! Epidemic Lethargic Encephalitis
"Sleep" Ailment Not a Tropic Plague; Came From Europe; Isn't
"Catching" or Deadly, Records Show
According to the reports, writes a prominent medical authority, epi
demic lethargic encephalitis, called by some the "sleep" sickness, was
; first heard of in France and England about one year ago. At first it
f <lid not attract much attention. Many physicians who saw the early caies
thought they were due to a form of so-called ptomaine poisoning. Many
others thought it was a peculiar form of poliomyelitis, or infantile paraly
sis, attacking adults rather than children.
After a few months it was rather definitely established that it was
♦ neither of these but was a separate disease in which the infection was
located in the brain itself toward the base. There was inflammation of
]the brain, so they called it encephalitis.
The most prominent symptom was drowsiness, lethargy, sleepiness.
Hence the adjective lethargic. It spread somewhat after the fashion of
an epidemic. In consequence of all these qualities it was named epidemic
lethargic encephalitis.
The disease frequently starts with double vision, vertigo, tendency
of the upper eyelids to droop, and some difficulty in swallowing. Later
the individual becomes drowsy. He may fall into a deep sleep or coma,
and the coma has been known to last three months. There is little or no
fever and the pulse usually is not accelerated.
In France early in the epidemic about one-half of the cases died.
In Great Britain only about one in five of the cases terminated fatally. It
is too early to say how severe it will be in this country, but there is some
reason for thinking it will be milder than it was in Europe.
In a slight epidemic reported from an army camp located in "V irginia
only one case died, though eight had the disease. When recovery takes
place there are none of the terrible after-effects such as one sees in the
wasted limbs of persons who have recovered from infantile paralysis.
The disease is but mildly contagious. It behaves in this particular
much as does infantile paralysis and meningitis. State boards of health
advise that the precautions taken be those required in cases of infantile
paralysis. .
This seems to be ample. That the disease is not one of which we need
be much afraid is indicated hy the small number of cases reported from
England and France. Though the disease has existed in these countries
for about a year not more than two hundred cases are reported. The sea
son of maximum prevalence is the winter and spring.
i ■—*
884,476,000 Bushels
of Corn on the Farms
ComppreJ With 1,253,290,000
Bushels One Year Ago
Farm holdings on March 1, nu
nounced by the department of agricul
ture, shows: Ccyrn, 884,476,000 bush
els; wheat, 129,258,000; oats, 588,421,-
000; barley, 81,809,000. ,
Farm holdings on March 1. 1918, and
1917 were: Corn, 1,253,290,000 and
782,303,000; wheat 107,745,000 and
100,650,000; oats, 599,208,000 and 394,-
211,000; barley, 44,419,000 and 33,244,-
000.
The percentage of the 1918 crops
which will be shipped out of the coun
ties where grown were annotviced as
follows:
Corn, 14.5 per cent, compared with
22.1 last year and 17.6 In 1917.
Wheat, 58.7 per cent, compared wltu
51.1 last year and 56.7 In 1917.
Oats, 27.2 per cent, compared with
32.3 last year and 28.4 in 1917.
Barley, 39.1 per cent, compared with
39.7 last year and 43.5 In 1917.
The proportion of the 1918 corn
crop which is merchantable is about
2.129,764,000 bushels, compared with
1,837,728,000 of the 1917 crop and
:2,154,487,000 of the 1916 crop.
______
Chinese Use Hens to Help
in Hatching Fish Spawn
The Chinese have a novel way of
propagating fish. The spawn is care
fully collected from the surface of the
water, and when a sufficient quantity
has been obtained they take a number
of hens' eggs, the contents of which
have been carefully emptied through a
small aperture, and refill the shells
with spawns-. The holes are sealed up
and the eggs put under the broody
hens. The hens are allowed to incu
bate the eggs for a certain number of
days, when the eggs are again broken
and their contents put into water that
has been previously warmed by the
sun. In a very short time the spawn
batches, and the young fry are then
kept in pure fresh water until a suffi
cient size to be put into the ponds. At
one time a considerable business w T as
done in this style of spawn hatching.
Origin of Masquerade BaiL
The masquerade ball is one of those
things that has come down with the
ages. All authorities don't agree, but
some assert that the mask pswty was
popular with the oldest inhabitants of
ancient Egypt. That the Greeks used
it In many of ttoeir ceremonials Is
known. The mask ball was one of
the crowning features of the festival
which marked the celebration of the
feast of Bacchus.
i -j
i WITH THE SCIENTISTS
The British government has
completed an eight-inch pipe
line for fuel oil across Scotland
from Glasgow to Grangemouth.
A compressed air method that
has been developed for cooling
forglngs has been found to im
prove the quality of the steel.
The juice of a cactus is mixed
with lime in Uruguay to make
a brilliant whitewash that with
stands the weather for years.
t
Japanese Custom Requires
That Footgear Be Removed
Befors Entering the House
It is estimated that about 7 per cent
of the population of Japan now uses
modern footwear at least part of the
time. The more rapid adoption of the
western styles of lace and button
shoes is made difficult by the native
custom that requires that shoes be re
moved before a person enters a home
or inn. In some cases it Is even re
quired that the shoes be removed, or
at least covered with cloth protectors,
before entering shops, theaters and
similar public buildings. This cus
tom has led to the quite general adop
tion of the old-fashioned but conven
ient "Congress" boot by those who
wear occidental footwear during busi
ness hours. A perfected elastic top
slice with real style, or a button or
lace shoe with a quickly operated fas
tener, would do much to advance the
sale of modern footwear in Japan.
| THE NEST |
When oaken woods with buds are pink,
And new-come birds each morning sing,
When fickle May on Summer's brink
Pauses and knows not which to fling,
Whether fresh bud and bloom again.
Or hoar-frost silvering hill and plain,
Then from honeysuckle gray
The oriole with experienced quest
Twitches the fibrous bark away.
The cordage of his hammock-nest.
Cheering his labor with a note
Rich as the orange of his throat.
High o'er the loud and dusty road
The soft gray cup in safety swings
To brim ere August with its load
Of downy breasts and throbbing wings,
O'er which the friendly elm tree heaves
An eternal roof with sculptured eaves.
Below, the noisy world drags by
Tn the old way, because it must.
The bride with heartbreak in her eye.
The mourner following hated dust:
Thy duty, winged flame of spring
Is but to love, and lly, and sing.
Oh. happy life, to soar and sway
Above the life by mortals le<J,
Singing the merry months away.
Master, not slave of daily bread.
And, when the autumn comes, to flee
Wherever sunshine beckons thee!
—Lowell.
I Giant Teak Trees Attain
Height of 150 to 160 Feet
Teak, during the reign of the Bur
-1 mese kings, was the royal wood, and
| the king had a right to all teak. The
1 palace of the kings of Mandalay is al
most entirely built of this wood, and
one of the throne rooms is supported
'by fine pillars of teak. The bamboo
forests in Burma, which sometimes
grow to a height of 50 to 60 feet, and
are a glory in themselves, are but an
undergrowth above which tower the
teak trees, giants of strength, dignity
and beauty, attaining a height of from
150 to 160 feet. The teak trees grow
several hundred yards apart, three ma
ture trees to the acre being considered
a good yield. Their wood is used ex
tensively in building.
Turn Clocks Ahead One Hour
—The Law Was Not Repealed
Since the movement for the repeal
of the daylight saving law failed, clocks
throughout the country again are
turned forward one hour. The law,
enacted last year, specifies that the
change take place the last Sunday In
March, which this year fell on the
30th. Clocks will be turned back again
on the last Sunday la October.
A Glass Horn.
An innovation in phonographs Is an
Instrument equipped with a horn of
beveled mirror glass. The claim of
the makers is that the horn of a talk
ing machine best amplifies the tone
when its surface is smooth and rigid,
hence one of heavy glass Is preferable
to one of wood or metal.
Handicap Wort'n While.
When a handicap becomes the ful
crum over which we prv out suecesi
with the long iron bar of determina
tion it ought to make us shake hands
with the hindrance and say, "Thank
you! You have helped me oat fine!"
Disapproves Old Adage.
In spite of the old adage to the con
trary. some things done by halves are
done most satisfactorily, as for exam
ple the much-used Quinsigamond
bridge at Worcester. Mass. Here traf
fic suffered a minimum of interruption
by completing and putting into use
one longitudinal half of the new struc
ture before the other half was built.
Mineral Lake.
A lake near Biggar, Saskatchewan,
has been found to be saturated with
sodium sulphate, and the deposits un
der the lake and alongside the edge
' to be nearly 97 per cent pure sulphate.
The mineral is used extensively in the
manufacture of sulphuric acid. In pho
tography and other Industrial pur
poses.
Big Canadian Telescope.
The tube of the telescope erected by
the Canadian dominion at Victoria,
B. C., is large enough to permit of the
passage of a small automobile and the
reflector Is 73 inches in diameter. The
movable parts of the telescope weigh
more than 40 tons, and the lens alone
more than 4,000 pounds, yet one man
can easily move the mass Into any de
sired position.
Co-operation Imperative.
Why not consider the helplessness
of a man who thinks he can do every
thing al» ne? How much headway can
one man make la cutting down a for
est and building a city? There must
be co-operation with other men.
i
Beans.
The common bean is a native of
South America and was Introduced
into Europe during the sixteenth cen
tury. Now it is represented by over
150 varieties. The big broad bean Is
probably a native of southwest Asia
and northeastern Europe. The broad,
but not thick, lime bean, called by some j
"butter bean." is a pole variety that j
comes from South America.
The Village Stocks.
The curious old habit of punishing
offenders by placing them in the pub
lic stocks seems very far in the shad
owy past, yet a number of these old
wooden machines may still be seen in
England- Usually they stand, or they
stood, on the village green, near the
church ; and it is not such a long while
since stocks ceased to be used in the
land.
Fateful Days.
Certain days have been marked ones 1
in some persons' lives. Nearly all the
chief events of Thomas' a Beckers
career, including his murder and the
translation of his body—occurred on a
Tuesday. Henry VIII and his three
children —Edward, Mr>ry and Eliza
beth —expired upon the same day of
the week—Thursday.
Spanish Literature.
While literary Spain sank into a
deep slumber after the day of Cer
vantes and Lope de Vega, it awoke bril
liantly in the latter half of the nine
teenth century, presenting to the world
Palacio Valdes. Perez Oaldos, .Tose de
Pereda, Juan Valera, Echegaray and
other distinguished writers.
Good Rule for Life.
We are ruined, not by what we
really want, but by what we think we
do; therefore, never go abroad In
search of your wants; for if they be
real wants they will come in search of
you. He that buys what he does not
want, will soon want what he cannot
buy.—Col ton.
To Kill Plant Lice-
To kill Insects on a cactus plant
spray it with a very weak solution of
alum —1% to 2 per cent. This solution
is said to be perfectly harmless to the
plant but to kill the plant lice.
Oxen the "Beast of Burden"
in Brussels
llf
Germany commandeered most of the horses in Brussels, Belgium, mak
ing it necessary to use oxen in the wagons. Picture shows ox in a city dust
cart that was formerly drawn by a horse. »
■ m mm P m ■——^
BREEDING CHICKENS
ON COMMUNITY PLAN
1
In some communities the practice is
followed of choosing one breed and
sticking to it.
There is the advantage of shipping.
A crate of uniform size and breed
looks well. A community can send a
carload, and by shipping a car get
higher prices and lower freight rate
than when the individual ships.
Then there Is more Interest in the
breed which your neighbor is growing.
| The poultry crank enthuses his neigh
bors; he will persuade them to get a
good poultry judge to come and go
over their flocks. The community can
afford the fifty to a hundred dollars
this would probably cost for a good
judge, where the individual might not
be able to pay the bill.
Poultry clubs and breed clubs are
doing on a long-distance scale what
the community can do near at hand.
For example, the Rhode Island Red
club has created a fund to give pub
licity to their breed. They have se
cured a secretary to look after their in
terests, and are enlisting all of their
members in a publicity campaign.
They tell them to "obtain and tabulate
all facts favorable to Rhode Island
Reds, such as high egg records, early
maturity, vitality, etc., and give these
facts the widest possible publicity.
Check up on all egg contests and give
i publicity to any facts established that
are favorable to the Rhode Island |
Reds. Secure in writing the opinions !
i of government experts as to the merits
of the Reds," etc., etc.
We all remember the boom the
White Orpingtons had several years
ago through the extravagant adver
tising of one breeder, and the publicity
he gave his customers' records as well
as his own.
There is profit in getting together
and making yourself heard when things
; worth while are accomplished.
Rubber Factories in India
Resemble an Ordinary Dairy
In southern India a factory at which
high-grade rubber is made resembles a
dairy, the milklike appearance of the
latex adding to this illusion, as well as
the precautions taken to insure abso
lute cleanliness. One of two methods
of manufacture is generally adopted.
If the estate is young and only a few
trees are being tapped the rubber is
1 made in the form of biscuits or sheets.
The biscuits are placed on racks in a
; warm room or an artificial dryer and
allowed to remain there until dry.
The finished biscuits are pale amber
i colored and transparent, and for this
reason are popular on the market, for
their purity and freedom from dirt can
j be judged by holding them to the light
and looking through them.
"Everything Lovely and
the Goose Hangs High"
The most popular explanation of the
! origin of the expression "Everything is
lovely and the goose hangs high," Is
this: That it comes from the southern
country amusement known as "goose
j pulling." A goose, Its neck carefully
plucked and well greased, was hung by
Its feet to a branch of a tree. The men
| would ride past at a gallop, trying to
catch it by the neck and pull its head
off. The better the goose was in dodg
ing the greater the fun. When the
goose hung high, so that the competi
tors had to stand in their stirrups to
grasp at It, the joy was greatest An
other suggested origin Is that it refers
to the fact that wild geese fly in clear
weather; this explanation would
change "hangs" to "honks."
Relief.
A man is relieved and gay when he
has put his heart into his work and
done his best; but what he has said
and done otherwise shall five him no
ce. —Emerson.
London Board of Education
Is Experimenting With the
Simplified Spelling Form
The London board of education
has after many refusals sanctioned
experiments in simplified spelling.
Speaking on the subject at University
college. Prof. Walter Ripman, chief In
spector of London university, said:
"It was necessary to have a code
of spelling which would represent
not dialects, but standard speech of
the whole English speaking race. It
was hoped that (he United States gov
ernment could b*> brought to co-operate
with the British government in bring
ing this about."
Miss Walsh of Honeywell lload
school, Battersea, where the experi
ment in simplified spelling Is being
made, said tha* learning to read in
the simplified form was a much hap
pier experience for a child than un
der the old method.
A number of Miss Walsh's pupils,
of an average of six years of age, gave
a demonstration of word building by
the simplified method. All could read
with facility both in the old and new
form of spelling.
The Origin of "Blue Blood."
"Blue blood" appears to mean the
blood of a fair skinned race as It
strikes the eyes of a dark skinned
people; In its Spanish form, sangre
azul, it seems to have been first used
j to describe the blue veins on the fair
; skin of the foreign northern aristo
cratic classes of Spain.
Mother's Cook Book
Be diplomatic—a farmer out West kept
himself with coal by making
facen at the engineer as the train went
by.
A Few Choice Dishes.
When meal time Is taken at noon
there is no dish which touches the
spot like a nice hot soup.
Coconut Soup.
The trouble of preparing this dell
clous soup will be swallowed and for
gotten with the first taste. Cook two
pounds of veal bones in two quarts of
water added cold. When reduced to
one quart add the chopped meat of
one coconut and cook one-half hour.
Strain and add the milk of the nut and
a pint of cream. Reheat and thicken
with a tablespoonfjil of flour and but
ter cooked together. Season with salt,
cayenne and onion juice. When ready
to serve pour over two beaten eggs.
Victoria's Favorite Soup.
Remove the fat from a quart of wa
ter In which a chicken has been
cooked. Season well with salt, pepper,
onion juice aari celery salt. Mash the
yolks of three hard-cooked eggs, mix
with half a cupful of bread crumbs
soaked in milk until soft. Chop white
meat of chicken until It Is fine as meal
and stir It into the egg and bread
crumb paste. Add a pint of hot cream,
slowly, then the chicken liquor. Boil
five minutes, add more seasonings, if
too thin, add more crumbs. It should
be a puree.
The feet of chickens, wing tips of
fowls, tough ends of steaks all make
fine flavored soups.
Squaw Dish.
As Indians are very fond of pre
paring this dish It has taken the name
from them. Cut bacon in thin slices
and cook until crisp, pour off half the
fat from a quarter of a pound of bacon
and add a quart of corn, fresh from
the cob Is best, but canned will do.
Stir until the corn is cooked If frtoh,
and thoroughly hot, If canned. Beaaon
with salt and pepper and serve.
Bake pears by dotting with bits of
butter, add sugar, lemon juice and
baste them while baking. Serve eitfcer
hot or cold.
"HtLLu. 7 j |
| 730 Philak Street, • - Indiana, Pa.
{ Opposite Moore Hotel \
Ànswer With A Note!
f! am paying
M but smilin^
ggg^Howaboutyou?