IP 
pr«ii 
CURIOSITIES OF EATING, 
As old beau, formerly well known in the city 
of Washington, was accustomed to eat bat one 
meal in twenty-four hours; if after this he had 
to go to a party and take a second dinner, he ate 
nothing all the next day. He died at the age of 
seventy. 
A lady of culture, of refinement and unusual 
powers of observation and comparison, became 
a widow. Reduced from affluence to poverty 
with a large family of small children dependent 
on her manual labor for dally food, she made a 
variety of experiments to ascertain what articles 
could be purchased for the least money, and 
would at the same time "go the farthest,” by 
keeping her children longest from crying for 
something to cat. She soon discovered that 
when they ate buckwheat cakes and molasses, 
they were qniet, for a longer time than after eat¬ 
ing any other kiud of food. 
A distinguished Judge qf the United States 
Court observed that when he took buckwheat 
cakes for breakfast, he could sit on the bench 
the whole day without being uncomfortably 
hungry; if the cakes were omitted, he felt 
obliged to take alnnchabout noon. Buckwheat 
cakes arc a universal favorite at the winter break¬ 
fast table, and scientific investigation and analysis 
have shown that they abound in the heat forming 
principle; hence nature takes away our appetite 
for them in summer. 
During the Irish famine, when many died of 
hunger, the poor were found spending their last 
shilling for ten, tobacco uud spirits. It has also 
been observed in New York, by those connected 
with chnritable Institutions, that when money 
was paid to the poor, they often laid oat every 
cent in tea or coffee, instead of procuring the 
more substantial food, such as meal and Hour 
and potatoes. On being reproved for their aj>pa- 
rent extravagance and improvidence, the cry 
universally was in both cases, identical; their 
own observation had shown them that a penny’s 
worth of tea, tobacco or liquor would keep off 
the sense of hunger longer than a penny’s worth 
of anything else. Scientific men express the 
idea by saying: — “Tea, like alcohol, retards the 
metamorphos of the tissues; in other words, it 
gives fuel to the flume of life, and thus prevents 
it from consuming the fat and flesh of the body.” 
If a person gets into the habit of taking a 
lunch between breakfast and dinner, he will soon 
find himself getting faiut about the regular 
luncheon time; but let him bo bo pressed with 
important engagements for several days In suc¬ 
cession as to take nothing between meals, it will 
not be long before lie can dispense with his lunch 
altogether. These things seem to show that, to 
a certain extent, eating is a habit. Whole tribes 
of Indian hunters and trappers have been known 
to eat but once in twenty-four hours, and that at 
night.— Halt's Journal oj' Health. 
THE OLDEST CITY IN THE WORLD, 
Damascus is the oldest city in the world; 
Tyre and Sidon have crumbled on the shore; 
Baalbec is in ruin; Palmyra lies burled la the 
sands of the desert; Nineveh aud Babylon have 
disappeared from the shores of the Tigris and 
Euphrates, Damascus remains what it was be¬ 
fore the days of Abraham —a center of trade 
and travel, an island of verdure in a desert, “ a 
predestinated capital,” with martial and sacred 
association extending beyond thirty centuries. 
It was near Damascus that Saul of Tarsus saw 
the light from heaven, "abovethe brightness of 
the sun;” the street which la call Strait, in 
which it is said he “ prayeth,” still runs through 
the city, the caravan comes and goes as it did 
one thousand years ago; there is still the sheik, 
the ass and tbe water-wheel; the merchants of 
the Euphrates and the Mediterranean still occu¬ 
py these with the "multitude of their waters.” 
The city which Mahomet surveyed from a neigh¬ 
boring height, and was afraid to enter, " because 
it is given to man to have but one paradise, and, 
for his part, he was resolved not to have it in 
this world,” is to this day what Julian called the 
“ Eve of the East," as it was in the time of 
Isaiah “ the Head of Syria.” 
From Damascus, came our damson, our blue 
plums, and the delicious apricot of Portugal, 
called damaseo; damask our beautiful fabric of 
cotton and silk, with vines and flowers raised 
upon a smooth, bright ground; damask rose 
introduced into England in the time of Henry 
^ II; the Damascus blade, so famous the world 
over for its keen edge and remarkable elasticity, 
the secret of the manufacture of which was lost 
when Tamerlane carried off the artists into Per¬ 
sia; and that beautiful art of inlaying wood and 
steel with silver and gold — a kind of mosaic en¬ 
graving and sculpture united, calleddamas-keen- 
ing, with which boxes, and bureaus, and swords 
and guns are ornamented. 
It is still a city of flowers aud bright waters; 
the streams from Lebanon, the " rivers of Da¬ 
mascus,” the “ rivers of gold,” still murmur 
aud sparkle in the wilderness of "Syrian Gar¬ 
dens." 
--- 
dangerous hospitality. 
Tats late Professor Goodrich, of Tale College, 
says: — " I had a widow’s sou committed to my 
care. He was heir to a great estate. He went 
through the different stages, and finally left with 
a good moral character and bright prospects. 
But during the course of his education, he had 
heard the sentiment advanced,'.which I then sup¬ 
posed correct, that the use of wines was not only 
admissible, but a real auxiliary to the temper¬ 
ance cause. 
After he had left college for a few years he 
continued to be respectful to me. At length 
he became reserved. One night he rushed un¬ 
ceremoniously into my room, and hia appear¬ 
ance told the dreadful secret. He said he came 
to talk with me. He had been told during his 
senior year that It teas safe to drink wine, and 
by that idea had been ruined. I asked him if 
his mother knew this. He said no; he had 
carefully concealed it. from her. I asked him if 
he W03 such a slave that he could not abandon 
the habit. ‘ Talk not to me of slavery,’ said he; 
‘I am ruined, and before I go to bed I shall 
quarrel with the barkeeper of the Tontine for 
brandy or gin to sate my burning thirst.’ 
" In one month this young man was in his 
grave. It went to my heart. UW is the cause 
of ruin to a great proportion of the young men 
of our country. Another consideration is, that 
the habit of conviviality and hospitality is now 
directed to the use of wine. 
•“ You give up your wine, and I will give up 
my rum,’ says the rum drinker. Once 1 would 
not yield to this. Now I think I ought, for tbe 
purpose of checking intemperance. I will not 
speak for others, but for me to do otherwise 
would be siu.” 
THE SOVEREIGNS OF EUROPE. 
There are at the present moment 43 reigning 
Sovereigns in Europe, of that number ten be¬ 
long to the Roman Catholic rcligiou, but one Is 
excommunicated; 30 are Protestants, one is of 
the Greek Church, and one a Mahomedan, the 
forty-third is the Pope. The Catholics are, two 
Emperors—of Austria and France; live Kings— 
of Bavaria, Belgium, Spain (a Queen,) Portugal, 
and Saxony; two Princes — of Lichtenstein and 
Monaco, the excommunicated Sovereign is 
King Victor Emmanuel. The 30 Protestants . 
are, eight Kings and Queens—of England, Prus¬ 
sia, Sweden, Denmark, Holland, Hanover, 
Greece, and Wurteinburg; 6 Graud Dukes — of 
Baden, Hesse-Darmstadt, Meckleubnrg-Schwera, 
Mecklenburg -Strelitz, Oldenburg, and Saxe- 
Wcimar; seven Dukes—of Anhalt, Brunswick, 
Nassau, Suxe-Mcmingen, Saxe-Altemburg, Saxe- 
Coburg, and Schleswig-Holstein; nine Princes 
—of Lippo-Detmold, Lippe-Sehuumburg, Rcuss- 
Gricz, Renss-Scbleiz, Schwartzburg, Sonderhau- 
sen, and Waldeek; the Elector of Ilesse-Cassel 
and the Landgrave of llesse-IIomburg. The 
Greek Orthodox Sovereign is the Emperor of 
Russia, and the Mussulman, the Sultan of Tur¬ 
key. There are also seven Republics in Europe; 
two exclusively Catholics—San Marino and Au- 
dorra; and five in which the majority of the in¬ 
habitants are Protestants — Switzerland, Ham¬ 
burg, Bremen, Frankfort, Lubeck. 
THE ORDER OF THE JESUITS. 
The Jesuits have published at Rome the sta¬ 
tistics of the members of their order. From 
these it appears that in tho C'oinarca alone there 
are 475 Jesuits, of whom 385 reside in Rome and 
the remainder In the colleges of Vellctri, Frosi- 
none, and Viterbo. There are 173 Jesuits super¬ 
intending tbe Roman college; 75 are engaged in 
directing the journal Olvilta Cattollca, 18 In the 
German College, 11 in the College do Nobile, 13 
in the South American College, 54 live in the 
House of Profession, 79 are assigned to the no¬ 
vitiate, and 28 remain In the House of Kofage. 
At the end of 1851 there were 7,728 members 
of the Jesuit order in the Catholic world, being 
129 more than In 1863, The order is divided into 
21 provinces, of which four belong to Franco, 
five to Germany, Belgium, and Holland, two to 
Spain, five to Italy, one to Mexico, and the other 
four are distributed in England, Ireland and the 
United States. In 1864 there were 1,532 Jesuits 
employed In foreign missions, being an increase 
of 242 over the year 1863. The European mis¬ 
sions amounted to2S; the Asiatic to 296; the 
African to 213; the North American to 276; the 
South American to 199; tho Oceanian to 55; 
and 15 were on passage. Twenty-five years ago, 
namely, in 1841, there wore but 3,503 Jesuits, so 
that since that period the number has been more 
than doubled. 
DELAYS IN THE ROAD TO WEALTH. 
Those who envy the merchants of New York 
little think how slow a progress they make from 
the clerk’s desk to the stately parlor of the con¬ 
cern. The new house of GriuncU, Minturn & 
Co. has just been remodeled, aud two of its 
former clerks are made partners. Both of these 
were fifty years of age and upwards, and one of 
them had been in the house for more than a 
quarter of a century. Both had been elevated j 
over the heads of other clerks, out of whom, 
numbering more than one hundred (employed 
at different times,) only two have reached the 
pinnacle of success. Such is the dubious pros¬ 
pect held out to youthful ambition. A life of 
drudgery, perhaps, to bring success when age 
aud habit have reudured it of little value. And 
yet so great is the rush to obtain situations in 
such houses that clerks receive no pay the first 
year, and but little even after that. Hence many 
become wearied aud drop off, and only the tena¬ 
cious hang on, and of these not one in ten 
reaches the prize. 
T. akingt Cold. — Thousands take cold and 
bring upon themselves various forms of incura¬ 
ble disease, by laying aside an extra garment 
when perspiring from heat or vigorous exercise. 
When exercise has been taken the person should 
rest awhile before removing an extra garment, 
and If lying down or exposed to a current of air, 
more clothing, instead of less, should he added 
till well rested. When exposed to cold from 
getting the feet or person wet, dry clothing 
should be put on, and vigorous exercise taken, 
however stupid the person may foel, unless too 
much exercise has been previously taken, in 
which case, remove the damp clothing, retire 
immediately to bed, cover very warm and put 
warm bricks or flat-irons to the feet so as to 
create warmth in a short time. Before, and 
daring the continuance of exercise, a person 
may drink cold water, but never Immediately on 
ceasing from exercise, however thirsty. 
derrick, with drill is operation. 
For Moore’s Rural New-Yorker. 
PROCESS OF SINKING OIL WELLS. 
BY CAPT. J. WKENN. 
k - 
The process of boring for oil or sinking oil 
wells is an undertaking undoubtedly little known 
to a majority of the vast number of readers of 
the Rural. Therefore thinking the “ modus 
operand! ” maybe interesting, we will endeavor 
to give the process, accompanied by engrav¬ 
ings, of implements used in sinking a well from 
commencement to completion. Wells are sunk 
at depths varying from CO to 1,000 feet, but the 
process throughout is the game. 
The location being decided upon, a derrick is 
erected about 16 feet square at tho base, three 
feet square at the top, and 45 feet In height; on 
the top of which is securely placed an Iron pulley; 
at the bottom arc the bullwhcels connected by 
a shaft, around which is wound the cable to 
which the drilling-tools arc fastened. An engine 
house is erected about 30 feet from the derrick, 
in which is placed the engine — and of which 
there are nearly as many different kinds and sizes 
as wells—usually, however, being 10 to 12 horse 
power; a belt connects the engine with the 
band-wheel, to which is fixed a crank which Is 
connected to the walking-beam by a pitman at 
one end, the walking-beam resting on its cen¬ 
ter, on a strong post called a Sampson post. In 
most cases, especially in Pennsylvania, iron pipe 
six inches in diameter la driven through the 
earth to the rook, varying from twenty to fifty 
feet; this koeps the earth from falling in the 
well during boring. 
The process of driving pipe is much the same 
as pile driving. Guides made of plank are set 
up in the center of the derrick, a rope Is wound 
two or three times around the bullwheel shaft, 
then passed up over the Iron pulley at the top 
of tho derrick and made fast to an iron staple 
in a large wooden ram or maul weighing gene¬ 
rally six to eight hundred* pounds. Great care 
has to he taken that the pipe is driven plumb, and 
for this purpose damps are made fitting the 
guides and through which the pipe passes hold- 
-<!•) 0-) (3.) (8.) 
1. Rope-Socket; 9. Pipe-Tong* ; 3. Jar; 8. Sand-pump. 
ing it firmly to its place. The pipe being set up 
and a cap made of iron put on to prevent the 
maul from being split or the edge of the pipe 
being broken, the engine is started, the bull- 
wheel being connected to the handwheel by a long 
rope, turns round, a mau holding the rope which 
is fastened to the maul aud which is raised 
between the guides, and drops heavily on the 
pipe. The maul is thus raised and dropped until 
the pipe is driven to the floor. Iu case more 
than one length (9 feet) has to be driven, an iron 
band fitting closely is heated red-hot, which en¬ 
larges it and placed on the shoulder made for 
it, another length is inserted in the band and 
driving continues until the rock is reached. 
This pipe being cleaned out by drilling and sand 
pumping, boring commences; one end of the 
(6.) (4.) (3.) (7.) 
Temper-Screw; 4. Auger-Stem; 3. Drill; 7. Reamer. 
then the Auger-stem, (fig. 4,) and lastly the 
Drill, (fig. 5,) making the tools, when together, 
about 41 feet long and weighing from eight to 
nine hundred pounds. These are lowered in the 
well and made fast to the Temper-screw, (fig. 6,) 
and this to the walking beam, and on the engine 
being started, they rise and fall, and drilling com ¬ 
mences. At intervals a Reamer, (flg. 7,) is 
fastened on in place of the drill, and the hole Is 
made the proper size. After reaming, the Sand- 
pump, (flg. 8,) a hollow metal case, with a valve 
at the bottom, is inserted and the borings and 
sediment pumped out, aud drilling continues. 
During thu drilling a correct record is kept of 
the different kinds of roclc passed through, and 
also of the exact points where water, gas, or 
oil veins are found. 
Many good wells have been secured, which, 
previous to being pumped showed no signs of 
oil, but generally a slum of oil is seen and the 
drilling is suspended, the well cleaned out and 
tubed with two inch gas-pipe screwed together|iu 
sections of about 16 to 16 feet each, and firmly 
fastened at the top with the Pipe-tongs (flg. 9.) 
At the bottom la placed the working barrel or 
pump, a copper tube six feet long, in the bottom 
of which is placed the lower valve. Tbe fresh¬ 
water veins are prevented from flooding the 
well by means of a leathern bag called a “ seed 
bag," filled with fiax seed and placed outside of 
the tubing and below any water veins. When 
flax seed becomes saturated with water it swells 
and completely shuts off all communication from 
above and below it. The sucker rods with the 
upper valve are then inserted and fastened to 
the walking-beam, and pumping commences. 
It often happens that pumping goes on days and 
even weeks without any sign of oil, and still 
It may prove to be a good well; but it needs 
capital, patience and perseverance. At other 
times a few moments pumping may draw oil, 
and it may prove a flowing well, in which case 
the sucker rods are withdrawn to allow it full 
veut; again, and of more frequent occurrence 
the well proves a total failure, and the money 
and time expended are lost. Nine times out of 
ten the wells thU3 sunk, proven bad Investment. 
The cost of sinking, tubing, tankage and test¬ 
ing a well in Pennsylvania, is from $6,000 to 
$8,000. Iu Burksville, Ky., the new oil Eldorado, 
wells are sunk from a depth of 12 to 200 feet— 
the 12 foot well pumps about three barrels of lu¬ 
bricating oil a day—the cost of these wells ranges 
from $4,000 to t'.OOO. 
Burksville, Ky., 1866. 
Industry and economy will get rich while 
a, agacity aud intrigue are laying their plans. 
cable is passed over tbe pulley at the top of the 
derrick aud rivited in the Rope Socket, (fig. 1,) 
which is fastened to tbe Sinker-bar, which i 3 a 
round iron bar two inches in diameter and eight 
feet long, this fastened to tbe Jars, (fig. 3,) 
RED RIDING-HOOD 
Wb know the simple story 
About. Red Riding-Hood— 
# How all alone to grandma’s 
She journeyed through the wood, 
And the little basket carried, 
All in tho morning bright, 
With the golden balls of butter 
Bonoatli the napkin white. 
She must have thought of grandma 
While walking In tho shade; 
How lovingly and gladly 
She’d greet her little maid; 
When she her basket opened, 
How pleased the dame would be 
To sec the little present 
Pnt up so care full j-. 
And theu the sad deceiver, 
The wolf with cruel eyes I 
The simple child confiding, 
More Innocent than wise, 
Naught knowing of the danger, 
Nor fearing iu the way, 
The little story tells us, 
Falls to Ills wiles a prey. 
It is a mournful story, 
But, like Red Riding-Hood, 
AH we poor little children 
Aro walking In the wood. 
Our path is very pleasant, 
But set with many a snare; 
Tho wolf is watching for ns— 
O, littlo ones, Beworo I 
CLARA BELL. 
Little Clara Bell ! Pretty Clara Bell! I 
am going to tell you how she fell. It was a 
rainy day ; rain was dripping on the hay; falling 
in a gentle shower on each garden flower. They 
hung down their heads; and the little chicka¬ 
dees crept into the sheds. 
Ducks were dallying in the pond, and a 
little on beyond, was the gander aud his mate, 
and their goslings eight. The rain playod tunes 
upon the window pane, singing soft and low on 
the ripening grain. 
Clara listened to the song, but it seemed so 
long. Will and Ned wore both at Bchool, and 
she thought Mike was a fool; gambling in 
puppy pluy, out on such a rainy day. She had 
dressed her old rag Sue, fed and kissed her, 
whipped her, too — " Manmia, what am I to do? 
Sue is naughty, and so bod,” little Clara said, 
“ Do you b’Ueve it, that 1 had for to scud her off 
to bed. Mamma, can’t I feed my cat, l don’t 
think she’s had a rat all this morulug. I can 
climb the wood-shed stair, and go anywhere. 
And the kittens, O! mamma, p’raps they’re cry¬ 
ing for a drink.” 
"You had better not, I think,” her mamma 
said, " till Will Is here, he will help you then, my 
dear.” Not a word did Clara say, but when 
mamma turned away, to the kitchen Clara flew. 
"Nancy, dear, 0 dot O dot give me quick, a 
cup of milk, for my own dear kitty cat, with a 
coat as soft as silk; and for little kittens, too, 
Nancy dear! O, Nancy, do! ” 
Nancy gave the child some milk, for old Mrs. 
Kitty Cat, and her babies all so fat. Up the 
stairs went Clara Bell, I must tell you how 
she fell. 
Kit was hungry, that was true, and so were 
her babies, too, but instead of crying out, they 
were frisking all about, playing they wore catch¬ 
ing mice, but it was their tails, so nice, they ran 
after, round and round, with bright eyes and 
merry bound- Now, young Topsy had a tall, 
wonderful to see; and she ran together milk, in 
such merry glee, that she frisked her tail under 
Clara’s shoe, and then set up such a "mew,” 
kitty flew at Miss Clara, scratched and tore; 
down the milk went on the floor. 
Down came Clara on a kit; it scratched her 
hands, it tore, it bit; she screamed loud and 
louder yet, all her dress with milk was wet. 
Golden curls and pussy’s hair, both came tum¬ 
bling down tho stair. How tho folk ran in 
alright. " Good enough, just served you right,” 
said Grandma Gray," good enough, if you will 
play with that dreadful, hateful cat.” " I only 
wish ehe was under ground, and my pct,£Clara, 
safe and sound,” said Nancy, so good, and as 
fast as she could, she carried her pet to mamma. 
Mamma washed her, and' dressed her, and 
kissed her, and said "This must teach my own 
darling to mind her dear mother, and wait, when 
she is told to, for Willie, her brother.”— E. N. H. 
in Little Corporal. 
A Beautiful Illustration. —At one of the 
anniversaries of a Sabbath school in London, 
two littlo girls presented themselves to receive 
the prize, one of whom had recited one verse 
more than the other, both huving learned several 
thousand verses of Scripture. 1 The gentleman 
who presided enquired, " And could you not 
have learned one verse more, and thus hare kept 
up with Martha ? ” 
"Yes, sir,” the blushing child replied; "but 
I loved Martha, and kept back on pappose. 1 ’ 
“ And was there any one of all the verses you 
have learned,” aguin inquired the President, 
" that taught you this lesson ?” 
“There was, sir,” she answered, blushing still 
more deeply : " In honor preferring one another .” 
FOR BOYS AND GIRLS. 
“The Little Corporal,” a new juvenile 
monthly commenced in Chicago, Ill., by Alfred 
L. Sewell, is taking the lead In its line. „The 
papers, both East and West, arc delighted with 
it. Read the following: 
Certainly, we have Been nothing In the shape 
of a child’s paper which could compare with 
thiB, which comes to us from over the prairies.— 
Pwtlarui (Maine) Daily Press. 
We cannot say too much in favor of this beauti¬ 
ful paper.— Bryan {O.) Union Press. 
Terms, $1 a year. ^Sample copies ten cents. 
