General News

The special report of the directora of the mfat ou the production of gold and silver shows that the depoaits oí domestic gold bullion of the United States mints and assay oflices from July 1, 1873, to Jan 1,1885, amouuted to $415,000,1)00: that the production during the same perkxl amounted to $428,0O0.00J, and that the gold coinage at Unifed States mints for the last 12 fiscal years, after deducting United States gold eoius remelted, amounted to 8545,106,114. A STATEMENT OF EXPORTS. The Chief of the Bureau of Statistici report that the total values of the exports trom the United States of domestic eattle, hogs, heef. pork and dairy producís during the niouth of May, 1885, and during the live months ended May 31, 1885, also of beef and pork producís during the seven inouths ending Mav 81, 1885, as compared with similar expórts duriug the corresponding periods of the preceding year wereas follows: May, 18S5.$7.2iW.O72;' Mav, 1884, $7,541.940; flve" months ended Mav 31, 1885, $40,172 M): for flve months endcd'Mav 81, 1884, $34,464,073; beef and pork produeta for seven nioutbs ended May 31, 1885, $64,297,685; beef and pork products for the seven months ended May 81, 1884, $50,267,382. A PATHETIC STOBT. Franois Remeau, a half-breed, reached CalCary recently in an almost dying condition, and told bow his own and three otuer families -had been foully nuirdered bv Indians. The massacre oeeurred just after "the Duck Lake fight while Reznean and the families were camped near Carleton, having balted their freight caravan on hearing of the fight. The Indians pouneed on the camp and killed eau's wife, three boys and two girls, within h9 i sight as he was returning from Imnting game. ' He had only a shot gun and was too far off to use ! Heven if it would have been effectual. The Indians then killed the other families, who ! were in adjaeent camps. Remeau turned about and struck aouth and bas been nearlv eix weeks reaching a place of safetv. He ha"s lived on skunks, muskrats and roots for sevcral weeks, going days at a time without auy food at all. The Indians were of Big Bears' band, and Remeau thinks they killed more people than is generally known." Government Crop Report The June report of the department of agriculture will make an increase in the cotton area of 5 to (! per cent, Virginia 107 per oent., North Carolina 102, South ('anilina 103, Georgia 104. Florida liti. Ahilmma 103, Mississippt 108, Loulsiana 107, Texas 110, Arkansas 109, Tennessee 101. The total arca exeeeds 18,000000 acres. The plant is healthy, iirowth nearly average, the stand gooi Whera recent rainê have lie u exce-sive liie erop is in the grass. The general average is 93, which is higher tlian in the tluee preceeding years in June. There is an unusual unlfonnlty in condition, only Tennessee shuwing ii'ss than 90. The state averages are: Virginia 98, Ñorth Carolina 93, South Carolina 9.Í, Georgia 95, Florida !!3, Alabama 93, Mississippi 92, Loulsiana 95, Texas ík). Arkansas 91, Tennessee 85. The cond !: u of winter wlieat is reported lower than i e ■ before in June. The general percentage lias declinad [rom 7U in May to 62. The averages, of the principal states are: New York 91, Pennsylvaiiia (7, Ohlo 58, Michigan 94, Indiana (ïi, Illinois 40. Missouri 54, Kansas 56, California 58. In some states there has heen a UTeater loss of area Ihan was anticípate ed in previons reports. The average yield will evidently be less than 10 bushels per acr. The probable product of winter wheat states, aceording te. these returns, is reducid to about 807,000.000 bushels. Hut none of the territorios are included in the winter heat area. The report of spring wheat is more favorable. The disposltion tè reduce ite breadth on account 01 the low pi ice ñas elieeked bv the, loss of winter wheat area, and later by the lïritishKussian war rlunors. SubstantwU; the same area has been seeded as last year, about 11,000,000 acres, in northern New England, WiKOnsin, Minnesota, iowa, Nebraska and ill the tt-rritories. Tlie percentage of last year's area is 95 in Wisconsln, 99 in Minnesota, 102 In Iowa, 9,i in Nebraaka anxi 103 in Dakota. The condition of spring wheat la 1)7, and Indicates a erop of about 1587000,000 Imshels. The average for Wisconsin is 88; Minnesota, 9:i; Iowa, 100; Nebraska, 102; üakota, 101. The present report, therefore, indicates a wheat crop of 860,000,000 bushels, 23,000,000 bushels smaller than that of 1881. The general condition of rye is 83. The area of barley is nearlv the sanie as in 1884, and the average of eoudition is 89. The acreage of oats has increased 4 per cent., and the average of condition is 94. Corn will be reported in July, hut voluutary returns indícate an increaso of area. A Womaii's Need. What a faseinating tliinr, aftor all, is strength in a woman, saya a writer in Harper's Bazar. VVith wííat delight all readers turned trom the weak or wicked heroine of Thackeray's earlier novols to his superb young Ethel Newcome, "strong of will and proud as they" who would have domineered over her. Scott, with his love of chivalry, always flnds some attribute of courage about the vvomen he meant to win our hearts - or he failed if he did not. Even his graceful Ellen Douglas is incapable of actual covvardice. I thinkwith aneuish, or, if e'ei A Douglas knew Ihe word, with fear. So, in the Scotch ballads, it ,takes something more than weakling to spring up behind young Loehinvar in the saddle, or to be "owro the border and awa" with Jack o' Hazeldean. Shakspeai-e does not paint characterless heroines : I erant I am a womau ; but withal A woman that Lord Brutus took towifc; I grant I am a woman ; but withal A womau well reputed, Cato's daughUr. Even the child Juliet at 14 is abïe to resist her whole proud household, and there is more poril in hor eyes than in twenty of their swords. The very disproportionbetween bodily and mental strength makes personal character more conspicuous in women, as it was often noticed in our army that some boy ofïicer, if a hero in heart, had a peculiar power over rough men who could have felled him with a blow. We all enjoy records of womanly heroism- of the eountess of Nithisdalo's rescue of her husband from prison, of the Baroness de la Rochejacquelein's in La Vandee, and of Catherine Douglas, who barred the door by thrusting her delicate arm through the staples in defense of her royal mistress. üur own civil war furnished rnany similar mstance of courage, )et none surpassing, or perhaps equaling, the narrativo given by the daughter of Gen. Stone of the manner in which her mothor protected her whole household of girla and young children in Cairo (Egypt) in time of insurrection. without ruoney and almost without friends, by mere 3trength of will. No wonder one of the Arab officers said : "If all Amercan women were like you. I shonJd not like to go to war tigainst the men." Once she said - in a volee whioh the daughter elsewhcre describes as soft and low - "Girls, if an Arab lays hands upon you, Iexpect you to save yonrselves by putting á bollet thrcushyour hearts. Don't leave it tor me to do." Thero is many a general who could composedly give an order that would cost ten thousand lives, and vet who would not have the nerve to say to his daughters those last geven words and mean them. We talk about women not needing strength of will because they will be "protected." Who is proti-cted, who can be protected against more than the ills of the passing daj? Men heap up wealth for their dausrhters, and that very wealth may buy them husbands who will break their hearts, and who would nevur havo sought them had they been poor. Or the money itself disappnars. Mme. de Genlis, the only intellectual woman in France, who for a time rivaled Mme. de Stael in fanie, said that of all her attainments the one sho most prized was that in case of hardship she knew twenty different ways of making a living. Tlien, apart from poverty, think of other risks of hfe! The most petted girl may marry some frontier army oflicers, and iind herself some day with her husband shot down by Indian arrows at her sido, she being left alone with her ehildren amoug savages far worse tban the Arabs whom Mrs. Slone dresded. Who has gone by night into the suflocating steerage or on board the stilling emigrant train without a thrill of adniiration for the obscure and nameless women who pilot their crying children through that prolonged ordeal of misery, while the easierlot of her husband is to sit and smoke with his mates? Look at the lives of these women after they have reached their western destination, their enormous, unrelieved labora, tlieir unknown and often thankless toils. Again, who can protect the most favoied women against disease? We daily see that the physicians can not. It seems to me that if we recognized inore distinctly in our training Chat girls as well as boys need streugth of wil!, we should be more snre of developing that quality, and t would also bo more harmonious whn it came. Neither a tree nor a character can show much grace if it has to fisrht its way by inches agaiast cold and storm. Yet it is not neeessan' to choose bet ween the gnarled oak and the clingIngvine; there is something intermedíate. Grant all that may be claimed oí the gracefulness of dependence, the (iharm of submission, the truth remains that actual life niakes little account of these soft adornments. Of all things on earth, after love, that which a human being most neerts is strencjth, and as the áoclents aocounted a fioness with her young more daugerous than a lion, so tho very fact that a woman is the mother of the human race makes it essential that she shoald have some vUtor of will. It is desirable, doubtless, that a man should be strong, but we might almost saj' that a woman must be stronií.