The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-12-29
ITEMS OF INTEREST.

declares citizenship to be forfeited by ingrati-
tude to parents, abandonment of wife or chill
dren, and neglect of the obligations due to the
family.
THERE is dog employed in the postal service
in the office at Allentown, Pa. The mail bags
are laid on the pavement, and the dog sits on
them until the proper person takes them away
No one else dares to touch the bags while in the
dogs custody.
A LETrzR CARRIER in New York, who was
making collection of stamps, has been ar
rested for appropriating cancelled stamps on
foreign letters that passed through his hands.
The offense is punishable by fine of 500 or a
short term of Imprisonment.
THE population Of Illinois is actually decreas-
ing outside the cities. The school census of
1888 shows that while there were In the state in
1880 7s9,676 males under 81, in July Of this year
there were S43,976. This Is gain of 81, 300 but
the gain in Cook county was S3,217, showing
that the loss in the rest of the state q. a17
THE work of repairing the break in the bank
Of the Yellow river in China, was going ahead
at rapid rate when native papers just re-
ceived were issued One journal says: The gap
is now only 400 feet, but as the workmen are
approaching the conclusion the difficulties are
increasing, owing to the increased pressure of
the water.
The last five years have seen everything i'm
proved but the telephone. Induction troubles
the taker and listener as much as ever, and few
OF the other annoyances have been leSSened.
For short distances it is invaluable, but on the
whole IL is merely substitute for something
that is very much wanted, and is good open
ing for inventive talent.
A JEwELER at Seattle. W. T., locked his shop
door and went home to lunch, On returning he
was surprised to find that during the forty
minutes of absence thieves had gone under the
house, bored a hole through the floor, and car
ried off everything in sight. The building is
situated on piles, and the thieves had built
platform on which to stand
GERMAN PAPER reports that novel use of
electricity has been made in India for the pre-
yention of the intrusion of snakes into dwellings.
Before all the doors and around the house two
wires are laid. which are isolated from each
other, and connected with an induction appar
atuS Should a snake attempt to crawl over the
wires he receives a shock of electricity which
either kills or trightens him into hasty retreat.
ELECTRICITY is being enlisted as medium for
fishing The most levei-headed fish that ever
Stunned baited hook will stare in wonderment
at an electric light, submerged in his native
clement The United States steamer ALBA
tross'' is fitted with electric fishing lights for
scientific research, and preliminary experiments
reveal the fact that the curiosity of the fish to
investigate this unwarranted radiance is almost
unlimited.
THERE was great excitement in the Omaha
depot the other day noise like the crying of
u child was traced to closed trunk, and when
the bystanders put their ears closer they were
sure that something was wrong. MY God!'
cried one; give me handSpike or something.
There is child inside and it will smother" No
handspike was at hand, and people began to
pull keys out of their pockets, and at last the
lock clicked. The cover was raised and inside
were discovered an old maltese cat and five
newborn Kittens
In the collection of engravings of the late
Maj. Ben: Perley Poore, recently sold at auc-
ton in Boston, were two rare prints of special
interest to collectors. They were portraits of
George and Martha Washington, and their value
lay in the fact that they were the first portraits
OF the Washingtons ever executed by profess
sional engraver in America. The work was
done by j. Norman and printed in Boston in
1882. 1t is thought that there is but one other
copy of the George Washington in existence,
and no other of the Martha Washington. The
prints fetched $500, and were bought by Bos-
ton man.
THE United State fish commission is engaged
in the greatest speculation on record From
an investment of 81 10 in four years it produces
the equivalent of 81 00O This is how it is done:
Thus far this season, for example S16 jars of
whitefish eggs have been taken on Lake Erie
The average cost to the government is 81 10 per
jar. Each jar hollis 10000 eggs In a cool
season 80 per cent OF this take could be Matched
out, but, allowing for a loss of 80 per cent.
which would be phenomenal the remaining 90
per cent. will produce In four years $4,000
pounds of fish, worth at low estimate cents
per pound or $4,000.
A CORRESPONDENT of the New York Tribune
believes that childrens features, like their man.
ners can be trained He writes: To joke upon
''ears that stand out from the head would be
somber fun for victim. But all young parents
ought to know that this trial to child may be
Just as surely averted as a tip tilted" nose If
the mother teaches her nurse always to lay the
infant In the cradle on its ear, never letting the
pillow push it out, the ears will grow fat to the
head. just so the nose can be educated" by
very gentle pull to the bridge of it every day of
babyhood to grow straight. A pretty mouth is
often spoiled by careless parent allowing the
little three year-old to suck its thumb.
THE question of reviving the use of the lance
in the French army is again being discussed A
military expert, in a recent letter to the Paris
Temps, has much to say In favor of this weapon
He appears to think it was abolished after the
war without sufficient reflection, and mentions
two incidents in the battle of Waterloo in which
English cavalry, while in the act of charging
French troops, changed their purpose when
they saw these armed with the lance. and at
tackled other regiments supplied with short
weapons. The writer thinks the main argu-
ment employed in abolishing the lance in the
French army-the length of time needed to
obtain mastery of the weapon-an erroneous
one.
AMONG the novelties in pyrotechnics, daylight
fireworks are now made by the japanese
SneuS, containing ngureS or animals, birds.
fishes, dragons, caricatures of men and women,
and beautiful coored smoke effects, are thrown
from a mortar into the air. Some of these
figures are very odd. One recently displayed in
New York represented q large vase the upper
part decorated with hideous face. The next
disclosed a monkey holding large globe; then
a japanese woman appeared dressed in vel
low gown, with a large rat on her head-not a
modern rat, but the real old-fashioned article:
then fish with cat on its back, the cat hold
ing the reins In its mouth, apparently driving
the fish, and q host of others. Another ,Japan-
csc frivolity in pyrotechnics is water fireworks
in which they nave succeeded in producing some
marvellous effects
SOME savage tribes think books speak to the
readers. Caribs and Guiana Indians so believed,
and some Esquimaux, seeing priest read from
the Evangelists, thought that he heard the
voice of the book and repeated it to them.
Tribes in Africa, South America and Oceanica
thought the reader was conversing with the
book, and Weddell said Fuegian put the book
TO his ear in order to hear the sound of the
voice that spoke TO the reader. In West Aus
tralia books and letters are thought to reveal
hidden secrets, and are called speaking pa
pers." 1t was inexplicabe to them that the
person receiving a letter announcing the send
ing OF a number of sheep should bo able by ID
to detect a lost one. Some Cochin China Bau-
nois were likewise astonlshed at finding that n
demand for double fees for carrying a letter
was defeated by the letter ITSELF the writer
having announced the prepayment of the sum.
A California Indian, being detected in the theft
or one out of a number of loaves of bread
which he was carrying TO q missionary adopted
the plan of hiding the note under a stone the
At HAITI al,o II