The morning news., 1897-02-17
ITEMS OF INTEREST.

parture in the punishment of crimes
against women, by substituting emascu-
lation in the place of state prison as the
penalty. A bill to that effect has been ia
Vorably reported in the House.
1t is a curious satire upon life that the
czar, that dreaded, awful parsonage, rep
resentative of powers that are well-nigh
Superhuman, inheritor of traditions AT
once the darkest and the most august in
history, and absolute master of resources
OF two great nations-for France is at
this moment the handmaiden of Russia
should be a delicate, amiable young man,
afflicted with a nervous shyness in the
presence of strangers, and clinging with
an almost passionate tenderness to the
Womenfolk of his own family.
1t is common to hear of the giant peo-
pie who lived in the old days; yet, it is
decidedly uncommon to find proof that the
average ancient was any larger or more
powerfully built than the average person
OF the present day. The Egyptian num-
mics show these people to have been of
medium size; the remains taken from the
catacombs do not differ in size from the
people OF the present, while the armor
which was worn by the warriors of the
long ago, tit as readily the forms of peo-
pie who are not at all gigantic-or, at
least, extraordinarily above the average
either in Sirth or stature. There were
great men in the old days, but as great
stiii obtain in the nineteenth century.
The question is often asked if other
nations besides ours, have Thanksgiving
days The question may be answered in
the aflrmatlve. though the other nations
having such festivals, do not give to them
the same name The ancient Hebrews had
an equivalent festival The English have
their harvest homes;" the French, Span
lSh and Portuguese have their several
days rejoicing after the grain harvest
or vintage. The old Romans and Greeks
had their feast of Bacchus god of wine
and Ceres. queen of the harvest. The
Chinese have both seed time and harvest
festivals while the ''green-corn dance
and other celebrations of the North Amer
lean Indians are of practically the same
character.
"A curious story Is told of the death of
the first King George of England. He
had been divorced from his wife. Sophia
Dorothea of Zele in 1894, and she re-
mained IN confinement in the Castle of
Ahlen for thirty-two years. Shortly be-
fore her death, which occurred Nov. 13,
l126, she wrote letter to George deny
ing the charges made against her, and
Solemnly citing him to appear before the
justice seat of God to answer for his in
human conduct. Early in June of the fol-
lowing year the English king arrived in
Germany, on his way to Hanover. let
ter was thrown into the carriage window
1t was the one written by his former
wife. It's contents so excited the king
tnat ne was seized with apoplexy and
died.
Many new sects have come into exist
ence in England within the last two CEN
turies; but, none more curious than that
nrSt came into public notice about 165l
and died out in the early part of the pres
ent century; The Muggletonians were
founded by Ludovic Muggleton, a tailor
representing one John Reeve, who claimed
divine inspiration The pair declared them
selves to be the witnesses mentioned in
revelations; they denied the existence of
a trinity; cursed everybody who opposed
them; believed that the devil had become
lncarnate in Eve and rested in the daugh-
lerS OF Eve; hated the pope the king
and the women, and believed in the COM
munity of goods and interests The sect
was never very numerous.
Should the doctor fail to do the rheu-
matte good, there is-at least in the coun-
try-considerable ground for hope left,
says an exchange. The sufferer NAV turn
TO some of the cures favored by the SUI
persutious. In Michigan he may try
douple cedar knot, which, carried in the
In New Hampshire it will be the gall
from the stem of golden-rod. There is
small white grub in the gall and as long
as II remains alive there will be no rheu-
matlSm HICKORY nuts, the buckeye and
| the horse-chestnut are all foes to rheu-
matism in New Jersey. Some people favor
ring made from a potato, with hole
| bored through it, and others carry a plain
potato IN the pocket, which is all the more
eihcaclous If somebody will steal it,
| These are all safe and certain remedies
for the rheumatism if the Imagination is
more fervid than the disease is serious
THE blossom of the cherry tree is the
national flower of Japan. Picnics in Japan
| are called going to see the flowers" In
June, millions OF the people go out to sing
| ana sport under the cherry trees The
Japanese cultivate all over the country
| the Sakura or cherry tree. which they val
ue only for the beauty and sweet perfume
! OF IT'S MOWERS. From an entire tree one
! could not pick enough ripe cherries to
make a pie; but the blossoms are massed
| together on the boughs like clouds, and
| the blooms are often as large as a rose
The chaffinch, linnet or that great song
| ster the lark, are not exceptionally early
riserS but they have feathered neighbors
| in the woods who amply make up for all
| delinquences on their part. That merry
| fellow, the thrush, is up and about at
| row and tomtit are abroad a little later.
The robin and wren usually get up about
| 4:3O. The noisy blackbird turns out about
4 o'clock, and has usually a good break
| fast before most birds-and people as
| welfare awake. But there are still 9TH
| ers ahead of him. The quail is often heard
| piping about the edge of the wood a 3
o'clock, the blackcap turns up at 2:30,
while it is no uncommon thing to hear the
chirp of a green finch as early as 80 on
summer morning.
Machinery is beginning to play a very
important part in flint and green glass
| manufacture, says the Pittsburg Dis
| patch. The Introduction of one machine
alone for simplifying the making of fruit
| jars was instrumental i'm reducing the
price list last fall, and its further appi-
cation is expected to be a large factor
in the settlement OF wages next year. To
~ive an idea of the revolution which is
impending in this branch of the glassware
business, one firm turned outIast Septem-
ber, with five machines, 32,000 jars a day
For month past four additional ma
chimes have been i'm use, and the daily out
put has been 5000 jars. There is now
being built an additional tank furnace,
which will double the capacity of the
works and bring up the daily production
to over 100000 jars, or, say, 3O,0000O0 Jars
per year, which will be fully one-third of
the entire fruit jar production of the
United States. Lamps the foot and bowl
of which were formerly Joined by hand,
and often very imperfectly DONE are now
made by machines, which form the oil
fount and foot at one operation and out
Of one piece of glass. The collar is blown
into the glass, and the lamp is practically
indestructible One firm of punch tumbler
blowers has hitherto employed a few hand
blowers, each hand turning out about COO
tumblerS per turn. In the same factory
ten machines will soon be at work, which
Will give an output of 10000 punch tum-
bers per day.
Everybody remembers what a lot of
excitement there was in 1894 when Gen.
Cassius NJ. Clay. then 81 years of ace.
married a girl of H. and took her TO his
home near Whitehall. Ky. says the New