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CURIOUS IN NATURE RESEMBLANCES,,*;;
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(> TRACE In natural objects a re-
semblance, either structural or
pictorial, to other objects with
M&&. which they have no real connec¬
tion is a diverting pastime. More¬
m&k over, though at first thought It
may seem somewhat puerile, it
can in fact be turned to good ac¬
count aa a means of stimulating
tiie Imagination, and Inducing the
JSMy truly mind to scientific embark investigation upon a course which of
may lead to important discoveries.
This applies in particular to the training of the
>outiiful student All those who have gained expe-
riertce as teachers will readily admit the Initial dif-
ficulty which exists in arousing the intelligent in¬
terest of a class in study, In other words, some-
tiling is needed to set the machinery of the mind
in motion. For example, a flower or an insect, as
such, may fail to evoke the desired response, llut
If we can point out some curious or grotesque like-
nesa which it bears to a familiar creature or thing,
we are able Trom this starting point to lead on by
carefully planned stages to such great questions as
structure, natural affinity, and adaptation to envi-
roiiment.
When nature is in one of her imitative moods,
the products of her workshop frequently bear all the
earmarks of a deliberate fake. Occasionally they
seem to have been conceived and executed in a
spirit of sportiveness, As an indication of this
mood, the remarkable Taira crab of Japan, which
has lately attracted the attention of science, stands
forth as a conspicuous example.
In Japanese tradition there is a story to the ef¬
fect that many years ago a great naval battle was
fought in the Sea of Japan between a force of pi¬
rates and Japanese, resulting in the total destruc¬
tion of the pirate lleet. The story continues that
since that day all of the crabs of a certain Bpecles
found on that part of the coast have borne on their
hacks the face of a Japanese warrior.
An examination of one of these crabs reveals at
a glance the somewhat startling visage. The
man-like face is not only there, and typically orien¬
tal In appearance at that, but actually
face of a drowned
man, with open mouth
and greatly swollen fea¬
tures.
Whether the Japanese
idea that the Taira crab
offers good evidence of
the transmigration of
the souls of dead bodies
into the bodies of lower
animals be accepted or
not, the plienomenon
described is certainly
very interesting, An-
other curious thing
about this crab is the
fact that It is equipped
on its back with four
short supplementary
legs, which are shown in
the accompanying pho¬
tograph at the corners
of the mouth of the
face, so that if accident¬
ally turned upside
it Is able to run quite as well in that fashion as
In its ordinary position. The advantages of such
an equ pinent will readily be appreciated by
those who have witnessed the awkward efforts
o other species of crabs, turtles, and various
Linds of bugs to right or propel themselves when
lying on their backs.
Another remarkable example of typical racial
features is found in the earbone of a finback
whale which was picked up on a Norway beach.
It has all the features of a Scandinavian face,
of low caste, w ith rounded cheek bones, flat nose-
bridge, small upper lip and receding jaw. In
general appearance, however, the face is more
like a death mask than (hat of a living person.
That this was not a freak formation is proved by
an examination of the ear-bones of other finback
whales at the Smithsonian institution in Wash¬
ington, all of which have substantially the same
form.
In the plant kingdom nature’s imitations are
equally astonishing and much more numerous
than in either the animal or vegetable kingdoms.
There are several species of orchids, for instance,
bearing popular names which suggest the likeness
of the flower to some member of the animal
kingdom, among them being the man orchid, the
bee orchid, the spider orchid, the lizard orchid,
and the holy ghost orchid. While it is true that
some of the supposed likenesses are more or less
imaginative, others are wonderfully distinct and
will bear close scrutiny. This is particularly true
of the holy ghost orchid, which contains within
each of its blossoms a pigeon with half spread
wings. It is necessary to view the blossom from
squarely In front, as in the case of the lower
blossom shown in the accompanying photograph,
to get the full effect of the resemblance. When
viewed from this position, the bird is so perfect
that it looks as if ready to take flight. The plant,
which is a native of the Isthmus of Panama, is
very rare, there being perhaps not more than
halt a dozen specimens in the United States, in¬
cluding two in the greenhouses of the White
House at Washington. It grows sturdily, but, in
order to thrive, has to be kept in a hothouse
with the temperature of a Turkish bath.
In all of the instances referred to above tlie
resemblance is mainly due to the lip or labelluin
of iho bloom, Now orchids rank admitted!}
among the most highly specialized flowers, while
their extraordinary modifications are the result
largely if not entirely of insect interference.
Many of these flowers depend entirely upon the
visits of insects for pollination, and without the
aid of these winged emissaries of Uupid they are
quite unable to get seed. The labellum is the
recognized alighting platform upon which the in¬
sect stands while it probes the recesses of the
flower in search of nectar; and as orchids are
so closely associated with insects, we must as¬
sume that the special shape of the labellum in
each instance is more or less definitely related to
the convenience of the guests that are specially
catered for by the flower in question In certain
instances this is actually known to be the case.
Throughout the great orchid family the labellum
exhibits an almost endless variety of configura¬
tion, and we are justified in the assumption that
each form is exactly adapted to attract, or up¬
hold. a particular kind of insect
THE CARNESVILLE ADVANCE. CARNESVILLE, GEORGIA.
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Most young people are familiar with the ca¬
nary bird flower or common canary creeper, and
iiere again we find that the unusual form of the
blossom Is due to Insect visits. The blooms of
tills group of plants seem especially designed to
meet the needs of long-tongued moths, which
seldom or never settle on the flower, but hover
in front of it, lightly poised on their rapidly-
moving wings. While in this position the tongue
is unrolled and thrust far back into the “spur”
of the flower where the nectar is stored. Mean¬
while, the head or body of the moth comes into
contact with the pistil or stamens, and pollen is
deposited or removed, as the case may be.
A very curious plant, which has been famous
since ancient times, is the “Scythian lamb”—
otherwise known as the “vegetable lamb,” or by
the Chinese as the “golden-haired dog.” It looks
remarkably like an animal, and in early days
was popularly supposed to combine in some mys¬
terious way the attributes of animal and plant.
The belief was that it sprang from a seed and
turned on its root until It devoured all green food
within reach, whereupon It perished of starva¬
tion. As a matter of fact, it is merely the root
stock of a plant, which, densely covered with
soft, golden-brown hairs, suggests a likeness to
a quadruped.
A strange plant found in New Zealand is
known as the “vegetable sheep” because of its
wool-like foliage. In fact, the vegetable kingdom
offers an almost endless variety of curious imita¬
tions. The seed-pods of the common garden
snapdragon look exactly like small human heads
arranged on the stalks like “poles of skulls,”
such as are set up in certain countries where
headhunting is a popular amusement These
show not merely the head and face, but dried
TELLS OF DROWNING ELEPHANTS
“Did you ever hear the terrorized trumpeting
of a herd of drowning elephants?” asked W. J.
Williams of Peru, Ind., at the Willard. “If you
never heard the piteous cries of dying beasts,
you have escaped one of the most heartrending
experiences that ever comes to civilized man. I
was in Peru during the flood of 1913, when the
Wabash river rose to unknown heights, causing
tremendous destruction of property. Peru is the
winter headquarters of the Wallace and Hagen-
back circus, and when it was found that the
water was coining higher than had ever been
known before, the fourteen elephants in the cir¬
cus were unchained and let go to take care of
themselves. Three of them managed to reach a
small mound where they stood in the water with
their trunks elevated till the end of the flood,
but the other eleven were drowned.
“With the water rushing through the streets,
and the people of the city marooned in the sec¬
ond stories of the houses, the elephants swam
around for hours, trumpeting in terror and stick¬
ing their trunks into the open windows of the
houses in their efforts to find some spot of safe¬
ty. They cried like children and one could al¬
most understand their language as they pleaded
for the help which could not be given them, for
not one of them could be taken in through a
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portions of the scalp, eyelids and lips. Their
color is like that of mummied heads.
The insect world is full of mimicry. Butter¬
flies that imitate dead leaves are familiar, and
the same may be said of the “walking stick,”
which bears so close a likeness to a twig that,
though common enough in the woods, it is rarely
detected or captured. The “measuring worm”
assumes the attitude of a twig, and remains
motionless for hours together. Moths, to pro¬
tect themselves against enemies, mimic wasps,
and other insects adopt the aspect of the spider.
Native to Africa is a remarkable insect, a spe¬
cies of Sphlgis, the chrysalis of wdiich looks like
the head of a chimpanzee. Even the hair and
the pupils of the eyes are shown. But more won¬
derful yet is the chrysalis of a butterfly, Peniscea,
which is a likeness, seemingly a mask, of the
Roman king, Tarquin.
door or window out of the flood. They acted
more like human beings than beasts, and it was
almost as pitiful to see them go down under the
muddy waters, one by one, as it was to see a
human being washed from a roof.
“I shall never forget their dying cries as they
sought the safety which could not be found in
that flat country, where the W'hole surface of
the earth was submerged.
“Back in the big circus menagerie, however,
there was even a more tragic scene. When the
water came up into the cages of the animals
they all became frantic from fear.
“Lions and tigers roared and dashed them¬
selves against the bars of their cages till it was
feared they would escape and swim to places of
human refuge, where they would destroy many
lives.
“Iron bars were bent by the beasts in their
fury and as the water rose higher their terror
and tlieir strength increased. When it was seen
that nothing coulfl be done and that lives of per¬
sons in the city were being endangered, the
manager of the menagerie went from cage tc
cage with a rifle and shot one after another of
the monarchs of the jungle till all were dead.
It cost the circus a fortune, but many human
lives were saved.”
Fundamental
Principles of
= . .=■_
By ALBERT S. GRAY, M. D.
(Copyright, 1914. by A. S. Gray)
BRIGHT’S DISEASE.
Last year approximately 100,000
Americans died from Bright’s and
other diseases of the kidneys.
Had a railroad wreck or a Titanic
j disaster killed one-hundredth this num¬
ber the world would gasp in horror
and the newspapers of the country
would be taxed to issue special
editions in suflicient. number to meet
j the the public subject, demand and senatorial for information on
or con¬
gressional committees would be ap¬
pointed to investigate the cause and
formulate laws for the prevention of
like disasters in the future.
But because we are used to it and
because they are snuffed out only a
few at a time we ignore this appalling
sacrifice of 100,000 human lives and
take it as a matter of course. And
the absurdity of this position is the
more startling when we know that
fully 60 per cent of these deaths, or
60,000 could be prevented or at least
postponed for many years with greater
ease and certainty than a Titanic dis¬
aster can be prevented.
Our stupidity becomes still more
amazing in the face of the fact that
deaths from these diseases are stead-
ily increasing at an enormous rate. In
the. ^ctal statistics registration area,
bbw "covering approximately 60 per
of our population, deaths from
kidney diseases have increased 72 per
cent in 20 years and 23 per cent in
last ten years. In the city of Chicago
the increase has been 47 per cent in
the last ten years.
Bright's and the allied diseases are
clearly diseases of civilization; they
advance together. They are the dis¬
eases of highly seasoned food, or drink,
of indolent habits of body and mind,
and of mental “strain,” commonly
called worry.
The 1910 census gave the United
States a population increase of 21 per
cent in the ten-year period between
1900 and 1910 and showed the rural
population to number 54 per cent and
the urban population 46 per cent of
the whole.
Within this ten-year period the rural
population increased only 11 per cent
while the urban population increased
34 per cent and this very material
change in the ratio between the pro¬
ducers and the consumers of the neces¬
sities of life must become a powerful
factor in the health of our people for
two reasons; first, because of the
change in proximity to food supplies.
Less fresh food is being consumed by
the increasing numbers flowing into
our cities, and it is a self evident fact
that the longer food is held the greater
is the danger of contamination. Sec¬
ond, the increase in the ratio of con¬
sumer to producer of the necessities of
life means a perfectly logical increase
in the cost of the production, hence an
inevitable increase in the cost of liv¬
ing and the worries incident thereto.
The subject of the preservation and
transportation of food is of vast im¬
portance and is now receiving the at¬
tention of the federal and state au¬
thorities, but it is a subject on which
the individual citizen must seek en¬
lightenment If we are to make any
progress towards a happier humanity.
We are fairly well informed through
the daily press as to the dangers of
chemical preservatives in foods, and
because of these dangers cold is de¬
pended on to keep foods in fit condi¬
tion in the average home. Cold does
not kill bacteria, but it does ’Inhibit,
or check their rapid growth, and In
this fact we find the need of and the
reason for public ice fund subscrip¬
tions in the battle against disease
among the poor in our cities. But it
must be carefully noted, however, that
ice can be, at best, but little superior
in purity to the water from which it
is made, and therefore ice is itself a
factor of enormous importance in the
development and spread of disease.
As Increasing intelligence opens our
minds to a comprehension of the
cause underlying ill lieaith, particu¬
larly of the gastric disturbances of
childhood, we learn that most of our
ills are due either to insufficient or-
badly prepared and unclean food
rather than to any excess in food
values or quantity.
The very prevalent “summer com¬
plaints" and other digestive troubles
of childhood and of humanity in gen¬
eral are traceable directly to a com¬
mon cause—-filth, High infant mor-
tality goes hand in hand with filth.
Food may be easily contaminated by
washing dishes and other containers
with polluted water, and fresh vege¬
tables, such as are eaten raw, are open
to the same danger frem the use of
impure water on tjiem. Dirty hands
and the general ignorant indifference
of those handling and preparing food
materials; partly decomposed fruit,
vegetables and meat; flies on the but¬
ter, on the bread and in the milk, di¬
rect from the stable or gutter; dust
from the street composed of finely
ground horse manure—all contribute
their quota of filth, and it is this 61e-
ment of things too small to be seen
that is allowed to accumulate on the
surface of foods, rather than the foods
themselveR, that is the cause of many
of our troubles immediate and remote.
Undoubtedly in the near future it
will be conclusively demonstrated that
B/ight’s disease and the degenerative
diseases of the kidneys, heart, arteries
and brain in generul, including apo¬
plexy, now assumed to be caused by
deranged metabolism, the diseases
now responsible for our heaviest and
a steadily increasing economic loss by
reason of the drain on the matured
lives of the nation, originate in the
“mild infections,” those “Insignificant
dysenteries” arising from carelessness
in the matter of personal hygiene and
the saturating of the system with
toxins from long continued ingestion
of toxic elements in dilute polluted
water and food matter in general.
THE CURE IDEA.
Four thousand years of human his¬
tory demonstrate the utter futility of
curative medicine in disease or of
punitive remedies for the cure of
crime. On the other hand, the marvel¬
ous results following the practical ap¬
plication of theories evolved from
modern scientific investigation must
convince the most skeptical that only
along rational lines of prevention can
the steadily rising tide of disease and
crime be successfully combated.
There are no accidents in this world.
Every happening is the inevitable re¬
sult of a specific cause acting accord¬
ing to definite and immutable law.
what we term “accidents” being a
happening unexpected only because of
our ignorance of the fundamental con¬
ditions and law. As heat and cold are
one and the same, varying only in de¬
gree, so accident, disease and crime
are only varying results from a com¬
mon cause—instability, a lack of har¬
mony in existing conditions.
Accident and disease are the result
of transgressions of natural law;
crime is the result of breaking man¬
made law. All three are very largely
matters of geography, for the reason
that what will result in one or the
other in one country or state will not
produce a like result in another
place.
Either unknowingly or in spite of
ourselves, and whether we like it or
not, nature leads us by purely person¬
al motive to fulfil her ends. In other
words, humanity must react according
to each individual nature and its en¬
vironment. Because of this fact puni¬
tive laws have never been deterrent,
never can be deterrent. In our ig¬
norance we establish laws running
counter to natural law and thereby
make “criminals.” Because of this
fact society has been forced again and
again either to remove the cause or to
amend or repeal the law and legalize
the crime.
But we can neither amend nor re¬
peal natural law nor by resolution nul¬
lify the effect of a given action; and,
as each act has a positive and inevit¬
able result, irrevocable and extending
to the end, either we must adapt our¬
selves to the new conditions or suffer
in consequence. If we are elastic and
adaptable we “react” and continue to
enjoy good health, but if rigid and
unadaptable we suffer disease and pre¬
mature extinction.
We do not break natural laws; they
break us if we are stupid enough to
try to run counter to them. Therefore,
the logic of the situation should drive
us diligently to familiarize ourselves
with the fundamental laws of the uni¬
verse of which we are an integral part,
that we may live in harmony there¬
with and fulfil our destiny, whatever
it may be.
In short, good health does not come
out of bottles nor law abiding citi¬
zens out of cells. Both are matters of
physical balance, the product of intel¬
ligent breeding and of training begin¬
ning not later than the cradle period.
Even morality, concerning which we
are hearing so much under the cap¬
tions “social evil” or “white slavery,”
is not a matter of wage, but of charac¬
ter, and therefore absolutely the result
of traiiiing.
In the final analysis civilization is
nothing more than the development of
inhibitory centers enabling us to curb
and subdue the remains of our jungle
nature—always very near to the sur¬
face even in the best of us. But so¬
ciety deliberately breeds disease and
crime, then coddles the one and pun¬
ishes the other, and all the time per¬
mits both to breed more incompetents.
Science has demonstrated that good
health and freedom from crime may
be purchased by intelligent "co-opera¬
tion and the expenditure of money for
the benefit of men en masse. And the
day will undoubtedly come when ill
health will be considered a greater
disgrace than to be imprisoned, be¬
cause the latter is only the result of
breaking man-made laws, while ill
health Is the result of transgressing
nature's law, for which there can be
no excuse among intelligent people.
When that day does dawn there will
be no more prisons, for they will have
passed with the thumbscrew, the rack
and the stake, In place of jails, re-
forniatories and penitentiaries, what
we need are more organized nurseries
and training schools for children, more
hospitals and training Institutions for
the adult.
Meantime we have to meet the de¬
mands of today: First, relief to the
sufferers from our past blindness ami
folly—and most of them can be re¬
lieved. Second, to teach the injustice
of passing limitations along to future
generations.