Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1897-05-22

Written Exclusively for The Evening Star
- The first thunder storm of the spring
wakes the snakes. is old saying" re-
n arked one of the professors of the Smith
sonian Institution to a Star reporter. and
though it is not true scientifically. it is
true to all intents and purposes. for thun-
der storms place themselves in evidence as
soon as the spring is fairly opened, ana
about the same time the snakes begin NOV
ing about. They would move about just
the same whether there any thunder
not. for the warmth of the spring puts
life into them 1t happened that 1 was
visiting some friends in Virginia last week
the day after the thunder storm To reach
the electric railroad 1 had about a mile to
walk: and during that walk. although l did
not hunt for them. l saw three snakes
colored man. I asked him il he had seen
any snakes. and he told me he had killed
two in less that half an hour Thinking
that snakes were rather numerous in that
section. | asked him about it. No. indeed.
sir: snakes scarce about here, and I'M
til today had not seen any since last sum-
mer but the thunder last night woke them
up. and for a couple of days they will be
rather lively i tried to explain to him
that the thunder had but little to do with
Ii, but he was sure it had, and l gave up
the idea of trying to explain the phenome
ma. find that the thunder idea prevails
iaughable frCm scientific standpoint. it is
30 deeply rooted that l do not suppose it
will ever be corrected"
= x X <
1.-The word limited in connection with
corI OF atoms and business concerns and
firms" explained prominent lawyer to a
Star reporter, lis now in very general use.
1t originated in England. and almost every
business concern there is a limited part
nership. OF all the cities in this country
Philadelphia has more limited partnerships
than any other. though there was not one
there twenty-five years ago Philadelphia
got the idea during the centennial and.
IL having been found by experience to be a
good thing, it has grown constantly 1t
means that those interested in a firm
only interested to a limited extent: that is.
only to the extent in which it is stated in
the articles CT Incorporation. The limit of
one member of a firm. therefore, may be
$5,pr while the limit of another may be
ten times that amount, or one-tenth or
any other part. Thus. in the firm OF Brown.
Jones d Company. Limited, Brown may
have three-fourths of the stock, and Jones
and the others the remaining fourth. 1t
limits the responsibility, as il makes a
member of the firm liable only for that
which is named in the articles of incor-
poration. In this kind of corporations or
firms the law which allows them to limit
their responsibility also requires that the
word Limited shall always be used in
raining the firm. that all may know
exactly that. though there may be a large
number of very heavy men financially in
tereSte1 in a concern, their interest and
rCspnnSihii are limited. 1t is a fair
thing all around, for it prevents the use
of big names, which have sometimes been
used TO boom enterprises and corporations.
when in reality the owners of the names
have had but little interest in the con-
Germs.
C~I- oF
willie volunteeIe ed a surgeon to Star re-
pc.eer. who first ventured the opinion that
The negro never sneezed. TIE statement
was made in reply to question of Pro-
fe> scr Gross. the famous Philadelphia sur
ge5n. and in whose memory a statute was
recently dedicated in this city. 4 smile
PASSED around the listeners. and Professor
Schroeder observing that there was some
doubt about his statement. reiterated ii
with some force. He then explained that
while there were no structural arrange
ments about the breathing apparatus of the
colored race that had been discovered which
prevented him sneezing. it was a fact that
the cclored man did not sneeze though he
could be made to sneeze by the use of
sI;uffs, pepper. or other irritants. He had,
he said. never made any experiments in
that connection. He also said his observ1-
tor had been confined to colcred people in
the southern states. Atmospheric or other
conditions might exist elsewhere which
might cause him to sneeZe. but none exist
ed naturally in the south. The debate on
the subject occupied nearly hour at a
meeting OF the international Surgical ASSo-
cation. which held a convention in the old
Lincoln Hall some years ago. Since them
i nave often spoken of il and asked my
TRENDS TO notice, and though / have direct
ed the attention of hundreds to the SUBJ
1sct- | have yet to hear the first one say
that they have ever heard a negro man or
woman sneeZe- By negro / mean a black
man OF woman l believe that mulattoes
sneeze occasionally. and the nearer they
are to white the more frequently they
sheeze. but even they are less sensitive TO
influences which produce sneezing than the
people OF the white race. 1t has been OBJ
served also that Indians sneeze very sell
dom. while Chinese sneeze ten times as
much. even, as the white race
!;
Tile day of the lightning rod man has
passed away complained a former light
ming rod canvasser to a Star reporter.
land it requires no further explanations
from scientific authorities The fact Is.
city people will not buy lightning rods any
more. The only chance of selling lightning
rods is in the country. whore the idea still
fingers that they afford some protection
There was a time when no city house was
built without having a lightning rod. and,
indeed, one on each chimney. Now there
are hundreds of rows of houses in the city
without any lightning rods. and they seem
TO be as safe from lightning as IL they had
item L am not sure. however, that they
are. for 1 have seen evidence time and
time again of the value Of lightning rods
There is no doubt but that they afford some
Protection in the country where houses are
fc~ and far between. but even there the
Idea has grown constantly that they are
without value l had an experience some
years ago with st. Ann's Infant Asylum
in this city The sisters in charge ordered
lightning rod and a specially heavy and
supposedly safe one was put up. The
night following there was u severe storm,
and upon investigation the next morning
IT was found that the lightning had struck
the rod and knocked the tower of one of
the roofs off. 1t might have been a great
deaf worse had there not been a lightning
rod but say all 1 could could not con-
vince the sisters that the rod was not the
cause of the whole trouble. Indeed, / had
TO ADMIT It looked that way. but think
OIL The whole lightning rods do much more
good than harm"
Much is said and written about the
transplanting of teeth said a well-known
and popular dentist to a Star reporter,