The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1890-01-11
MISCELLANEOUS.

Americans who have been abroad
unite in saying with one accord that the
most delicious melons of all are the kind
they serve in Paris for breakfast.
"A butcher bird dropped in at Yreka,
Cal, the other day, and snapped off the
heads of ten canaries, hanging in their
cages in the sunshine, before the alarm
was raised.
"A Buffalo husband, whose wife in.
variably winters fifty cents worth OF
scraggy geraniums at the cost of S15
worth of coal, has asked for a commits
sion of doctors to pronounce on her
sanity.
Late experiments would seem to re-
flute the theory that France is warmed
by the Gulf Stream, Is in summer no
surface currents reach that country from
the southwest, but there are currents
from west and northwest.
Some experiments were made re-
Gently by the Northern Pacific car
builders at Tacoma to test the strength
of the fir and oak timber. The first
named proved one-third stronger than
the eastern oak, and more than one
halt stronger than eastern white pine.
The turnkey of the Peoria Jail has a
cure for delirium tremens, says the
Medical World. He rubs the patient
with capsicum, and in the enthusiasm
and singleness of purpose with which
the latter scratches himself he has no
time to think of snakes. One day of this
treatment is sufficient for any ordinary
case.
"A Dubuque, Ia, man invented an
arrangement by which runaway horse
could be detached from buggy, and be-
fore Offering it to the public he decided
to give it personal trial. He procured
vicious horse, encouraged him to get
up and dust and then pulled the lever.
1t didn't work, and he was flung into
the ditch and had his neck broken.
"A Honolulu paper thus describes
curious substance thrown off by the mol
ten lava and found close to the lakes of
fire at the volcano: at clings to the ad-
| joining rocks in fiber-like threads of a
fiaXen color and has the appearance of
human hair; but mixed with it are sharp
PARTICLES of black lava. Considering
that this substance is a mineral produce
ton it is wonderfully flexible and tough
bonding easily but not ductile in its
present state or capable of being
heightened. 1t is peculiar to this vol
cano, and is certainly singular produce
ton"
"A physician has discovered that
color blindness is very rare among girls,
though it is common among boys. From
this fact he draws the conclusion that in
most cases color blindness is due to
want of early education in discriminate
ing colors. Girls are taught to become
familiar with every shade of color, while
boys receive no instruction whatever on
the subject Hence, boys frequently ex-
hibit an ignorance in colors which is
confonnded with true color blindness,
but which girls rarely show.
"A new use of the photograph has
been discovered. A teacher of Ian
guages, whose admirable accent has
brought him many pupils, resorts to the
| photograph wherever he finds it as an
assistant tutor. For instance, he will
talk slowly in Partisan French a page
VI SOIlo SOOu duJHOr IN UndU tongue lnUO
the phonograph, and instructs his pupil
to read the passage aloud, while the
photograph prompts him with the
proper pronunciation. After the tutor
has retired the lesson remains intact
upon the cylinder of the photograph
ready for further use. 1t can be seen
how considerable the photograph aid is
in this regard.
1t has always puzzled US to know
why Mohammed hesitated about going
to the Mountain, expecting the Noun
tain to come to him. 1t wouldn't have
cost him cent to stay at the Mountain
as long as ne wanted. The Mountain
House would have been glad to dead
head him, giving him the best suite of
rooms they had. His arrival would have
been chronicled in the daily papers, peo-
Pile would have focked to the Mountain
to see him, and he would have been a
big card. He was sometimes called the
false prophet" but he would have been
a real profit to the house whore he put
up. We are satisfied that in refusing to
| go to the Mountain Mohammed, whose
system needed bracing up, anyhow, lost
one of the greatest opportunities of his
life.-TeXas Siftings.