The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-04-08
ITEMS OF INTEREST


by London Ansrers, says: 81 once had a cat
which always sat up to the dinner table with
me, and had his napkin round his neck and his
plate and some fish. He used his paw, of course,
but he was very particular and behaved with
extraordinary decorum. When he had finished
his fish sometimes gave him pitce of miue.
One day he Was not to be found when the din
ner bell rang, we began without him. Just
az the plates were put around puss came rush
ing upstairs and sprang inVo his chair, with two
mice in his mouth. Before he could be stopped
he Dropped a mouse on his own plate and then
one on mine. He had divided his dinner with
me, as had often divided mine with him."
THE day is not far distant when we shall do
away with the switching engine entirely" said
James s. Robbins, an expert on railway mat
ters from Philadelphia to Detroit Free Press
writer recently. The electric capstan will
take its place 10 is already 10 now in
some branch yards in order to make thorough
test of it before 1t is dnaly adopted on main
lines. The motor, which actuates the capstan
by means OF gearing, runs at the rate of 200
revolutions minute The gearing, motor and
switch of the electric capstau all contained
in water Right iron case, the top OF which
comes flush with the ground. There is a cover
to 1t which is readily removable, 80 as to give
easy access to the motor for oiling and clean
ing. The wires containing the current for the
motor are carried through an iron pipe below
the surface Of the ground, and the switch for
starting and stopping the motor is operated
readily by the foot of the man in charge Of the
capstan.
In THE Popular Science Monthly Edward
Treagar tells how the MGoris of New Zealand
court. The girl" he says, generally began
tie counting. have often seen tie pretty little
love letter fall at the feet of lover-it was a
little bit Of flax made into ahalf-knot; yes was
made by pulling the knot tight, mo- by leaving
the matrimonial moose alone. Sometimes in
the WHARF matOro (the wooing house,, a build
ing in which the young of both sexes assem-
bled for play, songs, dances, etc, there would
be at stated times meeting; when the fires
burned low girl would stand up in the dark
and say; 4 love So-Rnd Sol want him for my
husband If he coughed (sign Of assenDo or
said yes 1t was well; IL only dead silence she
covered her head with her robe and was
ashamed. This Was not often. as she generally
had managed to ascertain, either by her own
inquiry or by sending girl friend, II ne pro-
poSal was acceptable. On the other hand.
sometimes the mother would attend and say:
1 want So-and-SO for my son. II not accepta-
bic there was general mockiug aud she was
told TO let the young people have their house
(the wooing house, to themselves"
The small proportion of vessels struck by
lightning at sea Is excellent testimony to the
effectiveness OF the measures that have been
adopted for the protection of ships against such
disaster, says the st; Louis Globe Democrat.
The plan usually followed is to run copper
lightning rods down the masts connecting the
lower end with the copper sheathinR OF the YES
sui. in case Of wooden ship. Tho upper ends
Of the rods extend little above tho tops of the
masts and have PLATINUM points In iron yes
sells connection is made with the mass of metal,
and in both cases the lightning is almost invari-
ably oissipated without damage. The system is
of great value on board men -of-wAr, where
there are large quantities OF powder, and were
it not for the protection thus afforded it would
be positively dangerous to be anywhere near
a war vessel during a thunder storm. OF the
two ways Of connecting the lightning rods with
the sheRthlnR, one Is to run the rod through the
decks, down the mAsts, and make the connec-
ton ct the bottom OF tho vessel, and the other
to run It across the deck from the point where
the mast enters, over the sds and down to the
shesthing. The latter plan is considered the
safer Of the two.
THE path Of Newspaper editors In the orisn
is beset with pitfalls and perils from which
western editors are fortunately free, says the
New York Tribune. It was only short time
ago that the proprietor OF one Of the leading
dailies OF Toxic was condemned to q term of
two years imprisonment for having spoken dis
, respectfully Of the mkado's ancestor, Jimmu.
who lived 900 years ago; and now the editor of
the Nichi Nicht Shins6Itn, the newspaper which
enjoys the largest circuation--sworn TIN
Japan, has been sent to Jail for year and con-
demned to pay a fine Of $50 for having described
certain members of the national leg stature as
'honenukidojo," which, being Interpreted
means homeless nsh"-"ht only to be- cooked
and eaten" Though here and elsewhere a diet
is composed Of articles OF food, nevertheless the
diet of Japan dislikes illusions of this kind and
has accordingly prosecuted the editor, with the
result above described. Nor is this severity
with regard to the press confined to the and OF
the Rising Sun, for, according to the English
newspapers the editor of a Calcutta native
journal has been sentenced to IMPRISONMENT for
merely mentioning in his personal column that
q certain young lady had "partaken of rice"
with gentleman of inferior caste The break
ing of bread with people of inferior caste is
attended in India with social disgrace and deg
radiation, and, this being the case, the appa-
rently innocent item in the personal column of
the paper was held TO constitute defamation
institution of caste that gave the deadly venom
to the paragraph.