The herald., 1896-01-12
CURRENT COMMENT

The honeycomb made by bees is al
ways in geometric figures, and solves
the problem of the largest economy of
space with the smallest expenditure
of material.
Jake Gregory, an old negro living
near Waverly, KY, last week traded
his wife to neighbor for AN old mule,
pointer dog and So in cash. The
v oman was willing party to the swap,
and even borrowed the mule from her
cx-husband to carry her to her new
home.
A number of young quails from Can
ton, China, were received in Tacoma.
Wash, last week, to be used for breed
ing, to stock certain parts of that state.
Experiments in stocking the woods of
the Pacific coast with various kinds of
imported game birds have turned out
very successfully.
steam yacht was once constructed
with propeilere on the principle of the
swan foot. The progress of the boat
was quite satisfactory, and the propel-
lers would have been a success we're it
not for the fact that the experiment,
being made in the Thames, they we're
continually interfered with by the
roots and floating wood.
For more than sixty years the oil
cloth business has hourished in Maine,
made private fortunes and built up
communities of thriving, intelligent
citizens. Unlike many Of our occupa-
tions, it has been confined to few local
tiles, and manufactures are not found
scattered throughout the state, as
with many other Industries.
The tail of the crawfish serves that
animal as an oar. By peculiar jerk
of the tail the animal Can retire from a
dangerous object with almost incredi-
bic swiftness. The tail is much more
effective in moving the animal back
ward than forward, singular instance
of adaptation to its situation, for by
means of its tail it can withdraw into
its hole with such swiftness as in an
instant to place it out of danger.
Some bright Green mountains boy
has figured out the following: Among
the $50 odd towns in Vermont it 10
curiously noted that only eight bear
names taken from the Bible, viz:
Goshen, Jericho, Canaan, Ellen, Co.
rinth, Athens, B thel and Sharon. A
very great majority of the names are
derived from old English sources,
either after some English town, like
Rochester, Rutland and Manchester,
or after some English family, like Dor
set, Shrewsbury, Essex, st. Albans and
others.
In recent issue of the Hoxic, Kan &,
day night at 10 o'clock was another
nh0 I
days since we stepped out of the back
door of our office and broke our below
ed whisky bottle, pledeing never to
use the vile stuff again. To our certain
knowledge we have kept the faith"
There is a beneficent institution in
Newark, N. j., known as the Female
Charitable society. The name of the
superintendent is Miss Mary. A short
time ago woman who wished to take
some of the children sent out by the
society for two weeks in the country
addressed letter in good faith to the
superintendent as follows: "Miss
Mary Female Charitable Society, New
ark, N. j."
The addition of $4,000 acres to the
Adirondack park is a cause for satis-
faction. The lands purchased for DR..
Webb make the largest single block
yet acquired in fnrthersnce of the pur-
pose of extending the park to include
the 2,S07,760 acres fixed upon as a
proper preserve for the maintenance of
the forest and streams 80 necessary to
the state. With this addition the
public domain will amount to $4,000
acres.
The prospect of another Ashantee
war recalls Sir Wilfred Lawson's sum-
mary of the English campaign of 1873.
He asked in the house of commons
what England had gained by her
victories over the Ashantees. "An old
umbrella and treaty" he made answer
to his own question. He was reminded
that there had been no treaty. He re-
marked that he was not sorry, as the
treaty would have been worth no more
than the umbrella.
At Peukubl, small village in Prus-
sia, farmer died last March. Since
then one of his sons has been sickly and
somehow a rumor was started that the
dead man would not rest until he had
drawn nine members of the family also
into the grave. To "conjure" the spell.
near relative must open the grave
and decapitate the corpse. According
ly, the sick man, armed with spade,
went to the cemetery exhumed his
fathers body, and cut off the head.