The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-01-21
ITEMS OF INTEREST.

PRINcE BISMARCK is reported to have stated to
the mayor of Wandsbek: Formerly stood on
the stage of the world; If have now moved
back to the auditorium do not intend to abdi-
cate the tight possess, with every other specta-
tor. to criticise.h
AMONG the curiosities obtained by the British
museum there is none so interesting as a Chin
csc bank note of the Ming dynasty, about 1868.
No earlier example is know n to be extant 1t is
however, comparatively modern specimen for
China, although 1t not till 800 years after its
issue that bank notes were used in Europe.
MARX ISLAND. the ledge of Small Point, Me-.
was the home for two or three years of
mysterious family. The cottage there was
erected five or six years ago by a man who came
with fine yacht, his wife and muatto boy
and took possession. They made friends with
no one and never allowed anybody to land on
the island, unless some one broke an oar or was
shipwrecked. There is only one place where a
landing can be made. and from its beach path
leads TO the house. In this path,
at point which commanded
full view of the landing, the mulatto boy stood
from daylight to dark with musket on his
shoulder. Two or three years this strange
family spent on the island. and then one spring
they did not come, nor have they been seen or
heard from since. But three years ago a man
was earrested either in Boston or Anew York
for passing counterfeit money, who answered
to the description of the one who lived on
Mark Island. No attempt was made to find his
workshop, but some folks think this was the
place.
THE distinguished German biologist, weis-
mann, has pointed out that there is less exact
knowledge on this subject than might be ex-
pected considering how many in number are
the ornithologist and the pathological socie-
ties. Says the London Spectator: Small
singing birds live from to 18 years. Ravens
have lived for almost 100 years in captivity, and
parrots longer than that. Fowls live 10 TO 20
years land are then sold as spring chichens to
young housekeepers). The wild goose lives up
ward of 100 years, and swans are said
TO have attained the age of 300 The
long life of birds has been interpreted as COM
penSationfor their feeble fertility, and for the
great mortality OF their young, From the
small island of st. Kilda, off Scotland, 90 600
young gannets and an immense number of eggs
are annually collected, and although this bird
lays only one egg per annum, and is four years
in attaining maturity. its numbers do not
diminish. Obviously, as Weismann observes
such birds must reach great age, or they
would long ago have been exterminated."
THE well known phrase of DR.. Chalmers,
1.-The power of littles," is strikingly illustrated
in the physical world by the phenomena we are
about to study. Little forces acting in the same
direction and recurrin at rapid and regular in
tervals Of time will, IL accumulated soon add
up to single force of gigantic magnitude.
Every one has heard how a regiment of soldiers,
when crossing a suspension bridge. have to break
step. lest the uniform tramp of their feet
should SET up, as u might well 60, Danger
ousy large oscillation OF the bridge. A half
hundredweight hung uD by a wire may be
thrown into considerable swing by q success
sion of gentle taps, or even puffs of air IL the
taps or puffs hit the suspended body at the
right moment, that is when the feeble impulses
conspire in the same direction with that Of the
swinging weight To give definiteness imag-
inc the wire supporting the half hundredweight
to be rather more than yard long, the time
taken for the weight to make a single swing in
one direction will then be second; the arrange
ment will be, in fact, seconds pendulum Let
| now attach one end of a fine thread
to the weight and every second give the feeblest
| possible jerk to the thread. We shall soon find
| that surprisingly large swing of the pendu-
| lum is set up, because the gentle impetus we
! have given synchronises with the period of the
swinging weight. The trivial amount of en-
| ergy IN each pull Is stored uD in the weight so
! lions of the weight by single pull of the
| thread we could rot do so, as the thread would
break. In fact, if the half hundredweight be
| swinging through arc which measures a foot
erage velocity of a foot per second thus DOS
| sessing momentum equal to q half ounce
| bullet moving with velocity OF nearly l. 800
feet q Second-more than sufficient to kill a
man. All this energy has been transmitted
! through a thread an infant could break, and
| has accumulated In the weight owing to the
succession OF tiny jerks coinciding with
the period OF the pendulum. common
swing is nothing more than long
pendulum. At the right moment the child
in swinging gives push with its foot or an i'm
pulse in the right direction, by bending its
body forward SO as to throw the centre of
gravity in front of the seat of the swing and
the addition OF these small forces soon creates
a wide excursion of the swing to and fro In
like manner, heavy lever watch hung from
hook will, after the lapse Of little time often
be found vibrating in accord with the move
ment of its balance wheel.