The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-04-29
ITEMS OF INTEREST.

England is not the only country which has
peculiar pronunciations of proper names, says
the New York Tribune. The island Of Terra
Nuvva. OF the coast of Honduras. is called
"Turneff." The Boca d'Agua in Jamaica, is
called Bogwalk,' and the Aqua Alta, in the
same country is known as the 'Wagwaterr.'
IN Scotland there is a county called ''KirkoO-
hree, of which the correct spelling is Kir-
cudhrght Then there is the "Tolliver "
family in Georgia, whose name is properly
spelled Taliaferro.
The filthy water of the river Nethe is puri-
fed for use at Antwerp by being passed
through revolving cylinders which contain
small pieces of iron. II has been ascertained
that fifteen pounds of metallic iron will purify
OUJOO0 gallons OF water. The water thus
treated is said to be completely freed from
germs, bacteria and other Objectionable mat
tiers. English and French chemists find that
the contact with iron reduces the organic mat
ter by from 45 to So per cent. and albuminoid
ammonia by from 30 to 90 per cent, and all
free ammonia is removed. The process has
been applied with success to the water Of the
Delaware river in Pennsylvania. 1t is simple
and cheap. A fair inference from these facts
is that it doesnt hurt drinking water to pass
1t through iron pipes.
Did Moses have horns? Certainly not, says
the Philadelphia Press, but if you have ever
had the pleasure of examining a copy of
Michael AngelOS great picture of THE Law
giver," you have wondered why the great
painter surmounted the patriarchal face. gray
beard and becoming priestly gown with pair
of horns much resembling those of a 2-year-
old animal of the bovine tribe. The reason is
this: Jerome's Bible, the Latin Vulgate, tells
us that when Moses came down from the
mountain top his face was radiant" rayed)
with the great light shining from his pure
soul. In the Greek Septuagint the translation
said that it was ''cornua. " meaning radiant
Jerome used this latter version in making his
Latin Nulgate, and translated ''cornua" as
"cornuta' the last meaning horned Angelo
made his picture accordingly.
1t is reported that the King OF Belgium has
issued an edict forbidding any of his subjects
from killing or capturing frogs, from exposing
them for sale or from buying or selling them.
His object is said to be to keep his subjects
from eating frogs, believing that such diet
has an enervating effect upon them. and makes
them bad soldiers. One would think that he
could scarcely entertain such an opinion with
his southern neighbOrs constantly before his
eyes, says the New Orleans PiCayune Johnny
Crapaud or Johnny Frog. as the English have
nicknamed him on account of his known fond
ness for this deliCacy, is about as brave, as
patient and as intrepid a soldier as the wide
world produces despite his penchant for
frogs legs. The Old Guard that stood at
Waterloo and the legions Of Sedan were GER
tainly not reared on efeninate diet. and the
same may be said for the heroes of Chalmette.
I once saw a heavy executioner in Tur-
key slide down the rope and fall on the sus-
pended mans neck with all the his averdu-
in the Globe Democrat. OF course it was a
barbarous proceeding. The most careful and
conscientious executioner ! ever saw was
near the dividing line between Turkey and
Russia. was riding through some woods
when I suddenly found myself in clearing
before cabin. A man was at the door tying
a red thread around a sleeps neck. l asked
him why he was doing that H picked up
a cleaVer and with a quick blow cut off the
Sleeps head, making the cut exactly along
the line of the red thread, You see now" he
said why did it. tied that thread be-
tween two joints Sc that there would be no
bone to offer resistance to the pass
sage of the blade. But why do you
siaushter sheep in this way l asked.
nearby town and you will see" l was in
the town the next day and met the sheep
slayer. He was public executioner, and he
had a man to behead that day. ] saw him do
it. He had a sword with a curved blade. The
blade and hllt were hollow, and there was
quicksilver in the space, so that when the
weapon was held aloft the quicksilver ran
down into the hllt and steadied the hand, and
when the sword was swung down the quick
' silver ran into the snd of the blade and gave
| added weight and impetus to the blow. The
| doomed man Bnelt and bent his head forward
| The executioner tied red thread carefully
| around the barred neck, and with one swing of
| his weapon cut off the head, II was a clean.
| scientific cut between tho vertebras, and the
| unfortunate man, presume, never felt it.
| A singular but instructive instance fell I'M
n,
when in early life he was assisting DR.. Bed
| does in his experiments on the inhalation of
nitrous oxide, says DIR. Combe in his "Physf-
| ology." DR.. Beddoes having inferred that the
| oxide must he a SPECIFIC for palsy, a patient
was selected for trial and placed under the
| care of Davy. Previously to administering
| the gas DaVy inserted a small thermometer
! under the tongue Of the patient to ascertain
! the temperature. The paralytic man. wholly
/ ignorant of the process to which he was to
/ submit but deeply impressed by Dr. Beddoes;
with the certainty of its success. no sooner
| felt the thermometer behind his teeth than he
! concluded the talisman was in operation. and
! in burst OF enthusiasm declared that he al
! ready experienced the effects of its benign in
! fuence throughout his whole body The op-
! portunity was too tempting to be lost Davy
! did nothing more. but desired his patient to
| return on the following day. The ceremony
| was repeated. the same result followed, and
! at the end Of fortnight he was dismissed
! cept the Thermometer having been
! used. Another remarkable instance occurred
| during the siege of Breda in 1925. When the
| garrison was on the point of surrendering
/ from the ravages OF scurvy, a few walls of
| sham medicine, introduced by the Prince of
| Orange order as the most invaluable and in
| fallible specific and given in drops as such
| produced astonishing effects Such as had
| not moved their limbs for months before were
| seen walking in the streets sound, straight
and whole, and many who declared they had
| been rendered worse by all former remedies
| recovered in few days, to their ineXpressib BILE
joy According to Vaidy, the French army
| Cantoped in Bavaria after the battle of Aus
| terlitz had only 100 sick in a division of 8 900
| men. When, on the other hand, an army is
| subject to privations, or is discouraged by de-
| feat or want of confidence in its chiefs the
| proportion of the sick is often fearfully in
| creased. So efticaciouS is a cheerful state of
| mind from the more healthful nervous in
| iuence which it difuses through the frame
| that surprising recoveries occasionally hap
| pen which can be ascribed to no other cause
! than this.