2
HELEN KELLER A^N D HER TEACHER.
Photo by American Press Association.
The marvelous blind deaf mute is shown on the left in conversation with Miss Macy.
STARS IN THE UNIVERSE.
Enough to Allow One For Every Hu
man Being on Earth.
For years the approximate number of
stars visible to the eye. a matter of
3,000 or according to the defini
tion of average vision, has been known.
By most persons, however, and by
many scientists, the total number of
stars in the heavens has been con
sidered countless, if not limitless. The
universe is now declared to be finite,
yet of a magnificence of dimensions
and of a populousness far beyond all
earlier conceptions. This assumption
is a result of very recent investigations
into tlie motions and distances of the
st a rs.
The latest studies on the subject of
the number as well as the light of the
stars have been made at the royal ob
servatory at Greenwich, England. The
late Franklin Adams succeeded in mak
ing a set of 206 photographs covering
the entire sky. After counts were
made on these pictures, from which the
brightness of the self luminous bodies
between practically the twelfth and
seventeenth magnitudes could be in
ferred, it was concluded that they
recorded about 55.000.000 stars.
From this a formula was determined
showing the change of number in
passing from one magnitude to an
other. With these figures it was rea
soned that the aggregate number of
stars is not less than 1.000.000.000.
probably not more than 2.000.000.000.
and probably approximately 1.600,000.-
000. the estimated present population
of the earth.
In making computations it was in
ferred that there would be as inauy
stars fainter than magnitude twenty
three or twenty-four as there are
brighter. From September Popular
Mechanics Magazine.
KILL LOBSTERS KINDLY.
Put Them In Cold Water and Slowly
Bring Them to a Boil.
Boiling over a slow fire is the hap
piest death a lobster can meet, so It
has been determined at the Jersey ma
rine biological station. The experi
ments were carried out by Joseph
Siuel. a well known biologist, for the
Isle of Jersey Society For the Preven
tion of Cruelty to Animals, whose mem
bers associated the prevalent method
of killing lobsters with medieval tor
ture.
Lobsters, says Mr. Sinel, are ex
tremely difficult to kill. Piercing the
brain does not seem to cause the lob
ster more than temporary annoyance,
since his brain is a mere nerve gan
glion the size of a hemp seed. He has
to be killed all over. To throw him
into boiling water fails to do the work
either mercifully or quickly since he
struggles violently to escape for about
two minutes.
The pleasantest way to end a lob
ster's troubles, Mr. Sinel finds, is the
old fashioned way of placing him in
cold water and bringing him to a boll.
As the water warms he becomes lazy
and rolls over as for a sleep. By the
time the water reaches the compara
tively mild temperature of 70 degrees
Fahrenheit he becomes comatose.. At
80 degrees he is dead. To use a hu
man illustration, the biologist says it
is like a person succumbing to a heat
wave, with loss of consciousness and
a painless end.—Loudon Cor. New York
Tost.
Tips and Tips.
"The Scotch caddie is the best caddie
In the world." said a famous player,
"only, like all his race, he's a little
near, a little tight across the chest.
'Bang goes sixpence,' don't you know.
"A friend of mine spent his vaca
tion golfing on the famous St. An
drews links in Scotland. My friend
had a very fine Scotch caddie, a notori
ously fiue Scotch caddie, and he said
to the man the first day ou the course:
" 'Dugald. my man, I expect to get
some good tips from you during my
stay here.'
" 'And I expect.' said Dugald dryly,
'the like frae you.' "—Exchange.
Velocity of Sound.
The velocity of sound depends upon
the medium through which the sound
has to travel. The mean velocity of
sound in air is 1,123 feet per second,
while the velocity of sound in water is
given at 4,708 feet per second, being
about four times quicker than in air.
Cast Iron conveys sound at the rate of
16.522 feet per second, or about six
teen times more quickly than air.—New
York American. -
Extravagance.
Extravagance in thought Is as bad as
■extravagance in living expenses.—E.
*W. Howe's Monthly.
J
Over
j "Tinker has placed an old railroad
j sign. 'Stop, look and listen!' at the en
irance to his driveway."
"What's the idea?"
"His wife is runn.ng the touring
car."—Judge.
Our First Sawmill.
It Is said that the first sawmill in
the United States was at Jamestown,
from which sawed boards were ex
ported in June, 1607. A water power
sawmill was in use in 1625 near tlie
present site of Richmond.
JAPANESE RED CROSS NURSES.
Photo by American Press Association.
This picture was made when the oriental maidens were en route to Europe to care for the wounded.
Wasted Generosity.
"Oh, I'm so sorry I can't marry you.
I had no idea you thought of me that
way!"
"Well, what do you suppose I've
been letting your father beat me at
golf all the time for?"— Judge.
Chrysanthemums of Japan.
Although the chrysanthemum has
reached its highest form of develop
ment in Japan, and is still reverenced
as the imperial emblem, it was taken
to Japan from China, where it has
been brought to its highest state of
cultivation. At the imperial chrysan
themum party given by his majesty
the emperor of Japan in November ev
ery year one sees the most marvelous
blossoms known to the floriculturist
The number of blossoms from one root
is amazing. In one case no less than
700 flowers were seen growing from
one plant. The festival of the chrysan
themum dates back to the Heian era,
when the great ones of the empire used
to call at the imperial palace and drink
to the health of the imperial house
from sake cups in which floated petals
of the beautiful flowers.
Old Time Coining.
In the fifteenth century a skilled coin
er, of whom there were but few. might
be able to turn out by hand fifty or
sixty coins a day, a result totally in
adequate to cope with the vast quan
tity of treasure, chiefly silver, that
shortly began to arrive from America.
To multiply coiners was to multiply
forgers, and thus the coining machine
became a necessity of state. A laminat
ing mill and screw coining press was
invented in Italy 1547, Spain 1548,
France 1553 and England 1561, reign
of Elizabeth. After several trials and
abandonments the mill and press were
established permanently under Charles
11., whose golden guineas, struck in
1662, were the first regular issues of
machine coins made north of the chan
nel.—Argonaut
Why They Don't Hear.
Perhaps the limit of hymnic fatuity
was reached by the writer of hymn
575 in the "Ancient and Modem" col
lection. Here is the fourth stanza:
They do not hear when the great hell
Is ringing overhead;
They cannot rise and come to church
With us, for they are dead.
The list of things which "they" are
unable to do might be indefinitely ex
tended, and it seems a thing incredible
that the author of the above verse
should have written so beautiful and
moving a hymn as "There is a greea
hill far away."—London Chronicle.
Canada's Size.
The area of the Dominion of Canada
is 3,658,946 square miles. The area of
continental United States is 3,025,000
square miles. Canada is as big as the
United States with a territory to spare
that is as large as three German em
pires and the state of New York.—New
York American.
He. Pdean Brother.
She—Aline's twin brother annoys her
dreadfully. He—How? She—You see.
everybody knows they are twins, and
poor Aline can't pass for only twenty
four because he tells people he's thir
ty!— Exchange.
Russia's Fisheries.
Russia ranks third among the fish
and deep sea food producing countries
of the world. The total yield of fish
is well over $8,000,000 worth a year,
but even this great supply is not equal
to the needs of the population.
BLIND, BUT HAPPY FOR THE TIME.
Photo by American Press Association.
New York city annually gives a substantial sum in cash to each blind resident This shows a blind couple,"!
led by their daughter, after they had received their gratuity. The woman Is counting her money.
Strenuous Love.
"Do yer love me, 'Erb?"
"Love yer. 'Liza! I should jest think
I does. Why, if yer ever gives me up
I'll murder yer! I can't say more'n
that, can I?"—Loudou Punch.
Very Moving.
Talk about moving things with a
derrick—the most powerful thing
known to move man is a woman's
eyes.—Florida Times-Onion.
Gooo Cooks In Demand.
"I've had my daughters learn to cook
so that they might get better hus
bands."
"And did they?"
"No, they feel above marrying now.**
—Boston Transcrii-i.
Professor Armbruster asserts that
the reason very young children are rel
atively immune to infectious diseases
is that their hearts beat so much more
rapidly than those of older persons
that the blood flows swiftly through
the arteries, and this swiftness of flow
makes it difficult for micro-organisms
to gain a foothold in the blood stream.
—New York World.
One Danger.
"Have you fastened the windows,
dear?" she asked as they were about
to retire for the night
"No. What's the use? I gave you
the last dollar I had to buy that new
hat and we needn't fear burglars."
"But they might sit down on the hat,
you know." —Washington Post
Between Citizens.
He was abusing things in general
"Have you registered?" asked the
other man.
"N-n-no."
"A citizen should always register.
Your vote will do more to correct mat
ters than your criticism."—Pittsburgh
Post
THE PATRIOT
HENRY SHRAPNEL.
Inventor of the Deacty War Missile and
His Reward.
Sbrapnel was originally the name of
a British general who. about i 4 hun
dred years ago. was begging the Iwiard
of ordnance of his native land for some
substantial reoognirit . in respect of
tbe new and deadly missile lie trad
placed absolutely at their service and
was l>eiiig told that the institution iu
question "had n funds at its disposal
for the reward of merit."
Henry Shrapnel's invention was
probably first employed at Surinam in
1804 and was then "favorably report
ed on." but eleven years later Sir
George Wood, who commanded tlie ar
tillery at Waterloo, declared that
shrapnel bad won that famous battle.
Without It. Wood asserted, no effort of
tbe British could have recovered the
farmhouse of La Ilaye Saiute.
In 1814 the government granted
Shrapnel a pension of £1.200 a year
for life, but this was interpreted by
his paymasters to cover all the inven
tions Shrapnel had given to tbe army,
including an ingenious gun mounting
whereby the recoil was utilized to
bring one gun into action at the same
time as another was put under cover.
Shrapnel was thus placed at a disad
vantage. though lie had the satisfac
tion of drawing his pension to a ripe
old ago. He died in 1842. aged eighty
one.—Argonaut.
Very Temperate.
"He was very temperate. He got
drunk only once a week." remarked a
witness to a Liverpool coroner.
Laughed and Won.
When the British were storming
Badajoz the Duke of Wellington rode
up and, observing an artilleryman par
ticularly active, inquired the man's
name. He was answered "Taylor."
"A very good name too," said the
duke. "Cheer up. my men! Our Tay
lor will soon make a pair of breaches
In the walls!"
At this sally the men forgot their
danger, a burst of laughter broke from
them and the next charge carried the
fortress.—London Answers.
His Definition.
"Pa, what is an 'interior decorator?' "
"I'm not quite sure, Wilfred, but I
think it's a cook." —New York Times.
AT THE HISTORIC CHATEAU DE MONDEMENT.
Pheto by American Press Association.
This estate, near the river Aisne. was often visited by Napoleon. It was taken and retaken by French and Ger*
|l|l i{t||ri] times. The cat a wall demolished by sbeD fire.
place .it JCKyli jsiana on tne norma
coast. In this way he was able to con
verse with Dr. Bell and Mr. Watson and
thus three men who have contributed
much to the making of telephone history
were all "present,'' although sep.-.rated
by hundreds of miles, at this significant
event.
"Ahoy* Ahoy! Can yen hear me?"
asked Dr. Bel!, and instantly there was
a murmur in the receiver audible to
everyone in the room. Out in San Fran
cisco in the offices of the Pacific Tele
phone & Telegraph Company, Thomas A.
Watson had heard the voice of his old
time associate signalling in the manner
they had employed in their earliest ex
periments. and had answered: "I can
hear perfectly."
The telephone used by Dr. Be II in his
talk was the same crude instrument
which transmitted the first mess-ge, and
there was an added touch of sentiment
in the fact tb-U there had been spliced
to the line some of the wire which was
used in the first sustained talk almost
40 years ago.
The original telephone which Is t?
curious-locking contraption with a thin
membrane of gold-beater's skin
stretched taut for a diaphragm, is still
capable of transmitting the voice, but
no one familiar with the telephone of
to-day would have called this crude
instrument by that name.
It was stated that since the first tele
phone of Bell there have been placed in
use and discarded in the process of evo
lution to the efficient instrument of to
day, seventy-three styles of transmitter
and fifty-three types of receiver.
The new line is the culmination of a
constant progression towards longer and
longer distances in telephoning. J. J.
Carty and the other eng'neers of the Bell
System, to whom the credit for this new
triumph of science is due, car. point out
no single phase or invention which has
made trans-continental telephoning pos
sible. Constant improvements in lines,
cable, switchboards, receivers and trans
mitters, and a multitude of other ap
paratus, have brought about the ultimate
result seen to-day.
One would think that merely the ex
tension of the lines a few hundred miles
further from the Salt Lake City point
reached a short time ago, on to 'Frisco
was all that was necessary. But that is
not true. In almost every step that has
been made in the development of long
distance telephony from the first, two
mile line reaching out of Boston to
Cambridge on through all the advances,
first to Providence; then New York in
18S8; then New York to Chicago in 1802:
then Omaha: then Denver, and finally the
coast—in every added span new difficul
ties have had to be met—new problems
have arisen to be overcome.
The new ccast to coast line has only
been constructed after the expense of
a vast sum cf money and the taxing to
the utmost of the powers of the 550 or
so engineer' *<l scientists who solve the
telephone problems of the Bell System.
The line Itself has required over 110,-
000 polos and 0.800 miles of very heavy
hard drawn copper wire were used Tor
each of the two circuits. To presr-rvf
and guard the d'minutive telephone cur
rer .f ' which Is so sma>'
Rather Too Light.
The landlady who had not a reputa
tion for overfeeding her boarders asked
her solitary boarder as he looked dole
fully at his supper, "Shall I light the
gas?"
The boarder gazed at the scanty meal
and replied, "Well, no, it isn't neces
sary; the supper is light enough!"—
London Telegraph.
Two Puzzles.
Mrs. Bowns—How do you expect me
to buy things for you to eat if you
don't give me any money? Mr. Bowns
—And how do you expect me to earn
money for you If I don't get anything
to eat? —New York Journal.
OCEAN [0 UttAN
TELEPHONE SERVICE
ACHIEVED
Firac L'easage From New Yorb: to
San Francisco
Historic Event Celebrated With
A. G. Bell at Atlantic End and
T. A. Watson at the Pacific
End of Line
NEW TOt'.K, January 2J. — This after
noon the voice of man was made to
'.cap across the continent —New York and
San Frat.ctsco were connected by tele
phone. Impressively, almost solemnly,.
Alexander Graham Bell, a bis white
haired man whese full white beard gives
him a typical, patriarchal look, spoke the
tfrst words over the span of 3400 miles,
l -. San Francisco there sat. listening to
this first trans-continental message, the
man who almost forty years ago heard
I>r. Bell speak the first words that ever
traveled over a wire. This man was
Thomas A. Watson, Dr. Bell's assistant
when he Invented the telephone In 1875.
Small wonder that few of those who
witnessed th's formal opening of the new
continent-spanning line could restrain
their emotions. Here was history in the
making as well as a confirmation of that
oft-spoken phrase that history repeats
itself. Here were these two men who. in
their youth, had conceived and created
the epoch-making telephone—an achieve
ment the greatness of which is reserved
for the few—here were they, testing the
crowning achievement of the telephone
engineers who. following in the footsteps
of the inventor and his assistant, took
the first little telephone and created for
it lines and switchboards and innumer
able pieces of apparatus unl*l speech
can now be speeded across the entire na
tion from ocean to ocean. This indeed
was a wonderful fulfillment to ba
crowded into the short space of a man's
life-time.
Such were the thoughts of those who
witnessed this impressive inaugural of
the trans-continental telephone service
in the office of the President of the
American Telephone and Telegraph Com
pany at 15 Dey Street. Among those
who witnessed the formal opening by Dr.
Bell, and who afterward talked to'Frisci
I'.cre Aiwyor Mltchel, other city officials,
members of the various civic bodies and
other prominent persons to the number
of about one hundred. There were be
sides a number of telephone officials
including J. J. Carty, Chief Engineer of
the Bell System, under whose direction
the new line was constructed; B.
Gherardi, another prominent telephone
engineer, and Thomas B. Doollttle, wha
developed hard drawn copper wire.
In San Francisco, beside Mr. Watson,
there were the Mayor, the President of
the Panama-Pacific Exposition and a
small group of other much-interested
persons.
At the White House President Wilson
spoke into the mouthpiece of his tele
phone and his voice was whirled across
thirteen States to the shores of the
Pacific.
Theodore N. Vail, the President of the
American Telephone and Telegfnph Com
pany, was unable to be present but spe
cial arrangements were made which per
mitted him to be connected with the
trans-conline-c-1 line fro.ip hif stopping
Bravery and Cowardice.
Cowardice Is often Ignorance. Are
any men brave, more ready to take
tbeir lives in their hands, to reckon
death as one of the daily encounters,
than tile deep sea fishermen? Yet a
group of these men brought to London
by one of their missionaries have been
seen too terrified to cross the street.
The police had to stop the traffic to al
low them to cross. The quick, quarrel
some. fearless cockneys who laughed
at them—how would they feel in a
freezing storm in the North sea? A
spider may terrify the most courageous
of women and a veteran siirink from a
cat. Every hero has his weakness,
and we may believe every coward has
a point where he turns and will tight
the world.—London Outlook.
Bullet Wounds.
The entrance wound caused by the
modern small arm bullet is not a
grewsome spectacle. It is small, and
Its appearance has been compared to
that produced by the bite of a certnio
parasite insect. Often there is bu*
little external bleeding, but this is not
to be taken as a danger signal, at
might be popularly supposed.—Londoa
Telegraph.
Quite Enough.
Penman—Did you wade through that
last book of mine?
Wright—Yes. I did.
"Were you much stuck on it?"
"Only a dollar twenty-five."—Yonker*
Statesman.
Sporting Note.
Speaking of mollycoddle games, how
would you like to play cricket on the
hearth ?—Judge.