The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-04-05
ITEMS OF INTEREST.

thing once before. some crank made Us
believe the end Of the world was coming
IN February, 1881. We sold our Overcoat,
and bought a lot OF thin linen stun and
had II made uD into what the prophet
called ascension robes We got ready TO
go up the day set. We got one Of these
robes and looked every minute fer the
END to come. jabbing US into eternity.
We even climbed I'd on the house-tOp to
be nearer the skies when IL did come
We looked in vain for the end. Our neigh
bors laughed at us. We are on earth yet
We were fined $50 for wearing such clothes
IN daytime in public. We caught a cold
and had a case of pneumonia which COST
SO for doctors bill. No. Mr.. Prophet
we've done with the end of the world
One would hardly have expected Leo
XIII to be an admirer of Bismarck. Ac-
cording to Won Leubach, the German
painter, to whom his holiness has repeat
edly sat for his portrait. the pope was in
the habit Of expressing the deepest inter
est in Bismarck. On one occasion he ex-
pressed an ardent desire to have por-
trait OF the chancellor specially painted
for himself. On returning to Germany
Won Leubach communicated the request
10 bismarck, who, although both puzzled
ana amused, readily consented to sit. Next
year Won Leubach took the portrait TO
Rome, but unfortunately his holiness was
not to have his desire fulfilled. The ar
list believes that the Jesuits got wind of
the matter. and declared that Ii would
be scandal were the portrait of an in
famous hereto and the author of the Kul-
70 DIOIdne the vatican. ' on
Leuhach waited in vain for instructions
regarding the work, but as these never
came, he at length decided to sell the
portrait to the museum at Breslau
"A pension has been granted to Derrick
Updegraff, the founder of Medicine Lodge.
who is now in his 90th year. Tom McNeal
says the old man has been a resident of
Kansas for nearly half century and dur
ing the border troubles was a follower of
John Brown. He was the original pre-
mt mi Ian
TecumSeh, out of which grew the famous
contest suit of Jordan VS.. Updegraff, de-
cided by the supreme court of Kansas in
1860. In the days of the border strife
Derrick UpdeGraf was known as the most
powerful man, physically in the territory.
IL was said that in his prime he could with
one hand take a chair, with a good-szed
man sitting in il, by the rung, raise it from
the floor and hold the man and chair at
arms length. He was brave as he was
strong, and the man who fooled with
him found that he had walked the wrong
passenger. He was frontiersman by in
stinct. and when the east half of the state
became populous and began to put on the
airs of advanced civilization he gathered
his little ones about him and pulled out for
the front. He was the first probate judge
or Barber county and entered the historic
town site of Medicine Lodge He built
and kept the first hotel in the village.
The act passed by the legislature of
Pennsylvania to encourage the use of
wide tires on wagons on the public high
ways is so vague that the attorney gem
eral has been asked by the secretary of
agriculture as to the meaning of one of
its important provisions. In answer to A
question from the secretary as to whether
a farmer residing near large city, who
mas placed wide tires upon all his farm
wagons, except a covered wagon, which
he uses for hauling market products to
the city market, can claim the reduction
or road tax, under the law, so long as his
one wagon has narrow tires, the Attorney
General says; The evident purpose of this
legislation was to prevent as far as pos
SIDE the use or narrow tires and wagons
upon which heavy loads were carried and
TO encourage the use of wide tires to the
END that the roads should be injured as
Ilttle as possible He is of the opinion
however, that a farmer whose draft
wagons earring 1000 pounds or more and
VINO mas them equipped with four-inch
ures, ana uses no wagon with a narrower
tire for the purpose of carrying 1900
pounds or more brings himself within the
provisions OF this act, and is entitled to
tne rebate OF one-fourth of the assessed
highway tax.
There has just been founded at Cal
cutta an institution for the education of
monkeys. A young monkey is taken and
before him is placed a set of blocks of
WMch are painted in capitals the letters
OF the alphabet. These blocks are, in
Iact exactly similar to those which chill
dren play With in every civilized country
in the world, and they are used in Dre-
clsely the same way as if the monkey
race; There is one professor for each
monkey, and the monkey is taught by
means Of the blocks to spell certain
words. If the word is fruit" for exam
pie the monkey, after having been taught
to arrange the blocks so as to spell the
word quickly and Without error. receives
bit OF fruit as his reward The same
exercise is repeated with other words
and it is hoped that in time the simians
VIII learn how to read and spell and I'M
derstand English If they cannot speak it,
Only young animals are taken. There
is no danger of this queer school lacking
for scholars, for there are thousands az
monkeys to be found in that part of India
where Calcutta is situated An effort
will also be made, 1T is said to educate
these beasts SO that they may become
fairly efficient domestic servants The
school is so young as yet, however, that
what it will accomplish is entirely a mat
ter of speculation. Its "professors', are
enthusiastic about their novel work. and
seem to think that a new field of use
fulness will be opened up for these chat
terlng little beasts.-Paris Journal des
Debats.
Charles Dickens father became in his
last desolate days a writer for the press.
| When Dickens was made editor of the
London Daily News he thoughtfully pro-
vided fer his father by installing him as
leader of the parliamentary CORPS of that
journal: He of course, knew nothing of
! Journallsm-WaS not even capable of writ
| ing shorthand. Providentially, he was
not required to take notes, but generally
| to overlook thingS-a post which exactly
| suited Mr.. MicaWber, for ii is well known
| that Dickens father stood as the lay
| figure of David Copperfeld's incompara-
| bic friend. Only a few years ago there
| died an original member of the Daily
News parliamentary corps who had a
| distinct remembrance of his first respect
| ed leader, his grandly vague conception
of his duties, and his almost ducal man.
ner of not performing them. In the hight
! of Dickens fathers prosperity, it seems
| that his salary in the navy pay office was
n oh
| Dickens was born it was goo 1t was in
| Cover street, London. that Mrs. Micawber
| covered her street door with brass plate,
| on which was engraved: Boarding Es-
| tablishment for Young Ladies'" Mr. Nj
! cawber is described as "a well-bult man.
| rather stout, of very active habits, a liz
| tie pompous and very proud of his tai
| ented son. He dressed well and wore a
| goodly bunch of seals suspended across
| his waistcoat from his watch chain" The
| original of Paul Dombey by the way. was
| the little deformed child of Fanny DicK-