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8 THE NATIONAL TBIBIHSHE: WASHINGTON, D. O., DECEMBER 3, 1881. ."SOJERING." He was a clever printer man Upon n stool he sat, And calmly-watched the copy-hook And gobbled up the fat. The hook was awful lean that night, And with a purpose naughty 31c hemmed and hawed and slugged away, And sojered like all forty. lie heard the paragraphist say: "A poem have I writ The editor now scans it o'er, 'Twill be here in a bit! " The printer man joyed in his soul, His heart was happy, very lie hemmed and hawed and slugged away, And sojered all so merry. Alas, that poem all so fair Came not his string to c?.ivc It climbed the golden lxvfcet's rim And found an early aft ..ve. But still he sojered sojei cd on, Nor stay for this nor t h t, For who can turn the pi inter's so il "When sojering for fat ? The paper went to press, and still Upon his stool he sat And hemmed and hawed a id slug ,ed away A sojerin' for fat. Upon this very day he's th-re Perhaps you printers know 'im? He sojers morning, noon, and night, A waiting for that poem. Jimmy Piatt. THE ECCENTRICITIES OF BULLETS. At the battle of reach Orchard, when McClel lan was making his change of base a Michigan infantryman fell to the ground as if shot stone dead, and was left lying in a heap as the regi ment changed position. The ball which hit him first struck the barrel of his gun, glanced and struck a button off his coat, tore the watch out of his vest pocket, and then struck the man just over the heart, and was stopped there by a song book in his slt pocket. He was unconscious for three-quartll of an hour, and it was a full month before lie black and blue spot dis appeared. At Pittsburg Landing, a member of the Twelfth Michigan regiment of infantry stopped to give a wounded man a drink from his canteen. "While in the act, a bullet, aimed at his breast, struck the canteen, turned aside, passed through the body of a man, and buried itself in the leg of a horse. The canteen Avas split open, and dropped to the ground in halves. At the second battle of Bull Run, as a New York infantryman was passing his plug of tobac co to a comrade, a bullet struck the plug, glanced off and buried itself in a knapsack. The tobacco was rolled up like a Mil of shavings, and carried a hundred feet away. Directly in the line of the bullet was the head of a lieutenant, and had not the bullet been deflected, he would certainly have received it. As it was he had both eyes filled with tobacco dust, and had to be led to the rear. At Brandy Station, one of Custer's troopers had his left-stirrup strap cut away by a grape shot, which passed between his leg and the horse, blis tering his skin as if a red-hot iron had been used. He dismounted to ascertain the extent of his in juries, and as he bent over a bullet knocked his hat off and killed his horse. In the same fight was a trooper who had suffered several days with a toothache. In a hand to hand fight he received a pistol ball in his right cheek. It knocked out his aching double tooth, and pass ed out the left hand corner of his mouth, taking along a part of an upper tooth. The joy of being rid of the toothache was so great, that the trooper could not be made to go to the rear to have his wound dressed. An object, however trifling, will turn the bul let from its true course. This was shown one day at the remount camp in Pleasant Valley. They had a "bull pen " there, in which about 500 bounty jumpers and other hard cases were under guard. Once in a while one of these men would make a break for liberty. Every sentinel in po sition would open fire, and it did not matter in the least if the men ran toward the crowded camp. On this occasion the prisoner made for the camp, and as many as six shots were fired at him without effect. One of these bullets entered the tent of a captain in the Twelfth Pennsylva nia cavalry. He was lying down, and the course of the bullet would have hurried it in his chest. Fortunately for him a candle by which he was reading sat on a stand between him and where the bullet entered. This was struck and cut square in two, and the lighted end dropped to the floor without being snuffed out. The ball was deflected, and buried in the pillow under the officer's head, passed out of that and through his tent into the one lehind it, passed between two men and brought up against a camp kettle. THE POPULATION OF THE GLOBE, According to MM. Behni and "Wagner's Bevolkerung der Erde, Europe has a population of 315,926,000 inhabitants, Asia 834,707,000, Africa 205.679,000, America 95,405,000, Australia and Polynesia 431,000, the Polar regions 82,000, giving a total of 1,455,923,000, being an increase of 16,778,000 according to the latest known censuses. At the end of 1877 Germany had a populatien of 43,943,000, Austria and Hungary (1879) of 48,000,000, France (1876) of 36,900000. Turkey in Europe of 8.860,000, Russia of 87,900, 000. In Asia, China possesses 434,900,000 in habitants, Hong-Kong 130,144, Japan 34,300,000 according to the census of 1878. The British possessions in India numbered 240,200,000 people (an estimate made before the census of this year), the French possessions 280,000, Cochin China 1,600,000, the East India islands 34,900,000, the islands of the South Sea 878,000. The area of Africa is estimated at 29,383,000 square kilo metres, divided as follows: Forests and culti vated land, 6,300,000; savannas, 6,235,000; steppes, 4,200,000; deserts, 10,600,000. The in habitants of British North America number 3,800,000, of the United States 50,000,000, of Mexico 9,485,000, and of Brazil 11,100,000. The Polar regions extend round the Arctic Circle with an area of 3,859,000 square kilometres, and the Antarctic regions about 600,000. The popula tion of the former is small, with the exception of Iceland, which has 72,000 and Greenland 10,000. London Times. THEIR MILITARY STRENGTH, In the event of war between France and Ger many it is estimated that France could put the most men in the field. The figures, as given on a careful computation in the Bulletin dc la lie union des Officios, are as follows: "France, 512 battalions of first line, 1.000 men, 183 of reserve, of S00 to 1,000 men, and 290 territorial of 800 men; in all 9S5 battalions, mustering 922,200 men; Germany, 503 battalions of the first line, of 1,000 men, 166 of reserve, of 1,000 men, and 266 landwclir, of 800 men; in all 935 battalions, mustering 881,800 men. This estimate covers what are termed the " respective infantries " of both countries that could be put in the field in what are technically styled the first, second, and third periods. Betides these France is said to have 493 bat alious, including those in Algeria, for garrison and supply, and Germany 218. Ten or twelve flays wily are estimated as beim; the time nee psary t o put these respective U ices net to face i;i the field. Some twenty days later the armies orming the second line could be ready for field service, the French, composed of 290 bat talion , inns, eriug 232,000 men, and the Germans 263 I attalicns, mustering 210,000 men. With refer.nce to other arms, the French artillery con sists of 63,000 men, and 59,500 reserves, forming 361 batteries of the first line; and the Germans of 50,500 men, and 50,500 reserves, forming 340 batteries of the first line. The engineer corps in the French army musters 25,000 men, and in the German 23,000. The French cavalry contains 64,500 men and 62,000 reserves, and the German 64,500 men, 76,000 reserves. This gives a total estimated force of all arms, French 1,428,200 men, German 1,356,300 men, that could be put in the field in twenty days after a declaration of war. WHAT IS THINE AGE? " Father," said a Persian monarch to an old man, who, according to oriental usage, bowed be fore the sovereign's throne, " pray be seated. I cannot receive homage from one bent with years, and whose head is white with the frosts of age." "And now, father," said the monarch, when the old man had taken the proffered seat, " tell me thine age; how many of the sun's revolutions hast thou counted?" "Sire," answered the old man, "I am but four years old." "What!" interrupted the king, "fearest thou not to answer me rashly, or dost thou jest on the very brink of the tomb?" "I speak not falsely, sire," replied the aged man; "neither would I offer a foolish jest on a subject so solemn. Eighty long years have I wasted in folly and sinful pleasures, and in amassing wealth, none of which I can take with me when I leave this world. Four years only have I spent in doing good to my fellow men; and shall I count those years that have been ut terly wasted? Are they not worse than a blank ? and is not that portion only worthy to be reckoned as a part of my life which has truly answered life's best end?" INDUSTRIES OF SWEDEN AND NORWAY, Although in Norway and Sweden there are many mines and mills, most of the people gain their living either out of the soil or the sea. The farmer in either country is a marvel of industry and thrift ; he would live upon what an American farmer wastes, and live more comfortably than our farming population do, as a rule. The amount of labor performed at the special dairy-farms, to which cattle are driven in summer, generally by girls, would horrify a western maiden ; but the Swedish and Norwegian girls thrive on it, enjoying rare good health, and consequent happiness. Still more exacting is the home care of caitle in winter, when much of the food must be specially prepared. On some soil that here would be condemned asgoodfor nothing, fair crops are grown and harvested in the short summer, while in the southern provinces the yield is equal to that of model farms in America. The maritime statistics of the two countries, and of Norway in particular, are simply stagger ing. Last year more than a thousand Norwegian vessels entered the port of New York, and seven times as many were busy elsewhere. More than sixty thousand sailors man these vessels, and yet Norwegian sailors are numerous in the merchant navy of almost every other country. About a hundred and twenty thousand Norwegians are engaged in the fisheries. Every fishing station has a superintendent, appointed by the govern ment, and the date of beginning the season's work, the time of starting out for the day, and even the places in which the fish are prepared for market, are determined by him; but the officer's duties seem to consist principally in preventing confusion or bad feeling. No liquor is sold at fishing stations, and yet the men, who are directly in the path of all the "American weather" that crosses the Atlantic, are a remark ably healthy and vigorous set of fellow's ; they wear good clothes, too, which is not done by fishermen generally. To their abstemiousness must be attributed the lack of strife ; during a long visit to the fishing stations, the author saw no fighting, and did not hear a single oath. No fishing is permitted on Sunday. Drunkenness and profanity are rare every wherein Scandinavia ; there seems to be absolutely no idle, non-producing, dangerous class, such as is the mainstay of vice in every other European country. At fairs and feasts there is a great deal of drinking, but the period is brief, and the fun never culmi nates in lighting. John Habberton in Harper's Magazine. The Denver (Col.) Republican publishes a long and painful story narrating how a once prosper ous banker and county treasurer in Wisconsin has been reduced to poverty, in spite of life-long honesty and integrity, and is now carrying a hod in Denver in order to obtain the bare necessaries of life. . : To Exterminate Red Ants. Grease a plate with lard and set it where the insects abound. They prefer lard to anything else, and will for sake sugar for it. Place a few sticks around the plate for the ants to climb up on. Occasionally turn the plate bottom up over the fire, and the ants will fall in with the melted lard. Reset the plate, and in a short time you will catch them all. Powdered borax sprinkled around the infested places will exterminate both red and black ants. tat lis to k) 1, Secures VETERAN ing: winter affecting Pensions, Bounties, and other matters of special interest to those who were Regulars or "C J""' ? Tk X rn Y TT" F"fc f or who served the Govern ment in nny fi il I I rS H h JH Bv capacity, in either Army or Xavy during V J-4Wll I kd JLI lO tIlB" te occasion to inform all ex-Soldiers of the fact that Thp NATIONAL TRIBUNE will furnish full reports of all such Congressional Proceedings, and in addition contain oilier m.iltcrs well worthy ol Consisting of original and selected Sketches ol the War, Army Reminiscences, Stories, Poems, and Items ol xsews. A Leading fea ture will be the Agricultural Department, conducted exclusively for THE NATIONAL TRIBUNE by Mr. William Saunders, first Master of the National Grange. ifp-TAKE NOTICE Refore subscribing to any other paper which claims to represent the ex-Soldiers of the Union, send for Free sample copy of THE NATIONAL TRIBUNE, Washington, D. C. ONE DOLLAR sent before January 1, will secure Tun National Tribune for One Year. VIEWING VENUS. Last niglit on the street corner the enrh-stone astionor.:cr was standing by his instrument -waiting ior a customer. Presently two miners came along and paused to take a look at " the ma chine." ""What in thunder's that?" asked one of the miners. "It is a telescope," said the stu dent of the stars. "You see Venus for tex cents." "Consider me in," said the miner, and he put up ten cents and turned the tuhe on a constellation of the fourth ascension. ''Don't think much oi it," he said after a look, and then he turned the instrument down until it "was iocused on a pri vate residence some nine blocks away. Here the miner paused, pressed his eye close to the instru ment and became as still as a mouse. "Ain't you too low? " asked the planet sharp. " I allers was low-sighted," responded the man of the pick. "You can't look all night. Other customers are waiting." The miner surveyed the crowd stand ing about him and handed the showman a dol lar, and asked him to tell him when he had used up the money. He lowered his eyes to the tele scope once more, and was again engrossed in his observations. Suddenly he rose up with a sigh and remarked to his companion: "Billy, she pulled the curtain down. The handsomest wo man I ever saw in my life! She let down her hair, took off her collar, and then, just after I gave that coon a dollar, she lowered the curtain and shut the blinds. I think I ought to have about ninety cents change. That old glass tube, though, is about two hundred hoss-power. It was like being right under the window with a step-ladder. I'm going to buy one of those ma chines the first time I make a raise." Las Vegas Optic. ARTIFICIAL LIMBS. In Hood's story of "Miss Kilmansegg and Her Golden Leg," the new limb proved the death of its posssgsor, Miss Kilmansegg having had her brains dashed out by a burglar who was attracted by the solid gold of which it was composed. The history of the improvements in artificial limbs belongs entirely to this century. The first were made of cork. Though the first contained many improvements upon the old " peg-leg," or wooden stump, yet they were far from perfect. The num ber of men wounded in the war of the rebellion and the generous policy of the Government to ward them so increased the demand for artificial limbs that numerous inventions were patented in this direction. The material used in these in ventions have been wood, leather, sheet iron, tin, zinc, rawhide, rubber, and a combination of these with other materials, the composition of which is the inventor's secret. The combinations of these various legs have been intended to secure ease and security in the motions and to imitate those of nature as closely as possible ; but as is usual in all inventions the first methods used for this purpose is accuracy. The artificial arm worn by "Jim" McClelland, the New York lawyer, is a wonder of mechanism. Mr. McClelland was, in his earlier days, a newspaper reporter. On one occasion, when in the pursuit of information for the journal upon which he was employed, his persistent questioning excited the ire of a burly saloon-keeper of the Ninth ward. The man struck Jim in the face with his clenched fist. The next instant the assailant was stretched upon the floor as flat as a flounder, for Jim had struck back with his wooden arm. The saloon keeper picked himself up, exclaiming : " Well, that fellow has the hardest and heavi est fist that I ever came across. It is like a sledge-hammer, and he could knock down an ox with it." " I am really sorry that I hit you so hard," re joined the kind-hearted McClelland; "but the fact is there is a spring in this wooden arm of mine that works automatically, and whenever I get mad or am insulted that spring begins to work and the first I know I have hit somebody." New York Star. AN ANCIENT RELIC, Mr. Brown, of Jamestown, New York, has an old swivel, of English make, bearing the British coat of arms, which is known to be over one hun dred years old, and w;hich is a curiosity indeed. It is of bronze metal,jfifteen inches long, two and a half inches in diameter at the breech, one and one-quarter at the muzzle, and has a history that is worthy of note. It was taken from the British frigate Serapis by the famous Captain John Paul Jones, of the American man-of-war Bon Homme Richard, in the famous naval engagement on Sep tember 23, 1779. John Paul Jones was the vic tor, capturing the British fleet of three vessels with their crews. This victory gave Captain Jones great eclat throughout the world, and established the valor of American seamen. This swivel was among the arms captured ; it bears the marks of hard usage, but is still sound. It was given to Mr. Brown by Mr. James King, of King's Landing, Ind., who received it in 1835 from the father of the rebel General Buckner, to whom it had descended from his grandfather, who was a participant in the John Paul Jones fight on the American side. It will never hereafter shoot any but Union powder. The 3famtfacturer says that rusted steel can be cleaned by washing with a solution of half an ounce of cyanide of potassium in two ounces of water, and then brushing with a paste composed of half an ounce of cyanide of potassium, half an ounce of castile soap, an ounce of whiting, and sufficient water to make the paste. The IiW Iritas for 01 ML Subscribers wanted for THE NATIONAL TRIBUNE, nn Eight-Page Weekly Journal, devoted to the Interests of Soldiers and Sailors who served during the late War of the Rebellion. There will be important legislation the com i EATEN BY A TIGER. A gentleman who was preseut at a company where remark al)'. rrsonal adventures in foreign lands were 1. .:.:- told by those assembled, mod estly UL'trosted that he had had quite a remark able adventure in an Indian jungle, but doubted the yiopriety of telling it, as it might appear common-place as compared with some of the ex periences of the others. Being pressed to tell it, he at last agreed to do so, and said : ".You all know the habits of the tiger and what a savage yet cunning beast he is. Well, I was on a tiger hunt once and struck the trail of a royal Bengal man-eater. As I followed it the increasing fresh ness of the trail convinced me that I was rapidly approaching the brute. But I did not calculate on his tactics. It seems that becoming aware that he was being run down he departed from 'the straight line of his course and following a circuitous route was really gaining on me instead of my gaining on him. The first intimation I received of this startling state of affairs was con veyed by a rustle in the jungle behind me. Turning suddenly to see what caused the noise, my rifle, which was at full cock, was discharged by a twig catching on the trigger. Before I had time to draw my knife to defend myself the tiger made a spring and crushed me to the ground. I was now helpless; in the fall my right arm was broken and the knife forced from my hand. The tiger seized me in his mouth and bore me away to his lair, where he and his mate quickly devoured me ! " Victoria C. Woodhull has returned from Europe with her daughter, Zulu Maude. Where are Blood and Beecher ? fwn'nuawiJJiwwwiBW GEORGE E, LEMON WASHINGTON, D. C, Attorney -at -Law and Solicitor of United States and Foreign PATENTS ! Established in 1865. CAN I OBTAIN A PATENT? Send a rough sketch or (if you can) a model of your invention to George E. Lejiox, Washington, D. C, and a Preliminary Examination -will be made of all United States Patents of the same class of inventions, and you will be advised whether or not a patent can be obtained. For this Preliminary Examination No Charge is Made. WHAT WILL A PATENT COST? If you are advised that your invention is patentable, send $20, to pay Government application fee of S15, and 5 for the drawings required by the Government. This amount is payable when the application is made. This is all of the expense, unless a patent is allowed. "When allowed the attorney's fee ($25) and the final Government fee ($20) is payable. By these terms you know beforehand, for nothing, whether you are going to get a patent or not, and no attorney's fee is charged unless you do get a patent. An attorney whose fee depends on his success in obtain ing the patent will not advise you that your invention is patentable, unless it really is patentable, so far as his best judgment can aid in determining the question; hence, you can rely on the advice given after a prelimi nary examination is had. DESIGN PATENTS and the REGISTRATION OP LABELS and TRADE-MARKS secured. CAVEATS prepared and filed. Applications for the REISSUE OF PATENTS care fully and sldllfidly prepared and. promptly prosecuted. Applications in revivor of rejected, abandoned, or for feited cases made. Very often valuable inventions are saved in these classes of cases. If you have undertaken to secure your own patent and failed, a skillful handling of the case may lead to success. Send me a written request addressed to the Commissioner of Patents that he recognize George E. Lemon, of Wasliington, D. C, as your attorney in the case, giving the title of the invention and about the date of filing your application. An examination will be made of the case, and you will be informed whether or not a patent can be obtained. This examination and report will cost you nothing. Interference Contests arising witliin the Patent Office between two or more rival claimants to the same subject-matter of invention, attended to. Appeal. Remedies pursued in relief from adverse office decisions. Searches made for title to inventions. Copies of Patents furnished at the regular Govern ment rates, (25 cents each, if subsequent to 1866. Pre vious patents, not printed, at cost of making copies.) Copies of Official, Records furnished. Opinions rendered as to scope, validity, and infringe ment of Patents. In fact, any information relating to Patents and to property rights in inventions promptly furnished on the most reasonable terms. Correspondence solicited. Remember this office has been in successful operation since 1865, and you therefore reap the benefits of experi ence. Address, with stamp for reply, GEORGE E. LEMON, WASHINGTON, J). C. &- Reference given to actual clients im almost every county in the United States. J3 SEND FOR IT ! a The Gentleman's Monthly s the Only Magazine in the United States devoted to the Manly Sports. All the Best Writers contribute to its pages. Articles on tin; Game Bird., and Game Fishes; Sketches of Doings by Flood and Field; Interesting Stories. $; a year. Send Mump for Sample Cvpy. Address THE GENTLEMAN".- MONTHLY, Bt S2, Washington, D. C. "Tho Monthly on trial C months for 50 cts.-& ATTENTION PATENTS I Answers to Correspondents. "Wc are obliged to answer certain inquiries of the samo nature in each issue of our paper. "While we cheerfully furnish information to subscribers in this column we suggest that much labor, time, and expense may besaved both to ourselves and to our correspondents, if the latter and other subscribers would keep a file of the paper. They could then, at any time, turn to the file and proba bly find the very inquiry answered about which they would have written to us. "We trust that eaeh and every subscriber will profit by this suggestion. t ft. D., Ojiange, X. J. The ordinary rating for single hernia is one-half total or tour dollars; but if the disability occasioned by the injury is of a higher degree equivalent to the loss of a leg or arm, for instance, the Department will entertain an applica tion for increase, when submitted with proper proofs. Soldiers' Widow, Hastings, Minn. Your let ter has been referred to a thoroughly reliable and competent attorney, who will correspond with you touching the matter referred to. M. D., TJtica, N. Y. Your claim for pension on account of injuries received in the Mexican War will doubtless be acted upon so soon as reached in regu lar order. There are a vast number of claims on itle, which accounts for the delay. Your attorney should be able to inform you as to exact status of case. A. V., Eagle, Mich. A pensioner who does not wish to draw can neglect to do so three years, at the end of which time his name will be dropped from the rolls. Or if he believes himself drawing in ex cess of his disability he can apply to the Pension Department for an examination and re-rating. If the soldier, T. F. A., of Decatur, Indiana, who wished ths address of Dr. Jesse T. Cox, will send us his full name we will furnish him the required in formation. J. C, Soisbury, Conn. You will have to state the number of your claim, and company and regi ment in which you served, before the information, can be furnished. The present post-office addresses of the following named persons are desired by subscribers to The National Tribune. Any one able to give infor mation touching their whereabouts will confer a favor by corresponding with us : 1. Capt. James McThomson, or Lieut. J. I. Howard, or any member of company F, Fourth TJ. S. Yet. Yols. Remaining answers nest week. GREEN'S FRUIT GROWER, Rochester, N. Y.5 An Illustrated Quarterly Journal Devoted to the Orchard, Gar den, and Nursery. "It is seldom so much good material is offered at so low a price," says the Gardener's Monthly. "It is full of valuable and interesting matter," says J. J. Thomas, editor of Country Gentleman. "It is doing a good work. I predict success," says President Marshall P. Wilder. J. T. Lovett says : " It is the only journal in America worthy of the name." Xew Fruits given away as Premiums. Price 25 cents per year. Sample copies Iree. FREE TO EVERYBODY I A BEALTIFUL book for THE ASKING ! By applying personally at the nearest oflice3f THE SINGER MANUFACTURING CO. (or by postal card if at a distance,) any adult person will be presented with a beautifully illustrated copy of a New Book entitled GENIUS REWARDED, OR THE STORY OF THE SEWING MACHINE 3 containing a handsome and costly steel engraving frontis piece; also, 28 finely engraved wood cuts, and bound in an elaborate blue -and -gold lithographed cover. No charge whatever is made for this handsome book, which can be obtained only by application at the branch and subordinate offices of The Singer Manufacturing Co. The Singer Manufacturing Co. Principal Office, 34 Unioa Square, New York. ORGANS AND PiANOS Daniel F. Beaity's Manufactory, Cor.35ailroadAve.,fcUeattySt., . Washington, New Jersey, United States of America. (Over three (3) acres of spaco with eleven H) additional acres for Lumber Yards &c.) S, TheZargest and Most Complete Estab lishment of the kind on the Globe. VISITORS ARE ALWAYS WELCOME A BEATTYS BEETHOVEN GRAND ORGAN, New Style No. 9000, 27 STOPS U Oct aves of the Celebrated GOL DEN TONGUE REEDS. " is the Finest Organ ever made. A Caveat Is filed at the Patent Office, to pro tect it. Ko other manufact urer can OitiUl this Orqan. Price with Stool,Mu- sic and Book only !90 Cabinet, Parlor. Chanel & PIdo Organs, $30 and upwards, in greai variety. GKAiro, SftUAKE ami UPRIGHT $125 to SlOOO. Warranted If you cannot visit me be sure to send lor Tautest Catalogue Before Jt u y l ii g elsewhere. Deal direct with the mnn ufacturer and save middlemen's proflt3. Write for list of names of purchasers. Address or call vpo Washington, New Jersey, United States of America JpfUlIUrtT.'jy IUUJ IfiHjHfl i s