Eagle River Democrat. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1893-1896, 1896-04-13
CURIOUS CONVERSATIONS.

The United Kingdom spends yearly
$750,000,000 on tobacco and cigars.
The strawberry crop of the United
States exceeds 100000 tons yearly.
Five and a half million pounds of
meat are consumed on the 7. u .. steam
ships every year.
In Russia the principals in a duel
partake of breakfast together before
going out to fight.
Experiments have shown that soft
wood under pressure becomes consider
ably harder than hard wood under press
ure.
in King Prempeh's palace the Eng
lish found $4,000 in silver and gold and
under the Kings bed a large number Of
gin bottles.
At one time during the life of John
Bright there were no fewer than seven
members of his family with seats IN the
House of Commons.
The Canadian colony of Hebrews
founded by Baron Hirsch has collapsed.
Of the original 800 only a dozen or two
are still on the ground.
-"Grace Greenwood" was no other
than Mrs. Sarah Jane Lippincott.. Her
social writings were long the admiration
of the readers of light literature.
The house in which Andrew Jackson
had his headquarters during the period
including the battle of New Orleans was
burned to the ground the other day.
j. Fenimore Cooper began to write
under the pen name of "a Travelling
Bachelor" His travels and social con-
dition probably inspired the selection.
Robert Southey's pen name was "Es-
priella Alvarey." 1t was used IN his
letters from England. Most of his
works were published over his own
name.
John Ruskin published his early
writings under the pen name of Grad
uate of Oxford" the selection being OBJ
viousIy influenced by his place OF educa-
ton.
Francis Mahoney was long known
among his acquaintance as Father
Prout," his best-known book having
been entitled "Reliques of Father
Prout"
Round bonnets, with broad fiat tops,
were less used in the Highlands than in
the lowlands of Scotland. In the days
of simple head-coveringS, plume, or
sprig of some particular plant, was used
as a badge of rank.
Street cars propelled by compressed
air will soon appear in Chicago. The
continual rattle and changing of cable
cars and the clatter of iron-shod hoofs
may be heard no more if the newcomers
prove practicable.
Gaps of linen wool, straw, bark of
trees and leather were extensively worn
in Egypt and Arabia in early times, and
were usually Of a pointed or peaked
shape. The variety Of head-dresses used
by the Egyptian ladies was very great.
Topographic communication between
England and the continent has SO enor-
mOusly increased of late that the British
postal department must lay new subma-
rine cables to France and Germany.
Those now existing are quite inadequate
for the traffic.
The production of olive oil in Cepha-
lonia is very considerable, good crop
Welding $4,000 to 10000 barrels, or $780,
fourths goes into local consumption, and
only one-fourth is exported almost ex-
clusively to Russia.
Vampire, or vampire, was a name
given to an imaginary demon, which, it
was pretended, sucked the blood of per-
sons during the night, and thereby de-
Stroyed them. These vampires were
supposed to animate the bodies found
fresh, forid and full of blood.
of all the numerous instruments en-
ployed in our times the oldest and most
widely known are the drum, harp and
bagpipe. The first of these, simple as it's
construction is, has literally played an
in the north of Asia. and was for more
than 1000 years the only instrument
known to the rude and rowing Tartars.
The harp is of very doubtful origin.
Some say it was invented by the Harpii,
an ancient people of Italy, from whom
its name was derived; others that it was
a product of Scandinavia. But certain
it is that this instrument was in special
honor and request among all the Celtic
nations. BY the ancient laws of Wales
it was one of the three things the posses
sion of which constituted a gentle, or,
rather, free man.
The Romans went to such lengths in
the way of luxurious boots and shoes
that the Emperor Aurelian issued an
edict on the subject. Men were not to
wear painted boots, and women were
prohibited from wearing red shoes
Green shoes were declared contrary to
manly dignity; and only the wives OF
princes and senator's had the right to
wear boots and shoes with gold or silver
soles and ornamented with pearls and
precious stones.