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THE SOUTHERN - WORLD, AUGUST 1, 1882.
7
Natural Curiosities of East Tennessee.
A Knoxville correspondent of the Morris
town Gazette of November 16th 1881, in al
luding to the natural curiosities of East
Tennessee says:
The greatest natural curiosity in East Ten
nessee is the greit Indian cave, about six
miles north of New Market, on the Holston
river, and only a short distance from Lea’s
Springs. This cave has been explored a dis
tance of five miles, and is filled with won
derful formations of rock, Stalagmites rise
from the floors, singly and in groups. In
one room stands the frozen bridge, a stalag
mite in the form of a lady, with white veil,
seeming a statue of ice. In another room,
called the concert room, stands the frozen
organ, a group of stalagmites, joined to
gether at the base, and the upper spears lost
to view in outer darkness resembling the
pipes of a great church organ, all coated
with ice. The concert room is about eighty
feet wide and two hundred feet long, ceiling
fifty feet high, studded with innumerable
stalactites, some of them reaching half way
to the floor. Millions of diamonds flash in
ceiling and wall, and the echo from a single
musical instrument is multiplied a hundred
times and becomes a continuous roll of
music, as if from a score of hands. About
a mile from the entrance is the rotunda,
with curved ceiling reaching up more than
a hundred feet. No amount of torches can
flash the diamonds in that ceiling; the
darkness cannot be pierced, and tens of mil
lions of bats swing there in festoons undis
turbed.
After leaving the rotunda, crossing the
creek several times and winding on through
fields of stalagmites, we come to Devil’s
Chimney; we enter the arch and above as
far as torches can flash their light, stretches
this smooth walled chimney hundreds of
feet. The creek that winds through this
cave is a stream the size of our first creek,
of sufficient capacity to run a mill, and
traveling a distance of three miles in the
cave. We cross it several times.
In some places It forms lakes—in other
rapids and waterfalls, cascades and whirl
pools. »
East Tennessee abounds in beautiful rivers,
beautiful mountains, beautiful scenery and
natural wonders and curiosities. I am un
worthy and unable to portray them as they
deserve, but am anxious to try a description
of the Natural Bridge and Great Park of the
Cumberland mountains, situated forty miles
north of this city; the group of “mineral
waters’’ in Grainger county; the “ebbing
and flowing’’ springs in Hawkins county;
the “alum cave" in Sevier county; the
“burning spring” in Anderson county; the
great Craig-head cave in Loudon county,
the great coal mountain in Campbell county,
and at some future time I will ask for space
in the Gazette for this purpose.
Borax In California.
Borax is now well known to occur in very
many of the salt springs in the coast moun
tains of California. But in only two places
has it been found in large quantities—these
are Borax Lake and Hacbinhama (pro
nounced Hah’-chin-ha'-ma), both being in
the immediate vicinity of Clear Lake, about
eighty miles north of San Francisco. Borax
Lake is a shallow pool intensely of alkaline
water, without inlet or outlet, and of course
its extent depends on its reception of rain
water. After an exceptionally wet season,
it has a length of perhaps a mile and a half,
with a depth of eight to ten feet; after an
exceptionally dry season, on the contrary, it
shows sometimes no water, the muddy bot
tom being covered with saline incrustations.
When it has a length of three-fourths of a
mile, with a depth of four feet, being per
haps its average condition, the water holds
in solution 18.75 grains of solid matter to
the ounce—.039 of its own weight. This con
sists of salts of soda in the following pro
portions: Sodium carbonate, .618; sodium
chloride, .204; sodium biborate, .178.
But this alkaline water, exceedingly rich
as it is in borax, constitutes only a trifling
part of the commercial value of the lake.
In fact it has never been turned to account
at all in the manufacture of borax, though
snch use of it is entirely practicable, as the
statements tb be presently made in relation to
Hachlnhama will show. The muddy bottom
of the lake was found, immediately on its
discovery in 1866, to contain borax in crys
tals, in quantities most astonishing.
These crystals being tested by various
workers In iron and steel, were pronounced
equal to the very best of refined borax.
They ate, in fact, pure biborate of soda, with
out any other impurities than the mud me
chanically entangled with them in their
process of crystalization. They correspond
to the native borax of other localities desig
nated as tincal, but yet are decidcly distinct
from it. In fact no such crystals as those of
Borax Lake, have ever been found in any
other locality, and there are several points in
connection with their mode of formation,
and even their very existence, which are by
no means easy of comprehension, as we shall
see.—Da. W. O. Ayres, in Popular Science
Monthly.
Written specially for the Southern World.
MOURNING.
BY ATHALIA JAIQH.
The custom of outward mourning—means
intended to expresss the feelings of sorrow
ing friends for their lost relatives—extends,
we believe, almost as far back as history
reaches. The custom of the Jews in ancient
times, was to adorn themselves in sackcloth
and ashes, and during the period of mourn
ing, which was generally seven, but some
times protracted to thirty days, they would
tear their clothes, lie on the ground or walk
barefoot, cut off the hair and beard, and ab
stain from washing and anointing them
selves, weeping all the while.
Black is "the color used for mournlug in
Europe and Rome, and was also used in an
cient Greece. It is expressive of the deepest,
inconsolable grief, and pining for the lost
friend.
Black and white striped is expressive of
sonow and hope combined, and is worn for
mourning by the South-sea Islanders. Gray
ish brown is the color of the earth, and is
used by Ethiopians. Pale brown, the color
of withered leaves, is worn in Persia. Sky-
blue is expressive of hope for the deceased,
and is worn in Syria, Cappadocia and Arme
nia. Deep blue is the mourning of Bokhara,
in Central Asia, and is used also by the Ro
mans under the republic. Purple and vio
let, denotes royalty, and is worn for cardi
nals, and the kings of France. Violet is the
mourning of Turkey, and white of China,
and until 1498, the latter was also worn in
Spain. Henry the VIII wore white for Anne
Boleyn, who once wore yellow for Catherine
of Arragon. Yellow may be regarded as a
token of exaltation, and is worn as mourn
ing in Egypt and Burmah.
The usages regarding mourning have va
ried much at different times and in differ
ent countries; but in America, the custom
of wearing black for the dead, is now becom
ing more extensively practiced by a general
class of people than ever before; and at the
same time, the ladies of our country, are
becoming feebler and more unhealthy every
year. If they could be made to feel and be
lieve the vanity and foolishness of such cus
toms, the country—yea, world, would be
largely benefitted by it.
Why drape yourself for so long a time in
such gloomy attire 7 Do you not feel enough
of sorrow, and experience sufficient suffer
ing because of your loss, without a constant
reminder always before you? Why not weep
quietly when you so desire, and laugh when
you feel disposed? It appears like mockery
to sec a lady heavily draped in mourning,
laughing gaily, or taking part in any lively
affair, and especially dancing; but still it is
not well to assume a grave and sanctified
expression, as is frequently done by persons
in crape, for months after the loss of a
friend; and as nothing else is becoming to
suck grave costumes, it is far the wisest plan
to put aside the vain custom altogether, and
conduct yourself at all times according to
your feelings. Of course you feel sad and
melancholy more frequently than otherwise,
but if some kind friend should cheer you,
giving you consolation for the time being, or
causing you to forget your sorrow, do not
attempt to drive away the gay feelings “for
the sake of the dead,” and assume a grave
air, but forget your sorrow as much as pos
sible, for the sake of the living ones around
you, as well as for your own good. It is
strange indeed, that so many will persist in
continuing such injurious habits, in spite of
the repeated entreaties in their behalf. The
custom of gentlemen to wear only a small
band of crape around the hat, is, of course,
no harm to health, but it is quite as foolish
and vain, as that of the ladies. May the day
yet come when the people will abandon all
such idle practices.
Why are not Educated Women More
Healthy,
The Association of Collegiate Alumna:
have issued a circular, in which they say
that the physical status of American women
of the educated class is painfully low. They
call the attention of parents, Institutions
and students to certain evils which help to
make sickly women.
1. Social dissipation, and excitement
which is neither amusement nor recreation.
Girls are too often stimulated to shine so
cially and intellectually at the same time.
A mother proves her daughter’s perfect
health by saying: “She has been able to go
to parties or entertainments four or five
evenings a week, all winter, and she stands
at the head of her class.”
2. Habitual loss of sufficient and healthy
sleep. In a New York academy, a class of
sixty girls, between the ages of twelve' and
eighteen, chanced to be asked by a recent
visitor the time they retired the night before.
The average was found to be twenty minutes
before midnight; but no surprise was man
ifested by the teachers nor regret by the
pupils.
3. Irregularity and haste in taking food,
the use of confectionary in the evening and
the omission of breakfast. The principal of
a large girl's school, in Philadelphia lately
said, that so many habitually came to school
without having taken sufficient breakfast,
and taking tittle or no lunch, that he had been
compelled, in order to obtain good mental
work, to have a warm lunch furnished, and
to insist upon the scholars taking it in the
middle of the morning.
4. Tight, heavy and insufficient clothing,
which frightfully increases tho tendencies
to consumptive and spinal diseases. A phy
sician of wide experience confidentially
states that this cause alone lias incapacitated
more womon than over-study and over-work
of all kinds.
5. The lack of sufficient out-door exercise.
When a proper amount of time is devoted
to such exercise, no time will be left for over
study.
6. Tlie ambition of parents and daughters
to accomplish much in little time, which
sends students to college either hurriedly
and imperfectly prepared, or with a thor
ough preparation gained at the expense of
health.
7. The usual postponement of instruction
in the laws of physiology and hygiene to a
college course. The Association recom
mends the introduction of a thorough
course of physical training, with special
Instructors anil lectures on the subject.
A Typical Plant-Cell.
A child’s toy-balloon may afford us an
illustration of what a naturalist might call a
typical cell. We have in the toy simply a
closed sac thoroughly distended by its con
tents, more or less perfectly spherical in
shape, and affording in outline or cross-sec
tion an almost perfect circle. In the organic
cell the sac is known as the cell-wall, and
whatever may be inclosed by the cell-wall
is called the cell-contents. A typical cell
would be round, spherical, but very few
cells, os they occur in nature, are perfect
spheres. A cell whicii may be spherical nt
the outset may change its shape in accor
dance with changing circumstances, so that
we may say that the form of all cells which
we find united to form tissue varies with the
situation which we shall see more clearly as
we go on. That vegetable tissues, as they
occur in wood, pith, leaves, flowers, and
fruit, are entirely composed of cells, may
be easily demonstrated. All that is needed
is to take a very thin slice of any of these
substances and Examine with a microscope
of moderate power, when the cellular struc
ture becomes immediately apparent. So,
then, all the great variety of form and color,
and all the resulting beauty, which the vege
table kingdom affords, and all the varied
economic value of plants, depends upon the
form and contents of these little orgauic.
units—of cells. More than this: these cells
are of the highest scientific interest. All
the discussion of the past few years in re
gard to spontaneous generation and the
origin of life has been a discussion of vege-
'table cells; and very much of all that we
know about life, its activity and its mystery,
has been derived from the study of tho cells
of growing plants. It becomes, then, a mat
ter of some interest to know something
abdut these cells; and, if the reader can
imagine himself for a little while looking
through the lenses of our microscope, it will
be the purpose of this article to tell him
some little of what he may see while he
studies the cells of plants.—Profettor T. H.
McBride, in the Popular Science Monthly.
We are ignorant in youth, from idleness,
and we continue so in manhood from pride;
for pride is less ashamed of being ignorant
than of being instructed, and she looks too
high to find that which very often lies be
neath her. Therefore condescend to men of
low estate and be for wisdom that which Al-
cibiades was for power. He who rings only
one bell, will hear only one sound; and he
who lives only with one class, will see but
one scene of the great drama of life.
Mr. Lock was asked how he had contrived
to accumulate a mine of knowledge so rich,
yet so extensive and so deep. He replied
that he attributed what little he knew to not
having been ashamed to ask for Information
and to the rule he had laid down, of con
versing with all descriptions of men, on
those topics chiefly that formed their own
peculiar professions or pursuits.
I myself have heard a common blacksmith
eloquent when welding of iron was the
theme; what we know thoroughly, we can
usually express clearly; since ideas will
supply words, but words will not always
supply ideas. Therefore, when I meet with
any that write obscurely or converse con
fusedly, I am apt to suspect two things:
first, that such persons do not understand
themselves, and, secondly, that they are not
worthy of being understood by others.
TO FLORIDA FRUIT-GROWERS.
~ ~~ * *
Florida Fruit-Growers’ Association,
Jacksonville, Fla.
It is the special object and desire of the
“Florida Fruit-Growers' Association" to en
courage and promote the successful and
profitable culture of all the best varieties
of Fruits suitable to the soils and cliniuteof
our State.
Each individual member of tho associa
tion, and every one within the borders of
Florida who is in sympothy with the objects
of the Association, can greatly aid in collect
ing knowledge on tho general and special
subject of Fruit culture, in all its branches,
as now practiced in this State; and this
knowledge widely disseminated by the press,
must prove of incalculable value and im
portance to thousands of actual and pros,
pective settlers, and to the great public who
enjoy and appreciate fine fruit, everywhere
throughout the country.
With a view of eliciting practical infor
mation—facts and deductions drawn from
experience and close observation—the Asso
ciation respectfully solicits immediate re
plies to the following queries:
1. What varieties of Fruit are most suc
cessfully and extensively grown in your
neighborhood, in addition to the Orange,
Lemon, etc. ?
2. What are your prospects, now, for a
large, medium or small crop of Oranges ?
3. What diseases, insects, etc., have thus
far, proved most destructive and trouble
some? And what remedies have been tested
—with results of tests?
4. What is the natural character or quality
of your soil, and what fertilizers—domestic
and commercial—havo proved most efficient
and economical ?
5. What is your stylo of pruning? Do
you “trim up" or “trim down," and why?
6. Do you favor mulching and infrequent
stirring of the surface, or constant cultiva
tion and no mulching 1
7. How do you apply fertilizers?
8. Are your trees budded, or seedlings?
And which do you prefer?
9. Has the LeConte Pear borne fruit with
you, or in your immediate neighborhood?
10. Do you cultivate tho Japan Persim
mon, (Diospyrot Iraki,) or the Chinese Quince
(Cyndonia Sinentie)f
11. State your experience with tho Fig,
the Banana, the Guava, tho Pine-apple and
the Cocoanut. Do you raise any of these
fruits for market?
12. Is tho Strawberry n success with you ?
What sorts do you cultivate, and what is
your system?
13. Can you raise any other varieties of
the Peach, (budded,) except the “Peen-To”
and "Honey”?
24. Are you cultivating the Grape ? What
varieties? Do you make wine for home use,
or market ?
Every Florida reader of the foregoing
queries, whether a member of the Associa
tion or not, may consider himself directly
and individually addressed. Wo earnestly
solicit concise and explicit replies, at the
earliest possible day, for publication; and
we respectfully ask leading papers to give
this circular and any replies which it may
call forth, the widest publicity.
D. H. Elliott, D. Redmond,
Secretary. Preiident.
Mummied infants os a rule, were sepa
rately coffined, and instances to tho contrary
are rare. Paul de Saint-Victor tells of a
touching group, found at Thebes—the
mother with her babe clasped In her arms,
pressed to her lifeless bosom.