HARVEY'S WONDERFUL POWER.

A young printer employed by the Blakely Printing Company is astonishing his associates with some marvelous feats, says the Farmer and Exchange. The accuracy with which he takes measurements with his eyes and mind seems really supernatural. In using pica measure-a pica is one-sixth of an inch-he employs no guide to aid him, but adjusts his stick, cuts rules and leads the desired length by measuring the space in his mind. In giving an exhibition of his powers lately, he took nine pieces of brass rule and cut them to 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14 and 15 pica ems respectively, and on measuring the cut rules they were found to be the exact length. He then cut twelve pieces to one length without comparing them. The pieces were gathered and compared and could not have been shaved nearer one length. He tells longer measures with equal accuracy. A piece of wood was handed him and he was asked the length of it. "Two feet five and three-eighth inches," was the quick and absolutely accurate reply. He was also asked if a certain block was square. "One of its angles lacks a little of it," he answered. The angle referred to was found to be slightly acute. Another curious freak of this printer is that he never carries a watch, but is a positive regulator at telling the hour. One dark afternoon, after having not seen a clock all day, one of the men jestingly asked him the time of day. "Seven minutes after 3," was the prompt reply, and all the correct watches in the house testified to his accuracy. To more fully test his ability in this direction, his room mate awoke him a few nights ago and put to him the query as to the hour. The reply this time was "twenty minutes after 2," which was correct to a minute. The young printer dislikes notoriety and refuses to use his peculiar gift publicly for gain. His name is Joe Harvey. Since a boy he has been able to accomplish remarkable feats of this kind.

HON. GEORGE BANCROFT, the historian, spent his ninetieth birthday, October 3d, in his Newport cottage on the "Cliff," which was thronged with callers. He is still an untiring reader. In 1882, Mr. Bancroft wrote thus to S. Austin Allibone: "I was trained to look upon life here as a season of labor. Being more than four score years old I know the time for my release will soon come. Conscious of being near the shore of eternity, I await without impatience and without dread the beckoning of the hand which will summon me to rest." In his long and active life Mr. Bancroft has been Collector of the Port of Boston under President Van Buren, Secretary of the Navy under Polk, and acted as Secretary of War for a month at the same time, Minister to Great Britain, Prussia, the North German Confederation and the German Empire. He published the first volume of his history of the United States in 1834 and the last in 1874. Some revisions have been published, the last in 1885.

IT has been found that, by the addition of chloride of zinc to the pulp, in course of manufacture, paper may be made as tough as wood or leather; the degree of concentration in the zinc solution determining its toughness. This substance can be utilized in a variety of ways, as it is thoroughly waterproof.

DINING IN LAPLAND.

I was taken into one of the Lapp's huts, says a writer in an English journal. In the centre a wood fire was burning brightly on some stones, and at first the smoke was very unpleasant, but soon one became accustomed to it, and it served the useful purpose of driving away the winged plague, which had followed us all day.

The man proceeded to boil some coffee, which in a few minutes was set before me, together with a wooden bowlful of reindeer's milk. The coffee was not very palatable, but under the circumstances worse fare would have proved acceptable. The milk I found to be too thick and rich to drink much of.

A sugar loaf was produced from beneath some cloths in a corner, and a few pieces were chipped off and handed to me. I accepted them with my politest smile, accompanied by a bow, but when I proceeded to sugar my coffee in the orthodox style the action caused much amusement to the juvenile Lapps, who roared with laughter, and appeared to enjoy the fun immensely.

I found that I ought to have eaten the sugar separately, as they did, and they evidently considered my way of sweetening coffee inexpressibly funny.

Cakes were then served to each one. These were about the size of a penny bun, but of the consistency of putty or dough, which they somewhat resemble in appearance. Sour cream was eaten with them. So nasty were they that a mouthful gave me quite a turn," and I was glad to smuggle the remainder underneath the rug on which I was sitting. I did not like to throw it away, for fear of offending my hosts, but trusted to the sharp noses of the dogs to get me out of the difficulty.

CHARACTERISTICS OF HANDWRITING.-Handwriting has its characteristics, and is a study in itself to those who want to become familiar with its peculiarities, says the St. Louis Globe-Democrat. It can very easily be told whether a person whose writing you want to identify is a man or a woman, a minor or adult. It is very seldom a handwriting assumes its permanency before the writer is twentyfive years old. The age of the writing can approximately be determined by various methods. If it has a Spencerian appearance you may know it was written after 1882, as at that date the Spencerian system was introduced. If it is the black aniline ink that is generally used everywhere now, you may know it was written after 1873. The older inks had iron or some diluted dyestuff for a basis, and preceded the aniline. An analysis of the writing will most generally determine the date of the writing.

FOR CROUP use kerosene oil. Wet a piece of flannel and apply. It gives almost instant relief. Remove when the skin becomes very red, or it will blister. CARE OF MAD DOG BITES.-A German forest keeper recommends a cure for the bite of a rabid animal, which is being widely circulated in the newspapers. It consists of bathing the wound with vinegar and pouring upon it a few drops of muriatic acid. We are sure that any one who tries this remedy will find it nearly as bad as the bite. Muriatic acid is a powerful corrosive.

THE MURDEROUS CIGARETTES.

The Chicago Herald gives an account of a young man, residing in that city who recently became insane through cigarette smoking. The young man began the use of cigarettes about a year ago. Cases of insanity from the use of cigarettes are becoming more and more frequent.

At Lockport, N. Y., a boy named Fred. Long, aged fourteen years, recently died from heart disease, superinduced by cigarette smoking, and this is only one in thousands.

LITERARY.

SPECIAL.

We have instructed our bookkeeper to carefully revise our subscription list, and strike from the roll the names of all delinquents, as well as all subscribers whose paid up terms expired with the December issue. It is a little unpleasant to have unpaid bills, which have been running from two to four years, returned to us with the statement that the delinquent subscribed for only one year, and does not propose to pay for the years he has received the Journal unordered. This is a small matter in any individual case, but where it includes hundreds it amounts to a very considerable sum to be put down to profit and loss.

If any of our readers feel disappointed at not receiving the January number, they have only to renew their subscriptions from that date and receive it.

We have adopted the rule of terminating all subscriptions at the close of the pre-paid term, as the one most satisfactory to all parties. Those who have heretofore continued to receive the Journal for the matter of two or three years without paying for it, will accept our humble apology for having occasioned them so much annoyance, with the compliments of the season, and a promise of speedy reform.

THE MONIST, a philosophical quarterly, issued by the Open Court Publishing Company, Chicago, bids fair to take a high place among our serial publications of the better sort. The January number is brilliant in instructive essays. GOOD HOUSEKEEPING has become a monthly. It makes its first appearance in its new and attractive form as a New Year's offering, and a very acceptable one it is, too. There is none better of its kind extant, and if it meets with the favor it deserves, its financial career is bound to be one of entire success.

THE NEW METHOD IN CERTAIN CHRONIC DISEASES.-By W. E. Forest, B. S., M. D., M. L. Holbrook & Co., Publishers, 710 Broadway, New York.

"The older the physician grows, and the wider his experience, the more futile does he find mere drugs, and drugs alone, in the cure of chronic and sub-acute diseases." Such are the opening words of this admirable little treatise of 123 pp. Among the subjects treated of are Exercise, Diet, Dyspepsia, Biliousness, Kidney Diseases, Nervous Exhaustion, Catarrh, Hemorrhoids, Rheumatism and Corpulency.. The methods are simple and doubtless effective, the more so as the poisonous effects of the old style drugging are supervened by a more rational system. The book will be found valuable, not only to physicians, but to those who have suffered long and patiently under their hands. MEDICAL BULLETIN VISITING LIST, NO. 1.-This is a pocket memorandum book intended specially for physicians in active practice, with printed formulæ, guides, tables and prescriptions adapted to various diseases, ages and shades of disorders common to the ordinary run of patients. It will be found indispensable as a ready reference and visiting note book. Published and sold by F. A. Davis, 1231 Filbert street, Philadelphia.

We have received a treatise, or something of the sort, entitled

SILVER IN THE FIFTY-FIRST CONGRESS, with a SUMMARY OF THE U. S. COINAGE LAWS.

We shall make no attempt to review this monetary exposition. The truth is we have so little to do with money in any shape, that our opinion would be utterly valueless, yet we can always remember, within a million or two, the amount of our drawn and honored checks and this was more than one of our leading fin nciers could do a few days after the transaction. His opinion would be worth something.

Our thanks are extended to the authors who have favored us with the following publications :

IMPERFORATE AUDITORY CANALS.-By Seth S. Bishop, M. D., Chicago, Ill. THE BACTERIOLOGICAL WORLD.—A monthly illustrated magazine for the study of micro-organisms and diseases of bacterial and parasitic origin. Paul Poquin, M D., V. M., &c., Editor, State University, Columbia, Mo., will be commenced the 1st. of January and continued in monthly issues thereafter. The subject is one of absorbing interest at this time. The frontispiece will consist of engraved likenesses of the two eminent discoverers in medicine, Pasteur and Koch.

THE TREATMENT of the MORPHINE DISEASE.—By J. B. Mattison, M. D., of the Home for Habitués, Brooklyn, N. Y. Reprint from the Therapeutic Gazette, of Sept. 1, 1890, 24 pp.

IN GORGEOUS ARRAY.-A number of our exchanges come to us in holiday dress, in honor of Christmas and the New Year. Among them we would mention the Churchman, Youth's Companion, Cottage Hearth, Baby Land and Our Little Men and Women.

We have also received a number of Illuminated Calendars for 1891, among them one very handsome in design and execution from that excellent serial, "The Canadian Queen," of Toronto, Canada, which we commend to our lady readers. One thing, however, troubles us. The calendar was labeled in staring capitals, "FOR THE EDITOR'S WIFE." Now, supposing the editor has no wife, would it be larceny for him to appropriate the gift; or supposing there are two or three editors with wives, how would it be possible to make peace between them? We cannot sub-divide the calendar any more satisfactorily than could the wise old patriarch the living baby of two claimants, and even if we should, one or the other would want all the springtime, or the summer, or the harvest season. On reflection, we conclude that the luckey he member into whose hands it fell, for the sake of peace, had best keep it.

THE CENTURY MAGAZINE.-Always so good there is no room for improvement. THE HOME MAKER.—Rightly named.

LEND A HAND.-Excellent in its way and its way of the best.

TABLE TALK.-Full of good things.

GOOD HOUSEKEEPING.-No better.

Indeed, all our exchanges deserve particular mention, but we forbear for want of space. Good luck and a Happy New Year to every one of them.

ON THE MEDICATED AIR TREATMENT OF CONSUMPTION, ETC.-By Robert Hunter, M. D., New York City, the founder of the treatment, to the exposition of which this pamphlet of 32 pp. is devoted.

The author says in his preface that the aim of his treatise is to make plain three important facts. First, the perfect curability of lung diseases; secondly, the true cause of their fatality under ordinary medication, and lastly, the success which attends their proper treatment by medicated air and vapor.

PYOKTANIN IN DISEASES OF THE EYE, EAR AND THROAT.-By W. Cheatham, M. D., Specialist, etc., University of Louisville. A brief but comprehensive treatise, in which it is explained that Pyoktanin is a combination of coal tar extracts and signifies "pus-killer."

OUR BIRTH.

"Our birth is but a sleep and a forgetting:
The soul that rises with us, our life's star,
Hath had elsewhere its setting,

And cometh from afar ;
Not in entire forgetfulness,
And not in utter nakedness,

But trailing clouds of glory do we come
From God, who is our home:

EXTRACT FROM WORDSWORTH'S INTIMATIONS OF IMMORTALITY