The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-12-02
ITAMs OF INTEREST.

PAPER, as we learn from recent discoveries,
was In use in Egypt as far back as 2aOO B. c.,
and not merely, as old Pliny thought, from the
time OF Alexander the Great, says the Academy.
The ancients, it appears knew more about pens
ana INKS than they usually have credit for. The
Greeks made silver and other metallic pens
and Latin manuscripts show a great variety OF
lnks-red, purple, green, blue, silver and gold.
The great Fioreffe Bible in the British museum
shows the skill of the penman in the twelfth
century in the use of this mode of decoration;
and in somewhat later times it was no unusual
thing for scribes to annotate their texts in col-
ored inks-red, green, violet, blue-using each
color for distinct class of notes, historical,
biographical geographical, etc. Scientific
works are often made exceedingly attractive by
| colored diagrams, chronologies by architectural
arcades and ornamental panels.
Nor MORE than two people out OF ten can
tell whether bit Of furniture is Louis XIV. =,
XIV. or XVI. rocco or renaissance. says Mrs
Jenness- Miller. AS a general rule, when they
| don't know they call it empire, as the doctors
call things grip" when no diagnosis is posi-
| BILE. Chairs are the most characteristic piece Of
furniture OF all these periods as they do not
admit OF so much complication Of detail. and
| are usually carried out with more conservative
| attention TO the salient points Louis XIV. has
lyre-shaped legs often with an effect OF network
carried through the decoration; his predeces-
| Sor is very much the same, save that the net
| work is never seen. Louis XIV. furniture has
| straight turned legs, and rocco partakes of
| the characteristics of all, with the addition
of shell or scroll patterns wherever they can be
introduced. The empire style, pure and simple,
consists of dark woods inaid The inlaying
was originally of brass but that used to come
| loose and disturb the equanimity Of the court
| ladies by catching their gowns, so what is now
known as marqueterie, inlayng with mother
| of-pearl and different colored woods was intro
| duced in its place. Empire style aud the mod
| ern Adams are so alike that it takes a keen OBJ
server to see the difference. There is one tiny,
| infallible sign-fn the Adams everything is an
| gulsr there is not curva TO be seen. Renais-
Sance furniture is all heavy and massive, totally
| unrelieved by anything save the most ponderous
| carvings, that only emphasize the gloom they
| are supposed to tighten.
The astronomers of the naval observatory
have looked all over the world for spiders webs,
SO says the Boston Transcript Such gossamer
| flaments spun by industrious arachnids are
utilized in telescopes for cross lines extended at
right angles with each other across the field of
| view, as TO divide the latter into mathemet-
| cal spaces. Threads Of cobweb are employed
! for the purpose because they are wonderfully
| strong for their exceeding hneness, and also
| for the reason that they are not affected by
| moisture or temperature, neither expanding
/ nor contracting under any conditions. Spec-
mems we're obtained from China, because it was
/ imagined that the large spiders of that country
| would perhaps produce particularly excellent
| quality of web However. it was found that the
| best web is spun by spiders of the United States
such as are plentiful In the neigh
borhood Of Washington. Accordingly ex-
| petitions are made early i'd Jun9
| each year to get from the fences and
barns hereabouts the cocoons Of the big turtle
| back" spiders Each cocoon IL composed OF a
| single silken flaTuount wound round and round,
though there are apt to be some breaks in it
where Mistress Spider left of for time. At
| tempts have been made to use the cocoons Of
| spiders like those OF silkworms, and exquisite
fabrics have been manufactured from them.
! Unfortunately, it was found impossible to make
| the industry a commercial success, owing TO the
| combative inclination of these creatures. When
| kept together they will always gobble each
| other up in short time, the final result being
| single very large and fat spider and one
| cocoon.
DR. NANsEN's polar ship has progressed so far
in construction shat one can now form some
idea Of It's general outline, says the Folkeblodet
of Christiania. The slanting sides strike the eye
at once Under the supposition that the vessel
| taken that no projecting points or fat surfaces
| exist. The peculiar design is based on the an
| tcipation that all ice, when meeting the vessel
will be forced down under it, allowing IL to be
| raised SO much out Of the water. For the same
| reason the bottom Of the vessel IN covered with
hard and smooth wood-green heart, to
| inches thick. Inside the vessel is provided
| with horizontal, vertical and diagonal cross
| beams, fastened by hundreds OF iron and wooden
| joints, giving the impress of great solidity
The frame is mostly old oak. Besides the out
oak skins. The vessel is provided with q steam
| engine Of 1862 horse power. It is rugged as
| S-master schooner and will mainly rely on it's
sails when in the ice It's dimensions are:
Keel 81 meters; greatest length Of deck, so
/ meters; greatest width of deck, II meters:
| hight from keel to deck, SIS meters; when
loaded, 4. rs meters; displacement 800 tons. The
| hull will be extremely heavy on account of the
heavy material used In its construction yet It is
estamsted that she will be able to carry 900 tons
| OF coal, provisions. etc. Besides the smaller
/ boats necessary for accommodating, ETC.. two
large boats are being built able to hold the
| whole crew Of twelve men and provisions for
| three months If the polar currents are run
ming as Nansen supposes, it becomes reasonable
! to expect that his expedition will meet with
| success His vessel Is certainly a marvel of So
lidity.
| WHEN Chinese baby is a month old 1t Is given
a name says the Washington Star. Its head 10
also shaved for the first time, a ceremony which
| is called ''mumefut." and is made the occasion
Of great rejoicing in rich families, All members
of the family are present In their holiday attire,
| and the baby to be shaved is clad in light red
| garment. The hair that is removed is wrapped
In paper and carefully preserved. After the
| barber has performed his task an aged man
| who is hired for the purpose and receives a
| small compensation-lays mis- hands upon the
head OF the little one and exclaiIns: Long may
| you ive" Those present thereupon sit down
to great feast, of which even the little hero of
| the day receives his share in the shape of a tinv
piece of the rice flour cake which was donated
by his grandmother. All who have made pres
ents (of clothings. bracelets esc.) to the
child since its birth are invited to this past.
On this day the infant is also presented with A
| red bed, a low chair OF the same color and a
cap upon which either golden, silver or copper
ornaments representing Buddha or eight cher
| ubs or written characters (that signify old age
and riches) are placed. Before the child ia put
into the bed, however, the father consults a
| calendar and selects a lucky day. The alma
| mac also informs him which things should be
| removed from the presence of the child. In
| one instance it must not touch or see OBJECTS
made OF bamboo during a certain time; in an
| other instance articles OF copper and iron are
prescribed. Objects which are denoted as