Centre Democrat. [volume] (Bellefonte, Pa.) 1848-1989, 1880-04-01
TIMELY TOPICS.

The surface of Great Salt Lake, In
,r,ah has risen eleven feet since 1857.
professor King believes this rise TO be
dre not TO the cultivation of the sur
ronnding country but to climatic os-
cilIation that began about 1850, and
gh;ch is the first OF its kind and extent
that has occurred within at least $50
years.
One hundred and sixty odd entries of
American race-horses in England this
rear 1870 announced races in Saratoga,
from July IL to September |, the new
Coney Island and other courses, with the
creat races at Jerome Park, Long
Branch, and in the South and West,
promise to keep up Il pattering OF hoofs
10 the snows of December.
According 10 DR.. Emil Hoiub, relics
of an extinct race, OF amuch higher cul-
ture than now belongs TO any native
tr;bes t% have been found in the interior
Of South Africa. Among the remains
are seen workings of ancient mines, some
even of gold. and the ruins of rude for
tifications. These evidences remind the
great traveller of the African empire of
Monomatapa, ts mapped on old Portu-
guese charts.
That certain insects possess II power
akin tc reason is illustrated by Gleditsch,
\ German naturalist, who relates that
he one day spitted toad on stick
which he fixed upright in the ground.
The odor of the decaying body OF the
reptile attracted number of burying
beetles; but rs they found they could
do nothing with the toad while in the
air, they mined under the base of the
stick until it fell, when they buried toad
and stick together. Such an engineer
ing attempt would seem to indicate the
presence of n definite purpose.
A Quebec telegraph'operato claimed
10 have invented multiplex instru-
ment by which any number of messages
could be sent over one wire at the same
time. After opening negotiations for
the sale of his discovery to the Ameri-
can Union company, of New York, Sc
curing assistance from several specula-
tors, and selling to n company organ
lied for the purpose of pushing the
patent n three-fourths interest in it for
g, 500, the genial operator left for parts
unknown. Eighteen wires leading to
the instrument on which he expert
mented," which were discovered under
the flooring, solved the Mystery OF his
remarkable feats in telegraphy.
People who thirk mild winters are
unhealthy, will learn from the records
that the past winter, unreasonable
as it was, has been % very healthy win
ter. The mortuary reports of Philadel-
phia may be cited in this connection.
The Philadelphia Ledger publishes a
table showing the number OF deaths in
Philadelphia during the thirteen weeks
of this winter, compared with the deaths
during the same period of the preceding
year. The months of December. Janu-
ary and February, 1888, which were
seasonable," showed 1902 deaths
while the same months in lS79-S0, which
were held to be unseasonable" and
unwholesome," because they were
mild, show but 1896 deaths--or COG less
in the mild winter than in its immediate
predecessor, which was of the average
kind.
Mr.. Carroll d. Wright. the statistician,
who has recently perfected the statistics
of divorces in Massachusetts from 1860
to 1878, inclusive, supplies food for re-
flection to all Interested in preserving e
the marriage relation. The figures pre-.
sented by Mr.. Wright are startling
Since 1860 1888 divorces were granted
by the State of Massachusetts for forty
four assigned causes. The records show
that the marriage bond was dissolved
in 2,i00 cases on complaint of the hus-
band, and in 4, ,s33 cases at the request OF
the wife. In other words. twice as
many divorces have been granted to
you,an nc to f11ar, in tho npriod poyprPd
learn that desertion was invented as
suitable plea Tor unmarrying people
in Massachusetts, in 1898. We also dis
cover that nearly half the divorces
were granted for causes that would not
have been entertained half a century
ago, and causes which would not have
been regarded as valid twenty-five years
ago.