President Webb interviews hopeful entrant at Mississippi College
The Register recalls President Webb discussing a student who knows little, yet is four years ahead of peers. It also recounts stories of Miss Taylor in Wahpeton Dakota thriving, debates on Frederick Douglass, Chinese famine defenses, nose reduction claims, and Grant’s cattle loss reply to Secretary Stanton.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Webb
Mississippi College
Taylor
Wahpeton
Dakota
Joseph
China
Imperial Gazette
Boston Traveler
Grant
Stanton
Harper's Ferry
Sheridan
Wade Hampton
Army of the Potomac
Pronunciation debates and biographical highlights from an old text
A learned teacher recalls a long exchange with military men on army word pronunciations like aide-de-camp and reveille, noting US West Point as authority. The piece lists ages of famous women from Pall Mall Gazette and recounts Walter Goethe’s reminiscences of Mendelssohn and his grandfather.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Grant
Sherman
Sheridan
Ingland
France
United States
Army
West Point
Pall Mail Gazette
Mme. Adam
Mary Anderson
Sarah Bernhardt
Mrs. Besant
Rosa Bonheur
Mrs. Braddon
Miss Gordon Cumming
Lady Eastlake
Empress Eugenie
Emily Faithfull
Mrs. Gladstone
Julia Ward Howe
Mme. de Novikoff
Jenny Lind
Pauline Lucca
Helen Modjeska
Florence Nightingale
Christine Nilsson
Mrs. Oliphant
Ouida
Adelina Patti
Christina Rosetti
Ellen Terry
Mrs. Weldon
Henry Wood
Goethes Posthumous Writings And Odd World Facts
A fragment from a periodical notes Goethe’s posthumous writings and letters soon to be published. It also includes observations from Arab hosts about British tactics in the Sudan and a playful note on Oxford University Press’s paper production capacity at Wolvercote.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Goethe
Oxford University
Wolvercote
Oxford
St. Paul’s
Oxford University Press
Paris Observer Describes Victor Hugo’s Final Hours
A Paris correspondent recounts Hugo’s last days, noting his calm acceptance of death, phrases about death being welcome, and a wakeful night. The piece contrasts Hugo with Grant, praising candid memoirs in revealing military resolve. It highlights the refrain I kept right on as a defining wartime motto.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Victor Tuco
Paris
Mme. Lockroy
Mr. Lockroy
Ferdinand de Lesseps
Academy
Victor Hugo
Curiaco
Grant
Illinois
Boiling Water in a Paper Box Demonstration
A folded sheet forms a square paper box hung by four threads under a lamp. Water boils in moments as the wet paper carries heat away, preventing burning. Care must keep the flame small to avoid spilling hot water.
Farmers Sons and the Old and New World
A provocative piece argues farmers sons leave farms due to old fashioned homes and outsized work hours. It urges shortening hours, funding education and amusements, and creating clubs and music to keep youths engaged. The essay cites 10-hour limits, books, bowling, and social activities as remedies.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Payther
Henry
William
Democrat
England
United States
Detroit Free Press
Wood Decomposition Yields Charcoal Gas and Acid
A scientific note explains that heating wood to 400 to 800 degrees splits it into three products: charcoal pyroligneous acid and gas. The description notes a cord of seasoned wood weighs about 4,000 pounds before processing.
Relieved Greely Found by Thetis Crew At Cape Sabine
Ensign Harlow recounts Greely survivors found by the relief ship Thetis near Cape Sabine. Brainard and Long spotted signals, Greely pulled from under a torn tent, and fresh sustenance brought by the ice-pilot. The scene describes vivid rescue actions and Greely’s faint response, with the crew asking if they are English before relief. A separate Good Cheer note reflects on snakes shedding their skins and molting into new attire.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Harlow
Greely
Thetis
Brainard
Cape Sabine
Long
Ellison
Connell
Diederbeck
Connell Fay
Colwell
Saoid
Mr. Snake
Curious Expulsion of a Parasite by a Cricket
A lady observed a cricket dip its abdomen into a water pail and expel a black mass that formed a horse hair snake parasite. The creature appeared exhausted after the release, suggesting crickets manipulate water exposure to rid themselves of the parasite.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
H. C. McCook
The Right Kind of a Woman in Siftings Joke
A tiny Austin boy asks his mother if she likes candy and she replies it makes her sick. He praises her as the kind of woman he can trust to guard his candy while he plays. A closing quip notes words can separate hearts more than swords.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Austin
Tenas Siftings
M. Howitt
Farming in Mexico Slovenly Methods and Irrigation Risk
A critical Commission piece argues Mexico’s poverty stems from careless farming and irrigation reliance. It describes plowing with simple wooden tools, scant soil preparation, and irrigation dependence, noting impressive yields under poor practices and urging better cultivation to unlock arable land on the plateau and dryer northern regions. It also mentions rain variability and the contrast with California irrigation.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Mexico
California
New York
Pennsylvania
Valley of Mexico
Zacetacas
New Jersey
United States
Acre
Merxico
The Egg Habit Opinion on Eggs as Daily Diet
An essay condemning the daily egg habit likening it to alcohol. It argues eggs have value but should not dominate meals. It traces a path from breakfast boiled eggs to lunch orders for scrambled or fried eggs, warning of moral and health decline.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
W. L. Alden
Ashantee Gentleman Portrait and the Soldier’s Courtesy
An Ashantee gentleman described as refined in dress and demeanor, contrasting with stereotypes. He is seen in a single cotton garment and a breech-clout, travels in a carriage hammock, and shows courteous regard toward Private Smith. The observer notes surprising cleanliness, grace, and a shift in the soldier’s mood after the encounter.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Bossoonoga
Manchester
Bossoonoga Steppe
Smith
Hidden M on the standard dollar puzzles Wall Street
Morgan the English engraver is alleged to have hidden an extra letter M on the standard dollar. Two Ms appear in unum and America, with a fourth M unnoticed by most until Chief Drummond of the U S secret service confirmed it. The four Ms were reportedly cut by Morgan in the die and spotted by a reporter.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Morgan
Wall Street
America
Drummond
United States Secret Service
Secret Service
New York
Garden Truck on Wheels and Odd Planting Advice
A peculiar item from the White Hall Times suggests humorous and provocative gardening tips. It riffs on planting yeast, whisky, tobacco stumps, idleness, free limbs, hogs, tight boots, Paris green, and chickens to provoke various outcomes in a satirical garden plot.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Havana
Paris
White Hall
The Texas Climate And A Dash Of Texan Wit
A stranger asks widow Flapjack about what table a man should set in Austin. The invalid explains Texas meals suit boarders well. The visitor quips that he never gets enough to eat and plans to search for a place where a man can fill up for his money.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Austin
Flapjack
Texas
Texas Siftings
Also Mentioned on This Page
NEW Harmony
Ind
Fred Douglass
Frederick
New England
Leipzig
Weimar
Walter Goethe
Mendelssohn
Soudan
Dongala
Farmers’ Sons
M. Quad
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