The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1895-11-15
CURIOUS CONVERSATIONS.

SILVER .candlesticks We're known in
Britain rs early as A. ID. $50. > -. >.
--Romhastin was made aud worn as
early as the Twelfth century.
Ten gas companies had in 1865 Il
monopoly OF the lighting of Paris. H.
The Wax Chambers company OF
London was Incorporated in 1913.
Two hundred years ago the skirt OF
Il dress was always called the base.
A ton of good coal is said to yield
about 5000 cubic feet of, purified gas.
The World fair now dragging along
at~Antwerp isstleclared 4 total failure.
The island of Gothland has been cele,
hrating the 25oth anniversary of its
union with Sweden. -. s-
The words Emerald Isle" as an
piled to Ireland. were first used by DR.
Drenigan in Il poem entitled "Erin.'
With the early penmake the prob
lem of q point was the most serious, and
4 long time elapsed before it was def
initely solved. 1855 -
The Sundews are carnivorous plants
When an insect touches the liquid or
the leaves, it is held while the leaf GOV,
rrs over it, Smothering it.
In 1I6S. 27.0OOUOO quilts wer,
shipped from Russia and Poland to Eng
land. to say nothing of those which We're
sent to other countries.
SAN Francisco declares that it will
soon have the largest store in the world
\ big department store, to be called the
Emporium, is now being built there
which will cover 60O0 feet more space
than the noted Bon Marcle in Paris.
In many countries there is Il super
stition that when ants are unusually
active. running to and fro about thei,
nests. foul weather is sure to occur in 1
very short time.
In the Cral mountains the peasantry
believe that if Il wolf sees Il man before
the man sees the Wolf. the man will bt
struck dumb and remain SO as long as
the wolf lives.
There are twenty-one persons III
Monterey county, Cal, who own more
than 5000 acres Of land each. There
are several estates of 10000 and iO.WN
acres i'll that country.
peculiar way the other day while working
ON Il barge. \ carpenter was boring u
hole. through the deck from beneath and
cut the mans toe off with the anger.
Those who know and love the Words
worth country will learn with regret thai
the Old rectory ut Grasmerc. whereas
he poet prepared ''The Excursion for
the press, has been RACED to the ground.
1t was stated at the British associa-
ton meeting on the 10Th ult.. that IN
Scotland alone the Longtime fishermen
use nearly 1OoO0o,0oO Of tmussels to
bait their hooks every time all lines are
set. and they have to import annually
many tons of these muSSe1S at Il cost of
from IS to f3 los a ton.
Mr.. Watts. the artist. shakes his head
when he talks of Mr.. Gladstone as /,
sitter. and says: He was about the
worst sitter | have ever had. Not that
he could not keep still, but no sooner did
ne come in than lie began to talk, and
leave, | found that l had not done any
work at all.
in almost every country there is an
idea that the SaamaEder lives or can live
in the fire. There is Il strange peculiari
ty about this creature which has given
rise TO the superstition. When placed in
:; very warm situation the salamander
throws out. from oritices i'll his sides
small quantities of fluid to relieve the
oppressive warmth.
When the prince or princess is ush
cred into the world. the ministers and
other great officers of state are waiting
in an adjoining room. and before leaving
the palace the infant is shown to them.
This custom was first adopted to prevent
the substitution Of any other child III the
plac" Of one of royal blood.
During the haf-year which ended al
Lady day there was spent in England
on poor law relief the sum Of t., 526, 2233
nearly equally divided between in-main-
tenance and outdoor pay. The sum ex-
pended in London during that period
was tf4 100. equal to a cost of 2sD14d
per head of population OF that sum
tiI9S3:9 Went to the workhouse and sim
liar establishments and E12l.9G to out
door assistance
The new sewer main of Paris. which
crosses from Clinchy to -Asnieres under
meath the Seine. was formally dedicated
recently. 1t is the first portion of an
enormous enterprise which will take
away all the sewage of Paris from thu
waters of the Seine The work was
begun in 1880. and will require fourteen
years or more to complete.
1t is in his management of the
pawns, the humblest pieces on the chess
hoard, that Pillsbury makes some of
the most successful moves in chess A
chess expert who has followed the cham
ploI S play carefully says that frequent
ly the sacrifice of one of his pawns opens
the way almost unexpectedly for a break
through his opponents rush line"
There are eight cats on the staff of
the Midland railway. The expense con-
nected with them are regularly shown in
the accounts of the company. These
lucky fclines have under their charge,
according to the season of the year,
from one to three or four thousand empty
corn sacks. The holes in these sacks,
which are eaten by rats, are darned by
twelve women, who are kept constantly
employed.