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, Probably the most elaborate
floral plece
"4 in the world is the great flower clock in the
public park in Detroit. It consists of a great
green base, with a huge clock dial, perfect
in every detail, some seven feet in diameter.
The various dials and the hours are laid out
accurately, including the hands.
The floral clock is a permanent emblem
throughout the summer months. The thou-
sands of flowers which compose it are all
living. They are planted early each spring
In the great base of earth. The clock is
never taken apart for repairs until the late
fall. It takes four expert gardeners the
Brush The Coin Off.
Suppose it is your turn to entertain some
young people at en evening party. Take a
cent or a nickel from your pocket, place it
on the outsiretched palm of either hand,
and challenge anyone to brush it away.
Any kind of brush may be used for this
purpose, but no brush that was ever made
will prove effective, since the coin will re-
main in the palm of the hand in spite of all
the efforts to remove it.
Of course, you must stipulate that the
front of the brush is only to be used, and
that no attempt is to be made to push the
coin away with the handle.
Greece holds the earthquake record, with
8,187 shocks in five years.
greater part of a month to construct the
great emblem.
The flowers are selected from a great as-
sortment, and more than 5,000 separate
plants are required to completely cover
the base. These are arranged with greatest
care, so that the colors will be in striking
contrast. The various parts of the face may
be recognized for a considerable distance.
Even when the flowers have been carefully
planted the clock requires constant care.
The plants must be trimmed almost daily
to keep the face clear and distinct.
New Polar Expedition.
Of the proposed exploring expedition to
the magnetic North Pole an interesting
account has been'given to the Norwegian
Geographical Society by Capt. R. Amund
sen, who was first officer of the Belgica.
which sailed for the Antarctic in August,
1897, with the view of determining the
exact locality of the magnetic South Pole.
For the contemplated expedition the
Gjoa, one of the strongest and best sailing
vessels of the Arctic fleet, has been pur:
chased at Tromso. In 1871 Sir James Clark
toss reached a position where the dipping
peedle was only deflected one minute from
an absolutely vertical position, but the ques-
tion has been raised whether the magnetic
pole is actually only-a point or whether the
peculiarity of the needle assuming a verti-
cal position extends over a large area, and
further whether the magnetic pole changes
its position, With the object of solving these
two questions Captain Amundsen will sail
in the spring of 1903. -
The Gjoa will be provided with a petro-
leum egine, and will have a crew of seven
men. A traveling magnetometer similar to
the one used on board the Fram is being
constructed in Germany, and a dipping nee-
dle, which will be thoroughly tested at the
National Physical Laboratory, is being con-
structed in London.
The ship will be left either at Matty Island
or King William Land, and as soon as the
weather permits the journey will be con-
tinued on sledges to the place on Boothia-
reached by Ross. Magnetic observations
will be taken as often as possible, and
Captain
that the scientific world will be benefited
thereby.
WHERE JUSTICE HAS GREAT WEIGHT.
If one would fully appreciate the weight
of justice, a trip should be made to Monte-
zuma, N. Y. There resides in that town
the champion heavyweight jurist in the
country. He is Mr. Charles C. Jones, 5
feet one inch in height, with a record o
Ads.
fen Jones has a waist measurement
of 67 inches, he wears a 24-inch collar and
his chest measures 64 inches. For a man
of his great size he is particularly quick and
active, and although he is the center of
attraction when he travels abroad, he ac-
cepts the staring and comments with un-
failing good nature. Being quick of thought,
Justice Jones usually gets even with those
who try to torment him.
When he boards a car the conductor gives
a frightened glance at his immense girth,
then at the entrance of the car, but Mr.
Jones manages to pass through with a very
little squeezing, provided the car be not
crowded. Once inside, however, his troubles
begin, especially if there be but one empty
seat. Mr. Jones declares that his experi-
ences while traveling would fill a book, and
make amusing reading, too.
He tells it as a huge joke that whenever
he enters a oar in which there is just space
for one more to sit down, the people on each
side of the space invariably rise if the jurist
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makes as though he were going to sit down,
and three seats are none too many for him,
either. If he is seated when ladies enter he
brings a battery of smiles upon himself by
arising and with a courteous bow telling
three or even four to ‘‘be seated’’—no diffi-
cult task.
Justice Jones’ home is a model of solidity;
the furniture is the heaviest and most sub-
stantial, and the Justice has his own partie-
ular chair, a huge affair, more like a settee
than a single chair, three persons being able
to seat themselves comfortably therein. His
Montezuma friends have secured counter-
parts of this remarkable piece of furniture,
which they place on their lawns and piazzas
for his benefit in the summer time.
‘When he goes out for a stroll during Au-
gust and the power of Old Sol creates a
thirst, it is no unusual thing to see him
standing outside a drug store drinking his
friends’ health in soda which the clerk
obligingly carries out to him.
Needless to say, Justice Jones makes an
impression when he appears in court. For-
tunately his arguments are as powerful as
his appearance, and his logic, coupled with
his unfailing good nature, makes him a shin-
ing light among the dispensers of justice in
Montezuma.
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Amundsen expresses confidence
Loop Puzzle.
Here is an ingenious new puzzle which
will provide much entertainment, not only
for the young, but also for those numerous
persons of mature years who like to solve
problems.
It consists of a board, on which is a plain,
circular, unobstructed field. A circular wall
encloses this field, and here and there in it
are placed differently colored balls, which
are free to move in any direction they
please. The puzzle consists in arranging the
balls according to groups, those of the same
color being wholly apart from the others.
It looks easy at first, but those who have
tried to get the balls into the desired posi-
tions say that it is quite a difficult task.
Famous Wedding Feast.
One hundred guests were recently in-
vited to a wedding feast in Poland, and
here is the amount of food and drink which
was consumed during the five days that
the banquet lasted:
One ox, eight calves, eight sheep, six pigs,
forty geese, one hundred and thirty ducks
and as many chickens, thirty barrels of
beer, ten casks of brandy, fifty bottles
of liquor and several hundred bottles of
wine. :
With one exception all those present ex-
pressed themselves as highly satisfied with
the entertainment. The one exception was
the bridegroom, who was obliged to pay for
the feast out of his wife's dowry.
ODD TAIL OF EGYPTIAN GREYHOUND.
Striking and remarkable is the drawing
of a greyhound that is one of the surprising
finds of the last year in Egypt. The aston-
ishing feature of this drawing is the curi-
ous knoblike ending Of the tail, clearly de-
fined and portrayed, which gives a vivid
giimpse of the strange and hitherto un-
known type of animal.
This ball-like termination of the tail is a
puzzle to scientists, who are umable to ac-
count for or to trace its origin.
A noteworthy outcome of this find is the
fact that the existence of the pure type of
greyhound is pushed back to greater an-
tiquity than was supposed. This illustra-
tion of the animal is considered to be the
oldest in existence, and was executed some
5,000 years ago. It was found on an elab-
orate wall painting on one of the royal tombs
near Thebes.
The tomb was that of one of the famous
Thebean kings, who reigned from 2800 to
#000 B. C. The monarch was a great sports-
mare and the walls of the spacious interior
of his burial chamber were highly orna-
mented with hunting scenes. The king is
depicted several times, along with his fa-
vorite greyhounds, on hunting expeditions.
Antelopes seem to have been the most
hunted of all wild game at this early period.
They are frequently shown being pursued by
the greyhounds and hunters with long
spears. It is, however, as a wonderful type
of that dog and a marked variation of the
usual type that is of especial interest to
naturalists and fanciers.
Menelik, ruler of Abyssinia, otherwise
known as ‘Negus Negesti’” and “King of
Kings,” is portrayed in the accompanying
picture, together with his august spouse,
Taitu. The pieture was taken recently and
is generally considered the best likendss of
tue royal couple.
The two are represented as standing in the
courtyard of their palace and awaiting the
arrival of the Italian Ambassador, who is
bringing a message from his monarch. Be-
KING MENELIK AND WIFE.
neath their feet is spread a costly carpet,
woven by natives, and over Menelik’s head
a court attendant holds the richly embroid-
ered umbrella, which is the symbol of roy-
alty.
The Queen ls wearing a velvet mantle,
which is also richly embroidered, and In
otner respects her costume is very similar
to that of the King. It is remarkable, how-
ever, that she has no ornaments on her head
or neck, since such ornaments are generally
worn by oriental princesses and queens.
Queer Tribe In India.
In the Nellore district of the Madras pres-
idency live the Yanadls, a strange tribe,
as may be seen from a report which has
been issued by the authorities of the Mad-
ras Government Museum.
They live in forests, and that they are
little removed from savagery is indicated
by the absence of implemental or monu-
mental material, the animistic nature of
their religion, the primitive hunting and
fishing methods followed by many of the
tribe, and the habit of eating the almost raw
flesh of the game they kill, after slightly
heating or scorching it.
They are fearless in catching cobras,
which they draw out of their holes without
any fear of their fangs, and it is supposed
that they protect themselves against the
effects of snake bites by swallowing the
poison sacs of the snakes.
Especially singular is the manner in which
they produce fire by friction. For this pur-
pose they prepare two sticks, one short, the
other long. In the former a square cavity
is made, and it is held firmly in the ground
while the long stick is twirled rapidly to
and fro in the hole. Instead of charcoal
powder they use rags, or even dried leaves,
which they find little difficulty in lighting.
In Russia the penalty for leading a strike
is the same as that for rebellion.
Submarine Photography.
Some excellent photographs have recently
been taken of life at the bottom of the sea.
As a rule the motion of the water at the
gea's bottom is so strong that the camera,
lamp and vessel to which the lamp is fas.
tened, must be held in position by pieces
of lead or stones, and even after this js
done It 1s generally necessary to lessen the
force of the waves by pouring oil on them.
Instantaneous photographs of many fish
have been taken in this manner, ang they
were so clear that in each case the scales
could be counted with the ald of a magnify-
ing glass. |
In order to take such photographs suc.
cessfully, however, great patience ig neces.
sary, since fish are shy and generally hes).
tate before they venture to approach the
uncanny looking figure which has so boldly
intruded upon them. In time, however,
the patient photographer is rewarded, for
they gradually come within easy distance
of him and he can take plctures of them at
his leisure
Surprise For Ibsen.
Henrik Ibsen, the noted author, recently
received from a village in the north of Nor-
way a letter, with which was inclosed an
old, yellow sheet of paper. Examining the
letter, he found to his surprise that it was
the certificate which he had received from
the church on the day of his confirmation.
The man who sent it wrote that he had
left his watch in Tromso to be repaired, and
that, when it was returned to him by the
waichmaker, it was wrapped in an old sheet
of paper, which proved to be the anthor’s
certificate of confirmation. How the certi-
ficate found its way to Tromso no one seems
to know.
Spruce Mining Beetle’
Government experts have reported on one
of the most destructive forest Insects yet
known. It is the spruce mining beetle,
whose deadly borings in the bark and in-
terlor are killing off great areas of spruce
trees in Maine, rendering worthless billions
of feet of lumber, valued at mililons of
dollars.
The ravages of this pest are so damaging
that If not soon exterminated It Is pre-
dicted that nearly all the virgin forests of
spruce will be destroyed. Even at present
it is estimated by lumbermen that from 50
to 70 per cent. of the matured timber now
standing in large tracts has been rendered
commercially valueless by the beetle’s work.
It was found that the beetle attacked only
the spruce, and only the larger trees. The
first entrances are made In the bark of a
Lealthy tree at a point from six to ten feet
from the base. Here the beetle begins a
series of borings and zigzag excavations,
which weaken the vitality, and from these
numerous wounds cause decay and final
death of the tree.
Emperor Willlam of Germany owns 260
farms.
THE LION OF BABYLON.
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Of the many treasures discovered in the
Bast by the German expedition, of which
Dr. Robert Koldeway is the leader, not one
is of more Interest than the lion recently
unearthed in the palace of King Nebuchad-
nezzar.
It is fashioned of many-colored glazed
tiles, in the form of a mosale, and Is re-
garded as one of the choicest specimens of
that kind of art that has ever been found.
Lions of this type used to adorn the outer
and inner walls of Eastern palaces, and were
also often plazed in front of the outer doors,
presumably because their grim aspect en-
abled them to perform admirably the duty
of watchman.
As Nebuchadnezzar reigned during tbe
slxth century before Christ, this novel work
of art must be at least 2,400 years old. It
was In fragments when the German explor-
ers found it, but all the pieces were recov:
ered, and it was not difficult to place them
in their original positions.
Can’t Break Vase.
To break a vase with a stick seems quite
easy, yet it cannot be done if the vase is
protected by a few pleces of loosely hang-
Ing twine. A man is trying to break a vase
by striking It with a stout cane under such
circumstances, but the pieces of twine that
hang loosely between it and him render his
efforts fruitless.
In order to perform this trick, a vase, a
stick and a ball of twine are necessary. The
vase should be placed on the floor, and at a
little distance from it should be hung pieces
of twine, which should reach to the ground
and should be fastened at the top, but met
ar the bottom.
A person then, standing with the pieces of
twine between him and the vase, may take
a stick and strike with all his force at the
vase, yet he will not be able to touch fit,
the reason that the free ends of the iwis
will curl around the stick the momen$
comes In contact with them and will effect
ally impede its progress.
Chemist's 0dd Will.
Dr. von Jirusch, formerly a professor
of chemistry at the University of Prague,
dled recently and, as he had no familly, he lef
his entire fortune, amounting to about $185,-
000, to the Prague Museum.
In his will he sald that he made this be-
quest on the following condition: His fur
niture, his linen, his silver plate, his paint.
ings, his books, his letters, the manuscripts
of hls unfinished works, all the Instruments
in his laboratory, and all the things which
he used while making his toilet, such as
his comb, brush, tooth brush, &ec., were to
be carefully packed up, and then placed in
several strong iron boxes, which were to be
hermetically sealed and were not to be
opened for two hundred years.
The authorities of the Museum will comply
with this condition, and in the year 2102 all
the property which belonged to Dr. von
Jirusch will be placed on exhibition, so that
the scientists and the general public of the
twenty-second century may obtain an ae-
curate idea of the manner in which an Aus-
trian chemist lived at the opening of the
twenieth century.
If Dr. von Jirusch had been nothing but a
chemist he would probably never have made
such a will. The reason why he made it was
because he has for years spent much of his
time in archaeological researches.
Snow Stops Bullets.
Experiments which have been made near
Christiania, in Norway, with the Krag-
Jorgensen rifle. seem to show phat during a
winter campaign snow can be used most
effectively by the soldiers.
The experiments showed that a bullet from
this rifle could not penetrate loose snow
more than a yard and a half. The same re-
sult was obtained, no matter from what dis-
tance the shot was fired.
Military experts, consequently, point out
that snow offers more resistance to the
penetration of such a bullet than any kind
of wood, and almost as much as earth, and
that #eerefore it might be advisable, when-
ever it is possible, to use snow as a ma.
terial for intrenchments and other works
during a campaign.
SHEPHERDS ON STILTS.
Most expert of stilt walkers in the world
are those to be found in La Teste, in
France. The rural postmen of this region,
the shepherds and farmers go about on tall
stilts with perfect ease.
The stilts worn by these people in thelr or-
dinary work frequently measure six feet or
more in height. Years of constant practice
has made everyone remarkably expert in
managing these artificial legs, and such a
thing as a fall is unknown.
A person who can add six feet to the
length of his legs naturally has a great ad-
vantage over those who must walk with
limbs of ordinary length. The French farm-
ers mounted in this way are almost a
match, in point of speed, for a horse, and a
shepherd can outrun a dog in rounding up
his sheep. The stilt walkers can even run
at surprising speed over very tough country
or through underbrush several feet Ia
height.
A race was recently run near Bordeaux
between three picked horses, three stilt
walkers and three pedestrians. Only one of
the horses finished. It arrived first, but
only about 20 minutes ahead of the first
stilt walker. The last of the stilt walkers
completed the course 12 hours ahead of the
first of the pedestrians.
The stilts used by the French peasants are
entirely different from those sometimes used
by children in the United States. The stilts
which serve as toys in America, as a rule,
reach up to the armpits, or at least to within
reach of the hands. The French stilts do not
reach even to the knee. The French stilts
have, besides, a mucl® broader rest for the
foot.
The Frenchman never touches the stilts
with his hands. They are strapped rigidly
to his foot and leg, thus leaving both hands
free to carry his long staff or any other
burden. All the stilt walkers worthy of the
name are able to mount their stilts without
assistance. The children learn to walk on
great stilts almost as soon as they can
walk, and men over 80 years old still retain
their curious artificial legs.
Nature’s Alphabet.
Some fantastic growths are found in roots
and limbs of trees in the State of Washing-
ton, a collection forming a complete alpha-
bet
It is the work of E. K. Lambert, a woods-
man of Elma, who three years ago found a
perfect letter *“A,”’ which weighed over one
hundred pounds. This gave him the idea of
collecting a whole alphabet. He has found
several hundred letters. They range in size
from four to twelve inches.
They will probably
Louis Exposition
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be sent to
as a part of the Wa
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