The Banner-Democrat. [volume] (Lake Providence, East Carroll Parish, La.) 1892-current, 1897-10-23
NOTES AND COMMENTS

1t has been shown that out of ], 600
600 people 225 women reached the age
of 100 years, while only 80 men com
pleted the century. Just why the
women manage to get most out of ex.
istence is still an open question.
A New York burglar was caught in q
refrigerator the other night and nearly
frozen to death before the plight was
discovered. Still, night prowler can
hardly complain if he receives a cold
reception occasionally.
A new cure for rheumatism has been
discovered in Shelbyville, Ind. A
constable who attempted to eject a
woman in default for rent was chased
from the premises by the irate female,
who was throwing boiling water at
him. But the constable was badly
crippled with rheumatism, and his rheu-
matism has left him.
Another warning against the de-
struction of forests has recently come
from the island of Trinidad. The
officers of the Royal Botanic Gardens
there report that the rainfall has been
steadily decreasing for thirty or more
years, and that if the present rate Of
decrease should continue. that beauti-
full island would, within a measurable
length of time, become as barren as
Sahara. Destruction of forests is de-
clared to be the cause of the decrease
Of rain.
In times gone by the moment fug-
tive negro slave set foot upon English
soil, or even on board an English
man-of-war, the poor creature became
lpso facto free. This is no longer
the case. For Sir Charles Dixie has
Just drawn attention in the House of
Commons to the fact that slaves who
escape from Zanzibar or from Pemba
to the slip Of British territory on the
mainland are, by order of the British
courts and officials, handed over to
sheir former masters for further bond
age and punishment.
The state geologist of New Jersey
has just issued report on the FEAST
Dility of retaining the $4,000 acres of
salt marshes which that state includes.
A little over q million dollars, he
thinks, will do the work. At present
these marshes are the great natural
propogating centers for the renowned
Jersey mosquito, as well as for many
doors. 1t would be killing two birds
with one stone to make these insecti-
erons and "smelliferous" wastes into
valuable truck land. 1t is expected
that the legislature will act on the SUBJ
ect at the next session.
The remarkable growth in the pro-
portion of women teachers during the
last twenty years is not by any means
confined to the United States. On
the contrary, it is pretty general, and
It is significant fact that it is most
marked in those countries where the
standard of education is highest, as in
England, and Germany. The march
If education has likewise been rapid.
In Europe the number of children at
tending school since 1910 has increas-
ed 145 per cent. and even this is slight
when compared with the increase in
the United States, where there are
aow over fourteen million children en-
rolled.
The way of the hypnotist is not al
ways easy. A man calling himself
Prof. Fricker was recently sued in
London by his subject for non-pay-
ment of salary. The two had been
"on the road" together, and the SUBJ
iect's ''act" was to travel about in
coffin, pretending that he was in a
trance. In spite of his faithful at
tention to BUSINESS, the ''ghost" did
not walk, which in theatrical parlance
means that salary was not forthcoming.
So the irate corpse arose, went into a
police court swore that the whole per-
torrance was trick, and suggested
that the professor sell the coffin and
hand him the proceeds. The profess
sor thought more of his coffin than of
ais subject, and went to Jail.
Apropos of the recent death of Cap
tain Boycott, the fact is noted that
the word "boycott" first came into
use at the end of 1880. Thus in "The
Daily News of December ID, 1880,
may be read: "Already the stoutest-
hearted are yielding on every side to
the dread of being 'Boycotted. At
that time, it will be seen, the word
had still a capital letter, and was
placed in inverted commas. Gradual
" these marks of neologism disap-
peared, and by 1886 "The New Eng
fish Dictionary" recorded that the
word no longer required capital
letter. To boycott, to be boycotted, a
boycott had all become common forms
In English. The verb made the tour
of the world, and appears as boycotter
in French, boycotten in Dutch, boy
cottiren in German, and in Russian
boikottirovat.
"The cause of so many balloon &C
cident," says Professor William
Kendall, an aeronaut of Philadelphia,
Giles in the fact that the beginner
doesn't realize what delicate piece of
mechanism balloon is, and after hav-
ing been employed about balloon
outfit for one season imagines he |
knows it all. These people manage to
get balloon, usually an old, weather
4 cHo