The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1891-10-04
CURIOSITIES OF
PARTISAN LIFE.
September Becoming the PlGaSantGst
Month in The Year.
Velocipede Races-Judean Antiquities-Manu-
facture of Matches-Treasures Left by
Meissonier-Ihe Museum.



has been the warmest month of the year.
Yesterday French journal published the
following: "The notifications since 1866
in the annual revolution of the globe,
notifications that have made of September
the peasantest month in the year. begin to
interest savants and agriculturists The
departmental chambers will soon decide if
the season for sowing and reaping may not
be postponed twenty days"
At the Department of Agriculture there
is establishment about meteorological phe-
nomenon-the weather in September-but
determination not to sanction the postpone
ment of harves-time. One very much in
terested in the change of seasons said to
me: "SOon we shall say that summer be-
gins in July and ends in October. 1 re-
member when this remarkable change took
place; it was in 1865, and then, during the
month of September, in some places, we
could walk across the Seine. In 1871 the
month Of September was warmer than we
have ever known July. but for the past ten
years without interruption we have had all
our warm weather in this month. With the
next century not only will our social life be
recognized, but the seasons will have ar
ranged themselves in an entirely different
manner, and those who think of us will
understand nothing concerning our ex-
iStence."
General Tcheng Il Tong was in the habit
of saying, The Chinese have foreseen
everything" and this is in many respects
true. In Paris there is Chinese museum,
or department of a museum, and in this
museum the statue of very ancient Chi
nese saint Legend says that this saint
went from one place to another mounted on
a white ass; but when the saint wish ed to
walk he folded the ass and carried 1t under
his arm. Consequently in very oldeD times
the Chinese must have used velocipedes, or
something that resembled veloclpede.
vELoCIPEDE RACES.
few days ago the Petit Journal organ
lied velocipede race from Paris 10 Brest
and 275 yelocipe1istS were determi ned to
win. The conqueror was Charles Terrout,
and he has known all the pleasures of Celeb
rity, for everywhere streets were thr0nged
with people, bouquets were presented, and
his every action was made known TO the
public. During seventy-one hours and
half he left his velocpede only to take
cup of bouillOn, and when he reached Paris
after the race, Charles Terrout was brown
from exposure. covered with dust, and sink
ing from hunger and fatigue.
Until now, velOcipede races We're I'M
known in France, but the success OF the
Petit Journal has encouraged the Revue deS
Sports to organize another race. The COM
petitors will 60 to Dieppe by BeaEvais and
return by ROuen.
A large sum of money will be given. not
only to the one who returns first to Paris,
but to those who arrive first in the most i'm
portant towns en- route. Only amateurs
are admitted to this contest, for the anna
teurs do not wish TO be confused with the
professionals. The Revue deS Sports in
tends, If this race be successful, to organize
a series of velocipede races, and make o! the
velOcipede ''the nobleSt conquest of man"
The Louvre Museum has new attraction
in a section devoted to Judean Antiquities.
The piece de resistance is a monolith of
basalt. and the discovery of this monolith
was triumph for archaeological science. In
1869 NJ CermOnt Ganneau was Chancellor
of the French Consulate at Jerusalem. de
heard that at Dhibau there was large block
of black stone, covered with characters, and
at first sent an Arab to copy some lines.
The copy, in spite of its imperfections, was
sufficient TO make NJ. ClermOnt Ganneau
understand the antiquity and IMPORTANCE Of
the monument. Then he sent very intel
ligent young Arab to make an impression
of the stone, but in a quarrel the
impression was badly treated. After
ward NJ. Clermont Ganneau tried to
buy the stone from the Bedouins,
but they broke it in many pieces.
All that remained were the few
lines, copied by the Arab, and the impress
sion that had been SO mutilated. FOrtu-
nately, an Arab brought to NJ. Clermont
Ganneau good impression of two or three
large fragments and some small pieces of
the stone itself. With these the text was
reconstructed. There are thirty-four lines
containing the recital of the wars of Moab
against Israel alter the death of Ahab and
the revolt of Mesha. In the most decisive
manner this page of history establishes the
authenticity of the Bible, for the inScrip-
ton confirms achapter in the Book of Kings
A QUEENS SKELETON.
Other objects of interest in this section
are a massive stone door, with curious
lock, that closed the entrance to sepulcher
at Bethlehem, aud the sarcophagi One of
these belonged to a queen named Sadda,
and when the cover was raised the queens
skeleton was found we'll preserved. her
head resting on stone pillow. In second
the queen disappeared, and all that re-
manned was jawbone, pieces OF linen
tissue bordered with golden threads, and
handful of dust.
Perhaps it is not generally known in
America that the Government has the mo-
nOpOly of the manufacture of matches in
France, and that the principal manufactO-
ries are situated at Bordeaux, Marseilles, Or
leans and Pantin. Each year about 15,000.-
COO 600 are produced in these manufactures,
and few days ago the Government fur
nished 5000, 000. 600 little pieces Of wood for
the purpose.
Ordinary matches are made by dipping
the pieces of wood in sulphur; then paste
is composed of phosphorus, glue. powdered
glass aud coloring principle. This prep
aration is slightly warmed and spread on
tin plate. An entire press hled with
matches is applied to this plate, and with
one blow the ends are covered with phos-
phOrous paste. The matches must after
this pass through many hands. First, they
must be dried, then women are employed to
remove them from the press aud to separate
the perfect from the imperfect ones. At
this time there is danger of combustion, but
boxes of fine sand are used TO extinguish
fire at its very commencement. Inc
matches are then placed in little tin boxes,
and then, by women again, are they trans
ferred to their permanent cases.
Wax matches are manufactured at Mar
settles from cotton ana ste ,rlne In the same
manner as ordinary candles. At least
400 0O0, 600 wax matches are made each year
at Marseilles. and of these some qualities
are made only for expectation.
Swedish matches are very popular be-
cause with them there Is comparatively lit
tie danger. They are manufactured in the
department of the Disc, and about three
billions are annually consumed. In the
preparation of Swedish matches red phos-
phorus and chlorate of potash are used In
stead of the ordinary ingredients In addi-
ton. the wood of these matches Is dipped in
a solution of paraffine so that the fire may
extend more rapidly
TORCH MATCHES.
Torch matches are made in the same man.
ner as Swedish matches, With the exception
that the former are well dipped in paste
capable of furnishing oxygen. More than
100 600, 900 of these matches are made each
year.
1t is said that all who are occupied in the
manufacture of matches are subject to a
disease of the mouth, called necrose, but in
France very few are troubled with this
disease because of the care taken by the
administration. For example, not work
man or workwoman is allowed TO go out of
the factory without using special wash
for the mouth and this same gargle must
be used before eating or drinking. Each
month all the employees are obliged to visit
the dentist, and because OF these precau-
tions at Bordeaux, where there are one
hundred and fifty employees, not one was
afflicted with necr0se last year.
Fer some time the question of organizing
an exhibition of Meissonier's works has
been discussed. The French Minister at
Washington informed the United States
Government that France hoped for assist
ance from America by obtaining
special law, freeing from Gus