Morning journal and courier., 1882-06-28
Terrible Possibility.

From the Detroit Free Prezz.l
 The increase and multiplication of the English sparrow in our midst IS assuming proportions which may well excite alarm. We are not arraigning him now for the ofenses
 whereof our correspondent In Germany re- gently acquitted hin by unanimous vote In opposition to the testimony of all Americans familiar with the sparrow. We are not ask ing that he be condemned for driving away the song-biris, the jays, the martens, the robins and the thrushes. We waive, for the present, any indictment for his then and there with malice aforethought, stufhng the caves and the spaces between the brackets with dirty rags and pieces of carpet, which render the house 8 loathsome object Here and now we invite attention to him as the grim destroyer of the future, instead of the inefable nuisance of to day.
 Those who have kept pace with the re- searches of the eEolutionists must be aware the nature of the hitherto peaceful birds is undergoing change. In Australia one of the mildest of the known species, the k g, or night parrot, has been completely transform ed and become not only carnivorous but pre- daceous- For some reason explAinsble only by evolution, he has developed a wonderful appetite for mutton and Is destroying the sheep of Australia at fearful rate
 There is nothing to prevent just sSch change in the English sparrow. Indeed, there IS every LShsOu- III hu1k 4S AuOHu OG him. to expect just such a change. He has always been bloodthirsty bird in intent if not in act {; and his following the evolutions- F example of the Australian kea Is merely question of time. But iu the case of the sparrow it will not be the mutton that will suffer when the carniyorous appetite is de- veloped. He is denizen of the cities where mutton on the hoof is a rare sight. The spar row, therefore, will content himself with such flesh as the cities afford In the first place. no doubt, 1t will be the flesh of cats and dogs, to which there will be objection But when the cats and dogs are gone, what? Clearly it will be the turn of the horses and then there will be objection. But by this time the sparrow will have become inyinci- ble and the horses will follow the cats and dogs.
 And then? What can possibly satisfy the ravenous rsscsls then but human fish? Be- ginning with the cantsnkerous old fogies, who will not be missed, and following these up with the oftice-holders. whom they will be pardoned for removing because of the ys- cancies created, the omnivorous birds will gradually deprive our cities of everything in the way of humanity that IS in any wise edi- ble. A few of the toughest may possible es- cape, but their lonely lives will be burden to them.
 Finely Tempered Swords.
 From Swords" by John Lewses. in St. Nicholas
 for July.l
 The art shown in sword making was not by any means confined to beautiful forms and elaborate ornamentation. The greatest skill was exercised in the manufacture and tem- perIng of the blade, which, in the days when swords were not only worn but used. was more important than any other part of this weapon. In Europe, the sword mGnufsc- turers of Spain first began to have a reputa- ton for producing work of superior quality, and the armorers of Toledo stood foremost among their countrymen. A Toledo blade was considered to be weapon of great value, and even now, when We wish to speak of something remarkably fine tempered and sharp, we compare it to one of these swords The peculiarity of the Toledo blade was not only it's extreme hardness. which enabled it to receive and retain the sharpest and most delicate edge, but its elasticity, which allow ed it to be bent without being broken. Some of tine most famous of these swords could be bent so that the points touched the hilts, and yet they would spring back to a perfectly straight line. It is said that, in Toledo, sword blades have been seen in the cutters shops coiled in boxed-like watch springs, and they might remain in this position for some time, they would become perfectly straight when taken out. Other places in Europe were also famous for producing good swords. Many excellent weapons were made in Italy, and Andrea Ferrara, the Italian sword maker, who has been mentioned be- fore. was better known throughout Europe than any other of his craft. To possess 6 genuine Ferrar blade was considered great thing by the pobles of France and England.
 But it is to the East that the world owes the production of the most finely tempered swords 1t has ever seen; and the steel of Damascus has been celebrated for many hun dred years as superior to any other metal hot hoe la a,.47 Even the cutters of Toledo doubtless oEed their skill and knowledge to the Moors. who brought from Damascus the art of making blades that were hard as diamonds, as sharp as razors, and as elastic as vhAlebone.
 Wonderful stories are related of these Damascus swords. We have been told that with one of them a full grown sheel could be cut in half at a single blow, heavy iron chain could be severed without turning the delicate edge of the sword, and a gauge veil floating in the air could be cut through bv one gentle sweep of the glittering blade These wonderful scimitars are not manufac- tured now, but their fame has exceeded that of any other weapon of their kind, and it is quite certain that their extraordinary excel lence has not been exaggerated It is pro- bable that the workers in steel Of the present day might be able to discover the peculiar methods by which the Damascus steel was made, but as there would be little use or de- mand for the blades after they had been pro- duced, it is not likely that their manufac- ture will be attempted. We should consider. however, that although the present age is preeminent as an inventive and manufactur- ing period, there are sorsc things which have been produced by the ancients and the arti- ficers of the middle ages which we of the present day have not been able to equal It is possible, therefore, that our steel-workers might never be able to make a Damascus blade even if they wanted to-
 Some of the swords of Japan are said to possess wonderful qualities of hardness and sharpness. The story is told that if one of these celebrated blades is held upright in a running stream the leaves floating gently down with the current will cut themselves in two when they reach the keen edge of the sword
 But these Japanese swords, some of which were held in such high esteem that they were worshiped, and temples were built in their honor, were only hard and sharp; they had no elasticity, they could not bend and they might break, and in this respect they were far inferior to the splendid scimitars of the Moors and Saracens.
 Healy's Vegetable Tonic Cordial is delic-