The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-11-25
ITEMS OF INTEREST.


| oriental languages at the University of
California, has come into possession of
a volume of the famous encyclopedias
EIblis he'd in China in 1926, and contain
ing at that time 5000 volumes which were
ihdeXed in twenty volumes. The book is
| known as the 'Tu-shu-chi Ch'eng." and is
one of the largest literary works ever
produced in the world. The subjects treat
ed comprise the entire sum of knowledge
possessed in China, classified under the
heads of astronomy and mathematics,
physical and political geography, human
relationship, science and inanimate ma
ture, metaphysics and doctrinal philoso-
pay, and political economy.
There exists at least one man in Phil
adelphia who will never entertain any
superstitious aversion to the number 10,
says the Philadelphia Record He is
machindst by trade and a tiny piece or
steel few days ago flew from his chisel
deep into the pupil of his eye. He went
to the Jefferson hospital and was placed
in bed No. Is. Anther man injured in the
same way came in about the same time
and was placed in bed No. IA. There is
only one way to extract metals that be-
come imbedded in the pupil of an eye, and
that is by means of magnets. 1t is an. ex-
| ceedingly delicate and dangerous opera
| ton. Both men were treated in the same
way. The man in No. 10 recovered his
| sight, while the occupant of No. Il lost
| his eye When the lucky man left the
hospital he informed the surgeon that he
would hereafter patronize everything
bearing the number 13.
One of the strangest hypnotic stories
comes from Sweden. Nine. Ida Aalberg,
otherwise the Baroness Uexkull, Finnish
| riva' of Sarah Bernhard and Eleonora
| Duse, is now starring at the Theater
! Royal, Stockholm. The Swedish public
| appears to have been undemonstrative
and this so preyed upon the nervous sys-
| tenn of the artist that she was seized with
aphasia, or speechlessness, when perform
| ing in Sundermanns Gluck i'm Winkel
and had to go home to bed. DR.. Wetter-
! strand, the well-known specialist, was at
| once called in. Three hours before the
\ next performance he is said to have hyn-
Noticed his patient, and then suggested
| that she should set up, proceed to the
| theater and play with full command Of
! her voice and faculties. Quite uncon-
| sciously she obeyed the suggestion, and
| rather overacted her part, throwing FAR
more energy than usual into her tones
| and gestures. The audience, ignorant Of
the truth, applauded eagerly, and the az
! fair passed off with complete success. All
| that is now wanted is that the hypnotist
should be able to hypnotic bad actors and
actresses into good ones.
President L. S. Woodbury. of the Great
| Falls Iron Works, has in contemplation
the construction of what he chooses to
| term horsecycle, whereby a horse can
propel four-wheeled vehicle on ordinary
| ground at the rate of one mile in fifty-
nine seconds, says the Great Falls MONTY
| Leader. The proposed machine can be
made in two forms, either one of which
Mr.. Woodbury. thinks will fill the bill
| The first is in the form of an ordinary
| DnRRV. Instead n hninpr oh
the horse will occupy position between
| the four wheels and operate a sort OF
| treadmill. Should the velocity be so great
as to attract too much air. then 1T is
proposed to enclose the entire machine
| horse, rider and all-in a Whaleback or
torpedo-cut SHE'LL the propelling opera.
| ton to remain the same. The seat of
| the rider will be directly behind or above
the horse. President Woodbury. is so con-
| hdent of success that he is willing to back
| his bonds against silver that mile can
| be made in f1fty-nine seconds or better
The machine will be a novel one, and, If
| 1t should prove a success, will undoubted-
| ly be world-beater in records for fast
| travelling.
"A German scientist and statistician
has been looking over the census reports
of Europe and has learned few things
from the records. He finds, among other
| things that high civilization does not pro-
mote long life. The German empire, with
population of 55,0O0O00 has but rs sub
Jects who are more than 100 years old
France, with 100000 people, has 21S per-
sons who have passed their Tooth birth
day. England possesses of centenarians
JAG; Ireland, 57S; Scotland, 46; Denmark, q;
| Belgium, s. Sweden 10; Norway, with
| 100000 inhabitants, %. Switzerland can
not boast a single man who is 100 years
old, but Spain, with 5000, 900 population
has 40 The most astonishing figures
! come from the troublesome and turbulent
Balkan peninsula. Little Servia has $50
persons more than 100 years old; Rouma-
| mia, 10S4; Bulgaria, 1888. Bulgaria has a
| centenarian to every 1000 inhabita and
holds the international record. In 1892
alone there died in Bulgaria $50 persons
| of more than 100 years. In the Balkan pc
| ninsula, for instance, a man is not consid-
cred tottering on the verge of the grave
| when he reaches a round century This
| is because year or so ago in Servia there
were 126 persons between 106 and lis years
| 1923 between lis and 125 years, IS between
125 and 1876, 8 between 1876 and 40 The
scientist does not credit the story of the
Russian who is said to be 100 years old
and in his opinion the Oldest man in the
| world is Brun Cotrim, a negro, born in
| Africa and now resident of Rio Janeiro
The statistician says the Oldest woman in
! the world is aged 100, but does not tell
| WuSlC Sl0 lives VI WuO size Is. HefhaDS
he thought her unworthy of special mem
ton after the surprising figures obtained
from Servia in regard to age.
The usual way for seeds to be carried
is by the wind, says st. Nicholas. Some
times they are so small and light as to be
easily waited by the breezes. This is the
case with the seed of the Observation-Disclosures
and meadow pinks and the other beauti-
full plants of our woods and boys called
| orchids. And the tiny bodies, like atoms
| of dust termed spores" that answer to
| seed in ferns and MOSES and toadstools
are borne away by the lightest breath of
| air. But most seeds are themselves too
heavy for this. So they are oftentimes
| provided with thin, broad wings that car
| ry them before the wind as a sail carries
boat The pairs Of keys" that hang in
| clusters from the maple trees in spring
are such winged fruits. When ripe they
| float slowly to the ground, or If a high
wind is blowing. they are carried farther
from the tree. The ash has thick hupoha.