The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-08-21
ITEMS OF INTEREST.


be withheld she has only 10 90 before
the eadi and turn her slipper upside down,
and II the complaint be not then redressed
IL is ground for divorce.
"A lady who recently returned from
Egypt brought with her a terra-cotta fig
ura Of a cat which she saw with her own
eyes dug out of the ruins Of Karnac. She
paid a good price for il. and was delighted
with her purchase. Unfortunately the 9TH
er day 1t was knocked down and smashed.
Its head was found then 70 be stuffed with
old numbers Of the Birmingham, Eng,
Post.
1t would be possible for a man TO ex-
ist II he were the only species Of animal
on earth. but under very difficult condi-
tons, says the Hartford Times. The
greatest difficulty would not. as it might
appear at first sight, be one OF food.
Many races have proved that it is quite
possible to live and 10 develop to a certain
mental and physical extent on purely
vegetarian diet, though the development
would not be so high, as we may gather
from the fact that meat-eating races
have always come TO the front. The
great difficulty would be fertilization, and
the getting rid Of refuse matter. Ac-
cording to the latest views Of those who
have studied the subject including Oar
tent purified and fertilized by worms.
Some go so far as to say that but for
worms the most fertile lands would be
deserts; then again, insects and bacteria
are the great breakers down and dissi-
pators of decaying matter. and as de-
caying vegetable matter is peculiarly pes
tilcntial il would probably be the source
of the greatest danger If the work OF
these myriad scavengers were stopped.
At the same time, il is possible that
man. deprived of the use Of animals,
would have been compelled to develop
his mechanical talents earlier, and ante
date the age of machinery by some thou
sands of years, and so possibly have
made himself independent of the aid he
now receives from animals.
One may see all around Philadelphia's
suburbs many strange uses of the now
antiquated horse car. says the Philadel-
phia Ledger. While riding in the trolley
through these suburban districts one may
see them utilized for hen coOps and by the
ubiquitous peanut vendor and dispenser of
soft drinks and cigars. Evidently this prac-
tice is not entirely local one, as an ar
ticle in the Electrical World states they
have found various odd uses in COnnecti-
cut as well. In that state the problem as
to what should be done with the old horse
cars remained unsoved until some enter
summer cottages, hunters camps, lodges,
etc The public readily fell in with the
idea, with the result that all of 600 old cars
that went into disuse are now being util-
lied for these novel purposes. 1t is stated
that all along the Long Island coast, from
Watch Hill to Larchmont, these cars may
be seen perched up on top of some breezy
bluff on the sandy shore, or in some quiet
shaded nook, affording temporary habita-
tion for families, fishermen, hunters, etc.
The demand for old horse cars has greatly
increased in consequence of this new use.
One woman recently asked the station
agent at New London for his lowest prices
for passenger cars, also a list of the va
rious styles. A Norwich party has ar
ranged four cars in the form of a hollow
square and erected a canvas awning in
the square. One of the cars is used as
the kitchen and the others as sleeping
rooms, dining ROOM parlor, etc One gen.
tleman has five cars on Block Island, which
he has placed end to end like a train. The
supply of old cars in this one state has
thus suddenly become exhausted.
An English gentleman of letters has re-
Gently evolved from the musty pages of
history some new and exceedingly inter-
esting data regarding the origin of the
| gaudy barber pole, says the New York
| Journal. Its first beginnings, the gentle
| man says were in the days of the barber
| surgeons. In early times both medicine
and surgery were in the hands of the bar
| bers, as, indeed, they continued to be for
| many centuries afterward. The old theory
| was that the men of the razor were the
wouthiest to handle the lancet, and even
| in the middle ages the lancet was the one
! great instrument of medicine, as blood
! letting was one of the chief practices of
the time. In the days of old, during the
- he II,
! grasp a stick, which the barber-surgeOn
! kept ready for use, that the pain might
! be lessened, in just the same way as in
! the day before chloroform was invented
| people undergoing a severe operation fire.
! quently chewed lead bullets. Around this
! stick was twined a supply of bandages
for tying up the arm of the patient When
not in use the pole was hung at the door
as a sign. In the course Of time a painted
staff was displayed instead of the one
| actually used during the operations.
! considering the vast values in gem
| pearls obtained from the eastern fisher
| les, says the Popular Science Monthly, il
is surprising to find that the plain, IN,
| romantic mother-of pearl secured is Of
even greater worth. Previous to the dis
| covery of the extensive Australian fishing
! grounds, in 1865, the supply of mother-of
| pearl was diminishing, while the demand
| was increasing. The large-shelled specie:
| already mentioned are there found II
fine quality. The shells are the size o.
large soup plates, weigh a pound eacn
and are worth about 81 a pair. An expert
| diver in diving dress will collect 300 to 4O
/ pairs in a day. About 100 gem pearls are
found in every ton of these shells. Beauti
full art Work in carved and inlaid mother
| of-pearl has long been produced in China
and Japan. Some idea of the extent Of
| its European use in the arts and manu-
features may be had from the fact tina
! 5000 persons are engaged in workin,
| mother-of-pearl in Austria, and half tina.
| number in France, while the value of tn,
| annual import into England is nearly 81
500, co., In the Philippine Islands window.
are made of mother-of-p pearl; and Jane.
Anthony Froude, in his volume of voyac
ing in Oceana, describes frightful MAJOR
| idols, with slips of mother-of-pearI glft
| tering in their eye sockets, while in Cash
| mere it is the custom to inlay the inscrin
| tons in tombstones with the same az,
quisite substance. To cap the climax n
curious uses of the lustrous nacre. IT i
said that large quantities of seed pearl
are imported into China to be calcined IN
to medicines for the Celestials.
AVuaTnSG