abby, solicitous for the safety of the inmates of the little coop, waited her chance, and when the seas fell off a little rushed knee deep through the swirling "water and rescued all but one of the chickens.

She had hardly Closed the door of the dwelling behind her when a sea, breaking over the rock, brought down the old cobble stone house with a crash. While the storm was at Its height the waves threatened the granite dwelling, so that the family had to take refuge in the towers for safety, and here they remained, with no sound to greet them from without but the roaring of the wind around the lanterns, and no sight bqt the set sheeting over the rock. Yet through it all the lamps were trimmed and lighted. Even after the storm abated, the reach between the tock and Matinicus island was so rough that Captain Burgess could not return until •four weeks later.

MISJUDGEb HIS MAN.

The Purchase of a Mine Which Proved an Unprofitable Transaction. "After the war they bad a land fever down in West Virginia, and I was there doing the best I would," said the all around speculator. "There was an old fellow there from South Carolina, plodding around in the same business as myself, but being a Yankee hustler I didn't look upon him as cutting much of a figure in the plots and counoerplots of the boomers. There was a story current that he knew of a certain place in the mountains where there was plenty of gold and was trying to make enough money to acquire the title without having to pay anything for the hidden treasure. Ho had a vehement way of denying the report that made me believe it. I exhausted all my ingenuity in trying to get his secret, and two or three others united their efforts with mine. "When a professional hypnotist oame through there, I was seized with the idea that he might help us out. He saw the old man and expressed a belief that he was a good subjeot. One night we had him at our room in the hotel, and after some refreshments we called on the 'professor' for an exhibition of his powers. Soon he bad the South Carolinian doing just what he was told to do, and then asked him about the gold deposit. He told everything with a detail that left no room for doubt, and when restored to himself asked in a dazed way what had happened. "Next morning on going to the place described we found a few men on guard, keeping off trespassers. I hurried to New York, had a company formed and was soon back with authority to buy inside of some very generous figures. We were eager to deal before the old man got next to our scheme. We paid 1,000 times what the tract was worth and then dug it all to pieces to find that there wasn't a trace of gold. The man we bought from was the partner of the old Carolina fox. He was no more hypnotized, than am this minute."—Detroit Free Press.

The Keynote of Nature.

The Chinese find in the deep roSr of the great and sacred rivers the keynote of nature. They say that the aggregate sound of nature, 8«oh as is heard in the roar of great rivers, the soughing of the wind in tall forest trees, the hum of great cities, etc., is a definite single tone of quite an appreciable pitch. Professor Rice, in his "Chinese Music," says that the Chinese recognized thousands of years ago this fact in regard to sound, which the scientists of today are just beginning to discover. As proof of this he quotes from their writings, "The waters of theHoangHo, rushing by, intoned the great kung," called "the great tone" in Chinese music, and he shows this to correspond with tho F, "considered by modern physicists to be the actual tonic of nature."

Professor B. Silliman. too, in "his "Principles of Physios," says that "this tone is held to be middle of the piano, which may therefore be considered the keynote of nature." TbiB can easily bo put to the test by any one in the following way: Go outside some fine night when sounds are clear and listen to the general sound of nature as from a distance. It will suggest a tone of a certain pitch. Keeping this in your mind, go inside and strike the middle of the piano. The two sounds will be found to correspond in pitch.—• Harper's Round Table.

Origin of the Cigarette.

"Civilization should hold the aboriginal Aztec accountable for the baleful influences of the cigarette," declared Ramon G. Garcia of the City of Mexico to a St. Louis Republic interviewer. "It is wrong to attribute the origin of the oigarette to the Spaniards. I have given the matter a good deal of investigation and I have established beyond doubt that the Spaniards first got a whiff of the oigarette when they invaded Mexico under Cortes. The Aztecs then used tobacco in lio other form, and the Spaniards learned from them how to roll the little package into smokable shape. They introduced the cigarette into Europe, and by that route it found its way into America, though it was nearly 200 years reaching here. "The Aztecs were also using cocoa and its product chocolate when Cprtes conquered them, and it was not long until the whole of Europe was eating the various preparations of this bean. When the Spaniards first tasted it, they named it theobromua, from the two Greek words meaning "food of the gods."

Books impart sympathetic activity to tho moral power. Go with mean people and you think life naean. Then read Plutarch, and the world is a proud place, peopled with men of positive quality, with heroes and demigods standing around us, who will not Jet us sleeD.—Emerson.

A drop of oil applied to the crown of an umbrella before going out in the rain keeps the wire from rusting and proventb tho unpleasant collapse of ttbe frame.

England has one mem bar of parliament for every 10,290 electors, Ireland one far every 7,177, Scotland one 8,996 and Wakw om

for erary 9,618.

STATE OF FRANKI/IST.

,c' M\h

AN INTERESTING .CHAPTER IN THE EARLY HISTORY OF THE COUNTRY.

When What Is Now Tennessee Was aPart of North Carolina, the District of Washington and an Independent State At*

Act of the Legislature.

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The state of Franklin once fonne&in area, if not in population, an important part of the Union. It had its executive, legislative and judicial departments,'ex* ercised governmentai functions, maintained a respectable' militia, flourished ap&pe,* and then, after a varied experience, com-,, pletely disappeared from the "sisterh|6pl of states." From historians the,stat^of Franklin has received scant attention, and to the majority of the present generation its identity with the state of Tennessee seems almost as mythical aa that of Plato's Atlantis with the American continent.

A few thousand mountaineers, in a remote wilderness, infused with the principles which inspired the Revolution, had banded together and formed a state government of their own. With John Sevier, an ideal frontiersman, as the hero, with local self government as the animating motive, with a variety of ,plots and counterplots to lend picturesquenessof incident, with phases of comedy Wterspersed now and then with episodeart?uly tragic, tha drama was acted out airrid. "the mountain regions of Tennessee.

When the American Revolution broke out, what is now the state of Tennessee was an unorganized, sparsely settled territory. In 1776 its inhabitants, under the leadership of Captain Sevier, petitioned the North Carolina legislature to be annexed to that state in order to contribute their share toward national independence. As the expenses of the war bore heavily on the Old North State, her legislature was only too glad to divide the burden. The petition was granted, and what 18 now Tennessee formed part of North Carolina until the close of the Revolution. As it had now beoome a source of expense rather than help, the North Carolina legislature in June, 1784, without consulting those most affected, oeded to the federal government the whole annexed territory under the name of the District of Washington, provided the government should within two years signify its assent.

The settlers, naturally.objectiug to such a wholesale disposition of themselves, rose up in wrath. The manner and oonditions of the cession were repugnant, and the people felt that they had not only been trifled with, but subjected to two years of anarchy and disorder. Calling a convention in August, 1784, they formed tha Btate of Franklin. The North Carolina legislature, realizing its error, hastened to undo its mistake and reannexed the "Washington distriot." The inhabitants of Franklin rejected offers for reconciliation, and Paptain Sevier, though at first inclined to advise a return of allegianoo tp North Carolina, yielded to an overwhelming public sentiment and accepted the governorship of the new state. He was inaugurated at Watauga on March 1, 1785. Some sort of order was now established, at least for a time., A court was created, the militia thoroughly reorganized and peace effected with Indians.

But peace did not long prevail. Complications arose which kept the young state of Franklin in a constant turmoil. Congress still asserted jurisdiction. A reaction, stimulated by disappointed offloe seekers, ensued among those who had been most clamorous for the new state. Jealousy of Sevier's success animated his rivals, who henoeforth sought to make his life a burden. The population was divided into the Franklin and the North Carolina factions. Elections were held and appointments made under the laws of both states. Two sets of officers claimed authority, each nullifying the acts of the other. One faction would steal the public records from the other, only to be treated in like manner in turn. The courts were in a ohoatio oondition. Wills could not be proved, titles perfeoted or justice administered. No taxes were paid. Marriages performed by officials of one faotion were not recognized by the other.

Still the determined young state fought for its life. It exercised even federal power and authorized the coinage of specie, though its chief medium of exchange continued to be the skins of wild animals.. Finally emissaries were sent to the North, Carolina legislature to make overtures of peaoe. The address of Franklin's repre-s sentative was a model of eloquence, fervid': with the rhetoric of the era.' But it fell' upon unheeding ears. No recognition would be made of the rebellious state.

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The last session of the Franklin legislature was held in September, 1787. That there was then no intention of surrendering is evident from one of the acts of the legislature, which has been preserved and is interesting as an example of primitive financiering. The law is as follows: "Be it enacted by the general assembly of the state of Franklin, and it is hereby enacted by the authority of the same, that from the 1st day of Januafy, 1788, the salaries of .the offioers of this commonwealth be as follows, to wit: "His exoellency the governor, per annum, 1,000 deerskins. "His honor the chief justice, 500 deerskins. "The secretary to bis excellency the governor, 500 raccoon skins. "Treasurer of the state, 450 raccoon skins. "Each county clerk, 300 beaver skins. "Clerk house of commons, 200 raccoon skins. "Members of the assembly, per diem, 3 raccoon skins. "Justice's fee for a warrant, 1 muskrat 6kin. "Constable for serving a warrant, 1 mink skin. "Enacted into a law the 18th day of October, 1787, under the great seal of the state."

Meantime Governor Caswell of North Carolina issued his proclamation declaring the government of Franklin illegal, stigmatizing its officers and adherents as rebels, and demanding surrender and acknowledgment of the authority of North Carolina. The Franklinites refused, and it was only when forced by a superior number of troops that they yielded. The state ended its short lived career with a sort of judioial faroe. Sevier, of course, was arrested and prosecuted. During the proceedings an ardent Franklinite rushed Into the presence of the court and dramatically referred to the popular idol then on trial. In the uproar that followed Sevier walked out of the courtroom and was not again molested. Years afterward be was elected first governor of Tennessee.

The state of Franklin was obliterated, Its territory forming part of North (Carolina once more, until 1790, when, underthe name of the District of Washington, it was ceded to the federal government. June 1, 1798, it was duly admitted to the Union.—Chicago Post:

"FLIES" ON VESSELS.

Not the Little Insect, hut a Weather Vant to Aid In Steering. There is much carious sea lore in an article by Gustav Kobbe on "Steering Without a Compass" in St. Nicholas. Mr. Kobbe say 8:

The fly at the masthead is often used as a sign to steer by. It revolves on a pivot, and hence, like a weather vane, shows the direction from which the wind is blowing, whereas a flag attached to a halyard streams directly astern or at an angle more or less affected by the speed and oonree ef the vesseL A glanoe at the fly having shown the wind's direction, a glance at the Mnnaele showrfrom whatyrint of the

compass it comes. Then, by watohing the fly, and thus keeping the ship always at the same angle to the wind, yon are able to keep her on her course.

The ships of different nations have distinctive flies. The American and the English fiyds a little triangular pennon. German ships often have a small tapering bag at the masthead, and French vessels a dog vane—a line of corks with colored feathers on a wire. The steamers of the French line from New York to Havre have a dog vane at each masthead. It is one of their distinguishing marks.

Steering by the fly is one way of steering by the wind, but there are other tricks for finding the wind point. A sailor can find the point? df a stiff breeze by simply letting it blow against his face. In a light' air, al&irtt a oalm, he lifts bis cap and turns hi! 'head until he feels the cool breath 'on his moist brow, which is far more sensitive than bis sun tanned face, or he moistens the edatf of bis band and, turning it toward the wind, waves it gently back and forth and toand fro until the coolness of the air is felt on one side of that narrow surface and not on the other. In heavier airs he will moisten the palm of the hand and hold it flat to the wind. The wind point being found, the ship is sailed as dose to the wind as possible, the helmsman keeping his eye on the sail leech. The least quiver, and a turn of the wheel keeps her off enough to fill her sails, but with a*' experienced hand on the wheel, there will be no quiver along the leech, for an "A. B." can tejl by the feel of the helm when the ship is about tooome up into the wind. As the vessel comes up the strain on the rudder is lessenod, and by quiokly checking her he keeps' the sails "rap full and aslee^"—keep8' them from quivering—and holds' her on her course without bo

pass.

much as a glanoe at the .oom-

CONSCIENCE'S PROMPTINGS.

Those Who Have Defrauded the Government Have Sent Back #800,000. "So strong is the influence wielded by conscience and so frequently does it cause the wrongdoer to atone for his sin that for the part 85 years the conscience fund has been officially recognized as one of the regular sources of revenue for the United States government," writes Clifford Howard in The Indies' Home Journal. "During this time the consciences of the American people have added to Uncle Sam's resources at the rate of about 9800 a month, or a total sum up to the present year of something ever $800,000—the amounts of the individual contributions varying from a few cents to several thousand dollars. "The smallest contribution ever made to the conscience fund was received in May, 1896, and consisted of a 2 cent stamp, whioh was inclosed in the following letter of explanation: 'I once sent a letter in with a photograph (unsealed), whioh I havo since learned was not lawful. I inclose stamp to make it right.' By a curious coincidence the largest sum ever contributed reached the treasury department about tho same time that the stamp was received. This was a bill of exchange for $14,335.15, which had been sent to the secretary of state by the consul general at London, to whom the money had been given by a clergyman on behalf of a porson unknown, no name being given."

Tho Spider Growing Industry. When mine host in the ideal country Inn, whioh all of us seek, but none of us find, brings up a bottle of crusted wine covered with cobwebs and dust, this outward and visible sign is taken as convincing evidence of age. We grieve to have to record that the trust may now be misplaced. A bulletin of the division of entomology of the United States department of agriculture says that in France and Pennsylvania an industry has recently sprung up, which consists of the farming of spiders for the purpose of stocking wine cellars, and thus securing almost immediate coating of cobwebs to new wine bottles, giving them the appearanoe of great age. This industry is carried on in a little French village in the department of Loire and near Philadelphia, where Epeira vulgaris and Nephila plumipes are raised in large quantities and sold to wine merchant at the rate of $10 per hundred. This application of entomology to industry is one which will not be highly commended. —Nature.

An Anecdote of Jeremiah Mason.

i-l-Mr.

Mason was himself once subjected to a speeics of cross examination. Being in Newport, a distinguished member of the Rhode Island bar, who had never before met him, had heard of his habit of asking questions, especially of new acquaintances, and when presented to him, he determined to be first in the field with regard to this particular qualification, and accordingly began the conversation with a series of questions. He asked Mr. Mason whether he liked this, or whether he affected that, and some of the questions were answered, while others were parried. Finally the' Interrogator said:

MWell, Mr. Mason, tell me what you do like."

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Quick as a flash came the reply from the great New Hampshire lawyer: "Why, I like to sit in this chair and have a Rhode Island lawyer ask me questions."

There were no more questions asked.— Boston Herald.

Whittier*s Name.

Whence ••Whittier," whioh we all unite With the revered memory of John Greenleaf Whittier? Some one, looking up 'Whittier" at its place of derivation, which is in England, found it was not discoverable. Whittier was in Cheshire, Devon, Sussex, but not with the interpelating"i." Many names are derived from trade. The arlstocratio "Tolliver," "TaiUefer," "Tallefarro," simply meant the French blaoktfmith who worked with iron. We have tailor, fiom the French tallleur, and fer is iron. Canon Bardsley, in "English Surnames," tells of "John le Tawyare" and of "Geoffrey le Wbiteawler." The (jailing of these men wes to dress goat or kid skins and to make thorn supple and white for the gloves. There are the Wyteweres, Whitawyere, with Wittoweres. Evidently onr own Whittier came from a tanner's stock.—New York Times.

Ventilation.

Have wc ever stopped to think bow our ancestors, two or three generations back, lived and flourished with little or no ventilation in their sleeping apartments? The night air used to be considered a very dreadful mensfce to health and a sure inducer to colds. Bedrooms were kept closely shut, and yet our anoestors, many of them, were hardier tbaa we, and lived to good old ages.

Animals burrow into their holes at night, breathing the same air over and oter again, while birds and fowls tuck tieir heads under their wings.

Of course, ventilation is absolutely necessary for proper comfort, cleanliness and health, but people have lived on little or nbne of it for hundreds and thousands of yfttrs.—New York Tribune.

IT

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.. Temporary.

•'I pat a fence across my back yard to keep tho bovs out." "Did it Work?" "Yes, as long as it staid up."—Detroit Free Press. •re

A Trap For Bedbugs.

An tn^eeiooa plan is employed with great success in hospitals in India. It is to place apiece of wood, freely perforated with gimlet holes, under the mattress. The insects find their way into these boles, where they may afterward be destroyed by the piece of wood into bot water.

CREDULOUS GERMANS

.—

A BERLIN NEWSPAPER AND ITS REAO»j ERS NEATLY TAKEN.IN.

A Story of Jenny Idnd and Barnum, Cred* tted to Maurice Strait oaoh and Worked Off on the Editor of Dae Tagoblatt as

Veritable History.

If there is any limit to the credulity the German journalist touching all mat-j ters relating to America, or at lease all' those which reflect upon the American character, it has not yet been discovered.

A recent feuilleton in Das Tageblatt of Berlin, entitled "Jenny Lind and Barnum," was written by somebody who calls him self Franz Fridberg, who vouches for the "literal truthfalness" of the story, which he says was told him by. Maurice Strakosoh. Poor Strakosch, alas, is dead and cannot defend himself. He was a most amiable raconteur, and none of his frtends was ever disposed to «xact the uuadorned truth from him when he was indulging his fondness for reminiscence, but it is an insult t® his memory to attribute a story like this of Fridberg's to him.

The story in brief was as follows: Jenny Lind bad won great popularity in England, but earned bo

money. For the latter

convenient commodity she was obliged to wait till she came to America. That visit was brought about in this way: GoldBohmidt, he^ accompanist, had gone to America to seek his fortune. It had been a hard parting, for be loved the singer (he afterward married her), and the result was disappointment. He was about to return home when he met Bornum and complained to him of his ill luck. Barnum was equally unhappy. He bad tried everything—"circus, violin virtuosos, dancers, educated apes, learned lecturers"—but all in vain. Then Goldschmidt suggested that he knew a singer in England who might be a card in America. "A singerf Pah I What's heir name?^ "Jenny Lind." "That's no name." "But she sings beautifully." "Good'thingfor her, but no business fo: me." "But she's the greatest singer in England." "Better still for her. But we'll talk about something else."

After .a while spent in talk on other subjects Goldschmidt returned to the attaok. "For God's Bake," Barnum broke in impatiently, "leave me in peace with your singer. We have as many singers as there are sands on the seashore." "Pity," replied Goldschmidt carelessly "perhaps, after all, something might bo done with the Swedish Nightingale."

Barnum leaped to his feet. "What's that? Swedish"— "That'swhat they caliber in England." "What is she oalledf" "The Swedish Nightingale." "The Swedish Nightingale? Telegraph at once to Miss Jenny Lind. I will engage her for lOOconoerts $50,000 down, free voyage and living for three persons. At oncel" "But, my dear friend, you haven't heard her I" "Heard her I What the devil do I know about music? Swedish Nightingale! Immense! And you, unlucky wretch, wait till now before telling me!"

Goldschmidt rushed to the telegraph office, sent the message, received an answer and the thing was done!

This much of the story might be accepted good naturedly, even if the facts were not of record that the contract between Barnum and Jenny Lind was negotiated by Mr. Barnum's agent, J. H. Wilton, in January, 1850, with the singer herself that, this was a year and four months bofore Mr. Goldschmidt, who joined her company here in May, 1861, after Mr. Julius Benedict, the original pianist, had returned to England, ever saw America, and that the telegraphic message so peremptorily ordered and promptly sent was dispatched eight years before there was an Atlantic cable!

But the marvels are just beginning. A new bridge was building in the harbor. The newspapers announced that it was to be dedicated when Jenny Lind arrived. There it stands, a regal structure, crowded with humanity waiting for the ship. Only invited guests have been given aooess to it. The ship comes in sight. A tremendous excitement seizes the raasss. All crowd forward shrieking "Hurrah!" waving handkerchiefs, stamping with their feet. A crash, a scream of horror! The bridge has collapsed! Was it an aocident due to the faulty construction of the bridge? Oh, no! It was Barnum's most masterly trick. He had provided the money to build the bridge, hired the "invited" public to stand on it at $10 per bead, placed those who could swim farthest from the shore, the others nearer, and the moment the ship landed the piers were pulled away and the structure, with all upon it, precipitated into the water. A few hours later telegrams flashed in all directions: "Horrible catastrophe! Five hundred dead! When the ship which brought the Swedish Nightinagle to New York hove in sight today, there was sujb a crowd and a scramble on the newly built landing bridge that it collapsed. Five hundred persons drowsed. When Miss Jenny Lind heard of the dreadful catastrophe, she wept bitterly, and at once the pious artist resolved to devote the proceeds of her first concert to the relief of the families of the victims." And Mr. Franz Fridberg concludes, putting the words into the mouth of the genial Maurice: "Barnum did the biggest lyusiness he ever did in Ameriaa—that io, he did get a bigger card later—Jumbo, the white elephant!" It would be an Insult to the American intelligence to reprint this story were it not for the faot that it is published by one of the best newspapers of Berlin as veritable hisotry.—New York Tribune.

POWER OF FRUGALITY.

Showing How Easily a Big Fort oca Can" Be Accumulated. Frugality is the oomerstone of wealth. Unhappily, however, there are few wbo realize the truth of this maxim, or at least wbo exemplify it in the praotical affairs of life. With the same prudent and econotnio habits whioh characterized the founders of some of our great American fortunes, there is no reason why thousands who are now struggling on the ragged edgo of poverty should not be in prosperous ciraumstanoes, if not indeed rich.

But the spirit of the age is opposed to cuch primitive and obsolete methods of money making. They belong to a pa9t generation. Financiering is the modern substitute for old time saving, while extravagance has everywhere taken the place of frugality. Young men wiifc ample salaries and bright prospect^n lifej who oould easily put away solSothing each month, prefflr either to squander their incomes in riotous living or else make shipwreck of their opportunities by rushing headlong into speculative enterprises without consulting the advica of older heads. Whatever may be said of the slow methods of acquiring wealth which are now despised in certain quarters, they do not lack the charm of honeety, and while they may not give rise to colossal fortunes in a sinC£e night they are lees apt to end in disgrace and failure.

What the young men of this generation need to be taught is that patience is a virtue and that corruption wins not more than honesty. With these simple maxims implanted in their minds tbey will be content to look for wealth in the beaten paths of safety and not in the byways of deceit and crookedness. Some few weeks ago one of the leading papers of tho country published a table showing the results of legitimate aooamalation which one might

reasonably expect in 60 years. The table deals with small savings only and calculates that by laying aside a copper cent daily one can accumulate $960 in 50 years. This amount, In addition to actual savings, includes interest at the rate of per cent. The following figures are taken from tha table above oited: Put aside daily. In fifty years. On* cent Tet cents 6.50C Twenty cents 19.00C Thirty cente 88,601 fifty cents 47,SOU One dollar...... fl3,00( Five dollars 475,004

These figures oontain abundant food foi thought and should enoourage the young men of oor country to gieater zeal and effort, especially in the line of legitimate saving. Without frugality there can be no lasting or gennine prosperity, and the sooner this txith Is learned the better it will be for those who covet riches.—Atlanta Constitution.

Fluids With Meals.

The arguments presented by many" writers seom to prove tbat the moderate taking Of fluids with the food at meals i« not without benefit. But the importance of the thorough mastication of foed before it is presented to the stomach must never be overlooked. If this is interfered with in any way by the use of liquids, we must promptly prohibit their indulgence.

Fluids may be taken ad libitum duritig meals by those whose digestive powers will allow it, but 3uch persons should keep in mind that the strongest stomach may be abused too far, while those stomachs already unequal *to a severe strain should be especially careful as to the quantity of fluid imbibed with the foed.

The saliva is the bast lubricator for the food while it is in the mouth, both because of its rtarch digesting powers and becauso its alkalinity serves to stimulate a copious flow of the acid secretion of the ^stomach.

Any habit, therefore, whioh permits tha entrance of food into the stomach before it is thoroughly incorporated with saliva must be pronounced pernicious in the extreme.

If we cannot afford the time necessary for masticating our food properly and incorporating it thoroughly with saliva, it would be better to take nothing but brotbi and similar foods. The use of water and other liquids as lubricators is not to be tolerated.

On the other hand, if we bear in mind the whole mechanism of digestion, it will readily be seen that in cases of weakness or want of tone on the part of the muscles of the stomach, when every part of the food cannot be properly presented to the action of the digestive juices, the introduction into tho stomach of a moderate amount of water may be of no slight benefit. Tho mass of food will become more pliable, and so more easily operated upon by the weakened muscles.—New York Ledger.

A Warning to Writers.

It is stated that Father Lainez, the companion of Loyola, would probably have been made a saint long ago were it not tbat his handwriting was so bad tbat nobody can read the manuscripts .he left. His perfect orthodoxy for tbat reason must forever remain not a matter of doubt exactly, but not susceptible of proof, which is, it seems, just as fatal as heterodoxy so far as attaining recognition, as a saint is concerned. There is here surely a warning which all should heed. It has long been known that illegible cbirogTapby is a constant cause of sin in those wbo have to read it, and especially in copy readers and compositors, none of whom has ever won a place on the church calendar simply beoause it is impossible to maintain a serene and forgiving mind while struggling with the hieroglyphs constantly presented to them by editors, reporters and old subscriber. Thus two great classes of people who live wholly blameless lives have been robbed of glory. Now.it appear« that the writers themselves, at least occasionally, suffer an equal deprivation. There is muoh consolation in this thought for some of us.—New York Times.

A Broadside of Statistics.

If there is one talent whioh command! respect in the bouse of commons more than another, it is a talent for figures. Statistics are in the very blood of English' men, and the master ef statistics is the master of the bouse of commofis. Sir Henry Fowler is a master of statistics. He can take up a whole bundle of figures and handle them with the facility and dexterity of a juggler dealing with balls. When a stormy attack has been made on a Liberal proposal, when the landed interest cries out through some one of the squirearchy that radicalism has oppressed and overburdened the land and that radicalism is the enemy of the farmers and the agriculture of the country, Sir Henry Fowlor gets up and, rolling off figure after figure, and pelting them at his hapless opponents as though he were delivering a fusillade of hot shot, leaves the poor country gentlemen sprawling, cowed, speechless with conscious guilt.—T. P. O'Connor in Harper's Magazine.

The Luxury of Rubber Tires. One of the most triumphant luxuries of recent device is the rubber tire on carriage wheels. A luxury triumphs when its absence betokens antiquity and decay. Even a public cab in New York which has not rubber tires leoks ancient and second rate, and no amount of fresh varnish will make it contemporaneous or restore its standing. Tlid rubber tire is tfbe next best thing to continuous anphelt pavements on streets which carriages frequent. A good deal of nonsense is written and printed about the prospective elimination of the horse from the landsoape of cities. It is true that the hoofs of the horse are not well adapted for continuous use on asphalt, and it seems also to be true thaA nothing better tban asphalt has been discovered for paving. If a new species of animal could be invented that was better suited tban the horse for hauling carriages on asp£alt, the horse might bo crowded out, but there Is no prcfeipeot of the discovery of sueh a beast. The camel has a foot which would doubtless take good hold of a hard, smooth surface, bnt camels are not pretty, and a camel hauling a brougham up Fifth avenue would probably excite derision. Very likely the steam or electric carriage will have some vogue, but it is an ugly vehicle and probably never can compete in style with the carriage that is hauled by horses.—Harper's Weekly.

Booth's Pointer.

The Chicago Tipoos-Herald tells a story of the late Edwin Booth. A reporter who was sent to talk with him prepared an elaborate specoh of greeting to the great actor when he should meet bim. As he entered Booth's apartment* the tragedian came tarward, shook bands with him warmly and asked bim to be seated. An awkward pause followed. At length tho reporter began bis little speech, ending with the statement that this was cbe proudest moment of his life. Mr. Booth preserved an unbroken silence. Apparently he was revolving in his mind what his caller had said. Two minutes later he slowly remarked, "Has it struok you, sir, that is tbat State street murder this morning tho tfnding ef a button in the dead man's band may prove a dew to the guilty partyf" The intwfcviewer stammered out negative reply. "Well, you go right back to yottr eity editor," coatinued Booth, "and give-fcim fbat peiater. Will you?"

Appropriate.

A woman bad the nerve to ask for t, Mat for ber in the Empire theater thi other oukti. Ths managoT fswmptly fur* a a a a 4