Daily Republican. [volume] ([Wilmington, Del.]) 1874-1890, 1886-08-04
ITEMS OF INTERES


In Germany, if false information is
given to newspaper reporter he can
collect damages of its author.
Recent experiments with silk worms
in Washington Territory demonstrate
that the climate is very favorable to
silk culture.
The greatest length of Lake Michi-
gan is 300 miles; its greatest breadth,
1903 miles; mean depth, 600 feet; elc-
walton, 506 feet; area, $4,000 square
miles,
Four OF the five saloons at Washing
ton, Ills, are owned by women.
Women are rapidly fitting themselves
for political duties in anticipation of
the time when they shall achieve the
ballot.
A Georgia newspaper has discovered
that New York woman, who is fond
of notoriety, has had the hoofs of her
horses gilded, and that they create a
sensation when driven in Central
Park.
In Spain, an old custom among ru-
raj people is never to eat fruit out of
doors without planting the seed. The
roads are lined with trees, whose fruit
is free TO all. An old proverb says
"Thc man has not lived in vain who
plants a good tree in the right place"
The hides of about one thousand
horses and the skins of at least ten
times as many sheep are cut up into
coverings for base balls in New York
every season. By one manufacturer
alone three tons of yarn are used q
year for the insides of base balls.
The late Ludwig when obliged to
write to his ministers, used a green
pencil, and pink one in writing to
his personal attendants. A blue one
was reserved for Wagner. The color
blue was to signify that the genius of
''the master" was vast as the heavens
and al!-embracing.
For biliousness and acidity of the
stomach, put one drachm of Turkey
rhubarb and half an ounce Of carbonate
of soda into jug, then pour into ii
half pint of boiling water. Let the
mixture stand two hours, then strain.
Take half wineglass full of this mix
ture night and morning, which con
tinue till the remedy is effected.
One nationality's meat may be an
others poison. AS an eXperim. Mt a
company of japanese soldiers were fed
on bread and soup, with an addition OF
beef ahsupper for one month. At the
end ofthat time each man had lost in
weight from three to seven pounds.
Imagine company of English soldiers
submitting to be fed on rice for a
month, as an experiment, thought
Each charge shot from a 110-ton
cannon aboard the new British iron
clad Benbow, costs S765. The charge
consists of 900 pounds of powder, cost.
ing $3.50, a steel shell costing $500,
and silk cloth to hold the powder, the
purchasing price of which is given at
$l5 The gun cost $705, 900, and, to-
gether with the other available stores
aboard the Benbow, entailed an outlay
of 81, 035, 900.
The expression "buying a pig in a
| poke" and Getting tle cat out of the
bag" came from the old practice OF
bringing little pigs to market in bag,
and selling them by weight without
opening the bag. Some tricky dealers
substituted cat for the pig, and the
discovery of this caused the expression
of "letting the cat out" or a premature
discovery.
A friend of President Arthur kept
watch of the newspapers and clipped
out everything that was said about his
matrimonial intentions. Just before
his term expired these clippings were
all pasted in handsomely bound scrap
book and presented to him. On the
cover was STAN ped a figure of Cupid
with culver full of arrows and the
words, MANY were called, but none
were chosen.''
In the time of King Ethelwald, the
father of Alfred, it was not thought
needful for kings, noblemen or gen.
tlemen to know bow to read. This
was lett for priests or clergymen.
Kings used to make their mark when
they signed a document. The young
princes and mobiles were taught hunt
ing, wrestling and the like, and they
were also accustomed to hear poems
and songs in their own language.
If a servant in the West Indies
wants something to make his master ap-
preciate him he goes to native sor-
cerer and buys some nonsensical thing
in which he has faith. 1t may be a
few white pebbles wrapped in lock
OF human hair or it may be harmless
powder to be seattle ed in his masters
sleeping room. If a lovesick girl
wants love powder she buys it in
the same manner.
The old saying "Nine tailors make
man" is so seldom correctly quoted
that the true reading and meaning is
worth reproducing The proper word,
as above, is ''tailers" not 'tailors," as
often written, and its origin can be
traced back several centuries. 1t was
one of the customs, when person
died in the parish, to toll the church
hell once for every year Of the de-
ceased's life. But nobody could from
this tell the sex of the departed, SO the
sexton, to crafty public curiosity, after
ringing in the usual way the number
of years, would give eight quick
strokes if the deceased was a woman
and nine if ii was man. These being
runo Of tho and of tho strokes for the