Morning journal and courier., 1885-11-19

Northern Africafhas a long 'and thick mane, loses his mane entirely in Central Africa These facts, argues Dr. Rohlfs. prove that there must be some urgent cause for depriv ing animals of their woolen coats in the trop- ics, as in other places the same animals have for thousands of years been covered with wool, both in winter and summer and they give a lesson to man which he would do well to follow.
 Oleomargarine has not yet suffered much, in spite of the attacks which have been made upon it. One firm in New York city has made during the past year 2,00O 0O0 pounds of the stuff, a Providence company 1,750,- 900 pounds, and Boston establishment 1, ,- 158, FOG, while the weekly output of Chicago is about 1000 pounds. All this imitation butter is put upon the market as the genuine article, and the effect is already evident in a reduction of the sales of honest butter The demand for dairy products under normal conditions shows a steady increase with the growth of population, but the receipts of such products in New York city thus far during 1885 show @ shrinkage of $2, 789, ,O21 as compared with the same period of 1884, while the exports of butter and cheese have fallen off to the value of $1 ,9S1, ,915.
 Some of the most eminent architects are of the opinion that the chief source of acousti- cal defects in hall is the reflection of sound waves in such way that they strike upon the ear of the hearer within Q certain inter val after the direct waves, and are recog- nil io tained, in regard to the limits within which this point exerts disturbing influence, that a difference of sixteen and one-half to twen- ty-three feet not only causes no disturb ance, but, under some circumstances, may produce a favorable reinforcement of the direct by the reflected sound, and that with diminished intensity the difference may be somewhat greater, but under no circum- stances should it exceed thirty three feet. In regard to the acoustic conditions of churches it is asserted that tue ceilings, which in the aters help the effect in the upper tiers, in churches are too high for this, and may pro- duce resonance, or echo, and that it is, there fore, necessary to diffuse the sound reflected from them. Walls well ceilings re- quirs to be investigated in this respect
 There are some who think that cities should own and manage their water works, s-works, etc. Philadelphia has tried the experiment of gas making, and this is the way the T1naes of that city talks about it: The Times has made earnest and tireless bat tie of nearly eleven years for the sale of the gas works, and if they had been given away ten years ago to any judicious private busi- ness management the city would be fully $10, ,O00, 900 richer to-day, exclusive of half as much saved to consumers in the price and quality of gas This statement may startle many who look only on the surface of things and who answer that the gas works have been a source of profit, but it is the sober truth. We have seen during the last ten years more than $10, 900, ,000wasted in theft and profigacy by the political domination that had it's foun- tain in the power of the gas works, and there are fully $20,00O,000 of our present debt that have been needlessly loaded upon the tax payers during the last score of years solely by political profigaey that could have had only brief rule but for the omnipotence of the gas works in municipal affairs. True, this profigacy has been measurably arrested during the last few years, but reform has faztn lt Of corrup power as iss I s s desperately battled for to-day as any time in the past