The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-04-20
ITEMS OF INTEREST.

The Hindoos show singular franknesS
in making census returns Among those
who were called u9On 10 describe their
calhngs. some designated Their means OF
living as Village thieves, supported
by relatives or living on loans.
The records OF Massachusetts are wit
ten in an official ink. The ink IS made 81
the best gals, sulphate Of iron and gum
the sulphate Of iron not TO exceed ono
third Of the weight OF the gals. the spe-
cifC gravity Of the matered ink must not
exceed los. distilled water at 90 degrees
being l.
The Count Joseph Potocki. at present
upon a tour Of the world. has been stop
ping at CeylOn with his wife, says the
Philadelphia Record. short time ago
he went through an exciting eNperle ute
while hunting elephants, accompanies ~
only one native, in the district south O
Colombo He encountered a herd OF seven
elephants drinking at a small creek. and
taking aim at the largest of them shot
the animal without. however, notlclns
any particular effect. The elephant turn
ed toward the direction from which the
shot was fired. whereUpOn the count nred
again. The elephant. then seeing the
gunner. and not being much hurt. turned
upon the count so quickly that he threw
away the gun CbOth barrels OF Which
were now empty and fed. CONSIDERABLE
time elapsed before Count Potoch re-
turned to the spot to get his gun, very
valuable to him on account OF beng a
present from the late Crown Prince Ru-
dOlph. of Austria He found the weapon
even the barrels being bent. II Is evil
dent that the elephant cooled MS rage
upon the gun, the owner having escaped
his wrath.
The manufacture of razors by machin-
cry has now become a fixed fact IN Ger
many. and the quality of the article n
said to compare fsvorably with the best
Sheffield product, the process belng dlso
applicable to scissors making. y ole
bearing the impress of a razor blade ana
tongue, or of the scissors blade and DOW
N.n - Hnnd
bottom of drop hammer, which IS work
ed by hand over a pulley, corresponding
die being placed on the anvil upon wnlcn
the hammer falls; the end OF the steel par
or ramrod having been heated to req
heat is laid across the anvil die, ana the
( hammer falling with weight OF ABOUT
thirty hundred weight or less, according
TO the size of the article to be produced,
forces the metal into the mold, this when
withdrawn, appearing in the shape OF d
perfect razor or scissors blank but sur
rounded with a fray or fringe, which IS
afterward pared with the stripping tools
as waste. This operation IS repeated IN
definitely, according TO the extent OF the
order in hand, the tools being then
changed onto another size or blade or
/ scissors. Repeated blows of the hammer
are required to forge some of the blanks,
regulated by their size and shape.
The Maoris. il appears, have a rooted
belief in ghosts, which they called re
huas." ard in various manifestations rom
I the spirit world, says the London 5tauu-
ard. They do not profess to hear the Iaps
by which European spiritualists suppose
that the presence Of spooks is manifested,
/ for the reason that. Maori houses being
+ made of reeds, rushes, or grass, raps WOuli
/ not be heard; but the ghosts ingeniously
/ accommodate themselves to circumstances
by scratching instead or rapplng, Wnlch -
/ of course, very thoughtful of them. Maoris
/ believe that ghosts speak in shrill, whist
/ ling voices, and recent traveller statcs
/ that for that reason the Maoris hate to
hear any one whistle. The kehua, accord
/ ing to native tradition, is generally found
, lying across a path, and to step over hlIn
( is to die. If the traveller goes round by an
4 other path that leads to the place Tor
which he is aiming, he viii find that the
Kehua is on the new path before him.
/ The one way to avoid disaster is to turn
[ back and go home, or at least, 10 the place
/ last left. A chief, described as very IN
4 teligent," assured Mr. Tregear, VINO mas
I lately been investigating Maori supersu-
tons. that he saw the spirits OF two OF his
I uncles, on each occasion before they diea-
/ His father, mother, brothers, or sisters ne
/ aid not see, and 1t is not stated why he
/ supposed that his uncles specially desired
| to visit him in this creepy fashion. The eX-
4 PLANTATION of this and the rest probably IS,
/ that the Maoris are remarkably supersti-
/ tious and imaginative people, who can
make ghosts out OF nothing-or nothing
more substantial than dreams--as easily
/ as an old Scotch wife of the last CEN
/ tury.
AS matters stand at present, says the
! Pittsburg Dispatch, the bachelor-as a
I householder, at any rate-contributeS notn-
ing to the rates and taxes of his country,
/ whereas the married man has to pay both
for his own privileges and for those of the
single man. This, to say the least, Is
hardly fair. Why, then, not revert to an
( ancient usage and subject the bachelor to
/ pecuniary penalties for his self-appointed
{ immunity from the cares of domestic life?
/ When a proposal was made not so long
4 ago to tax the bachelors of France, as
/ they were taxed in the days of the first
/ republic, the fact was recalled that repub-
lies generally have been hard upon the
/ celibates. The wise Plato condemned the
/ single man to fine, and in Sparta they
! were driven at stated times 10 the temple
/ drilled and castigated them in true mill
. tary style. The ancient Romans. too, were
/ severe with their bachelors who were
/ made to pay heavy fines; and, worse than
| that. for after the siege of Veil Camillus
is recorded to have compelled them to
4 marry the widows of the soldiers who
/ of Augustus, the married men, all other
things being equal, were preferred to the
! siHSl9 lnel loL tue pupnc ollGes. lheh
4 the Roman who had three children was
exempted from personal taxes and the
bachelors not only had to pay them, but
| were prevented from inheriting the prop
erty of any one not Roman citizen. Com
/ ing to more recent times, we have several
instances of a like kind recorded for us
by recent writer on the subject. In the
/ French settlement OF Canada, for ex-
/ ample, women We're sent over after the
/ men, and the single men, that they might
be forced 70 marry, were subjected to
Z trade and movements generally. Those
who married were dealt with, on the other
. hand, in a generous spirit. Not only were
they provided with good wife and a COM
Portable home, but they were rewarded
/ according to the number of their off
. spring. The father of ten children for in
( stance. was pensoned for life at the rate
| of 800 livres year If he had twelve chill
dren he had 100 livrcs a year more, and
. the amount ran up to 1900 livres a year
when fifteen children blessed the union
About the close of the seventeenth cen
| fury the local authorities of Eastman, in
! Massachusetts. voted that every unmar-
| ried man in the township should kill six
blackbirds or three crows yearly as long
rs he remained single producing the
| scalps in proof; and, as penalty for not
| obeying the order, he was forbidden to
| marry until he had made up all arrears.
| 1t was somewhat different in Maryland
/ where half a century later the colonial as
| sembly imposed a tax of shillings yearly
! upon all bachelors over S0-as well upon
I widowers without children-who were pos
! sessed of $500. In England, in the DAYS of
/ William Ill, any commoner who remained
single at 25 had to pay a shilling fine year
ly, and the amount was increased with
J rank or title. A duke was supposed to he
! q special offender in not taking a rrfFa