Miscellaneous Items

- A Pennsylvania printer who is the father of twenty-six children is puzzling himsolf to account for the hard times. - Por soldiers killed in the civil war eighty-fivethousand headtones have already been coinpleted in West Eutland, Vt. - Tli e trip of William I. to Milan prenents the nnheavd of phenomonon of a Germán Empeior cro3sing the Alps witlrmt an nrmy. - Lord Granyillfl says that Mr. Gladstone not only has one . of the finest voícrs ever lir-ard, but continuos singing to the present ctay. - "The hardest trial of my life," Raid good old Deacon Banes, "was to ehed teara at the news that my wife's uncle had died and left her $60,000." - A Portland man and his wife have separiited hecause they could not agree about who should pay the funeral expenses of a rocently htiried child. - Sewing lms been tanght in the public schools of Boston for twenty-three years. and it is just now discoveried that it is illogal to expend public money for that purpose. - An agent of the Rumian Government is traveling in the South to make a study of cotton culture, which there is soma idea of attempting to introduce into Turkestan. - Old Matthew Yassar built his college without closets. He said every girl conld have two nails in her room - one for her school dress and the other for her best dress. - A Boston frog pond, which was Rtocked with a large number of frogs several months as;o, was drained a few days ago, but not a single frog was found. The only inhabitant was a turtle. - She brought him a vest and a pair of pantaloons in answer to an appeal for old clothes, for he was very rasrsred. 3he thought they would ftt comfortably. He examined both garmeiits altentively, and, throwing them down, exclaimed: "There ain't no watch pocket nor a hind pocket for a pistol." -Goal boilers, or steam generators formed of one continuous coil of iron oipe, are coming into use again to soma extent, although they are by no means new. They are used for small powers, For steain launches, and for stationary purposes, and make a cheap, and for the time bejng, serviceable evaporator. - A woman in Minueapolis recently astoniflhed a crowd who were trying to start a balky horse by thrusting a handful of dust and Band into the animal's month, exclaiming, "There, he'll go now." To the surprise of every one, the horse started immediately without showing the least etubborneess or excitement. - San Francisco real estáte holds its own, notwithstanding the late bank failure, and has rather advaiiced in price. Capitalists who liold money baak with the expectation that prices woulJ weaken have been disappointed, and it is said that large nuinbers of people are withdrawing their money from savings banks and in vesting in lüts. - The rumor that Harvard and Tale are about to withdraw from the Bowing Association of American Colleges seems to be settled, as far as Harvard is concerned, by ru editorial in the Cnnison, which says: "Harvard being once in the College Bowing Association cannot honorably leave it until she has won a race." - When Baoul Itigault was at the head of the commuuistic pólice department in Paris, an old frietra came to request the favor of the release from prison of a man supposed to be a reactionary. "Impossible," said Bigault, "imposeible. But I'd be happy to do you any other favor, and if there is any other man in Paris you want locked up you have only to name him." ■ - The kind of whiskey they have in Trisco: " A Ster that the cloth wuz took off, and the liquors war bro't in. And wot liquors they wuz, too ! The whiskey wuz none of this yer kind that makes a man feel like sayü', 'I kin Hek any son of a gun in the house,' and makes him smash things ginerally. No, sir. It was the kind that jist makes a man lift his glass up gint'y, and say, 'Joe, old pard, I'm lookin' at yer. ' " - Boston has a "Society toEncourage Study at Home," the function of which is to edúcate persons without requiring attendance at reeitations. Members are given a programme of study, and are allowed to select any or all the branches mentioned in it; and they may at any time apply to one of the managers for instrtution. Once a year there is an examination when diplomas are given to those who merit them. The society is three years old and prosperous. - "How do you get up your sermona ?." asked sonie one of Mr. Moody. His reply was : "For a number of years I have kept large envelopes marked 'Blood,' 'Heaven,' 'Faith,' &c, and everything 1 hear or meet with on any of these sulrjects I make a note of it and keep it in these envclopes. After some time 1 have material enough in one of these euvelopes for tliree or four sermons. People sometimes speak of my taking four or five months to prepare a sermón; it tukes me four or five years." - There was one a lrne.l Cardinal who beeame cplobrated for his knowledge of language:;. ITo claimed to be able to carry on fiimiliar, íluent talk in no lees than seyenty-oight, iucluding all their various offühoots and dialects. Such a fellow would be a public drawback in thia age, when the aim is to bring Üiings down to first principies as much as poRsible. and when the universally feit dar-dderatum is one sinc?le language or veliicle of thought. There is atroady a shortliand one, and we are vaiting ror a short-tongtied one, if -pussible. - Surgery Hds made a f.ir more rapid rrogrerïs in this century than medicine. It has been found much easier to cut and mond man than to diacover the causes of diseasen and the proper remedies therefor. The devolopment of chemi3try, truly wonderfnl, han gor.e a good way in lending a helphig hnnd to the investigations of the pathologists and promises still grenter aid, Kot more than two decades since, doctors affected to slight chemical science, and Trousseau the iamous French doctor, and chief of a school, averred tliat he never had any ase for it in his practico. "Yott wring, my bonom," paid a despairing Baltiinovc lover to a coquettish girl vliom hé had long sousht in marriage. J i í grief decided, and putting out her hand, she suftly murmured, "V.V11 1 ring my finger, if you will be happior lor it ; I will vex you no longer." Tintoria has btwtowod a pnjion of S375 per year upon éaeh of th three yonng children of tho late Mr. Birch, British Besiilent at Perak, who was murdered by the Malays, nnd the eldest son will be provided with a poaiüon in the colonial service.