The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-09-12
ITEMS OF INTEREST.

parts of the country, especially as there
is now almost a consensus of opinion that
the perpetuation of the system is a danger
to the health Of any district in which
such houses are erected. At Leeds not
withstanding the disclaimers of the ON
Gals, the practice appears almost to be
Favored, for in recent report of the in
spector of buildings to the Leeds Corpora
ton 1t Is stated that during the year end
ed March 25 last out of a total of l. 6Sl
houses completed and certified for occupa-
ton. there were 1929 back-to-back houses
The Inconsistency of removing large in
sanitary areas, as at Leeds, and crea ting
them IN another place is sufficiently OBJ
vious.
"A curious sight may be seen every
morning in front of the Bergh society's
building, in East Twenty-second street,
says the New York Times The big foun-
tain, with its faucets for human beings.
its big trough for horses, and the little
basins just at the street level for dogs
ana cats, has constant rush of drink
ers all day, but the strangest and most
pathetic example of it's usefulness may be
seen from daylight to Z o'clock in the
morning, when a few withered, haggard
old women come tottering by, some of
them laden with a few boards and chips
they have picked up around a building
that is being torn down, and some with
bundles of rags and other refuse culled
from curbstone barrels. One by one they
lay down their burdens, sink on their
knees, and wash their faces and hands in
the basins where the dogs drink and the
sparrows make their toilets. Some of
them have bits of broken glass before
which they arrange their gray hair in a
way to show that the first desire of a wo-
mans heart is not wholly extinct in their
shrunken old hearts.
China seems to have succeeded in
reaching the highest pinnacle of terrible
punishments, says the Chicago News For
instance, at one of the treaty ports some
time ago an offender was placed in a cage,
through the top of which his head pro-
truded, and which was just deep enough
for his toes to touch the bottom. Sus-
pended thus, with just enough support
from the tips of his toes to prevent the
dislocation of his neck, he was left till he
starved to death. Parrcides according
to the extreme penalty of the law are
cut to pieces, the murderer being sus-
pended from a cross and while in this po-
sition cut repeatedly about the fieshy
parts Of his body; finally he is decapita-
ted. Offenders of high rank are strangled,
the prisoner being given a silken cord and
instructed to perform the operation with
his own hands In 1861 a prince of blood
fused to do so, and his jailers had to car
ry out the sentence. Decapitation has be-
come fine art, the block not being used,
but the victims neck stretched as far as
possible and he is then deprived of his
head by a single stroke Of the long sword.
Stocks are in frequent use in the punish
ment of minor offenses.
Probably the empress of Austria
spends more than any other woman in
Europe on horses for her own riding, says
an exchange. A really frst-class hunter
commands almost any price the owner
likes to ask for it but let it once hesitate
at a fence or show signs of temper and it
is never ridden again by her majesty.
When the empress is hunting and the
meet happens to be far from her residence
she generally drives to within a short dis
tance of 1t in a brougham, wearing ordi-
nary carriage attire. With her majesty
are two ladies in waiting, whose duty it is
to see that everything required for the
empress wear on horseback is brought
by the dressers, who follow in another car
rage. The coachman has orders TO drive
up to any gentleman's house which hap
pens to be in the neighborhood of the
meet, when the footman alights and re-
quests that room may be placed at her
majesty's disposal to dress in. Naturally
a good many people have been somewhat
taken aback at thus being suddenly asked
to accommodate an imperial guest and
this was especially the case in ireland
when the empress was hunting there
few years ago, for they were not accus-
toned to such an honor. However, she
did there as she always did at home.
American canary fanciers are indebted
almost entirely to Germany for their fin
est birds, says an exchange. The total
value of the canaries reared every year
in Germany is something like $250,000
which goes really into the pockets of the
poorest people. In that country the breed
ing of canaries has constituted a thriv-
ing trade for over a century. 1t is only
within the last forty years that the Ger
man breeders have shipped these birds to
New York, and thence to South America
| and Australia, and, though the profits are
! small in the breeding industry in Germany
itself, yet the industry, acts as sort of
little savings bank to the poor, whence by
judicious sales they can always draw
money. The Harz mountains have been
the very center of the industry and near
ly every family among the poor noun
taineers has breeding place for the birds
in his cottage The influx of well-to-do
visitors, however, has made a great diff
ference to the cottagers, and it is said that
bird-breeding in this district is materially
decreasing. At present only the very fin
est songsters are produced, as 1t does not
pay the breeders to trouble about the less
valuable birds. The trade is being trans
ferred more or less to Eichsfelde. in the
province of Hanover, where numerous
weavers live. In each family the cheaper
sort of canaries are raised In many parts
of Hesse and Westphalia, and especially
among the Erzegbirge IN Saxony. the in
dustry still thrives. OF the $50. 900 birds
yearly raised in Germany, by far the
greatest number are shipped to the United
States, which takes over 1OO,OOO birds an
nually. Next comes Great Britain. with
$1,000 and following it in order come Bra
I'll, Chile and the Argentine Republic.
Very high prices are obtained for good
songsters in Germany itself. The aver
age price CT an ordinary bird is from TX
cents to 81; but the better ones bring a
great deal more. One New York bird
dealer, to whom most of the birds are
shipped, has factory in the Harz noun
tains, from which the material for Ooo
bird cages is daily turned out. This is mt
out in piece work among the peasants to
be made into cages at their own homes
When the birds are shipped, each after.
dant has 1000 birds under his care in sen
arate cages.