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This newspaper page contains 13 articles. Subscribers can read the full text of each article.
Newspaper
Pittsburgh Dispatch
Location
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States of America
Date
Dec 22, 1889
Page
2
A long compilation of holiday recipes and culinary gossip from Washington. Mrs Kenna shares Regent’s punch and plum pudding methods, with notes from Mrs Hawley and Mrs Mills on gingerbread and candied treats. The piece weaves in Christmas dinner customs and a digression on the earth’s precession.
Reader observes long cycles in Earth sun distance affecting seasons from AD 1200 onward. Precession shifts perihelion, intensifying winters slightly and advancing seasons by thousands of years. In 6,400 years summers occur at perihelion and winters at aphelion, with icecaps forming. 12,800 years later seasons reverse and polar orientation shifts. Geological evidence cited as support.
The Somerville Journal reproduces a teacher’s excuse note for a pupil named Louia marked as unwell. The text shows a garbled phrase about an excuse and includes unrelated sexist commentary reflecting a dated, casual school-room context.
A fragment cites a recent author revisiting the development theory attributed to Prof J. M. Pron. The excerpt hints at a global crisis and recurring destructive cycles tied to periodical effects and vanity tea, referencing Ghent and Lane in a speculative framework.
Sir Nicholas Kemeys reputedly a strongman of his era. A Cornish wrestler challenged him in Cefn Mably Deer Park, was thrown, and then asked to be thrown over the park wall. The tale cites a park wall scene and a Cefn Mably picture showing his great stature. He died defending Chepstow Castle against Cromwell’s troops, reportedly dying in a sortie.
A writer to an English paper recounts losing his collie Scott in a bustle of traffic. The dog unexpectedly hailed a hansom at St James Church, jumped in, and rode to the narrator’s suburban home, revealing the driver’s surprise and the dog’s brave return.
The Medical Record notes rapid spread of influenza and discusses cycles, origin to Europe, and initial American impact. It cites 1830 China outbreak, Russia spread in 1831, partial U.S. reach in 1832, a 1836 Europewide surge, and a later U.S. episode. It attributes airborne micro-organisms as the cause, with limited contagiousness and danger mainly to the elderly.
A party of four Californians and Old Man Adams, leader of the Lost Adams diggings, arrived at Navajo Springs after traveling via the Atlantic and Pacific road. They plan a hunt south of Gallup, claiming placers worth fabulous riches were found near the Arizona New Mexico line years ago but hampered by hostile Apaches. Dozens have sought these gold fields over the years without success.
An old article surveys Christmas superstitions across Europe and America. It describes maidens testing marriage fate with wishbones yarn and lead, door trickery, water shells, bread slices, and various signs from animals, foods, fire, and shadows, noting regional differences and persistent belief in foretold fortunes.
In New York a social season feature shows charity fairs run by society matrons, with a witty barmaid act at a Fifth Avenue event. Mrs William Astor is highlighted for diamonds and opera audience appeal, while D Albert the pianist captivates crowds with exaggerated German persona. A stage scene ends with a young man correcting a petty theft in a restored moment of honesty.
A fragment shows Puck scolding Mrs Wheatley Eben to take her father to the woodshed for dull bric brac covered with dust. The terse line hints at a domestic quarrel or lampoonish mock reprimand in a period voice.
A prominent citizen explains a method to estimate men’s ages from initials. He claims half of male names match presidents or famous figures, giving examples such as W H Johnson William Henry Harrison aged about 53 and W Scott Smith Winfield Scott aged about 57, suggesting Abraham Lincoln’s initials indicate a 28 year old.
Washington Post recalls Captain Bassett who guarded the Senate pages for years and boxed the ears of a young Senator Gorman. Bassett tells how Gorman was known for mischief and clever schemes while a page. He recounts Beck lecturing Gorman and a warning to behave or risk another box.
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