The citizen. (Frederick City, Md.) 1895-1923, 1897-11-05
written for the CitIzenJ


In addition to the knowledge that is /
called skill or art, explained DIR. Pye- !
Smith at University College, Sheffield, /
there is another kind of knowledge !
that is contemplative and theoret /
ical, and we call this science. The ab- /,
stract sciences seem 10 have arisen out |
of the needs of the useful arts-geome-
try out of the measuring of the rising !
of the Nile, arithmetic out Of counting
the hosts OF a Persian despot or the
gains of an Indian money-leuder, trig-
onometry out of setting landmarks,
chemistry out of the alchemist's search
after gold, botany out of materia med
lea, and anatomy out OF surgery. Am
ply has the debt been repaid. At the
present time all the progress in the
useful arts is called Scientific" and
rightly so, for all depends upon natu.
raj science. Agriculture rests upon
the basis of organic chemistry, geology
ami botany, navigation on astronomy,
the working of ii etals on physics aud
chemistry, engineering on mathemat-
les, medicine on physiology, and if
ever the art of governing mankind is
to ue more than empirical, it will rest
on profound knowledge of palaeontol-
ogy and neuro-physiology.
On small grass plot in the city Of
Worcester, England, is settled re-
markable colony that seems to be quite
new TO the locality-a band of highly
phusphoresceut earthworms. This an
nealed according to Mr. J. Lloyd
Bozward ia Nature, is round, pelucid,
about two inches in length, ana APP
parently without augmentation. 1t is
entirely luminous. The phOsphores-
cence, which is under control, has the
bright greenish color of the glow
worms light, and when in glow its Sc
erection is luminous, making lumi-
nous trail. At night stamping on the
ground or slight pressure causes the
creatures to come to the surface and
light up.
Tests of molybdenum steel by St.
Petersburg chemist show that it re-
sembles tungsten steel but is made
softer by annealng aud harder by
high heating. 1t stands fire and tenn
pering better, showing no assures
where tungsten steel very often does.
Or A few years ago chemical analysis
was relied ON to determine the fitness
of water for drinking, and sufficient
6ilntinn nf npiGnnad TO nd
ed as harmless. This is changed. The
problem is now looked upon as BIO
logical rather than a chemical one, and
the purity of the water is judged by
the organisms it may contain, the fact
being recognized that even the mi
Gutest possible quantity of foreign
hSatter-if it 6e disease germ-may
be sufficient % start an epidemic. The
danger consists not in the quantity of
such organisms but in their power of
growth under certain conditions. Ty-
phOid fever, cholera and certain forms
of dysentery are the chief diseases
whose infection it is generally admit |
ted can live in water, but DIR. NJ. A. !
Veeder, of Troy, New York, states
that during the last ten years he has
maintained that the term malaria,
meaning bad air, is msnomer, and
that diseases of this class are very
largely, if not exclusively, conveyed in
water. Admitting this drinking water
brings two classes of danger. Water |
taken from near human habitations |
may be contaminated with typhoid !
and diarrhoea from excreta, and that |
from virgin soil and undrained dis |
tricts may bear the germs of malaria. |
Shallow wells in alluvial soil also may |
yield malarial infection. In many To- |
calities safe water can only be had by |
publication, aud for this an intermit-
tent Misunderstanding advantage of |
recently discovered antagOnism be. |
tween what are known as nitriflying
organisms and disease germs-may he |
better than sand filtration alone, the |
water being allowed to stand in the |
filter until introduced nitrifying organ,
isms have had time to destroy their |
foes. For home publication of water
boiling is most convenient. DIR. Wee
ders plan is to allow the boiled water
to deposit its sediment in stone jar, |
then TO transfer it to air-tight glass |
fruit jars, and store in cool cellar or
an ice-chest. Such water is clear and
palatable, and keeps long.
a communication to the Paris Acad- ,
envy of Medicine states that not less |
than 80 per cent. of the native chill |
dren of Picking are affect d by thread |
worms. Other small intestinal para
sites are equally common in adults, as !
result OF the use of polluted drinking |
water and of raw vegetables from sew. |
age-irrigated fields, the European resi-
dents, who use comparatively pure
water and cooked vegetables, being al |
most entirely unaffected Tapeworm.
on the other hand, is found in 20 per |
cent. of the Europeans, while it is very
rare in the Chinese.
Movable bubbles are often seen in |
quartz and other crystals, but the ap- +
pearance and disappearance of inclu-
sions of this kind is bit of natures |
magic not often observed. An inter. |
estlng experience with cerulean blue I
sapphire is given toy Mr.. w. s. Beck !
man in the Microscope. This was a
beautiful gem of nine carats, but it had |
flaw, and one cold morning he was !
astonished to see movable bubble IN
this flaw as he picked up the stone.
be fastened away TO show the phe-
nomenon to friend. He could find
no bubble for his friend, however, and |
at home he sought it again in VAN,
then tried to reason tnat it mad in some
way worked out of the stone Tho