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Science. la any reference to the physical his tory of the sun the stupendous magni tude of its sphere must be kept vividly present to the mind. With a diame ter 109 times larger than that of the earth the solar orb looks out into space from a surface that is twelve thousand times larger than the one which the earth enjoys. The bulk of the sun is 1.300.000 times that of the earth. If theBurfaceof the sun were a thin ex- ternal rind or shell, and the earth were placed in the middle of this hol low sphere, not only would the moon have ipace to circle in its usual orbit without ever getting outside of the solar shell, but there would be room also for a second satellite, nearly as far again as the moon, to accomplish a similar course. The weig ht of the sun is three hundred thousand times the the weight of the earth, or. in round numbers, two thousand millions of millions of millions of millions of tons. The mean distancecf the sun from the earth is now so well ascertained, through investigations which have been made in several distinct ways, that there can scarcely be in the esti mate an error of 500,000 miles. The distance at the present time given is 92.885.000 miles. This measure is in itselt so vast that if any traveler were to move at the rate of four miles an hour for ten hours a day, it would take him 6,800 years to reach the sun. Sound would traverse the interval, if there is anything in space capable of transmitting sonorous vibrations, in fourteen years, and a cannon ball sus taining its initial velocity throughout would do the same thing in nine years. A curious illustration, attribu ted to Professor Mendenhall is to the effect that an infant, with an arm long enough when stretched out from the earth to reach the sun, would die of old age before it could become con scious, through the transmission of the nervous impression from the hand to the brain that it had burned its fingers. In order that the earth, thus moving round the sun with a chasm of 93,000,000 miles of intervening space between them, may not be drawn to the sun by the preponderant attrac tion of its 330,000 times larger mass, it has to shoot forward in its path with a momental velocity fifty times more rapid than that of the swiftest rifle ball. But, in moving through twenty miles of this onward path, the earth is drawn out of a straight line by something less than the eighth part of an inch. This deviation is properly the source from whieh the amount of the solar attraction has been ascer tained. If the earth were suddenly arrested in its onward flight, and the momentum were in that way destroy ed, it would be drawn to the sun, bv the irresistible force of its attraction, in four months, or in the twenty- Eeventh part of time which a cannon ball would take to complete the same journey. French Treatment of Hydro phobia. Among the official instructions issued by the Conseil d’Hygiene, Paris, as necessary to be observed in case a person is bitten by an animal, either mad or supposed to be so, are the following: First by a sufficient amount of pressure the bites, whether deep seated or superficial, should be caused to bleed as abundantly as possible, and then washed in wattr, with a jet, if possible, or in any other liquid (even urine), until caustics cau be applied. Second, cauterization can be made of Vienna paste, butter of antimony, ohloiide of zinc, and by red hot iron, the laltt r being the best of all; any piece of iron—the end of a rod, a nail, a key,etc.—may be used for the cauteri zation, which should penetrate to every part of the wound. Third, as the success of the cauterization de pends upon the i r inaptitude with rhich it is executed, any one is able ractice it at ouce, before a doctor’s ival. Fourth, cauterization made ammonia or different firms of pi are inefficacious. | circus man yelled : “I scold lem- i!’’ and the innocent maiden the rural districts allowed it was a shame, as It was too weak to take its own part. A bullet invented by a German chemist is made of a powerful anes thetic, which breaks on striking a person, who is made unconscious for twelve hours, and while iu that condl- m cau be taken prisoner. TMe in puts forth his device iu all Venus—Facts and Speculations. The transit of Venus in December next is naturally directing attention to the brilliant planet which then as a small round black spot passes across the sun’s face. Mr. Richard A. Proc tor gives in Knowledge some interest ing facts concerning the cordition of Venus and some speculations as to whether the planet is inhabited. Venus, he says, has been measured, and we find that she is a globe nearly as large as the earth. Like the earth, she travels round and round the sun continually, but not in the same time as the earth. The earth goes round the sun once in twelve months, while Venus goes round once in about seven and a half months; so that her year, the time in which the seasons lun through their changes, is four and a half months less than ours. If Venus has four seasons like ours—spring, summer, autumn, and winter—each of these seasons lasts eight weeks. Venus also, like our earth, turns on her axis, and so has night and day as we have. Her day is not quite so long as ours, but the difference—about twenty-five minutes—is not very Important. But when we consider some other point*, we see that Venus, beautiful though she looks, would not be a com fortable home for us, Venus is much nearer to the sun—the great fire of the solar system—than our earth is. She receives, then, much more heat from him. In fact, it is easily calculated that if our earth were set traveling on the path of Venus, we should receive almost exactly twice as much heat from the sun as we do at present. This would be unbearable, except, perhaps, in the Polar regions; and even there the summer, with that tre mendous sun above the hoiizon all through the twenty-four hours, would be scarcely bearable. Besides, what a contrast between the hot Polar sum mer and the cold Polar winter, when for weeks together the sun would not be seen at all. But Venus has her axis much more slanted than the earth’s, so that her seasons must be very marked indeed. Thus the heat of her summer weather must be even more terrible than if her globe were inclined like the earth’s. Again, the air of Venus is denser than ours. And it seems also to be a moist air, which is just the kind of air that keeps the heat in most. The air of Venus is, in fact, so dense and moist that the planet would be very uncom fortable, quite apart from the intense heat,lor creatures like ourselves. There cannot be moisture in the air of a planet unless there are seas and oceans on the planet’s surface. No doubt, then, Venus has her continents and oceans, her islands and promontories, and inland seas and lakes, very much as our earth has. Then there must be rivers on the land and currents iu the ocean ; there must be clouds and raiu, wind and storm, thunder and light ning, and perhaps snow and hail. Whether the planet is an iuha >ited world or not, it would be difficult to say. Perhaps it is a world getting ready for use as a home for living crea tures. Most physicists believe that the sun is gradually parting with his heat. If, millions of years hence, the sun should only give out half as much heat as he does, Venus would be as comfortable a place to live in as our earth Is now. But at present it may safely be said that if Venus is inhabit ed it must be by creatures very differ ent from those inhabiting the eaith. The Rain-Band Spectrum. C. Piazzi Smith, the Astronomer Royal of Scotlaud, calls attention in The London Times to the use and value of the speotroscope in foretelling rain storms. This it does by showing whether there is more or lesB than the usual quantity of watery v ipox perme ating the otherwise dry gases in the upper parts of the atmosphere, this watery vapor not beiug by any means the visible clouds themselves, but the invisible water-gas out of which they have to be formed, and which wlieu over abundant they produce rain. But how does the spectioscope show to the eye what is declared to be invisible iu all ordinary optical instruments ? It Is partly, Hays Prof. Smith, by its po ver of discriminating the differently color ed rays of which white light is made up, and partly by the quality Impress- ed on the moUcules ot water at their primeval creation, but only recently discovered, of stopping out certain of those rays so discriminated and placed in a rainbowoolored order by the prism and slit of the speotroscope, but transmitting others freely. Hence it Is that, ou looking at the light of the sky through any properly adjusted spectroscope, there is seen besides the Newtonian series of colors from red to violet, and besides all the thin, dark Fraunhofer or solar lines, in one very definite part—viz., between the orange and yellow of that row of colors, or “spectrum,” as it Is called—a dark, hezy band stretching across it. That is the chitf band of watery vapor; and to see it very dark, even black, one must look at where the sky is brightest, fullest of light to the naked eye, at a low, rather than a high angle of altitude, and either in warm weather, or above all, just before a heavy rainfall, when there is and must be an extra supply of watery vapor in the atmosphere. Any extreme darkness seen In that water-vapor band beyond what is usual for the season of the year and the latitude of the place is an indica tion of rain material accumulating ab normally ; while, ou tne other hand, any notable deficiency in the darkness cf it, other circumstances being the same, gives probability of dry weather, or absence of rain for very want of material to make it; and the baud lias, therefore, been called, shortly, “the rain-band.” Thus, also, “the rain-baud spectroscopes” have been specially constructed by several expert opticians in a'ze so small as to be carriable in the waistcoat pocket, but so powerlul and true that a glance of two seconds’duration through one Of them suffices to tell an experienced observer the general condition of the whole atmosphere. Especially, too, of the upper parts of it, where any changes—as they take place there al most invariably earlier than below — enable such an observer to favor his friendB around him with a prevision of what they are likely soon to experi ence. » ♦ ♦ Dramatic Education. The London Dramatic School has commenced work. There are thirty- five pupils, ladies and gentlemen. Two of the ladies are from Boston, having gone over specially to take the course of instruction. It is neces- siry that each pupil should give refer ences as to position and respectability. The two young American ladies are indorsed by a bishop and a congress man. Mrs. Chippendale, one of the Profess* r ite, was, it is said, privately engaged with them prior to the classes In explaining the difference between “Amuncan” and American, a point in pronunciation which John Bull is supposed generally to score against Jonathan. The subscriptions sent in to endow the school by the eminent people who made speeches about it at public meetings do not amount to JE300. The (School of t)ramatic«A.rt may be self-supporting; that, at all events, should be the aim of the pro moters, and it seems as if they were resolved to give it a fair chance. The most aclive workers on the committee are the Earl of Wharncllffe, Mr. A. Dubourg (the dramatist), Mr. Alfred Scott Gatty, Capt. Hozier, Mr. E. Pigott (Examiuer of Plays), Mr. Lio nel Tennyson (son of the Poet Lau reate), and Mr. Edmund Routledge (the publisher). Tney are supported by a number of other distinguished men. The committee of ladies in cludes some eminent names. The ar rangements are excellent. The lead ing branches of study are stage ges ture and deportment, dancing (not ballet, but merely ball-room dancing), aud fencing. At the end of the first or second terms pieces will be caet aud played, the rehearsals being con ducted by well-known actors and stage managers. The Professorate in cludes Mrs. Sterling, Mrs. Chippen dale, Mr. Vezin, Mr. George Neville, the Rev. A. J. D’Orsay, and Mr. C. J. Plumtree (of Kings College). Fen cing will be taught by M. Angelo, stage gesture by M. Marinetti, and dancing by M. Micheaim Public in terest and curiosity arafelt in the progress of the school, Bio more so that at present it cannot »e said to be “popular” with the “profusion.” It is an old aud true Bving that opportunity has hair in frmit, but is bald behind. It you catch lMr by the forelock you can hold her, t>m if you wait till she gets by, Jyour ht^d slips aud you lose her. It is estimated that the tooMpick- toed boots have added at least i.dOO,- 001) corns to the corn crop of the coun try. # It is not so much a question as to whether or not a man can spare the money to buy a gun, as to whether or notice can spare the boy. The Study of Historical Cos tume. Persons of taste have long been an noyed by the persistence with which persons without taste dress badly ; wearing, that is to say, the wrong things at the wrong time, and the right ihiugs never. A Russian Gen eral, who now holds a very important command in the far East, complained, when, some five or six years sgo, he visited London, that it was impossible to understand on what principle the English dressed themselves. A few male friends had invited him to dinner; and on appearing among them he found himself the only one of the party who wore a frock coat. The next morning he was to breakfast with a few more friends; and, de termined this time to be on the safe side, he presented himself in a dress suit. We have met with a novel In which one of the principal incidents was the refusal of a check-taker at the Royal Italian Opera to admit a dis tinguished foreigner who, with the regulation evening coat, wore a pair of light-colored trousers, such as, in a like connection, would be accepted on the Continent (it least in summer) as quite appropriate to a festive occasion. The only approach, indeed, to a despotism of taste that now exists in England is the authority exercised in the matter of costume by our operatic officials, who tolerate nothing but black ana white. In ordinary life people will doubtless continue to dress as they may think fit, without heeding the remonstrances and appeals ad dressed, to them by those who have studied the subject, and who have at once better information and better perceptions than the general mass of maukind. But what may be permit ted to ordinary individuals cannot be tolerated on the part of painters, sculptors and stage-managers, Smith, Jones and Brown live, dress absurdly, die, and are forgotten. But the men whose lot it Is to influence the public mind have heavier responsibilities ; and the evil they do lives after them. It is, indeed, of considerable Import ance that accuracy of costume should be observed in pictures, in statuary and in theatrical representation ; and for this reason encouragement is due to the ‘ Costume Society,” now oeiug formed under the auspices of Mr. Alma Tadema, Mr. George Godwin, Mr. Louis Fagan and others, and for which the cooperation of the chiefs of several foreign Academies has been secured. The obj ect of this association is t > promote the study of costume in its historical aspect and significance, so that there may be an end, once and forever, to the anachronisms of all kinds in dress by which the works of artists, architects and dramatists are now so often disfigured. The Costume Soci* ty Mail issue print* and engra ings periodically to iti substribtr*. But it* chief importance will consist in the at the r ty with which it will be able to speak on all quet-tions within it* sphere that may from time to time be submitted to it. A paint r is dealing, let us Bay, with an incident of the fl teentli century in NtrA'ay, e r of the eighteenth in Bul garia. Instead of hesit ting, specu lating and in<ju’'ring without avail how he is ti dress the personages of his scene, he can iu future make ap plication to the Costume Society, when he will receive without unnec essary delay a colored drawing show ing himirecisely what he wished to ask. • Animals in Norway. A correspondent makes the follow ing remark on a very pleasant feature of the Norwegian character, viz., kindness to domestio animals. In that country, he says, these animals are treated as the friends rather than the slaves of man. As a result, vicious horses are unknown ; foals follow their dams at work in the fields or on the road as soon as they have sufficient strength, and thus gently accustom themselveH to harness. I heard of a foal trying to force its head iuto a col lar in imitation of its mother. Horses j are trained to obey the voice rather ttian the hand, bearing-reins are not used, and the whip, if carried at all, is hardly ever made use of. Great care is taken not to overload carts, es pecially in the case of young horses, and consequently a brokeu knee is rarely seen, aud the animals ooutinue fat, in good condition, and capable )f work till the advanced age of twenty five or thirty. Ho tame are the Nor wegian horses and oows that they will allow casual passers-by to caress thim while they are lying down. E<en domestio cats will approach a toy with f confidence, knowing that no chasing or worrying awaits them. One very hot summer’s day I met a woman holding up an umbrella to carefully screen what I supposed was a little child at lier side from the scorching rays of a midday sun, while her own head was covered only by a handkerchief. In driving by I tried to gain a glimpse of her charge, and found, to my great surprise, that the object of her care was a fat black pig. The question of humane methods of slaughtering animals has lately been prominently brought forward in Eng land. In this the Norwegians show us a good example; they never use the knife without first stunning the animal. In the above remarks I am alluding to the country districts of Norway ; in the towns the national characteristics become modified, al though even under these conditions kindness to animals is still remarka ble. To those whose hearts are sick ened by the sights of cruelty daily witnessed in our streets it must be a consolation to learn that a country exists where these things are un known, where men are instinctively considerate to the animals dependent on them, and where no legislation is required to enforce the claims of the dumb creation. Paganini’s Pet. One day, while approaching Paris in a diligence, after bis vit-ifc to Eng land, Paganini had the mortification of seeing his beloved Guarneius fall from the roof of the coach. The deli cate instrument received a palpable injury, and had to be taken to Vuill- aurne, the famous maker and repairer of violins established iD the French capital. Yuillaume not only mended It—as the story goes—but made an exact fac-simile of it, taking both to tti<i Italian virtuoso with the remark that the two instruments, lying side by side in his laboratory, had puzzled him as to their identity. The dis mayed musician seized first one and then the other, played upon both, and carefully examined them, together and apart, and ended by exclaiming in distress that he could not decide which was his own. He strode about the room wild, ecs tatic, and in tears—faith and fury alike struggling for the mastery in him, till the honest Parisian, over came by the sight of a grief and a be wilderment so genuine, and never from the first intending to deceive his client, asked him to keep both violins as a pledge of his esteem and admira tion, at the same time pointing out the sham Guarnerius, for which he begged an honorable place in Paga nini’s household. Who can doubt after this that new violins may be made to look, and speak, as well as 0( EdwHWJT tt and the first - Fr€ College, had some spirit oT and also a i roposal of marriij youth was ref* rrad to htl^Hnei^l “No,” said that stira indmdual,. “ you can't have my daughter.” “But I love her and she loves me,” pleaded the young man. “Can’t have fieri’* said the father. “ I am well-to-do, and can support her,” exclaimed the appli cant. “Cant have her!” persisted the old man. “May 1 ask,” meekly inqu'red tlfc su tor, “if you have he» rd anything against my charac ter ?” “No,” said the obstinate pa rent; “I haven't heard anything against; you; I think you are a | r ionis ing young man, and that’s why you can’t have her. She’s got a very bad temper and you wouldn’t be happy w*th htr.” The lover, amazed, said t “Why, Mr. Edwards? I thought Emiiy was a Christian. She is a Christlar, isn’t she?” “Certainly she is,” answ* rad the conscientious parent; “ but, young man, when you grow old* r you’ll be able to under stand that there’s some folks that the grace of God can live w ta that you can’t!” A good man who went to Washing ton to see whether his representative had retained his political innocence, felt iusulted when he was invited to take a seat on the floor of the house. In some parts of Russia we read that poor people make presents of charcoal. This must be a sort of burnt offering. No man cau possibly improve in any company for which he has not respect enough to be under some degree of restraint.