Morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven [Conn.]) 1848-1894, 1890-08-26

majority of them were women, and the
half-dozen men who were afflicted were
not confirmed smokers at all don't be-.
ieve that smoking even in the most in
direct way causes cancer of the tongue.
In Gen. Grants case the public believed
his disease was due to excessive smoking,
but few physicians share that view.
Some people like to "fgure." One of
this kind lives in Saginaw, Michigan, and
he has calculated that the average person
trims off thirty second of an inch of nail
from each finger every week, or three
inches year. The average of human life
the world over is forty years. Ten feet of
finger nail for each fnger-a round 200
feet from the twenty fingers and toes.
There are 1900, 900, 900 people in this
world and altogether they waste on an
average 30O, 900, 900 feet, or sc, ,s1S. is miles
of finger nail in eneration-suficient to
reach around the earth and still leave TO-
600 miles to do our scratching with. Very
useful knowledge.
One of the most notable facts yet re-
ported by the census is the great increase
in pig-iron production in ten years-from
3,7s1, ,O21 tons of 1000 pounds in the CEN
sus year of 1880 to 9, 9,579, ,779 tons in 1890.
This gain becomes still more striking
when it is remembered that the former
period was one of great activity in iron
production. Adding to these figures the
net imports, it appears that the consump-
ton of iron per capita in 1880 was 1856
pounds, of which 1875 were produced at
home, while in 1890 the consumption was
800 pounds per capita, of which 299 pounds
were produced at home. And yet some say
that protection doesn't protest:
The Boston Herald tells new story
about Stanley On his last lecture tour in
this country one of the dignitaries at Am
herst wrote to him expressing the hope
that while in Amherst Stanley would be
his guest. He vas panied and puzzled at
receiving from Mr.. Stanley's secretary a
curt reply to the effect that the gentleman
need have no fear, as Mr.. Stanley was al
ways a gentleman. The lecturer did not
accept the invitation, and later it came out
that the gentleman's invitation to "be my
guest while in Amherst" had been read "be
very quiet while in Amherst" And the
worst of it was, that Mr.. Stanley's reading
of the blind chirography was the natural
one
Frankness still exists, even in medical
colleges. For instance, in the annual an
nouncement of the Medical College of
Georgia this confession is made: Sour
graduates may not be classea as scientific
physicians; they may. not be, able to locate
cerebral diseases with the accuracy with
which the old phrenologists could place
the mental faculties; their abdominal sur
gerry may lack the. boldness of Jack the
Ripper; they may not distinguish the bac-
teriumtermo from the comma bacillus, but
they will in few years be able to apply
the resources of medical science and treat
the peculiar diseases of their localities with
a practical shrewdness which would as
tonish those of more ambitious training"
1t is said that there is strong proba-
bility that the employees whom it is de-
signed to reimburse for laboring overtime
on government works will lose no incon-
siderable part of their pay through the
rapacity of the attorneys to whom they
have intrusted their claims for collection.
The bill is now before the house, and Will
no doubt pass before the close of the week.
1t will cost the government about s16,-
OOO, 900. 1t is understood that many of
the beneficiaries of the bill have promised
certain claim agents as much as fifty per
cent. of the amount due them for making
the collection 1t is the intention of Mr..
Lacey of Michigan, one of the members of
the Labor committee, to incorporate in the
measure an amendment making it unlaw-
full to charge more than five per cent. for
securing payment of the claims. Even
this expenditure will be unnecessary. If
the men to whom the money is overdue
will ask congress to insert a provision in
the bill making it obligatory upon the ae-
counting officials of the Treasury Depart
ment to pay the claims, when properly
certified, upon presentation they will be
enabled to dispense with the services of a
middle man and thus save the commission.