The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-06-24
ITEMS OF INTEREST.

20 be made Of a new substance, called
ramle. which Is taken from japanese
plant "Of the thistle species. This De
scription will cause a smile on the part
Of those who have any knowledge OF the
textile history OF ramie. a history which
Is indeed very interesting. OF old things
under the sun, ramIe is one of the Oldest.
for there is evidence 10 show that II was
used in the Wrappings Of the Egyptian
mummies. From time almost immemOrlai
the Chinese have been engaged in the cui-
tivation of the ramie plant, and IN the
weaving Of ramie fabrics. For nearly
hundred years the civilized world has
sought TO make susceptible TO modern pro-
cess this valuable product. The nettles
as a family furnish most excellent nDres,
and among the most valuable OF the nettles
must be rated the genus bOehmerla, Whlcn
has many species, two only having com
mercial value, however. Both OF these
species produce ramie. there being some dlI-
ference between them in point OF adapta-
bility to culture under temperate climates.
The fiber is in the leaves of the plant
in these days of automatic pianos and
organs. says the Philadelphia Record, II
has been found necessary to simplify ana
make more pleasant the study OF piano
playing, as intending learners are not IN
clined to spend much time and study upon
an art that can now be reproduced auto
matically so nearly perfect that it wouldn't
pay them to obtain more than mediocre
efficiency upon the instrument. For such
dilettanti who would like to play, but nave
not the time nor inclination OF seriously
studying music, Soblik's patent piano at
tachment will be exceedingly desirable. 1t
embraces six octaves and is easily at
tached to any piano or organ. The melody
is played with the right hand in the usual
way, while the left hand plays the &C
compartment by pressing one knob marked
with the respective capital letter; II the
entire chord is wanted the adjoining push
button with the same small letter IrSst De
also depressed. 1t is rather simple and
the left part of the instrument looks
somewhat like a typewriter. Peters, the
famous music publisher of Leipsic, Is the
manufacturer OF the new attacnmeht
which in Germany sells for % marks or
about $ll.
Speaking of the Tahitian doctors, who
are almost Invariably priests or sorcerers,
Ellis says that in case of sickness they re-
ceiyed fees, parts of which were supposed
10 belong to the gods. the superstition be
ing that the gods who had caused the dis
eases must be propitiated by presents,
writes Herbert Spencer in the Popular
Science Monthly. A more advanced peo-
pie exhibit kindred union of ideas. SayG
Gilmore; "Mongols seldom separate med
tctne and prayers, and a clerical doctor
has the advantage over a layman in that
he can attend personally to both depart
mentS, administering drugs on the one
hand and performing religious ceremo,
MES on the other" Hence the medical
function of the priest. When not caused
by angry gods diseases are believed to be
caused by indwelling demons, who have
either to be driven out by making the body
an intolerable residence or have to be ex-
PEELED by superior spirits which are in
VOked. But there is often a simultaneous
use of natural and supernatural means,
apparently implying that the primitive
medicine man, in so far as he uses RENE
dies acting physically or chemically, fore
shadows the physician; yet the apparent
relationship is Elusive: for those which
we distinguish as natural remedies are
not so distinguished by him. In the first
volume in the chapter on PLANT Worship"
ii was shown that powerful effects
wrought on the body by plants, and the
product or plants, are supposed TO be due
to spirits dwelling in the plants. Hence
being concerned solely with supernatural
causation of one or other kind, foreshad-
ows the physician only to the extent of
using some of the same means, and not
as having the same ideas. 1t is rather
from the priest properly so called, who
deals with ghosts not antagOnstically, but
sympathetically, that the physician origi-
mates.
"A very odd thing, and one that not only
astonishes but startles the stranger is the
peculiar electrical condition of everything
IN winnipeg during the winter, says
Saturday Night. If you reach out. to touch
an electric bell, before your finger is with
in three inches of the enunciator there is
flash of lightning that goes up through
your arm and will probably make you Jump
six feet If you touch any metallic sub
stance there is a. flash of lightning; when
you get into bed the clothing crackles, and
one would think that the landlord had pro-
yided you with a blanket adorned with fire.
flies. After while one gets so nervous one
Is afraid to touch anything. ! have STUN
bled around my room and bruised my shins
rather than take chances lighting the gas
or turning on the electric current. If you
reach for the gas jet, crack it goes. If
you shuttle your feet along the carpet you
can light the gas with your finger. 1t is
really one of the most startling phenomena
in the whole northwest. Imagine turning
over in ones bed and having the quilts
emit sparks, or reaching for a bell and be-
ing Immediately answered by a flash that
is apt to make one howl. saw my travel
ing companion, who had grown somewhat
careful, wrap his finger up in a piece of pa
per to touch the bell. He jumped back with
a Shrek, and the whole paper seemed on
fire. The people of the effete east who want
to become electrified and have their sys-
TENS filled with electricity should go up
north; they will get 1t in proper shape and
will learn to avoid radiators and every 9TH
er metallic substance. The fact remains
however, that in that climate one feels
wonderfully hopeful and able to work, and
no task seems too hard to be undertaken
and am firmly convinced that the great
men of Canada, will be developed there 1t
Is remarkable fact that Ontario, the most
blessed of all the sections of Canada, has
developed, proportionately to it's popula-
ton, fewer brainy and energetic politicians
and business men than the provinces bv
the sea or the great western stretch of
land with the wonderful electricity in the
air and the greatest difficulties OF money
making in the climate.
Sitting on a bench under a pear tree
Writes Richard Jefferies in Longman's
Magazine, | saw a spider drop down from,
a leaf fully nine feet above the ground
and disappear in the grass, leaving a slens
der rope of web, attached at the upper
end TO leaf and at the lower to a fallen
pear. In few minutes a small white
caterpillar, barely an inch long began to
climb this rope. 1t grasped the thread in
the mouth and drew up its body about a
sixteenth of an inch at a time then held
tight with the two fore feet, and, lifting its
head, seized the rope a sixteenth higher:
repeating this operation incessantly the
rest OF the body swinging in the air Never
pausing, without haste, and without rest
this creature patiently worked its Way mn
ward, as man might up a rope Let any
one seize beam overhead and ATTEMPT
TO lit the chest up to a level with IL the
expenditure of strength is very great.
even with long practice, to SWARM M
a pole or rope to any distance is the hard
est labor the human muscles are canahIe
of. This despised creeping thing" with
out the slightest apparent effort without
once pausing to take breath reached the
leaf overhead in rather under half an
hour, having climbed a rope fully los times
its own length. To equal this a man must
climb 64S feet, or more than half as high
again as st. PauFs. The insect on reach
ing the top at once commenced FEEDING
and easily bit through the hard pear Leaf.
now delicately then must II
have grasped the slendar sn;5o.ii