The Magnolia gazette. [volume] (Magnolia, Miss.) 1872-current, 1880-12-31
FACTS FOR THE CURIOUS.


II is said that no rhymes exist in the
English language for the words silver,
orange, month, kiln, bilge and gulf,
IT has been said that man is the only
animal that makes use Of tools, but the
statement has been controverted, OBJ
seryation having shown that other ami
mails 40 occasionally employ tools. This
is especially tile ease with monkeys,
which in confinement hive been oh
served To usa stones TO crack nuts, and
sticks or leather straps to draw toward
them objects which lay beyond their
reach.
SHAKsPEAI,E uses more different words
than amy other writer III the English
language. Writers Oh the statistics Of
words inform us that he uses about
$4,000 different words III his plays and
sonnets, while there is no other writer
who uses 80 many ns 10000. Some few
writer's use IA many as u, 600 words, but
the ereat majority OF writers do not em-
ploy more than 5000. In conversation
but from 5000 to 5000 different words
are used.
In the city Of Dublin There nre "a, 900
families, averaging five members, who
are each living ii single room. Tho
death-rnte of the city is 40 per 1000.
which ii equivalent to 60 per / 200 in
the tenement-h house districts. These
two fncts, the enormous number Of fami-
lies living in single room, and the high
death-rate, prove tint the horrors and
dangers of Irish distress have not been
exaggerated. These families Of five,
shut MP each in single room, depend
for support upon wages Of from 10 to IL
English shilings q week.
l'HE ease with which the Esqni-
maux OF ST. Lawrence island can see TO
a great distance, and the marvellous way
Ia which news ia transmitted from the
most distant points, is really wonderful.
Al native will describe the dress and ap-
pearance Of man whois approaching at
i great distance. A white man, even u
shnrp-eyed sailor, can just make out
that il is Il human figure. Sol anything
occurs on the coast, if piece Of wreck
comes ashore, the full particulars will
be known in a short time 1000 miles
from the place whore ii occurred. II is
4 wonderful system Of telegraphy-
native rushing off TO pass the news 10
another, and thus speeding intelligence
over hundreds Of miles in single day.
FROM the examination Of book com
piled 1000 years b. g. it has been as
cortained, what has long been supposed,
that Chaldea was the parent land Of
astronomy; for it is found, from this
compilation and from other bricks, that
the Babylonians catalogued the stars,
| and distinguished and named the con
stellations. They observed the seventh
day rs one Of rest. They invented the
sun-dial to mark tho movements Of the
heavenly bodies, the water-cloek to
measure time, and they speak III this
work Of the spots on the sun, fact they
could only have known by the aid oi
telescopes, which il is supposed they
possessed, from observations that they
have noted down Of the rising Of Venus
and the fact that Layard found q crystal
lens III the ruins Of Nineveh. These
"brickR" contain an account Of the del
uge, substantially the same as the mar
rntive ia tho Bible. They disclose thai
houses and lands were then sold, leased
and mortgaged, that money was loaned
ut interest, and that the market garden
ers, 70 use an American phrase, "worket
on sharesP that the farmer, when plow
ing with his oxen, beguiled his labo
with homely songs, two Of which hay,
been found, and connect this very re
mote civilization with the usages o
to-day,