Tuesday, January 4, 2011

Special January Edition Part Two

Hello, Readers!
Well, here is the last half of the detailed report. :)  The first is a wedding announcement.

                                               Mollmann – Lill.

     "Mr. Arthur J. Mollmann and Miss Alina C. Lill will be united in the holy bonds of wedlock at 3 o’clock this afternoon.  The ceremony will be performed the at [yes, it does have this mistype] residence of the parents of the bride, by Rev. H. Walz, pastor of the Ev. Prot. Church.  Mr. Fred W. Mollmann will be the best man and Miss Lillie E. Lill will be the bride’s attendant. 
     "The groom is a son of Mr. and Mrs. J. D. Mollmann.  He is a printer by trade, having learned the profession in the HERALD office, where he worked two months less than seven years, and which position he left to accept the foremanship of the East St. Louis Democrat, where he is now employed.  The bride is the second daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Peter W. Lill and is a very popular young lady.
     "They will make their home at East St. Louis, for which place they will leave to-morrow, carrying with them the best wishes of a host friends.  The HERALD hopes that their greatest expectations will be realized." 

     "The bride ... is a very popular lady."  Isn't that charming?  The news article - incomplete - that appears on the back of the marriage announcement is about an entirely different subject and occurs in a country far from the happy couple in St. Louis.

     'According to intelligence received from Samana, an advance body of over 2,000 of the enemy has arrived in the Khanti valley and is watching the movement of the British troops.  The Afridis are spreading a report that the Ameer of Afghanistan has demanded hostages from them, and will help them if hostages are given. 
     'The news from the Mohmand expedition is very satisfactory.  Gen. Jeffreys, who is meeting with little opposition, is destroying the enemy’s fortifications and villages.  The tribesmen appear cowed, and overtures of surrender are expected very shortly.
     'It appears that they lost over 70 killed and a large number wounded during the night attack on Sir Bindon Blood’s column, their heavy defeat destroying their faith in the mullahs who had promised to close the muzzles of the British guns by divine means.' 
                                                             -----
                                         Badamani Pass Captured. 
     'LONDON, Sept. 25. – According to special dispatches from Silma, the British, who, on Wednesday, captured Badamanai Pass, held by the Hudda…mullah with a large force of Mohmands and Shinwaris, have pushed on from the pass and without …'

     I'm not very good on my World history, so I looked up Sir Bindon Blood, referenced in the first half of the newspaper clip, and found this Wikipedia page about him:  
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sir_Bindon_Blood
According to this information I found, I believe the conflict in question is the Second Anglo-Afghan War, which lasted from 1878 to 1880.  If this is the case, then the newspaper clip was already several years old before being placed in the book, which was not published until 1888.  As the Mollmann - Lill wedding notice was clipped out by the owner, I suppose it would be safe to assume that the woman was a relative or a close friend of the couple. 

     The last two newspaper clips are poems reflecting the Christian Victorian views on death.

THE FUTURE
        -------
God holds the future in His hand,
O heart of mine, be still!
His love will plan the best for thee,
The best, or light or dark it be –
Then rest thee in His will.

God holds the future in His hand.
Why should I shrink or fear?
Through every dark and cloudy day –
Yes, all along my pilgrim way –
His love will bless and cheer.
God holds the future in His hand,
And I can trust His love.
The past declares His faithfulness;
His eye will guide, His heart will bless,
Till I am safe above.

God holds the future in His hand;
I leave it all with Him.
I know one day He will explain
The “wherefore” of each grief and pain,
Though reasons now are dim.
                                    ~ London Christian.

WORD OF ADVICE
             ------
‘Tis the custom to prate of the sadness,
The sins and the sorrows of life;
But I’d rather speak of the gladness
And beauty with which it is rife;
For the darkest of clouds has its lining,
The hardest of labor brings sleep;
‘Neath the rocks there is gold for the mining,
And pearls may be found in the deep.

Is it better to sip of life’s nectar,
Or purposely drink of its gall?
Would you willingly walk with a specter,
If angels would come at your call?
Would you rather have sunshine and lightness
Or darkness and gloom in your dreams?
As for me, I would cherish the brightness
With which the whole universe teems.

Look around and behold the earth’s glory –
The mountain, the river and plain;
For they tell us an exquisite story,
The burden of Nature’s refrain.
How the Father of love, in His kindness,
Has given us more than we know;
Though we threw it aside in our blindness,
And reap of the pain which we sow.

But, to harvest the best of life’s treasure,
One lesson must early be learned,
That we give to each other a measure
Of what our best efforts have earned.
Then, my children, I pray you be ready
To search, as you go, for the flowers,
And to share what you have with the needy,
For thus you’ll have blessings showers. 
             – A. E. Ross, in N. Y. Independent.

     On the back of the first poem is a drawing of a woman modeling a cape and hat.


     A sale for Men's and Boys' suits appears on the back of the last poem.

     The last item I found inside The Social Mirror was a beautiful Victorian bookmark:

     
      The bookmark is an advertisement for Merrick’s Anti-Monopoly, Anti-Trust, Anti-Combination Spool Cotton. 

MERRICK’S SPOOL
Cotton is six cord,
soft finish, and is made
from the finest quality
of combed Sea Island
Cotton, and, on account
of its superior strength,
evenness, and smooth-
ness, surpasses all
other for hand and
machine sewing.

Try one spool and be
convinced of its excel-
lence. 

What glimpses into the lives of the men and women who lived at that time!  I enjoyed them very much, and I hope you did, too.
                                                                                                                                          ~ Katelyn

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