The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1891-10-21
ITEMS OF INTEREST.

JAPAN s three new men-ot-war-the MatSu-
shima and Idukushima built in France and the
Hashidate constructed at Yokosuka-wilI, ac-
cordng to the j 81, be armed With guns larger
than any now in eastern waters. The weight
OF the guns. We are told, will be 06 tens
each, total length of bore of each az English
feet. and the manner of working the guns very
simple. Tests were recently made of some of
these guns before many French and Japanese
naval OFFICERS near Havre, and the results are
said to have been highly satisfactory the guns
exhibiting maximum penetrating power at
the muzZle of l15 centim0ters of worked iron,
and at 1000 meters dis ance of OF centimet RS
thickness, without mourning any damage to the
guns or their mountings.
THERE is great annoyance at the court of
Vienna in consequence of the failure of the at.
tempt to arrange marriage between the Arch
duke Francis Ferdinand and the Princess Eliza
beth of Bavaria, granddaughter Of the Emperor
Francis Joseph. The archduke declared that
he found il impossible to fall in love with the
affection he will remain single. The Archduke
Francis Ferdinand is a nephew of the emperor
and the eldest son OF the Archduke Charles
Louis, and, therefore, the ultimate heir to the
throne. He is enormously rich. having inner
tied the vast fortune of the Duke of MAIDEN.
The archduke was in London last June during
Ascot week three days, but maintained the very
strictest incognito during his visit.
MISS RACHEL BAKER, the Boston playwright,
is just back frsm Switzerland, whittier she went
with her brother, who was threatened with
blindness, to consult a famous ocuiiSt. The
cure was most tedious and uncertain, but it was
a success and the two returned to America
delighted. At his death a few years ago her
father left unfinished an amateur play called
After Taps" Miss Baker had never done any
thing but amuss herself, and when she declared
her intention Of completing the work her people
smiled But all the same she was in earnest
and month later had written three acts, CO
plotting work that WAS p lblisAed at olce, at
sold anu Is nov very popular ince then l.
has published Uaree plays of her ow and e1
poets to succeed her father in the Baker Pub
fishing Company. Miss Baker is chairman of
the Boston Amateur Dramatic Association.
AN EMINENT sTATrsT1crAN OF Germany has re-
Gently given out the following As general facts,
proved by vital statistics The average length
of life is 81 years; Is per cent. of mankind dies
before attaining the age of II. OF 1000 persons
only one reaches the age OF 100 years. and six
that OF 65 years. 35.2l4c00 die every year, 98 $50
| everv day, Ago every boar, 6T every minute;
the births amount to 81, 80 ,e0) every year, lC9
| 500 every day, 1900 every hour, 20 every
minute. Married people live longer than the
| uumGrri ID ald civilized nations longer than
| the uucIviized. Tall persons enjoy a greater
| longevity than small ones. Women have more
| favorable chance Of life before reaching their
5Oth year than men. but a i SIS favorable one
| after that period The proportion OF married
persons to single ones is as IS 10 900. Persons
born in spring have more robust constitution
1 than those born at any other season Births
and deaths occur more frequently at night than
| in the daytime.
| In ADDITION to the vast amount Of public and
| private business which Senator Plumb dis
patches, he carries load of care and anxiety
| family man which would tell seriously
upon person not as well fitted as he is to carry
heavy burdens. Owing to the illness of his
wife, who has been an invalid for some years,
/ the family of Senator Plumb is widely scat
| tered. Mrs. Plumb is at sautarium in Chicago.
/ Futh. the second dau liter. is with her mother.
| Mary, the eldest daughter, is in charge of the
| home at Emporia. Amos the eldest son, is re
| ceiving treatment for a nervous affection at
| South Bethel, Pa and is rapidly improving
| Carrie. the youngest daughter, is attending
Moravlan school at Lititz, Pa. and Preston, the
youngest son, is at q school under args of the
same demo ninatien at Nazareth, Pa. The fire.
quent visits which the senator makes to his
| wife and the other members of his family &C.
cHpy much of the time which he is able TO
| spare from his official duties but his strength
and devotion seem to be equal to every de-
mand which is laid upon him.
The American Indians, especially those of
| the lake regions Of Southern Canada, relate a
curious tradition to account for the fact that
| all lower animals are dumb. In very very
| early times, they say, the father of all tribes
lived in beautiful country over against the ris-
| ing sun. His form was perfect d his face
handsome in the extreme. his descendants being
all superb specimens of humanity Knowing of
| their accomplishments, and being much given
to hattering each other, they became very
naughty and arrogant. AS a punishment for
their bigotry the Great Father warned the father
OF the tribes in q dream that deluge would be
sent to drown them from off the face of the
earth. In the dream which forewarned the
father of the tribes OF the great calamity i'm
pending there was presented TO his visionary
view the form and outlines Of raft, which
waste e used in saving a remnant of this
bgoted people. In those days all animals
ia ket as men do: and, when the father of the
tribes informed the beasts Of the field of his
dram, and of his intentions concerning the
building Of gre2t raft. they protested declar-
! ing Their unwillngneSS to accompany him on
any SUCH expedition But the mans superior
intelligence prevailed. He built tae raft an
10. lad hardly finished when the great food
came. TIE mans f4mily and pa'rs o, every
beast took passage and 1oat Il for many
months on the surface of the deluge The
clouds cleared away on the second day
after the embarGat,on, and for seventeen
succs Ss.ve moons the man used the sun
as a guide. continually steering toward his
place of setting. But the animals, every one
OF them who it will be remembered, had the
power of speech, prot sted against sailing to
the west. declaring in one voice that thew pre-
ferred steering toward the suns rising place.
days when. to the infinite joy of the man, who
had been holding the fort against his herds of
creatures who lad the voices of mon and the
reason of beasts great spots Of dry land be
gan 10 appear. Finally this rudely constructed
ark grounded, and the man and bis family and
the beasts were again permitted TO press the
face of the earth with their feet. But a great
aud lasting calamity had overtaken the animals
For their murmurs against the man while ON
speech, and have remained dumb from that
day.