The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-01-04
ITEMS OF INTEREST.

An American journal says that Amer
leans ought to eat more fat meat, against
which they have an unreasonable preju-
dice, says the Pittsburg Dispatch. The
idea that fat meat will add 10 their cor
puency is a mistake While person
subsisting on a lean meat diet may be I'M
conscious of any abnormal condition, he
is like a man in a powder magazine-in
instant danger of vital catastrophe The
MISUNDERSTANDING functions of his liver
and the pOison-eliminating capacity of his
kidneys are taxed to their utmost to keep
his system in working order. The margin
of safety, which nature has wisely made
very large in order to provide for emer-
gencies, is reduced to the narrowest pos
sible limit, so that anything which tenn
porarily interferes with the functions of
the liver or the kidneys, or which imposes
additional work upon them, may be suf-
ficent to obliterate the safety margin, and
produce grave or fatal disease.
The agitation against the disgusting
habit Of splitting in public places is ex
tending all over the country. The Bal
timore Sun quotes a woman as suggest
ing the following remedy: IF all the wo-
men in Baltimore would act in concert l
am confident they could prevent a great
deal of this filthy practice. My plan is
this: Whenever a male passenger on a
street car begins to expectorate let every
woman aboard just look steadily at him.
There need be no especial severity eX-
pressed by the look, nor an excess of in
dignaton or rebuke, for too much feel
ing shown in a glance, if the guilty fellow
were inclined to be coarse, might sub
ject one to an insulting remark. But
each female face should wear a Well-bred
air of offended deiicacy and surprise
There is not a woman out of ten in this
aff 7 xryf11
not understand how to express all these
emotions in a single look and not overdo
it."
AT recent meeting of the members
of the Anthropological Institute in Lon
don. Lieut.. B. T. SomerviIle read a PAPER
upon personal observations made by him
during lengthy stay in the island while
on surveying duty on II. NJ. S. Penguin.
Lieut.. SomerVille expressed his belief in
the existence of a rare type of animal in
the dense jungles which cover the interior
of the Solomon Islands. This animal,
which is regarded with superstitious fear
by the natives, would seem to resemble
an anthropoid ape. Should this prove to
be the case, another explanation of the
peculiar prOgnathOus character of the
carved figures produced by the Solomon
Islanders would be provided. Lieut.
SomerVille is convinced that this animal
Is not the mere product OIL q travellers tale,
but that it really exists. In support of
this contention he quotes five Independent
native accounts, and was also able to adj
duce the testimony of Lieut. Weigail, a
brother officer, who himself caught a
glimpse of an unknown hairy animal on
a branch at the edge or the jungle but
was unable to approach it before it took
fright. Owing to the constant rains, the
jungle in the Solomon Islands is excep-
tionally dense, and there are hardly any
tracks in the interior. These conditions
would distinctly favor the survival of an
animal of the supposed kind if it once
reached the islands.
Among the manias of people, the col
lection of thimbles is by no means the
least noteworthy, says the Hartford
Times 1t is really astonishing to see
how varied are the designs of an article
which at first presents such few oppor-
tunities for the elaboration of fancy Sill
yer is, of course, the commonest metal of
which ordinary thimbles are made, al
though steel and brass are substituted
for those intended to be used by tailors
The gold thimble of our grandmothers
is decidedly rare, although in every col
lection one or more specimens may al
ways be found. Their disuse NAV no
doubt be traced to the fact that fancy
work as an employment for the women
of the higher classes has unquestionably
gone out of fashion. JeweIed thimbles
are not uncommon, those with a turquoise
set in the top being the most ordinary,
but notifications of the tailors thimbles.
made in gold or silver without a top, used
at one time to be the faVorite for treat
ing in this way. Some are studded with
jewels, and very old thimbles may even
now occasionally be found with pearls
set in them. They are chiefly ornamental.
however, for it is practically impossible
for the stones to be set sufficiently deep
to be safe, and they become discolored
very rapidly. More precious jewels, like
rubies and diamonds, are sometimes used,
and no collection can be considered to be
complete without an example of this kind.
Ivory thimbles, which at the beginning
of the century used to be common, are
now very rarely seen-in use at all events
They lend themselves to decoration but
the need of making them thick gives them
clumsy appearance TO which must be
attributed their decline in popularity.
There is one use for thimbles which no
one regards nowadays, although our
Observation-Disclosures set great store by
them for the purpose. This was to make
the fingers taper. For this purpose chill
dren were made to go to bed every night
with complete set of ivory thimbles on
their little f1nger-tips. These thmbles
may occasionally even now be found and
recognized by the fact that their top is
quite smooth, and not followed for hold
ing the head of the needle.