The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1896-12-04
Phrase ITO the VictOrS
Belong the SpOilS"
Was Not Coined by Jackson,
Though He Practiced It.
Remarkable Power of Certain Shell
Fish-Sleepless Fish.

In a Governor street car bound down
town last evening two gentlemen were
discussing the merits OF the civil service
reform which has been In progress in
this country for some years. "For my
part,n remarked one of them. 81 am not
very favorably impressed by this civil
fervice reform idea. Indeed think as
old Andrew Jackson did, when he de-
clsreo that sto the victors belong the
spoils.' AS matter OF fact Jackson
never made sucn a declaration although
he was the first president OF the United
States to make general sweeping out
of ofice holders. He hac been most
cruelty libsled during the campaign, &C
cused of being illiterate,a drunken brute,
and his wife, q lovely Christian woman.
was pursued with lies and the vilest
especially yirulent in their persecution,
and when he took cfiice he turned upon
his assailants aud detractors and swept
them from office all over the country.
That is how he came TO be credited with
the aut horship OF the phrase quoted but
II was William L. Marcy, VINO, In q speech
made in the United States Senate. in
January, 1882. referring 10 Jackson's
course, said: "They zee nothing wrong
in the rule that to the victors belong the
spoiis of the enemy"
A naturalist has been making an inter
esting in vsatie stion into the power ex-
erteu by certain kinds OF shell fish, In
sects. ETC., and as result he snnoun, cs
that the shelless iimpet pulls 1884 times
its own weight when In the air and
about double when measured in the
water. Fleas pull 1,4s3 times their own
dead weight. The Mediterranean cookie,
Venus verrucosa, can exert pulling
power equal to 2O71 times the weight Of
its own body. So great is the power pos
sessed cy the oyster that TO open Ii a
force equal to 1,3l9.5 times the weight of
its ,shelless body 10 required. IL the
human being possessed strength as great
in proportion as that of these shell fish
tho average man would be able to lift the
enormous weight of 2.978,U00 pounds,
pulling In the same degree az the limpet.
And IL the man pulled In the same prs
portionate degree as the cookie he would
sustain q weight OF not less than 3, lO6,- :
800 pounds.
Speaking Of shsllHsh, insects, etc. I,
recalls the fact scientists ere now pretty
well agreed that several species of fab,
reptiles and insects never sleep. Among
the Ash II IL now positively known that
the pike, the salmon and the gold fish
never sleep at all. Also that there are
sevsral others OF the fish family that
never sleep more than q few minutes
during . month and which take no rest
Whatever during the breeding season.
There are dozens OF. q ecies OF flies (mos tly
tropical) which never indulge In slumbe
snd from three to Ave species OF serpents
on each of the continents which the
naturalists have never yet been able to
catch mapping. Some years ago theory
founded on the observations OF Luhenok,
Hir John Lubbock and others were to the
effect that the ant IL another of the In
sects that are never caught asleep. At
that time (iS74) the result OF these obser'
vations excited considerable comment,
and II was declared to be "the only ex-
ception known in the animal world tc
the general rule that sleep is q necessary
consequent of labor" More extended
observations, however, have proven tha
there are several exceptions to the gen
sraI rule OF periodical slum ber In the ami
NAL creation.