North Georgia times. (Spring Place, Ga.) 1879-1891, March 12, 1891, Image 1
NORTH GEORGIA TIMES. C. N. KINO, } Proprietor 8. B. CARTER, RICHEST REDSKINS. They are the Navajos in North . eastern Arizona. Facts of Interest About the Southwestern Indians. Probably the wealthiest of our to¬ tally uncivilized Indians are theNava jos, whose country is in the north¬ eastern corner of Arizona. Their herds of animals and flocks of sheep are always in sight from the car win¬ dows of the Atlantic & Pacific Rail¬ way. They do not all follow pastoral occupations, but many chiefs own productive fruit and vegetable farms, the product of which finds a conven¬ ient market in Santa Fe and Albu¬ querque. For many years they have been quiet, and they are, in fact, too wealthy to go on the warpath and risk their fortuues. A short time after the rebellion they begau raiding and pillaging, and troops were sent after them. The shrewd commander sup¬ plied his men with axes, and starting at one end cf their lands he moved forward, cutting down their orchards, destroying their crops and shooting any animals found in his path. This sort of warfare was too much for them, and after they had lost the re¬ sult of years of labor they sued for peace and havo since been quiet. Among this tribe are found tlie ex¬ pert weavers of the noted Navajo blanket, so much prized in the East as a curiosity. Tho finer varieties arc valued at $50 or $60 in the Navajo country, while small saddle blankets sometimes sell for $10. Scattered through this country are the ruins of many “adobe” towns, which were un¬ doubtedly the settlements of that strong tribe of which the Zuni and Moki Indians arc the living representa¬ tives. Along the southern lino of Utah are seven large cities, of course now in ruins, which were built by this almost extinct nation. Their stylo of architecture is found all over Arizona, and there is almost conclusive evidence that they were exterminated by the more ferocious Apaches. Tlie Zhnis were undoubtedly a peace-loving peo¬ ple, and the implements found in the ruins prove that they practised many of the ruder arts, such as making pot¬ tery and tho weaving of wool for clothing. When the hordes of Apaches came from the North the Zunis defended their cities until they were forced up into the clifis and mountains, where many deserted chff dwellings are found. Sometimes on the bare face of cliffs 200 feet high ono finds these dwellings of three and four slories high. To cut into these rocky preci¬ pices the first workmen were lowered over the edge by ropes until sufficiently large cavities to serve as habitations were dug out. One member of each family was always left at home to lower a rope ladder for the absent ones to ascend on their return. These dwellings show that every precaution was taken to enable the occupants to withstand a siege, because in many are found stone cisterns to hold water and deeper recesses in the rear which probably served to store away pro¬ visions and firewood. With such ad¬ vantages on tlie side of the ultimately defeated and exterminated nation, the Apache and Zuni war must have been a long and bitter one. It is with the greatest difficulty that the Southwestern Indians may be in¬ duced to speak of the dead, so if they have an interesting tradition or his¬ tory, their custom of being silent con¬ cerning dead comrades prevents any knowledge of their past from reach¬ ing us. They have no written lan¬ guage, though many can still commu¬ nicate by means of signs and hiero¬ glyphics. Association with whites divorces them from many aboriginal customs and prejudices, and this is especially the case with friendly In¬ dian scouts, many of whom re-enlist year after year and live at the frontier posts on terms of equality with the troops. The employment of Apaches in the Government service has done much toward their civilization. Thir¬ teen dollars per month, comfortable quarters, a clothing allowance, and an abundant ration would wean any age from a desire to live under cisely reverse conditions, the only reward being of following a career of SPRING PLACE. GA.. THURSDAY. MARCH 12, 1891. ing and murder, wliile in return being continually chased through Mexico, New Mexico and Arizona, without an opportunity to rest or see his family. Before Mayor Tupper gave the war. like Chiricahuas their severe blow in the Hatchet Mountains in 1883, we had no agreement with Mexico allowing us to cross the line in pursuit of hos tiles, and every massacre was followed by nothing more than a chase to the border, where, if the Indians arrived first, they raised their hands to their noses and smiled at the troops. The good effect of Tupper’s ,fight induced the Mexicans to allow us to follow a hot trail, i. e., one not more than eight hours old, and as the age of the trail is a matter of opinion, it is evi¬ dent that considerable latitude is al. lowed, and the pursuing party muv push on after the hostiles should there he a chance of overtaking them, even though the trail be sixteen hours old. —[New York Tribune. Oil on Troubled Waters. The saving of the steamer Miranda by the use of oil a few days ago has brought up again for discussion among seamen the peculiar wave-stilling power of oil. Tho Miranda had put out from St. John’s, N. F., and was caught in a terrible hurricane. The ship waa about to founder when the captain thought of oil. Thirty gallons saved the ship, worth thousands of dollars. I heard Captain Santelli of La Gas¬ cogne explaining oil’s action to some old salts not long ago. “Oil does not subdue the huge swell by any means,” lie said, “but smooths and tones down its ripples, each of which gives the wind a point of purchase. The film of oil is like a membrane floating on the surface of tho water, hampering its motion. When the seawater is pure there is nothing to oppose ito contractions and extensions. Now cover the surface with oil and the con¬ tractions are not possible. This effect of oil on the small waves conduces to the breaking of the large waves, which are tho sailor’s special dread. It is tho breaking waters which do tho mischief and these are quieted by oil.” Captain Santelli made a suggestion that oil might be used with advantage at exposed lighthouses to break tho force of the waves. This could bo done, he thinks, by placing a couple of steel buoys at a distance of about ono hundred and fifty feet from tho lighthouse. A pully and light rope on the buoy would enable tho bag of oil or other appliance to distribute the oil to be hauled in when desired. — [NewYork Star. A Remarkable Quadruped. A French periodical, the Monde Artiste, idtroduces to our notice a quadruped whose acquaintance is cer¬ tainly worth making. Tho dog to which we refer belongs to a family residing in Darmstadt—a most musical family, for every member of it—and it reckons eight—plays some musical instrument or other from morning till night. Even the servants have been taught to play, much to the torture of the neighbors; and hardly less at first was the infliction felt by tlie dog in question, wlio used to slink out of the house in order to escape the conflicting sounds of the various instruments. It was determined, however, that the animal should also receive a musical education,and to this end he was made to stay beside his master’s chair, let him bark and whine as ho might. Further, to teach him music, every time a false note was played he re¬ ceived a cut from a whip, and thus his ear was formed and his education completed. Gradually, says the Monde Artiste, the animal got to un¬ derstand that each Etroke of the whip he received signified that a false note had been played, and soon a look suf¬ ficed to make him howl at the right moment. At the present time he recognizes a note that is out of tune without being touched or looked at; and when taken to a concert or other musical entertainment, if a performer makes a mistako he sets up a howl of disapproval, and can only be reduced to silence by the voice of bis master* who sometimes has even to leave the hall with the animal to avoid disturb¬ ing the proceedings. Professor:—Which teeth come last? Pupil:—The false one, sir. [Detroit Free Press. POINTS ABOUT PUSS. Theories Regarding the Domes¬ tic Cat’s Origin. Tabby Was Worshipped by the Ancient Egyptians. “From what source is the domestic cat derived?” A distinguished mammalogist was asked the question by a Washington Star Reporter and his reply was that no one knew. Said he: “Three theories, quite distinct, are held on the subject. Some think that the domestic puss is derived from tho European wildcat, which is gray with black spots and strongly resembles the common tabby of the household, though it is much larger and very fierce. For a long time this belief was pretty generally accepted, but it is not so any longer. “The second theory is that the do¬ mestic cat is descended from tho wild¬ cat of North Africa, which also re¬ sembles the tabby, having a longer tail than the European wildcat. But the third belief, which is chiefly adherejl to today, is that pussy is dorived from a mixed origin, by crosses between wildcats of various sorts, which have produced different strains in different parts of tho world—as the Persian breod, the maltcso and others. “It is well known that the Egyp¬ tians domesticated the cat, which, in fact, they worshipped. Representa¬ tions of the animal appear numerously upon their monuments, though not upon those which date back much farther than 2000 years before Christ. This shows that the creature must have become known to them as a household pet for the first time at about that period. They were accus¬ tomed to preserve their cats in tho shape of mummies, the female corpses wrapped, like those of human beings, in'windings of cloth. Only a short time ago discovery was made of a great cave in Egypt filled with thou¬ sands and thousands of mummified cats, which were promptly dug out and exported to England, where they were sold at the rate of $15 a ton for fertilizing purposes. Some of them, however, were carefully unwrapped and dissected for scientific purposes. It was found that they were very much like the pussies of today, al¬ though to the eye of tho anatomist they exhibited certain very perceptible differences in the formation of their skulls, the breadth of their shoulder blades and other points. In short, they approached in type more nearly to the wildcat. “It is a fact that the domestic puss will cross with many varieties of wildcats and thus may have been pro¬ duced many of tho varying species found in the world. In the Isle of Man there is a cat, native to no other spot on earth, which has no tail. In Maine there is a very peculiar variety known up there as the ‘coon oat,’ of which ignorant people confidentially assert that it is a cross between the do¬ mestic tabby and the raccoon. Snch a cross, of course, would be as impossi¬ ble as a cross between the cat and the dog. We get our word ‘cat’ from the Latin ‘catus,’ applied by the Romans to the animal and meaning ‘sly.* “There is in India another species of the cat tribe which is commonly domesticated. It is as big as a large dog and is called the “cheetah’ or ‘hunting leopard.’ People in that country keep cheetas as we do mastiffs and allow them the same freedom. The beast is of all known animals the swiftest in running, so that it is even able to overtake the antelope in flight. It is used for hunting purposes to a great extent. One peculiarity it has which distinguishes it as belonging to a separate branch of the cat family, it is unable to draw in its claws at will.” The Speed of Insects. There are many insects which one would little suspect to be furnished with apparatus suited to swift and more or less continuous flight House-flies frequent the inside of our windows, buzzing sluggishly in and out of the room. But what different creatures are they when they accompany your horse on a hot summer’s day. A swarm of these little pests keeps per¬ tinaciously on wing about the horse’s ears; quicken the pace up to ten or twelve miles an hour, still they are there; let a gust of wind arise, and carry them backward and behind—the breeze taring dropped, their speed is redoubled, and they return to their post of annoyanco to the poor horse even when urged to its fastest pace. But this example gives only a par¬ tial proof of the fly’s power of flight, as the following will show: The writer was traveling one day in au¬ tumn by rail at about twenty-five miles an hour, when a company of flies put in an appearance at the car window. They never settled, but easily kept pace with the train; so much so, indeed, that their flight seemed to be almost mechanical, and a thought struck the writer that they had probably been drawn into a kind of vortex, whereby they were carried on¬ ward with but little exertion on the part of themselves. But this notion was soon disproved. They sallied forth at right angles from the train, flew to a distance of thirty or forty feet, still keeping pace, and then re¬ turned with increased speed and buoy¬ ancy to the window. To account for this, look at tho wings of a fly. Each is composed of an upper and lower membrane, be¬ tween which the blood-vessels and respiratory organs ramify so as to form a delicate network for the ex¬ tended wings. These are used with great quickness, and probably 600 strokes are made per second. This would carry the fly about 25 feet, but a sevenfold velocity can easily be at¬ tained, making 175 feet per second, so that under certain circumstances it can outstrip a racehorse. If a small insect like a fly can outstrip a race¬ horse, an insect as largo as a horse would travel much faster than a can¬ non-ball.—[New York Ledger. Feminine Smugglers. The Comedy of the Custom House is clearly outlined in the Contributors’ Club of the Atlantic, The writer says: Packed snugly away in that wilder¬ ness of trunks and boxes are hundreds, nay, thousands, of pretty trifles, whicli it is the painful duty of every man, and the proud ambition of every wo¬ man, to carry in unscathed and unde¬ tected. The frank, shameless delight which a woman takes in smuggling has long puzzled the male moralist, who, following the intricacies of tho feminine conscience, can find no satis¬ factory explanation of this by-path. He cannot bring her to understand why, when she has purchased and paid for an article, it should not be hers to tako where 6he likes, to deal with as she pleases; and a dozen discourses on political economy and the laws of na¬ tions leave her unshaken in this simple and primitive conception. As the En¬ glish argue best in platoons, so a woman argues best in action; and, while her husband or brother is prov¬ ing to her in tho clearest possible fash¬ ion that a high protective tariff is a blessing to the land she is assiduously storing away embroidered table cov¬ ers, and silk stockings, and silver spoons, and tortoise-shell combs, and tiny jeweled pins, and bits of frail Venetian glass, wherever her prac tised eye tells her they will best es¬ cape detection. In the abstract, of course, dear Ed¬ win is right—he always is—but she is far too busy with her task to enter into abstractions just now. What¬ ever mental subtlety she possesses is re¬ served for a much more important or¬ deal—that of getting clear with a clean conscience from the searching ques¬ tions of the inspector. “When I am asked if I have any presents I always answer no,” said a devout, cliurch going woman to me one day, “because I do not consider them presents until I give them away.” Everything Has Its Uses. “Gracious, Miss Bickton,” ex¬ claimed young Spriggins, who is a lingerer, “1 hope you won’t cough again in that way. You made me start.” “Perhaps,” she murmered, “I may be convinced that even coughs were Post. not made in vain.”—[Washington Just Like Him. “Your son ordered these pictures of me.” “Well, they certainly look like him. Has he paid you?” “No, sir.” “That looks more like him.”—[Flie gende Blatter. • Vol. XL New Series. NO. G- NATIONAL AIRS. An Extensive Collection by the Marine Band Leader. Many Curious Facts Brought Out In a Long Search. One of the most remarkable works ever published under the authority of the government is the book just out by. Mr. John Philip Sousa, conductor of the United States Marine Band, which contains the national and patriotic songs of nearly every nation in the world. The preparation of this book occupied about two years of fairly close labor, although even before work was commenced in earnest Mr. Sousa bad been gradually gathering material since 1876. It was then that the idea first suggested itself to him, when bands from foreign countries came to Philadelphia at the Centennial Expo¬ sition. Some curious facts are brought to light by au examination of this col¬ lection, which includes about 250 airs. Turkey furnishes ono which is full of minor chords of wild, discordant har¬ mony, which is supposed to be charac¬ teristic of a people closed in from con¬ tact with more enlightened and cul¬ tured people, and also another song with a stirring theme and broad, full harmony, which indicates that the composor had had the advantage of a musical education in Germany. Tho airs of the Spanish Islands are dnaomy and soft, as might be expected, while a surprise is found in au Esquimo In¬ dian air that is tender and sweet and would do credit to any nation. Tho beauty of this, however, is brought out in the harmony by Mr. Sousa. The air which wo know as “America,” but which is the English “God Save tho Queen,” belongs to no less than soven different nations, and even the music of the “Star Spangled Banner,” “Yankee Doodle” and “Columbia, the Gem of tlie Ocean,” have been appro¬ priated from airs sung in Europe long before the United States was a nation. After Mr. Sousa had commenced his work officially there were three na¬ tions that changed their national airs on account of change of government or ruler. Brazil overthrew tho em¬ peror and became a republic, and the present national air was the result of a competitive contest made last June. Portugal adopted a new air when tho young King Carlos was proclaimed, and Nicaragua selected a new one when she elected a new president. Some of the airs from out-of-the-way places were whistled or sung to Mr. Sousa, and lie noted them down and then harmonized them afterward. Austria’s national hymn was writ¬ ten by Hayden, who was prompted to his task by hearing ‘-God Save the King” sung in England, while in New Zealand the national anthem was com¬ posed in an effort to secure a prize of ten guineas offered by a newspaper. Bohemia’s national air forms a prom¬ inent part of Balfe’s overture to “The Bohemian Girl,” and Nicaragua’s state hymn was written by a member of tho government band. Ono singular fact is developed, namely, that the smallest republic in the world, that of San Marino, has the longest national song. It consists of twelve verses, each with a different time.—[Washington Star. Dr. Koch’s Daily Life. Dr. Koch, says tho Berlin corre¬ spondent of the London Daily News, is no early riser; on the contray, he only gets up at 9 o’clock, unless there be some particular reason for com¬ mencing his day earlier. He takes a long time to dress, as he is very par¬ ticular, and makes his toilet at once for the day. Instead of drinking coffee for breakfast, Dr. Kocli takes a thick soup made of flour, into which ho breaks an enormous quantity of toast¬ ed black bread. After this simple meal he repairs to his laboratory, which he does not leave till 2 o’clock. At this hour dinner is, lerved. It sists of soup, roast meut, and a pudding. On the stroke of three white horse from the livery stands before his door. On this mal the professor trots briskly off the Thicrgartcn. This ride, for he wears a rather pecular riding and an enormous slouch hat, about an hour. The rest of his time till 8 in evening is devoted solely to study. the supper, as sumptuous as the dinner is simple, there must always bo three or four sorts of meat, Dr. Koch drinks during his meal large quanti¬ ties of soda water. After his supper, and sometimes during his supper, he receives tho visits of friends and ac¬ quaintances, with whom he remains in lively conversation till midnight. Then he goes to bed, but' when there reads all sorts of political and scientific magazines and papers, as he has not sufficient leisure time during tho day. lie receives tho visits of physicians and other persons in tho afternoon, lie is said to complain bitterly to his iutimatc friends of the way ho is dis¬ turbed and bothered by visits from persons who are perfect strangers to him. Modern Views of Consumption. Two things are now believed to be necessary for the production of con¬ sumption—tho tuberclo bacillus and a disordered stato of the body, such as to favor its growth—in other words, seed and a fertile soil; and if either is wanting, the disease is not produced. We nevor know when we may take in the germs on our food or in tho air, hence we should see to it that wo do not give them a fertile soil. “It is of primal consequcneo,” says Dr. S. S. Burt, in a paper recently published in the New York Medical Record, “to elevate the tone of the tissues and tho fluids that bathe them to a sanitary pitch, where they themselves are the best of germicides. Bacteria do not thrive upon such nourishment.” While it is almost certain that the disease itself is not inherited, it is well established that a debased quality of blood and tissue, in which the germs of consumption find their proper food, is transmitted from parent to child. If both parents come from consump¬ tive families their children have little chance of escaping tho disease, but “a child with good blood for a legacy, even from oue parent,” says Dr. Burt, “has overy reason to expect immunity from the disease,if he is reared intelli¬ gently. Such children must be properly clothed, very carofully fed, and en¬ couraged to spend tlio greater part of their daily life in the open air.”— To Obtain Oil from Flaxseed. Thero are two processes used in making linseed oil from flax, the cold process and that in which heat is used* By the first the seed is ground in its raw state, and the meal obtained is subjected to powerful hydraulic pres¬ sure, which extracts tho oil that it contains. In the second process the seed is first roasted and then ground in a mill in (lie same manner, and is pressed at a steam heat of 200 degrees. The resulting oiis from these two processes havo very different qualities. The cold-pressed oil is of a golden yellow color, almost tasteless, and quite sticky. It docs not keep very well, but turns dark colored, and be¬ comes rancid, even if exposed to the air. The roasting process destroys the gummy matter in the inner coat ing'of the seeds, and tho oil obtained is less mucilaginous, but it is darker colored and lias a more acrid taste than the fresh cold-pressed oil. The heat process oil is the kind most generally used.—[Boston Cultivator. A Conscientious Indian. Indians sometimes display quite a streak of conscience. Tlie following is told nbout Bi.ly Chinook, who re" ocntly died at Warm Springs. When lie joined Die United Presbyterian Church a few years ago he had three wives. Of course that would not do for a church member, and ho had to give two of them up. Which one he should keep was a serious matter. Ono bad a child, one had no sense, and tlie third he loved best. She was childless. Out of a sense of duty he kept the on: with the child, and the one he loved best was married to anothor mau, which he said was pretty hard to bear. The ono without any sense he kept and sopported for a help to his wife.— [Albany (Oregon) Democrat. A Pushing Agent. Peddler—Please, mum, I’m sellin’ a polish to clean silver. Housekeeper (sharply)—Don’t want none. Peddler—Very sorry, in urn, but I see the neighbors was. right. They said there was no use callin’ here, ’cause you didn’t have no stiver. Housekeeper (wildly)—Gimme six boxes.— [New York Weekly.