The morning news., 1894-09-03
ITEMS OF INTEREST.

In Italy thirty out of every 1000 people die
by the knife Of the assassin.
Swallows fly low before the rain. because
the insects they pursue are then nearer the
ground to escape the mo sture OF the upper
air.
Spontaneous combustion occurs in many
substances because during fermentation heat
is evolved and intammable gases are en-
gendered.
1t is computed that every year The earth re-
ceives about l46C0IC0JO.0 shooting stars
which fall on its surface and thus slowly in
crease It's mass.
A movement is on foot to drain the delta of
the Danube and restore 1t TO its condition OF
five centuries ago. when it was covered with
forests and fertile helds.
The highest mountain in the world is the
old-established kvsrest in the Himalayas
Mount Hercules in New Guinea shrunk q good
deal after 1t " as measured.
Lord George Hamilton has curious man
nerlsm, which takes the form of tearing up
paper into small fragments. His presence in
the House OF ommons is alXays indicated by
trail OF this kind
1t Is not likely that earthquakes ever result
from electric disturbances and it has not yet
beep proved that they ever give rise to any
sqch though when large masses OF rock are
k14e' Q J. dS IN Japan n 1871, slight local
changes IN magnetic curves have resulted.
Prof. Asa Gray says that the Washington
elm at Cambridge has been estimated to pro-
duce - 900, o. leaves which would make a sur
race radiation of aLOut five acres in e. tent,
ana give out every fair day IN the growing
season seven and threefourths tons OF mois-
tLre.
rench women students do not seem to take
V medicine, In the enrolment of women at
n inc Yty,fv 90
PaIls of l55 on the list of the faculty only IS
were OF French birth. While of the I6itn the
IlSt OF the faculty OF letters l4l were French
seven studied under the faculty of sciCn e.
ana three Under that OF law.
To what extent Spain is still under the in
huence of medlaeval laws and restrictions
which hamper its progress and development
may oe gathered from the fact that among
Ctaer lmpoStS which the taxpayer is called
upon TO pay is that entitled The Crusade
WnIch was originally instituted for the pur-
pose OF providing funds for the Crusades and
winch has renamed n existence ever since.
Its proceeds are now applied to the repair of
Cuurcnes the payment OF the stipend Of the
clergy and other ecclesiastical purposes.
Some time ago a lot of pennies was re-
celved at the treasury department. for re-
demption. Among them was a cCil which
was rejected. Jhe treasury would not give l
cent Tor 1t. clerk IN the office redeemed it
and gave it to congressman Jo lnson of North
Dakota, who sent it { } the Sluit hs onian to he
Identified, al later he receiveA word that
the coin is of Inc mintage of the wear 2S4 A.
D: and circulated N the times of Emperor
Dlocletlan. IT is a cry va tuaOle relic. worth
m my times its weight in o d.
1t is a well known fact that on account of
the superficial position Of the blood vessels
a ankles and wrists the blood in cold
weather is easily chilled at those points For
the same reason in warm weather one ought
10 keep theSe localities as lightly covered as
poS sible. his is the case with regard to the
wrists, but ninety nine men out of hundred
nave thick leather coverings high over the
ankles, and the shop keepers say that so few
low shoes are called IOr that it is often diff
cult to ut satisfactorily customer who does
demand them.
There Is quaint superstition in the minds
OF nearly all Union Pacific employees in train.
engine and yard service, says the salt Lake
Tribune, IN regard to tne significance OF
water marks in the paper on which oticial
letters are issued. The paper is manufac-
tured by firm which has for their wa:er
mark crane 1t is the position of this bird
IN the letter that the boys attach significance
to. If II stands erect the wording of the let
ter has no bearing on the status of the holder
he would be re-emplOyed anywhere on the
road, regardless OF the fact that the letter
might state that he had been discharged for
the rankeSt sins that a railroad man could be
guilty OF. On the other hand if the bird han
pens to be upside down. no matter how much
the head OF the department may have certi-
ned to the good characLer and capabilty of
lut lOlueF, Jne pr6NdIont Dellef among the
boys Is that he could not get job. 30 when
a man leaves the service and obtains a ser
vice letter his first act is to hold 1t up to the
light to note the position OF the bird. II it
STANDS erect he mas no complaint to make; if
inverted he roars.
The famous steeple of the Old South
church in Boston is being repaired, says the
New York Post. he man who is doing the
work has climbed most of the tall steeples in
the country and has even worked at dizzy
a do alraV@
also had the distinction OF receiving the So
cialiStlc nomination for governor Of Massa-
chusetts. he is a Newfoundlander by birth
and has worked on steepleS for seventeen
years One OF his greatest teats was the re.
pairing of the chimney at the Charleston
navy yard, which is 2l7 feet high
ders, each ladder being secured, and and
hauled up by himself The Old south steeple
on which he is now at work is b5 feet in
hight. 1t is cracked in places, ana the vane
moves only in a strong wind. The vane will
be taken OFF its iron spindle lowered to the
ground, and regilded. When II is set up
again the spindle will be creased with piece
OF beef fat, which is expected 10 do its work
for six years, or until 1900 when somebody
will have to climb up and lubricate it again.
For his hazardous labor, which will take him
about fortnight the steeplemender will re.
ceive 500.
Those who imagine that the best way to
put dCwl drunkenness is to make it impossi.
BILE, by putting liquor out Of reach NAV well
ponder the conditions existing in China
where, as a recent writer has well put it. .'In
a vast empire. with more than 400 900 900 of
population. there are no saloons no inc! rate
homes, and no chronic drunkards. There is
excise, no internal revenue or tax. Any one
can wholesale I'D retail wine and lilUor 10
his hearts content as freely as he can sell
potatoes or kindling wood. The pauper can
get drunk If he choose with the greatest ease
for nowhere on earth is the product
of the fermenting tub and the still SO
cheap as here Sam-shul, or rice wine
can be bought as low as 2 cents
quart, and no-ma Jou, or rice gin for Il
cents gallon. European sailors come asbors
and get nShtiTg drunk al an expense or
cents. 1t is cheap, ana its isJ is uniye, sal
1t served on every table. no mater h NV
humble, anl at ev5ry mea'. Nevertheless
the heather Chinese does not drink tn ex
cess. The drunkard Is Practically uni n1wn
kept whe he is a civ Lied Christian and
tie diseases resulting from the al use of alco-
mol have 10 place in Chinese pathology
The terrible death of promising young
terero in the bull ring has once again at
tracted the attention OF the English public to
the Spanish national sport, says the London
Graphic. One is accustomed to hear huu
fighting denounced as both cruel and cow
ardly-cruel because of the suffering it indicts
upon animals; cowardly because the risk RIM
by the bull fighter IS lntiniteslmally small
The first charge is absolutely true so far AT
least, as concerns the unfortunate horses
The second is equally false. as the tragic
death of ESOJrterO the other dav sho+,l5