Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1872-03-29
CuriOsities Of Science.

SWlfter tne rotation OF our WOrlu on lJS
own axis. AT st. Petersburg, in go de-
grees latitude, the speed of rotation is
nine miles minute. At Paris, eleven
miles and half. On the equatorial line,
the rapidity of its motion is not far from
eighteen miles a minute--which is $50
yards each second. Its whirl on it's axis,
therefore, is equal to the flight of can
non ball of 36 pounds forced from gun
by 10 pounds of powder. Such swiftness
of a mass of matter of the density of
this earth, 5000 miles in diameter,
through celestial space, makes one giddy
to think of il.
As the earth sways either side of the ex-
act line of its orbit in running round the
sun, like balloon in the air, it has never,
since launched into space, gone over the
same track twice. In its oscillations it
passes each side of the prescribed road
way, crossing to and fro, but never sway
ing so far from it as not to be back by an
attractive force somewhere in the immen-
sity of stellar space, which keeps unre-
corded millions of worlds, far superior to
this in magnitude, brilliancy and over
whelming grandeur, in paths in which
they are destined to move till the heavens
shall be burned as a scroll.
Matter cannot be annihilated. This
proposition is admitted to be true in phil
osophy. But how originated? That is
the question.
SHEDDING ONES SKIN.
No animal is exempt from the opera
tions of the law of desquemation. Birds
shed their feathers annually, serpents
their skins, quadrupeds their hair, and
Holsters and crabs their shells.
So ii is with humanity. The skin, in
stead of being thrown off annually, as
with those referred to, is all the time
wearing off, and therefore constantly be-
ing renewed.
The scarf skin is insensible 1t is to
the true skin or cuts Ueca what the rough,
scaly bark of a tree is to the vitalized
coat Immediately under it. In the use of
our hands, feet, and ordinary exercises
of the body, fragments of skin are con-
stantly rubbed off, so that it may be truly
said every living person is always she'd
ding that tissue.
If that process were interrupted, as it
is partially, by some who neglect to avail
themselves of the benefits of water, the
pores become clogged, and their utility in
the preservation of health destroyed.
Thus the actual amount of scarf-skin
dropping off, rubbed off, and washed off,
in year, would be about equal to the
thickness and weight of thin sheep
skin.
TONGUES.
Nothing but the proboscis of an ele-
phant compares in muscular flexibility
with the tongue. 1t varies in length and
size in reptiles, birds, and mammalia, ac-
cording to the peculiar organic circum-
stances of each.
A giraffe's tongue has the functions of a
finger. 1t is hooked over high branch,
its strength being equal to breaking off
large, strong branches of trees, from
which tender leaves are then stripped. An
ant-bear's tongue is long and round, like
a whfp-lash. The animal tears open dry
clay walls of ant-hills, thrusts in its
tongue, which sweeps round the apart
ments, and, by its adhesive saliva, brings
out yard of ants at sweep. The mech
anism by which it is proruded so far is
both complicated and beautiful.
A dogs tongue, in tapping water, takes
form, by mere act of volition, that
cannot be initiated by an ingenious mech
anician. The human tongue, in the ar
ticulation Of language, surpasses, in vari-
ETY. of motions, the widest imaginations
of poet. Even in swallowing food it's
Office is so extraordinary that physiolo-
gists cannot explain the phenomena of
deglutition without employing the aid of
several sciences.
COHESION OF PARTICLES.
Rocks, like pebbles, are made up of an
aggregation of particles having definite
forms, and they are held together by the
Intervention of something which min
eralogists term cohesion. That implies
power of attraction acting with sufficient
energy to hold them in contact
But cohesion is term expressive of our
ignorance rather than knowledge on that
subject. Nature makes use of glue, the
composition of which defies the prying
curiosity of chemists. They can't find
out its composition. Occasionally it is
dissolved. As soon as its adhesive prop
erty is lost, the particles let 60 their hold
and rocks crumble till their form disap-
pears.
When a discovery is made of the way
Nature prepares that mixture then the
next research will be to find a solvent.
There would be an end to drilling, pow
der-blasting, and all those arduOus labors
in stone-work, as soon as we are able to
destroy the cohesive principle. Nature
has kept large number of secrets to her.
self, which have exercised the prying in
genuity of man, and this is one of them.
MOTIVE POWER.
To discover more economical method
than is now known for superseding ami
NAL and steam power, is the problem that
exercises many ingenious brains.
Electricity has the inside track at pres
ent, but it is immensely expensive, even
in a small way. An expansion of gases
against a piston-rod, like powder, will
not act gently. Solar heat concentrated,
as Mr.. Ericsson proposes, looks favOra-
bly,. Unfortunately, for ordinary pur-
poses, lenses on scale of magnitude for
boiling water or raising it into tanks to
fall back on an overshot wheel for carry
ing cotton factory, would exhaust the
resources of Ring thieves.
Still the opinion is entertained that
substitute for steam will be discovered.
The man who first exhibits cheap way
of propelling cars, driving mills, blowing
land, and navigating vessels, has "A prom
inent niche reserved for him in the temple
of fame.
Instead of interrogating nature for a
new principle, mechanical philosophers
waste their intellectual strength in at
tempts to revamp and remodel old ones
which defy their efforts.
COAST LINE OF NORTH AMERICA.
There are 29,969 miles of seacoast, and
in South America 16,012 Europe has
only 1885; Africa, IL, 561 Asia, 80, ,S87;
Australia, S,947.
The proportion of sea-coast to surface
in North America is one mile to 265
square miles in South America one mile
to 434 square miles in Europe one mile
to 1872 square miles in Africa one mile to
906 square miles in Asia one to 469 and
in Australia one to 332. These are meas
urements worth mentioning for future
reference. ce.-NeW York Mail.
-
"A baggage-smasher at the Union
Depot in Indianapolis, while singing vari-
GUS articles about in his usual forcible
and vindictive style, suddenly reached the
conclusion that one particular valise was
filed with revolvers. AS it struck the
floor after being tossed ten or fifteen feet,
an explosion occurred, and ball whistled
in clnan 1rnYinniiu 10 Tho ennnrhnrln