Georgetown Watchman (Georgetown, Tex.), Vol. 3, No. 9, Ed. 1 Saturday, April 24, 1869 Page: 1 of 4
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THE WATCHHAN
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vmoee, JB
E <11 tors
J. A. Merger, is our duly au-
thorized agent at Austin.
Rich'd. G. Bart, is our duly au-
thorised agent at Brenham and else-
where.
ARE THERE NO "DISCOVERIES" IN
THESE LATTER DAYS ?
De Bow's Review has a most inr
teresting article on " The Old and the
New" which leads us to doubt wheth-
er the world moves at all nowadays.
Bold and reckless philosophers of
these modern times, this metallic age,
(in everything but currency, this age
of unmistakable brass and a sprinkl-
ing of iron also, as the last four years
have shown in this unfortunate country
and as has lately been shown in
Kurope—bold and reckless philoso-
phers, we say, often open their mouths
and with oracular gravity declare that
" the world does move," that " this is
indeed the age of progress." Progress
in what? The explosive power of
steam, the composition of gunpowder,
the peculiar properties of the mag*
netio needle were known ages ago.—
Plutarch oould have written a work
on chemistry if he had tried which
would have been prised by the schools
of to day. Livingstone, the traveler,
•v found io the wilds of Africa germs
of science and crude ideas of chemical
combinations as applied to the arts,
among 'rude tribes who did not pos-
sess even an alphabet. From whom,
and when,did Africa learn thesethings?
The gold of California was known
long ago, and forgotten. Cortez
knew of its riches through tradition.
Ships were no original invention.
Man copied the idea from the nautilus.
Suspension bridges were borrowed
from the spider's web; and in the
tropics may be found the curious
cockle shell, which, half insect, half
fish—on the approach of danger, draws
.. in a quantity of air, plumps to the bed
of the ocean, and uses it as long as
oxygen remains and then comcs up
for more. Man raw this and made a
diving bell. Over a century and a
half ago Louis XIV, granted a patent
to one De Beaumont for the sale of
manufactured snow and ice. The
old Romans had the same luxuries.—
^ The Duke de Bouillon took out a
patent for a "rat and vermin exterm-
inator." Cos tar was not the "original
Jacobs" in that line. The far famed
madame de Maintcnon, shortly before
she became Qaeen of France, took out
a patent for an improved oven. A
Frenchman secured the sole right to
make and vend rotary steam engines,
' the idea of which he is said to have
stolen from] Hero of Alexandria; and
an enterprising Englishman, who
went into one of the Museums at
Rome and saw the " portable kitchen"
dug from the ruins of Herculanae am,
started for home and patented the
creation of some clever philosopher in
^gastronomy who woo fame and fortune
out of the same "cooking stove" two
thousand year ago. These two gentle*
men were shrewd chaps for the sagac-
iously pirated inventions, the original
introducers of which would not be
bothering them with law papers,
threatening suits.
A The use of illuminating gas, the
distillation of sea water, the process
RIAKEIIISOIV & FOSTER,
and Proprietors
VOLUME 3.
GEORGETOWN, TEXAS, SATURDAY, APRIL 24, 1869.
NUMBER 9-
of disinfecting the air, the method of
preserving tresh fruits the hydraulic
press, the fire engine, and the con>
struction of iron ships, are all borrow-
ed ideas on the part of the Western
world. The Anglo Saxon lias an
aptitude for this sort of thing. Caps
tain Congreve, while in the employ of
the East India Company, and engag-
ed in making war upon one of the in-
terior provinces of the East, witness*
ed the great destruction of life caused
by the fiery projectiles thrown by the
Mahrattas. He went to England and
introduced formidable Congreve rocket.
India has had it for a thousand years.
Philostratos called them " torrents of
fire" and "flaming clouds for the
destruction of armies." Alexander
the Great, frightened it is said by the
report of these terrible weapons,
resembling thunderbolts, did not ven-
ture to attack the country of the
Mahrattas. The air gun was an idea
of Hero of Alexandria, and the steam
gun a dream of Leonardi da Vinci.
Plato wrote clearly upon the science
of governments such as the world calls
" modern and enlightened" to.day.—
Strabo predicted the France of to*
day. Many governmental usages sup-
posed to be of modern origin date from
remote antiquity. The Athenians had
a stringent custom house law. Aria,
tophanes in one of his plays hits hard
the socialistic theories of our modern
Fourier. He was also the first writer
to notice the fact that when good mon-
ey are thrown together into circula
tion the bad curency drives out the
good. In 1373, shortly after the bat«
ties of Crecy and Poictiers, Nicholas
Oresme, a French churchman, wrote
a " Theory of Money" that was as
clear and practical as Adam Smith
gave to the world. Copernicus wrote
as well on the subject of wealth and
its creation as he did on the true
economy of the heavens. Zenophon
and Aristotle, preached upon the
beneficial effect of the division of labor,
so much enlarged upon by the modern
political economists. The world then
had its society for the suppression of
cruelty to animals. Our New York
apostle of humanity, President Burgh
is not the original mover for the car-
rying out of the laws in this matter.
The Athenians were so rigidly strict
in protecting the brute creation from
useless tortures, that the Areopagus
on one occasion pronounced sentence
of death against a child for tearing
out the eyes of a monkey.
The Romans had their Census
Tables. Life assurance was practiced,
and the piinciple calculation was the
same as our own. Hotels had their
registers in Rome in the Augustine
period, and Marco Polo says the same
system was enforced by the Khan of
Tartary. The modern plan of mari-
time insurance was in force in 1425,
Life insurances were made in Engl-
and if. 1641. Fire insurance originate
ed in Denmark. Plato indorsed the
establishment of agencies to establish
martrimonial alliances. Franklin did
not discover the principle of conduct*
ing electricity. The Etrurian priests
had often brought it to the earth.—
Photius alludes to the iron pointed
rod for the dispelling of thunder
clouds. Tullus Hostilius was killed
when trying the experiment which
Franklin succeeded in. Magnetic
attraction and repulsion are plainly in-
dicated in Lucretius. Theophrastus
and Pliny had a faint idea of the
modern telegraph. Homeopathy or
one of its principles, itmilia timilbus,
was understood by Paracelsus, who
recommended the cure of like by like,
and the negroes of Africa escape the
effects of the poisonons bite of the
" tampon" by an administration of
one of these insects bruised in the
mcdicine they administer. Hydro-
pathy was practiced by the Romans.
Sea sickness was warded off by the
ancients with the means advocated to<
day—a tight belt around the waist.
Jennerdid not discover vaccination.
The Persians and Hindoos have
practiced it for ages. Phrenology
was in vogue with the Hindoo Brah-
mins a thousand years ago. China
had Artesian wells two thousand years
j ago Pisciculture has long been practic-
ed in China. Metallic pens were used
by the Turks centuries ago, made of
silver. In 1760 one Tighaine be la
Roche foretold the invention of the
daguerrectype. Many of our theatrical
appliances were in vogue among the
ancients, especially the pJjj® of inflat-
ing the popularity of actors. Plaudits
were bought and sold. By the order
of Nero the great army of admiration
was organized and salaried in Rome,
any clacqeur . failing to C: come in" at
the right point in the play or the fight,
was thrown to the wild beasts.
Barring this unpleasant feiture in
the " clacqeur" line, the ancient* had
the best of it, for paid plaudits was
not a bad idea: however, as regards
the " moving of the world," and the
so-called novel inventions of modern
times, we begin to half believe the
world is retrograding instead of pro-
gressing—and that we have lost more
of "art" in the past one thousand
years than we have gained; and in-
stead of going ahead, it would-seem
that we are moving in a circle, picking
up what we suppose to be novelties,
but which turn out only the old sciences
dropped by the roadside, scattered
here and there in the great pathway
of ancient nations, along which we are
circuitously traveling. Verily, we
begin to think there is nothing new
nnder the sun.
OF BEING A RICH MAN'S SON.
The following story is said to
be strictly true:
Mr. P. a wealthy man retired
from business, was urged y'by a
friend to engage in a mercanti'e
scheme, from which large profits
were apparent. '"You are right"
said he, "as regards the probable
success of the scheme, but I shall
not embark in it- 1 have too much
money already. He was asked to
explain, and remarked:
"Yes, I would not cross the street
to gain thousands, 1 should be hap-
pier if my income were less, I am
old, and in a year or two, whatever
I possess will avail me naught. My
daughters are dead, and I have
three sons whom I dearly love.—
My own education had been neg-
lected ; my fortune was gained by
honest labor and careful economy ;
I had nothing for study, but I
resolved that my sons should have
every advantage. They each receiv-
ed a classical education, and then I
gave a choice of a profession. The
eldest would be a physician; the
second chose the law; the third re-
solved to follow my footsteps as a
merchant. This was all to my mind;
I was proud of my sons, and trusted
one day to see them distinguished,
or at least useful to their tellowmen.
I spared no expense in their train-
ing ; they had never wanted money,
for 1 gave each a liberal allowance.
Never had men lairer opportunities,
but look at the result, The physi-
cian has no patients, the lawyer has
no clients; while the merchant
instead of following my example
—is above visiting his counting
room! In vain 1 urge them to great
er diligence. What is the response.
There is no use, father—we shall
never want money: we know you
have enough for all. Thus instead
of being energetic and useful mem-
bers of society, my sons are mere
idlers and men of vain display. Had
they been forced to struggle aginst
dificulties to gain their professions
and were even now depenenton
their own exertions for support,
they would, in all probabilty, have
done credit to themselves and me.
Who will give heed to the lesson?
Intemperance is the cause of near
a'.l the trouble in this world; beware
of strong drink.
The person who thioketh himself
something when he is nothing, de
ceiveth himself. Reader, are you
deluding yourself?
SORGHUM,
In an interesting article on the ef-
fect of the Cuban revolution upon^the
sugar supply, the San Antonio Her-
ald recommends the cultivation of
sorghum :
. ; Considering the fact that 268,592
tons of sugar were imported into the
United States from Cuba, while the
estimated crop of Louisiana and Texv
was 28,000 tons, and our receipts
of foreign molases was 55,505,689
gallons, while the total crop of Louis-
iana and Texas only reached 3,370,-
000 gallons ; some idea can be form-
el how high molasses and sugar will
be by the close of the present year.—
By planting early in April the farmer
of Western Texas will in all probabil-
ity secure two crops of over 100 gal-
lons per acre each. At all events he
is certain of one crop of molases and
another of valuable winter fodder.
The giain will go very far ^towards
paying the cost of cultivation. The
invention of evaporators, and refining
and deoderizing processes in the past
few years has given a stimulus to the
production of this err p in the West-
ern States. I is claimed that with
these recent inventions 1000 pounds
of sugar per acre can be made in the
West with as much certainty as they
can grow 30 bushels of corn or 15
bushels of wheat per acre. The crop
however is uncertain there because
of danger from early frost. While
there may be some doubt as to the
fact of sugar being profitably made
from Sorghum there is not the shad>
ow of a doubt that with evaporators
and deodorizers, it is perfectly practi-
cable to make from Sorghum a syrup
as beautiful in appearance and . as
beautiful in appearance and pleasant
to the taste as the best golden or re-
fined syrups of Louisiana. With re-
gard to the cultivation of Sorghum
the important items are—1st seleot
light and dry in preference to heavy
and wet soils—2d, be certain to pro-
cure pure seed uncontaminated with
broom or chicken co n—3rd plant
shallow.
We see that a dispatch from Abi-
line, Kansas, is being copied in our
Texas exchanges, giving notioe that
neither Kansas or Illinois has passed
any laws prohibiting Texas cattle
from passing through those States.—
Let our people not be deceived.—
Public opinion in those States and in
Missouri is opposed to our beeves be-
ing allowed passage through them,
and mob law will prevent it. Specu>
lators are inviting you to drive in
that direction that they may obtain
your cattle for a song. Far better
will it be to make your own beef
packery, kill your beeves, pack and
ship them North. Let your persecu-
tors eat salted meats until they clamor
for the live animals.—Houston Tele-
graph.
Turkey is said to be preparing for
war with Persia, troops having al-
ready been concentrated on the frontier.
Now it is said that the Cubans have
secured two monitors with which they
expect soon to capture Havana or
Matanzas'
Recent German papers are very
warlike in tone, and private letters
says there is great activity in mobiliz-
ing Pureian troops and concentrat-
ing upon the Rhine.
Never give trouble to your mother
or father.
Every good act is a flower which
will beautify our final home.
The man who loves a virtuous
woman, hath at least one virtue.
Never be cruel to a dumb animal;
remember that it has no power to tell
how much it suffers.
The more we drink, we desire the
more. So, if we indulge our passions,
they become more violent.
Poetry.
IF WE KNEW.
If we knew the woe and heartache
Waiting for us down the road,
If our lips could taste the wormwood,
If our backs could feel the load,
Would we waste the day in wishing
For a time that ne'er can be;
Would we wait in such impatience
For our ships to come from sea ?
If we knew the baby fingers,
Pressed against the window pane,
W ould be cold and stiff to-inorrow—
Never trouble us again—
Would the bright eyes of our darling
Catch the frown upon our brow,
Would the prints of rosy fingers
Vex us then as they do now ?
Ah ! these little ice-cold fingers,
How they point our memories back
To the hasty words and actions
Strewn along our worldly track ;
How those little hands remind us
As in snowy grace they lie,
Not to scatter thorns—but roses—
For our reaping by and by.
Strange we never prize the muBic
Till the sweet-voiced bird has flown ;
Strange that we should slight the violets,
Till the lovely flowers are gone;
Strange that summer sky and sunshine
Never seem one half so fair,
As when winter's snowy pinions
Shake their white down in the air!
Lips from which the seal of silence
None but God can roll away ;
Never blossomed in such beauty
As adorns the mouth to-day:
And sweet words that freight our memory
With their beautiful perfume,
Comes to us in sweeter accents
Through the portals of the tomb.
Let us gather up the sunbeams
Lying all around our path ;
Let us keep the wheat and roses,
Castiug out the thorns and chaff;
Let us find our sweetest comfort
In the blessings of to-day,
With a patient hand removing
All the briars from our way.
ANOTHER HORROR.
The Marshall Republican gives an
account of an affair in Rusk county
that forms a climax of horrors. The
oircumstances are as follows:
A young man by the name of Col.
Green, who is said to have been a
new settler in the county, left Hen-
derson on Saturday evening last, in
a state of int >x cation for home.
When he got about seven mileB from
town, on the Marshall road, he stop,
ped at widow Griffin's place, where
a body of negroes were making
crop, and ordered his cupper. While
eating it, he was seized by five ne-
groes, who tied his hands behind him,
dragged him about a half mile, and
hung him. They treated him very
brutally, throwing him over fenoes
a3 they rcached them, bruising his
face, and otherwise maltrea ing him.
While he was hanging, they rolled
back a log, dug a trench and threw
him in it before life was extinct, and
then rolled the log back to its former
place. Two of the negroes were
preachers. The principal one en-
gaged in the murder, Julius Jones,
stood by with a gun, directing the
others, and telling them he would
kill the first one that flinched. The
same negro went next day to hender-
son, preached a sermon, and bap-
tized fourteen negroes.
Green is represented as a refined,
intelligent, accomplished gentleman,
but who occasionally, unfortunately
got intoxicated. His friends missing
him, it seems, found his horse at this
plantation, and his hat at one of the
cabins. Oa searching for him, they
traced his footsteps upon the route
he had been carried, and found a
letter that had dropped out of his
pocket.
Five negroes were arrested who
confessed the crime, and were taken
to Henderson and placed in jail.
This was on Monday. On Thursday
night, about 11 o'clock, a mob went
to the jail and hung every one of
them on the pnblio square, fronting
eaoh side of the courthouse; the two
preachers together.
miSCELLA^ eors.
A man that hoards riches and
enjoys thein not, is no better than
the ass that carries gold and eats
thistles.
Some of the savage tribes wear
bells on their noses. We iiave
sometimes at crowded soirees, had
belles on our toes—and didn't like
the fashion.
The most remarkable case on
record is that of the Yankee soap
man, who, in a violent storm at sea,
saved himself from death by taking
a cake of his own soap and washing
himself ashore!
Corn Beef.—Fresh beef, boiled
in very salt water, is nicer, sweeter
and tenderer, than that which has
been picketed before cooking-—and
any family that can get fresh beef,
may corn it as they want it.
The latest novelty in the Chicago
Divorce Court is the case of a wo-
man asking separation from a hus-
band who swears that he never
married her.
A man in Iowa had his nose
bitten off in an aftray, the other,
day begun by himself. Of course he
is in no danger of being indicted
for getting up the quarrel. Any
grand jury will have to report
"No bill found:'
Lusirous Starch.—Take one
ounce of spermaceti and one ounce
of white wax ; melt into a thin cake
on a plate. A piece the size of a
quarter dollar added to a quart of
prepared starch gives a beautiful
lustre to the clothes, and prevents
the iron from sticking.
A secret expedition of Cubans is
understood to have sailed from
New York, some days since, on a
steamer, carrying artillery and
other war materials.
The New Orleans Times denies
that any Cuban expedition is fit*
ting out in that city.
A farmer at Taunton, Mass.. has
a remarkable cow. During the last
year she has given 7,434 quarts of
milk, weighing about 14,398
pounds, and yielding $560 ; while
the keeping of this animal cost only
$144.
Twelve States have ratified the
15th amendment.
Six hundred men are working at
Providence, R. I., on locomotives
for the Pacific Railroad.
A lawsuit for the possession of a
horse was settled at Augusta, Ga.f
the other da}% by drawing straws.
A recent writer has descanted on
the danger of keeping the mouth
open while asleep. The great troub-
le with most persons arises from
the practice while awake.
A man on Younge'street, Toron-
to, says that he never had a friend.
The only man that ever had an
attachment for him was the Sheriff.
A lady dressed in the latest style
was recently observed on our streets
endeavoring to walk perfectly up-
right. She attracted a good deal of
attention.
"Why don't you ask your sweet-
heart to marry you ?"
"I have asked her."
' What did she say ?
"Oh, iv'e the refusal of her."
When fortune fails us, thesuppo-
ed friends of our prosperous days
vanish.
Let nothing but what is good be
said about the dead.
Repose and ease should some-
times be granted to the weary.
Proper periods of rest and labor
are indispensble to the whole ani-
mal creation.
Be decisive or mild, as the circum-
stances in which you are plaoed may
require. Suit your conduct to the
occasion.
There are many meu who are liber*
al, even to profusion, when they can
be so at the expense of othen.
A quarrelsome man must expeet
many wounds.
To indulge anger is to admit
as a guest j but to indulge malioe is
to close the door upon him as an in*
mate—in the one oase he finds a tran-
sient lodging; in the other, a perma-
nent home.
Enforci th* Law.—The House-
ton Telograph says : "Let the jurom
of every county in Texas be as stem
as they have been lately at Qalvflitoi,
ia enforcing the law, and it will gfr*
us the most orderly State in the Union.
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Makemson, W. K. & Foster, Wm. K. Georgetown Watchman (Georgetown, Tex.), Vol. 3, No. 9, Ed. 1 Saturday, April 24, 1869, newspaper, April 24, 1869; Georgetown, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth233228/m1/1/: accessed April 19, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting The Dolph Briscoe Center for American History.