The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1896-07-31
CURIOUS CONVERSATIONS.

Elephants are fond of gin. but will
not tonch champagne, .s=5 81 5
-Quoits, as 4 game, are said to have
originated with the Greeks. and to have
been first played at the Olympic games
"A dictionary recently published in
England devotes seventeen and a half
columns to the various meanings of the
word ''devil." ~ '. -, :.
"A toboggan slide at st. Maritz, Swift
zerland, is three-Quarters of a mile long,
and those who use it shoot from end to
end in II seconds,
Ladies' bicycles are now turned out
in England with charming bags, holding
many dainty articles, such as mirror,
powder-puff and perfume bottle.
On the tower of the parish church of
tree, now 5 feet high. 1t IS supposed that
it owes its origin to Il seed dropped by a
bird.
The Japanese have captured booty to
the value of 1,6OO, 600 pounds from the
Chinese, exclusive of the captures since
the fall of Port Arthur and Wei-Hai-
Wei
"A foreign applicant for patent in
the United States must make the neces-
sary oaths and affidavits before a min
lister. consul or commercial agent of the
United States.
-Applieati tons must be accompanied by
the oath of the applicant that he believes
himself to be the original inventor of the
right. device, article or method for which
patent is asked.
The government of South Australia
has contracted with the Orient and the
Peninsular and Oriental companies for
the carriage of butter for two years ut
three farthings a pound
The hrSt exports of cotton from this
country was in 1875. in which year one
bag, was sent from Charleston to Liver
pool, While twelve We're sent from Phil
adelphia and one from New York.
The largest bell in France has been
hung in the belfry of the Church of the
Sacred Heart, in Paris. 1t weighs TWEEN
ty-eight tons. can be heard at distance
Of twenty-five miles, and it's vibration
lasts six minutes.
Every guest at a Norwegian wedding
brings the bride present In many
parts key of butter is the usual gift,
and, if the marriage takes place in win
ter, sailed or frozen meat is offered.
The title and position of cardinal is
the highest dignity in the Roman Cath
Ole church next to the Pope. Cardinals
are divided into three classes-six car
dinal bishops. fifty cardinal priests and
fourteen cardinal deacons.
The emblems of royalty of the Queen
or Madagascar consist of three scarlet
umbrellas. which are held over her mai
esty when she sits in her PALLADIUM of
state-this latter present. oddly
enough, from the late Emperor of the
French.
BY the slaughter of elephants in At
RIGA an annual profit of some 81, OOO. ONO
is realized. If the elephants, instead of
being left a prey to the hunter. were
tanned. they would bring an annual profit
of some f135O0O, 900, according to au-
thorities.
1T is stated that the first cost of
building a fleet of Atlantic liners is a
trit1e compared to the cost of running
them In less than three years it will
exceed the cost of construction, so enor-
nous is the constant expenditure in
wages port dues and repairs.
The ruthless slaughter of the ele-
plant is the cause of one of the great
est complaints against the civilized i'm
migration of Africa. Year by wear
judging, for want of trustworthy STA
tistics, by the quantity of ivory exported
from $4,000 to 10000 elephants are
killed on that continent.
A very curious sort of entertainment
takes place every two years in Berlin.
The lady artists, painters, sculptors,
singers, etc, give fancy dress ball.
from which the male sex is excluded.
though many ladies adopt a masculine
garb. One of these balls is shortly to
be held, and the costumes will be early
Nineteenth century.