Fortune, Independence, and Competence June 15th, 2019
THE answer to the question, What is fortune has never been, and probably never will be, satisfactorily made. What may be a fortune for one bears but small proportion to the colossal possessions of another. The scores or hundreds of thousands admired and envied as a fortune in most of our communities look pitifully small beside the two hundred and fifty millions of Vanderbilt. What is a comparative fortune for a laboring man, accustomed to the society of his peers, and only spending what that grade of life requires, does not compel the use of as much money to fill his necessities, or even his desires, as for the merchant of liberal education, of extended acquaintance among the refined and cultivated, demanding expenditures commensurate with such a walk in life. The two persons are on entirely distinct bases of necessary wants, live in two distinct worlds, and are laboring in differently extended spheres. A similar remark is true of every grade or degree in life; nor is there an exception, from the scullion to the king. This is the machinery of society; and right or wrong we find it, and we must treat it.
The fortune is only to be measured by that condition where the possessor is satisfied with the supply of a given number and description of wants. Should the man be content with the things that the interest of five thousand dollars would command, then that sum is his independence, and his fortune as well. But if his independence of charity requires just this sum, and he is unhappy because he has not the means of gratifying other and more expensive desires, he might keep out of the poor-house or swing clear of public or private charity, but he would not possess a fortune. An independence may be measurably fixed in amount, but a fortune is the child of the rich man’s imagination. It may be rated much or little, comparatively, in proportion to the satisfaction of his desires.
Each grade of business has generally its relative share of income and relative proportion of expenses not altogether from the necessities attaching to the business itself, but from ‘the supposed necessities attaching to the position and wants of the persons conducting it. Generally, then, what is a fortune in one business is but a small fraction of one in another. The question, then, is with every person to decide to what rank in life he will aspire, in order that he may settle the amount of the fortune he will aim to win in his business. Few may be able to make a mark and abide closely by it; but individual imperfections do not affect a sound principle.
The closest definition that can be given to this indefinable term fortune is that it is the halo of a mysterious sum which ever recedes, increasing as we approach. Few have expressed themselves fully satisfied with the means they have acquired, however large their property or ample others may consider their fortune.
It is a quite universal ambition to acquire a fortune by those who have intelligence to understand or experience to know the pleasures supposed to be guaranteed by its possession. Peculiar qualities of the human mind are brought into action in the pursuit and possession of wealth; and it brings to men various satisfactions. The mere acquisition of money is to some a substantial, realized pleasure; while to others its simple possession gives in like manner heartfelt gratification. Again, there are those who take no especial pleasure in the acquisition, but find their chief joy in the hope and anticipation of the good things they will derive in the possession or the spending of it; while there are still others who gain to enjoy the gains, and do enjoy them by liberal expenditure in the higher and nobler deeds of the generous man of fortune and luxurious ease.
But the larger class of those who make, or desire to make, a fortune have only one idea concerning it ; and that is to be able to make all the external appearance and show of a man of means. Display is their great object, and they endeavor too often to put on the appearances of wealth, and expend freely what they may not really own. Shakspere’s question, changed to this,—
“Why do I dress myself in borrowed plumes?”
might be asked by hundreds of thousands of jackdaw imitators and would-be fashionables, if they were as honest in their confessions as they are bold in their pretenses. It is a pitiful sort of hypocrisy and pride, and generally results in utter financial and social disaster. “Pride must have a fall,” saith the old. proverb. The result is that all the earnings – or it may be inheritance – that would if saved in time make a handsome fortune, are squandered in the gratification of “the lust of the eye and the pride of life,” in an attempt to make displays and win the positions due only to him who has accomplished a worthy object and achieved a fortune. Nor do such pretenders, in general, gain anything but the merited contempt of their creditors and of all sensible people. With rare exceptions they fail in the end and sink finally into poverty and obscurity.
It accordingly becomes a serious question for one maturely to consider, while on the road to fortune, whether he will spend his own or the substance of others, whether he will live as his means warrant, or assume to be what he really is not. The world in general is not deceived by such appearances, though it may be in special cases. What real pleasure can there be in living at an altitude where there is no foundation to support one, and fear of a downfall is ever haunting the imagination. People in this situation vainly imagine that their real deficiencies and faults do not appear, like the ostrich, which hides his head in the sand or a bush, and conceives that his huge, ungainly form is similarly obscured. Respectability, bear in mind, does not depend of false tokens. Quite the contrary. Still, many seem to be satisfied to live that sort of life, as the counterfeiter is with his occupation so long as hie is not detected in his false coinages.
All persons owe it to themselves and those dependent upon them to save of their means for accident or misfortune. It is a high moral and political duty to make themselves and and their dependants independent of public or private charity; for if they do not, they spend that which does not actually belong to them. To make one’s self independent should be the first great aim of life, looking earthward at least. Then what is an INDEPENDENCE? The answer to this question
is plain: it is such an amount of money, safely invested, as will produce an income equal to the
necessaries of life, — in other words, to enable one to live without labor. If a man could always be assured of ability to save even something, or enough to keep him from becoming a charge upon either public or private charity, there would be no need of an independence. But, as all know, such freedom from uncertainty or anxiety in regard to one’s financial condition can hardly be guaranteed to any man or woman.
While a fortune, then, is an indefinite and indefinable amount, an independence is a fixed, relative sum, dependent upon the price of necessaries and upon the country in which it is required. In some latitudes, — as in the South Seas, for example, — the amount absolutely necessary to maintenance is very small, while in others it may represent a large sum. It may be assumed that, upon an average the world over, the interest of five thousand dollars invested at
six per cent will furnish a subsistence. If, then, a man’s desires and needs do not reach beyond this, be has an independence, and in some sense a fortune. But as a general rule, even when this income is accumulated, or a much greater, according to the owner’s view of what constitutes an independence, the ever-present greed of gain will spur on its possessor to further accumulation. Yet if he have others dependent upon him for maintenance, since they can not earn for themselves, he must earn as many independencies as there are dependants to support.
Few able-bodied persons, of sound mind and body, and reasonably free from sickness or from spendthrifts in their family, can not in this country achieve an independence of labor. For all that the worker bent on this has to do is to lay aside, from what he receives, all that is not imperatively required for the necessaries of life; and by inspecting the tables near the end of this book he will find that quite small earnings and savings every day will soon mount to this standard, and then go beyond it. Parsimony or meanness is by no means recommended; but either, on the contrary, will prevent one’s making the most money that his opportunities allow. A just and proper economy is on the true line; and anyone of common sense can determine this line for himself.
No person feels so happy as when he is pursuing a legitimate business, is out of debt, and has some money at interest. From that moment he lives in a new world, is more respected, has more substantial friends, and wields a greater influence among his fellows. Not only that, but his independence of circumstances makes his services in any department of life more valuable; he commands more money for them, and so can accumulate faster. But let him be behindhand, or in debt, or forever on the anxious seat with calculations how he shall make ends meet in the support
of himself and family, or in trouble of any kind that costs him his peace of mind and full ability to protect himself, and he is in the power of anyone who has transactions with him. He becomes a suppliant for everything, almost for the right to live; and he can not, from the nature of things, get as much for what he gives as though the reverse were the fact.
An independence, then, should be the first thing aimed at, by either man or woman employed in moneymaking; and every nerve and sinew should be strained, and every expenditure scrutinized, till this end shall have been attained. Self-denial must be exercised in all things. Remember always that such a course is not only reputable and truly respectable, but will make you more friends in the end, and give you more happiness during all your business and social life. In case of success you become your own master, you are never mortgaged to another, you can proclaim that “your soul is your own,” as the old phrase goes.
But an independence, though it may free you from further labor expressly to make money by labor, does not free you of it altogether. The small mercantile or purchasing business necessary to be done to procure supplies, and provide for the home comforts, is still to be transacted. If that be to disburse three hundred dollars per annum, so much, then, is the volume of your mercantile transactions; and so of any other amount that may be named. Every dollar expended requires two persons to make the expenditure, the seller and the purchaser. The man of fortune, who spends his three thousand dollars yearly, has in this way ten times as much labor to perform as he who lays out but his three hundred dollars; and the millionaire who spends thirty thousand dollars incurs the liability to one hundred times as much labor as his fellow-man who uses but three hundred ;—provided always that in such cases the rich man attends personally, and not by stewards or agents, to the making of his many purchases.
The meaning of the terms “competence” and “competency,” so often heard, especially the former,
is not greatly different from that of “independence.” They are defined by one of the great dictionary-makers (Dr. Webster) as “property or means of subsistence sufficient to furnish the necessaries and conveniences of life, without superfluity; sufficiency; such a quantity as is sufficient;” and by another of the authorities (Dr. Worcester) to be” such a quantity as is sufficient, without superfluity; sufficiency, especially of the means of living.” The same general principles, explanations, and illustrations applicable to an independence, are equally applicable to the consideration of a competence.
As a conclusion of the whole matter, none who want money need hesitate to work wherever they can procure employment in any reputable business; and if they can take with them into their work ample knowledge and superior acquirements, their services will be more valuable, though not a whit more respectable, in the great scale of political. economy. Bearing this steadily in mind, and seeking to profit by it, a good foundation will be laid for success in acquiring a competence, an independence, or a fortune.
by Thomas Alfred Davies and Henry A. Ford, from How to Make Money, and How to Keep It; or, Capital and Labor, Chapter II. 1887, The Chamberlain Publishing Company. (originally written by Davies, but revised and re-issued by Ford)
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Stoke Park Pavillions Stoke Park Pavilions, UK, view from A405 Road. photo by Wikipedia user Cj1340 From Wikipedia: Stoke Park – the original house Stoke park was the first English country house to display a Palladian plan: a central house with balancing pavilions linked by colonnades or [...] Read more →
Roger Scruton – Why Beauty Matters (2009) from Mirza Akdeniz on Vimeo. Click here for another site on which to view this video. Sadly, Sir Roger Scruton passed away a few days ago—January 12th, 2020. Heaven has gained a great philosopher. Home Top of [...] Read more →
From A History of Fowling, Being an Account of the Many Curios Devices by Which Wild Birds are, or Have Been, Captured in Different Parts of the World by Rev. H.A. MacPherson, M.A. THE RAVEN (Corvus corax) is generally accredited with a large endowment of mother wit. Its warning [...] Read more →
To learn more about Julian McDonnell, film director, click here. Home Top of Pg. Read more →
IT requires a far search to gather up examples of furniture really representative in this kind, and thus to gain a point of view for a prospect into the more ideal where furniture no longer is bought to look expensively useless in a boudoir, but serves everyday and commonplace need, such as [...] Read more →
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Sucker The components of any given market place include both physical structures set up to accommodate trading, and participants to include buyers, sellers, brokers, agents, barkers, pushers, auctioneers, agencies, and propaganda outlets, and banking or transaction exchange facilities. Markets are generally set up by sellers as it is in their [...] Read more →
The Racing Knockabout Gosling. Gosling was the winning yacht of 1897 in one of the best racing classes now existing in this country, the Roston knockabout class. The origin of this class dates back about six years, when Carl, a small keel cutter, was built for C. H. [...] Read more →
Snipe shooting-Epistle on snipe shooting, from Ned Copper Cap, Esq., to George Trigger-George Trigger’s reply to Ned Copper Cap-Black partridge. —— “Si sine amore jocisque Nil est jucundum, vivas in &more jooisque.” -Horace. “If nothing appears to you delightful without love and sports, then live in sporta and [...] Read more →
Click here to access the world’s most powerful Import/Export Research Database on the Planet. With this search engine one is able to access U.S. Customs and other government data showing suppliers for any type of company in the United States. Home Top of Pg. Read more →
Click here to read the full text of the Hunting Act – 2004 Home Top of Pg. Read more →
If ever it could be said that there is such a thing as miracle healing soil, Ivan Sanderson said it best in his 1965 book entitled Ivan Sanderson’s Book of Great Jungles. Sanderson grew up with a natural inclination towards adventure and learning. He hailed from Scotland but spent much [...] Read more →
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Add 3 quarts clover blossoms* to 4 quarts of boiling water removed from heat at point of boil. Let stand for three days. At the end of the third day, drain the juice into another container leaving the blossoms. Add three quarts of fresh water and the peel of one lemon to the blossoms [...] Read more →
Patek Phillipe hand makes the finest watches in the world. Click here to learn more. Home Top of Pg. Read more →
Robert W. Service (b.1874, d.1958) There are strange things done in the midnight sun By the men who moil for gold; The Arctic trails have their secret tales That would make your blood run cold; The Northern Lights have seen queer sights, But the queerest they ever did see Was that night [...] Read more →
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To Choose Poultry. When fresh, the eyes should be clear and not sunken, the feet limp and pliable, stiff dry feet being a sure indication that the bird has not been recently killed; the flesh should be firm and thick and if the bird is plucked there should be no [...] Read more →
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Carya Nuts This Handbook is Published by SLMA or the Southeastern Lumber Manufacturer’s Association Click here to read the handbook or click on the link below for a faster download. Hardwood Handbook Home Top of Pg. Read more →
BOOKS CONDEMNED TO BE BURNT. By JAMES ANSON FARRER, LONDON ELLIOT STOCK, 62, PATERNOSTER ROW 1892 ———- WHEN did books first come to be burnt in England by the common hangman, and what was [...] Read more →
PEACH BRANDY 2 gallons + 3 quarts boiled water 3 qts. peaches, extremely ripe 3 lemons, cut into sections 2 sm. pkgs. yeast 10 lbs. sugar 4 lbs. dark raisins Place peaches, lemons and sugar in crock. Dissolve yeast in water (must NOT be to hot). Stir thoroughly. Stir daily for 7 days. Keep [...] Read more →
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H. M. Scarth, Rector of Wrington By the death of Mr. Scarth on the 5th of April, at Tangier, where he had gone for his health’s sake, the familiar form of an old and much valued Member of the Institute has passed away. Harry Mengden Scarth was bron at Staindrop in Durham, [...] Read more →
To Clean Watch Chains. Gold or silver watch chains can be cleaned with a very excellent result, no matter whether they may be matt or polished, by laying them for a few seconds in pure aqua ammonia; they are then rinsed in alcohol, and finally. shaken in clean sawdust, free from sand. [...] Read more →
Banana Propagation Reprinted from the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA.org) The traditional means of obtaining banana planting material (“seed”) is to acquire suckers from one’s own banana garden, from a neighbor, or from a more distant source. This method served to spread common varieties around the world and to multiply them [...] Read more →
Jul. 23, 1898 Forest and Stream, Pg. 65 Horn Measurements. Editor Forest and Stream: “Record head.” How shamefully this term is being abused, especially in the past three years; or since the giant moose from Alaska made his appearance in public and placed all former records (so far as [...] Read more →
by John Partridge,drawing,1825 From the work of Sir Charles Lock Eastlake entitled Materials for a history of oil painting, (London: Longman, Brown, Green, and Longmans, 1846), we learn the following: The effect of oil at certain temperatures, in penetrating “the minute pores of the amber” (as Hoffman elsewhere writes), is still more [...] Read more →
Quite possibly, the most agonizing decision being made by Baby Boomers across the nation these days is what to do with all that vintage Hi-fi equipment and boxes full of classic rock and roll cassettes and 8-Tracks. I faced this dilemma head-on this past summer as I definitely wanted in [...] Read more →
Oct. 22, 1898 Forest and Stream Pg. 324 An Alaskan Moose Head. Tacoma, Washington; Oct. 1.—Editor Forest and Stream: In your issue of March 6, 1897, you showed cut of a pair of moose horns belonging to me that spread 73 1/2 in.— at that time [...] Read more →
John Atkinson Grimshaw – Glasgow Saturday Night Home Top of Pg. Read more →
The Queen Elizabeth Trust, or QEST, is an organisation dedicated to the promotion of British craftsmanship through the funding of scholarships and educational endeavours to include apprenticeships, trade schools, and traditional university classwork. The work of QEST is instrumental in keeping alive age old arts and crafts such as masonry, glassblowing, shoemaking, [...] Read more →
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EIGHTEEN GALLONS is here give as a STANDARD for all the following Recipes, it being the most convenient size cask to Families. See A General Process for Making Wine If, however, only half the quantity of Wine is to be made, it is but to divide the portions of [...] Read more →
Aw, the good old days, meet in the coffee shop with a few friends, click open the Zippo, inhale a glorious nosegay of lighter fluid, fresh roasted coffee and a Marlboro cigarette…. A Meta-analysis of Coffee Drinking, Cigarette Smoking, and the Risk of Parkinson’s Disease We conducted a [...] Read more →
German made shotguns by Krieghoff, founded in 1886. Home Top of Pg. Read more →
July, 16, l898 Forest and Stream Pg. 48 Tuna and Tarpon. New York, July 1.—Editor Forest and Stream: If any angler still denies the justice of my claim, as made in my article in your issue of July 2, that “the tuna is the grandest game [...] Read more →
Eadweard Muybridge was a fascinating character. Click here to learn how Eadweard committed “Justifiable Homicide” after shooting his wife’s lover in 1874. Home Top of Pg. Read more →
Full Cover, rear, spine, and front Published by Piranesi Press in collaboration with Country House Essays, this beautiful paperback version of the King James Bible is now available for $79.95 at Barnes and Noble.com This is a limited Edition of 500 copies Worldwide. Click here to view other classic books [...] Read more →
In July of 1968, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration(NASA), published NASA Technical Report TR R-277 titled Chronological Catalog of Recorded Lunar Events. The catalog begins with the first entry dated November 26th, 1540 at ∼05h 00m: Feature: Region of Calippus2 Description: Starlike appearance on dark side Observer: Observers at Worms Reference: [...] Read more →
A CROCK OF SQUIRREL 4 young squirrels – quartered Salt & Pepper 1 large bunch of fresh coriander 2 large cloves of garlic 2 tbsp. salted sweet cream cow butter ¼ cup of brandy 1 tbsp. turbinado sugar 6 fresh apricots 4 strips of bacon 1 large package of Monterrey [...] Read more →
Book Conservators, Mitchell Building, State Library of New South Wales, 29.10.1943, Pix Magazine The following is taken verbatim from a document that appeared several years ago in the Maine State Archives. It seems to have been removed from their website. I happened to have made a physical copy of it at the [...] Read more →
The following recipes are from a small booklet entitled 500 Delicious Salads that was published for the Culinary Arts Institute in 1940 by Consolidated Book Publishers, Inc. 153 N. Michigan Ave., Chicago, Ill. If you have been looking for a way to lighten up your salads and be free of [...] Read more →
Armorial tablet of the Stewarts – Falkland Palace Fife, Scotland. The Stewart Kings – King James I & VI to Charles II Six video playlist on the Kings of England: Home Top of Pg. Read more →
Cabildo circa 1936 The Cabildo houses a rare copy of Audubon’s Bird’s of America, a book now valued at $10 million+. Should one desire to visit the Cabildo, click here to gain free entry with a lowcost New Orleans Pass. Home Top of [...] Read more →
A General Process for Making Wine. Gathering the Fruit Picking the Fruit Bruising the Fruit Vatting the Fruit Vinous Fermentation Drawing the Must Pressing the Must Casking the Must Spirituous Fermentation Racking the Wine Bottling and Corking the Wine Drinking the Wine GATHERING THE FRUIT. It is of considerable consequence [...] Read more →
Laurens’ portrait as painted during his time spent imprisoned in the Tower of London, where he was kept for over a year after being captured at sea while serving as the United States minister to the Netherlands during the Revolutionary War. The first Christian white man to be cremated in America was [...] Read more →
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J.P. Morgan Patent #8,452,703 Method and system for processing internet payments using the electronic funds transfer network. Abstract Embodiments of the invention include a method and system for conducting financial transactions over a payment network. The method may include associating a payment address of an account [...] Read more →
From Dr. Marvel’s 1929 book entitled Hoodoo for the Common Man, we find his infamous Hoochie Coochie Hex. What follows is a verbatim transcription of the text: The Hoochie Coochie Hex should not be used in conjunction with any other Hexes. This can lead to [...] Read more →
THE SNIPE, from the Shooter’s Guide by B. Thomas – 1811 AFTER having given a particular description of the woodcock, it will only. be necessary to observe, that the plumage and shape of the snipe is much the same ; and indeed its habits and manners sets bear a great [...] Read more →
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It is a pity that the traditions and literature in praise of fly fishing have unconsciously hampered instead of expanded this graceful, effective sport. Many a sportsman has been anxious to share its joys, but appalled by the rapture of expression in describing its countless thrills and niceties he has been literally [...] Read more →
St.Helen’s on the Thames, photo by Momit From a Dictionary of the Thames from Oxford to the Nore. 1880 by Charles Dickens Abingdon, Berkshire, on the right bank, from London 103 3/4miles, from Oxford 7 3/4 miles. A station on the Great Western Railway, from Paddington 60 miles. The time occupied [...] Read more →
Baking is a very similar process to roasting: the two often do duty for one another. As in all other methods of cookery, the surrounding air may be several degrees hotter than boiling water, but the food is no appreciably hotter until it has lost water by evaporation, after which it may [...] Read more →
Liquorice, the roots of Glycirrhiza Glabra, a perennial plant, a native of the south of Europe, but cultivated to some extent in England, particularly at Mitcham, in Surrey. Its root, which is its only valuable part, is long, fibrous, of a yellow colour, and when fresh, very juicy. [...] Read more →
Early Texas photo of Tarpon catch – Not necessarily the one mentioned below… July 2, 1898. Forest and Stream Pg.10 Texas Tarpon. Tarpon, Texas.—Mr. W. B. Leach, of Palestine, Texas, caught at Aransas Pass Islet, on June 14, the largest tarpon on record here taken with rod and reel. The [...] Read more →
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Jul. 23, 1898 Forest and Stream, Pg. 65 Horn Measurements. Editor Forest and Stream: “Record head.” How shamefully this term is being abused, especially in the past three years; or since the giant moose from Alaska made his appearance in public and placed all former records (so far as [...] Read more →
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Painting the Brooklyn Bridge, Photo by Eugene de Salignac , 1914 Excerpt from: The Preservation of Iron and Steel Structures by F. Cosby-Jones, The Mechanical Engineer January 30, 1914 Painting. This is the method of protection against corrosion that has the most extensive use, owing to the fact that [...] Read more →
NAPOLEON’S PHARMACISTS. Of the making of books about Napoleon there is no end, and the centenary of his death (May 5) is not likely to pass without adding to the number, but a volume on Napoleon”s pharmacists still awaits treatment by the student in this field of historical research. There [...] Read more →
Hunters at Work This is a recipe I created from scratch by trial and error. (Note: This recipe contains no eggs, refined white flour or white sugar.) 2 Cups Whole Wheat Flour – As unprocessed as you can find it 3 Cups of Raw Oatmeal 1 Cup of [...] Read more →
A Lecture Delivered at the Guildhall, March 2, 1853 by Rev. H.M. Scarth, M.A., Rector of Bathwick. To understand the ancient history of the country in which we live, to know something of the arts and manners of the people who have preceded us, to ascertain what we owe [...] Read more →
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Country House Essays has returned after a good long summer holiday. More essays soon. Home Top of Pg. Read more →
Baking is a very similar process to roasting: the two often do duty for one another. As in all other methods of cookery, the surrounding air may be several degrees hotter than boiling water, but the food is no appreciably hotter until it has lost water by evaporation, after which it may [...] Read more →
Photo Caption: The Marquis of Zetland, KC, PC – otherwise known as Lawrence Dundas Son of: John Charles Dundas and: Margaret Matilda Talbot born: Friday 16 August 1844 died: Monday 11 March 1929 at Aske Hall Occupation: M.P. for Richmond Viceroy of Ireland Vice Lord Lieutenant of North Yorkshire Lord – in – Waiting [...] Read more →
John Keats Four Seasons fill the measure of the year; There are four seasons in the mind of man: He has his lusty spring, when fancy clear Takes in all beauty with an easy span; He has his Summer, when luxuriously Spring’s honied cud of youthful thoughts he loves To ruminate, and by such [...] Read more →
Aug. 13, 1898 Forest and Stream, Pg. 125 Game Bag and Gun. Indian Modes of Hunting. III.—Foxes. The fox as a rule is a most wily animal, and numerous are the stories of his cunning toward the Indian hunter with his steel traps. Read more →
Click here to visit Lil’ Lost Lou and purchase a copy of her latest album. Home Top of Pg. Read more →
ON THE ORIGIN OF SPECIES BY MEANS OF NATURAL SELECTION, OR THE PRESERVATION OF FAVOURED RACES IN THE STRUGGLE FOR LIFE. BY CHARLES DARWIN, M.A., FELLOW OF THE ROYAL, GEOLOGICAL, LINNÆAN, ETC., SOCIETIES ; AUTHOR OF ‘JOURNAL OF RESEARCHES DURING H.M.S. BEAGLE’S [...] Read more →
What follows is a chapter from Nathaniel Bagshaw Ward’s 1852 treatise on terrarium gardening. ON THE NATURAL CONDITIONS OF PLANTS. To enter into any lengthened detail on the all-important subject of the Natural Conditions of Plants would occupy far too much space; yet to pass it by without special notice, [...] Read more →
WITCHCRAFT, SORCERY, MAGIC AND OTHER PSYCHOLOGICAL PHENOMENA AND THEIR IMPLICATIONS ON MILITARY AND PARAMILITARY OPERATIONS IN THE CONGO This report has been prepared in response to a query posed by ODCS/OPS, Department of the Army, regarding the purported use of witchcraft, sorcery, and magic by insurgent elements in the Republic [...] Read more →
Jul. 30, 1898 Forest and Stream Pg. 87 Indian Mode of Hunting. I.—Beaver. Wa-sa-Kejic came over to the post early one October, and said his boy had cut his foot, and that he had no one to steer his canoe on a proposed beaver hunt. Now [...] Read more →
How happy is he born and taught. That serveth not another’s will; Whose armour is his honest thought, And simple truth his utmost skill Whose passions not his masters are; Whose soul is still prepared for death, Untied unto the world by care Of public fame or private breath; Who envies none that chance [...] Read more →
The downloadable audio clip is of FDR’s Second Fireside Chat recorded on May 7th, 1933. FDR 2nd Fireside Chat - May 7, 1933 - 18.5MB The transcript that follows is my corrected version of the transcript that is found The American Presidency Project website that was created [...] Read more →
Paul Thorpe, Brighton, U.K. The YouTube watch collecting world is rather tight-knit and small, but growing, as watches became a highly coveted commodity during the recent world-wide pandemic and fueled an explosion of online watch channels. There is one name many know, The Time Piece Gentleman. This name for me [...] Read more →
Charles Dickens wrote much more than novels. In fact he turned out several very interesting dictionaries to include one of London, one of Paris and one on London’s long meandering river Thames. Click here to read a copy of the Dictionary of the Thames. Home Top of Pg. Read more →
Modern slow cookers come in all sizes and colors with various bells and whistles, including timers and shut off mechanisms. They also come with a serious design flaw, that being the lack of a proper domed lid. The first photo below depict a popular model Crock-Pot® sold far and wide [...] Read more →
The Apex Building, headquarters of the Federal Trade Commission, on Constitution Avenue and 7th Streets in Washington, D.C.. The building was designed by Edward H. Bennett under the purview of Secretary of the Treasury Andrew W. Mellon, and was completed in 1938 at a cost of $125 million. Photo by Carol M. Highsmith [...] Read more →
H. M. Scarth, Rector of Wrington By the death of Mr. Scarth on the 5th of April, at Tangier, where he had gone for his health’s sake, the familiar form of an old and much valued Member of the Institute has passed away. Harry Mengden Scarth was bron at Staindrop in Durham, [...] Read more →
Officers and men of the 13th Light Dragoons, British Army, Crimea. Rostrum photograph of photographer’s original print, uncropped and without color correction. Survivors of the Charge. Half a league, half a league, Half a league onward, All in the valley of Death Rode the six hundred. “Forward, the Light Brigade! Charge for the [...] Read more →
THE FOWLING PIECE, from the Shooter’s Guide by B. Thomas – 1811. I AM perfectly aware that a large volume might be written on this subject; but, as my intention is to give only such information and instruction as is necessary for the sportsman, I shall forbear introducing any extraneous [...] Read more →
The Hunt Saboteur is a national disgrace barking out loud, black mask on her face get those dogs off, get them off she did yell until a swift kick from me mare her voice it did quell and sent the Hunt Saboteur scurrying up vale to the full cry of hounds drowning out her [...] Read more →
Silverfish damage to book – photo by Micha L. Rieser The beauty of hunting silverfish is that they are not the most clever of creatures in the insect kingdom. Simply take a small clean glass jar and wrap it in masking tape. The masking tape gives the silverfish something to [...] Read more →
EIGHTEEN GALLONS is here give as a STANDARD for all the following Recipes, it being the most convenient size cask to Families. See A General Process for Making Wine If, however, only half the quantity of Wine is to be made, it is but to divide the portions of [...] Read more →
Robert W. Service (b.1874, d.1958) There are strange things done in the midnight sun By the men who moil for gold; The Arctic trails have their secret tales That would make your blood run cold; The Northern Lights have seen queer sights, But the queerest they ever did see Was that night [...] Read more →
To learn more about Julian McDonnell, film director, click here. Home Top of Pg. Read more →
To Clean Watch Chains. Gold or silver watch chains can be cleaned with a very excellent result, no matter whether they may be matt or polished, by laying them for a few seconds in pure aqua ammonia; they are then rinsed in alcohol, and finally. shaken in clean sawdust, free from sand. [...] Read more →
An angler with a costly pole Surmounted with a silver reel, Carven in quaint poetic scroll- Jointed and tipped with finest steel— With yellow flies, Whose scarlet eyes And jasper wings are fair to see, Hies to the stream Whose bubbles beam Down murmuring eddies wild and free. And casts the line with sportsman’s [...] Read more →
The following cure was found written on a front flyleaf in an 1811 3rd Ed. copy of The Sportsman’s Guide or Sportsman’s Companion: Containing Every Possible Instruction for the Juvenille Shooter, Together with Information Necessary for the Experienced Sportsman by B. Thomas. Transcript: Vaccinate your dogs when young [...] Read more →
KING ARTHUR AND HIS KNIGHTS On the decline of the Roman power, about five centuries after Christ, the countries of Northern Europe were left almost destitute of a national government. Numerous chiefs, more or less powerful, held local sway, as far as each could enforce his dominion, and occasionally those [...] Read more →
Sebastian Cox is one of the UK’s premier custom furniture makers with a unique background and love for the forest. Click here to visit SebastianCox.co.uk Home Top of Pg. Read more →
King Leopold Butcher of the Congo For the somewhat startling suggestion in the heading of this interview, the missionary interviewed is in no way responsible. The credit of it, or, if you like, the discredit, belongs entirely to the editor of the Review, who, without dogmatism, wishes to pose the question as [...] Read more →
Take to every quart of water one pound of Malaga raisins, rub and cut the raisins small, and put them to the water, and let them stand ten days, stirring once or twice a day. You may boil the water an hour before you put it to the raisins, and let it [...] Read more →
This massive volume gives one a real visual sense of what it was like running a highly efficient colonial operation in the early 20rh Century. It will also go a long way to help anyone wishing to understand modern political intrigue in the Middle-East. Click here to read A Survey of Palestine [...] Read more →
Foie gras with Sauternes, Photo by Laurent Espitallier As an Appetizer Pale dry Sherry, with or without bitters, chilled or not. Plain or mixed Vermouth, with or without bitters. A dry cocktail. With Oysters, Clams or Caviar A dry flinty wine such as Chablis, Moselle, Champagne. Home Top of [...] Read more →
Como dome facade – Pliny the Elder – Photo by Wolfgang Sauber Work in Progress… THE VARNISHES. Every substance may be considered as a varnish, which, when applied to the surface of a solid body, gives it a permanent lustre. Drying oil, thickened by exposure to the sun’s heat or [...] Read more →
Quite possibly, the most agonizing decision being made by Baby Boomers across the nation these days is what to do with all that vintage Hi-fi equipment and boxes full of classic rock and roll cassettes and 8-Tracks. I faced this dilemma head-on this past summer as I definitely wanted in [...] Read more →
Crewe Hall Dining Room THE transient tenure that most of us have in our dwellings, and the absorbing nature of the struggle that most of us have to make to win the necessary provisions of life, prevent our encouraging the manufacture of well-wrought furniture. We mean to outgrow [...] Read more →
Note on Watercolour: F.A. Molony (fl. 1930-1938) was a Major in the Royal Engineers. The National Army Museum hold his work. His work was also shown at an exhibition of officers work at the R.B.A. Galleries (Army Officers’ Art Society) Description from Youtube: June 2015 will see [...] Read more →
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From the classic British Movie, The Shooting Party, a 1985 British drama film directed by Alan Bridges based on Isabel Colegate’s 9th novel of the same name published in 1980 we find a scene set in the billiards parlor whereupon the host of the weekend shooting party Sir Randolph Nettleby walks in [...] Read more →
It is unnecessary to point out that low-grade fruit may often be used to advantage in the preparation of vinegar. This has always been true in the case of apples and may be true with other fruit, especially grapes. The use of grapes for wine making is an outlet which [...] Read more →
Mocking Bird Food. Hemp seed……….2 pounds Rape seed………. .1 pound Crackers………….1 pound Rice…………….1/4 pound Corn meal………1/4 pound Lard oil…………1/4 pound Home Top of Pg. Read more →
The first published illustration of Nicotiana tabacum by Pena and De L’Obel, 1570–1571 (shrpium adversana nova: London). Tobacco can be used for medicinal purposes, however, the ongoing American war on smoking has all but obscured this important aspect of ancient plant. Tobacco is considered to be an indigenous plant of [...] Read more →
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Gate of Honour, Caius Court, Gonville & Caius Gonville & Caius College, known as Caius and pronounced keys was founded in 1348 by Edmund Gonville, the Rector of Terrington St Clement in Norfolk. The first name was thus Goville Hall and it was dedicated to the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary. [...] Read more →
DECORATED or “sumptuous” furniture is not merely furniture that is expensive to buy, but that which has been elaborated with much thought, knowledge, and skill. Such furniture cannot be cheap, certainly, but the real cost of it is sometimes borne by the artist who produces rather than by the man who may [...] Read more →
Resolution adapted at the New Orleans Convention of the American Institute of Banking, October 9, 1919: “Ours is an educational association organized for the benefit of the banking fraternity of the country and within our membership may be found on an equal basis both employees and employers; [...] Read more →
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*note – Billesdon and Billesden have both been used to name the hunt. BILLESDEN COPLOW POEM [From “Reminiscences of the late Thomas Assheton Smith, Esq”] The run celebrated in the following verses took place on the 24th of February, 1800, when Mr. Meynell hunted Leicestershire, and has since been [...] Read more →
The low level of work stoppages of recent years also attests to concern about job security. Testimony of Chairman Alan Greenspan The Federal Reserve’s semiannual monetary policy report Before the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, U.S. Senate February 26, 1997 Iappreciate the opportunity to appear before this Committee [...] Read more →
Reprint from The Pitfalls of Speculation by Thomas Gibson 1906 Ed. THE PUBLIC ATTITUDE TOWARD SPECULATION THE public attitude toward speculation is generally hostile. Even those who venture frequently are prone to speak discouragingly of speculative possibilities, and to point warningly to the fact that an [...] Read more →
Full Cover, rear, spine, and front Published by Piranesi Press in collaboration with Country House Essays, this beautiful paperback version of the King James Bible is now available for $79.95 at Barnes and Noble.com This is a limited Edition of 500 copies Worldwide. Click here to view other classic books [...] Read more →
Aw, the good old days, meet in the coffee shop with a few friends, click open the Zippo, inhale a glorious nosegay of lighter fluid, fresh roasted coffee and a Marlboro cigarette…. A Meta-analysis of Coffee Drinking, Cigarette Smoking, and the Risk of Parkinson’s Disease We conducted a [...] Read more →
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U.S. SENATE PERMANENT SUBCOMMITTEE ON INVESTIGATIONS STAFF REPORT ON DIVIDEND TAX ABUSE: HOW OFFSHORE ENTITIES DODGE TAXES ON U.S. STOCK DIVIDENDS September 11, 2008 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Each year, the United States loses an estimated [...] Read more →
July 9, 1898. Forest and Stream Pg. 25 Some Notes on American Ship-Worms. [Read before the American Fishes Congress at Tampa.] While we wish to preserve and protect most of the products of our waters, these creatures we would gladly obliterate from the realm of living things. For [...] Read more →
The following are transcripts of two letters written by the Founding Father Thomas Jefferson on the subject of seed saving. “November 27, 1818. Monticello. Thomas Jefferson to Henry E. Watkins, transmitting succory seed and outlining the culture of succory.” [Transcript] Thomas Jefferson Correspondence Collection Collection 89 Read more →
BEEF JERKY Preparation. Slice 5 pounds lean beef (flank steak or similar cut) into strips 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick, 1 to 2 inches wide, and 4 to 12 inches long. Cut with grain of meat; remove the fat. Lay out in a single layer on a smooth clean surface (use [...] Read more →
Dominion, Royal St. Lawrence Yacht Club,Winner of Seawanhaka Cup, 1898. The Tail Wags the Dog. The following is a characteristic sample of those broad and liberal views on yachting which are the pride of the Boston Herald. Speaking of the coming races for the Seawanhaka international challenge cup, it says: [...] Read more →
Felix Weihs de Weldon, age 96, died broke in the year 2003 after successive bankruptcies and accumulating $4 million dollars worth of debt. Most of the debt was related to the high cost of love for a wife living with Alzheimer’s. Health care costs to maintain his first wife, Margot, ran $500 per [...] Read more →
PAINTER-WORK, in the building trade. When work is painted one or both of two distinct ends is achieved, namely the preservation and the coloration of the material painted. The compounds used for painting—taking the word as meaning a thin protective or decorative coat—are very numerous, including oil-paint of many kinds, distemper, whitewash, [...] Read more →
Click here to read the full text of the Hunting Act – 2004 Home Top of Pg. Read more →
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Dec. 10, 1898 Forest and Stream Pg. 477-479 Zulu. The little ship shown in the accompanying plans needs no description, as she speaks for herself, a handsome and shipshape craft that a man may own for years without any fear that she will go to pieces [...] Read more →
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The element copper effectively kills viruses and bacteria. Therefore it would reason and I will assert and not only assert but lay claim to the patents for copper mesh stints to be inserted in the arteries of patients presenting with severe cases of Covid-19 with a slow release dosage of [...] Read more →
Bess of Harwick Four times the nuptial bed she warm’d, And every time so well perform’d, That when death spoil’d each husband’s billing, He left the widow every shilling. Fond was the dame, but not dejected; Five stately mansions she erected With more than royal pomp, to vary The prison of her captive When [...] Read more →
THE ABC OF THE FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM WH Y THE FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM WAS CALLED INTO BEING, THE MAIN FEATURES OF ITS ORGANIZATION , AND HOW IT WORKS B Y EDWIN WALTER KEMMERER, PH.D. PROFESSOR OF ECONOMICS AND FINANCE IN PRINCETON UNIVERSITY AND MEMBER OF [...] Read more →
It is a pity that the traditions and literature in praise of fly fishing have unconsciously hampered instead of expanded this graceful, effective sport. Many a sportsman has been anxious to share its joys, but appalled by the rapture of expression in describing its countless thrills and niceties he has been literally [...] Read more →
Jujitsu training 1920 in Japanese agricultural school. CHAPTER V THE VALUE OF EVEN TEMPER IN ATHLETICS—SOME OF THE FEATS THAT REQUIRE GOOD NATURE In the writer’s opinion it becomes necessary to make at this point some suggestions relative to a very important part of the training in jiu-jitsu. [...] Read more →
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Fred Kummerow on statin drugs (excerpt) from Jeremy Stuart on Vimeo. Dr. Kummerow passed away at the ripe old age of 102 in 2017. Click here to visit Dr. Mercola’s website. Home Top of Pg. Read more →
Click here to access the world’s most powerful Import/Export Research Database on the Planet. With this search engine one is able to access U.S. Customs and other government data showing suppliers for any type of company in the United States. Home Top of Pg. Read more →
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Video courtesy of Imperial War Museums, UK Home Top of Pg. Read more →
The Chicago portion of the The Great Train Story at the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago. by Interiority Home Top of Pg. Read more →
Snipe shooting-Epistle on snipe shooting, from Ned Copper Cap, Esq., to George Trigger-George Trigger’s reply to Ned Copper Cap-Black partridge. —— “Si sine amore jocisque Nil est jucundum, vivas in &more jooisque.” -Horace. “If nothing appears to you delightful without love and sports, then live in sporta and [...] Read more →
Click here to read the Condon Report Home Top of Pg. Read more →
Dr. David Starkey, the UK’s premiere historian, speaks to the modern and fleeting notion of “cancel culture”. Starkey’s brilliance is unparalleled and it has become quite obvious to the world’s remaining Western scholars willing to stand on intellectual integrity that a few so-called “Woke Intellectuals” most certainly cannot undermine [...] Read more →
Toxicity of Rhododendron From Countrysideinfo.co.UK “Potentially toxic chemicals, particularly ‘free’ phenols, and diterpenes, occur in significant quantities in the tissues of plants of Rhododendron species. Diterpenes, known as grayanotoxins, occur in the leaves, flowers and nectar of Rhododendrons. These differ from species to species. Not all species produce them, although Rhododendron ponticum [...] Read more →
Blackbeard’s Jolly Roger If you’re looking for that most refreshing of summertime beverages for sipping out on the back patio or perhaps as a last drink before walking the plank, let me recommend my Blunderbuss Mai Tai. I picked up the basics to this recipe over thirty years ago when holed up [...] Read more →
by John Partridge,drawing,1825 From the work of Sir Charles Lock Eastlake entitled Materials for a history of oil painting, (London: Longman, Brown, Green, and Longmans, 1846), we learn the following: The effect of oil at certain temperatures, in penetrating “the minute pores of the amber” (as Hoffman elsewhere writes), is still more [...] Read more →
Sept. 3, 1898. Forest and Stream Pg. 188-189 How to Distinguish Fishes. BY FRED MATHER. The average angler knows by sight all the fish which he captures, but ask him to describe one and he is puzzled, and will get off on the color of the fish, which is [...] Read more →
Gary Kravit is an airline pilot and artist. He also owns and operates https://theultimatetaboret.com. You may view Gary’s art at https://garrykravitart.blogspot.com/ Home Top of Pg. Read more →
Laurens’ portrait as painted during his time spent imprisoned in the Tower of London, where he was kept for over a year after being captured at sea while serving as the United States minister to the Netherlands during the Revolutionary War. The first Christian white man to be cremated in America was [...] Read more →
In July of 1968, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration(NASA), published NASA Technical Report TR R-277 titled Chronological Catalog of Recorded Lunar Events. The catalog begins with the first entry dated November 26th, 1540 at ∼05h 00m: Feature: Region of Calippus2 Description: Starlike appearance on dark side Observer: Observers at Worms Reference: [...] Read more →
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Gilbert Stewart – Sir Joshua Reynolds SIR JOSHUA REYNOLDS‘ WORKING COLOURS, WITH THE ORDER IN WHICH THEY WERE ARRANGED ON HIS PALLETTE. “For painting the flesh, black, blue black, white, lake, carmine, orpiment, yellow ochre, ultramarine, and varnish. “To lay the [...] Read more →
St.Helen’s on the Thames, photo by Momit From a Dictionary of the Thames from Oxford to the Nore. 1880 by Charles Dickens Abingdon, Berkshire, on the right bank, from London 103 3/4miles, from Oxford 7 3/4 miles. A station on the Great Western Railway, from Paddington 60 miles. The time occupied [...] Read more →
FRIED SQUIRREL & BISCUIT GRAVY 3-4 Young Squirrels, dressed and cleaned 1 tsp. Morton Salt or to taste 1 tsp. McCormick Black Pepper or to taste 1 Cup Martha White All Purpose Flour 1 Cup Hog Lard – Preferably fresh from hog killing, or barbecue table Cut up three to [...] Read more →
Saint Francis of Assisi, founder of the mendicant Order of Friars Minor, as painted by El Greco. Catholic religious order Catholic religious orders are one of two types of religious institutes (‘Religious Institutes’, cf. canons 573–746), the major form of consecrated life in the Roman Catholic Church. They are organizations of laity [...] Read more →
From Allen’s Indian Mail, December 3rd, 1851 BOMBAY. MUSULMAN FANATICISM. On the evening of November 15th, the little village of Mahim was the scene of a murder, perhaps the most determined which has ever stained the annals of Bombay. Three men were massacred in cold blood, in a house used [...] Read more →
Sucker The components of any given market place include both physical structures set up to accommodate trading, and participants to include buyers, sellers, brokers, agents, barkers, pushers, auctioneers, agencies, and propaganda outlets, and banking or transaction exchange facilities. Markets are generally set up by sellers as it is in their [...] Read more →
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San Felipe Model Reprinted from FineModelShips.com with the kind permission of Dr. Michael Czytko The SAN FELIPE is one of the most favoured ships among the ship model builders. The model is elegant, very beautifully designed, and makes a decorative piece of art to be displayed at home or in the [...] Read more →
Jan Verkolje Antonie van Leeuwenhoek was the first person to describe gout or uric acid crystals 1679. For one suffering gout, the following vitamins, herbs, and extracts may be worth looking into: Vitamin C Folic Acid – Folic Acid is a B vitamin and is also known as B9 – [Known food [...] Read more →
Kenilworth Abbey Fields – Photo by David Hunt Click here to read Kenilworth by Sir Walter Scott Click here to view Kenilworth Notes Home Top of Pg. Read more →
Click here to view Period Furniture Guide Home Top of Pg. Read more →
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IT requires a far search to gather up examples of furniture really representative in this kind, and thus to gain a point of view for a prospect into the more ideal where furniture no longer is bought to look expensively useless in a boudoir, but serves everyday and commonplace need, such as [...] Read more →
Add the following ingredients to a four or six quart crock pot, salt & pepper to taste keeping in mind that salt pork is just that, cover with water and cook on high till it boils, then cut back to low for four or five hours. A slow cooker works well, I [...] Read more →
Country House Christmas Pudding Ingredients 1 cup Christian Bros Brandy ½ cup Myer’s Dark Rum ½ cup Jim Beam Whiskey 1 cup currants 1 cup sultana raisins 1 cup pitted prunes finely chopped 1 med. apple peeled and grated ½ cup chopped dried apricots ½ cup candied orange peel finely chopped 1 ¼ cup [...] Read more →
BOOKS CONDEMNED TO BE BURNT. By JAMES ANSON FARRER, LONDON ELLIOT STOCK, 62, PATERNOSTER ROW 1892 ———- WHEN did books first come to be burnt in England by the common hangman, and what was [...] Read more →
Dec. 24, 1898 Forest and Stream Pg. 513-514 The Standard Navy Boats. Above we find, The accompanying illustrations show further details of the standard navy boats, the lines of which appeared last week. In all of these boats, as stated previously, the quality of speed has been given [...] Read more →
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The following highly collectible Franklin Library Signed Editions were published between 1977 and 1982. They are all fully leather bound with beautiful covers and contain gorgeous and rich silk moire endpapers. Signatures are protected by unattached tissue inserts. The values listed are average prices that were sought by [...] Read more →
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Oct. 22, 1898 Forest and Stream Pg. 324 An Alaskan Moose Head. Tacoma, Washington; Oct. 1.—Editor Forest and Stream: In your issue of March 6, 1897, you showed cut of a pair of moose horns belonging to me that spread 73 1/2 in.— at that time [...] Read more →
The Diamond Empire Home Top of [...] Read more →
Fed Chariman William McChesney Martin – 1952-1970 [Editor note: This response in my mind is quite hilarious…and to the point…who the heck would want to give up 6% interest year after year after year after year? ] You HAVE ASKED that I appear before you today in connection with your consideration [...] Read more →
The magician delighted in exposing spiritualists as con men and frauds. By EDMUND WILSON June 24, 1925 Houdini is a short strong stocky man with small feet and a very large head. Seen from the stage, his figure, with its short legs and its pugilist’s proportions, is less impressive than at close [...] Read more →
John Atkinson Grimshaw – Glasgow Saturday Night Home Top of Pg. Read more →
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BLACKBERRY WINE 5 gallons of blackberries 5 pound bag of sugar Fill a pair of empty five gallon buckets half way with hot soapy water and a ¼ cup of vinegar. Wash thoroughly and rinse. Fill one bucket with two and one half gallons of blackberries and crush with [...] Read more →
First Pineapple Grown in England Click here to read an excellent article on the history of pineapple growing in the UK. Should one be interested in serious mass scale production, click here for scientific resources. Growing pineapples in the UK. The video below demonstrates how to grow pineapples in Florida. [...] Read more →
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Mudlarks of London Mudlarking along the Thames River foreshore is controlled by the Port of London Authority. According to the Port of London website, two type of permits are issued for those wishing to conduct metal detecting, digging, or searching activities. Standard – allows digging to a depth of 7.5 [...] Read more →
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1 garlic clove, cut in half 1 8-oz. pkg. Philadelphia Brand Cream Cheese 3 tablespoons clam broth 1 7-to 7 1/2-oz. can minced clams, drained Home Top of [...] Read more →
Click here to read the Swiss National Bank’s Chronicle of Monetary Events. Home Top of Pg. Read more →
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King Arthur, Legends, Myths & Maidens is a massive book of Arthurian legends. This limited edition paperback was just released on Barnes and Noble at a price of $139.00. Although is may seem a bit on the high side, it may prove to be well worth its price as there are only [...] Read more →
There is nothing more delightful than a great poetry reading to warm ones heart on a cold winter night fireside. Today is one of the coldest Valentine’s days on record, thus, nothing could be better than listening to the resonant voice of Robin Shuckbrugh, The Cotswold [...] Read more →
The following research discussion is from a study funded by the U.S. National Institute of Health entitled: Boschniakia rossica prevents the carbon tetrachloride-induced hepatotoxicity in rat. It may be of interest to heavy drinkers. Home Top of [...] Read more →
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Hebborn Piranesi Before meeting with an untimely death at the hand of an unknown assassin in Rome on January 11th, 1996, master forger Eric Hebborn put down on paper a wealth of knowledge about the art of forgery. In a book published posthumously in 1997, titled The Art Forger’s Handbook, Hebborn suggests [...] Read more →
Mortlake Tapestries at Chatsworth House Click here to read copy of Daemonologie Home Top of Pg. Read more →
The following recipes are from a small booklet entitled 500 Delicious Salads that was published for the Culinary Arts Institute in 1940 by Consolidated Book Publishers, Inc. 153 N. Michigan Ave., Chicago, Ill. If you have been looking for a way to lighten up your salads and be free of [...] Read more →
Liquorice, the roots of Glycirrhiza Glabra, a perennial plant, a native of the south of Europe, but cultivated to some extent in England, particularly at Mitcham, in Surrey. Its root, which is its only valuable part, is long, fibrous, of a yellow colour, and when fresh, very juicy. [...] Read more →
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? This video by AT Restoration is the best hands on video I have run across on the basics of classic upholstery. Watch a master at work. Simply amazing. Tools: Round needles: https://amzn.to/2S9IhrP Double pointed hand needle: https://amzn.to/3bDmWPp Hand tools: https://amzn.to/2Rytirc Staple gun (for beginner): https://amzn.to/2JZs3x1 Compressor [...] Read more →
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Hudson Bay: Trappers, 1892. N’Talking Musquash.’ Fur Trappers Of The Hudson’S Bay Company Talking By A Fire. Engraving After A Drawing By Frederic Remington, 1892. Indian Modes of Hunting. IV.—Musquash. In Canada and the United States, the killing of the little animal known under the several names of [...] Read more →
Donate to the YouTube site owner Gabe and he might send you some chocolate…. Home Top of Pg. Read more →
Guarea guidonia Recipe 5 Per Cent Alcohol 8-24 Grain – Heroin Hydrochloride 120 Minims – Tincture Euphorbia Pilulifera 120 Minims – Syrup Wild Lettuce 40 Minims – Tincture Cocillana 24 Minims – Syrup Squill Compound 8 Gram – Ca(s)ecarin (P, D, & Co.) 8-100 Grain Menthol Dose – One-half to one fluidrams (2 to [...] Read more →
Over the years I have observed a decline in manners amongst young men as a general principle and though there is not one particular thing that may be asserted as the causal reason for this, one might speculate… Self-awareness and being aware of one’s surroundings in social [...] Read more →
Man looks at severed hand and foot….for refusing to climb a tree to cut rubber for King Leopold Click here to read The Crime of the Congo by Arthur Conan Doyle Victim of King Leopold of Belgium Click on the link below for faster download. The [...] Read more →
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