Weekly independent. [volume] (Elko, Nev.) 1887-1914, 1892-06-05
NATURES lNvrsieCE FIfRIEN

~
itesimAl Living CrtAturss.
Prot. j. c. Arthur. of Purdue university,
delivered a very interesting lecture the
other night ut the AthenRum before the
Chicago M~icroscopical society. His sub
ject was ..Bacili and Bacteriology.n
Prof. Arthur did not go into the
technical details of his subject, but in
a general way gave some facts about
the infinitesimal world which lives and
moves and has a being co-ordinntely
with that world of greater living mani
festations- He said the beings of this
infinitesimal world, of which nothing
was known until the invention Of tho
microscope, presented almost rs mt n
OF interest to the student OF life In its
broad sense as was To be found in a.,
study OF human life itself. 1t was
common error to think of bacteria on :
IN connection with disease, but in poias
OF fact that view Of bacterial life was as
much ut fault as to look upon all men
as anarchists. There IRE forms of
bacterial life which contribute as much
TO the well being Of the higher forms
above them us the good citizen con-
tribute To the maintenance Of the So
cicty in which he lives. Much of
the di~sintegrating processes Of ma
ture by which it's elementary
forms are combined SO as to
make them adaptable to the uses of n
higher life is accomplished by the un-
tagging energy of this world OF living
atoms. AS illustrating the good work
accomplished by bacteria he mentioned
the tightening of wheat bread and ths
flavoring of cheese and butter, which
lnttnr NynrlF Nt-oc cDr,at.,n.
done i'll the zeal of these small workers.
The speaker then gave his audience an
d of the rate mt which these micro
SCOPE beings multiply. 1t takes from
onc-half to an hour for one bactcrium
TO become twain. These two then set
ting up in business on their own nc-
count can duplicate themselves in the
same time. So that starting with lust
one healthy bacterium on n bright June
morning by sunset of the same day
there would be more bacteria flontinU
around than could be counted between
now and the millennium. The lecturer
closed by abiding to the research which
had been made by German microscopists.
One of these had even gone SO far, ac-
cording to his own claim, us to discover
the o bacillus which had been found
In the brain of T. bankers son who COM
United suicide on account of unreouited
love. The bacillus Of avaricc had also
been discovered by these indefatirnble
workers; it was found in the BODY OF n
insurer, of course. The society rendered
Prof. Arthur n vote of thanks for his in
tcrcsting lecture. .
90 CuiNESE NAVY.
Although Seldom Heard of, IL Ia OMIT,
Powerful
The Chinese navy Is never hoard of
much because it has little to do. snvs
the Washington Post. China's trouble,
are mostly inland and with herself.
She Is not much in the habit of courtinr
difficulties with outside powers, but sin,
may have use for her fleet some dav. q
consists Of North Coast squadron, tho
tooch"w squadron, and several flutillas
for river and coast operations.
Among the ships of the North Coast
squadron nrc two bnrbctte scn-poiu.y
a~rmor-cladG of 1880 tons each, ono OF
$500 tons and une uf $500 tons: one
tlirrct ship of 2,32O tons, two deck-pro-
tcctcd cruisers, each of $500 tons, and
n large number of torpedo vessels. The
fooclow squadron consists of nine
cruisers, ranging from 1,S0O to Elsa
tons, three gunboats. nine dispatch
boats. and three revcnue cruisers,
while the Shanghai notilla boasts an
arnorcd frigatc of $3.50 tons.
This is at least the nucleus OF n
tolcrably effective iav 1t is run for
the present on the mind-your-own-busi
ness principle, buthow long the Chinese
government will be permitted to adhere
to his conservative policy is uncertain.
a naval demonstration of it's Own may
sooner or later become necessary 10
resist English encronchIncnt and
French or German spoliatiun. Tie
necessity for such n demonstration in
front of San Francisco is something
that TN" United States, il it be wise.
will not encourage.