The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1897-05-17
An Exploded Myth About
a Miraculous Spring.
II Isn't Cold That We Catch,
But Heat, the Doctors Say.
Making Of Glass Is SO Ancient That
It's Origin Is Not Known.

A veteran of the War os the Rebellion
with whom the Gossiper had pleasant
chat recently made the remark that the
ease with which myths could grow was
really surprising. To Illustrate ms mean mean,
ing. he related a story about Andersonyllle
prison. According TO his tale the prison
ers at Andersonville being greatly dis
tressed for water prayed for help ana IN
answer 20 their petition spring Droke
out furnishing clear, pure water for their
use. This was the myth. The fact OF the
case the veteran said was that Ander.
sonyille is situated on the bank OF
creek, which ran through the prison en-
closure, but il very socn became foul from
the sewage OF the camp. AT the time OF
the surrender In April, 1865, Anderson
VILE had received 40, 4S5 persons, OF whom
II. e26 died of disease and privation, ana
the sewage from so large community
would deflle a stream of much larger vol
ume than the little creek that ran through
the prison stockade. The soil about An
dersonyille is sandy, and after heavyrains
springs frequently broke out here ana
there in the prison enclosure, the water
from the higher. ground finding an outlet
through the sand on the banks OF the
creek This rain water was collected by
the prisoners in little wells which they
dug for themselves, and this incident, to-
pether with the fact that one or two or
these springs yielded considerable sup
ply of water for n long time, was the
foundation of the myth OF the miraculous
fountain.
So we don't catch cold as we thought
we did, we only catch heat. When we get
che snuf1les or stuffed-uphead or
sore throat 1t isn't cold that does It, but
heat. At least, that is what modern medl-
cal authorities say about the matter.
Here il DIR. William II. Pearse, we'll
known physician of Boston who says that
the danger of cathing cold Is not In sud
den transitions from heat TO cold, but the
reverse He declares that he has walked
at midnight from a highly heated man
sion across Boston Common, in his dress
coat only. on a calm, starry night, with
the temperature about zero. He suffered
no Inconvenience butlfelt sure that the
stimulous OF the heat of the house gave
him power Of resistance to the cold. The
Medical Record backs up DIR. Pearse and
says that one can come from hot room
into the cold outer air and run, but little
chance of catching cold. The danger is
rather, 1t says, in entering hot reom
from without, and especially In enter
ing an overheated and unventilated apart
mont filled with the excrementitious pro-
ducts from the lungs and skin OF its in
mates. A change from hot TO cold
atmosphere can be made suddenly. but
that from extreme cold to indoor heat
should be made gradually, IL one would
avoid the catarrhal consequences Of catch
ing heat.
A confirmed user Of tobacco claims that
a plug of the weed is as good a barometer
as any person needs. As long as the
weather lis to be fine, he asserts the
tobacco will be dry, and If there is not
too much sugar and licnrice in It, IL will
crum BILE like bark. But just before
rain the tobacco will get damp and hexi-
II nd ha In ha uir xri1
make IL almost olammy. No one who
chcws tobacco. the man who makes the
assertion says, need every be without in
formation as to a change in the weather.
II he will only watch his plug.
No one has ever been able to trace the
origin OF the manufacture Of glass for
the invention OF 1t Is so old as to have
been buried in the unknown past. Among
the Egyptians and Assyrians tho invention
was attributed to the gods. Pliny says
that IL was the invention OF the Pboeni
clans and that glass was made In Syria
400 years b. G. The excavations at Baby
Ion and Nineveh, however, together with
recent discoveries In the tombs of Egypt,
show that objects of glass We're probably
made as early as 1000 or $500 years before
the Christian era 1t Is said that In the
recent Investigations among the ruins
of Nippur, in Mesopotamia, one or two
OD1eCbS OI glass nave Dten ulSCONeTeu, anu
AZ these are contemDoraneous with the
ruins, they date from 5000 to 1000 years
IS. G. There were glass houses in Tyre
in the time of Alexander who destroyed
tEe city 332 B. @. In the ruins of Pompeii
have been found evidences that houses OF
thesbetter class possessed glass windows
This was in A. ID. 79, the date of the
eruption Of Vesuvius. The first glass
house established in England is said To
have been at Crutched- Friars in the
Savoy, 1857. One historical authority
says that the earliest glass bottle factory
in America was established at Glassboro
n. j., in 1775 In the tenth century tho
use of glass for window panes began Co be
general throughout Europe, and in 1l77
window glass for private houses was inn
ported from England.
The recent dedication Of tho Grant tomb
has revived interest in tho burial places
OF all our former presidents. These bur
ial places are widely scattered. Washing
ton was buried at Mount Vernon, his
family estate In Virginia; Adams beneath
the portico of the Stone Temple, Unitar-
ian church. at Quincy, Mass. Jeffcrson's
grave is Ia thick growth of wood near
the road leading from Charlottesville, Va,
up TO Montite o 10; Madison was buried on
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