The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1895-04-12
CURIOUS CONVERSATIONS.


Bohemia was early famous for glass
production.
january blossoms fill no mans cellar
says an old adagc.
= In l4O7 the severe cold weather killed
all the small birds in England.
Wrestling was in favor in Scotlan
long before the English adopted it.
AS late as the Seventeenth century
glass windows were a rarity in Scotland
The fulmar petral lays but one egg
yet 1t is believed to be the most nunler
Gus bird in the world.
The French took to glass-blowing in
the Sixteenth century and made great
progress in the art.
--Sea birds outnumbtr land birds. be-
cause their food never fails, not because
they arc more prolific.
y andyke. the painter, was fond of
the l'tcamerOn, and often, in convers,,.
ton. quoted from its pages.
On Il tomb of BENZ Hassen. supposed
t" date from 5000 Il. c., there are repre-.
Srntations of glaSsblowers
In England in the Twelfth century
houses provided with glass windows We're
regarded us magnificent
Cardinal Richelieu once said that T;b-
ullus. the Latin rrotic poet, was the most
natural of all the anrients
-Hannah More made Il collection of
educational works aud read extensively
on the line of female education.
.,-Snllngbroke was Il warm a,lmirer of
the French philosophical writer's and had
large collection Of their works
"ulS NV. thought that Ovid's Art
of Love- was one of the most charming
books that had ever been written.
The word skate COMES from the
Dutch. In the German language it siyni-
Hes To glide along 4 smooth surface
In Holland the farmers wives and
daughters skate Gil the canals to market
with milk. eggs, butter. etc, carried in
baskets on their heads.
- me FIRST positive aaluS!on to the use
at glass i'll windows was made by Lactan>
t'uS about the close of the Third cent
ury. and by st. jerome about the close of
the Fourth.
The author OF Piers PlouyEman'..
tr.Ne.. VIII" wrote probably at the end of
the reign of Richard H., speaks of herai
.'lc devices and merchants marks being
introduced in windows.
The largest Matchmaking machine in
the nlted states is said to be- at Everett,
WASH 1t was made by. ii firm at Green
point. l.. l.. where this industry has been
handed down for generations.
In 1854 the forest trees. and even tho
oaks i'll England. We're split by the frost.
Most of the hOlieS We're killed; the
Thames was covered with ice II inches
thick: and nearly all the birds persisted.
In each and every month since the
new tariff laws went into effect from
1000 up to GtiSo more invoices of for
ciSn goods entered at the New York
custom house than there were before that
period.
The United States has 1872 light
houses: IS lishtshils. % electric Euoys,
and 1889 lights on the Western rivers.
~" coast lights of this country require
l:H men to keep them in order; the river
lights 1903.
Hone. i'll the "Every-Day Book" tells
us that the 1celanders used as skate
the shank bone of Il deer and sheen abOut
Il foot long. which they CREASED, because
they should not be stopped by drops OF
water upon them.
1t is asserted by the Venerable Bede
that glass windows We're first introduced
into England in GA by the Abbott Rene,
dict: but at this time. and for many
Years AFTERWARDS the use OF glass wa:
limited to ecclesiastical structures.
Lincoln had Il kindly voice that At
tracteh all who heard it. Even in public
tif"rtS he raely spoke in loud tone, bu,
the d!stinctncsS of his articulation caused
him I" be- heard and understood much bet,
ter than We're some speakers with louder
voices.
The Church of the Annunziata in M,
pies is considered to be one of the most
majestic OF the many churches of that
city. 1t was erected in 1924 by Queen
SAM ia. and az 'erward enlarged and deco
rated by Queen Joanna H.. whose tomb
it contains.
John Chrysostom. or John the Golden,
m"uthed, WAS the patriarch Of ConStanti-
nople in the latter part of the Fonrth
century: and won his title from the sngu,
larly pleasing character Of his oratory.
which appealed more to the feelings than
to the reason.
-Portland prison. erected on Portland
hill. is the largest prison in England.
Nearly 2WO convicts are located there.
being employed chiefly in the Grown
quarr!eS. from which something like 80
'hh to 10000 tons Of Portland stone are
annually exported.
NJ. de Brettes, Il French traveller, has
found in cave of the Sierra Nevada q
number OF gold plates. They are slammed
with human heads and other figures in re-
lief: Apparently they were worn by
caciIues. probably of the Chibchas In
dams Of Colombia, who are among the
most civilized Of the south American ma ma
tlyeS.
The Escurial. the palaces of the Span
ish King. an architectural marvel. for
merly described as the "Eishth Wonder
If tn" World is now seldom spoken of.
1t was built by Philip III fulfiilment of n
N"" to 'erect the finest monastery in the
w"rld' should his forces be successful in
their great battle with the French and
cost $:jO.NO,WW
- The Sinking mountain, an isloated AL
gtrlan peak. is now only about 800 feet
high and is known to be slowly but surely
disappearing. In the time of the Caesars
It was nearly twice it's present height
Near the Sinking mountain is a large.
clear lake called Fezzara, which is said
to have risen over a large city that sank
in the year 400 A. ID.
Platinum was discovered by y Mr.
Woods. an assayer, i'll Janlaicu. II was
not recognized as a distinct metal until
about 100 years ago. Platinum is chiefly
supplied from the mines of Mexico. Brazil
and the | raj mountains. 1t differs from
gold in being much less fusibe. in having
greater specific gravity and in it's yalue
1t is about five times more valuable th,n
silver and about one-fourth that Of gold.
In the Thirteenth century. and for
several centuries, the Fenetians were cole
bratcd for the excellence of their glass
The principal works were at Munrow. one
of the islands adjacent to Venice. The
superiority of the Bohemians was cyincpd
in tn" production Of white glass. made
with pure quartz and lime and the potash
obtained by burning the trees of their i'm
mcnsc forests. This glass was for a long
time in the highest estimation.
-
Even Enough.
T.. Il