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SUNDAY MORNING.
MARVELSOF RADIUM.
GREATEST PUZZLE WITH WHICH
SCIENCE HAS TO DEAL.
It la Obtained From Mineral Called
Pitchblende Found in Bohemia—A
Piece the Size of a Buckshot Worth
s2o,ooo—Very Dangerous to Handle.
A fresh announcement just made to
the Academy of Sciences in Paris by
Monsieur Curie, co-discoverer with his
wife of the most extraordinary of all
chemical elements, radium, brings the
wonderful properties of that substance
once more to public attention. Radi
um, whose existence as an Independent
element was finally demonstrated last
year, presents about the greatest puz
zle with which science has to deal. It
seems to violate—although no scien
tist is prepared to admit that it actu
ally does violate—the fundamental
laws of energy. In a word it gives
out energy, unceasingly without re
vealing the source. It appears to draw
upon an inexhaustible supply, and yet
receives nothing in return from with
out. In this respect it seems to realize
the dream, which scienco has pro
nounced impossible, of perpetual mo
tion.
M. Curie’s new announcement is to
the effect that a piece of radium Is con
tinually giving off heat, keeping itself
at a temperature of 2 T-10 degrees Fah
renheit above its surroundings. This
Is sufficient to enable it lo melt its own
weight in ice In loss than an hour and
to keep on melting ice at the same rate
indefinitely.
If radium were an abundant sub
stance, think of the consequences of
this strange properly! But. unfortu
nately—or, perhaps, fortunately—radi
um is one of the rarest things upon
the earth. It is never found in the
pure state. It must be dissociated
from the other substances with which
it is combined, by long, tedious and
costly chemical operations. It is ob
tained from a mineral called pitch
blende, found in Bohemia, and during
the two or three years that have
elapsed since its discovery by Mine,
and M. Curie of Paris they have suc
ceeded in separating out of tons and
tons of pitchblende less than two
pounds of radium. That is all that ex
ists, iineombined, in the world, and
even that is not the pure thing. It is
mingled with more or less barium.
The Curies do possess, however, one
tiny bit of chemically pure radium. It
weighs about half a grain, and is said
to be of the eize of a buckshot. M.
Curio has declared that he would not
sell it for 100,000 francs. If he and his
wife have a monopoly of this precious
substance they are not getting rich out
of it. Tho demand is not active. Half
a grain of impure radium in a little
lube is offered in Paris for SSOOO.
A thief who should run off with a
bit of radium as big as a small dia
mond would find that he had caught a
Tartar. If he kept it in his pocket, it
would produce an inflammation that
might cost him his life. If he held it
near his eyes, he could easily lose his
sight. If he handled It much, his fin
m|(l mIL-lit. hm ft
to be amputated] M. Curio is quoted
i saving that lie would not. venture
Into a room containing ti kilogram of
pure radium; fur, if he did, ho would
probably lose his skin, his eyesight
and hi life!
This Tietng so, let us examine a lit
tle more the properties of radium. We
have noted M. Curie's recent announce
ment about its giving off heat, it
lives off light also. Pure radium
shines in the dark, although it is not
Hot like a flame. But, most wonderful
of all, it constantly projects into space
around it streams of invisible corpus
cles. smaller than atoms, with a veloci
ty as great ns a hundred thousand
miles per second!
It is this marvellous and ceaseless
bombardment of Its surroundings that,
makes radium so dangerous lo handle.
The infinitely minute particles can
not, of course, be seen, but they affect
photographic plates, and it was in that
manner that the existence of these in
explicable radiating streams was first
demonstrated.
Radium is omnivorous In Its nppe
tlte for obscure and mysterious prop
erties. Not content with its penetrat
ing streams of pulverized atoms, It.
gives off. at the same time, at least,
two other, different, kinds of rays. One
of these resembles the ordinary X
rays from a Crookes tube, the other
consists of something that is easily
stopped or absorbed by interposed ob
stacles. But even these absorbable
rays have (ho tremendous velocity of
18,000 or 1.0.000 miles per second.
M. Curie's buckshot of pure radium
is. In some respects, a miniature of
the sun. It draws no light, no heat, no
energy, from surrounding space, but It
radiates them generally and continu
ously upon everything about it. Helm
holtz solved that riddle for us many
years ago. Tho sun is no perpetual
motion maehine. and II violates no law
known to science. By (he gradual,
and to us imperceptible, shrinking of
its gigantic bulk it generates the en
ergy that it gives off. A somewhat
similar explanation has been offered to
account for the mysterious energy ol
radium. Messrs. Rutherford and Me-
Clung of the McGill university, suggest
that it is the breaking down of tho
atoms into the smaller corpuscles tha*.
are radiated away which gives rise to
the energy whose expenditure without
apparent source of supply so puzzles us.
In a few years if may he found that
radio-activity is a common phenome
non In nature, playing a part even
in things that concern our own wel
fare. of which we are now unaware.
But radium is its chief source, so far as
is yet known, and the study of this
singular element may lead to a wide
readjustment of scientific theories.—
Gai-rntt P. S'erviss. in Collier's Weekly.
Mme. Humbert s Cutlet.
During the last few days, writes the
Paris correspondent of the London Ex
press, Mme. Humbert has been irrit
able and has refused her food. She was
pining for a nicely grilled cutlet, but
cutlets were against the prison regu
lations. The chief warder was in a
dilemma, and went to the governor:
the governor in turn went to the judge
of Instruction, and after other circum
locutory processes it was eventually
decided as Rn exceptional favor that .
Mme. Humbert could have a cutlet.
NOTHING BUT TREES.
A Continent Long This Wonderful
Woods of the Great Northwest.
Nowhere else in the world is there
such a forest as this. A few steps in
any direction from the roads of the
loggers bring one at onct' to the prime
val wood.
Turn to the north. A thousand and
five hundred miles you may wander, if
you will, and never escape the inclos
ing silences of this wood. Across the
British possessions, through endless
reaches of mountains, snow-capped, in
accessible, and onward to Alaska, noth
ing but trees and trees —cedar, fir, hem
lock, pine, spruce. Turn to the south.
For a thousand miles of Sierra, through
the heart, of California, where grows
the Sequoia, the monarch among trees,
to the very deserts of the Mexican bor
der, and you will find this forest still
covering all the hills, thick, silent, and
all hut undisturbed. A continent long
is (his wood, facing the Pacific, here
two hundred miles wide, from the
water's edge across the heights of the
Cascades and the Sierra, there narrow
ing to a thin, straggling, yet persist
ent growth along the mountain tops.
This tree before you, rising two hun
dred and fifty feet in air, straight and
strong, thick-coated with brown hark,
its mighty base setting firmly in the
earth, its roots gripping deep, was
growing before Columbus saw America.
Five hundred years has it been stand
ing here, raising its head to the sky.
What storms it bent before; under
what ages of sunshine has it gained
strength; what lightning strokes have
threatened it, what sweeping fires!
And still it stands with the sublime
majesty of age and strength, fearful of
nothing—and the sound of axes knock
ing in the valley below!
But long before the seed of this
hoary giant was sown in the wind, for
ests were old on these hills. For fifty
thousand years and more have these
mountains been forest clad, one for
est rising five hundred years from
youth to maturity, sinking away in
ripe old age, and giving room to an
other generation of trees. Deep in the
earth today lie some of these ancient
forests, changed by the slow chemistry
of the ages Into coal, and now at last
beginning to give out for men the sun
shine which they stored up centuries
before the beginning of history.—
From Ray Stannard Baker's "The
Conquest of (he Forest” in the Cen
tury.
Peanut Eaters in Cars.
"If I could have my way about it,”
said a sensitive citizen, "I would have
a law passed forbidding the eating of
peanuts in elevated or surface cars,
and requiring the guards or conduc
tors to eject from the cars any person
so offending. Men, strange as it may
seem, not children, are the chief of
fenders in this direction. You may
see grown men sitting in a car, and,
regardless ef their fellow-passengers,
calmly eating peanuts and dropping
the shells oil the floor. To many per
sons the odor of peanuts within a con
fined space, as in h railroad car. Is
unpleasant, as of the litter
of shells on the floor must he to all.
"But \‘he men peanut eaters go right
on eatuig and so disposing cX the
Shells. <’Wliy, I have seen a district
messenger hoy eating peanuts In a
car do better than they in one way,
anyhow; this boy put his empty shells
Into the paper bag from which ho had
emptied the peanuts into his pockets.
‘‘l have seen men eat apples in an
elevated car and throw the cere un
der the sat. I have seen a man eat
in orange in an elevated car, and not
even take the trouble to do that with
the orange peel, hut just lay that
down on the vacant seat beside him.
But such men as those I regard as
fine gentlemen as compared with the
grown man who eats peanuts in an
elevated car and drops the shells on
the floor. Him I regard as—
Well, the peanut eater I would have
firmly, even if gently, put off the car."
—New York Sun.
Traffic in Stolen Pets.
Many fashionably dressed ladies
attended at Marlborough street police
court recently, when a good deal of
light was thrown on the disappear
anco and reappearance of valuabio
pet dags. According lo (he police,
the two men in the dock, Jewell and
Sktnuf rton, made a business of steal
ing dogs from well-known people, and
afterward restoring them in consider
ation of a reward, and on condition
that no proceedings should be taken.
Tho first witness was Miss Viola Wil
berforco, daughter of Archdeacon Wil
berforce. whoso Aberdeen terrier sud
denly vanished one day in High street,
Bloomsbury. A friend of hers having
mentioned Skitmerton, she wrote lo
him saying she hoard he was clever at
finding lost dogs, and couid he find
hers.
Subsequently he advised her to
write “as n foci" to Jewell, woo had
the animal. “Were you able to re
duce yourself lo writing as if you
were a fool?" asked counsel; and Miss
Wilberforce, with a smile, replied
“Yes."
Archdeacon Wilberforce gave evi
dence that Jewell called at the house
with the dog. Which he said he had
bought for £l. He was given £3
10s., and another £1 was sent to Skin
nerton. —London Express.
Exchange of Compliments.
The village sexton, in addition to be
ing gravedigger, acted as a stonecutter,
house repairer and furniture remover.
The local doctor, having obtained a
more lucrative appointment in another
county, employed the sexton to assist
in his removal.
When it came to settling up ac
counts the doctor deducted an old con
tra account due by the sexton. He
wrote at the name time, objecting to
the charge made for removing his fur
niture.
"If this watt steady, it would pay
much better than gravedigging.”
The sexton replied:
“Indado, Oi wud be glad to ave a
steady job: gtuvediggin’ is very slack
since you left." —Spare Moments.
Staple Foods in Germany.
Dessioated, shredded and sliced po
tatoes are staple foods in Germany.
Each year about 100 sea vessels are
lost without record.
A PLACE JUDGED BY ITS PAPER.
Wliy It Is to a Town’s Interest te Support
a Good Weekly,
The average weekly editor usually
has his all Invested in his newspaper
property. That investment generally
represents from one,to two thousand
dollars. But it Is worth more to tbe
town than five times the amount in
vested in any other local enterprise
Asa rule, the newspaper represents tc
the outside world the town itself. Pool
paper, poor town, is the usual verdict.
It is, therefore, to the interest of
every town to support a good news
paper. Not through local pride alone,
hut for practical business reasons. A
newspaper is constantly doing ten
times as much for its town as it could
ever hope to get pay for—more than
it could charge for, if it would.
The more prosperous a paper is the
more it is able to do. Show us ft good
weekly paper, full ol live local ads.,
with a general circulation throughout
the county, and we will show you an
up-to-date, prosperous, progressive
community. And we will also show
you a paper that Is worth five times as
much to that community every year
than the editor manages to make for
himself.
Show us a community that persist
ently proceeds qn the idea that the
editor of the home paper can live on
the “pi” that accumulates in the office;
whose official bodies think it a waste
of public money to throw him a bit of
public printing occasionally at living
prices; whose citizens have come to re
gard it as one of their inalienable
rights to work him for long-winded
obituary notices and “in memorlnms,”
with three inches of hymn-book poetry
at the end, to say nothing of an occa
sional notice about a lost cow or some
erftton seed for sale, and we will show
you a community that is living from
hand to mouth .and is always on the
ragged edge of adversity.
People ought to stop to think about
these things. It is an important mat
ter. It is their own good that is in
volved—the welfare and progress of
their community; therefore of them
selves individually.
A local newspaper is absolutely nec
essary to any community. It may he
that the daily papers, with their larger
news service and quicker facilities,
may itave overshadowed ilie weeklies;
hut the weeklies continue to fill a
place that the dailies can never fill.
If they keep the people of a commun
ity in touch with each other by giving
them the news of their town and
county, for that, alone they are of value
and are worth far moro than the dollar
a year that is usually charged for
them. If they merely chronicle the
progress of the community and keep
the local pride and progressive spirit
aroused they are worth still more
far more, in fact, than the town ever
spends on them.
Bear this in mind: No merchant, no
grand jury, no town council that
spends every year all that they can
afford with the home paper—whether
that expenditure is actually necessary
or not—makes a wiser, move profitable
investment.' They are net “giving”
the home paper something. On the
contrary, it is earning every cent it
gets anil more—provided it is a paper
that is worth picking up in the road.
And if it isn't that sort of paper, it
is usually the fault of, the town in
which it is published.—Atlanta Journal.
Camping In the Adirondack*.
Only those who have visited an
Adirondack camp of a rich family
know the luxury of what they call
euphonistically “roughing it.” Nothing
that money can buy or thought imagine
is left out of these bucolic retreats,
and, as many acres are always includ
ed in the “camp,” a small army of
keepers and workmen is employed.
The household staff is not only as
large as for a winter house, but many
times it is increased. A butler requires
more footmen to serve tea when the
trays may have to he carried a dis
tance to the tea house, and more maids
are necessary when the house party
numbers never less than six and not
Infrequently twenty.
The camp is really group of houses,
near together or separated just as has
been desired. There is the “bachelors,”
where lone men are quartered; the
main house, where the family lives
and which includes a huge dining hall.
That is the “closed” camp, and for
those energetic spirits who would fain
sleep out of doors there Is the “open”
built with three sides closed, the fourth
open and near which a huge wood lire
is kept burning all night.
All the luxuries of the New York
market are sent to these camps, and
many have a stauding order twice a
week with a well-known confectioner,
so that bon-tous are never lacking. The
boathouse is always well stocked with
canoes, and of course there are guns
for the visitors and guides to take them
out.
Camp life in the Adirondacks is one
of the most typical phases of life
among rich Americans.”—Pittsburg
Dispatch.
Aii Unprofitable Trick.
“Yes, there are tricks in all trades,
but it is. indeed, seldom that one
Is not caught practicing such tricks,”
remarked a local merchant tailor. “I
can vouch for this through personal
experience.”
“Some time ago,” he continued,
“when I was rushed with work one of
my best customers ordered a $45 suit.
I knew his exact measurements, and
instead of making the clothes myself,
seut the order to another tailor to be
made at $3O, telling him that when
completed to send it to the purchaser.
I neglected, however, to tell my tailor
friend to send the bill to me, which
mistake not only caused me to lose
the $l5 clear profit, but the purchas
er’s trade.
“When he finished the suit, the tailor
sent it and the bill therefor to my
customer. In due time I sent my col
lector around with a bill of $45 for the
clothing. He was met by my customer
who informed my emissary that by my
little triek he had saved sls.”—Wash
ington Star.
“A Strange KnKli.lt Custom. *•
China is composed not of one blit
of many different peoples. AVhat may
be a custom ill the South is quite
unknown in the North. But all China
men in England are sworn on a broken
saucer, regardless of what part of the
country they coroe from, with the re
sult that the majority of their, imagine
the saucer-breaking to be a strauge
English custom.—The Sketch.
THE BRUNSWICK DAILY NEWS.
household
Matters
Care of Table Top*.
In caring for a polished table top, it
is the rubbing and not what is put on
it that does the best work in keeping it
In good condition. A polished table
top should be frequently rubbed with
a soft cloth, moistened with a pure
oil of some kind. This is better than
unprepared furniture polish, for usually
this is made to give a polish without
tile necessity of rubbing. The table
should have what is called a hand
polish, for this will wash without spoil-
Ing, and does not easily stain or become
defaced by the heat of dishes, while
constant rubbing makes it more attrac
tive. —Philadelphia Telegraph.
Saving on Lard.
The fat that rises to the top of soup
find other things boiled with vegetables
may i>o used ror frying purposes if
treated as follows: After removing
the fat from the liquid, scrape the un
derside, then put it into n saucepan
with cold water, bring it to the boil and
let it boil for an hour; let it get cold,
remove the fat from ‘he water, put it
In boiling water with n little salt in
It, let it get cold, then remove the fat,
scrape the underside again, put Into a
jar, which set in the oven until just
melted, then set away for use; in this
way the taste of the vegetables will
be removed. .
Itjilonlc pie.
The old English pie is more hygienic
than tlie New England article, simply
because in England the soaked and
soggy undcrcrust is never encountered.
The deep dish pie with an upper crust
held up in the centre by an inverted
tea cup. Is familiar, even in this coun
try, but the pie mould is not often
seen on this side of the water. To
make a pie mould use what the Scotch
Vail a "half-puff” paste—that is, a
fairly rich pastry. Cover the outside
of a small tin or graniteware pan with
the paste, taking care to prick it all
over to keep it from breaking out in
bubbles. Cover a lid with another
layer of paste and bake very carefully,
turning frequently. When Cold slip
off tho mould and fill it with stewed
or fresh fruit, as desired.—New York
POSt.
4$ "■
The Perfect Potato.
A modern gourmet deplores the rarity
of the well-boiled, properly cooked po
tato, saying that that vegetable is al
most always waxy, ill boiled and
watery. The secret lies in drying the
bulb after the water is poured off.
This should be done by holding the
saucepan over the hot fire a moment,
then shaking vigorously until the
“flouviness” comes, as it most certainly
will if the process be kept up long
enough. “I have never yet met tke po
tato so umegenerate as to fail to re
spond to this treatment,” said a noted
housekeeper, who had read the lament
of the gourmet.
In making potato salad, a cooking
authority says, much better results
will be obtained by pouring a hot dress
ing over cold potatoes or a cold dress
ing over Wt potatoes, than by usihg
dressing aid potatoes both either hot
or cold. The unpleasant clamminess
notieeablo pi many potato salads is ob.
viated In this way, she thinks.—New
York Commercial Advertiser.
now to llotl Water.
“To boil water is the simplest thing
in the world,” said the steward at one
of the leading hotels in Washington,
“but how to boil it is quite another
thing. I believe we have the name of
having the best coffee of any hotel
in this city. Of course, we use good
coffee, but let me tell you much of the
praise is due to the fact that the water
with which to make the coffee lias been
properly boiled. The ceeret in boiling
water is just this; Alwavs use fresh
water and let the kettle be warm be
fore the cold, sparkling fluid is put
into it. The lire should be quick, so
that the water will boil at once, and
the water should be removed from the
fire the Instant the boiling point is
reached and poured upon the coffee or
ten or whatever beverage is in demand
immediately.
"So many people make the mistake
of permitting the kettle to remain over
the fire, where the water steams and
simmers away, wasting the good water
in vapor. Those who drink hot water
before breakfast, as many do, should
insist on the use of fresh water and
having it served as soon ns boiled.”
Doctors say, however, that to kill
germs in suspicious water boiling
rhould last about five minutes.—Wash,
iugton Post.
- ; RECIPES
Olive Sandwiches—Cut very thin
slices of from a loaf a day old;
cut off (ho crusts; spread the slices
with a little butter; cut stuffed olives
in very small pieces; mix with a little
mayonnaise; spread over the bread;
serve on a folded napkin at teas and
receptions.
Quickly Made Beef Tea—Pour three
quarters of a cup of cold water over
half a pound of raw liamburg steak:
Allow it to stand ten minutes In a cool
place, then set on the stove and let it
cook slowly for ten minutes. Add a
little salt, just before taking from the
fire and strain.
Chicken Pudding—Boil one or two
chickens as for fricassee. Make a
batter of one pint of milk, one of flour,
a heaping teaspoouful of baking pow
der, two eggs and a little salt. Butter
a pudding dish, put In a layer of
chicken, bits of butter, then a layer of
batter, and continue this way, having
the top layer of batter. Moisten with
the chicken stock and serve with a
gravy made from the remaining stock.
Potato Croquettes—Beat the yolk of
one egg until thick, then add to It one
cupful of mashed potatoes, one table
spoon of cream, a few drops of onion
juice, half a tablespoonful of butter,
one teaspoon of minced parsley, a slight
grating of nutmeg, salt and cayenne to
season; mix and turn into a small
I lB ** and stir until it leaves the sides of
tlie pan; turn out to cool; when cold
shape into croquettes; roll each in
beaten egg, then in fine bread crumbs;
fry in smoking hot deep fat; drain, ar
range on a platter.
LIQUID FUEL.
Recent Discovery on Argument For de
creasing Use of Coal.
The recent discovery of new oil fields
so extensive that there is good reason
to believe that the oil wells will not
soon be exhausted and that there is an
assured supply to meet the demands of
the future; the construction of pipe
lines which very materially reduce the
cost of transportation, and the high
price of coal which has prevailed in
many manufacturing districts, have
combined to give anew argument for
the burning of crude oil for power pur
poses.
But in th* Western and Southwest
ern States, where steam coal has al
ways been bothscareeand poor in qual
ity, and where the question of trans
portation from the new fields in Texas
and California has been less of an ob
stacle to the installation of oil burning
equipments than has been the case on
the Atlantic coast, the interest is even
greater and the use of oil has become
far more extensive. In California oil
is rapidly driving coal out of the field
foi power purposes throughout the
State. The same is true in Texas, and
of much of the territory lying in be
tween. This general use of oil lias af
fected not only the power and lighting
and manufacturing plants in these re
gions, but also the railroads and ma
rine transportation as well. With the
relative economy at present prices, be
tween the oil and coal varying from
one-eighth to one-half or perhaps less,
according to the cost of transportation
from the weils to the different points
where the oil is consumed, this unusual
development is not surprising, and the
use of liquid fuel for power purposes is
still rapidly growing.
One railroad operating in California
is now burning oil on more than 180 of
its locomotives. Another of the great
transcontinental systems is already
using oil on about 500 of its locomo
tives—which is thirty per cent, of the
total number operated by the system—
and is equipping others as rapidly as
possible. In addition to tiie use on lo
comotives it is using oil on its steamers
in San Francisco Bay. and on its river
steamers with very good results.—A. L.
Williston, in Engineering Magazine.
WORDS OF WISDOM.
Be not simply good, be good for
something.—Thoreau.
Without frugality none can become
rich, and with it few could be poor.-*
Johnson.
Most people judge others by the com
pany they keep or by their fortune.—
Rochefoucauld.
Nothing can bring you peace but
yourself; nothing can bring you peace
but the triumph of principles.—Emer
son.
Nothing more completely baflles one
who is full of trick and duplicity than
straightforward and simple integrity
in another.—Cotton.
Whoever pays you more court than
he Is accustomed to pay either intends
to deceive you, or finds you necessary
to him.—Courtenay.
There are only two powers in the
world, the sword and the pen; and in
the end the former is always conquered
by the latter.— Napoleon.
The world will turn round still. In
dustry Ts produced by want, wealth is
produced by industry, idleness is pro
duced by wealth, poverty is produced
by idleness.—Landor.
One thing is indisputable: the chronic
mood of looking longingly at what we
have not, or thankfully at what we
have, realizes two very different types
of character. And we certainly can
encourage the one or the other.—Lucy
C. Smith.
Abbreviating Signatures.
Robert P. Armstrong, Acting Secre
tary of the Treasury, has started a
reign of strict economy. Mr. Arm
strong’s sole decupation throughout
yesterday was the signing of thousands
of letters, and it was in doing this that
liis economy showed itself. Before he
had gone far with his day’s work it
dawned upon him that he was wasting
too much ink. lie began by signing
his name “Robert P. Armstrong.”
When he quit work in the afternoon
he was writing it “R. P. Armstrong,”
without a cross to the “t” or a tail to
the “g” of his surname.
The law does not permit of the sign
ing of a Cabinet officer’s name with a
rubber stamp, and after Mr. Armstrong
bad written several hundred signa
tures his Ungers wore so tired he cut
out every move of the pen he could.
At last he had to give up. his fingers
becoming so cramped and tired he
could not go on.
The law in regard to the signatures
of Cabinet.officers, has caused many of
them to abbreviate their manner of
writing their names. Elihu Root's
name is now signed E. Root, and
Charles Emory Smith brought his sig
nature down to C. E. Smith. Even
the Secretay of State signs his name
“J. Hay” sometimes. Official des
patches he signs with merely his last
name to save cable tolls. A peculiarity
of the late John Sherman was that he
cared nothing for cable tolls, and al
ways sigued his name John Sherman,
thereby costing the Government $5 ex
tra for the “John.”—Washington Star.
Some Choice Punishments.
Subalterns of crack regiments should
really study tlie native schools of In
dia "before they indulge in further
“raggings.” It has been found there
are no fewer than forty-two methods
of punishment. Nos. 9 and 10 are par
ticularly choice.
Nine—Tlie hoy is made to pass one
hand under the leg, and catch hold
of the nose, and raise and sink alter
nately.
Ten—A stick four or five feet long
is passed under the knees, and the
boy places his elbows beneath it. The
thumbs and big toes are tied together
by separate strings. Thus trussed,
he is rolled away into a corner of the
schoolroom, there to meditate on his
fault.—London Express.
n.9 walked 100,000 Mile*.
There is at present living in retire
ment at Chester-le-Street, near Dur
ham, a septuagenarian workman, Wil
liam Hewitt, who for close upon sixty
years was employed by the Birtley Iron
and Coal Company. Mr. Hewitt walked
to and from his work six miles daily,
or an estimated total of 100,000 miles.—
Tit-Bits.
HOW PEOPLE SLEEP IN PIECEB.
When Exhausted Humanity Rests
the Body Reposes In Sections.
Are you aware that your are a sort
of perambulating metal mine? Man
and, indeed, nearly all kinds of living
animals—has in his system a consider
able quantity of iron. It Is found In
the more important organs, and there
should also be a good deal in the
blood. Babies possess a fairly large
stock of iron, nearly three times as
much, comparatively speaking, as
adults.
Then In your bones there la a very
large quantity of that metallic base of
lime called calcium; while phosphorus
Is also present in bones in so large an
amount that they are the main source
of the world’s supply of that valuable
article. Stranger still, there Is In the
human body an appreciable amount of
arsenic. What there is of this poison
is concentrated in the thyroid gland;
and a small quantity is also to be
found in the skin, hair, nails and also
in the bones and brain. There are lots
of odd things about our human frames
which even doctors and other men of
science have only lately discovered,
and of which the average person is
quite unaware. Few people know, for
instance, that when we go to sleep the
whole body does not sink into insen
sibility at the same moment.
According to the researches of the
French physiologist Cabanis, it is the
muscles of the legs and arms which
lose their power first. Next, those
which support the head; and, thirdly,
the muscles which sustain the back.
So, too, with the senses. The sense of
sight sleeps first, then the sense of
taste, and next the sense of smell.
Hearing goes fourth, and last of all
the sense of touch. Probably you Im
agine that your pulse always beats
with the same rapidity. This is quite
a mistake. Your pulse varies with the
temperature. There is a regular, un
usual rhythm, which may be repre
sented by something like a regular
curve. Most curious of all, the annual
rhythms of the pulse in men and wom
en are quite different. A man's pulse
beats more strongly in winter and
fades to a minimum in summer. Wom
an’s pulse, on the contrary, displays a
winter minimum and a summer maxi
mum.
Behind the bridge at your nose is a
little cavity in the skull, the origin of
which appears to be unknown. It pro
bably was a gland consisting of two
tiny lobes, joined together, and Is
named the sella turcica. Physiologists
believe that this is the remains of a
sixth sense, which was of practical
value to our antediluvian ancestors.
But whether It enabled them to see in
the dark in days before they possessed
fire, or helped them to find their way
through trackless forests as wild
beasts can today, or what other pur
pose it may have served, we do not
know, and probably never snail know.
There is an unsolved mystery in the
ear of’every human being. The function
of certain portions of the inner ear is
not understood, but merely guessed at.
Within the ear are three small globe
shaped protuberances. These have their
inner sides covered with small cells,
each of which contains a tiny hair
surrounded by a fluid. When you move
sharply the hairs follow the motion,
while the lymph naturally moves less
rapidly. Thus the hairs are bent in a
direction opposite to that of the move
ment, and by means of delicate nerves
the irritation thus produced is tele
graphed direct to the brain. It is sup
posed that by means of these hairs
swimming in lymph the sensation we
call dizziness is caused when we ro
tate rapidly, as in dancing. It is also
believed that seasickness has some
thing to do with the same phenome
non. It has been noticed that some
persons, when suffering from ear dis
eases that have destroyed parts of
the inner ear, have found it difficult
or impossible to maintain their balance
when standing upright with closed
eyes. It is therefore possible that these
peculiar ear organs contain some in
explicable sense not generally classi
fied as such —the static sense, or sense
of balance. —Pearsons ‘Weekly.
Superstition in Wall Street.
On the corner of Wall and William
streets there is a 20-storied skyscrap
er, which has only 19 floors. Governor
Francis of Missouri, who has just re
turned from liis tour of Europe in the
interest of the Lcuisian Purchase ex
position, had some business to attend
to which required his presence at the
Atlantic Mutual building. On enter
ing the elevator he told the boy to
stop at the thirteenth floor.
“Thirteenth floor?’ answered the
boy. “There ain’t no thirteenth floor
in this building.”
Governor Francis was surprised, but
said nothing. He watched the num
bers of the floors as the elevator
passed them; sure enough, there was
no thirteenth fleor. The floor imme
diately above the twelfth was num
bered the fourteenth.
After he had completed his business
and was walking up Wall street. Gov
ernor Francis could not help wonder
ing at such a childish superstition be
ing found in the heart of the financial
centre of this country.—New York
Commercial.
The Cat as a Barometer.
The Monroe City (Mo.) News In
forms us that the best barometer in
the world is an old scratched-up, lop
eared, battle-scarred cat. “If he eats
grass It is a sign of rain. If he stands
with his back to the stove it means
cold weather. When he washes his
face wash yours, for company is com
ing. If he is nervous at the time he
is usually sleeping examine your light
ning rods, for a big electrical storm
Is brewing. Everything he does is a
sign of something. If you haven’t a
measly old cat you’d better get one
at once.”
The Peanut Crop.
Tlie American peanut crop averages
about 6,000,000 bushels a year, and 22
pounds of the nuts make a bushel.
About $10,000,000 worth of peanuts
yearly are consumed, either In their
natural form or in candy. The shucks
furnish good food for pigs, and the
peanut vine forms a first-class fodder
for mules. Vast quantities of peanuts
are shipped each year to Great Britain
and the continent from both Africa
and Asia.
MY CULPRIT HEART.
/■ —— -*
If Polly lets her lashes fall
Aud droopß her eyes with growing scorn.
Nor deigns to look on me at all,
As Polly cboie to do this moru,—
Mv chiding mood I quick relent,
i’d fain each jealous word recall,
For, ah ! I grow so penitent
As Polly lets her lashes lall,
I feel that I should punished be
For making Polly s heart to hurt)
Although, between just yot! end me.
She did encourage Jack to flirt!
My heart so quick Is to repent,
It bares Itself to ecourgtugs all, *“
And deems it righteous puDishment
When Polly lets her lashes full!
—Boy Farrell Greene, In Puck.
HUMOROUS.
The Doctor—How's business? Tho
Undertaker—Oh, I’m simply rushed to
death.
Nell —I don't care for fair weather
friends. Belle—No, I’d rather have a
rain beau.
Lady to Blind Man— My poor man.
what made you blind? Tramp Look
ing for work, ma’am.
Blobbs —We seldom get all we de
serve. Slobbs—ln which respect we are
like the one good turn that deservea
another, but seldom gets it.
Waiter (expecting tip) —Haven’t yout
forgotten something, sir? Patron—Oh,
yes; I have forgotten to report you for
being so slow. I’ll do so at once.
Wigg—Every man has some sort of
hobby which he rides. Wagg—Well,
it's all right for him to ride his own,
but he needn’t deride his neighbor’s.
They were talking of the man who
was thrown from a street car. “How
badly was he hurt?” “He doesn’t know
yet. The jury in his suit for damages
is still out." j
“Just to settle a bet,” asked the tire
some caller, “will you please tell me
what you consider the champion lie ol
the ages?” “I am glad to see you!”
scowled the answers-to-correspondent3
editor.
“So your lawyer got you out of
trouble?” “I don’t know,” answered the
man who is never happy. “I haven’t
yet paid his bill. I suppose he simply
got me out of one kind of trouble into
another.” -i
“I’m told,” said ti.e prison visitor,
“that before you got here you were
one of the leading men in your profes
sion.” “Well,” replied the convict, “l
certainly was in the van just before I
arrived here.”
Papa—Look, here, didn’t I tell you tty
introduce the ‘strenuous life’ in your
playing? Tommy—We are, papa. Papa
—You are not rowing or swinging
clubs. Tommy—No; we are just play
ing we are married.
Gunner —What is the matter with
those sparrows hopping around that
building? They don’t seem able to fly.
Guyer—No; the building is a cooking
school, and they ate some of the bread
that was thrown out.
“There’s one thing about me that I
don’t understand,’’ said Tommy,
thoughtfully, “and that's why it is that
making marks on wallpapers is such
lots of fun, and making ’em in copy
books in school is such hard work.”
Ethel —What do you think of this
landscape, aunty? Aunt Hannah —Well,
er — I don’t think so much of the trees,
but that grape-vine is pretty
good. Ethel—Grape-vine? Why,
dear, that is the artist’s signature.
“For some time past,” said Mr.
Pompus Nuritch, who had engaged
passage for Europe, “I’ve been con
templating a visit to the scenes asso
ciated with the lives of my ancestors.”
“That so?’’ replied Pepprcy. “Going
slumming, eh?”
Mr. Wredink (the old bookkeeper)—
Today marks my fortieth year of ser
vice with you. sir. Mr. Hides —I was
aware of it, Mr. Wredink, and I ar
ranged a little surprise for you. Take
this alarm clock, with my best wishes
for your continued punctuality.
“The idea of sending children to bed
early to punish ’em!” exclaimed Mrs.
Cossel, who was discussing her rela
tives. “That isn’t any way to c’rect
them.” “Of course it isn’t,” answered
her husband. “If you want to convince
’em that you mean business, make ’em
get up an hour or so earlier in the
morning.”
Passing of the Bicycle.
One of the signs of the times, or
rather of the characteristics of tho
times, is the decline and fall of the bi
cycle. It has not been so long ago
since there was a perfect craze for the
wheel—a craze from which no age,
color, sex or previous condition of ser
vitude to other fads was exempt. Men
and women, old and young, adults and
children—all rode the wheel. The
parks and streets and the roadways
were filled with riders of the steel
steed, and whenever one passed a
couple or a group in deep conversa
tion, the cne subject of talk was sure
to be the wheel, its properties, its be
longings, its excellencies and the pro
ficiency in its management to which
the talkers had attained.
Now all is changed. Asa fad the
wheel is as obsolete as the dodo, es
pecially among young women, who be
fore, apparently, could not get enough
cf it. This is a characteristic of the
American nervous anxiety to get all
possible out of everything in the short
est possible time, and to run a fad in
to the ground. Then the natural, the
inevitable, reaction comes; the pendu
him of popular caprice swings to the
other end, and what was before so ad
mirable is dropped completely and
pays for its former supremacy by be
ing consigned to practical oblivion.—
Baltimore American.
' 1 ITN
A Plague of Wolves in Russia.
As in Austria and Hungary, so in
Russia, the past winter will be remem
bered for the vast quantities of wolves
which came out of the forests and
mountains and preyed on the vil
lages. In one district in eastern Rus
sia over 16,000 head of cattle were
lost. In the governments if Novgor
od, Tver, Olonetsk, Archangel and in
Finland it was necessary from time
to time to call out the soldiers to
round them up and shoot them dowA-'
Thousands were disposed of in this
way.
Forty thousand birds, mostly sand
pipers, are reported to have been
killed recently on the North Caroling
coast for millinery pur poser.