Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1885-03-06

Australia has four universities which RI

washington iOr inauguration week, and put
5000 cots in them for a sleepy public.
An Indiana man wants divorce because
his wife has thrown hot tea at him 81 tines
He counted up to 80 without a protest, but
the next dose was too much for even patient
man.
"A box or safe has been made Of asbestos
and silicate, formed into a solid, stone-lke
material 1t is said to be proof against sound
and vermin, as we'll as FIRE. It is light, though
massive in appearance
"A small lake near the mouth Of the Sutro
tunnel, in Nevada, is kept continually warm
by water from the mines, and a couple Of
young alligators thrive In II, although the air
above is away below zero great part of the
time.
"A German paper states that eggs may be
kept perfectly fresh for year by rubbing
them with vaseline which has been melted
with 3-10 per cent of sslicylic acid The ap-
plication should be made twice, at an interval
of month.
DR.. Bartholomew said recently, in a elm
cal lecture that, las a rule, the criminal
classes have an imperfect ear development,
especially hereditary criminals. A full. dis
tinct, well developed lobe indicates high men
tai development"
During the exposition in New Orleans 40
gambling houses, where banking games are
|
assembled there from all over the Union, and,
with the Louisiana lottery and other we'll
known attractions, New Orleans is, for the
time being, the wickedest city in the Union.
In 1888, says the Norwich, Conn, Bulletin,
young man began making deposits in a local
savings bank. His total deposits from that
time until 1885 amounted to 81, ,962. 25. Be-
tween 1888 and 1858 he drew from the bank
| u, 270.7 20, and yet few days since, on hav-
log his book written up and balanced, be was
found to have a balance on deposit amount
ing to $l1,273 33.
BY means of a simple and conveniently
worked device of coiled spring, an English
inventor has succeeded in oispt nsing with the
need OF driving sewing machines by hand or
| foot; few turns of handle winds up sufi-
cient power to keep machine going at full
| speed over an hour. 1t is completely under
control as to the rate of stitching and stop
ping, and can be applied to any existing ma
chine at moderate cost.
"A man arose in a revival meeting In Chi
cago, few evenings ago, and said that a
year ago he was so bad that he didn't feel fit
to live and used to wander about the CITY
wishing somebody would sand bag him.
Then another convert arose and said he could
beat that. year ago he was 80 bad that il
be had met the other brother wandering
around, he would certainly have sand bsgged
him.
The most extensive linseed oil mill in this
country is said to be located at Amsterdam,
n. Y. 1t uses l6 presses, run by power equal
to 275 horses, AID runs night aud day the
year round without stoppages Nearly l .OOO.-
900 bushels of haxseed are consumed annual
y by the mill, and tens Of thousands of bar
res of oil are produced yearly, while from
10, 900 to II, 600 tons of oil seed cake are an
nually exported for consumption in England.
The French journals state that duel was
recently arranged between a Freuchman and
an American, the conditions being that but
one shot should be exchanged and that the
precedence should go by lot. The French
man got the first chance, but failed to hit bis
adversary. As the Yankee lifted his weapon,
the other called out, "Hold l will buy your
shot" After considerable biggl ng the French
man agreed to pay $4,000, and the duel was
at an end.
"A colony of about 100 Japanese people
OF various trades have establish ID a complete
Japanese village in London. The object is
to familisrize English people with their Gus
toms. arts and industries. Visitors are shown
through the little streets, whose shops are
filled with workmen engaged in embroidering,
fan making, china painting, metal working,
screen painting, umbrella making, etc. The
village possesses theatre, and q Buddhist
temple with its priests and idols.
Intelligence from the Soudan is to the ef-
feet that the dreaded kamsin wind which u.s.
ually does not begin blowing until March, has
set in, and is filling the air with clouds of hot,
binding sand. which cuts like needle points,
and from which the troops can only find shell
ter by lying down with their faces to the earth
until the storm has passed. The cavalry
horses have suffered terribly from the effects
of the hot blasts, and many of them have
been so injured that they had to be shot,
These winds usually prevail for month.
The Greenvie, Ga, Vindicator says:
Col. Jef Thompson, engineer on the first
train that ran into Greenville states that as
he entered town he saw large man standing
near the track with an open umbrella as q
protection from the heavy rain that was fall
ing, With spice of mischief he asked the
large man to close the umbrella, 80 as not to
frighten the train from the track. Whereup-
on the large man hastily closed his blue cot
ton umbril and watched the proceedings with
head uncovered to the pelting rain.
1t is a somewhat unusual thing for q
reigning sovereign to appear in the witness
box at police court The other day, how
ever, the King of Italy, from good-natured
motives, volunteered his testimony before a
magistrate in Rome. A shopkeeper named
Maranzoni had unfortunately injured q little
girl by riding over her in the street, and King
Humbert, who had witnessed the accident
came forward to say that in his opinion Mar
anzoni had been in no wise to blame, and
that, in fact, his horse had run away with
him.
"A laborer living in this city, says the San
Francisco News Letter, afi cted with the ex-
isting lottery mania, recently invested in q
ticket, and, being advised that to insure good
luck the ticket should be tied TO a rabbits tail
until the drawing took place, he immediate
ly proceeded to enlist the services of a house
hold pet The scheme worked to a charm
prize was drawn, and a snug sum at that.
A family rush was made for the hutch the
rabbit was there sure enough, tail and all, but
the ticket was gone. Bunny had eaten it,
There is one rabbit less in town.
The bay of Havana is said by the geog-
rsphies to be the finest in the world. 1t is
10 the shape of a mans hand, the opening
into the sea corresponding to the wrist and
the fingers being represented by bays or in-
let's stretching in all directions. But in this
magnificent haven there is not, and never
has been, pier or quay, or dock, or any place
for a vessel to land. All the loading and un-
loading of passengers, freight or cattle is
done by means of small lighters, which are
rowed back and forth between the vessel and
the land
One of the strangest people with whom
missionary enterprise has to do are the Faa-
shas of Ethiopia They are black Jews,
about 200, 900 in number, living west of Jor-
don, who have as their holy writings the Old
Testament in an Ethiopic version, and who
still rigidly adhere to the Mosaic ceremonies
and laws. Undoubtedly they are not of pure
Jewish descent, although to some extent they
are the children of Jewish Immigrants, who,
in the time of the great Dispersion, settled
in Abyssinia and married wives of that ma
tion-something not strange as the Ethiopi-
ans are Semitic in nationality and language
The cooperative movement in Great
Britain has bad marvellous growth. In
1862 the cooperative societies in the United
Kingdom comprised 800 members. In
1881 the number had increased to 643, 900,
aud the probability is that during the last
three years there has been a further expan-
sion. The increase of capital is not less re-
markable. In 1862 the capital amounted TO
e42S ,0O0i it is now close upon G7 7,0O0,O
and the sales amounted to no less than e2b,-
600, 900, showing a profit of nearly f2, 000,-
000 These figures indicate vast improve
ment in the condition of the working classes,
among whom the movement has been most
general.