Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1882-05-11
3ITS OF INFORMATION.

Or the population of Ireland 1876 per
cent are Catholics.
THE Bible has been translated into
226 languages and dialects, and in the
last eight years lao, 600, 900 copies have
been circulated.
EIGHT OF the Presidents Of the United
States have been members OF the Ma
sonic fraternity Washington, jackson,
Pierce, Buchanan, Andrew johnson,
Garfield and Arthur.
THERE are now 1928 locomotives in
the country, of which New England has
LOO, the Middle States c, 200, tho West.
ern States 1880, the Southern States
1900, the Pacific States 400 Pennsyl-
vania has 2,700, New York 1000, Iii
nois /, 300, Massachusetts 968, Georgia
303, Virginia 800 and Florida 39. The
shops in the country now turn out 1890
locomotives a year.
JULIUS CESAR died in the year IL
B. c., and Jesus Christ was born in
either the fourth or the sixth year before
the Christian era. Augustus was En-
peror of Rome at the time of his birth.
Tiberius Claudius Caesar was Emperor
at tile time that Christ said, Render
unto Caesar the things which are
Caesars" .Tiberius was still Emperor
at the time of the crucifixion Of Christ.
CoSGRrss resolved on Juno IL,
TIT, that the flag of tho
thin leen United States be thir-
teen stripes, alternate red and white;
that the union be thirteen stars, white
in blue field, representing a new con-
stellation." This is the recorded legisla-
tive action for the adoption of national
flag. The resolution was not promulgat ID
until Sept. 3. 1t is supposed that the
flag was first unfurled by Paul Jones on
the Ranger 1t is not known by whom
the stars were suggested. by some they
have been ascribed to John Adams, and
by others it has been urged that the en-
tire flag was borrowed from the coat Of
arms of the Washington family. but
both conjectures are without proof, and
the latter is improbable.
The history of mathematics may be
divided into three great periods, each
characterized by the introduction of inn
portant new methods. In the first, the
era Of Greek and Roman supremacy,
geometry was almost exclusively crlti-
waited While arithmetic was hardly
more than a mechanical calculation by
means Of the abecus, Geometrical meth
DDS attained degree of elegance scarce.
" to be surpassed, as appears from the
rank still maintained by Euclid After
the decline of Rome the science took
refuge among the 4 .abs, who trans
lated and preserved TIE literary treas
ures Of Greece. The Arabian philoso-
piers were, however, rather learned
than inventive, and added little TO the
heritage. But they INTRODUCED the Sec
ond great period in the progress Of
mathematics by impsrting to Europe
the decimal arithmetic, and the algebraic
calculus, both of which were perhaps Of
Indian origin.
THE origin Of the Order Of the Garter,
the highest order of knighthood in the
world, has been variously given. Popu-
lar tradition ascribes it to Edward Ill.
on the occasion of court ball, at which
he was dancing with the Countess Of
Salisbury. The lady accidentally dropped
her garter the King picked it up, and,
observing the courtiers smile, restored
| 1t 10 the Countess with the words: "Ifoni
soft qui mai y Dense" (evil be TO him
who evil thinks), and shortly afterward
| founded the order as an incentive 10
| chiyalry among his knights. Another
account states that the King founded il
with the hope 81 attracting the best
soldiers in Europe TO his interest, and
| invited Knights TO the tournaments held
| at Windsor At the battle Of Crecy, in
1916, he is said to have given his garter
for the signal Of battle, and afterward,
having been victorious by sea and land.
and having King David of Scotland a
prisoner, in memory OF these grand
! events instituted the order on the 23d of
April, l349. The original Knights in
eluded Edward the Black Prince and
twenty-four other knights selected from
| among the highest mobiles in the land,
! among whom thu names of the Earl Of
| Salisbury and the Sir Thomas Holland
who married the Black Princes widow
| are found. The garter, as now worn by
the Knights, is of blue velvet Dor lcre,l
with gold, and has the above motto IN
| scribed on it.