Old Time Zoology in North Carolina Volume Highlight
In Raleigh’s state library lies a 1831 President Madison gift, a 1741 history by John Lawson. It recounts North Carolina flora and fauna with humorous notes on Buffelo and Bearmouse, insects and alligators, including curious claims about weight and classification.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Raleigh
Madison
North Carolina
John Lawson
Lords Proprietors
Lawson
America
England
Man’s children ask him for advice, Washington Herald note
A Washington Herald quotation remarks that the man’s children actually seek his counsel. The line underscores the respect or reliance seen within a family context.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Washington Herald
Martin Littleton and the nineteen child family tale
A humorous anecdote recalls Martin Littleton the famed New York lawyer as part of a large clan born into poverty. A Texas childhood creek incident prompts a chorus of “Martin” as the father questions if they truly have a Martin among nineteen siblings.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Martin Littleton
New York
Texas
Michael
Littleton
Martin
Nora
It Grew and Grew The Tale of Willie's Big Fish
A humorous tale where Willie recalls his father's boastful fishing story. The fish grows each time the father recounts it, despite being dead. The repetition inflates the size through retellings and parental pride.
What He Meant Subverts Classic Exchange
A cartoon caption style line presents a housewife deriding a hobo who responds with a verbal pun about being above the law. The exchange hinges on a play on words about limbs and flight, ending with the hobo reframing mobility as law avoidance.
Why should a man want to lead a double life
A brief quotable from the Kansas City Journal notes the humor in the dilemma of living two lives. It suggests that one existence already brings perplexities, making a double life seem unnecessary and likely impractical.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Kansas City Journal
Quotations on Ambition and Merit by Joubert
A sharp reflection on ambition and merit frames the view that unused talents are worthless. Joubert notes the pitiless nature of ambition, scorning talents unless they fulfill its aims, denouncing unutilized gifts as contemptible.
Fern Leaves Preserve Food Keep Fresh in Markets
The New York Times notes ferns as a powerful preservative used in England and the Isle of Man. Ferns extend shelf life for fruit, butter, potatoes, and even fresh meat, outperforming straw and deterring pests with their strong odor.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
England
Isle of Man
New York Times
Postmaster Delays Mail For Ducal Estate Agent Quirky Mixup
A nobleman’s land agent, posted daily letters from Granda to a village post office, but received no replies. The postmaster explains villagers rarely write letters and he stores them in a broken jug waiting to make a single trip to the railway station to mail them all.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Granada
The Dictionary Endeavors of Johnson and Webster
Johnson began his dictionary with six assistants and a three year plan but it took nine years and $7 500 to pay his staff. Webster spent twenty four years until his dictionary appeared and was meticulous in his definitions. Small Saxon words and words with pedigrees posed the greatest tracing challenges.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Johnson
Webster
Not All Loss Luffed At All
A humorous old quote recalls a young man on a sail with his sister and her friend. Struggling to land against a head wind he admits it is better to have luffed and lost than never to have luffed at all. The quip illustrates malapropos wit from a nautical misstep.
Most Extraordinary We Has Raised His Family In An Old Fashioned Way
A fragmentary quotation notes a speaker claiming they have raised their family in an old fashioned manner. The text includes an odd interjection Sq and a question mark, suggesting unclear attribution or context.
Frost on the Moon and Linnaeus Crater Frost Changes
The London Chronicle reports changes on the moon’s surface, noting a shrinking white patch at Linnaeus crater as hoarfrost melts at sunrise. It suggests frost deposition and melting occur in other lunar regions as well.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Linnaeus
London Chronicle
The French Are Good Travelers Travel Portrait
Miss Betham Edwards notes in London Chronicle that the French travelers remain amiable under stress. They accept discomforts gracefully and turn small annoyances into positive experiences.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Miss Betham-Edwards
London Chronicle
What He Would Keep
The anecdote recalls Francois Coppee's remark to Theodore de Banville about being elected to the academy Banville would keep the nomination salver rather than accept it Banville declined to canvass and joked he would keep the salver if the nomination arrived on a silver tray.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Francois Coppee
Academy
Theodore de Banville
Banville
Man warns against bank risk with old bury and guard
A citizen recalls losing $5,000 placed in a bank and advises never to risk money. He urges burying funds and guarding them for life with a shotgun, echoing a cautionary financial tale from the Atlanta Constitution.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Bill
Atlanta Constitution
Sized Him Up
Briggs quotes a will leaving brains to a hospital and a government acknowledgment. Griggs asks if officials were pleased. Briggs replies that every little helps, with a touch of humorous irritation.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Briggs
Griggs
Ebb Tide Dialogue Between Father and Son
An eminent stockbroker and his son debate market timing. The father notes the sea rises with the flow and falls with the ebb, while the son echoes the idea to buy during the ebb as a practical tip.
Broke Friend In Need Cited By Catholic Standard and Times
A brief quote from Catholic Standard and Times notes a fellowship line “You recur fellow, hes a friend of mine” and “Same thing in need,” reflecting a sentiment on friendship and mutual aid amid financial strain.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Catholic Standard and Times
Quotations on Hewitt and Jewett Reflect Frustration
A New York Press fragment quotes Hewitt and Jewett discussing personal agency and beaten paths. The line suggests Hewitt declines to claim sole ownership of his soul while Jewett laments enduring subjugation.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Hewitt
Jewett
New York Press
Scientific Kiss or Not a Real Thing
A witty aside from the Kansas City Independent questions if a scientific kiss exists and defines it as breaking away from a girl without engagement. The quip plays on the idea of a calculable romance and social expectations.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Briggs
Guggs
Kansas City
Beginning of excellence cited as freedom from error
A quotation from Quintilian stresses that true excellence starts with being error free, framing precision and disciplined study as foundational principles for achievement.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Quintillian
The Color of Jade in Chinese Belief and Trade
The article discusses jade's reputed virtues including bringing luck and food, noting that in China a fine jade piece can lead the state to seize the land where found. It describes jade’s best specimens showing sea foam colors, valued by collectors and rarely entering common markets.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
China
Jade’s Color Boosts Popularity of Ornaments
The public market favors jade because its green tint makes skin appear whiter. Quality matters little once the color is present, and cheaper jade jewelry often uses chipped stones with visible flaws.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Pearson’s
Substitution Claims Ignored as Reader Education Effort
A business manager urges readers to recognize evils of substitution in ads. A traveler, stranded by dusty roads, seeks a linen duster but a village clerk offers only a feather duster, illustrating misplaced substitutes and consumer vigilance.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Ufen
The Wearing of a Watch at Night
A British Watch and Clock Makers guild meeting debated whether watches should be kept flat or hanging at night. The consensus was to lie flat for a good watch, with caveats for special watches. The vice president noted wear varies by watch type, but flat storage minimizes wear and yields a more durable timepiece.
Joys of Being Fat in an English Magazine
A writer claims fat men receive luxury and privilege in society. They occupy premier seats at restaurants and theaters, appear to have ample money, and are treated with ease in public spaces. The essay asks if fatigue or chores fall to them, noting expected gentleness from others and constant laughter from companions.
Man Uses Whisky to Cope with Woman Fainting
A traveling man in a smoking car asked for whisky after a woman in the adjacent car fainted. A dozen flasks appeared, he chose the largest, drank, and said it helped him cope, noting it makes him ill to see a woman faint.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Kansas City
Applelogue in Eden Garden Debates Moral Tales
Johnnie Dumbley asks what an applelogue is and is told it is a fable meant to teach a moral. He and Billie Watkins bet that the first applelogue is the original commandment in the garden of Eden, equating it with the Decalogue.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Johnnie Dumbley
Mr. Dumbley
Johnnie
Billie Watkins
Garden of Eden
Harper's Weekly
Professional Pessimism And Its Critics
In a blunt Chicago Tribune attitude piece writers and critics warn young actors lawyers and colleagues away from the stage and legal delays, arguing such pessimism harms reputations while adding little merit to the speakers.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Chicago Tribune
Preacher Announces Absence And Quip About Substitutes
In a small town sermon the preacher disclosed a fortnight absence and jokingly warned that the next Sunday’s preacher would be Mr Plank, with a further quip that the Sunday after would be “hanging up behind the door” in the vestry.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Mr. Plank
Lease Offer Sparks Talk of Eighty Nine Year Term
Algy and Maria discuss a lease price of £6000 for a property lasting eighty nine years. Maria cautions against the purchase, noting the term and costs.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Algy
Maria
London Fun fragment notes eviction and infirmity claim
Fragment from London Fun mentions being turned out of his house at nine ty one and possibly infirm as part of a legal or social jab. The readable text hints at housing hardship and personal vulnerability without full context.
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London
Piums and Graft
A humorous quip contrasts horticultural grafting with politics. The Baltimore American notes a practical horticulturist saying to graft for good piums and a corresponding politician agreeing with the idea as a metaphor.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Baltimore American
Cannibal Japs Tattoo Tales At New Orleans
The New Orleans Times-Democrat quotes a young lieutenant describing his Nagasaki tattoos. He claims Japanese tattooists drink blood during sessions and describes needlework with vivid blood imagery and licking of inked skin.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Lieutenant Marlinspike
Uncle Sam
Nagasaki
New Orleans Times-Democrat
Russian Women and National Qualities
A Russian pays tribute to his compatriots noting that Russian women combine French vivacity with German thrift, excel as wives and mothers, and are strong in education. He claims they are free equals, skilled politicians, and deeply patriotic, often more daring than men, with revolutionaries yielding secrets to women under torture.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Russia
Sliding Down a Cask at Klosterneuberg Ceremony
A Vienna convent ceremony on St. Leopold's day features sliding down a giant wine cask. The vast cask, first filled in 1711, stems from a cooper's habit of returning home merry and being punished by his wife and friends with a slide down the cask.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Klosterneuberg
London Mail
Clean Food and the Dangers of Impure Goods
The Boston Advertiser argues that food safety matters more than chemical purity. It notes salt may include other salts yet remain healthy and corn bread with some wheat flour is better than pure cornmeal. Cleanliness matters more than adulteration for disease risk.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Boston Advertiser
Sympathy for a Hen in a Country Visit
A kind hearted slum girl visits the country and sees a mother hen preparing to brood her chicks. She shouts at the bird, "Shoo, you ugly thing" and questions its right to sit among the young birds.
Vicarious Osculation Sparks Chaperon Clash
A Boston Transcript excerpt describes a defiant remark about kissing a woman under a chaperone’s nose followed by a quip approving vicarious kissing, illustrating a social tease of propriety and flirtation.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Boston Transcript
The Widower Observed as He Copes With Loss
A New Orleans Times-Democrat excerpt notes the widower’s early crying, followed by slow adjustment as he sits up and takes notice during the first year, highlighting the struggles of enduring widowhood.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
New Orleans Times-Democrat
Willing to Tell Turns on Gossip and Auditors
A notorious social figure proclaims half the world misses the other half’s life while an auditor comments with quiet resolve. The exchange captures a moment of public curiosity and private restraint in a society focused on intrigue.
Reade's Dramatic Failures
The article notes Charles Reade gaining late fame as a novelist in 1856 at age forty two while pursuing playwriting. It recounts his string of failed plays, his belief the failures lay elsewhere, and his habit of spending profits from his novels on productions, blaming actors for ruining his work.
Notable writer's dramatic works and elusive popular success
The piece notes that despite vast creative power and dramatic skill the author failed to achieve lasting public acclaim. It mentions collaborations with Tom Taylor and Dion Boucicault on a few plays that had brief success, while overall his plays attracted little favor.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Tom Taylor
Dion Boucicault
Poultry Fakes Feature in Old Rooster Truth
A poultry farmer describes deceiving housewives by turning an old rooster into a fake turkey and a skeleton chicken into a plump dressed bird. He shows methods such as black feet, breast bone manipulation, and a heavy board to hide bone structure for market.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
New England
An Unobserving Thief and the Noble Horse
Yosouf owned a valuable horse. While he transacted business a thief stole it. The thief claimed ownership but a test by the kaid proved the horse belonged to Yosouf as it was not blind in either eye, and the thief was punished.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Yosouf
Oak Taproot Yields Ancient Horseshoe Paperweight
Rider Haggard recalls a Bradenham wood incident where a 200 year old oak root encompassed an old horseshoe, likely a fallen acorn filling the hollow. As the tree grew the root sealed the iron, creating a curious fusion later used as a paperweight in Bradenham Hall.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Bradenham Wood
Bradenham Hall
Left Handed Finance and the Lottery Collector Tale
A young railroad man falls behind on debts and is pursued by a relentless money collector. He pleads to repay what he owes while confessing a monthly lottery purchase as his plan. The exchange underscores financial desperation and risky gambles.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
San Francisco
Wanted Them All and Other Tales
Julia Ward Howe recalls a dilapidated bachelor who boasted of wanting youth health wealth beauty and grace to settle down. Mrs Howe counters that he desires too much as a kindly ally notes his misspent hopes.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Julia Ward Howe
Mrs. Howe
Vacant Seat Sparks Sarcastic Rebuff in Parlor Car
A would be masher type trips down the parlor car aisle and sits beside a pretty girl. He asks if the seat is free and she retorts in a sarcastic tone that no one occupies it yet.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Chicago News
Weeds and Bad Habits Grow Without Help
A compact aphorism from the Chicago Record-Herald notes that weeds and bad habits flourish without effort, contrasting natural growth with self-discipline.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Chicago Record-Herald
Courtroom Quip Sparks Breach of Promise Suit
A brief exchange shows a man claiming engagement to a woman last summer while a stranger boasts the same, prompting the woman’s lawyer to announce a breach of promise suit. The dialogue highlights legal action and social mockery in a domestic dispute.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Fle
Stranger
Magic and Poison Rings Unfold in Clashing Legends
A tale traces rings of shell and jet linked to sorcery and murder. Lord Ruthven aided in Riccio's death and lent Queen Mary a poison proof ring, who replied with her father’s famed jeweled dagger, a French masterpiece no longer existing.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Ruthven
Riccio
Queen Mary
Ring as relic and poison in medieval lore
The passage discusses a ring purportedly touching holy bodies and its use in sorcery accusations against Ruth ven. It notes Jeanne d Arc’s ring inscribed with sacred names and its claimed connection to St Catherine, pondering relics, the belief in poison rings, and historical arsenic dangers.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Riccio
Mary
Ruthven
Jeanne d’Arc
Jesus Marie
St. Catherine
Sinia
Fierbois
Hannibal
Andrew Lang
Our Debt to Champlain
The piece reflects on Champlain’s explorers impact on Northern New York and New England. It credits Champlain with mapping north Atlantic coasts to Connecticut and asserts his establishing habitation in Canada, turning fur wealth into a real homeland and future for New France as described in Forest and Stream.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Champlain
United States
New England
New York
North Atlantic
Connecticut
Quebec
Samuel de Champlain
Canada
New
France
Imagination and the torn sketch at the Washington Post
A conversation between a newspaper editor and a lazy cartoonist leads to a torn sketch. The editor pushes for explicit alcoholic and family imagery, but the artist and editor ultimately agree readers will fill in the details themselves, ending with the editor ripping the drawing.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Washington Post
A Fine Dodger
Carol recalls her grandfather’s wartime stories and teases that he must have been a fine dodger for surviving so many battles and shells around him. The anecdote highlights a child’s blunt admiration of his odds and courage.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Carol
Sharpening a Pocketknife Guide from a Craft
A craft expert notes razor sharpening requires flat contact on a stone for hollow ground blades, while pocketknives need a stiff edge. Hold the blade at twenty to twenty five degrees with a chisel like edge to avoid edge damage.
Euchre Banter Sees Home as Right Bower
In a playful exchange the bachelor notes missing the euchre night. Benedict replies that home is the right bower for him now, adding a quip about trump suits and the left bower if clubs come up. Philadelphia Press.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Benedict
Philadelphia Press
Jealous wife thwarts surprise trip to The Merry Widow
A husband planning a New York trip to see The Merry Widow writes a friend for earliest seats. A telegram arrives and is opened by the wife stating Nothing doing with the widow until the 10th. Explanations follow.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
New York
As to a Courtship Confiding of Last Chance
A Louisville Courier-Journal page quotes a courtship rumor exchange. He proclaims her as his first love while she tells a few confidants he is her last chance. The pair reflect common social anxieties about romance and reputation in print.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Louisville Courier-Journal
Boneless Meat Sketch Sparks Bristling Exchange
A humorous back and forth unfolds as a bewildered butcher encounters a critic claiming to sell boneless meat. The exchange pivots on a request for an egg and a bone free cut, highlighting a playful clash over culinary wording.
Also Mentioned on This Page
Little Willie
Financial Advice
Ebb Tide
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