The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-11-14
OUT OF THE ORDINARY.

There has this year for the first time been
a British pilgrimage to Lourdes. 1t num-
bered sixty persons.
Russia's population has increased during
the last one hundred years a fraction less
than 100000 annually.
Most all the buttons used in the United
States are manufactured in western Massa-
chusetts towns, and the factories are rushed
with orders.
Auburn, Me-, is congratulating herself
upon death rate of only l Is per cent,
the smallest in New England if not in the
whole country.
port. VT, has kept the same store in the
same place for fifty-four years, and hopes
to make it sixty years.
Russia is said to own &c. O00,O0 horses, or
nearly one-half of the whole number in ex-
istence. Most of them belong to the peas
ants of that vast empire.
Oshkosh Wis, owes it's fame to its name
and the Old Settlers Club of that place
proposes to erect monument to Chief OSh-
kosh, from whom the city received its
name.
Out of 25,0Oo school children examined in
Minneapolis, 5000 had defective eyeSlght
The highest percentage of detection was
found in poorly lighted and unsanitary
building.
scarcely more than two inches, said to have
been worn at one time by the Highland
heroine Flora Macdonald, has been sold at
Inverness for &c los.
City" the name by right belongs to the city
of Damascus in Syria, which is the oldest
city in the world. AS long as man has writ
ten records the city of Damascus has been
known.
The public schools are the means of saw
ing a great deal of property. 1t is said that
during the vacation the school children of
America destroy, waste, or damage prop
erty of various kinds to the amount of ST.
O0O.00o day.
The most remarkable knife in the world is
that in the curiosity room of firm of cut
lers in Sheffield. 1t has 1850 blades and ten
blades are added every ten years. Another
curiosity is three pairs of scissors, all of
which can be covered with a thimble.
According to Prince Kapotl1in, this is the
way they take census in Russia. The off,
cial of the village takes nip of brandy and
says: How many children were born last
year?" "Oh, twenty-five" Then he takes
another nip and says: "Oh, let's say fifty"
Although Turkey some years ago engaged
a German official to organize its postal sys-
tenn, it has not yet been able to win the
ti,,,,a 20 10 ,,ee of tha Austrioo Cory,oon
English French and Russian postoffices in
preference to the Turkish.
Inventors in India are not as slow as
might be supposed A cooking box. intro
duced by a Hindoo, is run by solar heat.
1t is lined with mirrors, concentrating the
rays of a heater of copper, covered with
glass. and performs its work quickly in
boiling, baking or stewing.
Alderman Backer, of Brooklyn. is
philanthropist-also a real estate dealer He
has offered to the first family that is
blessed with twins in his district a house,
rent free. as long as they want to occupy it.
To the first family that registers triplets
he offers to give a house and lot.
Dogs wearing canvas shoes startle East
ern men who are hunting prairie chicken
and grouse on Nebraska plains. While the
dogs waddle somewhat like ducks when
wearing these Shoes they manage to COM
fortably cover a lot of ground in a day
after having been broken to the use of the