Morning journal and courier., 1888-09-29

EDITORIAL NOTES.

Professor Goldwin Smith says of the
presidents retaliation message: Our people
understand the party game, and they take the
true measure of the presidents patriotic
demonstration. They know the sound of
the gong from that of the cannon.
Somebody of mathematical turn of mind
has been to the trouble to calculate that the
light of the moon is equal to that of 140, ,000,-
600, ,000, ,000, 900 candles, and that within. one
or two of that number of candles could be set
up on end on one-half the surface of the
moon. This information will enable anyone
to figure up how much every full moon is
worth to us, putting candles at, say fifteen
cents q dozen.
In New York four years ago the only State
officers voted for at the November election
were two judges of the court of appeals, An
drews and Rapallo, who were almost unani-
mously reelected so that there were no State
complications to interfere with the Presiden-
tial vote. The vote for President stood as
follows: Cleveland, 563, ,04s; Blaine, 5e2, ,O01
Butler, 1902; st. John, 25,001. Where
will the Butler votes go this years
1t is asserted in London paper that the
discovery made by Mr.. Hewitt in the artif-
cial manufacture of quinine will result IN
the reduction of the price of that article to a
few cents per pound. The Importance of
this discovery ia rendered greater by the
fact that, while hitherto dependence has been
on the GUILTY. alton of the cinchona tree for
quinine, the bark yielding only about per
cent. of the same, the new process admits of
| the substance being produced without limit
from an article which can always be got in
abundance in any part of the world.
Three causes now combine TO injure
French wines in foreign markets, high du-
ties, Justification and limitations. A great
| deal of so-called "Germanized" champagne
is now made in Germany, and although it
| ID said to be inferior to the French wine, it
satisfies many German drinkers who donr
like to pay the high duty on the imported
French champagne. Moreover Russian
! champagne is now made in the Valley OF
| the Don, which is nearly as good as the
| French brands, in consequence of which
Russia is importing less champagne every
year.
The marine insurance companies have de-
| cided to take no more risks on Missouri river
boats, and this decision is likely to be the
deathblow to steamboating on the Missouri
It is abandoned, not because the river traffic
is necessarily improbable or specially haz'
ardous, but because the river has been allow
ed to become SO obstructed by snags as tt
make navigation unsafe. The government
used to keep the channel reasonably clear
and a snsg boat could easily remove the OBJ
structions, but of late no appropriation
have been made for that purpose, and SO thi
great natural water way, extending for many
hundred miles through and between rici
and populous States, is unused and worth
less.
The Itzehoer Nachrichten states that q
the last naval maneuvres before Kiel an ap
plication of q swimming dress was mad
which has been tried till now only in tn
German navy. The dress is like a diver
dress, made of India rubber, and double On
the chest is q valve through which air i
blown into the interior of the dress, whiel
covers the whole body and leaves only tn
face bare. To prevent the swimmer from
being too much tossed about by the sea tn
space round the chest is well filed with air
= About the hips the swimmer wears girdle
which divides the dress into two parts, t
prevent too great loss Of air If the dres
j. were torn about the legs, and consequen
: difficulty In swimming. The swimme
wears shoes with leaden soles to secure b
equilibrium, and for his defense Ion
knife which is fastened to the girdle. Th
swimmers are employed for the blowing q
/ Of nalnes and hostile craft, aad are provide