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This newspaper page contains 21 articles. Subscribers can read the full text of each article.
Newspaper
Peru Weekly News
Location
Peru, Indiana, United States of America
Date
May 19, 1855
Page
3
A jumble of satirical quips and domestic vignettes, including a mother’s “infallible” cry that soothes babies with molasses and feathers, mock American habits, a local editor’s bold discovery, and light gossip about marriage, education, and social norms of the era.
A humorous Georgia anecdote recounts a Supreme Court judge who fell ill during yellow fever fears and treated himself with a mustard bath and soap. A misused soap led to a blackened body, mistaken for yellow fever, amid talk of other oddities including a fish-cleaning patent and a confusing family Bible clue.
The text surveys global tobacco culture with figures: 8.5 million square miles used, 4.5 billion pounds produced annually, 4.5 pounds per person, first-year costs at four cents per pound totaling 180 million dollars, and a global annual expenditure around 500 million. It argues wealth is wasted without knowledge and suggests spending on education would banish ignorance and crime in generations. Interleaved are dialogues and humorous vignettes on debt, contract breaking, and a quip about a lover’s appeal and a pun on affection.
A first person reminiscence recalls a harsh child moment on a freezing December day. The narrator details disobedience toward a dying mother, the mother’s patient forgiveness, and the lasting regret from twenty years later as she, now a mother, reflects on kindness and obedience to parents.
A Providence Journal correspondent notes two unusually regular sun spots and a distinct penumbra. The piece recalls Faraday’s suggestion that Earth's magnetic force varies with sun activity, linked to auroral observations, while acknowledging current limited understanding of magnetism.
Dissolve 10 parts clear grain mastic 5 parts camphor 15 parts sandrach and 5 parts elemi in enough alcohol. Apply the varnish without heat to preserve articles from rust while keeping transparency and metallic luster.
From New Bogland Farmer describing a recipe to make candles from surplus salt fat and dirty grease. The method uses lard, saltpetre, alum, and boiling water to create tallow candles, with instructions on dipping and running candles and warnings on processing heat.
A brief old tip advises applying liberal amounts of soft soap to burned leather until fully saturated, noting the leather should become soft and pliable if not severely burned. The guidance appears as a pasted remedy from a late exchange and reflects historical household advice.
From France, large snails are gathered, salted, boiled and eaten as a luxury for vine dressers. A physician approved using snail liquid to treat eye conditions, claiming restoration of sight after months of daily applications.
The article explains how carbon content and heat treatment affect iron and steel hardness. It describes quenching from white heat, case hardening, and the tempering colors of steel to achieve desired tool properties. It notes cautions on over hard or too soft steel and practical methods for aging metals in machine work.
The article notes the world’s largest cannon located at Baje Poor India with a forty ton weight. It describes a five person seat and its mixed metal construction containing gall and silver. A test firing caused immense shock, shaking buildings and alarming residents nearby, with reverberations echoed across towers and domes. It adds a domestic tip that alcohol can wash colored kid gloves without staining or odor, demonstrating a hand rub with alcohol and white cloth.
In his Iowa governorship inaugural address Governor Grimes defends pushing educated farmers and mechanics to support a practical scientific or polytechnic school. He calls for a university fund appropriation to establish the school to expand agriculture, architecture, engineering, metallurgy, and geology.
Passage notes limits of Russian serfdom versus U S slavery, listing restrictions on sale with land, family continuity, corporal punishment, marriage choice, weekly work hours, Sabbath rest, and noble-only possession. Also cites opinions on leisure and a Connecticut jail hoarding house, plus a report on a new liquor law impact.
A scanned roster lists numerous Indiana banks by name city and state stock banks and other financial houses including Indiana Bank Madison Hoosier Bank Logansport and Terre Haute with partial spellings and some garbled entries. It catalogues first class specie paying banks across Indiana and neighboring states along with several defunct or mis-spelled institutions. The fragment reads like a directory of financial institutions with inconsistent typography and many OCR errors.
A fragmented OCR fragment lists street names and directions in a Penn town, naming Broadway as the northward business thoroughfare from the river bridge and detailing Wabash First Huntington Clay Tippecanoe Water Wayne Benton Miami Hood Fremont Lafayette and other east west routes like Canal Second Third Main Fifth Sixth Streets, reflecting an old street grid. The garbled text preserves intended layouts and street order, illustrating a historic civic map.
An advertisement listing printing services including constitutions by laws reports minutes and catalogs. It notes plain and ornamental job printing posters programmes circulars hand-bills ball tickets and assorted printing for dry goods stores hatters tailors milliners and others. It gives an office at Broadway and Second Streets.
Methodist church on Main and Wabash hosts worship at 10 a m and runs Sunday school with prayer meeting each Thursday. Coviaca listed as pastor. another Methodist church at Thornton and Cass hours unknown with Sabbath school for youths and Thursday prayer group. Presbyterian and Congregational churches appear with morning worship around 10 a m and Sunday school. pastors named McCants and Geo Pr ver meeting weekly.
Ambiguous text references Miami and Bible Society depository with names Adam Raden Clack Skinner and Jonh Ren as secretary or president in a fragmentary record. No clear event date or outcome available.
The text lists several lodges with meeting schedules. Miawt Feopes No 35 meets every Paeediy eventteg. Venu Socran Diaure No 37 meets Saturdays. Miawt Louse No 67 Park and Acceprin Aneccenr Youn Masons hold monthly insets on Wednesday evenings, or the following evening if Wednesday falls on a holiday. Mians Liepin No 32 Pweets every Monday evening.
The document lists national and Indiana state officials with roles including President, Vice President, Secretary of State, Treasury, War, Navy, Postmaster General, Attorney General, and Supreme Court justices. It also details state offices such as Governor, Secretary of State, Auditor, Treasurer, and district officials with named individuals and titles.
A corrected and corrected list of justices of the peace constables clerks treasurers and trustees across multiple townships including Union Pipe Creek Deer Creek Clay Harrison Jackson and Peru Corporation with notes that corrections and omissions in the above list were elicited.
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