Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, October 28, 1897, Image 2
Switzerland has just decided to make Snsurance against accident and sick ness compulsory on all citizens. Wheat and corn have done so well Sn Central Kansas that it is computed in tho New York Sun that the money receipts from these sources will be greater by one-third in that part of the State this season than last. "" A Parisian work on the morphine tiabit says it is most prevalent in Ger many, France and the United States, and, strange to say, that the medical profession furnishes the largest num ber of morphinists—forty per cent. As tlie English upper classes do not object to their boys being birched, it is only royal Princes and the sons of noblemen who receive corporal pun ishment in the great English schools. Bo at least says the headmaster of Harrow. Miss Lell Segcur, Superintendent of the city schools of Decatur, 111., re fused to swear to the assessor's list, or to give him a list of her taxable property. For this she was arrested and fined §lB. She believes that if Bhe caunot vote she should not pay taxes. Holland has extended the elective franchise so as to permit worlcingmen to vote. Though in most respects fa progressive State, Holland has hesi tated about this step because of a dread of the socialists, who are bred in Holland into a peculiarly bitter type which might almost better be termed anarchists. Newspapers of the City of Mexico report that a stock company is being formed in that city with a capita! of $60,000 for the purpose of elevating *'tlie noble art" of bull fighting. Tho company will import both bulls aud fighters, the sister Republic being evi dently unable to supply tho genuine Bimon-pnre article. The New York World estimates that Kansas. Nebraska and Oklahoma will sell this year not less than 95,000,000 bushels of wheat at moro than half a dollar a bushel net price to the pro ducer. The other wheat-growing States will reduce even these figures to insignificance by their results. There is more gold in a good agricul tural soil than in any Klondike placer ever yet discovered. There is truth yet in Irving's story of the old Hudson Eiver Dutchman whose digging for treasure under the inspiration of dreams gave him greater wealth in cabbages than he had dreamed of in the chests of gold. A recent statistical estimate places the number of newspapers which are annually printed at tho enormous figure of 12,000,000,000. A mathema tician, apparently with considerable time at his disposal, in order to give a more comprehensive idea of this num ber, has calculated that a surface of 30,000 square kilometres could be covered with these papers. The paper alone weighs 781,210 tons. In case one machine was forced to print these millions at the rate of one a second three hundred and thirty-three years would be necessary. Placed one upon another tho papers would reach to tho height of eighty thousand metres. Assuming that a person devotes five minutes a day to reading his paper the time used by the entire population of the world in reading newspapers each year amounts to one hundred thousand years. A contributor to the New York Evening Post finds himself able, in reviewing the manners of contempo rary American men, to aver that the rising generation of boy a is a great deal ljetter bred than tho lot that pre ceded them. For purposes of com parison he classifies Americans whose behavior has come under his per sonal observation into gentlemen of the old school, surviving examples of which were still extant in his youth, gentlemen of a school which began about 1875, and the youths of the present period. He relates a number of afflicting characteristics of the School of 1875, and praises its latter day successors as being more civil, more deferential to their ciders, and better balanced, as shown in their being much less apt to fall over one another in offering attentions to casual and unidentified Englishmen who may have straggled over to this country. In this new school of hotter Ameri cans this observer sees "the influence of their mothers—those women wo knew as girls, and who were so far ahead of their brothers and husbands in refinement and culture." >. To have aeon these girls marry and bring up their sons so well has been, he says, • satisfaction and a compensation for ttny delusions. I I A-wooln* protty Patten**©, Went I. h love-sick swain. And found her in the orchard, Amidst the trees and grain. Ard then I plead with ardent words, And, when I thought her won, I seized her—would have kissed her—Ahl The conquest was not done. For with a haughty, mocking eye, Low courteseying, the maid did cry, j "Kind sir, have patience." GJ A BICYCLE RACE WITH A TIGER. J A.., I3y C. MUMFORD ROBINSON. C V 2■ " 3 V ;;'W A•- J)fir.rz, f. WAS always very wW f° n( Jof bicycling, .SA from the time when I was a small boy, and ( AAAf labored for hours iA-v with a bone shaker, to the tP if J il (j \j c> days when X be came the proud possessor of one of the first "safeties" ever made, I re veled in the enchanting pastime,spend ing hours on the back of my steel steed,thus putting my physical powers a long way ahead of my mental. In fact, X hated the sight of a book, and was never happy unless "scorching" through the country on my bicycle. My father was a doctor in an Eng lish village, and having a large family, he was thankful indeed when, at the age of nineteen, a commission was ob tained for me by a wealthy friend in a regiment about to sail for India. A grand new bicycle was my father's parting present, and great was my de light at finding that another young "sub" in my regiment was also a bi cyclist. In these days, when the bicycle has so many votaries, this may seem nothing strange; hut to realize my surprise and pleasure, yon must re member that a bicycle was then a comparative curiosity, and a bicyclist a person to be stared at and admired or otherwise. Our bicycles were, I believe, the first ever seen in India; and as wo rode together in the town, some days after our arrival, one would have thought it was the triumphal entry of some Eastern potentate. I could fill a book with the curious incidents and accidents which befell us going "up country." Our regiment was always ou the move, aud panics of one kind or another were very fre quent on our bicycling excursions. One evening, after mess, Fred and I Bigned articles to ride a ten mile race. There was a grand native road with in a short distance of our camp, run ning away for ten miles as flat as a drawing-hoard. It lay through the open plain, and then a deserted tract was reached, becoming wilder as the road proceeded, and finally swallow ing it up in an impenetrable jungle. It was on this road I intended to train. Fred had found a circular path round some native huts a short way from the station, measur ing about six laps to the mile, and there he prepared himself for the com ing struggle. After a week of such training as would make a modern athlete's hair stand on end—meat almost raw, chopped very finely, etc.—we con sidered ourselves fit for the contest; and the adventure I am about to relate occurred the evening before the race day. I was just starting for a last ride over my favorite training course, when an officer stopped me and said: "Have you heard of the tiger, Har vie?" "No," I answered. "The natives have just brought word that some tiger is marked down in a jungle about ten miles from here; BO don't go too far, this evening." "AH [right," I laughed; "I think a tiger would find it a difficult matter to catch mo—my training would tell on him." I had not seen any large wild beast as yet, and my notion of a tiger was a thin, sleepy looking animal, such as I had once seen in a traveling menag eiie. Away I rode, my comrade's caution forgotten before I had gone a mile. I started at a good pace, but not racing, as I intended to do all I knew coming home. In an hour I reached my usual halting place, ten miles from the camp; but this being the last night of my train ing, I mado up my mind to ride another couple of miles, and then do the whole distance back at a "scorch ing" pace. I rode on, and in another ten min utes found myself in the jungle. Now for the race home. Dismounting, I oiled my machine, tightened up every screw, and then sat down on a bowlder to rest and en joy the prospect. A beautiful scene it was, too! Above me rose the grand moun tains; their snowy tops blushing crimson in the setting sun; here a waterfall, like a thread of gold and silver, flashing down the mountain side and twining in and out among the masses of trees and rocks; there, a glimpse of fairyland through a junge vista. lint now the shadows were deepen ing, the crimson on the mountain tops had disappeared, and tho snow began to look gray and gbnstly. A flying fox went rustling past me, and I hastily prepared to mount; for there is scarcely any twilight in India, and I knew it would soon be dark. As I rose my eyes encountered som. thing which made mo start and nearly drop my bicycle. There, not forty yards off, was a tiger. I knew the animal well enough; but how different he looked from the PATIENCE. A-wooing cruel Pati<"nc9, Went I, a love-sick swain, And, sore of heart and of conceit, For love found only pain. Then straight I turned me round about And would have strode away, But saw the maiden s lashes drop As though to bid me stay; And while I pondered if to go There came a whisper—faltering—low, "Kind sir,—have Patience." —Richard Stillman Powell, in Puck. lean, half-starved little beast I had seen at home! He had just come into the open space from a dense jungle brake, and sat there washing his face and purring in a contented sort of way, like n huge cat. Was I frightened? Not an atom; I had my bicycle and a start of forty yards, so if I could not beat him it was a pity. Ho had not seen me yet, and 1 stood for another minute admiring the hand some creature, and thou quietly .mounted—(the tiger was directly on my right, while the road stretched straight away in front of me). The noise I made roused him; he looked up, and then, after deliberately stretching himself, came leaping with l° n g, graceful bounds over the rank grass and rocks which separated him from the road. He did not seem a bit an gry, but evidently wished to get a nearer view of such an extraordinary object. Forty yards, however, I thought was quite near enough for safety. The tiger was in the road behind me now; so I pulled myself together and began to quicken my paoe. Would he stop disgusted after the first hundred yards and give up the chase, or would he stick to it? I qnite hoped ho would follow me, and already pictured in my mind the graphic des cription I would write home of my bi cycle race with a tiger. Little did I think what a terrible race it was going to he. I looked be hind me. By jove! he was "sticking to it." I could not judge the distance; hut at any rate I was not farther from him than when we started. Now for a spurt. I rode the next half mile at a lively pace, but on again looking round, found I had not gained a yard. The tiger was on my track, moving with a long, swinging trot, and going quite as quickly as I was. For the first time I began to feel anxious, and thought uneasily of the ten long miles which separated me from safety. However, it was no good thinking now; it was my muscle and "bike" against the tiger. I could onlv do my best and trust to Providence. " Now there was no doubt about the tiger's intentions; his blood was up and on ho came, occasionally giving vent to a roar which made the ground tremble. Another mile had been tra versed and the brute was slowly but suroly closing up. I dashed my pouch to the ground, hoping it would stop him for a few sec onds; but he kept steadily on and I felt it was theu grim earnest. I calculated we must be about seven miles from camp now, and before I could rido another four miles my pur suer, I knew, must reach me. Oh, the agony of those minutes which seemed like long hours! Another mile passed, then another. I could him behind me now, pad, pad, pad, quicker and quicker and quicker, louder and louder. I turned in my saddle for a moment and saw there were not twenty yards separating us! How enormous tho brute looked, and how terrible! His huge tongue hung out, aud the only sound he made was a continual hoarse growl of rage, while his eyes seemed literally to flash lire. It was like some awful nightmare, and with a shudder I bent down over tho handles and flew on. On, on, on, I scorched, the slight est slip I knew would be fatal; a sud den jolt, a screw giving, a pedal break ing, and I should be hurled to instant death. My strength would not stand much more; the prolonged strain had told upon me, and I felt all would soon be over. My breath came in thick sobs, a mist gathered before my eyes—l was stopping; my legs refused to move and a thousand fiends seemed to be flitting about me, holding me back! A weight like lead was on my chest; I was dying. Then a few moments which seemed a lifetime, and then—crash—with a roar like thunder tho tigor was on me and I was crushed to the ground. Then I heard shots fired, a babel of men's voices, and all was blank. After many days of unconsoionsness and raging fever, reason gradually re turned, and I learned the particulars of my dcliveranco. A party of officers had started with a shikaree (nativo hunter) to a trap which had been prepared for the tiger. They were talking of our coming bi cycle race, as they went along, and ex pecting every moment to meet me on my return journey. As they passed a clump of lmshcs I came in sight. whirl ing along in a cloud of dust, which hid my terrible pursuer. They soon, however, saw my awfnl danger. The lingo brute, mud with rage, hurled itself upon me just as we reached thetn. My friends stood almost petrified with terror and did not dare to fire; but the shikaree sprang quickly to within a yard of the tiger, and putting I his rifle almost to the animal's ear, I fired twice and blew its brains out, just in time to save my life. I was drawn from under the palpitating body of my dead enemy, everyone present believ ing it was all up with me. Making a litter of boughs they car ried me into camp, where I lay for many weeks, lingering between life and death. Tho tiger's skin now adorns my study, as my first and last prize won in a bicycle race.—The White Ele phant. How Ton Is Adulterated. Adulterated tea, which is being sold all over the European continent, is described in a German medical paper. Thiß preparation has long been known in Russia, where it is sold under the name of "rogogeski." It is made in the following way: The manufacturers of this adulterate buy in the tea houses the residue from the teapots—leaves which have already been used—and mix these leaves, while still moist, with other leaves and very little genuine tea. The mixture is heated with an addition of extract of caramel and campeehe wood, in order to im prove the color and the taste. The weight is also increased by the addi tion of sand or soil, and just before being dried, the leaves nro rolled be tween tho hands. The adulteration is so difficult to recognize that a chemical test is necessary to prove it. If tea prepared in this way is dipped into a cold saturated solution of cop per, the blue color of this solution will not be changed, not even if the adulterated tea is allowed to remain in it for three or four months. If the tea is fresh and has not previously been soaked, tho solution will turn green within a short time. When Elephant. Have Toothache. It is not easy to tell when an ele phant has got a toothache, butit is best to keep out of his way when you do know it. A London surgeon, who had been for many years in India, says he would sooner risk a railway accident than meet an elephant with a tooth ache. It appears that a toothache affects an elephant in u more severe manner than it does any other animal. Ele phants have very sensitive nerves, and a touch of toothache often brings on madness. Providing'you are able to chain down an elephant and draw out the offend ing tooth, the brute is certain to be af fectionate to you afterward. Here is an instance: An elephant in Bengal, India, be came affected with toothache, but the keepers managed to secure it while a dentist drew a decayed tooth—the cause of the trouble. After a time the elephant seemed to understand that the dentist was trying to do something for his pain, and he gnve every evi dence of appreciating the attention. When the operation was over he frisked round the dentist like a young lamb. —Answers. Da Metals Became Tired ? Various instances are on record where metals, while not showing any appreciable wear, have literally fallen to pieces, and that without any as signed cause. On ono occasion a steel rail, after twenty-two years' continu ous service, on the Great Northern Railway, in England, actually disin tegrated under the wheels of a passing train. So complete was the breaking up that: scientists thought it worthy of investigation, during which it was de termined that the metal had become exhausted and had broken down, just as an overstrained animnl might be ex pected to do. This has led to further inquiry and scientists are satisfied that metals do become tired out. Fine cracks ofter appear iu steel rails and it has been supposed that they are caused by the continuous concussion of rail way wheels. This, howovor, seems to bo contradicted by the examination of newly-made rails, in which similar fino lines occur. The idea that metals be come weary, while not altogether a now one, is to an extent a plausible one, and under the careful scrutiny of scien tific societies will probably be satisfac torily explained and settled. World'. i:iKK'"Ht Fountain. The greatest fountain in tho world was turned on recently at Indianapolis, Ind., and permitted to flow for an hour. It is one of the cascades now in the course of construction at the base of tho Soldiers' Monument. The flow of water measures fully up to the con tract, which calls for 7000 gallons a minute at each of the two cascades as a regular thing, with a capacity under high pressure, however, that is inuoh greater. The combined capacity of the world-famous fountains at Versail les, hitherto the largest in the world, is 80,000 gallons an hour. They would make but feeble streams in comparison with the monument cascades, and yet the cost of running the French foun tains is so great that the water is only turned on on gala days. Turned the Cow Around. When the good ship Queen was weighing anchor for Alaska from Seat tle a few days ago a man rushed down to the purser and exclaimed excitedly: "Look here, I paid for a stateroom for myself and wife, and when I got there I found an old cow sticking her head through the window." "I am very sorry, sir," said the purser; "we are very crowded, but I will do the best I can for you. John (turning to a deck hand), go up on deck and turn that cow around!" India Rubber Streets. India rubber as a paving for streets was tried on a bridge in Hanover, Germany, a little more than a year ago, and proved so satisfactory that experiments are being made in Ber lin and Hamburg with it from ordi nary roadways. It js said to be per fectly noiseless, unaffected by heat <A cold, and less slippery and more dur able than asphalt. PEANUTS INVALUABLE. I FEW PRODUCTS OF THE SOIL PUT TO MORE USES. It In Known by n Grenter Variety of Nam oh Than Any Other Edible That is So Universally l'opnlar—Masquerades as Olive Oil—Three Varieties Grown Hero. i According to all predictions the peanut crop of the United States is | going to be short this year. But this does not mean that the supply will not be sufficient to satisfy Uncle Sam's I small boys; for peanuts are raised in I many countries besides our own, and j the cost of importation is not great enough to increase the price mate rially. This particular product of the earth is known in the United States I by a greater variety of names, per [ haps, than any other that is so uni ! versally popular. In various parts of the South it is the "ground nut," the "ground pea," the "goober" (some | times spelled "gouber") and the "pin j dar." Over in England it is often called the "monkey nut," and this | leads to the inference that in Africa . and South Africa, where it grows wild, its edible quality first became known to man because the monkey fed on it. One of its names all over Europe is the "manilla nut," and this comes, no doubt, from the fact that it is ex tensively grown in the Philippine Islands. In France it is the "pis tache de terre," from its similarity to the pistachio nut in taste and the uses to which it may be put. The seods are put in the ground in May, late enough to avoid the latest frosts. Until a few years ago peanuts were planted by hand, but now a ma chine is generally used which places them in rows three feet apart, dis i tributes the phosphate which is almost always used as a fertilizer, drops the "beans," as the seeds are often called, in groups of three, covers them with two inches of soil and rolls the earth firmly—all in one operation. The cul tivation of the peanut crop is very similar to the cultivation of potatoes, both the "cultivator," hauled by a horse or mule, and the hoe being used. Late in July a tup dressing of land plaster is applied. The vines of the peanut begin to bloom when they are eight or ten inches long, the blossoms being of a bright yellow color and very profuse. The flowers, however, are sterile; that is, they are not followed by seeds, as are the blossoms of most plants, even the potato, which, like the peanut, de velops the edible product beneath the surface of the soil. Nature is extreme ly interesting in her method of provid ing for the propagation of the peanut. As the flower fades, a sharp-pointed stem grows out from the base of the plant, turns downward and buries it self in the ground. On the end of this stem are formed the pods, or "nuts," some little distance underground, and the plant needs no human attention whatever from the time of this pod formation till it is ready for harvest ing. The harvesting takes place late in October or early in November. Care is always exercised to get this work out of the way before frost comes, though if possible it is put off until just before the first visit of the icy breathed visitor from the north. For merly peanuts were taken out of the ground by hand, somewhat utter the manner in which potatoes are har vested; but progressive peanut growers now use a plow with a "peanut point," which is run alongside each row so as to cut off the deep growing tap root. After this plow workmen follow with strong, broad forks, with which they lift the vines and roots from the ground and lay them on the ridge of soil that has been freshly turned by the plow. For a day the pods are allowed to dry in the sun; then the vines are stacked for curing, each stack being built about a pole that has been driven into the ground for that purpose. When thoroughly cured the nuts are re moved from the roots, sometimes by hand and sometimes by machinery. The latter is the quicker, more eco nomical method, but the nuts suffer from it to some extent, and some growers who wish to get the highest prices adhere to the old way of hand picking. The machines are worked by steam power, and both in appear ance and principle are somewhat simi lar to the machines used in threshing wheat. Besides the machine for picking the nuts from the vines, still another has been introduced. It is called "the blower," and its function is to grade the nuts and free them from whatever impurities have been left by the prev ious process. In this machine the nuts pass through a very strong artificial (blast, from the force of which the heaviest are first released, to fall into the proper receptacle for the first grade, and so on. By this means about four grades of nuts are secured; those of the last grade—the very light ones —being practically worthless, espec ially as they are mixed with bits of roots, broken shells, etc. Most readers, probably, think pea nuts are raised solely that they may be eaten by boys, but this is a mis taken notion. Few products of the soil are put to a greater variety of uses. Tho vines form a decidedly valuable food for cattle. From the kernels an especially fine oil is made, which none but an expert can tell from the best olive oil. This oil is used in great quantities in the making of some of the finest grades of toilet soap. The kernels themselves are used in some parts of the world in the adulteration of coffee, and still more extensively iu the manufacture of cocoa and chocolate. Ground into flour, peanuts form an admirable ma terial for certain sorts of cakes and biscuits, and the negroes of the South ern States make from it an exceed ingly palatable porridge, besides using it as a basis for a much appre ciated beverage. The use of peanuts in candy-making is well known. The annual product in the United States varies from 2,000,000 to 5,000,- 000 bushels, and practically all of this immense quantity is used here. Three varieties are grown in the United States; the white, the red and tho Spanish. The white peanut has two kernels only in each pod, and this is also true of the Spanish nut, which is considerably smaller, how ever, than the white variety and has a much milder flavor. The third variety, the red peanuts, often has as many as three or four kernels in each shell and is larger than either of the other varieties. WISE WORDS. To bo angry, is to revenge the fault of others upon ourselves.—Pope. Ho is the best ncconntant who can cast up correctly the sum of his own errors.—Nevins. Every base occupation makes one sharp in its practice, and dull in every other.—Sir P. Sidney. He who receives a good turn should never forget it; he who does one, should never remember it.—Charron. Any one may do a casual act of good nature, but a continuation of them shows it is a part of the tempera ment.—Sterne. Affectation in any part of our car riage is lighting up a candle to our defects, and never fails to make us taken noticeof, either as wanting sense or sincerity.—Locke. It is hard to personate and act a part long; for where truth is not at the bottom, nature will always be en deavoring to return, and will peep out and betray herself one time or other. —Tillotson. It may be remarked, for the com fort of honest poverty, that avarice reigns most in those who have but few good qualities to recommend them. This is a weed that will grow only in a barren soil.—Hughes. Aim at perfection in everything, though in most things it is unattain able ; however, they who aim at it, and persevere, will come much nearer to it than those whose laziness and des pondency make them give it up as un attainable.—Chesterfield. Tho shortest and surest way to live with honor in the world, is to be in reality what we would appear to be; and if we observe, we shall find, that all human virtues increase and strength en themselves by the practice and experience of them.—Socrates. Birds and Reptiles Belated. Fossil remains have been found ol birds with teeth and long bony tails, and also of reptiles with wings; great monsters they must have been, veri table flying dragons. In 1861, in the lithographic slates of Solenhofen, Bavarin, a fossil feath er was found which was the subject of considerable discussion among natu ralists. Again, in 18G2, a curious skeleton was disinterred from the someplace, in which most of the bones exhibited the marks of a true bird, but the skeleton had a most remarkable tail, containing twenty distinct bones. From each of these bones proceeded a pair of well-developed feathers, simi lar to the single feather which had been previously found. Here was an animal which could be called a bird like reptile or a lizardlike bird, with equal propriety. Its twenty caudal segments or vertebrae were a bar to its entrance into every existing fam ily of birds, while it was equally out of place among reptiles. On account of its feathers this curious link in the chnin between reptiles and birds was called archieopteryx. It was about as large as a dove. The discovery of this remarkable fossil, possessing characteristics so de cidedly both reptilian and avian, has thrown' much light on the subject of gradual development of higher from lower forms.—Vick's Magazine. As to Accident Damage "Adjusters." The News' revelation yesterday of the scoundrelly practices of a number of individuals, calling themselves "ad justers," in respeot to accident dam age lawsuits, gave great pleasure to all the respectable lawyers in the city, while it carried dismay into the ranks of the shysters. These "adjusters" are onlyj removed one degroe from common blackmailers. They prey upon both parties in interest. fNot only are corporations their victims, but also the foolish people who sign away their rights to them. The Bar Association ought to take lame steps to have this traffic legally J prohibited. It is a disgrace to the I legal profession. The lawyers of I the Consolidated Traction Company ought also, on the trial of every dam age suit, bring out the status of the | "adjuster" and his confederate "law yer," and hold them both up to pub lio shame and for the guidance of the jury in assessing damages.—Jersey City (N. J.) News. A Queer Cow. Henry E. Niese, manager of the Sugar Trust's Jersey City factory, lives | for the summer in Morristown, N. J. He is there rearing a cow which lately began developing queer tendencies. : It drinks its own milk. When the farm maid calls at the ' stable to milk the cow she finds that i the milk has been drunk by the pro ducer herself. The cow is growing fat on her own milk. Some of the farmers of Morristown are anxious to experiment with this queer cow. Says one of them: "Why, what'r the use of feeding that cow at ally She thrives so i well on her own milk that she need not get any out side food at all. It will be a case of a cow growing fat on herself without any outside assistance."—Trenton (N. J.) American. SCIENTIFIC AND INDUSTRIAL. Inhabitants of Sirnu, of mixed blood, have faces that are spotted, pie bald, and even white on one side and black on the other. The electric trnmwny at Lausanne, Switzerland, runs up the steepest in cline surmounted by any train depend ing on adhesion to the rails—ll.3 per cent, in one place. Black, blue and red ink used in German public schools has been found to contain microbes. When scientifi cally developed they prove fatal to mice within four days. Tests of a parasitio fungus in Cape Colony promise an effective remedy against locust swarms, large numbers of the insects having died a few days after infection of a few specimens. The advantages of acetylene for motor-carriages have not been over looked. The acetylene motorl|now j being built to the design of M. Baoul Pictet will have three cylinders, and | will develop ten horsepower while oc i cupying small space. Some idea of the fine point to which platinum wire can be drawn will be got from the fact that threads have been drawn, two of which can be twisted together and inserted within the hollow of a human hair. These J threads aro so small that it needs a j magnifying glass to see them. The eminent Swiss specialist, Dr. Yersin, a pupil of Pasteur, declares his oonvictiou that the plague which has prevailed in southern China since 1894, and in British India since 1896, j is the genuine black death of the mid dle ages, and that it will in all proba bility reach Europe in a year or two. Digestion proceeds more rapidly in the horse with active exercise than when eating is followed by a period of rest, according to the experiments of Dr. Tange, of Buda-Pesth. In the dog and in man, the opposite is true, which shows how unsafe it is to infer results in one animal from observa tions on another. j In experiments at some Prussian sugar works the use of electrolysis alone for purifying beet root juice is reported to have proven impracticable. When used in conjunction with lime, however, electrolysis completes the action, and precipitates almost three times the nitrogenous matters that are removed in the ordinary separation. The combined process is estimated to have saved about S7OOO in treating 70,000,000 pounds of beot root. A piece of glass may bo made irides cent, according to a correspondent of London Engineering, by flooding with a dilute solution of silicate of soda, and nllowing it to dry spontaneously in an upright position. Washing the plate in running water and again dry ing may bring out the colors more brilliantly, while blackening the back of the glass will render them gorge ous. The film adheres tenaciously, and can scarcely be removed except by etching. Vnluablo Woods. The economic uses of teak and bamboo have been of lato very exten sively commented on. Teak is said to be the most valuable wood for ship builders. Although porous, it is strong and lasting. It is very light and hard, but is easily worked. A peculiarity of this timber is that it contains an enormous amount of oil, and therefore is not injurious to iron! when used in close contact. Decay, comes on very slowly even where there is a great deal of dampness. Bamboo has a much wider range of usefulness, as it figures in almost all of the affairs of life from culinary purposes to the worship of the Chinose deity. Leaves, stalk, roots, tender shoots, indeed, every part of it, has its uses, and the Chinese are so ac customed to rely upon it for almost all of the emergencies of life thnt when they move to a new country they are at a loss for a substanoe to supply its place. Si** I'* 1 '* Astronomy uml I.ongevlty. The astronomer Denning has pub lished a paper showing that extreme ly long lives seem to fall to the share of those engaged in astronomical pur suits. In corroboration he mentions the eminent Fontenello, who lived to be 100 years old. Caroline Hersohel, the sister of the celebrated William Herschel, who herself discovered seven comets and performed a great deal of other valuable work, died at tho age of ninety-eight. The older Cassini was ninety-seven when he died, Sir Edward Sabin was ninety four, Do Martin ninety-three, Mary Sommerville ninety-two, Giovanni Santiui and Sharpe were ninety-one, and Milet, Airy (the director of the Greenwich Observatory), Humboldt, Robinson and Long all attained the age of ninety. Of those who were cut off at the youthful age of between eighty and ninety Mr. Denning men tioned no fewer than thirty-two. To Save Your Itoots. """" A new wrinkle may be learned from an English soldior who was noted for keeping his boots in better condition and making them last longer than any of his brother officers. When asked what he did to them to prevent the leather from cracking and keeping it soft and smooth, his reply was, "Mut ton bone." When an explanation was demanded he said: "It is nothing, I assure you. My man asks the cook for a knuckle bone, which he cleans and then bakes. After rubbing the leather with cream, he then frotles them as hard as he can with tho bone. Usually my boots last mo three years. Fcnt of n Noblo Whip. The present Lord Lonsdale can claim to have performed the record driving feat of the age. On one oc casion he drove a single horse, a four in-hand and a pair ridden by postil ions live miles each over a bad stretch of road in fifty-five minutes, iuoludifig • change of vehicle.