Eagle River Democrat. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1893-1896, 1896-04-27
CURIOUS CONVERSATIONS.


made of walnut shells complete parlor
suite of furniture, consisting of center
table. rocker, sofa, armchair and four
straight back chairs.
Several handsome monuments in
Dale cemetery, Sing Sing, n. Y, have
been defaced by some one throwing upon
them chemicals which have the effect of
streaking them as though with iron rust.
Names forests are being made into
paper at the rate of about l., 600 tons of
pulp and paper every year. Some 5000
men are employed in the pulp and paper
industry, and $13,O0O,0O0 capital is in
vested in it.
The nearest thing we find to the
horseshoe of today, was found in the
grave of an old King of France, who died
in 4S1. There were four nail holes in the
shoe, and this is the first mention of nail
ing on a shoe.
The first Christian church erected in
England was at Canterbury. in the sub
urbs of st. Martin. Chapels were for
merly places set apart in baronial resi-
dences for private worship, but in course
of time the term became Of general adap-
tation to both Roman Catholics and Pro-
testants.
1t is reported that the Germans who
recently made heavy purchases of Amer
lean apples, intend to use this fruit in
entirely new and secret process. Wheth-
er this be true or not, the American
apple is gaining a firm foothold in Eu
ropean markets.
The phrase drunk as lord arose
out of an older proverb, Drunk as
sbeggar," and we are told that it was
altered owing to the vice of drunkenness
the aristocracy. Drunkenness was pun
ished in many of the early nations with
exemplary severity.
Queen Catherine, when she wanted
salad, was obliged to dispatch mes
senger to Holland on purpose. Their
fruits were neither numerous nor good,
being chiefly confined to gooseberries,
and pears were generally Indifferent and
their plums and cherries bad.
The kitchen gardens of England
were but scantily supplied with vege-
tables until about the end Of the Six
teenth century. 1t was not until the
reign of Henry VIII. that any salads,
carrots, turnips or other edible roots
were produced in England; the little of
these vegetables that was used was i'm
ported from Holland and Flanders.
1t has been estimated from the stamp
duties paid by patent medicine makers
that 100000 pills are taken by the in
habitants of the United Kingdom every
week. In France the quantity is about
half. Only about 100000 are taken
by the people of Russia. The Austria
lians are the biggest pill-takers in the
world.
No mention of the cat occurs in the
Bible or in any Assyrian record. Even
in India, Prof. Max Muller is quoted lis
saying, it was but recently known as a
domestic animal. It's Sanskrit name is
marjara, from a root meaning to clean,
from the creatures habit of licking itself
at it's toilet. The cats housing habits
were well known to the Romans, and
even to the Etruscans.
1t is said that Dr. Carver Of St. Au-
gustine, Fla, is living in the Oldest
house in the United States. 1t was built
in 1862 and was occupied by Spanish
monks before st. Augustine was found.
ed. In the house DIR. Carver has sur
rounded himself with a collection of an
Equities connected with the history of
Florida and the Spanish, who once ruled
it, that is of itself a veritable museum:
California shipped out of the state
1881 carloads of fruit, nuts, wine,
brandy and vegetables in 1895, IN in
loads. OF fruit alone the ship
ments were 37,16O carloads. In
1890 the shipments Of fruit were only
1916 carloads. If all the orchards in
California now in bearing were to put
out full crop this year the exports of
fruit should, it is estimated, reach $4,000
carloads.
One of the treasures which have add
ed to the interest of the rooms Of the
American board of commissioners for
Foreign missions in New York was
cabinet Of curios gathered by mission
aries In this cabinet was collection
of idols from the Hawaiian islands.
These images, all Of the most hideous
aspect and of strange composition, have
for more than half a century attracted
the attention of visitors.