The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-02-24
ITEMS OF INTaREsT.

FANNY DAVENPORT has horror Of birds and
ascribes Cleopatras Ill luck to the birds painted
upon the scenery.
DURING the last twenty years q little more
than $4,000 600 has been spent in restoring
cathedrsls and churches in England and more
than GAS, 900, 900 has been spent in building new
churches In London alone more than $1,000
900 has been expended in building and restoring
churches
AMONG the queer forms OF animal life that
inhabit Death Valley is mouse that has ac-
quired such a taste for scorpions that they
form its entire bill of fare, says Sports Afeld
The scorpion carries its formidable armament
in the end of its slender, elongated abdomen in
the shape of an exceedin ~ venomous, hooked
sting. When disturbed it elevates this in the
air and goes in search Of its disturber. But it
is comparatively slow in its motions, while mice
are proverbial for their quickness the world
over. The mouse learned many generations
ago where the scorpion carries it's weapon, and
and when he meets it he leaps at the uplifted
abdomen, takes off the sting at a single bite and
proceeds TO make meal Of his helpless prey.
1t Is supposed to be the only animal that rel
lshes scorpions.
IT has recently been discovered, says the
Clinton Qa.) Age, that on American soil the sun
never sets. The British have for years sung a
song full OF boasting in Qualification Of the fact
that the sun never sets on the soil OF that cline.
Webster, in one Of his great speeches. talks
about the drum beat and the sun chasing each
other over the Briton's Countrywide one never
ceasing to beat and the other never ceasing to
shine-or something Of that kind. But, lol
now come the stars and stripes, which
are never out of sight Of the gun. An
exchange says that the exact situation
OF the geographical center OF the
United States is g surprise TO any one who has
not given the subject careful attention. The
most eastern point OF the United States is
Quoddy Head. Me-; the western, Attoo Island,
Alaska; the most northern, Point Barrow,
Alaska.
the center OF the qusdrangular figure formed
by uniting these four points is located at the
crossing of $50 north lat. and ll0' west long,
about 40 mi .es north OF the north line OF Mon
tana. 1t is also true Of the United States as of
Great Britain that the sun never sets on our
territory, for when 1t is p. m. on Attoo Island.
Alaska, IL is $3.50 a. NJ. OF the following day at
Eastport, Me.
THERE lives in Philadelphia an old French
man who for over quarter Of century has
followed the profession of ''articulator of
human bones" says LipDincotts Magazine.
The sign board over his door bears the simple
legend M de BlanQue, Parfumerie." He runs
this little shop principally as a decoy, for he
has found it necessary to ply his queer trade
ION the quiet" In rear room the walls are
decorated with skeletons IN all sorts OF gro
tesque positions Four hideous skulls grin
from the posts OF toe bed, and close by
stands q skeleton with arms outstretched,
doing duty, as clothes rack, the room
being liz by Temp lamp made made Of a skull.
with thongs of tanned human hide. When the
Knights of Pythias were organized some years
ago, the demand for skeletons increased. as
they were used TO great extent in the lodge
rooms. De Blanque prospered as a consequence
The price of skeletons varies according to their
degree OF hardness and whiteness. The genu-
inc imported article costs anywhere from $50 to
$685. and the domestic SIS, but the trade is about
lost to this country because they can set up
skeleton SO much cheaper in France. There are
old teeth dealers who sell the product of many
70 az
81 quart. They have often to buy more than
this to get tooth to suit, for skeleton with a
full set of teeth is worth half again its value
otherwise.
THE special danger Of the sunset hour in
malarial regions, says the Chicago Netcs Record
may be owing to the following conditions: The
| microbes or spores concentrate at q level a lit
| tie above the ground, exactly as one may OBJ
serve the dust Of carriages in the road In a
| thick horizontal layer settle on a warm moist
evening; then there is no lifting by ascending
air currents but a sort OF beating down to q
low level, and their conference is caused by the
deposition Of vapor on the dust particles as the
air coos. Thus, over q dried marsh there would
! be great condensation Of microbes or spores
| which could no longer dispense. They would
| gather about the hight of mans head lust as
we see a ground fog In still, moist air after
! q warm day in autumn; the organisms were
| given off while the surface Of the ground was
| Warm. and they accumulate little above IL as
radiation carries of the heat aud cools the
|
is still warm and exhales moisture into the air
above It, and with the eArth-vapor organisms
| are largely given on. The human body is at
that time most susceptible TO their action, be-
cause the rapid cooling Of the skin drives the
| blood to the inner surfaces OF the throat and
| these congested inner surfaces favor the fnocu-
lation by germs drawn in with the breath
Later in the night the organising have largely
sunk by their own weight and that OF deposited
dew, and, moreover, the cooled body is not 40
much open to the attack of germs remaining In
| the air.
| THERE is hardly state in the union, says the
New York Advertiser, that hasn't postofice
with the name Smith in it somewhere, and there
| are 800 postmasters and postofflce EMPLOYEES
named Smith. Illinois has, for instance, a
| Smithfield. Smithdale, q Smithboro, Smith
shire, Smithton and 6mithyle. Then there
are Smiths creeks, Smiths fords, Smiths
ferrys, Smiths mills, Smiths groves. Smjth's
valleys, Smiths cross roads. Smiths lakes,
! Smith landings, Smiths corners Smiths rivers
Smiths flats, Smiths ranches, Smiths basins,
| Smithtowns, Smiths branches Smiths roads
! Smiths FORKS, Smith points, and down in South
| Carolina Smiths turnout-all postoffices too
from Maine to California, and the Lord only
are not postofices. In Michigan there
aud one in Saginaw Smiths SMITH;
( then there are Smiths Creek, two Smiths
| Crossings, Smiths Siding and Smithvie, -four
! of them postofflces, and, among business men
there are about 100 In Detroit in business, 25 in
! Grand Rapids, y in the two Saginaws to only
| 2 IN the two Bay Cities Lansing has T. Kala-
mazoo g. YpsilantI 6, Adrian z, and so on down
| to Adair, small town of sixty or seventy-five
people, where there Is /. These are the figures
| of two years ago. and, Of course they have in
| creased because the Smiths are prolific and
progressive. I believe l am safe in saying there
are upward of 5000 Smiths in the state of
Michigan alone. In other states they are pro-
portionately as numerous. In the national
capital, city Of 100000 people, there are over
1900 Smiths, q Smith ratio of one to every 2fO
| NOT ba pbildrap. md