The Opelousas courier., 1892-03-19
SELECT SIFTINGs.

Kansas uses ~sunfiower stalks as fuet.
There are six schools in Ireland where
Fish is taught.
The Braganaa diamond, the largess in
the world, weighs 1880 earats.
It is said that four-ifths of all the
hailstorms occur in the daytime.
The human heart, in a lifetime O.
eighty years, beats 300, 900, 900 times.
The tallest aud the shortest people of
Europe, the NorEegians and the Laps,
live side by side.
A walnut tree g. feet in diameter and
80 feet to the first branch will be the
unique exhibit of a Missouri town at the
Worlds Fair.
A black bear jumped aboard a con-
struction train near Falmouth, Olio, and
was apparently enjoying the ride until
some of the trainmen made their way to
him from the caboose and dubbed him
off.
The United States Marine Corps was
first established by the act of Congress
of November 10, 1775, authorizing the
enlistment of two battalions, to be
styled '.First and Second Battalioas of
Marines"
While making a bolt in the steel
works at Homestead, Penn, recently,
q workman turned off a shaving 265 feet
in length. A shaving III feet in length
Sc av.,thfEaj Nc n arunat aIriO,ttr in +ha-
Woodwieh Arsenal. England.
A certain country parsoa in England
has written 125, 900 begging letters. HIS
wife has written II, 900 more, and his
children a few thousands besides. Aboas
one person in fifty written to responded,
one TO the extent of $50, 600.
In some of the rugs from the Orient
the knots of the threads are 50 fne that
they cS.not be seen by the eye. No
machinery has been introduced there yet
for making rugs and carpets, each tafs
and knot being tied by def fingers.
A man down in Maine tackled his will
up en- the partition of Il woodsae1 with
a bit of brown paper lacked over it.
There it remained for years, and it was
only after the authors death that it was
found while his survivors were cleaning
cut the old shed.
A few days ago a Chinamau bought
three turtles in Portland, Oregon, and
then threw them into the ocean. 1t is a
common practice in China to atone for
sins by setting free a bird or beast that
has been in captivity. It is their way of
squaring accounts with their Heaven.
A handsome natural cave was recently
discovered in Lafayette County, Ga. 1t
contains many rooms of stm)st exquisite
crystallized beauty,a and a yawning abyss,
into which large stones have been thrown,
with no reyerberatin9 sounds borne back
to the ear by which its depths might be
gagged"
DR.. Charles G. Abbott has found a cave
of slate in New Jersey in which were
discovered vestiges of the life of pre-.
Columbian man. There were bits of
charcoal, rude and ancient pottery and
an abundance of mussel shells about to
show the existence of an occupant of
the cave, possibly one of tls races Of
mound builders.
The will of the lite King of Wurtem-
burg contains some curious lie gacies. In
accordance with its provisions the boot
black outside the palace gates is to wear
patent leather shoes the rest Of his life,
be dressed in blue tweed llomespun and
a pension of $3.50 a year. An
old apple woman who sweeps a crossing
around the corner gets a black silk gown
and a small pension. Every son of a
domestic in the Kings service receives
. bequest Of $I.25.